Art auction market report: March 2010
In March 2010, ArtSell recorded 1,328 auction lots from 11 auction houses, of which 940 sold (71% sell-through). The 940 sales with a published price total $17,489,536, with a median of $2,369 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Sidney Nolan, “First-Class Marksman 1946”, at $4,933,494 (Menzies). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Top sales
Top American artists
Ranked by total of priced sales in the month; region from the artist’s recorded nationality.
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arman American | $31,359 | 3 | 'Petits Tubes et Coulees' — $14,336 |
| 2 | Philip Guston American | $19,712 | 1 | Standing Nude — $19,712 |
| 3 | Ian Stephenson British | $19,712 | 1 | 'Diorama SS.12.67' — $19,712 |
| 4 | Donald Judd American | $13,619 | 3 | for Lehni AG, 'Corner Bench #53' designed 1984 — $5,734 |
| 5 | Keith Haring American | $7,168 | 1 | Untitled — $7,168 |
| 6 | Zygmunt Menkes American | $6,426 | 1 | MALARZ I MODELKA — $6,426 |
| 7 | Paul Jenkins American | $4,480 | 1 | Untitled, — $4,480 |
| 8 | George Condo American | $3,584 | 1 | Untitled — $3,584 |
| 9 | Rufus Moody American | $3,448 | 1 | Untitled - Totem Pole — $3,448 |
| 10 | Alexander Archipenko American | $3,050 | 2 | Žena s dieťaťom — $1,762 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur Boyd British | $655,607 | 5 | Bride in the Moonlight (Bride Turning into a Windmill) 1960 — $328,900 |
| 2 | Jacek Malczewski Polish | $218,070 | 2 | ZAUROCZENIE. AUTOPORTRET Z MARIĄ BALOWĄ — $212,850 |
| 3 | Diego Giacometti Swiss | $161,276 | 1 | 'Table Torsade' circa 1965 — $161,276 |
| 4 | Anton Burger German | $97,546 | 2 | WÄLDCHENSTAG — $52,024 |
| 5 | Arnulf Rainer Austrian | $80,638 | 1 | 'Der Psychiatrist' — $80,638 |
| 6 | Henryk Siemiradzki Polish | $77,108 | 2 | U ŹRÓDŁA — $61,044 |
| 7 | John Kelly British | $76,743 | 2 | English Pasture 2000 — $63,587 |
| 8 | Eugene von Guerard Austrian | $76,743 | 1 | Ferntree Gully in the Dandenong Ranges 1857 — $76,743 |
| 9 | Jan Hála Slovak | $68,666 | 5 | Važtiansky kosec — $40,671 |
| 10 | Max Clarenbach German | $63,079 | 3 | WINTER LANDSCAPE AT THE LOWER RHINE-REGION — $45,521 |
New artist records
The artist’s best price this month exceeded every earlier priced result for them in the ArtSell database (artists with at least three earlier priced results).
| Artist | Work | Price | Previous high |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney Nolan | First-Class Marksman 1946 Menzies | $4,933,494 | $306,682 (31 earlier) |
| Brett Whiteley | View from the Sitting Room Window, Lavender Bay 1991 Menzies | $1,315,598 | $1,154,234 (12 earlier) |
| John Perceval | Scudding Swans 1959 Menzies | $630,391 | $68,205 (13 earlier) |
| Jeffrey Smart | The Steps, Palma 1965 Menzies | $548,166 | $346,270 (14 earlier) |
| Lin Onus | Reflections, Barmah Forest 1996 Menzies | $241,193 | $56,604 (3 earlier) |
| Ian Fairweather | Zoo 1964 Menzies | $197,340 | $146,903 (3 earlier) |
| Gordon Walters | Untitled Art+Object | $194,302 | $42,756 (15 earlier) |
| Arthur Streeton | Fossil Bay, Mentone 1925 Menzies | $186,376 | $129,590 (3 earlier) |
| Rick Amor | The Waiter 1995-2000 Menzies | $120,597 | $34,557 (3 earlier) |
| Hugh Sawrey | The Binde-Bango Shed in Full Swing, South Mitchell, Western Queensland Menzies | $65,780 | $25,918 (6 earlier) |
| Ronnie Tjampitjinpa | Kumpuralgna 1996 Menzies | $60,298 | $20,126 (3 earlier) |
| Garry Shead | Frieda and Kangaroo Menzies | $53,720 | $21,084 (16 earlier) |
| Anton Burger | WÄLDCHENSTAG Lempertz | $52,024 | $26,892 (5 earlier) |
| Milan Laluha | Ženy z Mičinej SOGA | $42,027 | $10,394 (41 earlier) |
| Jan Hála | Važtiansky kosec SOGA | $40,671 | $24,685 (27 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Whyte's (254)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (249)Menzies (211)SOGA (184)Agra-Art (150)Lempertz (88)Art+Object (83)Bonhams (61)Levis Fine Art Auctions (39)Cottone Auctions (7)Artmark (2)