Art auction market report: September 2019
In September 2019, ArtSell recorded 5,762 auction lots from 31 auction houses, of which 4,332 sold (75% sell-through). The 4,295 sales with a published price total $31,447,733, with a median of $1,125 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Jeffrey Smart, “Near Pisa 1995”, at $2,786,447 (Menzies). 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 | Frank Stella American | $804,553 | 4 | Narowla II — $680,000 |
| 2 | Kaws American | $631,165 | 5 | UNTITLED (SM7) — $225,000 |
| 3 | Andy Warhol American | $566,107 | 18 | Alexander the Great — $138,701 |
| 4 | Alexander Calder American | $547,398 | 12 | The Pub — $168,750 |
| 5 | Sam Francis American | $380,712 | 3 | E VIII — $350,000 |
| 6 | Louise Nevelson American | $337,500 | 2 | Frozen Laces-Two — $237,500 |
| 7 | Jean-Michel Basquiat American | $308,225 | 2 | Hollywood Africans in front of the Chinese Theater with Footprints of Movie Stars — $208,052 |
| 8 | Ed Ruscha American | $250,000 | 1 | High-Speed Gardening — $250,000 |
| 9 | Richard Hambleton Canadian | $225,000 | 1 | Untitled — $225,000 |
| 10 | Dan Dailey American | $178,313 | 16 | Fine and tall Female Figurative Floor Lamp — $40,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $548,252 | 27 | Portrait de Jacqueline au cheveux lisses (Portrait of Jacqueline with Smooth Hair) — $138,701 |
| 2 | David Hockney British | $428,532 | 16 | The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate, East Yorkshire in 2011 (twenty eleven) - 31 May, No. 2, 2011, from The Arrival of Spring in 2011 (twenty eleven) — $77,056 |
| 3 | Nicolas Party Swiss | $383,219 | 8 | Portrait — $175,000 |
| 4 | Félix Resurrección Hidalgo Spanish | $292,292 | 1 | The Country Women — $292,292 |
| 5 | Giuseppe Penone Italian | $289,641 | 2 | Pelle di Marmo e Spine d'Acacia - Lucrezia — $275,000 |
| 6 | Louis le Brocquy Irish | $248,073 | 10 | IMAGE OF SAMUEL BECKETT — $231,651 |
| 7 | Damien Hirst British | $243,035 | 11 | The Wonder of You — $77,056 |
| 8 | Wojciech Fangor Polish | $228,793 | 41 | Krzesło nr 12 — $36,824 |
| 9 | Katharina Grosse German | $168,750 | 1 | Untitled — $168,750 |
| 10 | Bernar Venet French | $115,000 | 1 | 222.5° Arc x 4 — $115,000 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffrey Smart | Near Pisa 1995 Menzies | $2,786,447 | $1,486,846 (134 earlier) |
| Richard Hambleton | Untitled Phillips | $225,000 | $100,000 (8 earlier) |
| Mauro Malang Santos | The City Of Our God León Gallery | $179,872 | $173,798 (120 earlier) |
| Judy Watson Napangardi | Women's Dreaming 1995 Menzies | $149,505 | $11,275 (3 earlier) |
| Ernest Lawson | Landscape New York Michaan's Auctions | $72,000 | $43,825 (27 earlier) |
| Cyprien Gaillard | Untitled Phillips | $43,750 | $31,111 (11 earlier) |
| Dan Dailey | Fine and tall Female Figurative Floor Lamp Rago Auctions | $40,000 | $25,000 (19 earlier) |
| May Guinness | WOMAN WITH RED HAIR Whyte's | $37,505 | $8,474 (10 earlier) |
| Dan Graham | Pavilion Influenced by Moon Windows Phillips | $35,000 | $18,750 (11 earlier) |
| Gerald Laing | Baby, Baby Wild Things Phillips | $30,823 | $12,500 (13 earlier) |
| Jim Lambie | ZOBOP (Metallic colour) Phillips | $30,000 | $24,576 (7 earlier) |
| Gustave Baumann | "Grand Canon [Canyon]" from the first printing Rago Auctions | $27,500 | $21,420 (8 earlier) |
| John Waters | Campaign Button Phillips | $27,500 | $3,750 (5 earlier) |
| Robert Kelly | Mimesis XXI Phillips | $25,000 | $4,800 (6 earlier) |
| Leo Villareal | Buckyball Phillips | $25,000 | $5,625 (4 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Rago Auctions (600)Phillips (588)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (449)Artmark (397)Strauss & Co (351)Art+Object (341)Wright (268)Whyte's (229)Pananti (218)Morgan O'Driscoll (214)Clarke Auction Gallery (178)Brunk Auctions (166)Davidson Auctions (153)León Gallery (152)Bonhams (142)Leonard Joel (140)Van Ham (136)Agra-Art (132)Levis Fine Art Auctions (123)Menzies (122)Sloans & Kenyon (111)Helmuth Stone Gallery (108)Lempertz (102)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (98)Toovey's (64)Cottone Auctions (55)Polswiss Art (41)Michaan's Auctions (39)Bogotá Auctions (37)Sworders (4)Anderson & Garland (4)