Art auction market report: March 2016
In March 2016, ArtSell recorded 2,018 auction lots from 20 auction houses, of which 1,644 sold (81% sell-through). The 1,644 sales with a published price total $11,755,834, with a median of $1,333 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Brett Whiteley, “Kurrajong 1981”, at $695,698 (Menzies). 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 | William Copley American | $159,020 | 2 | Candlemass — $96,520 |
| 2 | Carl Andre American | $52,500 | 1 | 4 Ace Zinc Square — $52,500 |
| 3 | Wendell Castle American | $51,750 | 1 | Fine & Rare Stack Laminated Walnut Trompe l'oeil Table — $51,750 |
| 4 | Llyn Foulkes American | $45,398 | 2 | I Left My Heart at Wounded Knee — $40,000 |
| 5 | Ella Kruglyanskaya American | $41,250 | 1 | Prep Drawing for Girls on Break — $41,250 |
| 6 | Zygmunt Menkes American | $38,724 | 3 | MAKI — $17,173 |
| 7 | Keith Haring American | $37,104 | 1 | Pop Shop IV 1989 — $37,104 |
| 8 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $25,973 | 1 | CRAK! 1964 — $25,973 |
| 9 | Andy Warhol American | $24,582 | 2 | Consommé (Beef), from Campbell’s Soup I 1968 — $17,624 |
| 10 | Franz de Paula Ferg Austrian | $10,975 | 1 | Brawl Outside a Tavern — $10,975 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur Boyd British | $503,686 | 5 | Bride in the Moonlight (Bride Turning into a Windmill) 1960 — $315,383 |
| 2 | Tadeusz Makowski Polish | $395,970 | 2 | DZIEWCZYNKA Z KOSZEM OWOCÓW I BARANKIEM — $395,190 |
| 3 | Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski Polish | $344,713 | 2 | KULIG. LITEWSKA SANNA — $309,117 |
| 4 | Jacek Malczewski Polish | $234,180 | 1 | Autoportret — $234,180 |
| 5 | Roderic O'Conor Irish | $131,436 | 2 | Untitled — $87,624 |
| 6 | Stefan Gierowski Polish | $108,802 | 3 | OB. DCLXIII — $38,769 |
| 7 | John Hoyland British | $102,203 | 1 | 5.2.70 — $102,203 |
| 8 | Tadeusz Kantor Polish | $101,299 | 1 | AMBALAŻ: PARASOL I POSTACIE — $101,299 |
| 9 | Jan Hála Slovak | $100,648 | 3 | Dievča s Važca — $45,547 |
| 10 | Franciszek Żmurko Polish | $93,672 | 1 | IUS PRIMAE NOCTIS, przed grudniem 1892 — $93,672 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tadeusz Makowski | DZIEWCZYNKA Z KOSZEM OWOCÓW I BARANKIEM Polswiss Art | $395,190 | $248,217 (25 earlier) |
| Rick Amor | The Attic Amphora (The Lamp) 1994 Menzies | $171,605 | $139,018 (41 earlier) |
| John Hoyland | 5.2.70 Capitolium Art | $102,203 | $37,500 (14 earlier) |
| Harold Septimus Power | A Fox Hunt in the Midlands 1912 Menzies | $102,036 | $89,491 (16 earlier) |
| Tadeusz Kantor | AMBALAŻ: PARASOL I POSTACIE Polswiss Art | $101,299 | $69,249 (63 earlier) |
| William Copley | Candlemass Wright | $96,520 | $92,500 (24 earlier) |
| Franciszek Żmurko | IUS PRIMAE NOCTIS, przed grudniem 1892 Agra-Art | $93,672 | $22,874 (13 earlier) |
| Bertram Mackennal | Head of a Saint 1892 Menzies | $83,484 | $37,775 (5 earlier) |
| William John Leech | Untitled deVeres | $76,671 | $70,875 (21 earlier) |
| Fan Zeng | Figure of a blissful elderly man and his young attendant Brunk Auctions | $65,000 | $1,100 (5 earlier) |
| Jan Lebensztejn | FIGURA ROZPIĘTA Polswiss Art | $62,530 | $49,908 (318 earlier) |
| Jozef Teodor Mousson | Na trhu v Michalovciach I. SOGA | $43,325 | $30,528 (60 earlier) |
| Zofia Stryjeńska | POJENIE CIELAKA Agra-Art | $41,216 | $26,787 (26 earlier) |
| Mainie Jellett | Untitled deVeres | $39,431 | $2,851 (3 earlier) |
| Jan Berdyszak | QUOQUAM. DOKĄDKOLWIEK Polswiss Art | $35,017 | $13,795 (47 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (301)Leonard Joel (158)Menzies (158)Lempertz (155)SOGA (138)Crocker Farm (136)Artmark (122)Agra-Art (116)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (99)Capitolium Art (95)Brunk Auctions (86)Toovey's (81)Levis Fine Art Auctions (80)deVeres (76)Polswiss Art (63)Bonhams (47)Cottone Auctions (41)HAUS Galerii (33)Olympia Auctions (26)Wright (7)