Art auction market report: October 2018
In October 2018, ArtSell recorded 7,600 auction lots from 30 auction houses, of which 5,102 sold (67% sell-through). The 5,102 sales with a published price total $85,967,214, with a median of $1,625 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Joan Mitchell, “Perch and Twirl”, at $4,083,658 (Phillips). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Perch and Twirl, 1973 | Joan Mitchell | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $4,083,658 (£3,129,000) |
| 2 | Untitled (P271), 1997 | Christopher Wool | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $3,235,343 (£2,479,000) |
| 3 | Hände, 1963 | Gerhard Richter | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $2,674,150 (£2,049,000) |
| 4 | Sperlonga drawing, 1959 | Cy Twombly | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $1,499,560 (£1,149,000) |
| 5 | Cobourg 3+1 more, 1995 | Peter Doig | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $1,342,948 (£1,029,000) |
| 6 | Palheiro (For: Zombie Golf), 1995 | Peter Doig | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $1,264,642 (£969,000) |
| 7 | Concetto spaziale, Attese, 1963 | Lucio Fontana | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $982,740 (£753,000) |
| 8 | Busch (Scrub), 1985 | Gerhard Richter | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $951,418 (£729,000) |
| 9 | Untitled (D139), 2001 | Christopher Wool | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $763,484 (£585,000) |
| 10 | Cavallo, 1935-36 | Lucio Fontana | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $716,500 (£549,000) |
| 11 | Unbetitelt (Feld), 1972 | Joseph Beuys | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $606,872 (£465,000) |
| 12 | Untitled, 1987 | Georg Baselitz | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $583,380 (£447,000) |
| 13 | Concetto spaziale, Attesa, 1964 | Lucio Fontana | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $575,549 (£441,000) |
| 14 | Upward Fall, 1986 | John Baldessari | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $575,549 (£441,000) |
| 15 | Untitled, 1988 | Günther Förg | Phillips · Oct 5, 2018 | $512,904 (£393,000) |
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 | Joan Mitchell American | $4,102,408 | 3 | Perch and Twirl — $4,083,658 |
| 2 | Christopher Wool American | $4,050,766 | 3 | Untitled (P271) — $3,235,343 |
| 3 | Andy Warhol American | $1,688,912 | 36 | Marilyn — $325,000 |
| 4 | Cy Twombly American | $1,549,560 | 2 | Sperlonga drawing — $1,499,560 |
| 5 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $1,323,026 | 16 | Ceramic Sculpture #10 — $403,276 |
| 6 | Cindy Sherman American | $889,082 | 4 | Untitled #296 — $325,000 |
| 7 | Kaws American | $801,373 | 4 | Untitled — $510,311 |
| 8 | John Baldessari American | $575,549 | 1 | Upward Fall — $575,549 |
| 9 | Richard Avedon American | $466,250 | 6 | Marilyn Monroe, New York City, May 6 — $250,000 |
| 10 | George Condo American | $462,591 | 4 | Duke Ellington — $178,544 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gerhard Richter German | $4,246,357 | 11 | Hände — $2,674,150 |
| 2 | Peter Doig Scottish | $2,613,215 | 3 | Cobourg 3+1 more — $1,342,948 |
| 3 | Lucio Fontana Italian | $2,457,209 | 7 | Concetto spaziale, Attese — $982,740 |
| 4 | Günther Förg German | $1,466,997 | 4 | Untitled — $512,904 |
| 5 | Georg Baselitz German | $1,345,815 | 12 | Untitled — $583,380 |
| 6 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $938,921 | 43 | La femme à la fenêtre — $212,719 |
| 7 | Käthe Kollwitz German | $915,766 | 7 | Abschied — $496,344 |
| 8 | Ettore Sottsass Italian | $820,691 | 25 | Prototype 'Commode column' — $221,012 |
| 9 | Joseph Beuys German | $724,627 | 8 | Unbetitelt (Feld) — $606,872 |
| 10 | Gio Ponti Italian | $701,087 | 24 | Rare coffee table, designed for the first class ballroom of the 'Giulio Cesare' ocean liner — $94,953 |
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).
Auction houses this month
León Gallery (1,311)Phillips (1,162)Art+Object (517)Bonhams (450)Twents Veilinghuis (393)Pananti (388)Clarke Auction Gallery (282)Strauss & Co (264)im Kinsky (262)Grisebach (262)Helmuth Stone Gallery (232)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (218)Maison Bibelot (212)Wright (198)Agra-Art (186)Artmark (173)Whyte's (165)Capitolium Art (132)Toovey's (129)Van Ham (127)SOGA (115)Fidesarte (99)Polswiss Art (77)Leonard Joel (76)Bolsa de Arte (57)Smith & Singer (55)Olympia Auctions (28)Colasanti Casa d'Aste (15)Sworders (14)Brunk Auctions (1)