Art auction market report: September 2016
In September 2016, ArtSell recorded 3,258 auction lots from 20 auction houses, of which 2,472 sold (76% sell-through). The 2,472 sales with a published price total $24,250,842, with a median of $1,612 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Colin McCahon, “The Canoe Tainui”, at $1,210,508 (Art+Object). 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 | Lawrence Weiner American | $175,000 | 1 | HARD AS A ROCK OR (ASSUMING THE POSITION) SOFT AS SILK PUT TOGETHER OR (ASSUMING THE POSITION) SPREAD APART PLACED ON TOP OR (ASSUMING THE POSITION) PLACED BELOW TOSSED ASIDE OR (ASSUMING THE POSITION) CARRIED ALONG — $175,000 |
| 2 | Michael Heizer American | $137,500 | 1 | Perforated Object 11 — $137,500 |
| 3 | Matt Connors American | $112,500 | 1 | Untitled — $112,500 |
| 4 | Andy Warhol American | $99,646 | 10 | Self-portrait with camera (diptych) — $23,750 |
| 5 | Hans Hofmann American | $62,500 | 1 | On the Pier — $62,500 |
| 6 | E. Irving Couse American | $60,000 | 1 | The Hunter's Return — $60,000 |
| 7 | Sterling Ruby German | $52,500 | 2 | Headless Dick/Deth Till — $43,750 |
| 8 | Percival Leonard Rosseau American | $50,000 | 1 | The Cooling Stream — $50,000 |
| 9 | Tim Hawkinson American | $50,000 | 1 | Lens — $50,000 |
| 10 | James Rosenquist American | $48,350 | 2 | Below the Equator, Above the Equator — $47,500 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Axel Salto Danish | $500,311 | 3 | ‘Sommervase’ — $209,493 |
| 2 | Gio Ponti Italian | $454,607 | 15 | Rare coffee table — $130,120 |
| 3 | Fernando Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo Spanish | $345,518 | 2 | Pancorbo con Reflejos — $271,478 |
| 4 | Diego Giacometti Swiss | $169,690 | 2 | 'Torsade' low table — $162,650 |
| 5 | Joseph Csaky French | $154,518 | 1 | Head (Portrait of a young girl) — $154,518 |
| 6 | Giuseppe Penone Italian | $150,000 | 1 | Fingernail and Marble (Unghia e marmo) — $150,000 |
| 7 | Charlotte Perriand French | $149,638 | 5 | Large sideboard — $52,048 |
| 8 | Tony O'Malley Irish | $130,972 | 17 | MORNING LIGHT II, PARADISE ISLAND, BAHAMAS — $33,786 |
| 9 | Jean-Michel Frank French | $123,614 | 3 | Pair of stools — $61,807 |
| 10 | Jack Butler Yeats Irish | $121,047 | 4 | SINGING 'UNDER THE CANOPY OF HEAVEN' — $95,727 |
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 (409)Art+Object (374)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (370)Sloans & Kenyon (230)Wright (215)Lempertz (198)Brunk Auctions (176)Bonhams (170)Whyte's (168)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (160)León Gallery (136)Clarke Auction Gallery (130)Artmark (123)Morgan O'Driscoll (122)Toovey's (76)Leonard Joel (61)Agra-Art (58)Cottone Auctions (36)Polswiss Art (27)HAUS Galerii (19)