Art auction market report: June 2017
In June 2017, ArtSell recorded 6,983 auction lots from 28 auction houses, of which 5,366 sold (77% sell-through). The 5,366 sales with a published price total $162,378,990, with a median of $4,403 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Sanyu, “Vase of Chrysanthemums with Red Ground”, at $9,375,341 (Ravenel). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vase of Chrysanthemums with Red Ground, 1930-1940s | Sanyu | Ravenel · Jun 4, 2017 | $9,375,341 (NT$282,560,000) |
| 2 | Tête d'une jeune femme Tahitienne avec un deuxième portrait sur sa droite - Portrait de Teha'amana | Paul Gauguin | Kornfeld · Jun 16, 2017 | $7,386,480 (CHF 7,200,000) |
| 3 | Abstraktes Bild (682-4), 1988 | Gerhard Richter | Phillips · Jun 29, 2017 | $3,098,772 (£2,389,000) |
| 4 | Untitled, 1984 | Keith Haring | Phillips · Jun 29, 2017 | $3,026,134 (£2,333,000) |
| 5 | Drag Her to the Path, 2011 | Mark Bradford | Phillips · Jun 29, 2017 | $2,953,497 (£2,277,000) |
| 6 | Abyss, 1997 | Albert Oehlen | Phillips · Jun 29, 2017 | $2,808,222 (£2,165,000) |
| 7 | Untitled, 2007 | Rudolf Stingel | Phillips · Jun 29, 2017 | $2,029,962 (£1,565,000) |
| 8 | Tiergarten im Winter, 1937 | Max Beckmann | Grisebach · Jun 1, 2017 | $2,019,420 (€1,800,000) |
| 9 | Rill, 1976 | Bridget Riley | Phillips · Jun 29, 2017 | $1,874,310 (£1,445,000) |
| 10 | Château d'If, 1936 | Max Beckmann | Ketterer Kunst · Jun 10, 2017 | $1,838,452 (€1,645,000) |
| 11 | 4 Gabbie, 1962-1974 | Michelangelo Pistoletto | Phillips · Jun 29, 2017 | $1,718,658 (£1,325,000) |
| 12 | Farm Jonkershoek with Twin Peaks Beyond, Stellenbosch | Jacobus Hendrik Pierneef | Strauss & Co · Jun 5, 2017 | $1,606,094 (ZAR 20,462,400) |
| 13 | Tunnel Painting (Country-rock), 2000 | Peter Doig | Phillips · Jun 29, 2017 | $1,500,745 (£1,157,000) |
| 14 | Begonien (Rot und Gelb), 1929 | Emil Nolde | Kornfeld · Jun 16, 2017 | $1,436,260 (CHF 1,400,000) |
| 15 | Ohne Titel (Porträtist), 1979 | Sigmar Polke | Phillips · Jun 29, 2017 | $1,407,354 (£1,085,000) |
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 | Keith Haring American | $3,097,128 | 7 | Untitled — $3,026,134 |
| 2 | Rudolf Stingel American | $2,029,962 | 1 | Untitled — $2,029,962 |
| 3 | Andy Warhol American | $1,511,671 | 38 | Beethoven — $385,919 |
| 4 | Sam Francis American | $1,324,753 | 23 | Study for Moby Dick — $748,907 |
| 5 | Josef Albers German | $958,250 | 14 | Homage to the Square — $691,090 |
| 6 | Louise Bourgeois French | $953,305 | 3 | Nature Study — $940,398 |
| 7 | Sterling Ruby German | $769,922 | 3 | SP04 — $597,963 |
| 8 | Jonas Wood American | $621,328 | 3 | Head Up — $411,181 |
| 9 | Robert Longo American | $551,874 | 11 | Untitled (Earth, for Zander) — $279,400 |
| 10 | Walasse Ting American | $406,123 | 8 | Give Me a Hug — $159,264 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Paul Gauguin French | $7,619,796 | 8 | Tête d'une jeune femme Tahitienne avec un deuxième portrait sur sa droite - Portrait de Teha'amana — $7,386,480 |
| 2 | Gerhard Richter German | $7,234,892 | 45 | Abstraktes Bild (682-4) — $3,098,772 |
| 3 | Max Beckmann German | $4,537,334 | 5 | Tiergarten im Winter — $2,019,420 |
| 4 | Emil Nolde German | $3,592,419 | 33 | Begonien (Rot und Gelb) — $1,436,260 |
| 5 | Paul Klee Swiss | $3,407,776 | 21 | Kleiner Blauteufel – Blauteufelskopf — $1,384,965 |
| 6 | Bridget Riley British | $2,999,867 | 6 | Rill — $1,874,310 |
| 7 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $2,971,769 | 125 | Maisons devant la colline — $974,605 |
| 8 | Albert Oehlen German | $2,849,630 | 6 | Abyss — $2,808,222 |
| 9 | Marc Chagall Belarusian | $2,226,875 | 35 | Les Muguets au Quai d'Anjou, Paris — $379,583 |
| 10 | Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn Dutch | $2,081,089 | 100 | Die Darstellung im Tempel, in dunkler Manier — $420,619 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paul Gauguin | Tête d'une jeune femme Tahitienne avec un deuxième portrait sur sa droite - Portrait de Teha'amana Kornfeld | $7,386,480 | $4,950,605 (22 earlier) |
| Keith Haring | Untitled Phillips | $3,026,134 | $1,102,000 (230 earlier) |
| Albert Oehlen | Abyss Phillips | $2,808,222 | $845,000 (48 earlier) |
| Bridget Riley | Rill Phillips | $1,874,310 | $372,608 (43 earlier) |
| Jacobus Hendrik Pierneef | Farm Jonkershoek with Twin Peaks Beyond, Stellenbosch Strauss & Co | $1,606,094 | $1,542,366 (164 earlier) |
| Paul Klee | Kleiner Blauteufel – Blauteufelskopf Kornfeld | $1,384,965 | $1,300,375 (71 earlier) |
| Albert Anker | Suppe essendes Mädchen - Mädeli Kornfeld | $1,077,195 | $66,836 (8 earlier) |
| Yayoi Kusama | I Carry on Living with the Pumpkins Ravenel | $1,035,216 | $1,006,434 (67 earlier) |
| Georg Baselitz | Zwei halbe Kühe Ketterer Kunst | $993,546 | $616,658 (182 earlier) |
| Pierre Bonnard | Corbeille de fruits Kornfeld | $820,720 | $759,790 (40 earlier) |
| Wolfgang Tillmans | Freischwimmer #84 Phillips | $784,746 | $322,000 (83 earlier) |
| Koloman Moser | Schwertlilien im Kinsky | $685,425 | $392,187 (32 earlier) |
| Alexis Preller | Still Life with Thangka and Pomegranates Strauss & Co | $588,901 | $537,267 (64 earlier) |
| Max Weiler | Baum im Kinsky | $499,386 | $167,714 (48 earlier) |
| Franz Gertsch | Tabea III Kornfeld | $461,655 | $173,185 (12 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Phillips (636)Kornfeld (586)im Kinsky (497)Ketterer Kunst (477)Grisebach (470)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (454)Art+Object (448)James D. Julia (398)Van Ham (289)Strauss & Co (275)Agra-Art (248)Lempertz (247)Ravenel (228)Morgan O'Driscoll (220)Bonhams (192)Artmark (183)Sloans & Kenyon (172)Jackson's International Auctioneers (160)SOGA (138)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (120)Wright (107)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (104)Clarke Auction Gallery (96)Smith & Singer (93)Leonard Joel (60)Toovey's (58)Austin Auction Gallery (19)Sworders (8)