Art auction market report: October 2016
In October 2016, ArtSell recorded 4,595 auction lots from 23 auction houses, of which 3,119 sold (68% sell-through). The 3,119 sales with a published price total $50,505,340, with a median of $2,108 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Andy Warhol, “20 Pink Mao's”, at $6,029,130 (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 | $7,320,628 | 27 | 20 Pink Mao's — $6,029,130 |
| 2 | Rudolf Stingel American | $2,295,419 | 1 | Untitled — $2,295,419 |
| 3 | Mark Grotjahn American | $1,608,701 | 1 | Untitled (White Butterfly Hawaiian Lapis) — $1,608,701 |
| 4 | Sean Scully American | $870,681 | 2 | Grey Red — $845,681 |
| 5 | Ed Ruscha American | $564,063 | 10 | Crescent Heights Becomes Laurel Canyon — $468,750 |
| 6 | Richard Avedon American | $508,750 | 10 | Brigitte Bardot, hair by Alexandre, Paris, January 27 — $250,000 |
| 7 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $474,438 | 18 | Ten Landscapes — $125,000 |
| 8 | John McLaughlin American | $440,000 | 3 | Untitled — $250,000 |
| 9 | Jeff Koons American | $343,276 | 10 | Flower Drawing (Blue) — $137,500 |
| 10 | Jay DeFeo American | $281,250 | 1 | Apex — $281,250 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gerhard Richter German | $1,471,036 | 5 | Abstraktes Bild (767-2) — $1,379,795 |
| 2 | Damien Hirst British | $1,220,554 | 5 | Untitled #2 (Spot Painting) — $647,295 |
| 3 | Antony Gormley British | $790,997 | 2 | Mountain and Sea — $509,952 |
| 4 | Anselm Kiefer German | $769,379 | 1 | Odi Navali — $769,379 |
| 5 | Bridget Riley British | $378,858 | 2 | KA 2 — $372,608 |
| 6 | Albert Oehlen German | $352,773 | 3 | Amber — $342,087 |
| 7 | Günther Förg German | $346,200 | 3 | Untitled — $189,483 |
| 8 | Jacek Malczewski Polish | $320,736 | 3 | O powrót do ojczyzny. — $168,993 |
| 9 | Adrian Ghenie Romanian | $294,200 | 2 | Study for Pie Fight Interior — $158,300 |
| 10 | Olga Wisinger-Florian Austrian | $267,339 | 1 | Gloxinias in the glasshouse of Castel Grafenegg (Lower Austria) — $267,339 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Scully | Grey Red Phillips | $845,681 | $531,002 (96 earlier) |
| Antony Gormley | Mountain and Sea Phillips | $509,952 | $336,097 (18 earlier) |
| Bridget Riley | KA 2 Phillips | $372,608 | $47,025 (30 earlier) |
| Olga Wisinger-Florian | Gloxinias in the glasshouse of Castel Grafenegg (Lower Austria) im Kinsky | $267,339 | $200,074 (8 earlier) |
| John McLaughlin | Untitled Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) | $250,000 | $212,500 (6 earlier) |
| Emilio Vedova | Presenza N7V Phillips | $235,265 | $94,201 (11 earlier) |
| Hans Makart | Allegory of Love im Kinsky | $182,691 | $96,469 (6 earlier) |
| Mela Muter | RODZINA MUZYKÓW Polswiss Art | $142,665 | $95,220 (40 earlier) |
| Roman Kramsztyk | PEJZAŻ Z POŁUDNIA FRANCJI Polswiss Art | $129,695 | $62,288 (4 earlier) |
| Doug Starn and Mike Starn | Untitled #7 from Structure of Thought Phillips | $75,000 | $20,000 (4 earlier) |
| Idris Khan | Hearing Voices Violin Concerto Phillips | $71,235 | $48,919 (3 earlier) |
| Hannah Wilke | S.O.S. Starification Object Series Phillips | $68,750 | $37,500 (4 earlier) |
| Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz | MORZE Polswiss Art | $50,581 | $47,405 (68 earlier) |
| Theodor Pallady | Femeie în interior (Cella Delavrancea) Artmark | $46,440 | $31,889 (17 earlier) |
| Gen Paul | Jean Kother Violoncelliste Clarke Auction Gallery | $46,000 | $20,740 (13 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Phillips (835)Pananti (702)Art+Object (421)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (343)im Kinsky (292)León Gallery (235)Agra-Art (211)Bonhams (193)Whyte's (176)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (145)Crocker Farm (145)SOGA (135)Artmark (124)Leonard Joel (108)Twents Veilinghuis (101)Clarke Auction Gallery (95)Smith & Singer (78)Polswiss Art (68)Toovey's (52)Wright (49)Brunk Auctions (43)HAUS Galerii (41)Sworders (3)