Auctioneers were over-optimistic…

As we suspected in our previous Insight article, (Prices disconnected from market reality?), a number of the estimates for the masterpieces offered at the New York sales on 1 & 2 November were disconnected from the market reality.

Prices disconnected from market reality?

At a time when Artprice’s Art Market Confidence Index shows purchase intentions exceeding 70%, auction estimates for Impressionist & Modern Art in New York are still rising.

The best 2011 auction results!

Every fortnight Artprice posts a new or updated ranking in its Alternate-Friday Top Series. The topic of today's TOP article is the 10 best auction results in 2011.

Impressionist & Modern sales in London: the right balance?

The results of the Impressionist & Modern February sales in London were respectable compared with the results of the same sales a year earlier, although somewhat less spectacular.

Impressionist & Modern Art sales in London: maintained confidence

As usual, the first major dates in the global auction calendar are the prestigious sales organised by Christie’s and Sotheby’s in London.

Paris / London – forthcoming Impressionist & Modern Art sales

Before the art world settles down to a quiet summer, we can look forward to some profitable auction results in London at the sale of the Polaroid collection (to pay its debts) on 21 and 22 June, the Impressionist & Modern Art sales of 23 and 24 June and the Contemporary Art sales of 28 and 29 June.

Impressionist and Modern sales in London – unabashed confidence!

Since the peak in January 2008, the price index of Impressionist art has contracted sharply: down 39.3%. But for Christie’s and Sotheby’s – judging by the high estimates in the catalogues for their upcoming London sales – the price deflation is now over.

New York’s Impressionist & Modern sales produce very mixed results

The two days of Impressionist & Modern auctions in New York saw the art market in full roller-coaster mode: after a very uninspiring evening at Christie's that generated just $56.8m on 3 November 2009 (vs. $116.9m on 6 November 2008), Sotheby’s posted $102m more than its rival ($158.6m vs. $196.8m on 3 November 2008) the following day and several new records.

The Durand-Ruel Impressionists

As the art market slumbers during the summer months, preparations are underway for the major autumn sales, the dates of which have already been announced. The first big events are located in New York during September with sales of Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean art on the 16th at Christie's and the 17th at Sotheby's, and then Contemporary Art sales on the 23rd at Christie's and the 24th at Sotheby's.

Artprice’s TOP 10 ranking: the art market heavyweights in 2008

Every year Artprice publishes its ranking of artists based on auction revenue. At the end of 2007 the figures were remarkable: the market’s Top 10 had generated a combined total of $1.8bn, up no less than 50% on the previous year’s total. In 2008 the total was $100m lower than for 2007 at $1.7bn, a figure representing 20% of the total global art auction market on 1.5% of its transactions.

Pierre Bergé sale – the big event of the year

For at least six months, the sale of the Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent collection has been the focus of much media attention, described as the "sale of the century". At a time when The Art Market Confidence Index (AMCI) is firmly in the red, the means allocated to the sale of some 691 lots are commensurate with the works being presented: exceptional.

Impressionist and Modern Art auctions: quality over quantity

In an uncertain climate, the auctioneers Christie’s and Sotheby’s have decided to reduce the number of works on sale at their Impressionist and Modern art sales, and instead to emphasise quality. Sotheby’s evening sale of Impressionist & Modern Art this coming 3 February will offer a lean selection of 27 lots, a third of the works up for auction at last year's sale on the same theme.

Sotheby's dominates the ‘impressionist and modern’ art sales in New York

Sotheby’s managed, as had been hoped, to outpace its competitor Christie's in the impressionist and modern art sales held on 8 and 9 May 2007, obtaining results which gave it pole position in this round. However, the lead can't yet be described as significant: $278,548,000 compared with $236,464,000 for sales under the hammer at Rockefeller Plaza.

London - European auction capital

Traditionally in February, it is London that kicks off the season of European public auctions with major sales organised by Sotheby’s and Christie’s.

Maurice Denis : A Nabi at the Orsay Museum

The Musée d'Orsay in Paris will be celebrating the works of Maurice DENIS from 31 October 2006 to 21 January 2007. This retrospective homage should give the public a clearer understanding of the artistic evolution of a painter who was a contemporary and friend of Paul GAUGUIN , Auguste RENOIR , Edgar DEGAS and Édouard MANET , among others.

The Top 10 Artists by turnover

The first half of 2005 proved very eventful for the art market. After several months of high bidding (251 works breached the USD 1 million mark) and a rise in global Fine Art sales turnover of more than 5%, there has been a major change in Artprice’s Top 10 ranking of artists by revenue.

Artprice TOP 10 : how do the art market heavyweights measure up in 2004?

Every year Artprice publishes a ranking of artists on the basis of the sales turnover generated by their works at auctions.

Lots of multi-million lots!

The prestigious “Impressionist and Modern Art” evening sales in New York on 4, 5 and 6 May 2004 are some of the most sparkling events on the art calendar.

Spring brings palpable cheer to the market

Just a few weeks before the prestigious "impressionism & modern art" sales season gets underway, Sotheby’s and Christie’s have reason to be reassured, with the latest trends confirming that the upturn begun in the final quarter of 2003 continues apace.

New York sales: Steve Wynn splashes out

The cream of the New York artworld will never abandon the market. Prices were unspectacular at the Impressionism and Modern Art sales of May 6-7, but 63 of 70 lots put up by Christie’s and Sotheby’s in the evening found a buyer, with both star pieces, a self-portrait of Paul Cézanne and a large format Renoir, being bought by Las Vegas hotelier Steve Wynn.