Art auction market report: August 2016
In August 2016, ArtSell recorded 724 auction lots from 8 auction houses, of which 573 sold (79% sell-through). The 573 sales with a published price total $11,548,107, with a median of $2,354 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Arthur Streeton, “Sydney Harbour 1907”, at $1,559,358 (Smith & Singer). 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 Wendt American | $431,750 | 4 | Lupine patch — $233,000 |
| 2 | Edgar Alwin Payne American | $416,500 | 4 | Monument Valley, Riverbed — $323,000 |
| 3 | John Marshall Gamble American | $321,500 | 2 | Poppies and lupine, Santa Barbara — $269,000 |
| 4 | Theodore Wores American | $257,000 | 1 | Lotus Pond, Shiba, Tokyo — $257,000 |
| 5 | Granville Redmond American | $190,625 | 4 | Hazy Day in Antelope Valley — $118,750 |
| 6 | Jessie Arms Botke American | $112,500 | 2 | Toucans — $90,000 |
| 7 | Joseph Raphael American | $111,250 | 2 | House in Belgium (possibly the artist's home) — $100,000 |
| 8 | Armin Carl Hansen American | $64,375 | 2 | October — $60,000 |
| 9 | Colin Campbell Cooper American | $61,250 | 1 | Shwe Dagon Pagoda, Burma — $61,250 |
| 10 | Paul A. Grimm American | $50,000 | 1 | San Jacinto — $50,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur Boyd British | $59,854 | 4 | Pulpit Rock and Black Swan — $26,601 |
| 2 | Jonathan Kenworthy British | $36,250 | 2 | Yesterday's Gods — $21,250 |
| 3 | Apoloniusz Kędzierski Polish | $32,696 | 1 | Przesiewanie (Przesiewaczka), 1925 r. — $32,696 |
| 4 | Jerzy Kossak Polish | $23,541 | 3 | Odwrót spod Moskwy, 1937 r. — $10,986 |
| 5 | Mela Muter French | $23,541 | 1 | Portret dziewczyny, około 1920 r. — $23,541 |
| 6 | Wlastimil Hofman Czech | $20,926 | 1 | Autoportret — $20,926 |
| 7 | Hervé Télémaque French | $18,750 | 1 | Untitled — $18,750 |
| 8 | Juliusz Kossak Polish | $17,787 | 1 | Kozak z ogarem i sokołem, 1899 r. — $17,787 |
| 9 | Sali Herman Swiss | $17,428 | 1 | Garden Scene 1944 — $17,428 |
| 10 | Carl Kauba Austrian | $17,250 | 2 | War and Peace: A Pair of Bronzes — $15,000 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arthur Streeton | Sydney Harbour 1907 Smith & Singer | $1,559,358 | $544,295 (62 earlier) |
| Howard Arkley | Mod Style 1992 Smith & Singer | $486,153 | $215,983 (36 earlier) |
| Albert Tucker | Explorer and Bird 1968 Smith & Singer | $449,462 | $218,758 (38 earlier) |
| John Marshall Gamble | Poppies and lupine, Santa Barbara Bonhams | $269,000 | $145,600 (47 earlier) |
| Theodore Wores | Lotus Pond, Shiba, Tokyo Bonhams | $257,000 | $42,700 (38 earlier) |
| Tony Fomison | Self-Portrait No. 14 Art+Object | $141,713 | $126,997 (29 earlier) |
| Emma Minnie Boyd | A Lassie Yet 1888 Smith & Singer | $128,418 | $1,013 (4 earlier) |
| Albert Namatjira | Finke River Mission and Mount Hermannsburg, Northern Territory Smith & Singer | $91,727 | $57,155 (38 earlier) |
| Jessie Arms Botke | Toucans Bonhams | $90,000 | $85,400 (36 earlier) |
| Paul A. Grimm | San Jacinto Bonhams | $50,000 | $40,000 (52 earlier) |
| Hayley Lever | Gloucester Harbor Bonhams | $46,250 | $21,960 (38 earlier) |
| Brent Harris | Swamp No. 3 1999 Smith & Singer | $43,112 | $7,529 (5 earlier) |
| Antoine Bouvard | A Gondola on a Canal, Venice Smith & Singer | $35,774 | $27,499 (4 earlier) |
| Apoloniusz Kędzierski | Przesiewanie (Przesiewaczka), 1925 r. Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny | $32,696 | $14,056 (9 earlier) |
| Vivienne Shark Lewitt | Me? Here? 2002 Smith & Singer | $11,007 | $7,755 (5 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Bonhams (239)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (97)Art+Object (84)Clarke Auction Gallery (82)Smith & Singer (69)Toovey's (68)Leonard Joel (59)Bolsa de Arte (26)