Art auction market report: June 2019
In June 2019, ArtSell recorded 8,343 auction lots from 38 auction houses, of which 6,059 sold (73% sell-through). The 6,059 sales with a published price total $189,591,646, with a median of $3,396 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Zao Wou-ki, “1. 12. 68 (13. 2. 77)”, at $9,288,691 (Ravenel). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1. 12. 68 (13. 2. 77), 1968-1977 | Zao Wou-ki | Ravenel · Jun 2, 2019 | $9,288,691 (NT$293,760,000) |
| 2 | The Conductor, 1975 | Roy Lichtenstein | Phillips · Jun 27, 2019 | $6,327,758 (£4,977,000) |
| 3 | Pumpkin, 1990 | Yayoi Kusama | Ravenel · Jun 2, 2019 | $6,278,467 (NT$198,560,000) |
| 4 | Untitled, 1981 | Jean-Michel Basquiat | Phillips · Jun 27, 2019 | $4,884,719 (£3,842,000) |
| 5 | Homme assis (Mardi gras) | Pablo Picasso | Phillips · Jun 27, 2019 | $3,909,555 (£3,075,000) |
| 6 | Studio Interior #2, 2014 | David Hockney | Phillips · Jun 27, 2019 | $3,680,703 (£2,895,000) |
| 7 | Pink Elephant with Fire Engine, 1984 | Jean-Michel Basquiat | Phillips · Jun 27, 2019 | $3,375,567 (£2,655,000) |
| 8 | Vase de fleurs, 1904 | Pablo Picasso | Phillips · Jun 27, 2019 | $3,070,431 (£2,415,000) |
| 9 | Stillleben: Tee und Schmelzbrötchen - auch Teegedeck, 1873 | Albert Anker | Kornfeld · Jun 14, 2019 | $3,014,400 (CHF 3,000,000) |
| 10 | Treppe zum Schloss (Murnau), 1909 | Wassily Kandinsky | Ketterer Kunst · Jun 7, 2019 | $2,733,703 (€2,425,000) |
| 11 | Zwei Menschen – Die Einsamen The Lonely Ones – Two Human Beings | Edvard Munch | Kornfeld · Jun 14, 2019 | $2,210,560 (CHF 2,200,000) |
| 12 | Untitled (After Sam), 2007 | Rudolf Stingel | Phillips · Jun 27, 2019 | $2,155,023 (£1,695,000) |
| 13 | Rentan, 1991 | Kazuo Shiraga | Ravenel · Jun 1, 2019 | $2,028,739 (NT$64,160,000) |
| 14 | ACTION I (Egg), 1955-1956 | Mikuláš Medek | Arthouse Hejtmánek · Jun 6, 2019 | $2,019,400 (CZK 46,000,000) |
| 15 | Le Rêve au cirque, 1980 | Marc Chagall | Kornfeld · Jun 14, 2019 | $1,607,680 (CHF 1,600,000) |
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 | Jean-Michel Basquiat American | $8,859,115 | 3 | Untitled — $4,884,719 |
| 2 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $6,457,047 | 17 | The Conductor — $6,327,758 |
| 3 | Kaws American | $3,238,506 | 28 | UNTITLED (MBFV5) — $629,343 |
| 4 | Andy Warhol American | $2,278,771 | 24 | Portrait of a Lady — $1,245,667 |
| 5 | Rudolf Stingel American | $2,155,023 | 1 | Untitled (After Sam) — $2,155,023 |
| 6 | Alexander Calder American | $1,470,820 | 11 | Two Moons — $903,965 |
| 7 | Keith Haring American | $1,409,731 | 20 | Dog — $461,173 |
| 8 | Dana Schutz American | $1,226,292 | 3 | Moonwalker — $858,195 |
| 9 | Richard Serra American | $1,125,189 | 1 | Sioux — $1,125,189 |
| 10 | Sam Francis American | $987,441 | 31 | Ohne Titel — $170,816 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zao Wou-ki French | $10,817,468 | 5 | 1. 12. 68 (13. 2. 77) — $9,288,691 |
| 2 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $8,778,844 | 77 | Homme assis (Mardi gras) — $3,909,555 |
