Art auction market report: October 2021
In October 2021, ArtSell recorded 9,344 auction lots from 32 auction houses, of which 7,225 sold (77% sell-through). The 7,225 sales with a published price total $104,818,473, with a median of $1,500 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Sigmar Polke, “Negerplastik”, at $4,190,922 (Phillips). 15 artists set a new high compared with every earlier result in the database.
Top sales
| # | Work | Artist | House · date | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Negerplastik, 1968 | Sigmar Polke | Phillips · Oct 15, 2021 | $4,190,922 (£3,047,500) |
| 2 | The Believer, 2005 | Marlene Dumas | Phillips · Oct 15, 2021 | $2,277,331 (£1,656,000) |
| 3 | Retrospektiv, 1986 | Albert Oehlen | Phillips · Oct 15, 2021 | $1,861,333 (£1,353,500) |
| 4 | The Showgirl, 2008 | George Condo | Phillips · Oct 15, 2021 | $1,694,934 (£1,232,500) |
| 5 | Tinapa Vendors | Anita Magsaysay-Ho | León Gallery · Oct 10, 2021 | $1,665,101 (₱84,096,000) |
| 6 | Myths of Pleasure, 2017 | Jadé Fadojutimi | Phillips · Oct 15, 2021 | $1,611,734 (£1,172,000) |
| 7 | Triple Beam Dreamer, 2001-2002 | Chris Ofili | Phillips · Oct 15, 2021 | $1,395,415 (£1,014,700) |
| 8 | KONIK POLNY – TRYPTYK, 1903-1907 | Jacek Malczewski | Agra-Art · Oct 17, 2021 | $1,378,672 (PLN 5,424,000) |
| 9 | Precious Moments, 2011-2012 | Damien Hirst | Phillips · Oct 15, 2021 | $1,362,136 (£990,500) |
| 10 | Invisible Woman, 2016 | Emily Mae Smith | Phillips · Oct 15, 2021 | $1,278,936 (£930,000) |
| 11 | Night Picket, 2017 | Shara Hughes | Phillips · Oct 15, 2021 | $1,195,736 (£869,500) |
| 12 | Grandpa (Old Red with Bubbles), 1996 | George Condo | Phillips · Oct 14, 2021 | $1,109,220 (£809,000) |
| 13 | Abstrakt 474-1, 1981 | Gerhard Richter | Phillips · Oct 14, 2021 | $1,109,220 (£809,000) |
| 14 | I'm falling in Love, 1957 | Jean Fautrier | Phillips · Oct 15, 2021 | $1,045,977 (£760,600) |
| 15 | N-(9-Acridinyl) Maleimide, 1992 | Damien Hirst | Phillips · Oct 15, 2021 | $1,012,697 (£736,400) |
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 | George Condo American | $3,602,092 | 6 | The Showgirl — $1,694,934 |
| 2 | Andy Warhol American | $3,228,001 | 32 | Cowboys and Indians (F. & S. 377-386) — $816,500 |
| 3 | Max Ernst German | $2,134,088 | 19 | Pyramid Lake — $862,938 |
| 4 | Emily Mae Smith American | $1,810,943 | 4 | Invisible Woman — $1,278,936 |
| 5 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $1,382,288 | 27 | Brushstroke III — $212,500 |
| 6 | Ed Ruscha American | $1,213,011 | 16 | Doric — $606,463 |
| 7 | Shara Hughes American | $1,195,736 | 1 | Night Picket — $1,195,736 |
| 8 | Sean Scully American | $894,793 | 6 | Green Yellow Figure — $779,738 |
| 9 | Richard Prince American | $632,929 | 3 | My Life as a Weapon — $623,791 |
| 10 | Jasper Johns American | $620,332 | 17 | Target (ULAE 147) — $315,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sigmar Polke German | $4,195,206 | 4 | Negerplastik — $4,190,922 |
| 2 | Damien Hirst British | $2,684,338 | 12 | Precious Moments — $1,362,136 |
| 3 | Albert Oehlen German | $1,861,333 | 1 | Retrospektiv — $1,861,333 |
| 4 | Jacek Malczewski Polish | $1,688,369 | 5 | KONIK POLNY – TRYPTYK — $1,378,672 |
| 5 | Jadé Fadojutimi British | $1,611,734 | 1 | Myths of Pleasure — $1,611,734 |
| 6 | Gerhard Richter German | $1,453,150 | 11 | Abstrakt 474-1 — $1,109,220 |
| 7 | Chris Ofili British | $1,398,691 | 2 | Triple Beam Dreamer — $1,395,415 |
| 8 | Jean Fautrier French | $1,046,241 | 2 | I'm falling in Love — $1,045,977 |
| 9 | Wojciech Fangor Polish | $926,012 | 4 | M 78 — $662,662 |
| 10 | Zdzisław Beksiński Polish | $857,604 | 10 | RH — $189,110 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anita Magsaysay-Ho | Tinapa Vendors León Gallery | $1,665,101 | $1,241,175 (81 earlier) |
| Jadé Fadojutimi | Myths of Pleasure Phillips | $1,611,734 | $730,693 (3 earlier) |
| Chris Ofili | Triple Beam Dreamer Phillips | $1,395,415 | $475,318 (33 earlier) |
| Emily Mae Smith | Invisible Woman Phillips | $1,278,936 | $756,000 (10 earlier) |
| Shara Hughes | Night Picket Phillips | $1,195,736 | $243,621 (34 earlier) |
| Jean Fautrier | I'm falling in Love Phillips | $1,045,977 | $384,160 (27 earlier) |
| Max Ernst | Pyramid Lake Phillips | $862,938 | $740,094 (291 earlier) |
| Günther Förg | Ohne Titel Phillips | $846,298 | $815,000 (446 earlier) |
| Józef Chełmoński | PORANEK PRZED KARCZMĄ Agra-Art | $768,640 | $596,828 (33 earlier) |
| Juan Luna | Sorprendidos (Caught) León Gallery | $693,792 | $110,948 (15 earlier) |
| Gilbert&George | Day Phillips | $623,791 | $445,676 (52 earlier) |
| Władysław Podkowiński | SZAŁ Agra-Art | $558,179 | $330,913 (14 earlier) |
| André Butzer | Chips und Pepsi und Medizin (Das Glück) Phillips | $554,481 | $176,188 (66 earlier) |
| Sanya Kantarovsky | No Eyes Phillips | $537,153 | $276,104 (8 earlier) |
| Elizabeth Thompson | Dawn of Waterloo Bonhams | $446,991 | $3,152 (4 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Phillips (989)León Gallery (884)Lyon & Turnbull (716)Bonhams (709)Toomey & Co. (566)Capitolium Art (533)Rago Auctions (479)Pandolfini (459)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (420)Twents Veilinghuis (333)Sworders (319)Morton Subastas (316)Whyte's (286)Wright (259)Artmark (228)Van Ham (208)Agra-Art (196)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (193)Davidson Auctions (162)Morgan O'Driscoll (144)Arthouse Hejtmánek (143)deVeres (138)Clarke Auction Gallery (127)Leonard Joel (126)Polswiss Art (94)Pananti (86)Brunk Auctions (77)Michaan's Auctions (54)Circle Auction (45)Maison Bibelot (38)Grisebach (11)Aste Boetto (6)