Art auction market report: November 2011
In November 2011, ArtSell recorded 4,005 auction lots from 21 auction houses, of which 2,756 sold (69% sell-through). The 2,756 sales with a published price total $78,904,059, with a median of $4,477 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Zao Wou-ki, “4.4.85”, at $5,686,256 (Ravenel). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Lots offered
4,005
21 houses
Sold
2,756
69% sell-through
Total
$79M
2,756 priced sales
Median
$4.5k
priced sales
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4.4.85, 1985 | Zao Wou-ki | Ravenel · Nov 28, 2011 | $5,686,256 (HK$44,320,000) |
| 2 | Sonnenblumen im Abendlicht, 1943 | Emil Nolde | Grisebach · Nov 24, 2011 | $1,957,807 (€1,464,000) |
| 3 | Ringsum, 1924 | Wassily Kandinsky | Grisebach · Nov 24, 2011 | $1,713,081 (€1,281,000) |
| 4 | Elefant und Clown im Stall, 1944 | Max Beckmann | Grisebach · Nov 24, 2011 | $1,631,506 (€1,220,000) |
| 5 | Die Violinistin, 1937 | Ernst Ludwig Kirchner | Grisebach · Nov 24, 2011 | $1,500,986 (€1,122,400) |
| 6 | Composition No. 149, 1963 | Chu Teh-chun | Ravenel · Nov 28, 2011 | $1,375,376 (HK$10,720,000) |
| 7 | Sky Series - Distant View, 2005 | Zeng Fanzhi | Ravenel · Nov 28, 2011 | $1,346,637 (HK$10,496,000) |
| 8 | Landschaft mit Bauer, Junge und Ziege, 1914 | August Macke | Grisebach · Nov 24, 2011 | $1,142,054 (€854,000) |
| 9 | 5.2.81, 1981 | Zao Wou-ki | Ravenel · Nov 28, 2011 | $1,077,720 (HK$8,400,000) |
| 10 | Rapallo – Boot im Meer, 1906 | Wassily Kandinsky | Grisebach · Nov 24, 2011 | $897,328 (€671,000) |
| 11 | Plum Blossom in the Snow, 1992 | Wu Guanzhong | Ravenel · Nov 28, 2011 | $846,780 (HK$6,600,000) |
| 12 | Sonniger Wintertag, 1917 | Max Pechstein | Grisebach · Nov 24, 2011 | $815,753 (€610,000) |
| 13 | London mit House of Parliament, 1967 | Oskar Kokoschka | Grisebach · Nov 24, 2011 | $815,753 (€610,000) |
| 14 | Still-life with a pipe, 1934 | Emil Filla | Galerie Kodl · Nov 27, 2011 | $731,808 (CZK 14,400,000) |
| 15 | THE ACROPOLIS IN ATHENS | Lancelot Théodore Turpin de Crissé | Lempertz · Nov 20, 2011 | $673,505 (€496,100) |
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 | George Grosz German | $544,391 | 15 | Sonnenaufgang im Arbeiterviertel — $195,781 |
| 2 | Rudolf Bauer German | $489,452 | 1 | Dark Square — $489,452 |
| 3 | Granville Redmond American | $436,875 | 4 | High desert in bloom — $230,500 |
| 4 | William Wendt American | $313,250 | 5 | Autumn sycamores — $122,500 |
| 5 | Jacques Lipchitz French | $261,041 | 1 | Mother and Child — $261,041 |
| 6 | Frank Tenney Johnson American | $242,500 | 1 | Beneath the southern moon — $242,500 |
| 7 | Andy Warhol American | $213,193 | 5 | Hans Christian Andersen (portfólio 4 sieťotlačí) — $162,384 |
| 8 | William Bradford American | $182,500 | 1 | Ship trapped in pack ice — $182,500 |
| 9 | John Marshall Gamble American | $160,500 | 3 | Santa Barbara landscape — $80,500 |
| 10 | Lyonel Feininger American | $159,618 | 10 | 5 Spielzeughäuser. 1920er Jahre — $37,121 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zao Wou-ki French | $6,809,166 | 3 | 4.4.85 — $5,686,256 |
| 2 | Emil Nolde German | $3,122,175 | 10 | Sonnenblumen im Abendlicht — $1,957,807 |
| 3 | Wassily Kandinsky Russian | $2,837,750 | 4 | Ringsum — $1,713,081 |
| 4 | Max Beckmann German | $2,102,502 | 7 | Elefant und Clown im Stall — $1,631,506 |
| 5 | August Macke German | $1,923,935 | 8 | Landschaft mit Bauer, Junge und Ziege — $1,142,054 |
| 6 | Karl Schmidt-Rottluff German | $1,615,361 | 10 | Stilleben mit Äpfeln und Flasche — $652,602 |
| 7 | Ernst Ludwig Kirchner German | $1,534,878 | 2 | Die Violinistin — $1,500,986 |
| 8 | Ernst Wilhelm Nay German | $1,480,916 | 7 | Weizengelb — $473,137 |
| 9 | Emil Filla Czech | $930,404 | 3 | Still-life with a pipe — $731,808 |
| 10 | Alexej von Jawlensky Russian | $887,414 | 5 | Mystischer Kopf: Sphinx — $399,719 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zao Wou-ki | 4.4.85 Ravenel | $5,686,256 | $4,924,656 (83 earlier) |
| Wassily Kandinsky | Ringsum Grisebach | $1,713,081 | $664,734 (53 earlier) |
| Chu Teh-chun | Composition No. 149 Ravenel | $1,375,376 | $1,372,934 (62 earlier) |
| Zeng Fanzhi | Sky Series - Distant View Ravenel | $1,346,637 | $1,002,690 (6 earlier) |
| Max Pechstein | Sonniger Wintertag Grisebach | $815,753 | $522,099 (243 earlier) |
| Oskar Kokoschka | London mit House of Parliament Grisebach | $815,753 | $500,170 (120 earlier) |
| Karl Schmidt-Rottluff | Stilleben mit Äpfeln und Flasche Grisebach | $652,602 | $404,009 (235 earlier) |
| Ludwig Richter | The Gathering Storm Lempertz | $640,651 | $9,881 (74 earlier) |
| Zhou Chunya | Peach Blossoms Series Ravenel | $615,840 | $556,459 (63 earlier) |
| Nikolai Astrup | St. Hansbål Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner | $511,050 | $349,272 (12 earlier) |
| Paul Klee | Merkblatt Grisebach | $505,767 | $435,647 (44 earlier) |
| Rudolf Bauer | Dark Square Grisebach | $489,452 | $435,083 (12 earlier) |
| Willi Baumeister | Safer 6 Grisebach | $473,137 | $338,825 (47 earlier) |
| Fang Lijun | 2000.12.4 Ravenel | $400,296 | $49,363 (5 earlier) |
| Gerard Sekoto | Outside the Shop Strauss & Co | $391,709 | $82,739 (12 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Grisebach (613)Bonhams (418)Pananti (411)Levis Fine Art Auctions (353)Jackson's International Auctioneers (319)Strauss & Co (313)Van Sabben Poster Auctions (291)Sloans & Kenyon (220)Whyte's (216)Toovey's (118)Lempertz (112)Ravenel (94)deVeres (88)Art+Object (80)Leonard Joel (73)SOGA (65)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (60)Agra-Art (59)Galerie Kodl (58)Clarke Auction Gallery (41)Artmark (3)