Art auction market report: February 2020
In February 2020, ArtSell recorded 3,868 auction lots from 25 auction houses, of which 3,105 sold (80% sell-through). The 3,105 sales with a published price total $55,661,698, with a median of $1,090 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Ed Ruscha, “God Knows Where”, at $4,398,975 (Phillips). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | God Knows Where, 2014 | Ed Ruscha | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $4,398,975 (£3,375,000) |
| 2 | Untitled | Keith Haring | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $4,178,700 (£3,206,000) |
| 3 | Bodies, 1989 | Damien Hirst | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $1,783,833 (£1,368,600) |
| 4 | Antipyrylazo III, 1994 | Damien Hirst | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $1,661,835 (£1,275,000) |
| 5 | Robe Green Gold, 2018 | Sean Scully | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $1,286,456 (£987,000) |
| 6 | Affirmation, 2014 | El Anatsui | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $1,192,611 (£915,000) |
| 7 | FAR AWAY FRIENDS, 2009 | Kaws | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $1,173,060 (£900,000) |
| 8 | The Young, 2012 | Jia Aili | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $1,114,407 (£855,000) |
| 9 | Camp Forestia, 1996 | Peter Doig | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $1,042,720 (£800,000) |
| 10 | The Lemon Bathing Suit, 2019 | Amoako Boafo | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $879,795 (£675,000) |
| 11 | Girl Eating Turtle Dove, 2011-12 | Cecily Brown | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $801,591 (£615,000) |
| 12 | Dragon Heads - Gold, 2015 | Takashi Murakami | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $645,183 (£495,000) |
| 13 | OPAŁKA 1965/1 – ∞ DETAIL 4514079 – 4536373, 1965 | Roman Opałka | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $613,901 (£471,000) |
| 14 | Princess, 2017 | Tschabalala Self | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $566,979 (£435,000) |
| 15 | Summer Breeze, 2002 | Damien Hirst | Phillips · Feb 13, 2020 | $566,979 (£435,000) |
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 | Ed Ruscha American | $4,831,150 | 5 | God Knows Where — $4,398,975 |
| 2 | Keith Haring American | $4,266,921 | 9 | Untitled — $4,178,700 |
| 3 | Kaws American | $1,666,246 | 6 | FAR AWAY FRIENDS — $1,173,060 |
| 4 | Sean Scully American | $1,303,928 | 6 | Robe Green Gold — $1,286,456 |
| 5 | Tom Wesselmann American | $1,158,363 | 5 | Reverse Drawing: Bedroom Blonde with Irises — $488,775 |
| 6 | Eddie Martinez American | $1,091,413 | 3 | Neanderthal Jeans — $488,775 |
| 7 | Elaine Sturtevant American | $423,475 | 2 | Warhol Flowers — $244,313 |
| 8 | Sam Francis American | $333,363 | 5 | Facing within — $325,750 |
| 9 | Duane Hanson American | $325,750 | 1 | Surfer — $325,750 |
| 10 | Henry Taylor American | $285,031 | 1 | Father, Son — $285,031 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Damien Hirst British | $4,576,580 | 13 | Bodies — $1,783,833 |
| 2 | Peter Doig Scottish | $1,049,495 | 3 | Camp Forestia — $1,042,720 |
| 3 | Michaël Borremans Belgian | $895,953 | 3 | Untitled — $456,190 |
| 4 | Cecily Brown British | $801,591 | 1 | Girl Eating Turtle Dove — $801,591 |
| 5 | Günther Förg German | $769,095 | 7 | Untitled — $535,697 |
| 6 | Roman Opałka Polish | $613,901 | 1 | OPAŁKA 1965/1 – ∞ DETAIL 4514079 – 4536373 — $613,901 |
| 7 | Neo Rauch German | $474,886 | 2 | Landschaft mit Sendeturm — $472,338 |
| 8 | Manolo Valdés Spanish | $472,338 | 2 | Romy — $244,313 |
| 9 | A. R. Penck German | $434,794 | 14 | AUFSTAND DER SPIELER — $260,680 |
| 10 | Katharina Grosse German | $374,668 | 2 | Untitled — $195,450 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ed Ruscha | God Knows Where Phillips | $4,398,975 | $4,220,000 (435 earlier) |
| Keith Haring | Untitled Phillips | $4,178,700 | $3,026,134 (411 earlier) |
| Roman Opałka | OPAŁKA 1965/1 – ∞ DETAIL 4514079 – 4536373 Phillips | $613,901 | $481,582 (121 earlier) |
| Tschabalala Self | Princess Phillips | $566,979 | $350,000 (7 earlier) |
| Michaël Borremans | Untitled Phillips | $456,190 | $437,500 (8 earlier) |
| Duane Hanson | Surfer Phillips | $325,750 | $287,500 (3 earlier) |
| Hernan Bas | Cannibalistic, noisy and abusive, but picturesque and popular withal Phillips | $309,463 | $124,678 (27 earlier) |
| Henry Taylor | Father, Son Phillips | $285,031 | $239,625 (14 earlier) |
| Harland Miller | Plan-B My Story Phillips | $228,025 | $92,784 (24 earlier) |
| Michael Craig-Martin | Full Phillips | $211,803 | $48,694 (10 earlier) |
| Carol Rama | Pornografia due Phillips | $195,510 | $87,500 (3 earlier) |
| Vasily Klyukin | C20.H25.N3O (TRIP) Phillips | $195,450 | $187,500 (4 earlier) |
| Annie Cabigting | Mesdames (Portrait of Lucina Brembati by Lorenzo Lotto 1480-1556) León Gallery | $195,085 | $157,224 (6 earlier) |
| Betsy Westendorp | Daybreak León Gallery | $195,085 | $55,139 (11 earlier) |
| Secundino Hernández | Untitled Phillips | $162,875 | $150,000 (9 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Pananti (348)Van Sabben Poster Auctions (343)Artmark (322)Art+Object (262)Strauss & Co (231)Van Ham (222)Rago Auctions (220)Phillips (182)Wright (175)Whyte's (174)Menzies (148)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (144)León Gallery (135)Brunk Auctions (132)Sloans & Kenyon (120)Lyon & Turnbull (118)deVeres (118)Leonard Joel (83)Clarke Auction Gallery (79)Palm Beach Modern Auctions (64)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (63)Bonhams (56)Sworders (48)Polswiss Art (45)Michaan's Auctions (36)