Art auction market report: February 2011
In February 2011, ArtSell recorded 585 auction lots from 6 auction houses, of which 476 sold (81% sell-through). The 476 sales with a published price total $1,067,996, with a median of $600 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Robert Longo, “Corporate Wars: Walls of Influence”, at $98,500 (Wright). 7 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Lots offered
585
6 houses
Sold
476
81% sell-through
Total
$1.1M
476 priced sales
Median
$600
priced sales
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 | Robert Longo American | $98,500 | 1 | Corporate Wars: Walls of Influence — $98,500 |
| 2 | John Marin American | $43,125 | 1 | Sailboat in City Harbor — $43,125 |
| 3 | Kenny Scharf American | $28,751 | 4 | Glips (Portrait of Zips) — $9,375 |
| 4 | Robert Mapplethorpe American | $28,050 | 1 | Milton Moore, 1981 — $28,050 |
| 5 | Jasper Francis Cropsey American | $28,000 | 1 | Cabin at Greenwood Lake — $28,000 |
| 6 | Conrad Wise Chapman American | $26,000 | 1 | Valley of Mexico — $26,000 |
| 7 | Jean-Michel Basquiat American | $25,000 | 1 | Untitled (Solanamum) — $25,000 |
| 8 | Lyman Emmet Kipp, Jr. American | $16,250 | 1 | Blue Smoke — $16,250 |
| 9 | Paul Jenkins American | $12,750 | 2 | Phenomena — $8,750 |
| 10 | Tom Wesselmann American | $12,500 | 1 | Monica Sitting with Mondrian — $12,500 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maurice de Vlaminck French | $25,000 | 1 | Paysage D'Hiver — $25,000 |
| 2 | Walter Sickert British | $20,700 | 1 | Studio Nude — $20,700 |
| 3 | Lionel Edwards British | $19,000 | 1 | The 'Papyrus' Derby — $19,000 |
| 4 | Salvador Dalí Spanish | $18,220 | 22 | The Twelve Tribes of Israel #XXVII/XXXV — $4,701 |
| 5 | Jean-Jacques Henner French | $9,500 | 2 | Les Baigneuses — $4,750 |
| 6 | Suzanne Valadon French | $8,000 | 1 | Nu Se Regardant Dans la Glace — $8,000 |
| 7 | Donald McIntyre British | $7,200 | 2 | The Wave — $5,000 |
| 8 | Damien Hirst British | $6,188 | 2 | Lepidine — $4,063 |
| 9 | Nicola Simbari Italian | $5,975 | 2 | Sur le Boulevard — $5,625 |
| 10 | Lucio Fontana Italian | $5,500 | 2 | Concetto Spaziale — $2,750 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Marin | Sailboat in City Harbor James D. Julia | $43,125 | $34,160 (10 earlier) |
| Robert Mapplethorpe | Milton Moore, 1981 Wright | $28,050 | $13,154 (11 earlier) |
| Lyman Emmet Kipp, Jr. | Blue Smoke Wright | $16,250 | $4,375 (4 earlier) |
| Larry Poons | untitled (Study for Painting) Wright | $11,875 | $5,533 (4 earlier) |
| Sèvres | Empire Gilt Decorated Pitcher James D. Julia | $4,025 | $1,800 (8 earlier) |
| Toko Shinoda | Blessing E #46/55 Levis Fine Art Auctions | $705 | $475 (3 earlier) |
| Iwan Kulik | Ilustracja Agra-Art | $282 | $230 (3 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Sloans & Kenyon (228)Wright (88)James D. Julia (79)Agra-Art (78)Levis Fine Art Auctions (73)Toovey's (39)