Art Nude is Very In - Look at the Sales

  


Welcome to the ArtNet Nude 100, a listing of the top 100 nudes sold at auction worldwide in the past 10 years as determined by ArtNet's unique auction database, Auctions Online.

Our methodology was straightforward. We instructed ArtNet Auctions Online to rank the 1.5 million art works in our database by price, and then selected the nudes from the list. All the usual suspects are there: Picasso, Renoir, Degas, Cézanne -- even de Kooning.

Our purpose is more complex. Why compile the ArtNet Nude 100? Because we never heard of anyone hiding a stack of still-life pictures under their mattress! More seriously, we wanted to begin an investigation into the populist roots of fine art in America -- that is to say, not in the salon but in the saloon. The ArtNet Nude 100 is democratic undertaking, designed for the art tourist. It's an unalloyed pitch for hits.

We hope the ArtNet Nude 100 will draw attention to Auctions Online, which was only recently moved into our Web site. This amazing bit of computer programming is a uniquely independent appraisal tool for people buying or selling art -- in addition to the various uses it also might have during the art world's slow summer months.

Finally, we should note that, despite the changes in the contemporary art world wrought since the 1960s by the feminist revolution, the art market remains -- at least at the high end -- a resolutely patriarchal place. (Readers are encouraged to develop this theme at length on their own; we will not do so here.) At this atavistic level, it seems, the practice of art involves a male artist looking and a female model on display. Quaint though such a picture may be, we still say that portrayal of the nude can approach the sublime. And we hope that this traditional frame can be made to fit the issues of gender psychology that animate so much art practice today.

Before we present the ArtNet Nude 100, however, allow us a few observations.

1. As is probably the case in the art market overall, Picasso is the winner, hands down, taking the top three places. Surprisingly, the #1 and #2 spots are occupied by Le miroir, Picasso's famed 1932 portrait of his lover Marie-Thérèse. Needless to say, this image is not your typical pin-up -- though it is widely considered to be a consummately romantic picture despite its modernistic distortions. Paintings by Picasso -- a total of 15 -- tied with Renoir as the most frequent on the list and Picasso works generated the most money in total sales -- over $105 million. Six Picassos are among the top 20 on the list.





2. Renoir's 15 nudes sold for about $47.5 million, less than half of Picasso's total for the same number of works. Two Renoirs make the top 20. Four Renoir works sold more than once -- Baigneuse sold three times, and Après le Bain, Baigneuse debout and Deux baigneuses each sold twice.





3. Alberto Giacometti's series of standing women appear a number of times in the Nude 100. Grande femme Debout I sold three times, tying with Renoir's Baigneuse and Degas' La toilette -- the three most frequently sold works. Giacometti's Grande femme debout III and Femme debout are also on the list.





4. In addition to Picasso and Renoir, leading purveyors of the nude are Matisse, with 12, and Degas, with 11. Two post-war artists make the ArtNet Nude 100 -- Francis Bacon and Willem de Kooning .





5. Old Masters only make a modest appearance in the Nude 100. Needless to say, masterpieces by such artists as Botticelli or Rubens rarely come up for auction. Titian makes #5, however, and Veronese comes in at #34.





6. Only one nude male figure makes the list, Bourdelle's Herakles Archer (#69, #98). Figure groups by Cézanne (#15, #48) and other artists, however, do include males.





7. The total hammer price of the top 100 is $357,244,861. Although the list includes 100 works, only 32 artists are represented.

The ArtNet Nude 100

arranged according to price

(click on title to view image and auction results)

