Art auction market report: June 2015
In June 2015, ArtSell recorded 7,157 auction lots from 30 auction houses, of which 5,733 sold (80% sell-through). The 5,733 sales with a published price total $125,132,378, with a median of $3,109 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Ai Weiwei, “Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads”, at $5,409,200 (Phillips). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads, 2010 | Ai Weiwei | Phillips · Jun 29, 2015 | $5,409,200 (£3,442,500) |
| 2 | Hanging Heads # 1 (Blue Andrew, Mouth Open / Red Julie with Cap), 1989 | Bruce Nauman | Phillips · Jun 29, 2015 | $2,769,416 (£1,762,500) |
| 3 | 19.12.66, 1966 | Zao Wou-ki | Ravenel · Jun 7, 2015 | $2,619,056 (NT$80,960,000) |
| 4 | 16.9.91, 1991 | Zao Wou-ki | Ravenel · Jun 7, 2015 | $2,619,056 (NT$80,960,000) |
| 5 | Still life with flowers in a sculpted vase, c. 1630 | Jan Brueghel the Younger | im Kinsky · Jun 16, 2015 | $2,355,150 (€2,100,000) |
| 6 | Marilyn Monroe, 1967 | Andy Warhol | Phillips · Jun 29, 2015 | $1,889,488 (£1,202,500) |
| 7 | Miss World, 1975 | Walasse Ting | Ravenel · Jun 7, 2015 | $1,821,952 (NT$56,320,000) |
| 8 | Carnival, 1979 | Sigmar Polke | Phillips · Jun 29, 2015 | $1,795,210 (£1,142,500) |
| 9 | China Town 1943, 1943 | Fernand Léger | Menzies · Jun 25, 2015 | $1,709,969 (A$2,209,091) |
| 10 | Ship Talk, 1988 | Ed Ruscha | Phillips · Jun 29, 2015 | $1,389,815 (£884,500) |
| 11 | Head After Picasso 1985, 1985 | Andy Warhol | Menzies · Jun 25, 2015 | $1,329,976 (A$1,718,182) |
| 12 | Fish Harvest at Dawn | Anita Magsaysay-Ho | León Gallery · Jun 13, 2015 | $1,161,576 (₱52,560,000) |
| 13 | Arrival of the Horse King from the series Paradise Lost, 2011-2012 | Raqib Shaw | Phillips · Jun 29, 2015 | $1,135,264 (£722,500) |
| 14 | Flowers, 1964 | Andy Warhol | Phillips · Jun 29, 2015 | $1,135,264 (£722,500) |
| 15 | Pferde auf der Weide. I, 1910 | Franz Marc | Kornfeld · Jun 19, 2015 | $1,038,048 (CHF 960,000) |
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 | $5,676,916 | 26 | Marilyn Monroe — $1,889,488 |
| 2 | Ed Ruscha American | $2,941,834 | 7 | Ship Talk — $1,389,815 |
| 3 | Bruce Nauman American | $2,769,416 | 1 | Hanging Heads # 1 (Blue Andrew, Mouth Open / Red Julie with Cap) — $2,769,416 |
| 4 | Walasse Ting American | $2,089,810 | 5 | Miss World — $1,821,952 |
| 5 | Cindy Sherman American | $837,271 | 5 | Untitled #423 — $456,463 |
| 6 | Sherrie Levine American | $777,008 | 1 | Caribou Skull — $777,008 |
| 7 | Richard Prince American | $519,774 | 4 | Untitled (Three Men's Hands with Watches) — $258,479 |
| 8 | Cy Twombly American | $473,771 | 3 | Silex Scintillans — $396,095 |
| 9 | Jonas Wood American | $466,884 | 4 | Fish Tank — $249,051 |
| 10 | Nate Lowman American | $343,329 | 1 | Orange Maxima — $343,329 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zao Wou-ki French | $6,272,704 | 10 | 19.12.66 — $2,619,056 |
| 2 | Gerhard Richter German | $2,084,943 | 40 | Ohne Titel — $385,883 |
| 3 | Sigmar Polke German | $2,081,564 | 11 | Carnival — $1,795,210 |
| 4 | Fernand Léger French | $1,725,014 | 4 | China Town 1943 — $1,709,969 |
| 5 | Karl Hofer Swiss | $1,670,524 | 19 | Pierrot und Harlekin — $650,728 |
| 6 | Damien Hirst British | $1,596,869 | 9 | Veneration — $758,152 |
| 7 | Max Pechstein German | $1,238,131 | 7 | Aufgeholtes Netz — $978,921 |
| 8 | Franz Marc German | $1,038,048 | 1 | Pferde auf der Weide. I — $1,038,048 |
| 9 | René Magritte Belgian | $978,921 | 1 | La malédiction — $978,921 |
| 10 | Vincent van Gogh Dutch | $843,117 | 1 | Head of a Peasant Woman: Right Profile“ („Kopf einer Bäuerin: Profil nach rechts“) — $843,117 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ai Weiwei | Circle of Animals / Zodiac Heads Phillips | $5,409,200 | $4,426,944 (12 earlier) |
| Bruce Nauman | Hanging Heads # 1 (Blue Andrew, Mouth Open / Red Julie with Cap) Phillips | $2,769,416 | $96,000 (29 earlier) |
| Jan Brueghel the Younger | Still life with flowers in a sculpted vase im Kinsky | $2,355,150 | $540,084 (20 earlier) |
| Walasse Ting | Miss World Ravenel | $1,821,952 | $352,455 (126 earlier) |
| Sigmar Polke | Carnival Phillips | $1,795,210 | $858,341 (283 earlier) |
| Fernand Léger | China Town 1943 Menzies | $1,709,969 | $1,678,828 (95 earlier) |
| Anita Magsaysay-Ho | Fish Harvest at Dawn León Gallery | $1,161,576 | $557,521 (5 earlier) |
| Raqib Shaw | Arrival of the Horse King from the series Paradise Lost Phillips | $1,135,264 | $19,359 (3 earlier) |
| Franz Marc | Pferde auf der Weide. I Kornfeld | $1,038,048 | $498,272 (56 earlier) |
| René Magritte | La malédiction Grisebach | $978,921 | $26,151 (37 earlier) |
| Paul Klee | Das Haus zum blauen Stern Grisebach | $843,117 | $505,767 (57 earlier) |
| Sherrie Levine | Caribou Skull Phillips | $777,008 | $185,445 (3 earlier) |
| Takashi Murakami | Pom and Me Phillips | $758,152 | $233,000 (164 earlier) |
| Karl Hofer | Pierrot und Harlekin Grisebach | $650,728 | $497,068 (231 earlier) |
| Joseph Beuys | Entwurf für Plastik Grisebach | $504,810 | $442,830 (314 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Van Ham (1,471)Grisebach (682)Bonhams (615)Phillips (589)Rachel Davis Fine Arts (395)James D. Julia (368)im Kinsky (356)Van Sabben Poster Auctions (353)Strauss & Co (262)Agra-Art (233)León Gallery (196)Ravenel (194)Sloans & Kenyon (192)Menzies (182)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (180)Clarke Auction Gallery (137)SOGA (123)Art+Object (92)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (86)deVeres (76)Toovey's (75)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (75)Leonard Joel (63)Lempertz (56)Capitolium Art (52)Brunk Auctions (35)Sworders (11)Cottone Auctions (5)Artmark (2)Kornfeld (1)