Art auction market report: March 2012
In March 2012, ArtSell recorded 2,855 auction lots from 16 auction houses, of which 1,555 sold (54% sell-through). The 1,555 sales with a published price total $13,575,039, with a median of $938 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Brett Whiteley, “Westerly with Daisies (View of Lavender Bay) 1974”, at $749,540 (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 | Andy Warhol American | $136,168 | 2 | Kladivo a kosák (portfólio 4 sieťotlačí) — $135,793 |
| 2 | Zygmunt Menkes American | $28,902 | 3 | WNĘTRZE Z BUKIETEM KWIATÓW — $21,183 |
| 3 | Wendell Castle American | $20,125 | 1 | Walnut Side Table — $20,125 |
| 4 | Eugene Speicher American | $13,000 | 2 | Beautiful landscape in original possibly Macklin frame — $7,000 |
| 5 | Dale Chihuly American | $10,850 | 4 | Set of Shells w/Turquoise Trim — $5,250 |
| 6 | Walter Koeniger American | $7,688 | 3 | Winter landscape — $3,500 |
| 7 | Charles Levier French | $6,200 | 3 | Fin de L'Hiver — $3,000 |
| 8 | Edwin Deakin American | $4,250 | 1 | A doorway — $4,250 |
| 9 | Kenny Scharf American | $4,063 | 3 | Wacko Pikabo — $1,875 |
| 10 | Alexander Archipenko American | $3,917 | 1 | Čierne torzo — $3,917 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur Boyd British | $726,571 | 7 | The Little Train 1950 — $425,965 |
| 2 | Stanisław Wyspiański Polish | $675,651 | 1 | PORTRETY RODZINY STERNBACHÓW — $675,651 |
| 3 | Eugeniusz Zak Polish | $277,565 | 1 | AUTOPORTRET — $277,565 |
| 4 | John Kelly British | $146,118 | 4 | First Past the Post-Modern 1998 — $95,460 |
| 5 | Jack Butler Yeats Irish | $116,917 | 4 | ON THE COURTHOUSE STEPS — $115,447 |
| 6 | Wilhelm Kotarbiński Polish | $102,261 | 1 | W CISZY WIECZORNEJ. ZADUMANA — $102,261 |
| 7 | Jacek Malczewski Polish | $91,304 | 1 | W PRACOWNI MALARZA — $91,304 |
| 8 | John Glover British | $78,964 | 2 | Wooded River Landscape with Anglers and Cattle in the Foreground — $41,560 |
| 9 | Tadeusz Makowski Polish | $76,696 | 1 | CHŁOPCZYK. PORTRET FRANCOISA — $76,696 |
| 10 | Antoni Kozakiewicz Polish | $73,043 | 1 | NA ULICY. ZAZDROŚĆ — $73,043 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanisław Wyspiański | PORTRETY RODZINY STERNBACHÓW Agra-Art | $675,651 | $423,663 (11 earlier) |
| Eugeniusz Zak | AUTOPORTRET Agra-Art | $277,565 | $99,815 (6 earlier) |
| Lin Onus | Barmah Forest c1993 Menzies | $270,400 | $241,193 (9 earlier) |
| Albert Tucker | Faun 1966 Menzies | $139,725 | $115,006 (5 earlier) |
| Robert Dickerson | Burning the Cane 1993 Menzies | $82,733 | $34,603 (29 earlier) |
| Margaret Olley | The Yellow Room c1990 Menzies | $81,459 | $67,142 (5 earlier) |
| Antoni Kozakiewicz | NA ULICY. ZAZDROŚĆ Agra-Art | $73,043 | $47,555 (7 earlier) |
| Ray Crooke | Woman with Blossoms Menzies | $70,004 | $47,610 (17 earlier) |
| Dale Frank | Ultimogeniture Brachylogy Brain Fever Dead Set Art+Object | $67,271 | $21,267 (4 earlier) |
| Norman Lindsay | Spellbound 1930 Menzies | $63,641 | $43,008 (22 earlier) |
| Tony Tuckson | Untitled c1964 Menzies | $57,276 | $13,831 (3 earlier) |
| Ladislav Guderna | Dievča s kvetinou SOGA | $28,725 | $27,064 (18 earlier) |
| McLean Edwards | Milkman 2003 Menzies | $25,456 | $22,584 (5 earlier) |
| Séraphine Pick | The Huntress (with Wallflowers) Art+Object | $25,108 | $16,382 (21 earlier) |
| Donald Friend | Yulgilbar Butler's Day Off c1963 Menzies | $22,911 | $9,867 (13 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Pananti (824)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (304)Whyte's (269)Bonhams (203)Art+Object (198)Menzies (177)SOGA (176)Agra-Art (152)Leonard Joel (123)Clarke Auction Gallery (93)Levis Fine Art Auctions (79)Lempertz (77)Toovey's (75)Crocker Farm (74)Cottone Auctions (18)Twents Veilinghuis (13)