Art auction market report: July 2017
In July 2017, ArtSell recorded 3,532 auction lots from 21 auction houses, of which 2,597 sold (74% sell-through). The 2,597 sales with a published price total $20,520,760, with a median of $860 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was William Robinson Leigh, “A Close Call”, at $1,155,000 (Coeur d'Alene Art Auction). 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 | Charles Marion Russell American | $1,956,955 | 18 | Montana Winter — $565,250 |
| 2 | Howard Terpning American | $1,640,100 | 6 | Whiskey Smugglers — $819,000 |
| 3 | William Robinson Leigh American | $1,449,525 | 3 | A Close Call — $1,155,000 |
| 4 | Carl Rungius American | $1,176,910 | 8 | Out of the Canyon — $476,000 |
| 5 | Thomas Moran American | $651,400 | 2 | The Rio Virgin, Southern Utah — $651,000 |
| 6 | Ernest Martin Hennings American | $476,000 | 4 | Riders in the Sage — $267,750 |
| 7 | Frank Tenney Johnson American | $470,050 | 2 | Return from the Hunt — $327,250 |
| 8 | Joseph Henry Sharp American | $416,500 | 9 | Chief Bull Child – Blackfeet — $101,150 |
| 9 | Bob Kuhn American | $387,940 | 5 | The Predator — $119,000 |
| 10 | John Clymer American | $335,580 | 7 | Practice Makes Perfect — $119,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | David Shepherd British | $361,760 | 9 | Elephant Heaven — $77,350 |
| 2 | Ion Țuculescu Romanian | $68,430 | 1 | Toteme căzute — $68,430 |
| 3 | Montague Dawson British | $47,600 | 1 | The 'Torrens' in California Waters — $47,600 |
| 4 | John Emms British | $38,000 | 1 | After the Chase, beagles in a kennel — $38,000 |
| 5 | Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz Polish | $37,758 | 1 | Portret Zofii Bagniewskiej, z domu Małeckiej, 1927 r. — $37,758 |
| 6 | Artur Grottger Polish | $35,061 | 1 | Portret starca — $35,061 |
| 7 | Zdzisław Beksiński Polish | $24,812 | 1 | Bez tytułu (ST), 1993 r. — $24,812 |
| 8 | Sabin Bălașa Romanian | $21,670 | 4 | Privind la astre — $7,984 |
| 9 | Mircea Suciu Romanian | $21,670 | 2 | The Beast — $15,967 |
| 10 | Serban Savu Romanian | $19,389 | 1 | Weekend — $19,389 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| William Robinson Leigh | A Close Call Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $1,155,000 | $1,005,000 (20 earlier) |
| John Norval Marchand | Rough Riders Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $59,500 | $34,500 (3 earlier) |
| Dean Cornwell | Bedside Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $50,575 | $25,000 (6 earlier) |
| Peter Hurd | The Runaway Calf Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $50,575 | $2,750 (8 earlier) |
| William de la Montagne Cary | After the Buffalo Hunt Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $47,600 | $34,500 (7 earlier) |
| Gil Elvgren | Nobody Can Pinch Me! Wright | $47,500 | $737 (8 earlier) |
| Harrington & Burger | Exceptional HARRINGTON & BURGER / ROCHESTER Stoneware Jar w/ Elaborate Parrot Design Crocker Farm | $47,200 | $7,475 (12 earlier) |
| Paul Calle | Good Hunting Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $38,675 | $11,700 (3 earlier) |
| Karl Maughan | Untitled Art+Object | $37,029 | $36,888 (17 earlier) |
| Artur Grottger | Portret starca Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny | $35,061 | $19,195 (3 earlier) |
| Heather Straka | Cargo Girl Art+Object | $25,267 | $13,265 (9 earlier) |
| Owen J. Gromme | Bobwhite Quail Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $23,800 | $17,550 (6 earlier) |
| Michael Ray Charles | Da Americun Tredishun Wright | $23,750 | $15,000 (4 earlier) |
| Adele Younghusband | The Virgin and Child with St Anne and the Angels Art+Object | $23,524 | $17,974 (12 earlier) |
| Gustave Baumann | Grand Canyon, Series 1 Coeur d'Alene Art Auction | $21,420 | $8,625 (6 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Pananti (407)León Gallery (404)Van Sabben Poster Auctions (356)Strauss & Co (310)Coeur d'Alene Art Auction (305)Whyte's (293)Wright (232)Twents Veilinghuis (207)Brunk Auctions (197)Crocker Farm (132)Bonhams (130)Clarke Auction Gallery (122)Artmark (118)Art+Object (117)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (76)Toovey's (55)deVeres (29)Maison Bibelot (18)Austin Auction Gallery (12)Leonard Joel (11)HAUS Galerii (1)