Art auction market report: January 2018
In January 2018, ArtSell recorded 2,270 auction lots from 14 auction houses, of which 1,811 sold (80% sell-through). The 1,811 sales with a published price total $8,714,765, with a median of $901 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Andy Warhol, “Skulls”, at $213,825 (Phillips). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Lots offered
2,270
14 houses
Sold
1,811
80% sell-through
Total
$8.7M
1,811 priced sales
Median
$901
priced sales
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Skulls, 1976 | Andy Warhol | Phillips · Jan 25, 2018 | $213,825 (£150,000) |
| 2 | Untitled, 1988 | Donald Judd | Phillips · Jan 25, 2018 | $196,006 (£137,500) |
| 3 | September, 2009 | Gerhard Richter | Phillips · Jan 25, 2018 | $151,459 (£106,250) |
| 4 | Marilyn, 1967 | Andy Warhol | Phillips · Jan 25, 2018 | $142,550 (£100,000) |
| 5 | Head , from Portfolio I, 1983/2001 | Jean-Michel Basquiat | Phillips · Jan 25, 2018 | $142,550 (£100,000) |
| 6 | Untitled, c. 1960 | José Guerrero | Wright · Jan 18, 2018 | $125,000 |
| 7 | Liza Minnelli, circa 1978 | Andy Warhol | Phillips · Jan 25, 2018 | $124,731 (£87,500) |
| 8 | Yes, 2004 | Louise Bourgeois | Phillips · Jan 25, 2018 | $110,476 (£77,500) |
| 9 | Blue Floor , from Interior Series, 1991 | Roy Lichtenstein | Phillips · Jan 25, 2018 | $106,913 (£75,000) |
| 10 | Tomato Soup , from Campbell's Soup I, 1968 | Andy Warhol | Phillips · Jan 25, 2018 | $106,913 (£75,000) |
| 11 | No Reply, 2015 | Kaws | Phillips · Jan 25, 2018 | $106,913 (£75,000) |
| 12 | Untitled, 1988-90 | Donald Judd | Phillips · Jan 25, 2018 | $98,003 (£68,750) |
| 13 | Men in the Cities, 1990 | Robert Longo | Phillips · Jan 25, 2018 | $98,003 (£68,750) |
| 14 | Cabeza , from Portfolio II, 1982-4/2005 | Jean-Michel Basquiat | Phillips · Jan 25, 2018 | $92,658 (£65,000) |
| 15 | Walking in London 1, 2014 | Julian Opie | Phillips · Jan 25, 2018 | $89,094 (£62,500) |
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 | $1,057,008 | 21 | Skulls — $213,825 |
| 2 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $365,284 | 8 | Blue Floor , from Interior Series — $106,913 |
| 3 | Donald Judd American | $296,148 | 3 | Untitled — $196,006 |
| 4 | Jean-Michel Basquiat American | $286,882 | 4 | Head , from Portfolio I — $142,550 |
| 5 | Robert Longo American | $155,914 | 4 | Men in the Cities — $98,003 |
| 6 | José Guerrero Spanish | $125,000 | 1 | Untitled — $125,000 |
| 7 | Kaws American | $122,058 | 2 | No Reply — $106,913 |
| 8 | Louise Bourgeois French | $110,476 | 1 | Yes — $110,476 |
| 9 | Jasper Johns American | $86,093 | 5 | Cicada , from Marginalia — $57,020 |
| 10 | Mel Bochner American | $66,310 | 4 | Thank You! — $28,510 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $418,895 | 28 | Grand nu de femme (Large Nude Woman) — $62,366 |
| 2 | Damien Hirst British | $328,863 | 14 | All You Need is Love Love Love — $57,020 |
| 3 | Gerhard Richter German | $255,699 | 7 | September — $151,459 |
| 4 | Julian Opie British | $234,138 | 11 | Walking in London 1 — $89,094 |
| 5 | Richard Hamilton British | $167,496 | 3 | Toaster: Deluxe Study VII — $85,530 |
| 6 | Banksy British | $148,787 | 6 | Girl with Balloon — $57,020 |
| 7 | Salvador Dalí Spanish | $135,711 | 8 | After 50 Years of Surrealism — $53,456 |
| 8 | Howard Hodgkin British | $128,295 | 2 | As Time Goes By (red) — $74,839 |
| 9 | David Hockney British | $105,216 | 8 | Lillies , from Europäische Graphik No VII — $39,201 |
| 10 | Francis Bacon British | $98,003 | 2 | Triptyque Août 1972 ( after, Triptych August 1972) — $85,530 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Hodgkin | As Time Goes By (red) Phillips | $74,839 | $74,653 (97 earlier) |
| Maud Gatewood | Harrowed Field Sunset Brunk Auctions | $16,000 | $15,000 (12 earlier) |
| Anni Albers | Connections Phillips | $12,473 | $9,680 (10 earlier) |
| Paula Rego | Peter Pan: eleven plates Phillips | $11,582 | $3,382 (3 earlier) |
| George Nelson | & Associates. CSS Unit Clarke Auction Gallery | $9,500 | $3,400 (34 earlier) |
| Spiru Chintilă | Eroul clasei muncitoare Artmark | $5,900 | $1,341 (4 earlier) |
| Keiko Minami | collection of five works Wright | $5,625 | $475 (5 earlier) |
| Napoleon Tiron | Portret Artmark | $4,658 | $3,347 (5 earlier) |
| Pietro Chiesa | occasional table Wright | $4,063 | $3,480 (3 earlier) |
| John Frederick Herring, Sr. | Sr. Brunk Auctions | $3,750 | $3,600 (12 earlier) |
| Wycliffe Egginton | The Road Across the Common Morgan O'Driscoll | $3,672 | $2,688 (18 earlier) |
| Ion Pacea | Soarele roșu Artmark | $3,105 | $2,654 (24 earlier) |
| Pablo Picasso Spanish | Portrait of Marie -Therese Walter Morgan O'Driscoll | $2,937 | $2,703 (30 earlier) |
| Paul Gherasim | Țăran Artmark | $2,236 | $1,341 (11 earlier) |
| Manus Walsh | Burren Turlough, Showers Morgan O'Driscoll | $2,203 | $1,008 (5 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Twents Veilinghuis (412)Phillips (323)Wright (223)Morgan O'Driscoll (217)Brunk Auctions (202)Van Ham (194)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (146)León Gallery (140)Artmark (127)Pananti (100)Clarke Auction Gallery (91)Agra-Art (56)Toovey's (35)Sworders (4)