Art auction market report: May 2016
In May 2016, ArtSell recorded 4,605 auction lots from 25 auction houses, of which 3,531 sold (77% sell-through). The 3,531 sales with a published price total $101,575,797, with a median of $3,051 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Brice Marden, “Star (for Patti Smith)”, at $5,989,000 (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 | Jeff Koons American | $6,744,375 | 3 | Naked — $5,765,000 |
| 2 | Brice Marden American | $5,989,000 | 1 | Star (for Patti Smith) — $5,989,000 |
| 3 | Rudolf Stingel American | $3,096,000 | 2 | Untitled — $2,965,000 |
| 4 | Louise Bourgeois French | $2,056,000 | 2 | Untitled (The Wedges) — $1,925,000 |
| 5 | Christopher Wool American | $1,030,000 | 2 | Untitled — $725,000 |
| 6 | Willem de Kooning American | $872,500 | 3 | Stenographer — $485,000 |
| 7 | Joe Bradley American | $725,000 | 1 | Mouth and Foot (Cock and Balls) — $725,000 |
| 8 | Cindy Sherman American | $706,000 | 2 | Untitled Film Still #5A — $461,000 |
| 9 | Sterling Ruby German | $705,375 | 3 | SP25 — $581,000 |
| 10 | John McCracken American | $590,625 | 4 | Untitled — $401,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean Dubuffet French | $3,107,000 | 2 | Barbe des rites — $3,077,000 |
| 2 | Pieter Brueghel the Younger Belgian | $1,229,602 | 1 | The Peasant Wedding Feast — $1,229,602 |
| 3 | Marino Marini Italian | $905,000 | 1 | Cavaliere — $905,000 |
| 4 | Emil Filla Czech | $862,762 | 3 | The Reader of Lidové noviny — $585,091 |
| 5 | Albert Oehlen German | $845,000 | 1 | Lämmle live — $845,000 |
| 6 | Arthur Boyd British | $824,786 | 14 | Bridegroom Waiting for His Bride to Grow Up (1957-1958) — $197,891 |
| 7 | Günther Förg German | $815,000 | 1 | Untitled — $815,000 |
| 8 | Anselm Kiefer German | $797,000 | 1 | Der Wolken heitere Stimmung — $797,000 |
| 9 | Maurizio Cattelan Italian | $749,000 | 1 | Mini-me — $749,000 |
| 10 | Leon Kossoff British | $737,000 | 1 | Two seated Figures no.1 (My Parents) — $737,000 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeff Koons | Naked Phillips | $5,765,000 | $4,645,000 (109 earlier) |
| Jean Dubuffet | Barbe des rites Phillips | $3,077,000 | $1,733,404 (56 earlier) |
| Marlene Dumas | Night Nurse Phillips | $2,517,000 | $22,508 (35 earlier) |
| Louise Bourgeois | Untitled (The Wedges) Phillips | $1,925,000 | $81,250 (46 earlier) |
| On Kawara | Four Decades (OCT.13, 1970 / MAY 7, 1980 / NOV.22, 1990 / APR.16, 2000) Phillips | $1,565,000 | $353,000 (4 earlier) |
| Fred Williams | Hillside Landscape No. 1 (1966) Smith & Singer | $1,349,259 | $1,331,438 (83 earlier) |
| Albert Oehlen | Lämmle live Phillips | $845,000 | $612,016 (41 earlier) |
| Günther Förg | Untitled Phillips | $815,000 | $581,000 (193 earlier) |
| Friedrich Nerly | The Piazzetta di San Marco by Moonlight Lempertz | $556,462 | $56,149 (7 earlier) |
| William McGregor Paxton | The Yellow Jacket Bonhams | $413,000 | $161,000 (6 earlier) |
| John McCracken | Untitled Phillips | $401,000 | $275,000 (4 earlier) |
| Jan Zrzavý | Barques on Shore Galerie Kodl | $396,672 | $286,157 (13 earlier) |
| Václav Špála | The Otava River Galerie Kodl | $361,963 | $288,846 (43 earlier) |
| Franz von Stuck | Frühling Ketterer Kunst | $334,380 | $306,180 (60 earlier) |
| Subodh Gupta | Other Thing Phillips | $293,000 | $149,000 (3 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Phillips (545)Lempertz (501)Van Ham (304)Strauss & Co (295)Bonhams (283)Pananti (278)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (255)Artmark (206)Smith & Singer (194)Leonard Joel (191)Brunk Auctions (172)Whyte's (167)Levis Fine Art Auctions (154)Ketterer Kunst (133)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (133)deVeres (123)Jackson's International Auctioneers (118)Agra-Art (104)Ravenel (99)Toovey's (88)Clarke Auction Gallery (82)Galerie Kodl (62)Polswiss Art (58)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (48)Cottone Auctions (12)