The top 10 artists in 2013, by value sold at auction Q1–Q3, include:
- Pablo Picasso (Q1–Q3 2013 sales: US$233.7 million)
- Zhang Daqian (US$206.6 million)
- Jean-Michel Basquiat (US$169.4 million)
- Qi Baishi (US$168.1 million)
- Andy Warhol (US$143.1 million)
- Gerhard Richter (US$124 million)
- Claude Monet (US$112 million)
- Roy Lichtenstein (US$102.3 million)
- Amadeo Modigliani (US$91.3 million)
- Jackson Pollock (US$79.6 million)
In Q3 (the weakest quarter for auctions) sales were up 20% in the US and 30% in Japan:
Elsewhere, the art market continued to track global financial trends with the United States exhibiting steady growth, while art markets in China and the United Kingdom slowed. Christie’s New York was up 42% in Q3, followed by an 18% growth in value sold at Bonhams. Similar performance was seen across the board, with Heritage Auctions, Freeman’s, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers, and Neal Auction Company showing considerable growth in both volume and value sold in other American cities.
Even with slow economic activity across Europe, successful auctions in Italy, Ireland, and Spain have contributed to Q3 growth, suggesting that the European art market as a whole may be stabilizing.
Several London auction houses are still lagging behind 2012 performance, with the entire UK region down 7% in Q3 2013.
