Art auction market report: August 2021
In August 2021, ArtSell recorded 4,005 auction lots from 20 auction houses, of which 3,311 sold (83% sell-through). The 3,311 sales with a published price total $19,921,158, with a median of $956 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was David Drake, “David Drake's April 12, 1858 25-Gallon Poem Jar: A Very Large Jar Which Has Four Handles”, at $1,560,000 (Crocker Farm). 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 Drake American | $1,560,000 | 1 | David Drake's April 12, 1858 25-Gallon Poem Jar: A Very Large Jar Which Has Four Handles — $1,560,000 |
| 2 | Ernest Martin Hennings American | $918,313 | 1 | Indian Horsemen — $918,313 |
| 3 | Maynard Dixon American | $684,541 | 15 | Land Westward — $350,313 |
| 4 | W. Herbert Dunton American | $525,313 | 1 | Delivering the Mail — $525,313 |
| 5 | E. Irving Couse American | $438,313 | 5 | Firelight, Outside — $175,313 |
| 6 | Edgar Alwin Payne American | $420,563 | 6 | The Sierra Divide — $175,313 |
| 7 | Joseph Henry Sharp American | $363,438 | 3 | Evening Council — $137,813 |
| 8 | Oscar E. Berninghaus American | $281,875 | 2 | Gathering For the Rabbit Hunt — $225,313 |
| 9 | Guy Rose American | $250,313 | 1 | Foggy Morning, Veules (Normandy Coast) — $250,313 |
| 10 | William Robinson Leigh American | $228,113 | 2 | The Sand Painter — $212,813 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan Matejko Polish | $521,824 | 2 | Wielki Książę Litewski Witold, Portret Adama Sapiehy — $508,600 |
| 2 | Birger Sandzén Swedish | $206,875 | 2 | Riverbank with Cedars, Rocheport, MO — $137,813 |
| 3 | Mela Muter French | $155,123 | 2 | Port Collioure, lata 20-te XX w. — $91,548 |
| 4 | Jacek Malczewski Polish | $67,390 | 3 | Portret mężczyzny, 1922 r. — $26,702 |
| 5 | Jack Vettriano British | $62,258 | 1 | ARRANGEMENT IN RED, WHITE & BLUE, 2013 — $62,258 |
| 6 | Banksy British | $56,737 | 6 | Morons (White) — $50,416 |
| 7 | Igor Mitoraj Polish | $47,756 | 5 | Tors — $13,732 |
| 8 | Henryk Siemiradzki Polish | $41,960 | 1 | Narodziny Wenus (Nimfy wodne) , lata 1880-te — $41,960 |
| 9 | Roman Kramsztyk Polish | $36,874 | 1 | Martwa natura, (Martwa natura z winogronami), ok. 1912 r. — $36,874 |
| 10 | John Byrne British | $35,667 | 9 | MEMBERS OF THE BAND — $13,835 |
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
Auktionshaus Mehlis (631)Toomey & Co. (554)Bonhams (504)Wright (327)Lyon & Turnbull (296)Morton Subastas (277)Morgan O'Driscoll (236)Helmuth Stone Gallery (235)Davidson Auctions (191)Crocker Farm (137)Strauss & Co (134)Art+Object (106)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (103)Leonard Joel (62)Toovey's (61)Agra-Art (50)Michaan's Auctions (40)Sworders (33)Grisebach (23)Phillips (5)