Art auction market report: April 2023
In April 2023, ArtSell recorded 10,337 auction lots from 45 auction houses, of which 8,155 sold (79% sell-through). The 8,122 sales with a published price total $65,857,570, with a median of $1,651 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Oscar E. Berninghaus, “The Hunters, Taos”, at $1,562,000 (Scottsdale Art Auction). 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 | $1,820,332 | 36 | Marilyn (F. & S. 23) — $241,300 |
| 2 | Toshiko Takaezu American | $1,704,543 | 63 | Moon — $541,800 |
| 3 | Oscar E. Berninghaus American | $1,669,640 | 3 | The Hunters, Taos — $1,562,000 |
| 4 | E. Irving Couse American | $1,284,660 | 5 | Taos Love Call — $702,000 |
| 5 | John Clymer American | $896,805 | 4 | Welcoming the Trade Boat — $555,750 |
| 6 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $756,004 | 15 | Nude Reading, from Nudes series (C. 288) — $203,200 |
| 7 | Ansel Adams American | $720,090 | 9 | Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico — $381,000 |
| 8 | Sean Scully American | $652,575 | 5 | Raval Rojo — $636,376 |
| 9 | E. Charlton Fortune American | $605,175 | 1 | Wash Day at St. Tropez — $605,175 |
| 10 | Edgar Alwin Payne American | $581,445 | 9 | Riders in Canyon de Chelly — $280,800 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | François-Xavier Lalanne French | $2,210,294 | 2 | 'Grand Bouquetin' — $1,387,105 |
| 2 | Gio Ponti Italian | $1,241,601 | 44 | Desk from Casa di Fantasia, Milan — $253,289 |
| 3 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $564,951 | 38 | 'Footballeur' — $174,443 |
| 4 | Hermann Nitsch Austrian | $511,151 | 6 | Untitled (Bulk Picture) — $158,091 |
| 5 | David Hockney British | $408,121 | 16 | A Bigger Book: Art Edition A, B, C and D — $133,350 |
| 6 | Maria Lassnig Austrian | $325,956 | 2 | Heller Körper — $286,991 |
| 7 | René Lalique French | $320,903 | 86 | GRANDE BOULE LIERRE VASE, NO. 877 — $31,467 |
| 8 | Fausto Melotti Italian | $270,444 | 12 | Group of 145 tiles, model 'FA' — $102,899 |
| 9 | Arnulf Rainer Austrian | $238,466 | 16 | Das schenk ich euch — $56,283 |
| 10 | Martha Jungwirth Austrian | $222,246 | 10 | Motif of the Venetian fish market — $43,295 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oscar E. Berninghaus | The Hunters, Taos Scottsdale Art Auction | $1,562,000 | $1,471,000 (58 earlier) |
| Toshiko Takaezu | Moon Rago Auctions | $541,800 | $30,240 (186 earlier) |
| Martin Grelle | Meat Seekers at the Teewinot Scottsdale Art Auction | $386,100 | $292,500 (115 earlier) |
| Irving Penn | Harlequin Dress (Lisa Fonssagrives-Penn) Phillips | $355,600 | $290,500 (182 earlier) |
| John Mason | Untitled (Vertical Sculpture) Rago Auctions | $258,300 | $37,800 (17 earlier) |
| Paavo Tynell | Chandelier, model 9041 Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) | $252,000 | $125,000 (109 earlier) |
| John Coleman | Gall, Sitting Bull, & Crazy Horse, 1876 Scottsdale Art Auction | $245,700 | $157,950 (45 earlier) |
| Duncan McCormick | The Road Home Phillips | $204,823 | $182,728 (3 earlier) |
| Elmer Bischoff | Three Bathers Bonhams | $176,775 | $102,000 (9 earlier) |
| Mark Maggiori | Sons of Blue Lake Scottsdale Art Auction | $175,500 | $93,600 (5 earlier) |
| Jules Tavernier | Figure on a Rock Ledge with an Expansive Landscape Beyond Bonhams | $151,575 | $99,000 (21 earlier) |
| Julian Opie | Sian Walking; Jeremy Walking in Coat; Verity Walking; and Kris Walking (C. 147-150) Phillips | $146,050 | $119,170 (355 earlier) |
| John Stobart | San Francisco in 1849 (Vicar of Bray) Unloading in Yerba Buena Cove Scottsdale Art Auction | $128,700 | $16,660 (8 earlier) |
| Cornelius Krieghoff | Canadians Preparing for Town Levis Fine Art Auctions | $103,729 | $53,550 (5 earlier) |
| Llyn Foulkes | Custer's Last Stand (Picture of Harry) Bonhams | $88,575 | $53,125 (28 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Phillips (1,049)Bonhams (833)Lyon & Turnbull (812)León Gallery (584)im Kinsky (433)Sworders (427)Scottsdale Art Auction (417)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (384)Levis Fine Art Auctions (350)Twents Veilinghuis (312)Whyte's (304)Capitolium Art (273)Pananti (270)Artmark (228)Sloans & Kenyon (228)deVeres (226)Morton Subastas (223)Helmuth Stone Gallery (219)Toomey & Co. (203)Strauss & Co (202)Jackson's International Auctioneers (199)Rago Auctions (195)Morgan O'Driscoll (178)Lempertz (173)Wright (170)Brunk Auctions (152)Anderson & Garland (152)Lawrences Auctioneers (138)Bolsa de Arte (113)Barridoff Auctions (111)Pandolfini (111)Leonard Joel (103)Clarke Auction Gallery (95)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (90)Toovey's (73)Van Ham (52)Agra-Art (47)Michaan's Auctions (43)Aste Boetto (39)SOGA (34)Maison Bibelot (33)Haynault (32)Bogotá Auctions (17)Elstob & Elstob (8)Grisebach (2)