1	$26,400,000	Pablo Picasso	Le miroir, 1932 Sotheby's New York, 11/15/89
2	$20,022,500	Pablo Picasso	Le miroir, 1932 Christie's New York, 11/7/95
3	$15,400,000	Pablo Picasso	Famille de l'Arlequin, 1905 Christie's New York, 11/14/89
4	$14,850,500	Henri Matisse	La pose hindou, 1923 Sotheby's New York, 5/8/95
5	$13,555,636	Titian	Venus and Adonis, 1555 Christie's London, 12/13/91
6	$12,432,500	Amadeo Modigliani	Nu assis au collier, 1917 Christie's New York, 5/10/95
7	$11,300,000	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Jeune femme se baignant, 1888- Christie's New York, 5/14/97
8	$7,700,000	Fernand Leger	Le petit déjeûner, 1921 Christie's New York, 11/5/91
9	$7,200,000	Pablo Picasso	Demi-nu à la cruche, 1906 Christie's New York, 5/14/97
10	$7,175,027	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Après le bain, 1900 Christie's London, 6/26/89
11	$6,600,000	Edgar Degas	Après le bain (on joined paper), circa 1883- Christie's New York, 11/13/96
12	$6,050,000	Pablo Picasso	Femme nue assise, 1959 Sotheby's New York, 11/10/88
13	$5,500,000	Pablo Picasso	La dormeuse au miroir, 1932 Christie's New York, 11/14/90
14	$4,950,000	Alberto Giacometti	Grande femme debout I, 1960 Christie's New York, 11/14/89
15	$4,628,212	Paul Cézanne	Les cinq baigneurs, 1880-1882 Christie's London, 11/30/92
16	$4,622,500	Pablo Picasso	Femme coucheé à la mèche blonde, 1932 Christie's New York, 5/10/94
17	$4,180,000	Henri Matisse	Figure décorative Sotheby's New York, 5/17/90
18	$3,960,000	Alberto Giacometti	Grande femme debout I, 1960 Christie's New York, 11/14/90
19	$3,900,000	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Baigneuse Debout, 1887 Christie's New York, 5/12/97
20	$3,850,000	Edgar Degas	Femme en peignor bleu, le torse découvert, 1887-1890 Sotheby's New York, 10/18/89
21	$3,680,000	Kees van Dongen	Femme au grand chapeau Sotheby's London, 6/24/97
22	$3,670,051	Henri Matisse	Nu au turban (Henriette), 1921 Christie's London, 6/21/93
23	$3,630,000	Willem de Kooning	Pink Lady, 1944 Sotheby's New York, 5/4/87
24	$3,630,000	Alberto Giacometti	Grande femme debout II, 1960 Christie's New York, 5/12/87
25	$3,613,139	Edgar Degas	Femme à sa toilette, 1895 Christie's London, 11/28/88
26	$3,600,000	Henri Matisse	Odalisque assise, 1929- Christie's New York, 5/14/97
27	$3,460,751	Pierre Bonnard	Nu en hauteur ou femme nue en debout, 1906 Sotheby's London, 11/28/89
28	$3,300,000	Pablo Picasso	Femme à chapeau assise, 1971 Christie's New York, 5/15/90
29	$3,137,966	Marc Chagall	Daphnis and Chloé, -1961 Sotheby's London, 6/26/90
30	$3,116,399	Pablo Picasso	Femme nue accroupie sur fond vert, 1960 Christie's London, 4/2/90
31	$3,080,000	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Après le bain (Etude de Nu), 1910 Christie's New York, 11/14/89
32	$3,080,000	Alberto Giacometti	Grande femme debout I, 1960 Christie's New York, 5/12/87
33	$2,992,688	Henri Matisse	Deux negresses, 1908 Sotheby's London, 4/4/89
34	$2,970,000	Veronese	Cupid Disarmed by Venus Christie's New York, 1/10/90
35	$2,862,500	Edgar Degas	Le bain, femme vue de dos, 1895 Sotheby's New York, 11/8/95
36	$2,828,882	Kees van Dongen	Femme fatale, 1905 Christie's London, 12/3/90
37	$2,828,355	Pablo Picasso	Tête de femme, 1906 Christie's London, 6/26/95
38	$2,811,581	Jean Baptiste Camille Corot	Vénus au Bain, 1873-1874 Sotheby's London, 6/19/90
39	$2,750,000	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Femme nue couchée, 1888 Sotheby's New York, 11/12/90
40	$2,750,000	Gustave Moreau	Le poète et la sirène, 1892-1893 Sotheby's New York, 10/24/89
41	$2,750,000	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Nu assis Sotheby's New York, 11/13/90
42	$2,750,000	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Nu couche (Odaliqsue couché), 1914 Sotheby's New York, 5/17/90
43	$2,587,500	Joachim Anthonisz Wtewael	Diana and Actaeon, 1608- Sotheby's New York, 1/30/97
44	$2,530,000	Alberto Giacometti	Grande femme debout III, 1960 Christie's New York, 5/12/87
45	$2,406,713	Giulio Romano	The Spinola Holy Family Christie's London, 12/9/94
46	$2,369,176	Bartolome-Esteban Murillo	The Vision of St. Francis of Paola, 1665-1670 Sotheby's London, 12/6/89
47	$2,367,500	Edgar Degas	Après le bain (femme nue couchée), 1885 Christie's New York, 11/7/95
48	$2,230,445	Paul Cezanne	Les baigneurs Sotheby's London, 11/27/95
49	$2,200,000	Jean-Leon Gerome	Bathsheba Sotheby's New York, 2/28/90
50	$2,200,000	Pierre Bonnard	Nu rose, tête ombrée, 1919 Sotheby's New York, 10/18/89
