Art auction market report: September 2011
In September 2011, ArtSell recorded 1,685 auction lots from 14 auction houses, of which 1,226 sold (73% sell-through). The 1,226 sales with a published price total $19,750,072, with a median of $1,750 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Irma Stern, “Two Arabs”, at $2,643,210 (Strauss & Co). 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 | Jacques Lipchitz French | $678,964 | 1 | Homme assis à la clarinette II — $678,964 |
| 2 | Alexander Archipenko American | $81,727 | 1 | Lying Horizontal Figure 1957 — $81,727 |
| 3 | Futura 2000 American | $60,000 | 3 | Comet of Luxury — $21,250 |
| 4 | Raymond Pettibon American | $56,250 | 5 | untitled (Listen) — $15,625 |
| 5 | Adolph Gottlieb American | $50,000 | 1 | Burst #6 — $50,000 |
| 6 | Andy Warhol American | $45,625 | 3 | Mick Jagger — $31,250 |
| 7 | Edmund Lewandowski American | $23,125 | 8 | Night Glow #3 — $6,250 |
| 8 | Joe Zucker American | $17,500 | 1 | Joe's Painting #509 — $17,500 |
| 9 | Grace Hartigan American | $16,250 | 1 | Jazz in New York — $16,250 |
| 10 | John Ferren American | $15,000 | 1 | untitled — $15,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Auguste Rodin French | $1,478,074 | 1 | La Femme accroupie, grand modèle avec une Terrasse plus haute — $1,478,074 |
| 2 | Eugene von Guerard Austrian | $412,128 | 3 | Rom vom Monte Mario aus gesehen 1844 — $211,792 |
| 3 | Arthur Boyd British | $378,878 | 6 | Hunter c1968 — $162,616 |
| 4 | Dorothy Kay Irish | $86,252 | 1 | Self Portrait with Red and White Scarf — $86,252 |
| 5 | Marjorie Wallace French | $52,864 | 4 | Kitchen Interior — $27,823 |
| 6 | Émile Antoine Bourdelle French | $40,235 | 1 | Beethoven à une main - étude pour le Beethoven dit aux deux mains c1908, cast in 1969 — $40,235 |
| 7 | Jean Dufy French | $38,000 | 1 | Île de la Cité — $38,000 |
| 8 | Max Clarenbach German | $35,255 | 4 | AT THE POPPENBÜTTLER SCHLEUSE — $11,202 |
| 9 | Montague Dawson British | $35,000 | 1 | Homeward Bound — $35,000 |
| 10 | Emilie Preyer German | $27,182 | 1 | STILL LIFE WITH PEACH AND PLUMS — $27,182 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irma Stern | Two Arabs Strauss & Co | $2,643,210 | $1,940,232 (35 earlier) |
| Auguste Rodin | La Femme accroupie, grand modèle avec une Terrasse plus haute Menzies | $1,478,074 | $229,322 (26 earlier) |
| Russell Drysdale | Country Child c1948 Menzies | $1,355,134 | $1,252,868 (21 earlier) |
| Lloyd Rees | A Song to Creation - Land 1969 Menzies | $556,024 | $352,200 (8 earlier) |
| Ian Fairweather | Chanting the Ching 1964 Menzies | $445,378 | $255,082 (6 earlier) |
| Eugene von Guerard | Rom vom Monte Mario aus gesehen 1844 Menzies | $211,792 | $76,743 (5 earlier) |
| William Kentridge | Blue Head Strauss & Co | $97,381 | $87,518 (35 earlier) |
| Robert Hodgins | Greenpiece '99 No 3 (A Godson of the Godfather) Strauss & Co | $76,514 | $50,916 (24 earlier) |
| François Krige | Still Life with Apples and Pears Strauss & Co | $52,864 | $29,305 (4 earlier) |
| Lucky Sibiya | Five Wives Strauss & Co | $50,082 | $29,372 (5 earlier) |
| Norman Catherine | This Way Strauss & Co | $34,779 | $28,642 (16 earlier) |
| Marjorie Wallace | Kitchen Interior Strauss & Co | $27,823 | $15,552 (5 earlier) |
| Terence McCaw | Flight of Steps, Rectory Lane, Simon's Town Strauss & Co | $26,432 | $25,977 (18 earlier) |
| Deborah Bell | Flare Strauss & Co | $25,041 | $22,620 (10 earlier) |
| David Botha | Houtstraat, Paarl Strauss & Co | $22,259 | $15,912 (11 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (293)Strauss & Co (240)Sloans & Kenyon (233)Bonhams (217)Wright (177)Menzies (122)Art+Object (108)Lempertz (91)Agra-Art (57)Levis Fine Art Auctions (49)Clarke Auction Gallery (42)Toovey's (41)Cottone Auctions (14)Bolsa de Arte (1)