Home / Market reports / December 2014 Art auction market report: December 2014 In December 2014, ArtSell recorded 4,022 auction lots from 22 auction houses, of which 2,544 sold (63% sell-through). The 2,544 sales with a published price total $76,752,761, with a median of $4,945 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Isamu Noguchi, “The Goodyear Table, for A. Conger Goodyear, Old Westbury, New York”, at $4,450,500 (Phillips). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Lots offered
4,022
22 houses
Sold
2,544
63% sell-through
Total
$77M
2,544 priced sales
Top sales # Work Artist House · date Price 1 The Goodyear Table, for A. Conger Goodyear, Old Westbury, New York , 1939 Isamu Noguchi Phillips · Dec 16, 2014$4,450,500 2 Chijikusei Gotenrai , 1961 Kazuo Shiraga Ketterer Kunst · Dec 6, 2014$3,887,849 (€3,145,000) 3 Ciel, terre et poussiere , 1957 Zao Wou-ki Ravenel · Dec 7, 2014$2,961,101 (NT$92,160,000) 4 Unter den Lauben von Thun (Ein Spaziergängermotiv) , 1913 August Macke Ketterer Kunst · Dec 5, 2014$2,256,065 (€1,825,000) 5 Unique and monumental "Managing Committee Table," model no. LC-AH-01-A, from the Managing Committee Room of the Mill Owners’ Association Building, Ahmedabad , 1953-1954 Balkrishna Doshi and Le Corbusier Phillips · Dec 16, 2014$1,818,500 6 The Maharaja of Indore's "Transat" chair, from Manik Bagh Palace , 1930 Eileen Gray Phillips · Dec 16, 2014$1,538,500 7 Backs and Fronts 1969 , 1969 John Brack Menzies · Dec 11, 2014$1,519,578 (A$1,840,909) 8 Liegender weiblicher Akt mit angezogenen Beinen , 1913 Egon Schiele Ketterer Kunst · Dec 5, 2014$1,143,485 (€925,000) 9 L'irreel , 2005 Chu Teh-chun Ravenel · Dec 7, 2014$1,041,012 (NT$32,400,000) 10 Der blaue Berg , 1908 Gabriele Münter Ketterer Kunst · Dec 5, 2014$1,009,975 (€817,000) 11 Unique rolltop desk, for a private commission, Turin , 1949 Carlo Mollino Phillips · Dec 16, 2014$986,500 12 Mr. Heigen's – Walking (Heigen's Family) (diptych) , 1995 Zhou Chunya Ravenel · Dec 7, 2014$848,232 (NT$26,400,000) 13 "Ours Polaire" sofa and pair of armchairs , circa 1952 Jean Royere Phillips · Dec 16, 2014$842,500 14 Potted Cactus , 1964 Lin Fengmian Ravenel · Dec 7, 2014$771,120 (NT$24,000,000) 15 Westerly with Daisies (View of Lavender Bay) 1974 , 1974 Brett Whiteley Menzies · Dec 11, 2014$759,790 (A$920,455)
Top American artists Ranked by total of priced sales in the month; region from the artist’s recorded nationality.
Top American artists, December 2014 # Artist Total sold Priced sales Top result 1 Isamu Noguchi American
$5,174,250 5 The Goodyear Table, for A. Conger Goodyear, Old Westbury, New York — $4,450,5002 Andy Warhol American
$1,458,416 34 Lenin — $239,5143 George Chann American
$458,816 4 Abstraction Series 537 — $185,0694 Walasse Ting American
$275,675 9 A Melancholy Day — $131,0905 Sam Francis American
$200,110 2 Untitled (SF86-078) — $188,5216 William Morris American
$167,000 1 Canopic Jar: Fallow Deer — $167,0007 Otto Dix American
$156,070 3 Blick in den Hegau — $123,6208 George Condo American
$139,073 1 Multicoloured woman — $139,0739 Sol LeWitt American
$136,291 3 Vertical Brush Strokes — $105,07710 Harry Bertoia American
$134,500 1 "Sonambient" sounding sculpture — $134,500
Top European artists Top European artists, December 2014 # Artist Total sold Priced sales Top result 1 Zao Wou-ki French
$4,165,608 5 Ciel, terre et poussiere — $2,961,1012 Carlo Mollino Italian
$3,204,500 5 Unique rolltop desk, for a private commission, Turin — $986,5003 August Macke German
$2,266,109 2 Unter den Lauben von Thun (Ein Spaziergängermotiv) — $2,256,0654 Edvard Munch Norwegian
$1,284,685 30 To mennesker. De ensomme — $273,0605 Gabriele Münter German
$1,175,317 4 Der blaue Berg — $1,009,9756 Egon Schiele Austrian
$1,143,485 1 Liegender weiblicher Akt mit angezogenen Beinen — $1,143,4857 Emil Nolde German
$814,965 8 Dampfer auf See — $316,7768 Otto Piene German
$801,521 16 Ohne Titel — $239,5149 Conrad Felixmüller German
$762,272 4 Der Maler Otto Schubert und Frau — $509,93310 Pierre Bonnard French
$759,790 1 Bouquet de cheminee (also known as Fleurs sur une cheminee) 1913 — $759,790
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 Isamu Noguchi The Goodyear Table, for A. Conger Goodyear, Old Westbury, New York Phillips $4,450,500 $187,500 (34 earlier) Gabriele Münter Der blaue Berg Ketterer Kunst $1,009,975 $907,900 (142 earlier) Carlo Mollino Unique rolltop desk, for a private commission, Turin Phillips $986,500 $305,000 (6 earlier) Jean Royere "Ours Polaire" sofa and pair of armchairs Phillips $842,500 $407,788 (56 earlier) Lin Fengmian Potted Cactus Ravenel $771,120 $704,754 (49 earlier) Pierre Bonnard Bouquet de cheminee (also known as Fleurs sur une cheminee) 1913 Menzies $759,790 $16,575 (37 earlier) Liu Haisu Yellow Mountain Ravenel $539,784 $40,095 (3 earlier) Yeh Tzu Chi Big Banyan Tree Ravenel $462,672 $344,454 (30 earlier) Émile Gallé Important “Rose de France” vase Phillips $422,500 $22,276 (51 earlier) Liu Guosong Rhythm of the Moon (B) Ravenel $327,726 $194,515 (23 earlier) Charlotte Perriand Bibliothèque Phillips $314,500 $226,562 (54 earlier) Michell Hwang Continuation Ravenel $289,170 $170,765 (27 earlier) Gerrit Rietveld Important early armchair Phillips $266,500 $31,530 (6 earlier) Émile-Jacques Ruhlmann "SAD 29" modular bookcase, model no. 2431NR Phillips $266,500 $125,000 (7 earlier) Gio Ponti Pair of rare wingback chairs Phillips $218,500 $138,711 (116 earlier)
Auction houses this month Pananti (773) Ketterer Kunst (596) Phillips (452) Whyte's (279) Menzies (278) Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (249) Ravenel (201) Agra-Art (170) Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (155) Leonard Joel (154) León Gallery (146) Morgan O'Driscoll (107) SOGA (105) Toovey's (87) deVeres (86) Sloans & Kenyon (71) Clarke Auction Gallery (55) Lempertz (42) Bonhams (9) Artmark (3) Van Ham (2) Polswiss Art (2)