Art auction market report: April 2016
In April 2016, ArtSell recorded 3,806 auction lots from 22 auction houses, of which 2,646 sold (70% sell-through). The 2,646 sales with a published price total $35,644,177, with a median of $2,981 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Eileen Gray, “Important folding 'Brick' screen”, at $2,162,819 (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 | Andy Warhol American | $928,362 | 25 | Moonwalk — $293,000 |
| 2 | Guy Rose American | $891,750 | 2 | Indian Tobacco Trees, La Jolla — $773,000 |
| 3 | William Wendt American | $674,000 | 4 | Montecito — $365,000 |
| 4 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $589,750 | 10 | View from the Window, from Landscapes series — $191,000 |
| 5 | Keith Haring American | $479,750 | 6 | Retrospect — $197,000 |
| 6 | Alfred Jacob Miller American | $377,000 | 1 | Hell-Gate, Sweet Water River (Porte d'Enfer), Wyoming — $377,000 |
| 7 | Cy Twombly American | $313,500 | 8 | Lepanto III — $106,250 |
| 8 | Richard Prince American | $304,155 | 2 | Untitled (Cowboy) — $233,000 |
| 9 | Matteo Sandona American | $293,000 | 1 | In her Kimono — $293,000 |
| 10 | Barbara Kruger American | $285,332 | 1 | Untitled (Let Go) — $285,332 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gio Ponti Italian | $867,400 | 14 | Rare bench, designed for the Antica Quadreria, Contini Bonacossi Palace, Florence — $231,236 |
| 2 | Ivan Da Silva Bruhns French | $633,892 | 1 | Unique and important carpet, designed for the Maharaja of Indore's bedroom, Manik Bagh (Garden of Rubies) Palace, Indore — $633,892 |
| 3 | Andreas Gursky German | $401,000 | 1 | Athens — $401,000 |
| 4 | Zaha Hadid British | $313,694 | 3 | Set of three 'Bianco Covelano' low tables, from the 'Mercuric' collection — $155,988 |
| 5 | Antony Gormley British | $231,283 | 1 | 'Small Spall III' — $231,283 |
| 6 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $228,749 | 23 | Tête de femme couronnée de fleurs (Woman's Head Crowned with Flowers) — $37,500 |
| 7 | Thomas Ruff German | $226,962 | 4 | Jpeg NY06 — $106,250 |
| 8 | Thomas Struth German | $218,500 | 5 | Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien II — $125,000 |
| 9 | Jean-Michel Frank French | $216,515 | 3 | Table lamp — $147,203 |
| 10 | Joan Miró Spanish | $215,575 | 12 | Le cracheur de flammes (The Flame-Spitter) — $47,500 |
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).
Auction houses this month
Phillips (1,094)Bonhams (365)Strauss & Co (272)Sloans & Kenyon (260)Levis Fine Art Auctions (228)Pananti (191)Morgan O'Driscoll (174)Lempertz (170)im Kinsky (167)Agra-Art (135)Toovey's (120)Smith & Singer (108)Artmark (107)Twents Veilinghuis (99)Art+Object (76)Brunk Auctions (67)Clarke Auction Gallery (56)SOGA (37)Polswiss Art (24)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (23)Wright (23)Leonard Joel (10)