Women Artists Lag in Auction Results Despite Strong Sales
In the March 2018 London auctions, only five women artists achieved hammer prices above £1 million: Louise Bourgeois, Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, Marlene Dumas, Yayoi Kusama, and Cecily Brown. Bourgeois's Spider III sold for £4.73 million at Christie's, while Vieira da Silva set a new auction record with L'Incendie I at £2.05 million. Other notable sales include Agnes Martin's Words achieving a record for a work on paper at £788,750, and Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's Politics selling for £273,000 against an estimate of £70,000–90,000. The results highlight the persistent gender disparity in the art market, with women artists still underrepresented at the highest price levels.
Key facts
- Only five women artists sold above £1 million in March 2018 London auctions.
- Louise Bourgeois's Spider III sold for £4.73 million at Christie's.
- Maria Helena Vieira da Silva set a new auction record with L'Incendie I at £2.05 million.
- Marlene Dumas's The Pilgrim sold for £1.75 million at Phillips.
- Yayoi Kusama's Infinity Nets OQ4 sold for £1.27 million at Sotheby's.
- Cecily Brown had two works sell above £1 million: The Homecoming at £1.57 million and A swan comforting a snake at £1.21 million.
- Agnes Martin's Words achieved a record for a work on paper at £788,750.
- Lynette Yiadom-Boakye's Politics sold for £273,000, far exceeding its estimate.
Entities
Artists
- Louise Bourgeois
- Maria Helena Vieira da Silva
- Marlene Dumas
- Yayoi Kusama
- Cecily Brown
- Lynette Yiadom-Boakye
- Agnes Martin
- Vija Celmins
- Sherrie Levine
- Rosemarie Trockel
- Laura Owens
- Sturtevant
- Cindy Sherman
- Elizabeth Peyton
- Carol Rama
Institutions
- Christie's
- Phillips
- Sotheby's
- New Museum
- Kunsthalle Basel
- Biennale di Venezia
- NABA
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- New York
- United States
- Basel
- Switzerland
- Venice
- Italy