Art auction market report: September 2020
In September 2020, ArtSell recorded 5,946 auction lots from 29 auction houses, of which 4,675 sold (79% sell-through). The 4,675 sales with a published price total $71,967,184, with a median of $2,000 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Marc Chagall, “La Fête au village”, at $1,756,960 (Kornfeld). 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 | Andy Warhol American | $1,921,502 | 28 | Beethoven — $404,281 |
| 2 | Otto Dix American | $977,309 | 2 | Martha Dix mit Sohn Jan auf dem Arm — $625,917 |
| 3 | Max Ernst German | $659,957 | 2 | Gestes sauvages pour le charme II - Deux jeunes femmes et homme double — $658,860 |
| 4 | John Frederick Kensett American | $563,250 | 2 | Beacon Rock, Newport — $560,000 |
| 5 | George Condo American | $513,947 | 5 | "Screaming couple" — $375,197 |
| 6 | Sean Scully American | $488,655 | 2 | SKYE — $395,316 |
| 7 | Richard Avedon American | $448,979 | 3 | Brigitte Bardot, hair by Alexandre, Paris, January 27 — $270,661 |
| 8 | Robert Longo American | $441,758 | 7 | Untitled (Shark 7) — $373,354 |
| 9 | Asher Brown Durand American | $420,000 | 1 | Franconia Range from the South with Village of South Woodstock, New Hampshire — $420,000 |
| 10 | Sam Francis American | $351,396 | 19 | Untitled — $186,677 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marc Chagall Belarusian | $3,883,939 | 48 | La Fête au village — $1,756,960 |
| 2 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $2,733,814 | 101 | Portrait de Jacqueline au chapeau de paille — $252,563 |
| 3 | Alberto Giacometti Swiss | $1,835,439 | 14 | Nu debout sur socle cubique — $1,756,960 |
| 4 | Paul Klee Swiss | $1,749,514 | 8 | rot/violett x gelb/grün gestuft — $625,917 |
| 5 | Cuno Amiet Swiss | $1,644,959 | 8 | Obsternte (Fassung für Grisebach) — $933,385 |
| 6 | Le Corbusier Swiss | $1,477,611 | 10 | Figure 1 ou Ozon et Georges IV — $1,098,100 |
| 7 | Ferdinand Hodler Swiss | $1,252,605 | 7 | Thunersee mit Eiger, Mönch und Jungfrau — $713,765 |
| 8 | Albert Anker Swiss | $937,780 | 3 | Das Lied der Heimat — $878,480 |
| 9 | Ernst Ludwig Kirchner German | $896,541 | 22 | Nackte Frauen im Walde — $307,468 |
| 10 | Edgar Degas French | $810,758 | 8 | Au Louvre: Musée des Antiques - Mary Cassatt at the Louvre: The Etruscan Gallery — $439,240 |
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
Rago Auctions (730)Phillips (623)Kornfeld (622)Artmark (531)Art+Object (393)Bonhams (365)Wright (344)Pananti (329)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (314)Morgan O'Driscoll (225)Van Ham (166)León Gallery (155)Sworders (135)Clarke Auction Gallery (130)Pandolfini (111)Levis Fine Art Auctions (102)Toovey's (99)Leonard Joel (89)Maison Bibelot (79)Sloans & Kenyon (75)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (71)Agra-Art (64)Smith & Singer (55)Brunk Auctions (50)Jackson's International Auctioneers (36)Circle Auction (22)Olympia Auctions (17)Michaan's Auctions (13)Piguet Hôtel des Ventes (1)