Artnet's Top 100 Living Artists by Auction Sales (2011-2016)

Ahead of Art Basel, Artnet News published two rankings based on auction performance from 2011 to 2016: the top 100 lots by living artists and the top 100 living artists by total sales value. Gerhard Richter dominates both lists, appearing in nearly 50 of the top 100 lots. The highest-priced lot is Jeff Koons' Balloon Dog (Orange) (1994-2000), sold for $58.405 million in New York in 2013, followed by a painting by Cui Ruzhuo. Only one woman, Cady Noland, appears in the top lots (at #87), and the only Italian is Maurizio Cattelan at #41, thanks to the recent $17.189 million sale of Him (2001). In the artist ranking, Richter leads with total sales of $1.207 billion, followed by Jeff Koons and Christopher Wool. Yayoi Kusama is the highest-ranked woman at #6. The oldest artist is Pierre Soulages (b. 1919), the youngest is Tauba Auerbach (b. 1981). Italian artists include Rudolf Stingel (#20), Enrico Castellani (#30), and Michelangelo Pistoletto (#38). The rankings may influence collectors and exhibitors at Art Basel.