Art auction market report: February 2014
In February 2014, ArtSell recorded 2,746 auction lots from 15 auction houses, of which 1,660 sold (60% sell-through). The 1,660 sales with a published price total $32,681,816, with a median of $1,875 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Gerhard Richter, “Abstraktes Bild 776-1 (Abstract Painting)”, at $3,166,020 (Phillips). 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 | Christopher Wool American | $2,177,655 | 2 | Untitled — $2,155,780 |
| 2 | Andy Warhol American | $2,068,345 | 10 | One Multicolored Marilyn (Reversal Series) — $1,775,300 |
| 3 | Ruth Asawa American | $1,430,000 | 1 | Untitled S.437 (Hanging, Seven-Lobed, Two-Part Continuous Form within a Form with Two Small Spheres) — $1,430,000 |
| 4 | Nate Lowman American | $898,829 | 2 | Untitled Marilyn #13 — $870,020 |
| 5 | Rudolf Stingel American | $833,353 | 2 | Untitled — $771,620 |
| 6 | Sterling Ruby German | $810,980 | 1 | SP56 — $810,980 |
| 7 | Donald Judd American | $573,035 | 4 | Untitled — $535,460 |
| 8 | Vija Celmins American | $531,250 | 1 | Untitled (Ham Hock) — $531,250 |
| 9 | Robert Longo American | $461,023 | 4 | Spanish Blood — $279,620 |
| 10 | Keith Haring American | $409,972 | 5 | Barking Dog and Spaceships — $172,028 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gerhard Richter German | $3,416,242 | 4 | Abstraktes Bild 776-1 (Abstract Painting) — $3,166,020 |
| 2 | Banksy British | $1,566,510 | 3 | Happy Shopper — $830,660 |
| 3 | Michelangelo Pistoletto Italian | $1,268,703 | 2 | Uomo con gli stivali al telefono — $1,007,780 |
| 4 | Damien Hirst British | $952,490 | 2 | Night Follows Day (Diptych) — $948,740 |
| 5 | Andreas Gursky German | $555,140 | 1 | Ocean IV — $555,140 |
| 6 | Marc Quinn British | $506,207 | 3 | The Selfish Gene — $181,905 |
| 7 | Günther Förg German | $419,875 | 8 | Untitled — $197,000 |
| 8 | Urs Fischer Swiss | $378,020 | 1 | Nail Duo — $378,020 |
| 9 | Wim Delvoye Belgian | $300,432 | 1 | Untitled (Koi) — $300,432 |
| 10 | Chris Ofili British | $211,537 | 1 | Pramnian Odyssey 2 — $211,537 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruth Asawa | Untitled S.437 (Hanging, Seven-Lobed, Two-Part Continuous Form within a Form with Two Small Spheres) Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) | $1,430,000 | $80,850 (7 earlier) |
| Michelangelo Pistoletto | Uomo con gli stivali al telefono Phillips | $1,007,780 | $413,000 (22 earlier) |
| Damien Hirst | Night Follows Day (Diptych) Phillips | $948,740 | $239,909 (92 earlier) |
| Nate Lowman | Untitled Marilyn #13 Phillips | $870,020 | $545,000 (6 earlier) |
| Banksy | Happy Shopper Phillips | $830,660 | $485,000 (13 earlier) |
| Donald Judd | Untitled Phillips | $535,460 | $522,974 (39 earlier) |
| Zhang Huan | Family Tree Phillips | $478,221 | $79,990 (6 earlier) |
| Wim Delvoye | Untitled (Koi) Phillips | $300,432 | $113,442 (11 earlier) |
| Robert Longo | Spanish Blood Phillips | $279,620 | $98,500 (34 earlier) |
| Adam McEwen | Rite Aid Phillips | $279,620 | $142,516 (9 earlier) |
| John McLaughlin | #11-1962 Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) | $212,500 | $27,563 (3 earlier) |
| Chris Ofili | Pramnian Odyssey 2 Phillips | $211,537 | $23,900 (4 earlier) |
| Agostino Bonalumi | Bianco Phillips | $162,151 | $37,582 (7 earlier) |
| Mark Flood | Pink Summer Day Phillips | $132,020 | $65,536 (3 earlier) |
| Barry McGee | 61 Framed Works Phillips | $122,642 | $12,500 (6 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Pananti (670)James D. Julia (557)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (341)Whyte's (207)Sloans & Kenyon (204)Phillips (190)Wright (173)Bonhams (104)Polswiss Art (93)Clarke Auction Gallery (76)Agra-Art (57)deVeres (35)Toovey's (35)Artmark (2)Bolsa de Arte (2)