| 3 | Wassily Kandinsky Russian | $4,855,708 | 9 | Treppe zum Schloss (Murnau) — $2,733,703 |
| 4 | Albert Anker Swiss | $4,703,801 | 8 | Stillleben: Tee und Schmelzbrötchen - auch Teegedeck — $3,014,400 |
| 5 | David Hockney British | $3,716,718 | 5 | Studio Interior #2 — $3,680,703 |
| 6 | Marc Chagall Belarusian | $3,518,756 | 38 | Le Rêve au cirque — $1,607,680 |
| 7 | Alberto Giacometti Swiss | $2,400,913 | 14 | Diego [tête au col roulé] — $1,239,615 |
| 8 | Edvard Munch Norwegian | $2,390,186 | 5 | Zwei Menschen – Die Einsamen The Lonely Ones – Two Human Beings — $2,210,560 |
| 9 | Mikuláš Medek Czech | $2,019,400 | 1 | ACTION I (Egg) — $2,019,400 |
| 10 | Nicolas de Staël French | $1,748,352 | 2 | Honfleur — $1,467,008 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zao Wou-ki | 1. 12. 68 (13. 2. 77) Ravenel | $9,288,691 | $8,903,780 (236 earlier) |
| Yayoi Kusama | Pumpkin Ravenel | $6,278,467 | $1,035,216 (120 earlier) |
| Albert Anker | Stillleben: Tee und Schmelzbrötchen - auch Teegedeck Kornfeld | $3,014,400 | $1,602,880 (19 earlier) |
| Wassily Kandinsky | Treppe zum Schloss (Murnau) Ketterer Kunst | $2,733,703 | $1,800,744 (126 earlier) |
| Edvard Munch | Zwei Menschen – Die Einsamen The Lonely Ones – Two Human Beings Kornfeld | $2,210,560 | $2,172,144 (581 earlier) |
| Mikuláš Medek | ACTION I (Egg) Arthouse Hejtmánek | $2,019,400 | $462,551 (10 earlier) |
| Luc Tuymans | Schwarzheide Phillips | $1,544,751 | $1,012,144 (32 earlier) |
| Nicolas de Staël | Honfleur Kornfeld | $1,467,008 | $293,000 (4 earlier) |
| Richard Serra | Sioux Phillips | $1,125,189 | $475,000 (124 earlier) |
| Howard Arkley | Deluxe Setting 1992 Menzies | $1,073,327 | $486,153 (44 earlier) |
| Lynette Yiadom Boakye | Leave A Brick Under The Maple Phillips | $1,010,763 | $481,582 (11 earlier) |
| Diego Giacometti | Lustre aux acrobates Kornfeld | $954,560 | $610,112 (45 earlier) |
| Gustav Klimt | Lady's bust portrait from the front im Kinsky | $799,861 | $369,090 (96 earlier) |
| Harold Ancart | Triptych: Untitled (Ultra Deep Fried #7 #8 #6) Phillips | $659,857 | $278,885 (15 earlier) |
| Yun Gee | One Who Loves Himself Ravenel | $607,104 | $495,322 (12 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Kornfeld (657)im Kinsky (646)Phillips (626)Bonhams (490)Ketterer Kunst (474)Twents Veilinghuis (433)Art+Object (381)Van Ham (357)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (333)Van Sabben Poster Auctions (321)Ravenel (272)Wright (272)Maison Bibelot (215)Artmark (211)Lempertz (210)Morgan O'Driscoll (209)Strauss & Co (200)Pananti (194)Clarke Auction Gallery (192)Agra-Art (178)León Gallery (169)Sloans & Kenyon (149)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (139)Leonard Joel (125)deVeres (120)Sworders (118)Helmuth Stone Gallery (118)Menzies (98)Arthouse Hejtmánek (74)SOGA (73)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (65)Toovey's (58)Capitolium Art (54)Grisebach (45)Circle Auction (20)Colasanti Casa d'Aste (20)Brunk Auctions (16)Davidson Auctions (11)