Artprice presents its 2018 Contemporary Art Market Report ahead of the Frieze and the FIAC: Plus 1,744% turnover growth in 18 years, an 8.1% annual yield

In This Article:

Artprice, founded and presided by thierry Ehrmann, achieves in close collaboration with its Chinese institutional partner the group Artron/AMMA (Art Market Monitor of Artron) founded and presided by WAN Jie, its 21st report.

A full market is now active on 5 continents.

The almost parallel increases over the 12 months to June 2018 in the Contemporary Art Market`s three main indicators (+19% global turnover, +17% lots sold and +18% in the segment`s price index) suggests a very rapid and balanced growth of Contemporary Art sales worldwide.

The average annual financial return, currently +8.1% on Contemporary works, looks very attractive indeed in the context of negative or near-zero rates that erode cash savings.

The Artprice Contemporary Art Market Report 2018, an indispensable tool for anyone attending the big autumn fairs, particularly the Frieze and the Fiac, is available free of charge at the following address:

https://www.artprice.com/artprice-reports/the-contemporary-art-market-report-2018

N.B. for the purposes of our report
Contemporary Art = works created by artists born after 1945
Fine Art = painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, videos, prints, installations
Period analysed: 1 July 2017 - 30 June 2018

The 66,850 transactions hammered over the 12-month period reflect a market of unprecedented intensity. Since 2000/2001, the number of transactions has multiplied 5.5 times. Over the same period, global turnover has risen + 1,744% from $103 million to $1.9 billion. The average price of a Contemporary work has risen from $8,400 at the turn of the 21st century to $28,000 today. Moreover, today`s Contemporary Art Market offers unprecedented diversity: 20,335 artists born after 1945 recorded at least one auction result over the 12 month period, nearly five times more than in 2000/2001 (4,100 Contemporary artists).

According to thierry Ehrmann, Artprice`s founder and CEO, "We have had a period of restructuring that lasted roughly three years; but the Contemporary Art Market is now back on a much stronger footing. Although prices are indeed rising again, there is a much broader supply that allows a better selection of works. and the perfectly stable unsold rate, at 39%, guarantees a balanced market."

The United Kingdom ($545 million) and mainland China ($298 million) both posted excellent turnover totals, up 55% and 15% respectively. On the other hand, the USA posted a 13% contraction versus the year-earlier period that was boosted by the exceptional record of $110.5 million for Jean-Michel Basquiat`s Untitled (1984).