Art auction market report: February 2012
In February 2012, ArtSell recorded 685 auction lots from 7 auction houses, of which 438 sold (64% sell-through). The 438 sales with a published price total $445,479, with a median of $472 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was A matched pair of Chinese famille rose bottle vase, “early 20th Century”, at $19,824 (Art+Object). 6 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 | Daniel Merriam American | $10,000 | 5 | Zurich Gnomes (Heidelberg) — $3,500 |
| 2 | Albert Bierstadt American | $9,200 | 1 | View Overlooking Mountains — $9,200 |
| 3 | Hyman Bloom American | $8,200 | 5 | Hyman Bloom From Life, — $4,000 |
| 4 | Edmund Greacen American | $8,000 | 1 | Untitled — $8,000 |
| 5 | Isaac Witkin American | $7,000 | 1 | On a painted wood pedestal — $7,000 |
| 6 | Ernest Lawson American | $5,900 | 1 | New York City, Flat Iron Building — $5,900 |
| 7 | A. B. Frost American | $4,025 | 1 | Woodcock — $4,025 |
| 8 | Alfred S. Mira American | $4,000 | 1 | Street Scene in the Rain — $4,000 |
| 9 | Charles Wysocki American | $3,800 | 1 | Cape Cod Clip Joint — $3,800 |
| 10 | Benjamin Champney American | $3,737 | 1 | Rumford Falls — $3,737 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Francis Picabia French | $16,100 | 1 | Autumn Hillside — $16,100 |
| 2 | Jean Dufy French | $6,670 | 3 | Femme Assise (Mme Dufy) — $4,600 |
| 3 | Francesco Lavagna Italian | $6,000 | 1 | Floral and Fruit Still Life in Extensive Landscape — $6,000 |
| 4 | Hippolyte Petitjean French | $5,015 | 1 | Two Women in the Park — $5,015 |
| 5 | Jan Lebensztejn Polish | $2,617 | 2 | Kobieta i bestia pod parasolami — $1,308 |
| 6 | Jerzy Duda-Gracz Polish | $2,471 | 2 | Opole. Festiwal Piosenki Polskiej — $1,272 |
| 7 | Jacek Yerka Polish | $1,708 | 2 | Nawałnica — $1,018 |
| 8 | Diogene Ulyssee Napoleon Maillart French | $1,400 | 1 | Reclining Female Nude — $1,400 |
| 9 | Jerzy Nowosielski Polish | $1,199 | 1 | Akt — $1,199 |
| 10 | Ennio Calabria Italian | $1,000 | 1 | The Guitarist — $1,000 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robin White | Oystercatcher and Harbour Cone Art+Object | $8,723 | $7,869 (16 earlier) |
| Darryn George | Mihini - HSV Art+Object | $5,947 | $1,202 (3 earlier) |
| Gavin Chilcott | Meet me in the Sculpture Garden at 4 Art+Object | $2,973 | $1,597 (19 earlier) |
| Ernest Mervyn Taylor | Tane Mahuta Separating Rangi (the heavens) and Papa (the earth) Art+Object | $2,379 | $2,091 (7 earlier) |
| Song Wenzhi | Untitled Sloans & Kenyon | $950 | $750 (4 earlier) |
| Chao Shao-an | Untitled Sloans & Kenyon | $850 | $350 (5 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Sloans & Kenyon (275)Art+Object (153)James D. Julia (136)Agra-Art (48)Clarke Auction Gallery (46)Toovey's (26)Artmark (1)