Art auction market report: February 2019
In February 2019, ArtSell recorded 3,632 auction lots from 18 auction houses, of which 2,774 sold (76% sell-through). The 2,774 sales with a published price total $31,062,119, with a median of $1,750 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Howard Terpning, “Coffee Coolers Meet the Hostiles”, at $1,392,500 (Bonhams). 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 | Howard Terpning American | $2,295,000 | 3 | Coffee Coolers Meet the Hostiles — $1,392,500 |
| 2 | Andy Warhol American | $1,261,413 | 24 | Mickey Mouse (from Myths) — $143,750 |
| 3 | Ernest Martin Hennings American | $1,032,500 | 1 | The Taos Twins — $1,032,500 |
| 4 | Kenneth Noland American | $550,000 | 1 | Songs: Yesterdays — $550,000 |
| 5 | Gerald Harvey American | $522,225 | 12 | Land of the Yosemite — $312,500 |
| 6 | Frank Tenney Johnson American | $348,500 | 1 | Alphonzo Bell — $348,500 |
| 7 | Mary Weatherford American | $325,000 | 1 | Truxtun — $325,000 |
| 8 | Gerard Curtis Delano American | $322,500 | 3 | Menominee Hunter — $300,000 |
| 9 | Jenny Holzer American | $312,500 | 1 | Truisms: All things are delicately interconnected... — $312,500 |
| 10 | John Clymer American | $281,250 | 2 | Aspen Trail — $218,750 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | René Lalique French | $748,147 | 153 | A 'Alicante' Vase, designed in 1927 — $57,072 |
| 2 | Norbertine Bresslern-Roth Austrian | $686,650 | 7 | Fischende Katze — $223,812 |
| 3 | Alfons Walde Austrian | $442,784 | 4 | Kitzbühel in winter time — $430,127 |
| 4 | Jonathan Meese German | $181,250 | 1 | DER KÄMPFER de LARGE (Der Zeushagen von Troja de NEUTRAL) — $181,250 |
| 5 | Markus Prachensky Austrian | $175,402 | 3 | Maremma — $82,424 |
| 6 | Nicolae Grigorescu Romanian | $103,315 | 3 | Plugul cu boi — $42,810 |
| 7 | Hermann Nitsch Austrian | $94,005 | 4 | Kreuzwegstation — $77,959 |
| 8 | Fernando Zóbel de Ayala y Montojo Spanish | $81,250 | 1 | San Ildefonso — $81,250 |
| 9 | Gustav Klimt Austrian | $71,256 | 2 | Study for the portrait of Sonja Knips — $39,264 |
| 10 | Oskar Mulley Austrian | $61,486 | 2 | Mountain farm — $46,489 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mary Weatherford | Truxtun Phillips | $325,000 | $62,500 (4 earlier) |
| Kehinde Wiley | Portrait of Garrett Gray Phillips | $243,750 | $106,250 (22 earlier) |
| Romulo Olazo | Diaphanous - B (LXXXV) León Gallery | $224,022 | $136,796 (86 earlier) |
| Jonathan Meese | DER KÄMPFER de LARGE (Der Zeushagen von Troja de NEUTRAL) Phillips | $181,250 | $129,341 (123 earlier) |
| Jennifer Bartlett | Bayshore Walk Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) | $137,500 | $87,500 (24 earlier) |
| Ken Carlson | Prairie Showdown Bonhams | $112,500 | $103,500 (35 earlier) |
| Robert Lougheed | Scattering the Bell Riders Bonhams | $106,250 | $36,400 (15 earlier) |
| Edward Dugmore | 23rd Street #2 Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) | $84,375 | $59,375 (5 earlier) |
| Melvin Warren | The Chisholm Trail Bonhams | $62,500 | $28,750 (5 earlier) |
| Joe Neil Beeler | Thanks for the Rain Bonhams | $57,500 | $15,275 (6 earlier) |
| Tom Ryan | Starry Night Bonhams | $50,000 | $14,280 (3 earlier) |
| Adolf Frohner | Die Zeitvertreiber im Kinsky | $37,491 | $18,423 (41 earlier) |
| Herbert Gurschner | Snow-covered hamlet im Kinsky | $32,992 | $29,988 (12 earlier) |
| Ned Jacob | Grandfather, Give Us Your Children Bonhams | $25,000 | $8,625 (4 earlier) |
| Kenneth Bunn | Vantage Point (Black Bear) Bonhams | $23,750 | $15,210 (5 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Bonhams (554)im Kinsky (416)Pananti (368)Art+Object (341)Artmark (265)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (195)Capitolium Art (189)Wright (180)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (178)deVeres (174)Phillips (168)León Gallery (143)Sloans & Kenyon (130)Van Ham (100)Strauss & Co (99)Clarke Auction Gallery (55)Toovey's (48)Palm Beach Modern Auctions (29)