Art auction market report: December 2024
In December 2024, ArtSell recorded 10,244 auction lots from 48 auction houses, of which 7,385 sold (72% sell-through). The 7,171 sales with a published price total $82,980,198, with a median of $1,548 (USD at the sale-date rate). The top sale was Max Beckmann, “Großer Clown mit Frauen und kleiner Clown”, at $3,891,692 (Ketterer Kunst). 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 | Kenneth Noland American | $1,523,135 | 1 | Via Media (Suddenly) — $1,523,135 |
| 2 | Lyonel Feininger American | $433,900 | 4 | Seascape — $322,509 |
| 3 | Otto Dix American | $389,698 | 1 | Bilderbuch für Hana — $389,698 |
| 4 | Andy Warhol American | $378,065 | 18 | Marilyn Monroe (Marilyn) — $174,692 |
| 5 | Judy Kensley McKie American | $378,000 | 2 | Monkey settee — $277,200 |
| 6 | Sean Scully American | $369,712 | 4 | Untitled — $295,633 |
| 7 | Keith Haring American | $359,185 | 7 | Acrobats — $305,655 |
| 8 | Roy Lichtenstein American | $284,943 | 8 | Water Lilies – Blue Lily Pads — $134,379 |
| 9 | Frank Lloyd Wright American | $282,642 | 9 | March, Balloons (maquette drawing for the Liberty magazine) — $163,800 |
| 10 | Joseph Kleitsch American | $229,600 | 2 | Mission Canyon — $127,500 |
Top European artists
| # | Artist | Total sold | Priced sales | Top result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Beckmann German | $3,891,692 | 1 | Großer Clown mit Frauen und kleiner Clown — $3,891,692 |
| 2 | François-Xavier Lalanne French | $2,541,500 | 3 | 'Oiseau de Jardin' — $953,000 |
| 3 | Emil Nolde German | $2,012,993 | 4 | Landschaft mit Seebüllhof — $967,527 |
| 4 | Jacek Malczewski Polish | $1,574,810 | 7 | ORFEUSZ I EURYDYKA — $595,128 |
| 5 | Ernst Wilhelm Nay German | $1,451,290 | 4 | Sonnenzirkel — $940,651 |
| 6 | Alexej von Jawlensky Russian | $1,253,267 | 3 | Berge in Oberstdorf — $1,139,045 |
| 7 | Alberto Burri Italian | $1,203,060 | 1 | Legno P 1 — $1,203,060 |
| 8 | Wojciech Fangor Polish | $1,129,499 | 4 | M 77 — $537,515 |
| 9 | Wassily Kandinsky Russian | $932,588 | 2 | Friedlich — $833,148 |
| 10 | Max Pechstein German | $884,212 | 5 | Sonne im Schilf — $430,012 |
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 Royere | Pair of "Boule" also known as "Ours polaire" armchairs Phillips | $1,875,000 | $842,500 (193 earlier) |
| Kenneth Noland | Via Media (Suddenly) Ketterer Kunst | $1,523,135 | $1,450,000 (83 earlier) |
| Leopold Gottlieb | Wieczerza Pańska Polswiss Art | $813,978 | $110,533 (45 earlier) |
| Max Slevogt | Der verlorene Sohn Ketterer Kunst | $591,266 | $274,613 (115 earlier) |
| Charlotte Perriand | "En Forme" sideboard Phillips | $342,900 | $314,500 (230 earlier) |
| Jan Styka | POKUSY Agra-Art | $300,540 | $150,714 (62 earlier) |
| Martha Jungwirth | Frau Z im Kinsky | $263,500 | $216,562 (127 earlier) |
| Claire Falkenstein | Untitled (Fusion) Wright | $201,600 | $150,250 (122 earlier) |
| William Daniell | VIEW OF THE NEW BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER TWEED AT KELSO Lyon & Turnbull | $191,190 | $759 (3 earlier) |
| Paulina Olowska | Dans les Volutes Pavilionesque Polswiss Art | $182,528 | $108,012 (25 earlier) |
| Ercole Barovier | Important Primavera vase Wright | $126,000 | $102,500 (199 earlier) |
| Philip LaVerne and Kelvin LaVerne | Pair of "Spring Festival" side tables Phillips | $114,300 | $93,750 (3 earlier) |
| Władysław Strzemiński | Autoportret Polswiss Art | $98,664 | $24,129 (3 earlier) |
| Paul Pfeiffer | Prologue to the Story of the Birth of Freedom Phillips | $96,523 | $31,050 (15 earlier) |
| William Congdon | SENZA TITOLO Capitolium Art | $81,206 | $47,249 (9 earlier) |
Auction houses this month
Bonhams (713)Phillips (703)im Kinsky (700)Morton Subastas (575)Strauss & Co (531)Wright (507)Artmark (456)Whyte's (445)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (426)Art+Object (368)Davidson Auctions (321)Levis Fine Art Auctions (305)Bertolami Fine Art (303)Capitolium Art (300)Maison Bibelot (252)Toomey & Co. (246)Rago Auctions (231)Pananti (228)Piguet Hôtel des Ventes (208)DuMouchelles (207)Ketterer Kunst (200)Lyon & Turnbull (188)Sloans & Kenyon (162)Agra-Art (159)Ravenel (156)Helmuth Stone Gallery (128)Grev Wedels Plass Auksjoner (123)Arthouse Hejtmánek (117)Sopocki Dom Aukcyjny (109)Clarke Auction Gallery (107)Austin Auction Gallery (104)Brunk Auctions (93)Pandolfini (91)Polswiss Art (89)Anderson & Garland (82)Billings (80)Michaan's Auctions (42)Sheffield Auction Gallery (32)Leonard Joel (25)Haynault (22)Van Ham (21)Olympia Auctions (21)Sworders (20)Grisebach (19)Elstob & Elstob (14)Lempertz (8)Vogt Auction (4)Bogotá Auctions (3)