Art auction market report: August 2024
In August 2024, ArtSell recorded 5,018 auction lots from 27 auction houses, of which 3,771 sold (75% sell-through). The 3,674 sales with a published price total $18,549,851, with a median of $819 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Sidney Nolan, “Ned Kelly: Crossing Bridge 1964”, at $827,059 (Smith & Singer). 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 | Franz Bischoff Austrian | $469,448 | 4 | Roses — $445,000 |
| 2 | Guy Rose American | $254,500 | 1 | The Sea, Laguna — $254,500 |
| 3 | D. Howard Hitchcock American | $136,704 | 9 | Hanalei Valley, Kauaʻi — $43,520 |
| 4 | Kaws American | $129,656 | 21 | Four Foot Companion (Black) — $44,100 |
| 5 | Lloyd Sexton, Jr. American | $127,872 | 5 | Pulpit Rock, Kaʻaʻawa, Oʻahu — $48,640 |
| 6 | Tadashi Sato American | $108,450 | 1 | Untitled — $108,450 |
| 7 | Eastman Johnson American | $108,450 | 1 | Child and Lamb — $108,450 |
| 8 | William Frederic Ritschel American | $102,100 | 1 | Purple Tide — $102,100 |
| 9 | Joseph Kleitsch American | $102,100 | 1 | First Street (now Glenneyre) at Legion Street — $102,100 |
| 10 | Emerson Woelffer American | $100,578 | 38 | Black Mirror and Tri Color — $8,190 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nicholas Chevalier Swiss | $719,541 | 2 | Lake Colac and the Warrior's Hill, from Corangamorah 1863 — $661,647 |
| 2 | Arthur Boyd British | $357,319 | 4 | Colonial Poet Under Orange Tree (1979) — $165,412 |
| 3 | Alfred Wierusz-Kowalski Polish | $197,045 | 1 | Spacer konny w parku (Przejażdżka konna z guwernerem), przed 1878 r. — $197,045 |
| 4 | Józef Mehoffer Polish | $176,304 | 1 | Jankówka, przed 1913 — $176,304 |
| 5 | Jean Mannheim German | $96,966 | 2 | The Fairy Tale (Jeanne and Eunie Mannheim Reading in the Garden) — $95,750 |
| 6 | Charles William Bartlett British | $69,760 | 5 | Hawaiian Fisherman — $20,480 |
| 7 | Florence Fuller British | $66,165 | 1 | Portrait of a Child 1898 — $66,165 |
| 8 | Rafał Olbiński Polish | $60,669 | 3 | Odyseja Homera, 1996 — $21,260 |
| 9 | Mortimer Menpes British | $57,894 | 1 | A Retainer of the Maharajah of Cutch (1903) — $57,894 |
| 10 | Jacek Malczewski Polish | $54,447 | 2 | Weteran, 1887 — $36,298 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas Chevalier | Lake Colac and the Warrior's Hill, from Corangamorah 1863 Smith & Singer | $661,647 | $215,881 (16 earlier) |
| Conrad Martens | Sydney from Lewis’s Ground (1840) Smith & Singer | $496,236 | $51,439 (14 earlier) |
| John Coburn | Trajectory 1968 Smith & Singer | $124,059 | $122,868 (328 earlier) |
| Jean Mannheim | The Fairy Tale (Jeanne and Eunie Mannheim Reading in the Garden) Bonhams | $95,750 | $50,575 (35 earlier) |
| Mortimer Menpes | A Retainer of the Maharajah of Cutch (1903) Smith & Singer | $57,894 | $34,698 (12 earlier) |
| Ethel Spowers | Tug of War 1933 Smith & Singer | $52,105 | $37,720 (20 earlier) |
| Yusuke Hanai | Untitled Phillips | $45,584 | $16,179 (3 earlier) |
| Evelyn Page | Portrait of Olivia Spencer Bower Art+Object | $44,180 | $456 (3 earlier) |
| Vida Lahey | Vermillion and Blue 1932 Smith & Singer | $41,353 | $28,303 (14 earlier) |
| Massimo Micheluzzi | Vase Wright | $40,320 | $5,625 (11 earlier) |
| Chiura Obata | Evening Glow - Bay Bridge Bonhams | $28,160 | $5,100 (3 earlier) |
| Raphael Soyer | A Group of Artists Bonhams | $25,600 | $13,000 (68 earlier) |
| Star Gossage | Untitled Art+Object | $23,930 | $19,349 (19 earlier) |
| Greg Weight | Brett Whiteley 1976, printed later Menzies | $23,284 | $4,220 (7 earlier) |
| Herman Maril | At the Window Bonhams | $20,480 | $7,500 (9 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Morton Subastas (607)Bonhams (568)Wright (517)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (493)Strauss & Co (385)Lyon & Turnbull (234)Anderson & Garland (234)Toomey & Co. (199)Helmuth Stone Gallery (195)Davidson Auctions (189)Circle Auction (176)Sloans & Kenyon (175)Sworders (143)Barridoff Auctions (132)Art+Object (101)Toovey's (99)Rago Auctions (92)Phillips (91)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (84)Menzies (81)Smith & Singer (64)Van Ham (54)Agra-Art (49)Elstob & Elstob (26)Michaan's Auctions (21)Vogt Auction (8)Leonard Joel (1)