Art auction market report: December 2013
In December 2013, ArtSell recorded 3,553 auction lots from 19 auction houses, of which 2,796 sold (79% sell-through). The 2,796 sales with a published price total $68,081,699, with a median of $4,440 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Zao Wou-ki, “19.7.63”, at $3,868,691 (Ravenel). 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 | Norman Rockwell American | $2,146,000 | 2 | Girl Choosing Hat — $1,205,000 |
| 2 | Childe Hassam American | $538,000 | 2 | East Gloucester, End of the Trolley Line — $341,000 |
| 3 | Walasse Ting American | $532,080 | 10 | I Love Watermelon — $186,410 |
| 4 | Harry Bertoia American | $521,000 | 1 | "Golden Rods" melt-coated wire sculpture — $521,000 |
| 5 | Andy Warhol American | $499,525 | 16 | 25 Cats name[d] Sam and one Blue Pussy — $141,665 |
| 6 | Ken Price American | $488,625 | 10 | "Unit 6" from "Happy's Curios," 1972-1978 — $293,000 |
| 7 | Otto Dix American | $443,539 | 3 | Börsenspekulanten — $399,994 |
| 8 | Yves Tanguy French | $416,661 | 1 | Titre inconnu — $416,661 |
| 9 | Abbott Fuller Graves American | $382,000 | 2 | Rowing to Picnic Rock — $197,000 |
| 10 | George Chann American | $243,144 | 1 | Lake of Light — $243,144 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Pechstein German | $3,983,554 | 10 | Schrei am Meer — $2,049,150 |
| 2 | Zao Wou-ki French | $3,924,597 | 5 | 19.7.63 — $3,868,691 |
| 3 | Edvard Munch Norwegian | $1,794,869 | 29 | Vampyr II — $650,040 |
| 4 | Alexandre Noll French | $1,121,750 | 3 | Rare dining table and set of ten chairs — $905,000 |
| 5 | Jindřich Štyrský Czech | $1,073,304 | 2 | Všední probuzení — $608,206 |
| 6 | Gabriele Münter German | $922,370 | 6 | Blauer Kegelberg — $399,994 |
| 7 | Georg Baselitz German | $749,900 | 7 | Der Abgarkopf — $616,658 |
| 8 | Oskar Schlemmer German | $683,323 | 1 | Figur auf grauem Grund — $683,323 |
| 9 | Emil Filla Czech | $667,834 | 3 | Zátiší s kartou a dýmkou — $417,396 |
| 10 | Toyen Czech | $596,280 | 1 | Ztroskotání ve snu — $596,280 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Pechstein | Schrei am Meer Ketterer Kunst | $2,049,150 | $815,753 (292 earlier) |
| Alexandre Noll | Rare dining table and set of ten chairs Phillips | $905,000 | $149,000 (12 earlier) |
| Georg Baselitz | Der Abgarkopf Ketterer Kunst | $616,658 | $575,515 (103 earlier) |
| Harry Bertoia | "Golden Rods" melt-coated wire sculpture Phillips | $521,000 | $138,000 (80 earlier) |
| Richard Hamilton | Fashion-Plate (Cosmetic Study IX) Phillips | $515,937 | $83,748 (44 earlier) |
| Yeh Tzu Chi | Mountain by Lao River, Hualien Ravenel | $344,454 | $247,608 (27 earlier) |
| George Chann | Lake of Light Ravenel | $243,144 | $219,409 (32 earlier) |
| Karl Otto Götz | Brien-Elven Ketterer Kunst | $233,330 | $149,569 (98 earlier) |
| Léonor Fini | L´Entre - deux Ketterer Kunst | $224,997 | $45,594 (43 earlier) |
| Alphonse Mucha | Young Woman in Red Galerie Kodl | $220,624 | $129,892 (25 earlier) |
| Hans Coper | Early and large globular pot with abstract design Phillips | $197,000 | $100,368 (14 earlier) |
| Abbott Fuller Graves | Rowing to Picnic Rock Bonhams | $197,000 | $108,000 (9 earlier) |
| Gaetano Pesce | Prototype "Moloch" adjustable floor lamp Phillips | $197,000 | $37,500 (32 earlier) |
| Liu Guosong | Mountain: Tibetan Conto 48 Ravenel | $194,515 | $67,646 (16 earlier) |
| Daniel Richter | Irren, menschlich? Ketterer Kunst | $174,997 | $103,330 (29 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Phillips (749)Ketterer Kunst (581)Van Sabben Poster Auctions (317)Art+Object (211)Pananti (203)Agra-Art (200)Ravenel (173)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (173)Leonard Joel (164)Morgan O'Driscoll (160)Toovey's (142)Bonhams (124)SOGA (106)Sloans & Kenyon (84)Clarke Auction Gallery (75)Galerie Kodl (43)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (29)Levis Fine Art Auctions (17)Artmark (2)