Art auction market report: May 2022
In May 2022, ArtSell recorded 6,900 auction lots from 35 auction houses, of which 5,209 sold (75% sell-through). The 5,209 sales with a published price total $301,549,280, with a median of $2,375 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Jean-Michel Basquiat, “Untitled”, at $85,000,000 (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 | Jean-Michel Basquiat American | $85,877,000 | 2 | Untitled — $85,000,000 |
| 2 | Andy Warhol American | $24,720,617 | 25 | The Star (Greta Garbo as Mata Hari) — $9,580,000 |
| 3 | Alexander Calder American | $15,741,450 | 4 | 39=50 — $15,648,500 |
| 4 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $10,371,656 | 8 | Nude — $10,267,000 |
| 5 | Mark Rothko American | $8,435,000 | 1 | Untitled — $8,435,000 |
| 6 | Wayne Thiebaud American | $2,813,000 | 1 | Berry Cake — $2,813,000 |
| 7 | Hans Hofmann American | $2,571,000 | 1 | In Upper Regions — $2,571,000 |
| 8 | Helen Frankenthaler American | $2,258,000 | 2 | Blue Dance — $2,208,000 |
| 9 | Shara Hughes American | $1,817,200 | 2 | The Not Dark Dark Spots — $1,603,000 |
| 10 | Robert Indiana American | $1,790,076 | 4 | Picasso — $1,058,500 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yves Klein French | $22,752,000 | 2 | Relief Éponge bleu sans titre (RE 49) — $19,999,500 |
| 2 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $10,465,711 | 16 | Figures et plante — $10,267,000 |
| 3 | Cecily Brown British | $5,959,000 | 1 | Angie — $5,959,000 |
| 4 | Bohumil Kubišta Czech | $5,365,476 | 1 | Old Prague Motif — $5,365,476 |
| 5 | Toyen Czech | $2,385,814 | 3 | The Loners — $2,344,140 |
| 6 | Emil Filla Czech | $1,442,948 | 5 | View over Gruž — $421,945 |
| 7 | Bartolomé Esteban Murillo Spanish | $1,311,548 | 1 | The Virgin of the Rosary — $1,311,548 |
| 8 | Gerhard Richter German | $1,024,168 | 11 | 7.12.85 — $252,000 |
| 9 | Jaume Plensa Spanish | $998,000 | 1 | The Conversation I, II and III — $998,000 |
| 10 | Josef Čapek Czech | $922,028 | 2 | Boy from the Street — $781,380 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jean-Michel Basquiat | Untitled Phillips | $85,000,000 | $45,315,000 (157 earlier) |
| Yves Klein | Relief Éponge bleu sans titre (RE 49) Phillips | $19,999,500 | $1,428,664 (95 earlier) |
| Alexander Calder | 39=50 Phillips | $15,648,500 | $5,477,500 (650 earlier) |
| Bohumil Kubišta | Old Prague Motif Galerie Kodl | $5,365,476 | $567,240 (5 earlier) |
| Hans Hofmann | In Upper Regions Phillips | $2,571,000 | $2,405,000 (30 earlier) |
| Toyen | The Loners Galerie Kodl | $2,344,140 | $1,740,461 (21 earlier) |
| Shara Hughes | The Not Dark Dark Spots Phillips | $1,603,000 | $1,482,000 (40 earlier) |
| Bartolomé Esteban Murillo | The Virgin of the Rosary Lempertz | $1,311,548 | $25,800 (15 earlier) |
| Lisa Yuskavage | Northview (Impressionist Jacket) Phillips | $1,106,900 | $286,000 (17 earlier) |
| Robert Indiana | Picasso Phillips | $1,058,500 | $915,000 (266 earlier) |
| David Wojnarowicz | Fuck You Faggot Fucker Phillips | $937,500 | $150,000 (22 earlier) |
| Ernie Barnes | The Maestro Bonhams | $882,375 | $27,813 (12 earlier) |
| Rashid Johnson | Untitled Escape Collage Phillips | $816,500 | $500,000 (56 earlier) |
| Josef Čapek | Boy from the Street Galerie Kodl | $781,380 | $609,139 (36 earlier) |
| Andrzej Wróblewski | Szkic do ukrzesłowienia, ok. 1955-56 (Kompozycja figuralna; Studium kobiety) Polswiss Art | $713,334 | $311,636 (23 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Lempertz (752)Phillips (677)Van Ham (648)Rago Auctions (514)Davidson Auctions (331)Toomey & Co. (287)Levis Fine Art Auctions (260)Sloans & Kenyon (233)Pananti (229)Sworders (228)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (226)Galerie Kodl (220)Maison Bibelot (219)Strauss & Co (195)Bonhams (182)Pandolfini (177)HAUS Galerii (175)Morton Subastas (169)Brunk Auctions (166)Clarke Auction Gallery (160)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (128)Capitolium Art (90)deVeres (90)Artmark (87)Agra-Art (86)Polswiss Art (71)Toovey's (64)Leonard Joel (58)Grisebach (54)Michaan's Auctions (46)Cottone Auctions (39)SOGA (25)Lyon & Turnbull (8)Colasanti Casa d'Aste (4)Whyte's (2)