Art auction market report: April 2021
In April 2021, ArtSell recorded 7,964 auction lots from 31 auction houses, of which 6,296 sold (79% sell-through). The 6,296 sales with a published price total $108,423,750, with a median of $1,683 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Jean Dubuffet, “La féconde journée”, at $6,041,454 (Phillips). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La féconde journée | Jean Dubuffet | Phillips · Apr 15, 2021 | $6,041,454 (£4,378,500) |
| 2 | REPLICATOR | Mad Dog Jones | Phillips · Apr 23, 2021 | $4,144,000 |
| 3 | Scramble: Ascending Spectrum / Ascending Green Values, 1977 | Frank Stella | Phillips · Apr 15, 2021 | $3,954,507 (£2,866,000) |
| 4 | Untitled (Black Blue Painting), 1968 | Mark Rothko | Phillips · Apr 15, 2021 | $3,954,507 (£2,866,000) |
| 5 | Gas Mask Boy, 2009 | Banksy | Phillips · Apr 15, 2021 | $3,036,250 (£2,200,500) |
| 6 | Nu debout II | Alberto Giacometti | Phillips · Apr 15, 2021 | $2,501,991 (£1,813,300) |
| 7 | Two Women, 2017 | Matthew Wong | Phillips · Apr 15, 2021 | $1,316,605 (£954,200) |
| 8 | Plot a Plan IV, 2007 | El Anatsui | Phillips · Apr 15, 2021 | $1,299,910 (£942,100) |
| 9 | What the Little Girl Saw in the Bush 1904, 1904 | Frederick McCubbin | Smith & Singer · Apr 20, 2021 | $1,145,620 (A$1,472,727) |
| 10 | Oxides, 1971 | Ed Ruscha | Phillips · Apr 15, 2021 | $1,032,780 (£748,500) |
| 11 | Study for Nocturne, 1998 | Mark Tansey | Phillips · Apr 15, 2021 | $1,032,780 (£748,500) |
| 12 | One Grey / Black Marilyn (Reversal Series) II-50-160, 1979-1986 | Andy Warhol | Phillips · Apr 15, 2021 | $1,012,290 (£733,650) |
| 13 | Aquila Verde, 2015 | Carmen Herrera | Phillips · Apr 15, 2021 | $999,389 (£724,300) |
| 14 | Guthega Landscape (1975), 1975 | Fred Williams | Smith & Singer · Apr 20, 2021 | $954,683 (A$1,227,273) |
| 15 | Senza titolo (1977 per 1978), 1977-78 | Alighiero Boetti | Phillips · Apr 16, 2021 | $950,128 (£688,000) |
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 | Frank Stella American | $4,298,901 | 12 | Scramble: Ascending Spectrum / Ascending Green Values — $3,954,507 |
| 2 | Mark Rothko American | $3,954,507 | 1 | Untitled (Black Blue Painting) — $3,954,507 |
| 3 | Andy Warhol American | $3,565,313 | 51 | One Grey / Black Marilyn (Reversal Series) II-50-160 — $1,012,290 |
| 4 | Ed Ruscha American | $1,064,391 | 5 | Oxides — $1,032,780 |
| 5 | Mark Tansey American | $1,032,780 | 1 | Study for Nocturne — $1,032,780 |
| 6 | Robert Frank American | $1,018,080 | 10 | Trolley – New Orleans — $403,200 |
| 7 | Carl Rungius American | $974,025 | 9 | Grizzly Bear — $468,000 |
| 8 | Charles Schreyvogel American | $819,000 | 1 | A Close Call — $819,000 |
| 9 | Edgar Alwin Payne American | $791,513 | 11 | Burning the Hogan — $292,500 |
| 10 | Elling William Gollings American | $771,615 | 4 | Cheyenne Winter Camp — $643,500 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jean Dubuffet French | $6,138,467 | 4 | La féconde journée — $6,041,454 |
| 2 | Banksy British | $5,092,525 | 17 | Gas Mask Boy — $3,036,250 |
| 3 | Alberto Giacometti Swiss | $2,501,991 | 1 | Nu debout II — $2,501,991 |
| 4 | Alighiero Boetti Italian | $2,147,289 | 7 | Senza titolo (1977 per 1978) — $950,128 |
| 5 | Günther Förg German | $717,681 | 5 | Untitled — $712,805 |
| 6 | Claire Tabouret French | $661,223 | 1 | The Soccer Team — $661,223 |
| 7 | Victor Vasarely French | $612,329 | 12 | Autoportrait — $408,914 |
| 8 | René Lalique French | $582,288 | 91 | Serpent Vase, No. 896 — $38,379 |
| 9 | Albert Oehlen German | $577,458 | 2 | Untitled — $573,721 |
| 10 | Marino Marini Italian | $529,863 | 5 | Piccolo cavaliere — $486,793 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jean Dubuffet | La féconde journée Phillips | $6,041,454 | $3,077,000 (151 earlier) |
| Banksy | Gas Mask Boy Phillips | $3,036,250 | $2,000,000 (194 earlier) |
| El Anatsui | Plot a Plan IV Phillips | $1,299,910 | $1,192,611 (3 earlier) |
| Frederick McCubbin | What the Little Girl Saw in the Bush 1904 Smith & Singer | $1,145,620 | $897,578 (33 earlier) |
| Charles Schreyvogel | A Close Call Scottsdale Art Auction | $819,000 | $292,500 (12 earlier) |
| Claire Tabouret | The Soccer Team Phillips | $661,223 | $451,605 (6 earlier) |
| Elling William Gollings | Cheyenne Winter Camp Scottsdale Art Auction | $643,500 | $345,000 (55 earlier) |
| Avery Singer | Untitled Phillips | $643,263 | $317,139 (7 earlier) |
| Bessie Davidson | Interieur (1935) Smith & Singer | $515,529 | $110,701 (7 earlier) |
| Jackson Pollock | Untitled Portfolio (O'C. & T. 1091-1096) Phillips | $466,200 | $125,000 (17 earlier) |
| Robert Frank | Trolley – New Orleans Phillips | $403,200 | $242,500 (61 earlier) |
| Rose Wylie | Black Strap (Red Fly) Phillips | $304,511 | $229,670 (3 earlier) |
| Constance Stokes | The Three Graces (1951) Smith & Singer | $171,843 | $11,764 (6 earlier) |
| Edward Wolfe | Portrait of Pat Nelson, 1930s Lyon & Turnbull | $165,169 | $16,169 (23 earlier) |
| George Baldessin | Pear (1971-1972, cast 1972) Smith & Singer | $152,750 | $40,835 (40 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Phillips (943)León Gallery (854)Lyon & Turnbull (792)Toomey & Co. (557)Sworders (433)Scottsdale Art Auction (394)Twents Veilinghuis (337)Lempertz (307)Levis Fine Art Auctions (290)Pandolfini (282)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (269)Farsettiarte (246)Wright (236)Bonhams (231)Helmuth Stone Gallery (228)Brunk Auctions (222)Artmark (194)Pananti (194)Morgan O'Driscoll (184)OstLicht Photo Auction (149)Agra-Art (147)Crocker Farm (120)Clarke Auction Gallery (93)Van Ham (92)Sloans & Kenyon (63)Smith & Singer (59)Michaan's Auctions (22)Maison Bibelot (17)Aste Boetto (5)Leonard Joel (3)Jackson's International Auctioneers (1)