Art auction market report: September 2015
In September 2015, ArtSell recorded 3,389 auction lots from 21 auction houses, of which 2,591 sold (76% sell-through). The 2,591 sales with a published price total $23,710,120, with a median of $1,625 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Benedicto Cabrera, “Sabel”, at $997,939 (León Gallery). 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 | Ruth Asawa American | $928,125 | 2 | Untitled (S.386, Hanging, Five-Lobed, Multi-Layered, Interlocking Continuous Form Within a Form with Two Interior Spheres) — $905,000 |
| 2 | Jacques Lipchitz French | $897,110 | 1 | Homme Assis à la Clarinette II 1971 (after a 1919-20 plaster) — $897,110 |
| 3 | Childe Hassam American | $420,000 | 1 | Walking on the Pier, Gloucester Harbor — $420,000 |
| 4 | Robert Indiana American | $334,250 | 3 | LOVE — $293,000 |
| 5 | George Chann American | $257,000 | 1 | Into the Final Solitude — $257,000 |
| 6 | Joe Bradley American | $229,750 | 2 | Nude (Bust) — $221,000 |
| 7 | Ed Ruscha American | $210,173 | 4 | Selma/Vine — $112,500 |
| 8 | Louise Nevelson American | $185,250 | 2 | Untitled — $149,000 |
| 9 | Julian Schnabel American | $149,000 | 1 | Licaboles — $149,000 |
| 10 | Jonas Wood American | $106,250 | 2 | Backward Bol (Color) — $81,250 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Theodor Aman Romanian | $366,595 | 14 | Natură statică cu căpșuni — $179,264 |
| 2 | Fernando Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo Spanish | $263,456 | 3 | Sin Titulo — $249,485 |
| 3 | Ulrich Rückriem German | $185,000 | 1 | The Sleeping Giants — $185,000 |
| 4 | André Butzer German | $143,000 | 1 | Ohne Titel — $143,000 |
| 5 | John Gerrard Irish | $118,750 | 1 | Oil Stick Work (Angelo Martinez, Richfield, Kansas) — $118,750 |
| 6 | Martin Benka Czech | $115,454 | 4 | Pod Kriváňom — $60,237 |
| 7 | Thomas Demand German | $100,000 | 1 | Heldenorgel — $100,000 |
| 8 | Hans-Peter Feldmann German | $99,987 | 1 | "100 Jahre" — $99,987 |
| 9 | Thomas Struth German | $83,322 | 1 | "Grafenberger Wald, Düsseldorf 2006" — $83,322 |
| 10 | Renato Guttuso Italian | $75,000 | 1 | [Coltivazione del limone](Lemon Growing) — $75,000 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benedicto Cabrera | Sabel León Gallery | $997,939 | $452,518 (26 earlier) |
| Jacques Lipchitz | Homme Assis à la Clarinette II 1971 (after a 1919-20 plaster) Menzies | $897,110 | $885,622 (18 earlier) |
| Ang Kiukok | Seated Figure León Gallery | $249,485 | $146,018 (17 earlier) |
| Ulrich Rückriem | The Sleeping Giants Phillips | $185,000 | $52,210 (19 earlier) |
| Hans-Peter Feldmann | "100 Jahre" Van Ham | $99,987 | $30,627 (13 earlier) |
| Terry Winters | Free Union Phillips | $93,750 | $75,000 (6 earlier) |
| Richard Anuszkiewicz | Progression: In and Out Wright | $81,250 | $68,750 (36 earlier) |
| Alfonso A. Ossorio | Autodafé León Gallery | $79,835 | $51,602 (3 earlier) |
| Renato Guttuso | [Coltivazione del limone](Lemon Growing) Brunk Auctions | $75,000 | $7,026 (16 earlier) |
| Marina Cruz | White on Red with Threads León Gallery | $69,856 | $31,858 (8 earlier) |
| Howard Pyle | Mural Study for "The First Settlement on Manhattan Island" Sloans & Kenyon | $64,000 | $24,400 (4 earlier) |
| Magnus von Plessen | Untitled Phillips | $56,250 | $40,000 (3 earlier) |
| David Boyd | The Spearing of Gilbert II 1957-58 Menzies | $51,263 | $45,538 (102 earlier) |
| Jason Benjamin | Love Goes On! 2012-13 Menzies | $46,991 | $31,363 (15 earlier) |
| Isaac Holtz | Sukkoth Clarke Auction Gallery | $46,000 | $24,000 (6 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Art+Object (576)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (274)Wright (261)Sloans & Kenyon (261)Phillips (244)Brunk Auctions (236)Menzies (218)Whyte's (213)León Gallery (173)Lempertz (163)SOGA (123)Morgan O'Driscoll (97)Artmark (89)Clarke Auction Gallery (71)Toovey's (71)deVeres (67)Agra-Art (64)Leonard Joel (56)Cottone Auctions (53)Van Ham (44)Levis Fine Art Auctions (35)