Art auction market report: January 2017
In January 2017, ArtSell recorded 1,546 auction lots from 13 auction houses, of which 1,388 sold (90% sell-through). The 1,388 sales with a published price total $6,337,924, with a median of $750 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was David Hockney, “Steps with Shadow F (Paper Pool 2)”, at $775,243 (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 | $543,713 | 15 | Electric Chairs — $138,656 |
| 2 | Jeff Koons American | $183,378 | 5 | Seated Ballerina (Wood) — $115,547 |
| 3 | Keith Haring American | $100,449 | 5 | Icons — $53,922 |
| 4 | Frank Stella American | $86,089 | 3 | Waves I and II: six works — $69,328 |
| 5 | Jackson Pollock American | $69,328 | 1 | Untitled (M20) — $69,328 |
| 6 | Christopher Wool American | $59,748 | 4 | Black Book — $30,813 |
| 7 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $56,294 | 9 | Finger Pointing, from The New York Collection for Stockholm — $13,095 |
| 8 | Ed Ruscha American | $55,767 | 5 | Oxford, Beverly, Western (diptych) — $18,750 |
| 9 | Tom Wesselmann American | $53,719 | 2 | 1964 Radio Edition — $46,219 |
| 10 | Sam Francis American | $44,678 | 1 | Untitled — $44,678 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Hockney British | $1,614,267 | 11 | Steps with Shadow F (Paper Pool 2) — $775,243 |
| 2 | Damien Hirst British | $273,615 | 12 | Mickey — $49,300 |
| 3 | Julian Opie British | $135,575 | 5 | Walking in the Rain, Seoul — $40,056 |
| 4 | Joseph Beuys German | $109,677 | 3 | Filzanzug (Felt Suit) — $100,141 |
| 5 | Francis Bacon British | $107,073 | 4 | Étude pour une corrida (after Study for a Bullfight No. 1, 1969) — $61,625 |
| 6 | Grayson Perry British | $96,135 | 3 | Map of Days — $49,300 |
| 7 | Gerhard Richter German | $90,281 | 5 | Abstraktes Bild (P1) — $33,894 |
| 8 | Banksy British | $75,491 | 4 | I Fought the Law — $21,569 |
| 9 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $74,559 | 6 | Femme Endormie (Sleeping Woman) — $49,300 |
| 10 | Joan Miró Spanish | $54,725 | 7 | La Femme des sables (Woman in the Sand) — $30,813 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson Pollock | Untitled (M20) Phillips | $69,328 | $38,645 (7 earlier) |
| Theodor Hagen | Auktion 386, Los 359 Van Ham | $13,172 | $6,285 (5 earlier) |
| Liberty & Co. | Thebes stools, pair Wright | $10,000 | $3,693 (16 earlier) |
| Anni Albers | Connections Phillips | $8,473 | $3,500 (7 earlier) |
| Giovanni Offredi | Vela Bassa lounge chair and ottoman Wright | $6,250 | $3,625 (4 earlier) |
| Gerald Laing | Circle Girl Phillips | $5,854 | $3,576 (6 earlier) |
| Peter Blake | Eiffel Tower Phillips | $5,392 | $712 (4 earlier) |
| Swiss | table lamps, pair Wright | $5,313 | $1,725 (6 earlier) |
| E. S. England | Three Large White Pigs in a landscape Bonhams | $4,622 | $3,964 (5 earlier) |
| Craigie Aitchison | Bedlington In Red Phillips | $3,698 | $773 (3 earlier) |
| Richard Blow | Pietra Dura panel Wright | $2,750 | $2,450 (3 earlier) |
| Michael Mazur | Calla Lily Clarke Auction Gallery | $2,700 | $1,500 (5 earlier) |
| Frank O. Salisbury | Edward I and the passing of Queen Eleanor Bonhams | $2,619 | $1,353 (3 earlier) |
| Henry Botkin | Three Horsemen Clarke Auction Gallery | $2,500 | $2,457 (4 earlier) |
| Joanna Misztal | Pastelowa zaduma, 2016 Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny | $1,971 | $1,121 (15 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Phillips (217)Wright (210)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (200)Morgan O'Driscoll (198)Van Ham (180)Twents Veilinghuis (145)Clarke Auction Gallery (95)Brunk Auctions (87)Agra-Art (64)Bonhams (58)Toovey's (56)Olympia Auctions (31)Sworders (5)