Art auction market report: February 2022
In February 2022, ArtSell recorded 5,387 auction lots from 28 auction houses, of which 3,805 sold (71% sell-through). The 3,805 sales with a published price total $13,742,807, with a median of $938 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Fernand Léger, “Les loisirs”, at $300,000 (Clarke Auction Gallery). 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 | $449,323 | 25 | Sitting Bull — $56,250 |
| 2 | Gertrude Abercrombie American | $394,000 | 2 | Old Phonograph, 1954 — $209,000 |
| 3 | Claire Falkenstein American | $247,175 | 10 | Untitled — $87,500 |
| 4 | Cindy Sherman American | $162,500 | 1 | Untitled Film Still #9 — $162,500 |
| 5 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $133,066 | 10 | Shipboard Girl — $52,500 |
| 6 | Alexander Calder American | $133,000 | 8 | Turquoise tapestry — $50,000 |
| 7 | Ed Ruscha American | $133,000 | 8 | Sponge Puddle — $43,750 |
| 8 | Charles Arnoldi American | $130,625 | 5 | Mind-Boggling — $45,000 |
| 9 | Peter Halley American | $95,325 | 3 | Blue Prison — $87,500 |
| 10 | Frank Stella American | $82,750 | 5 | Feneralia (from the Imaginary Places series) — $36,250 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | René Lalique French | $870,957 | 137 | BOUCHON MÛRES SCENT BOTTLE, NO. 495 — $37,450 |
| 2 | Fernand Léger French | $300,000 | 1 | Les loisirs — $300,000 |
| 3 | Gerhard Richter German | $171,512 | 6 | Farbfelder. 6 Anordnungen von 1260 Farben (Blau-Gelb-Rot) — $36,191 |
| 4 | Neo Rauch German | $126,171 | 4 | Ernte — $64,576 |
| 5 | Joan Miró Spanish | $118,254 | 18 | La fronde — $35,000 |
| 6 | Mirka Mora French | $116,408 | 1 | Curlews in the Garden 1980 wool, cotton and lurex tapestry — $116,408 |
| 7 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $92,955 | 10 | Jacqueline au Chevalet plate — $43,750 |
| 8 | Julian Opie British | $69,012 | 6 | Shahnoza Dancing in White Dress — $38,762 |
| 9 | Damien Hirst British | $68,802 | 11 | Politeness (from The Virtues series, H9-4) — $14,536 |
| 10 | Sabin Bălașa Romanian | $68,052 | 1 | Călătorie galactică — $68,052 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gertrude Abercrombie | Old Phonograph, 1954 Toomey & Co. | $209,000 | $87,500 (15 earlier) |
| Mirka Mora | Curlews in the Garden 1980 wool, cotton and lurex tapestry Leonard Joel | $116,408 | $15,240 (62 earlier) |
| Daniel Pawłowski | Bona sforza d'Aragona, 2021 Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny | $103,701 | $78,462 (13 earlier) |
| Sabin Bălașa | Călătorie galactică Artmark | $68,052 | $47,924 (109 earlier) |
| Judy Cassab | Red Desert Leonard Joel | $50,929 | $9,129 (34 earlier) |
| Saul Steinberg | Saul Steinberg Stops for the Night Clarke Auction Gallery | $32,000 | $28,750 (50 earlier) |
| Syd Solomon | Tri-Passage (triptych) Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) | $30,000 | $10,000 (14 earlier) |
| Louisa McElwain | Still Water, Rio Grande Gorge, 1996 Toomey & Co. | $29,900 | $18,720 (3 earlier) |
| George Romney | Half Length Portrait of Lady Laetitia Beauchamp-Proctor née Johnson Toovey's | $29,806 | $8,000 (7 earlier) |
| Paul Partos | The Flow Leonard Joel | $26,192 | $16,727 (11 earlier) |
| Pro Hart | The Diggings Leonard Joel | $23,282 | $22,042 (268 earlier) |
| Jorge Zalszupin | sofa Toomey & Co. | $22,100 | $20,400 (9 earlier) |
| Jeffrey Makin | Port Campbell Leonard Joel | $21,827 | $3,296 (9 earlier) |
| Herman Miller | Complete collection of Summer Picnic posters Wright | $20,000 | $1,200 (8 earlier) |
| Craig Ellwood | Untitled Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) | $20,000 | $9,375 (10 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Auktionshaus Mehlis (487)Van Sabben Poster Auctions (404)Pananti (388)Lyon & Turnbull (285)Toomey & Co. (280)Rago Auctions (263)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (249)Helmuth Stone Gallery (249)Clarke Auction Gallery (231)Pandolfini (229)Maison Bibelot (205)Van Ham (202)Sworders (197)Brunk Auctions (189)Artmark (188)Sloans & Kenyon (183)Morton Subastas (177)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (174)Wright (173)Gliubich Casa d'Aste (172)Leonard Joel (124)Phillips (98)Toovey's (58)Bonhams (56)Grisebach (43)Bolsa de Arte (41)Michaan's Auctions (40)Bid & Hammer (2)