Art auction market report: May 2020
In May 2020, ArtSell recorded 4,500 auction lots from 31 auction houses, of which 3,212 sold (71% sell-through). The 3,212 sales with a published price total $16,966,428, with a median of $1,314 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was attributed to Agnolo Bronzino, “Skeleton, striding left”, at $583,526 (Lempertz). 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 | Harry Bertoia American | $195,375 | 7 | Untitled (Sonambient) — $81,250 |
| 2 | Alexander Calder American | $120,000 | 2 | Untitled — $97,500 |
| 3 | Wharton Esherick American | $101,875 | 5 | breakfast table — $35,000 |
| 4 | Peter Voulkos American | $101,550 | 6 | Shogun — $62,500 |
| 5 | Wendell Castle American | $98,445 | 7 | Custom doors for Gannett Co., Inc., Rochester — $40,000 |
| 6 | Phillip Lloyd Powell American | $91,875 | 5 | New Hope lounge chairs, pair — $37,500 |
| 7 | Dale Chihuly American | $74,709 | 11 | Macchia Set — $22,500 |
| 8 | Keith Haring American | $62,223 | 3 | Embellished Louis Vuitton Suitcase — $35,075 |
| 9 | Faith Ringgold American | $39,340 | 4 | Jazz Stories: Mama Can Sing — $30,000 |
| 10 | Lenore Tawney American | $35,000 | 1 | Heart — $35,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carl Spitzweg German | $225,504 | 3 | Saturday Afternoon (The Village Parson's Morning Walk) — $139,200 |
| 2 | Philips Wouwerman Dutch | $208,800 | 1 | Travellers Resting in a Grotto — $208,800 |
| 3 | James Webb British | $204,829 | 1 | Ansicht von Köln mit dem unvollendeten Dom — $204,829 |
| 4 | Eugeniusz Zak Polish | $190,720 | 1 | Rybak, 1914 r. — $190,720 |
| 5 | Wlastimil Hofman Czech | $153,640 | 6 | „Ojcze nasz”, lata 1951–1952 — $121,584 |
| 6 | Jacob Philipp Hackert German | $125,280 | 2 | Landscape with Motifs from the English Garden in Caserta — $118,320 |
| 7 | Jan Mijtens Dutch | $122,496 | 2 | The Crowning of Mirtillo — $97,440 |
| 8 | Abraham Mignon German | $108,576 | 1 | Still Life with a Pumpkin, Peach, Damsens, Grapes, and Insects — $108,576 |
| 9 | Olev Subbi Estonian | $108,520 | 1 | Õu vana autoga — $108,520 |
| 10 | Pieter Schoubroeck Flemish | $104,400 | 1 | The Israelites rescued from the drunken Elephants of King Ptolemy IV Philopator — $104,400 |
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).
Auction houses this month
Lempertz (608)León Gallery (547)Davidson Auctions (357)Rago Auctions (354)Farsettiarte (306)Artmark (267)Levis Fine Art Auctions (219)Van Ham (204)Bonhams (200)Pananti (192)Morgan O'Driscoll (174)Helmuth Stone Gallery (172)Brunk Auctions (145)deVeres (104)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (101)Leonard Joel (73)Art+Object (72)Clarke Auction Gallery (63)Palm Beach Modern Auctions (52)Agra-Art (50)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (50)HAUS Galerii (48)Cottone Auctions (34)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (20)Lyon & Turnbull (18)Arthouse Hejtmánek (18)Colasanti Casa d'Aste (15)Michaan's Auctions (14)Sworders (10)Phillips (7)Aste Boetto (6)