51	$2,200,000	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Deux baigneuses, 1896- Christie's New York, 5/10/89
52	$2,200,000	Aristide Maillol	Les trois nymphes, 1930-1937 Sotheby's New York, 11/6/91
53	$2,200,000	Henri Matisse	Nu debout devant la cheminée, 1936 Sotheby's New York, 5/13/92
54	$2,179,218	Pablo Picasso	Femme nue, 1965 Loudmer Scp., 3/25/90
55	$2,092,500	Edgar Degas	La toilette, 1884-1886 Sotheby's New York, 5/11/94
56	$2,090,000	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Baigneuse, 1905- Christie's New York, 5/10/89
57	$1,982,500	Tamara de Lempicka	Adam and Eve, 1932 Christie's New York, 3/3/94
58	$1,982,500	Auguste Rene Francois Rodin	Psyché, regardent l'Amour, 1899 Sotheby's New York, 11/8/95
59	$1,980,000	Alberto Giacometti	Femme debout, 1958 Christie's New York, 11/14/89
60	$1,980,000	Pablo Picasso	Deux femmes nues et tête de femme, 1933 Christie's New York, 11/13/89
61	$1,980,000	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Baigineuse debout, 1896 Sotheby's New York, 5/14/85
62	$1,951,484	Jean Baptiste Camille Corot	Diane au bain-la Source, 1869-1870 Sotheby's London, 11/29/88
63	$1,927,500	Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec	Le lit, 1898 Sotheby's New York, 5/9/95
64	$1,925,000	Rene Magritte	La philosophie dans le boudoir, 1947 Sotheby's New York, 11/13/90
65	$1 872,500	Pablo Picasso	Nu debout et femme assise, 1939 Christie's New York, 5/11/95
66	$1,872,500	Pablo Picasso	Femme dans un fauteuil, 1932 Sotheby's New York, 11/8/95
67	$1,870,000	Willem de Kooning	Two Women IV Christie's New York, 11/9/88
68	$1,842,440	Antonio Lucchese Franchi	Temple of Venus Sotheby's London, 7/5/95
69	$1,760,000	Emile Antoine Bourdelle	Herakles Archer, 1909 Sotheby's New York, 11/15/89
70	$1,760,000	Edgar Degas	Femme à sa toilette, 1897 Christie's New York, 5/8/91
71	$1,730,375	Henri Matisse	Nu aux soliers roses, 1900 Christie's London, 11/27/89
72	$1,707,907	Henri Matisse	La danse Millon & Robert, 11/30/95
73	$1,705,000	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Baigneuse assise vue de profil (Gabrielle), 1913 Christie's New York, 11/11/92
74	$1,703,619	Henri Matisse	Nu rose, 1936 Christie's London, 6/29/87
75	$1,673,418	Edgar Degas	La toilette, 1885 Sotheby's London, 11/27/95
76	$1,652,500	Kees van Dongen	Anita en Alme, 1908 Sotheby's New York, 11/8/95
77	$1,650,000	Odilon Redon	The Birth of Venus, 1912 Sotheby's New York, 5/9/89
78	$1,595,000	Pierre Bonnard	Femme nue, 1925 Sotheby's New York, 11/12/90
79	$1,595,000	Edgar Degas	La toilette, 1883 Sotheby's New York, 11/12/90
80	$1,560,535	Pablo Picasso	Vénus et Amour, 1968 Sotheby's London, 6/25/91
81	$1,542,500	Hendrick Goltzius	The Fall of Man, 1616 Christie's New York, 5/15/96
82	$1,542,500	Henri Matisse	Nu au peignoir, 1933 Christie's New York, 11/7/95
83	$1,501,436	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Baigneuse, 1892-1893 Christie's London, 12/1/86
84	$1,493,973	Jean-Leon Gerome	Un Bain maure (Femme turque au bain), 1874-1877 Christie's London, 11/21/96
85	$1,477,060	Paul Cezanne	Baigneuses, 1902-1906 Christie's London, 6/29/92
86	$1,459,854	Edgar Degas	Jeune danseuse nue, 1878 Christie's London, 11/28/88
87	$1,432,500	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Deux baigneuses, 1896 Christie's New York, 4/30/96
88	$1,432,500	Pablo Picasso	Femme nue à l'oiseau et flûtiste, 1967 Sotheby's New York, 11/4/93
89	$1,432,500	Henri Matisse	Nu au canapé jaune, 1924 Christie's New York, 5/10/94
90	$1,430,000	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Jeune femme décorant une poterie, 1918 Sotheby's New York, 11/15/89
91	$1,430,000	Pierre Auguste Renoir	Baigneuse, 1887 Christie's New York, 5/14/86
92	$1,430,000	Willem de Kooning	Clam Diggers, 1964 Christie's New York, 11/7/89
93	$1,430,000	Henri Matisse	Nu couché I (Aurore), 1907 Christie's New York, 11/19/86
94	$1,394,074	Edgar Degas	Le petit déjeûner après le bain, 1896 Christie's London, 11/28/95
95	$1,377,500	Francis Bacon	Portrait of Henrietta Morales on White Ground, 1964 Sotheby's New York, 5/2/95
96	$1,375,000	Paul Delvaux	La ville endormie, 1938 Christie's New York, 5/8/91
97	$1,366,671	Rene Magritte	Tentative de l'impossible, 1928 Sotheby's London, 6/27/89
98	$1,346,138	Emile Antoine Bourdelle	Herakles Archer, 1909 Ader, Tajan, 6/20/91
99	$1,322,500	Auguste Rene Francois Rodin	La faunesse, 1906 Christie's New York, 5/11/95
100	$1,322,500	Edgar Degas	Baigneuse s'essuyant, 1900 Sotheby's New York, 5/11/94

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