Art auction market report: May 2023
In May 2023, ArtSell recorded 9,181 auction lots from 41 auction houses, of which 6,433 sold (70% sell-through). The 6,433 sales with a published price total $162,898,997, with a median of $1,623 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Banksy, “Banksquiat. Boy and Dog in Stop and Search”, at $9,724,500 (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 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $9,742,007 | 9 | Girl in Mirror — $5,505,000 |
| 2 | Andy Warhol American | $6,248,640 | 25 | Mona Lisa Four Times — $2,359,000 |
| 3 | Wayne Thiebaud American | $5,450,000 | 3 | Levee and Cow — $3,085,000 |
| 4 | Mark Grotjahn American | $4,295,000 | 1 | Untitled (Standard Lotus XVI Face 44.15) — $4,295,000 |
| 5 | Robert Ryman American | $3,811,000 | 1 | Mark — $3,811,000 |
| 6 | Ed Ruscha American | $3,448,000 | 1 | Manual Mobility — $3,448,000 |
| 7 | Elaine Sturtevant American | $2,610,000 | 2 | Study for Warhol Marilyn — $2,419,500 |
| 8 | Helen Frankenthaler American | $2,179,800 | 2 | On the Road — $1,875,000 |
| 9 | Joan Mitchell American | $1,694,900 | 3 | Untitled — $825,500 |
| 10 | Josef Albers German | $1,087,105 | 4 | Study for Homage to the Square: Bright — $844,550 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banksy British | $9,832,450 | 2 | Banksquiat. Boy and Dog in Stop and Search — $9,724,500 |
| 2 | Pablo Picasso Spanish | $7,465,380 | 9 | Tête de femme au chignon — $7,320,000 |
| 3 | Toyen Czech | $2,542,123 | 2 | Puis, Plus Tard — $1,702,022 |
| 4 | Anish Kapoor British | $1,638,300 | 2 | Untitled — $977,900 |
| 5 | Damien Hirst British | $1,375,518 | 8 | Reconciliation — $927,100 |
| 6 | Jean Dubuffet French | $1,013,705 | 5 | Le fantasque — $508,000 |
| 7 | Karel Černý Czech | $916,474 | 1 | Dancing in the Garden — $916,474 |
| 8 | Arthur Boyd British | $858,992 | 4 | On the Banks of the Shoalhaven (1984) — $558,962 |
| 9 | Joan Miró Spanish | $763,149 | 4 | L’Espace — $381,000 |
| 10 | Mikuláš Medek Czech | $741,907 | 2 | 3 604 cm2 of Rustle 536 cm2 of Silence — $436,416 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Banksy | Banksquiat. Boy and Dog in Stop and Search Phillips | $9,724,500 | $3,150,872 (323 earlier) |
| Elaine Sturtevant | Study for Warhol Marilyn Phillips | $2,419,500 | $680,000 (18 earlier) |
| C. F. Goldie | Reverie: Ena te Papatahi, a Ngapuhi Chieftainess (Ina Te Papatahi, Ngā Puhi) 1916 Smith & Singer | $1,150,804 | $568,331 (19 earlier) |
| Noah Davis | Untitled Phillips | $990,600 | $400,000 (4 earlier) |
| Karel Černý | Dancing in the Garden Galerie Kodl | $916,474 | $283,565 (20 earlier) |
| Sarah Lucas | Bunny Gets Snookered #8 Phillips | $736,600 | $309,878 (27 earlier) |
| Henry Taylor | Dakar, Senegal #3 Phillips | $584,200 | $315,000 (24 earlier) |
| studio of Lucas Cranach the Elder | The Lamentation of Christ Lempertz | $490,251 | $109,457 (4 earlier) |
| Konrad Mägi | Maastik HAUS Galerii | $441,661 | $180,307 (16 earlier) |
| Louise Bonnet | The Red Pants Phillips | $406,400 | $307,392 (7 earlier) |
| Joel Shapiro | Untitled Phillips | $406,400 | $346,000 (59 earlier) |
| Vivian Springford | Untitled (Tanzania Series) Phillips | $241,300 | $233,100 (10 earlier) |
| Clyde Singer | The Rush Hour Bonhams | $216,400 | $6,000 (9 earlier) |
| Guy de Rougemont | Table basse "Nuage" Bonhams | $191,430 | $13,970 (4 earlier) |
| Peter Lindbergh | Kate Moss, Harper's Bazaar USA, Long Island, New York Phillips | $173,871 | $100,513 (17 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Bonhams (1,091)Rago Auctions (761)Auktionshaus Mehlis (716)Phillips (656)Strauss & Co (557)Van Ham (403)Lempertz (348)Levis Fine Art Auctions (335)Davidson Auctions (333)Maison Bibelot (309)Pandolfini (284)Pananti (265)Morgan O'Driscoll (262)Art+Object (241)Bolsa de Arte (231)Artmark (206)Galerie Kodl (203)HAUS Galerii (189)Leonard Joel (188)Morton Subastas (161)Palm Beach Modern Auctions (156)Brunk Auctions (152)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (142)Elstob & Elstob (129)Clarke Auction Gallery (126)Whyte's (122)Smith & Singer (99)Barridoff Auctions (87)deVeres (71)Toovey's (58)Agra-Art (51)Cottone Auctions (50)Olympia Auctions (42)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (34)Sworders (33)Grisebach (28)Circle Auction (25)Michaan's Auctions (18)Blindarte (13)Lawrences Auctioneers (4)Lyon & Turnbull (2)