Art auction market report: January 2022
In January 2022, ArtSell recorded 4,829 auction lots from 25 auction houses, of which 3,961 sold (82% sell-through). The 3,961 sales with a published price total $20,522,585, with a median of $1,369 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Andy Warhol, “Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, from Reigning Queens (F. & S. 337)”, at $481,254 (Phillips). 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 | Andy Warhol American | $1,913,591 | 38 | Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom, from Reigning Queens (F. & S. 337) — $481,254 |
| 2 | Dale Chihuly American | $411,870 | 17 | Persian Ceiling Installation — $200,000 |
| 3 | Harry Bertoia American | $300,750 | 7 | Standing Willow from Seattle First National Bank — $106,250 |
| 4 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $183,558 | 14 | Virtual Interior with Book, from the American Academy of Arts and Letters: Centennial Portfolio — $51,563 |
| 5 | Albert Paley American | $164,920 | 18 | Dragon's back floor lamp — $20,000 |
| 6 | Jonas Wood American | $94,188 | 5 | Untitled — $24,063 |
| 7 | Robert Longo American | $85,304 | 5 | Eric, from Men in the Cities — $60,157 |
| 8 | Toshiko Takaezu American | $71,700 | 14 | Closed Form (with rattle) — $8,750 |
| 9 | Alex Katz American | $69,657 | 4 | Nicole — $41,250 |
| 10 | Alexander Calder American | $66,313 | 4 | Tapestry — $35,000 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banksy British | $998,470 | 8 | Kate Moss (Purple/Orange) — $326,566 |
| 2 | David Hockney British | $903,947 | 27 | Lithograph of Water Made of Thick and Thin Lines and Two Light Blue Washes (T.G. 250, M.C.A.T 207) — $175,314 |
| 3 | Zdzisław Beksiński Polish | $452,647 | 4 | ZS, lata 1985-1990 — $161,555 |
| 4 | Damien Hirst British | $417,590 | 26 | Truth, from The Aspects (H6-5) — $48,125 |
| 5 | Francis Bacon British | $330,691 | 11 | Miroir de la tauromachie (Mirror of the Bullfight) (S. 29-30, T. 37) — $79,063 |
| 6 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $252,187 | 32 | Femme dans un fauteuil et guitariste (Woman in an Armchair with Guitarist) (Bl. 917, Ba. 1232) — $32,657 |
| 7 | Marc Chagall Belarusian | $175,738 | 33 | LES AMOUREUX AU SOLEIL ROUGE — $20,462 |
| 8 | Jacek Yerka Polish | $173,027 | 10 | WAGARY PRZY ŹRÓDLE — $83,715 |
| 9 | Lino Tagliapietra Italian | $143,500 | 7 | Dinosaur — $56,250 |
| 10 | Gerhard Richter German | $133,206 | 10 | Cage 6 (P19-6) — $25,781 |
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
León Gallery (686)Rago Auctions (525)Van Ham (439)Twents Veilinghuis (396)Phillips (394)Lyon & Turnbull (319)Artmark (307)Morgan O'Driscoll (263)Wright (245)Helmuth Stone Gallery (207)Agra-Art (123)Clarke Auction Gallery (123)Sworders (118)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (102)Morton Subastas (94)Toovey's (89)Pananti (86)Palm Beach Modern Auctions (74)Circle Auction (71)Polswiss Art (43)Cottone Auctions (42)Michaan's Auctions (38)Grisebach (36)Bonhams (8)Brunk Auctions (1)