Art auction market report: August 2017
In August 2017, ArtSell recorded 1,604 auction lots from 11 auction houses, of which 1,262 sold (79% sell-through). The 1,262 sales with a published price total $18,480,065, with a median of $2,300 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Arthur Boyd, “Moby Dick Hill (1949)”, at $958,615 (Smith & Singer). 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 | Edgar Alwin Payne American | $384,750 | 3 | The Jungfrau — $223,500 |
| 2 | William Wendt American | $225,000 | 4 | Winter, Mt. Rainier, Paradise Valley — $87,500 |
| 3 | Hayley Lever American | $121,771 | 9 | Eastern Yacht Club Regatta, Marblehead, Mass — $36,300 |
| 4 | John Frost American | $112,500 | 1 | Desert (Prospector) — $112,500 |
| 5 | E. Charlton Fortune American | $106,250 | 1 | Still life with narcissus and anemone — $106,250 |
| 6 | Thomas Hill American | $77,500 | 3 | Mt. Shasta from Yreka — $35,000 |
| 7 | Leon Gaspard American | $65,000 | 1 | A Girl of the Pamir Mountains, Korzak Girl — $65,000 |
| 8 | Ed Mell American | $63,750 | 4 | Chinle Dusk — $25,000 |
| 9 | Maynard Dixon American | $61,875 | 3 | Shifting light on a poplar — $30,000 |
| 10 | Granville Redmond American | $60,000 | 1 | Tilling the Fields — $60,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arthur Boyd British | $1,469,693 | 6 | Moby Dick Hill (1949) — $958,615 |
| 2 | Cedric Morris British | $222,437 | 1 | July Flowers and Wood Warblers 1929 — $222,437 |
| 3 | Heywood Hardy British | $83,490 | 3 | The First of November — $48,400 |
| 4 | John Kelly British | $72,133 | 3 | Black Eyed Alien 2006 — $38,685 |
| 5 | Mela Muter French | $42,509 | 1 | Place de la Cathedrale (katedra w Carpentras) — $42,509 |
| 6 | Birger Sandzén Swedish | $28,750 | 1 | Floral still life (Zinnias) — $28,750 |
| 7 | Stanisław Eleszkiewicz Polish | $24,683 | 2 | Jedzący arbuzy — $20,843 |
| 8 | Henryk Hayden Polish | $23,311 | 3 | Wzgórze Six-Fours w pobliżu Sanary, ok. 1925 r. — $13,164 |
| 9 | Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski Polish | $21,392 | 1 | Przed karczmą, przed 1883 — $21,392 |
| 10 | Alfred Coffey Irish | $21,277 | 1 | A Veil of Bushfire Smoke 1918 — $21,277 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| E. Phillips Fox | Monastery, San Lazzaro (1907) Smith & Singer | $833,995 | $182,895 (16 earlier) |
| Elioth Gruner | Silver Sands (Bondi) 1918 Smith & Singer | $191,723 | $123,049 (22 earlier) |
| Godfrey Miller | Still Life No. 1 (circa 1955) Smith & Singer | $91,068 | $89,951 (10 earlier) |
| Theodorus Johannes Schoon | Incised Gourd with Kowhaiwhai motif Art+Object | $54,130 | $23,652 (137 earlier) |
| Heywood Hardy | The First of November James D. Julia | $48,400 | $22,000 (3 earlier) |
| Grahame Sydney | Back of the Maungatuas Art+Object | $48,018 | $15,376 (18 earlier) |
| Jack L. Gray | Snowfall, Waterfront James D. Julia | $31,460 | $14,520 (3 earlier) |
| Paul Grimm | Cumulus Clouds Bonhams | $31,250 | $18,750 (55 earlier) |
| Reynolds Beal | Ocean Fishermen”, Off Montauk Light James D. Julia | $29,040 | $3,660 (20 earlier) |
| Emile Albert Gruppe | Motif #1 James D. Julia | $19,360 | $14,950 (52 earlier) |
| Janet Agnes Cumbrae Stewart | Wagon Train on the Murray 1916 Menzies | $19,342 | $14,571 (13 earlier) |
| William Lester Stevens | Gloucester Farm House with Stone Wall James D. Julia | $18,150 | $13,750 (41 earlier) |
| Jay Hall Connaway | Moonlit Sea”, Monhegan Island James D. Julia | $18,150 | $6,325 (8 earlier) |
| Thomas Chambers | View from West Point James D. Julia | $15,730 | $1,185 (3 earlier) |
| Benjamin Edwin Minns | The Harbour Bridge 1930 Menzies | $14,507 | $3,483 (10 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
James D. Julia (575)Morgan O'Driscoll (172)Bonhams (158)Menzies (150)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (141)Art+Object (117)Smith & Singer (97)Clarke Auction Gallery (77)Agra-Art (60)Toovey's (56)Leonard Joel (1)