Art auction market report: December 2021
In December 2021, ArtSell recorded 8,516 auction lots from 42 auction houses, of which 6,661 sold (78% sell-through). The 6,485 sales with a published price total $152,226,993, with a median of $2,750 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Albert Oehlen, “Ohne Titel (Triptychon)”, at $4,058,280 (Ketterer Kunst). 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 | Otto Dix American | $1,915,254 | 9 | Selbstbildnis — $1,797,232 |
| 2 | Alex Katz American | $1,700,635 | 8 | Tara — $1,015,697 |
| 3 | László Moholy-Nagy American | $1,523,324 | 3 | Space Modulator Experiment, Aluminum 5 — $1,389,028 |
| 4 | Sean Scully American | $1,516,219 | 1 | Blue Yellow Figure — $1,516,219 |
| 5 | Andy Warhol American | $1,323,523 | 22 | Grace Kelly — $310,503 |
| 6 | Max Ernst German | $1,007,828 | 50 | Effet de soleil reflété dans l'eau — $396,865 |
| 7 | Cy Twombly American | $712,793 | 6 | Untitled (Drawing for Manifesto of Plinio) — $676,380 |
| 8 | Christo American | $649,673 | 8 | Wrapped Reichstag (Project for Berlin) — $382,691 |
| 9 | Eddie Martinez American | $648,255 | 2 | Untitled — $615,011 |
| 10 | Jonas Wood American | $432,170 | 1 | Yellow Crate — $432,170 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emil Nolde German | $8,065,854 | 23 | Meer (I) — $3,140,903 |
| 2 | Alexej von Jawlensky Russian | $4,606,553 | 7 | Frauenkopf mit Blumen im Haar — $3,274,807 |
| 3 | Albert Oehlen German | $4,058,280 | 1 | Ohne Titel (Triptychon) — $4,058,280 |
| 4 | Max Beckmann German | $3,965,864 | 10 | Badende mit grüner Kabine und Schiffern mit roten Hosen — $2,613,640 |
| 5 | Max Liebermann German | $3,149,049 | 11 | Die Große Seestraße in Wannsee mit Spaziergängern — $1,184,926 |
| 6 | Magdalena Abakanowicz Polish | $2,947,350 | 3 | Bambini, 1998-1999 (83 figury dziecięce) — $2,768,500 |
| 7 | Edvard Munch Norwegian | $2,598,990 | 46 | Høstarbeid ved drivhuset — $667,440 |
| 8 | Pierre Soulages French | $2,548,303 | 2 | Peinture 92 x 65 cm, 3 août 1954 — $2,530,789 |
| 9 | Ernst Wilhelm Nay German | $2,362,038 | 11 | In freien Rhythmen — $648,198 |
| 10 | Ernst Ludwig Kirchner German | $1,592,808 | 12 | Im Bordell — $1,110,391 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albert Oehlen | Ohne Titel (Triptychon) Ketterer Kunst | $4,058,280 | $2,808,222 (75 earlier) |
| Alexej von Jawlensky | Frauenkopf mit Blumen im Haar Ketterer Kunst | $3,274,807 | $1,778,205 (174 earlier) |
| Magdalena Abakanowicz | Bambini, 1998-1999 (83 figury dziecięce) Polswiss Art | $2,768,500 | $885,150 (69 earlier) |
| Pierre Soulages | Peinture 92 x 65 cm, 3 août 1954 Ketterer Kunst | $2,530,789 | $1,295,377 (147 earlier) |
| Otto Dix | Selbstbildnis Grisebach | $1,797,232 | $1,030,424 (466 earlier) |
| László Moholy-Nagy | Space Modulator Experiment, Aluminum 5 Grisebach | $1,389,028 | $567,060 (64 earlier) |
| Józef Brandt | Targ na sokoły, 1888-1889 (Jarmark w Bałcie, Sokolnik) Polswiss Art | $980,000 | $465,341 (72 earlier) |
| Samuel Peploe | ROSES AND FRUIT Lyon & Turnbull | $969,612 | $84,175 (5 earlier) |
| Alphonse Mucha | Young Couple from Rusadla Toomey & Co. | $965,000 | $220,624 (104 earlier) |
| Hernando R. Ocampo | "Mutants" - A León Gallery | $901,474 | $776,673 (102 earlier) |
| Georg Kolbe | Javanische Tänzerin Ketterer Kunst | $731,618 | $400,276 (103 earlier) |
| Katharina Grosse | Ohne Titel Ketterer Kunst | $563,650 | $499,230 (101 earlier) |
| Heinrich Maria Davringhausen | Der Dichter Däubler Grisebach | $538,603 | $321,310 (31 earlier) |
| Gordon Walters | Koru Art+Object | $531,760 | $455,623 (153 earlier) |
| Marianne von Werefkin | Freitag Abend (Synagoge) Ketterer Kunst | $479,103 | $183,209 (17 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
León Gallery (493)Bonhams (487)Lempertz (478)Capitolium Art (391)Phillips (382)Grisebach (377)Rago Auctions (365)Pananti (338)Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden (336)Toomey & Co. (307)Davidson Auctions (305)Maison Bibelot (295)Ketterer Kunst (279)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (266)Levis Fine Art Auctions (253)Whyte's (248)Agra-Art (240)Ravenel (239)Van Ham (216)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (174)Artmark (171)Sloans & Kenyon (169)Lyon & Turnbull (164)Jackson's International Auctioneers (156)Menzies (123)Art+Object (115)Pandolfini (112)Polswiss Art (108)Brunk Auctions (106)Clarke Auction Gallery (101)Sworders (98)Toovey's (91)deVeres (90)Arthouse Hejtmánek (86)Michaan's Auctions (83)Morton Subastas (75)Palm Beach Modern Auctions (69)SOGA (48)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (43)Leonard Joel (37)Piguet Hôtel des Ventes (1)Bid & Hammer (1)