Art auction market report: December 2019
In December 2019, ArtSell recorded 6,366 auction lots from 34 auction houses, of which 4,656 sold (73% sell-through). The 4,656 sales with a published price total $99,426,400, with a median of $2,223 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Sanyu, “Chrysanthemums in a Vase on a Red Table”, at $9,623,578 (Ravenel). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chrysanthemums in a Vase on a Red Table, 1950s | Sanyu | Ravenel · Dec 1, 2019 | $9,623,578 (NT$293,760,000) |
| 2 | Chinese Girl on the Dish, 1993 | Yoshitomo Nara | Ravenel · Dec 1, 2019 | $2,468,794 (NT$75,360,000) |
| 3 | Mars - 3 Avril 2003, 2003 | Zao Wou-ki | Ravenel · Dec 1, 2019 | $2,457,000 (NT$75,000,000) |
| 4 | The Sea in the Evening Glow, 1995 | Yayoi Kusama | Ravenel · Dec 1, 2019 | $1,698,278 (NT$51,840,000) |
| 5 | Heimkehrende Ziegenherde, 1920 | Ernst Ludwig Kirchner | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 6, 2019 | $1,691,835 (€1,525,000) |
| 6 | Quiet, Quiet, 1999 | Yoshitomo Nara | Ravenel · Dec 1, 2019 | $1,624,896 (NT$49,600,000) |
| 7 | Black Paradise, 1925 | Toyen | Galerie Kodl · Dec 1, 2019 | $1,363,507 (CZK 31,680,000) |
| 8 | Tänzer, 1910 | Max Pechstein | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 6, 2019 | $1,359,015 (€1,225,000) |
| 9 | Abstraktes Bild, 1986 | Gerhard Richter | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 6, 2019 | $1,119,385 (€1,009,000) |
| 10 | Blaue Frau, Vor 1919 | Anita Rée | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 7, 2019 | $959,631 (€865,000) |
| 11 | Runner, 2013 | Tony Cragg | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 6, 2019 | $893,067 (€805,000) |
| 12 | Wit Stwosz jako dziecko, 1855 | Jan Matejko | Polswiss Art · Dec 10, 2019 | $735,842 (PLN 2,850,000) |
| 13 | Dichterin (Mystischer Kopf), 1917 | Alexej von Jawlensky | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 6, 2019 | $665,640 (€600,000) |
| 14 | Moor im Herbst (Berglandschaft mit Nebelstreif), 1944 | Gabriele Münter | Ketterer Kunst · Dec 6, 2019 | $624,038 (€562,500) |
| 15 | Red Motorcycle, 1937 | Josef Čapek | Galerie Kodl · Dec 1, 2019 | $578,458 (CZK 13,440,000) |
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 | Kaws American | $838,919 | 21 | T.N.O.N. - Z — $353,808 |
| 2 | Andy Warhol American | $506,078 | 14 | Portrait of a Lady — $249,615 |
| 3 | Alex Katz American | $486,717 | 5 | White Pine 2 — $429,893 |
| 4 | Josef Hoffmann Austrian | $473,790 | 21 | Box — $297,588 |
| 5 | Eddie Martinez American | $329,275 | 2 | Untitled — $296,348 |
| 6 | Jonas Wood American | $246,956 | 1 | Studio Plant — $246,956 |
| 7 | Max Ernst German | $226,040 | 2 | Le mont chauve — $115,100 |
| 8 | Lyonel Feininger American | $217,720 | 9 | Umpferstedt — $47,150 |
| 9 | Keith Haring American | $193,759 | 6 | Flowers I-V — $100,704 |
| 10 | Walasse Ting American | $152,531 | 4 | I love pink cat — $94,349 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zao Wou-ki French | $2,552,819 | 3 | Mars - 3 Avril 2003 — $2,457,000 |
| 2 | Toyen Czech | $2,510,093 | 4 | Black Paradise — $1,363,507 |
| 3 | Ernst Ludwig Kirchner German | $2,013,422 | 17 | Heimkehrende Ziegenherde — $1,691,835 |
| 4 | Mikuláš Medek Czech | $1,802,515 | 5 | Too Much Alcohol II (Vodka) — $464,832 |
| 5 | Gabriele Münter German | $1,751,465 | 10 | Moor im Herbst (Berglandschaft mit Nebelstreif) — $624,038 |
| 6 | Gerhard Richter German | $1,563,387 | 10 | Abstraktes Bild — $1,119,385 |
| 7 | Wojciech Fangor Polish | $1,489,430 | 4 | # 4 — $443,760 |
| 8 | Max Pechstein German | $1,383,442 | 6 | Tänzer — $1,359,015 |
| 9 | Alexej von Jawlensky Russian | $1,359,015 | 5 | Dichterin (Mystischer Kopf) — $665,640 |
| 10 | Emil Nolde German | $1,118,171 | 18 | Zinnien und Sonnenblumen — $117,874 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anita Rée | Blaue Frau Ketterer Kunst | $959,631 | $88,770 (21 earlier) |
| Tony Cragg | Runner Ketterer Kunst | $893,067 | $776,939 (46 earlier) |
| Jan Matejko | Wit Stwosz jako dziecko Polswiss Art | $735,842 | $362,584 (58 earlier) |
| Antonín Procházka | Tray Galerie Kodl | $568,128 | $526,176 (8 earlier) |
| Bernard Buffet | La Rue Soufflot et le Panthéon Ravenel | $550,368 | $301,410 (173 earlier) |
| Katharina Grosse | Ohne Titel Ketterer Kunst | $499,230 | $323,235 (68 earlier) |
| Jacek Malczewski | Rycerz i faun Agra-Art | $385,646 | $356,172 (154 earlier) |
| Václav Špála | Bathing Arthouse Hejtmánek | $368,815 | $361,963 (72 earlier) |
| Josef Hoffmann | Box im Kinsky | $297,588 | $278,446 (248 earlier) |
| Wolfgang Mattheuer | Sturz des Ikarus II Ketterer Kunst | $214,946 | $88,720 (14 earlier) |
| Ayako Rokkaku | Untitled Ravenel | $188,698 | $85,642 (40 earlier) |
| André Dubreuil | Custom Sideboard Bonhams | $187,575 | $62,500 (32 earlier) |
| Jindřich Prucha | Good Friday Galerie Kodl | $185,933 | $109,771 (3 earlier) |
| Wang Pan-yuan | Sunset Ravenel | $169,042 | $18,486 (17 earlier) |
| Hsiao Chin | Enormita nell’ Infinito Ravenel | $157,248 | $97,050 (56 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Auktionshaus Mehlis (577)im Kinsky (520)Capitolium Art (435)Phillips (393)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (383)Ketterer Kunst (362)Brunk Auctions (301)Ravenel (243)Pandolfini (243)Galerie Kodl (236)Whyte's (226)Pananti (209)Bonhams (205)Lempertz (201)Artmark (198)Agra-Art (195)Van Ham (167)Maison Bibelot (137)Helmuth Stone Gallery (135)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (134)Lyon & Turnbull (112)Toovey's (112)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (110)Sloans & Kenyon (109)Arthouse Hejtmánek (89)SOGA (86)Polswiss Art (84)Clarke Auction Gallery (54)Michaan's Auctions (51)Sworders (31)Cottone Auctions (18)Colasanti Casa d'Aste (6)Leonard Joel (2)Farsettiarte (2)