Art auction market report: December 2012
In December 2012, ArtSell recorded 5,135 auction lots from 22 auction houses, of which 2,536 sold (49% sell-through). The 2,536 sales with a published price total $52,553,595, with a median of $1,875 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Zao Wou-ki, “La Mer perdue”, at $4,324,886 (Ravenel). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Mer perdue, 1952 | Zao Wou-ki | Ravenel · Dec 2, 2012 | $4,324,886 (NT$125,760,000) |
| 2 | Bateaux fond bleu, 1951 | Zao Wou-ki | Ravenel · Dec 2, 2012 | $2,206,462 (NT$64,160,000) |
| 3 | Taihu Lake Stone, 2000 | Zhou Chunya | Ravenel · Dec 2, 2012 | $1,936,845 (NT$56,320,000) |
| 4 | Peach Blossoms Series 2006 – Glamorous Lake, 2006 | Zhou Chunya | Ravenel · Dec 2, 2012 | $1,072,968 (NT$31,200,000) |
| 5 | Kurrajong 1981, 1981 | Brett Whiteley | Menzies · Dec 6, 2012 | $966,018 (A$920,455) |
| 6 | Three Graces, 1937 | Emil Filla | Galerie Kodl · Dec 2, 2012 | $900,703 (CZK 17,520,000) |
| 7 | Woman sewing | Guy Rose | Bonhams · Dec 11, 2012 | $782,500 |
| 8 | Zwei Pferde, 1913 | Heinrich Campendonk | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 8, 2012 | $692,740 (€536,800) |
| 9 | 28.3.71, 1971 | Zao Wou-ki | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 8, 2012 | $661,252 (€512,400) |
| 10 | Irruption de l'inconnu, 2004 | Chu Teh-chun | Ravenel · Dec 2, 2012 | $660,288 (NT$19,200,000) |
| 11 | Abstraktes Bild, 1980 | Gerhard Richter | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 8, 2012 | $551,044 (€427,000) |
| 12 | Shrinking Alice 1956, 1956 | Charles Blackman | Menzies · Dec 6, 2012 | $515,209 (A$490,909) |
| 13 | A Song to Creation - Land 1969, 1969 | Lloyd Rees | Menzies · Dec 6, 2012 | $515,209 (A$490,909) |
| 14 | Kirche an der Ramsach, 1935 | Gabriele Münter | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 8, 2012 | $488,067 (€378,200) |
| 15 | The Young Ringer 1957, 1957 | Russell Drysdale | Menzies · Dec 6, 2012 | $463,688 (A$441,818) |
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 | Guy Rose American | $845,000 | 2 | Woman sewing — $782,500 |
| 2 | Selden Connor Gile American | $499,750 | 4 | Cows and Pasture — $206,500 |
| 3 | Edgar Alwin Payne American | $341,750 | 8 | The Topmost Peak — $170,500 |
| 4 | Julian Onderdonk American | $326,500 | 1 | Field of bluebonnets at sunset — $326,500 |
| 5 | Lyonel Feininger American | $320,432 | 7 | Ober-Weimar VII — $138,548 |
| 6 | Andy Warhol American | $241,524 | 11 | Mao — $55,104 |
| 7 | Frank Schoonover American | $207,500 | 2 | As the canoe swept by — $182,500 |
| 8 | Bernard von Eichman American | $206,500 | 1 | China #3 — $206,500 |
| 9 | Isamu Noguchi American | $189,375 | 2 | Chess table — $187,500 |
| 10 | Charles Marion Russell American | $188,500 | 1 | Deer in landscape — $188,500 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zao Wou-ki French | $7,475,579 | 7 | La Mer perdue — $4,324,886 |
| 2 | Emil Filla Czech | $1,425,702 | 5 | Three Graces — $900,703 |
| 3 | Emil Nolde German | $1,146,446 | 10 | Sonnenblumen und Rittersporn — $220,417 |
| 4 | Gabriele Münter German | $1,131,956 | 8 | Kirche an der Ramsach — $488,067 |
| 5 | Gerhard Richter German | $1,098,914 | 10 | Abstraktes Bild — $551,044 |
| 6 | Heinrich Campendonk German | $838,990 | 2 | Zwei Pferde — $692,740 |
| 7 | Max Pechstein German | $669,595 | 8 | Die Quelle — $440,835 |
| 8 | Heinz Mack German | $571,956 | 4 | Ohne Titel — $299,138 |
| 9 | Egon Schiele Austrian | $491,216 | 2 | Liebespaar — $409,347 |
| 10 | Ernst Ludwig Kirchner German | $474,046 | 11 | Zwei Modelle im Atelier — $110,209 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zhou Chunya | Taihu Lake Stone Ravenel | $1,936,845 | $1,006,434 (77 earlier) |
| Guy Rose | Woman sewing Bonhams | $782,500 | $628,000 (11 earlier) |
| Charles Blackman | Shrinking Alice 1956 Menzies | $515,209 | $356,763 (80 earlier) |
| Julian Onderdonk | Field of bluebonnets at sunset Bonhams | $326,500 | $24,780 (7 earlier) |
| Heinz Mack | Ohne Titel Ketterer Kunst | $299,138 | $245,225 (104 earlier) |
| Yeh Tzu Chi | Mountain by Lao River, Hualien, Rain Shower Ravenel | $247,608 | $141,984 (22 earlier) |
| John Kelly | Three Cows Stacked 2001 Menzies | $231,844 | $219,737 (16 earlier) |
| Bernard von Eichman | China #3 Bonhams | $206,500 | $91,500 (3 earlier) |
| Frank Schoonover | As the canoe swept by Bonhams | $182,500 | $51,750 (4 earlier) |
| August François Gay | Woman in the garden Bonhams | $176,500 | $57,000 (22 earlier) |
| Franz Gertsch | Doris Ketterer Kunst | $173,185 | $119,446 (10 earlier) |
| Karl Otto Götz | SKÜTTER Ketterer Kunst | $149,569 | $126,571 (82 earlier) |
| František Kupka | French Riviera coast Galerie Kodl | $141,892 | $49,064 (12 earlier) |
| Erich Heckel | Frauen am Meer Ketterer Kunst | $141,697 | $127,362 (285 earlier) |
| Jan Hála | Deti SOGA | $141,394 | $138,026 (57 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Pananti (1,860)Bonhams (430)Whyte's (411)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (339)Van Sabben Poster Auctions (325)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (247)Ketterer Kunst (199)Agra-Art (192)Lempertz (187)SOGA (131)Menzies (121)Ravenel (119)Leonard Joel (106)Sloans & Kenyon (106)Toovey's (102)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (66)Clarke Auction Gallery (59)Art+Object (47)Galerie Kodl (39)Grisebach (30)Levis Fine Art Auctions (18)Piguet Hôtel des Ventes (1)