Art auction market report: October 2017
In October 2017, ArtSell recorded 5,156 auction lots from 27 auction houses, of which 3,734 sold (72% sell-through). The 3,734 sales with a published price total $72,857,853, with a median of $2,500 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Sigmar Polke, “Tänzerin”, at $4,404,968 (Phillips). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tänzerin, 1994 | Sigmar Polke | Phillips · Oct 6, 2017 | $4,404,968 (£3,369,000) |
| 2 | Knives, 1982 | Andy Warhol | Phillips · Oct 6, 2017 | $3,463,568 (£2,649,000) |
| 3 | The Collector 4, 2009 | Adrian Ghenie | Phillips · Oct 6, 2017 | $2,679,068 (£2,049,000) |
| 4 | Peter's Series: Back, 2008 | Hurvin Anderson | Phillips · Oct 6, 2017 | $2,365,268 (£1,809,000) |
| 5 | Los Angeles, 1998 - 1999 | Andreas Gursky | Phillips · Oct 6, 2017 | $2,208,368 (£1,689,000) |
| 6 | Untitled, 1984 | Jean-Michel Basquiat | Phillips · Oct 6, 2017 | $2,051,468 (£1,569,000) |
| 7 | Fishermen | Ang Kiukok | León Gallery · Oct 6, 2017 | $1,276,764 (₱65,408,000) |
| 8 | Park, 2004 | Cecily Brown | Phillips · Oct 6, 2017 | $1,110,068 (£849,000) |
| 9 | Map of China, 2009 | Ai Weiwei | Phillips · Oct 6, 2017 | $1,031,618 (£789,000) |
| 10 | Untitled, 2008 | Albert Oehlen | Phillips · Oct 6, 2017 | $953,168 (£729,000) |
| 11 | Cyclohexane, 1995 | Damien Hirst | Phillips · Oct 6, 2017 | $953,168 (£729,000) |
| 12 | Sad Steps - Life Fulfilled, 2006 | Damien Hirst | Phillips · Oct 6, 2017 | $953,168 (£729,000) |
| 13 | INGRID, 1932 | Moïse Kisling | Polswiss Art · Oct 10, 2017 | $810,631 (PLN 2,950,000) |
| 14 | Untitled (Portrait), 2007 | Richard Prince | Phillips · Oct 6, 2017 | $733,508 (£561,000) |
| 15 | Eclisse, 1969 | Paolo Scheggi | Phillips · Oct 6, 2017 | $686,438 (£525,000) |
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 | Andy Warhol American | $5,278,916 | 40 | Knives — $3,463,568 |
| 2 | Jean-Michel Basquiat American | $2,051,468 | 1 | Untitled — $2,051,468 |
| 3 | Richard Prince American | $896,945 | 2 | Untitled (Portrait) — $733,508 |
| 4 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $870,243 | 20 | Reverie (from 11 Pop Artists Portfolio, Vol. II) — $175,000 |
| 5 | Ed Ruscha American | $652,886 | 11 | Devil — $356,948 |
| 6 | Josef Albers German | $528,088 | 10 | Study for Homage for the Square; Sel: E. B. 4 — $451,088 |
| 7 | Man Ray American | $328,536 | 4 | Rayograph — $300,000 |
| 8 | Keith Haring American | $305,250 | 6 | Andy Mouse: one plate — $175,000 |
| 9 | Robert Mapplethorpe American | $251,250 | 6 | Flowers in Vase — $68,750 |
| 10 | Harry Bertoia American | $230,875 | 3 | Untitled (Sonambient) — $227,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sigmar Polke German | $5,215,848 | 4 | Tänzerin — $4,404,968 |
| 2 | Adrian Ghenie Romanian | $3,101,857 | 2 | The Collector 4 — $2,679,068 |
| 3 | Hurvin Anderson British | $2,365,268 | 1 | Peter's Series: Back — $2,365,268 |
| 4 | Andreas Gursky German | $2,208,368 | 1 | Los Angeles — $2,208,368 |
| 5 | Damien Hirst British | $1,951,335 | 4 | Cyclohexane — $953,168 |
| 6 | Cecily Brown British | $1,129,824 | 2 | Park — $1,110,068 |
| 7 | A. R. Penck German | $959,916 | 4 | Ali Alpha Tor — $482,468 |
| 8 | Albert Oehlen German | $953,168 | 1 | Untitled — $953,168 |
| 9 | Manolo Valdés Spanish | $842,743 | 3 | Retrato de Dorothy III — $341,258 |
| 10 | Moïse Kisling French | $834,731 | 9 | INGRID — $810,631 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sigmar Polke | Tänzerin Phillips | $4,404,968 | $1,795,210 (325 earlier) |
| Adrian Ghenie | The Collector 4 Phillips | $2,679,068 | $706,536 (25 earlier) |
| Andreas Gursky | Los Angeles Phillips | $2,208,368 | $1,925,000 (65 earlier) |
| Ang Kiukok | Fishermen León Gallery | $1,276,764 | $381,060 (73 earlier) |
| Moïse Kisling | INGRID Polswiss Art | $810,631 | $216,686 (49 earlier) |
| Fabián de la Rosa | Women Weaving Hats León Gallery | $592,783 | $29,938 (5 earlier) |
| A. R. Penck | Ali Alpha Tor Phillips | $482,468 | $364,682 (246 earlier) |
| José T. Joya | Carcass León Gallery | $387,589 | $304,848 (73 earlier) |
| Manolo Valdés | Retrato de Dorothy III Phillips | $341,258 | $234,341 (8 earlier) |
| Sarah Lucas | Supersensible Phillips | $309,878 | $286,762 (9 earlier) |
| Magdalena Abakanowicz | STEEL EMBRYOLOGY Polswiss Art | $288,530 | $64,724 (21 earlier) |
| Fernando Amorsolo | Princess Urduja (The Daughter of the Rajah) León Gallery | $250,793 | $239,568 (86 earlier) |
| Norbertine Bresslern-Roth | Ruhende Hirsche im Kinsky | $246,846 | $229,129 (70 earlier) |
| Józef Mehoffer | DWOREK I OGRÓD W JANKÓWCE Agra-Art | $180,110 | $64,239 (21 earlier) |
| Bernar Venet | Indeterminate Line Wright | $167,000 | $136,120 (29 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Phillips (985)Whyte's (422)León Gallery (415)Pananti (324)Twents Veilinghuis (317)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (290)Bonhams (279)im Kinsky (224)Morgan O'Driscoll (210)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (189)Maison Bibelot (172)Agra-Art (167)Wright (151)Art+Object (143)Clarke Auction Gallery (119)Levis Fine Art Auctions (88)Crocker Farm (86)Artmark (74)Toovey's (70)Van Ham (67)Smith & Singer (62)Leonard Joel (61)Polswiss Art (59)Olympia Auctions (54)Bolsa de Arte (52)Lempertz (41)Sworders (35)