Art auction market report: February 2021
In February 2021, ArtSell recorded 4,591 auction lots from 31 auction houses, of which 3,784 sold (82% sell-through). The 3,784 sales with a published price total $13,112,642, with a median of $1,319 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Adrian Ghenie, “Untitled”, at $155,884 (Artmark). 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 | David Burliuk Ukrainian | $150,000 | 1 | Village Scene — $150,000 |
| 2 | Walter Ufer American | $125,313 | 1 | Isleta, New Mexico — $125,313 |
| 3 | Cyrus Edwin Dallin American | $123,900 | 3 | Appeal to the Great Spirit — $100,313 |
| 4 | Charles Marion Russell American | $115,725 | 3 | Sleeping Thunder — $60,313 |
| 5 | Tom Wesselmann American | $84,714 | 6 | Monica Nude with Cezanne from Portfolio 90 — $26,000 |
| 6 | Shusaku Arakawa Japanese | $81,250 | 1 | Untitled — $81,250 |
| 7 | W. Herbert Dunton American | $75,313 | 1 | Blackfeet Indians moving to the Buffalo Range — $75,313 |
| 8 | José de Rivera American | $73,994 | 16 | Untitled (Red and Black) — $16,250 |
| 9 | Chaim Gross American | $71,500 | 2 | 68' — $68,750 |
| 10 | Harry Bertoia American | $65,188 | 6 | 41 Rods — $45,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adrian Ghenie Romanian | $295,781 | 3 | Untitled — $155,884 |
| 2 | John Emms British | $175,000 | 6 | New Forest Buckhounds and a Terrier in the Kennel After the Hunt — $130,000 |
| 3 | Zdzisław Beksiński Polish | $141,877 | 3 | Bez tytułu, 1970 — $135,390 |
| 4 | Genieve Figgis Irish | $122,034 | 1 | Lady with a Dog — $122,034 |
| 5 | Jean Dufy French | $109,313 | 4 | Paris, Le Pont Alexandre III — $48,000 |
| 6 | Salvador Dalí Spanish | $91,261 | 32 | The Opera Carmen — $30,240 |
| 7 | Rafał Olbiński Polish | $90,208 | 8 | Salome II, 2012 r. — $36,528 |
| 8 | Jerzy Nowosielski Polish | $89,291 | 1 | Gimnastyczka, ok. 1950 r. — $89,291 |
| 9 | Jacek Yerka Polish | $80,758 | 6 | Watergate II, 1997 — $59,572 |
| 10 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $74,514 | 21 | Shakespeare — $13,750 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Burliuk | Village Scene Palm Beach Modern Auctions | $150,000 | $31,000 (69 earlier) |
| John Emms | New Forest Buckhounds and a Terrier in the Kennel After the Hunt Brunk Auctions | $130,000 | $43,012 (8 earlier) |
| Shusaku Arakawa | Untitled Palm Beach Modern Auctions | $81,250 | $65,678 (15 earlier) |
| Chaim Gross | 68' Palm Beach Modern Auctions | $68,750 | $18,750 (55 earlier) |
| Jacek Yerka | Watergate II, 1997 Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny | $59,572 | $34,196 (645 earlier) |
| Thierry Poncelet | A gentleman setter Bonhams | $46,076 | $9,049 (5 earlier) |
| Boaz Vaadia | Shimshon Bonhams | $44,063 | $20,000 (5 earlier) |
| Sabin Bălașa | Călătorie Artmark | $37,460 | $20,471 (101 earlier) |
| Rafał Olbiński | Salome II, 2012 r. Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny | $36,528 | $28,994 (89 earlier) |
| John Frederick Herring, Sr. | Red Pyle Old English Bantam Rooster with Two Hens in a Barn Brunk Auctions | $34,000 | $6,000 (19 earlier) |
| Karel Novosad | Ohne Titel Grisebach | $27,243 | $18,239 (4 earlier) |
| Tomasz Sętowski | Odkrycie nieznanej cywilizacji Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny | $26,536 | $23,362 (41 earlier) |
| Enzo Plazzotta | Untitled Palm Beach Modern Auctions | $25,000 | $6,829 (12 earlier) |
| Jean Cocteau | La jeunesse de Priape Bonhams | $24,063 | $16,147 (96 earlier) |
| Star Gossage | Moon Mantilla Art+Object | $19,349 | $11,350 (17 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Van Sabben Poster Auctions (457)Pananti (373)Toomey & Co. (350)Wright (333)Bonhams (309)Artmark (294)Rago Auctions (259)Art+Object (251)Brunk Auctions (248)Helmuth Stone Gallery (237)Van Ham (165)Palm Beach Modern Auctions (149)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (146)Phillips (141)deVeres (114)Leonard Joel (87)Sloans & Kenyon (83)Toovey's (81)Davidson Auctions (78)Clarke Auction Gallery (75)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (67)Lyon & Turnbull (65)Agra-Art (55)Maison Bibelot (50)Pandolfini (45)Michaan's Auctions (22)Grisebach (21)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (17)Bid & Hammer (10)Sworders (5)Colasanti Casa d'Aste (4)