Ahead of the major fall sales, September lacked fireworks, but provided some sturdy results for mainstays across international auction houses. Sotheby’s tapped actor Robert Pattinson of fame for its latest Contemporary Curated sale, and three of his selections made the month’s top lots list. Willem de Kooning’s Untitled abstract work from around 1964 fetched double its high estimate to bring in $4 million, Vija Celmins’s hypperrealistic brought in $1.9 million; and Warhol’s landed within its estimate at $1.4 million.
Elsewhere, newly-minted market star Ernie Barnes’s delightfully raucous (1993) brought in more than $1.6 million, well over its $500,000 to $700,000 estimate. Tyreb Mehta has once again landed among the top lots of the month, this time for ; and as always, Yayoi Kusama’s pumpkins and infinity nets made the cut.
Below, see the full list of the top 15 most expensive works sold at auction in September, courtesy of Artnet’s Price Database.
1. Wen Jia,
Estimate: 12 million to 18 million CNY ($1.7 million to $2.5 million)
Final Price: 28.2 million CNY ($3.9 million)
Where & When: Holly’s International Auctions Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, China, September 23, 2022
2. Willem de Kooning, (ca. 1964)
Estimate: $1.8 million to $2.5 million
Final Price: $4.16 million
Where & When: Sotheby’s New York, September 30, 2022
3. Tyreb Mehta, (1973)
Estimate: INR 210 million to INR 260 million ($2.6 million to $3.2 million)
Final Price: INR 253 million ($3.09 million)
Where & When: AstaGurua, Mumbai, September 26, 2022
4. Vija Celmins, (1966-67)
Estimate: $800,000 to $1.2 million
Final Price: $1.9 million
Where & When: Sotheby’s New York, September 30, 2022
5. Yayoi Kusama, (2008)
Estimate: JPY 180 million to JPY 280 million ($1.26 million to $1.9 million)
Final Price: JPY 257.7 million ($1.8 million)
Where & When: New Art Est-Ouest Auctions, Tokyo, September 24, 2022
6. Rufino Tamayo, (1981)
Estimate: $1.5 million to $2 million
Final Price: $1.74 million
Where & When: Christie’s New York, September 30, 2022
7. Xiao Huirong, (2020)
Estimate: CNY 6 million to CNY 8 million ($842,459 to $1.1 million)
Final Price: CNY 9.8 million ($1.64 million)
Where & When: Holly’s International Auctions Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, China, September 24, 2022
8. Yayoi Kusama, (2004)
Estimate: KRW 1,900,000,000 to KRW 3,000,000,000 ($1.3 million to $2.1 million)
Final Price: KRW 1,950,000,000 ($1.63 million)
Where & When: Seoul Auction, Seoul, September 27, 2022
9. Ernie Barnes, (1993)
Estimate: $500,000 to $700,000
Final Price: $1.62 million
Where & When: Bonham’s New York, September 9, 2022
10. Frederick Ronald Williams, (1968-69)
Estimate: AUD 1.6 million to AUD 2 million ($1.08 to $1.3 million)
Final Price: AUD 2.33 million ($1.57 million)
Where & When: Deutscher and Hackett, South Yarra, Australia, September 14, 2022
11. Francis Newton Souza, (1957)
Estimate: $1.02 million to $1.5 million
Final Price: $1.5 million
Where & When: Saffronart New York, September 17, 2022
12. Andy Warhol, (1986)
Estimate: $1.2 million to $1.8 million
Final Price: $1.4 million
Where & When: Sotheby’s New York, September 30, 2022
13. Dirck van Baburen, (ca. 1621)
Estimate: CHF 500,000 to CHF 800,000 ($509,476 to $815,162)
Final Price: CHF 1.4 million ($1.433 million)
Where & When: Koller Auktion, Zurich, September 23, 2022
14. Colin McCahon(1982)
Estimate: NZD 1.5 million to NZD 2.5 million ($898,472 to $1.5 million)
Final Price: NZD 2.39 million ($1.431 million)
Where & When: Webb’s Auckland, New Zealand, September 18, 2022
15. Leonora Carrington, (1960)
Estimate: $1 million to $1.5 million
Final Price: $1.13 million
Where & When: Christie’s New York, September 30, 2022