Art auction market report: December 2018
In December 2018, ArtSell recorded 5,645 auction lots from 30 auction houses, of which 3,876 sold (69% sell-through). The 3,876 sales with a published price total $82,412,674, with a median of $3,938 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Zao Wou-ki, “24.09.99”, at $2,808,006 (Ravenel). 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 | Wendell Castle American | $752,500 | 5 | Unique "Chaise Rocker" — $325,000 |
| 2 | Otto Dix American | $503,147 | 4 | Gletscher im Engadin — $440,626 |
| 3 | Kaws American | $475,560 | 17 | Untitled (MBFM8) — $223,370 |
| 4 | Andy Warhol American | $447,763 | 19 | Joseph Beuys — $101,413 |
| 5 | Sam Francis American | $323,762 | 7 | Untitled (SF 92-17) — $84,511 |
| 6 | Walasse Ting American | $226,561 | 6 | Waiting for Your Love Letter — $85,642 |
| 7 | Josef Albers German | $176,641 | 11 | SP (Homage to the Square) — $107,047 |
| 8 | Lyonel Feininger American | $166,858 | 4 | Lübeck — $68,226 |
| 9 | Peter Halley American | $159,550 | 1 | Six Prisons — $159,550 |
| 10 | Paul Thek American | $151,869 | 2 | Wild Irish Rose — $127,924 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emil Nolde German | $2,999,440 | 12 | Herbstwolken, Friesland — $1,870,530 |
| 2 | Zao Wou-ki French | $2,850,624 | 11 | 24.09.99 — $2,808,006 |
| 3 | Günther Uecker German | $2,512,334 | 20 | Zärtlicher Garten — $1,624,916 |
| 4 | Wojciech Fangor Polish | $1,943,118 | 3 | GRUPA 5 PRAC Z KOLEKCJI GRES GALLERY — $1,561,907 |
| 5 | Gerhard Richter German | $1,927,098 | 12 | Portrait Schniewind — $1,120,044 |
| 6 | Ernst Wilhelm Nay German | $1,597,712 | 6 | Schwarze Sternenbahn — $568,550 |
| 7 | Ernst Ludwig Kirchner German | $1,222,744 | 11 | Selbstporträt mit Gerda (Mann und Sitzende im Atelier) — $568,550 |
| 8 | Josef Čapek Czech | $1,081,747 | 2 | Two men — $609,139 |
| 9 | August Macke German | $1,051,818 | 1 | Begrüssung (Thunersee) — $1,051,818 |
| 10 | Erich Heckel German | $888,104 | 8 | Badende am Stein — $710,688 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wojciech Fangor | GRUPA 5 PRAC Z KOLEKCJI GRES GALLERY Polswiss Art | $1,561,907 | $363,805 (70 earlier) |
| Erich Heckel | Badende am Stein Ketterer Kunst | $710,688 | $359,648 (458 earlier) |
| Josef Čapek | Two men Galerie Kodl | $609,139 | $440,413 (23 earlier) |
| Konrad Klapheck | Royal Ketterer Kunst | $596,978 | $459,405 (49 earlier) |
| Claude Lalanne | Unique Structure Végétal aux Papillons Chandelier Bonhams | $564,500 | $31,250 (7 earlier) |
| Maria Lassnig | Korkenziehermann im Kinsky | $454,360 | $416,360 (51 earlier) |
| František Muzika | Night II Galerie Kodl | $420,096 | $270,384 (13 earlier) |
| Daniel Richter | Süden Phillips | $409,724 | $229,703 (87 earlier) |
| Georges Mathieu | Hommage à Dollard des Ormeaux Ravenel | $369,816 | $252,348 (43 earlier) |
| Władysław Podkowiński | Olszynka Polswiss Art | $330,913 | $260,280 (11 earlier) |
| Asger Jorn | Cent défauts Ketterer Kunst | $326,916 | $249,518 (37 earlier) |
| Wendell Castle | Unique "Chaise Rocker" Phillips | $325,000 | $314,325 (37 earlier) |
| Kamil Lhoták | Have a good journey long train (12 panels) Galerie Kodl | $309,821 | $182,676 (27 earlier) |
| Karel Černý | Landscape in Bohemia Galerie Kodl | $283,565 | $103,356 (10 earlier) |
| Stik | Big Mother Phillips | $247,303 | $44,317 (18 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Farsettiarte (483)Pananti (464)Lempertz (433)Ketterer Kunst (417)Phillips (391)Bonhams (310)Ravenel (249)Morgan O'Driscoll (238)Galerie Kodl (233)Artmark (228)Whyte's (216)im Kinsky (214)Capitolium Art (202)Levis Fine Art Auctions (198)Van Ham (191)Agra-Art (152)León Gallery (143)Helmuth Stone Gallery (120)Sloans & Kenyon (114)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (113)SOGA (106)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (96)Polswiss Art (83)Clarke Auction Gallery (82)Toovey's (49)Brunk Auctions (42)Grisebach (32)Leonard Joel (23)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (15)Colasanti Casa d'Aste (8)