Art auction market report: December 2017
In December 2017, ArtSell recorded 7,042 auction lots from 29 auction houses, of which 4,952 sold (70% sell-through). The 4,952 sales with a published price total $105,484,339, with a median of $4,573 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Ernst Wilhelm Nay, “Scheiben und Halbscheiben”, at $2,636,079 (Ketterer Kunst). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scheiben und Halbscheiben, 1955 | Ernst Wilhelm Nay | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 9, 2017 | $2,636,079 (€2,245,000) |
| 2 | 09.02.60, 1960 | Zao Wou-ki | Ravenel · Dec 3, 2017 | $2,026,464 (NT$60,800,000) |
| 3 | Patched Head, 2011 | Yoshitomo Nara | Ravenel · Dec 3, 2017 | $1,503,850 (NT$45,120,000) |
| 4 | Le moulin à café, 1942 | Georges Braque | Lempertz · Dec 1, 2017 | $1,295,703 (€1,090,200) |
| 5 | Fluß, 1984 | Günther Uecker | Grisebach · Dec 1, 2017 | $1,227,721 (€1,033,000) |
| 6 | Potted White Peonies, 1950s | Sanyu | Ravenel · Dec 3, 2017 | $919,908 (NT$27,600,000) |
| 7 | Rondena, 1958 | Peter Voulkos | Phillips · Dec 12, 2017 | $915,000 |
| 8 | Zwei Pferde, blaugrün, 1911 | Franz Marc | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 9, 2017 | $902,960 (€769,000) |
| 9 | Poème Épique, 2001 | Chu Teh-chun | Ravenel · Dec 3, 2017 | $879,912 (NT$26,400,000) |
| 10 | Weißes Feld, 1965 | Günther Uecker | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 9, 2017 | $762,056 (€649,000) |
| 11 | Miss World, 1975 | Walasse Ting | Ravenel · Dec 2, 2017 | $759,924 (NT$22,800,000) |
| 12 | Merzzeichnung, 1919 | Kurt Schwitters | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 9, 2017 | $689,843 (€587,500) |
| 13 | Hamburg III, 1961 | Oskar Kokoschka | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 9, 2017 | $689,843 (€587,500) |
| 14 | Le vieux port de Bastia, 1907 | Auguste Herbin | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 9, 2017 | $660,488 (€562,500) |
| 15 | Market Scene | Vicente Manansala | León Gallery · Dec 2, 2017 | $649,174 (₱32,704,000) |
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 | Walasse Ting American | $1,293,922 | 14 | Miss World — $759,924 |
| 2 | Peter Voulkos American | $955,000 | 2 | Rondena — $915,000 |
| 3 | Andy Warhol American | $554,292 | 21 | Antoine Grunn — $103,718 |
| 4 | Robert Longo American | $460,874 | 2 | Untitled (Shark 15) — $440,325 |
| 5 | George Grosz German | $367,190 | 12 | Rotkreuztante — $117,420 |
| 6 | Josef Albers German | $363,787 | 6 | Study to Homage to the Square: Warm Welcom — $338,960 |
| 7 | Lyonel Feininger American | $306,034 | 24 | Barquentine — $44,569 |
| 8 | George Condo American | $195,726 | 2 | Robot Girl — $158,923 |
| 9 | Edward Cucuel American | $180,994 | 4 | Sommermorgen am Starnberger See — $55,775 |
| 10 | William Copley American | $166,533 | 2 | Star and Garter — $125,268 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ernst Wilhelm Nay German | $2,945,526 | 9 | Scheiben und Halbscheiben — $2,636,079 |
| 2 | Günther Uecker German | $2,340,909 | 28 | Fluß — $1,227,721 |
| 3 | Emil Nolde German | $2,241,519 | 21 | Hohe See unter violettem Himmel — $322,905 |
| 4 | Zao Wou-ki French | $2,136,365 | 3 | 09.02.60 — $2,026,464 |
| 5 | Henri Cartier-Bresson French | $2,044,125 | 112 | Hyères, France — $100,000 |
| 6 | Gerhard Richter German | $2,011,919 | 33 | Gebirge — $432,986 |
| 7 | Georges Braque French | $1,313,319 | 7 | Le moulin à café — $1,295,703 |
| 8 | Jean-Michel Frank French | $1,237,750 | 7 | Low table — $519,000 |
| 9 | Alberto Giacometti Swiss | $1,075,469 | 6 | Early “Figure” floor lamp (thin version) — $325,000 |
| 10 | Oskar Kokoschka Austrian | $1,045,058 | 6 | Hamburg III — $689,843 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ernst Wilhelm Nay | Scheiben und Halbscheiben Ketterer Kunst | $2,636,079 | $1,305,248 (254 earlier) |
| Georges Braque | Le moulin à café Lempertz | $1,295,703 | $53,258 (227 earlier) |
| Peter Voulkos | Rondena Phillips | $915,000 | $62,500 (46 earlier) |
| Auguste Herbin | Le vieux port de Bastia Ketterer Kunst | $660,488 | $269,059 (29 earlier) |
| Vicente Manansala | Market Scene León Gallery | $649,174 | $321,480 (63 earlier) |
| Józef Chełmoński | NOC KSIĘZYCOWA 1876 Agra-Art | $596,828 | $456,893 (24 earlier) |
| Joseph Beuys | Erdtelephon Grisebach | $534,825 | $504,810 (493 earlier) |
| Jean-Michel Frank | Low table Phillips | $519,000 | $173,000 (29 earlier) |
| Robert Longo | Untitled (Shark 15) Ketterer Kunst | $440,325 | $283,235 (152 earlier) |
| Pierre Soulages | Peinture 33 x 22, 1957 Ketterer Kunst | $440,325 | $330,689 (102 earlier) |
| Hernando R. Ocampo | Bon Vivant León Gallery | $394,142 | $352,678 (39 earlier) |
| Wojciech Fangor | CHOPIN Polswiss Art | $363,805 | $254,280 (60 earlier) |
| Magdalena Abakanowicz | FIGURY – MANEKINY CZARNE Polswiss Art | $363,805 | $288,530 (24 earlier) |
| Henryk Hayden | MARTWA NATURA Z KARTAMI I SZACHOWNICĄ Polswiss Art | $363,805 | $20,237 (39 earlier) |
| Mela Muter | BRETONKI / MACIERZYŃSTWO Polswiss Art | $321,828 | $142,665 (48 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Lempertz (680)Ketterer Kunst (521)Phillips (475)Farsettiarte (465)im Kinsky (413)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (393)Grisebach (380)Pananti (357)Van Ham (330)Art+Object (294)Artmark (265)Ravenel (248)Van Sabben Poster Auctions (244)Whyte's (218)Bonhams (197)Agra-Art (188)Clarke Auction Gallery (182)Levis Fine Art Auctions (157)Morgan O'Driscoll (146)SOGA (136)León Gallery (124)Jackson's International Auctioneers (118)Sloans & Kenyon (110)Leonard Joel (97)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (97)Polswiss Art (76)Toovey's (58)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (50)James D. Julia (23)