Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0 1.0Pages in this section
2024 rankingThe ten biggest sales of 2024, work by work: price, segment, auction house and context.›
Earlier rankingsThe best sales of past years: 2020 to 2023, records and change in entry thresholds.›
By auction houseWhich auction houses achieve the biggest sales? Breakdown of the top 10 and of volumes by house, in 2024.›
Ten works, €385 million
The ten biggest sales of 2024 total €385.2 million. Crépuscule sur la Neva tops the ranking at €74.3 million, followed by Jardin de pierres noires (€61.8M) and Falaises d'Étretat (€52.1M).
The ranking of the biggest sales is one of the Observatory's most followed figures. It rests on the hammer price, fees included, of works sold at public auction and of declared private sales.
Three pages detail the subject: the 2024 ranking, the earlier rankings and the breakdown by auction house.
The top 10 in figures
Source: OIMAP Observatory, 2024.
The first five sales of 2024
| Rank | Work | Segment | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crépuscule sur la Neva | Painting, 19th century | €74.3M |
| 2 | Jardin de pierres noires | Contemporary art | €61.8M |
| 3 | Falaises d'Étretat | Painting, 19th century | €52.1M |
| 4 | Royal Songye Mask | Tribal art | €38.7M |
| 5 | Nature morte aux grenades | Old masters | €34.2M |
What the ranking says
The 2024 ranking is dominated by painting: six works out of ten, including two on the podium. Contemporary art places two works, tribal art one, sculpture one. Furniture makes an appearance with the Bureau de la Régence, at €27.9 million.
The most significant point lies elsewhere: all ten works had a certificate of authenticity and verified provenance before the sale. Buyers' trust expressed itself on the best-documented works.
How the ranking is established
The ranking is based on the total price paid by the buyer, fees included, converted into euros at the rate on the day of sale. Private sales enter the ranking only if the amount has been declared to an approved operator.
Lots made up of several works are excluded, as are sales between related parties. Works resold during the year appear only once, at the highest price.
Successive records
- €61M
A 19th-century landscape.
- €68M
A modern canvas.
- €66M
A Dutch still life.
- €71M
A contemporary work.
- €74.3M
Crépuscule sur la Neva.
A record is not a market value
Public sale or private sale
Public sale
Open auction- Known and verifiable price
- Competition between buyers
- Visibility of the ranking
7 of the 10 sales.
Private sale
Discreet negotiation- Price declared to the Observatory
- Little publicity
- Often carried by a gallery
3 of the 10 sales.
For a sale to appear in the ranking
An auctioneer
« A record is prepared years in advance: expert examination, provenance, exhibition. The day of the sale is only the culmination. »
Vocabulary of the ranking
- Hammer price
- Price at which a lot is awarded at auction.
- Fees included
- Price including the buyer's commission.
- Composite lot
- Lot grouping several works.
- Linked sale
- Transaction between related parties.
Frequently asked questions
Do private sales count?
Yes, if they are declared to an approved operator.
Do the prices include fees?
Yes, the ranking is established fees included.
Where can I find rankings from before 2024?
On the earlier rankings page.
Are the buyers known?
No, their identity is never published.
Useful documents
Contacts
Related pages
2024 rankingThe ten biggest sales of 2024, work by work: price, segment, auction house and context.›
Earlier rankingsThe best sales of past years: 2020 to 2023, records and change in entry thresholds.›
By auction houseWhich auction houses achieve the biggest sales? Breakdown of the top 10 and of volumes by house, in 2024.›
See the 2024 ranking
Image credits (19)
- Marie-Yolande de Fitz-James, Henri Fantin-Latour (1867) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- The Lock at Pontoise, Camille Pissarro (1872) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Still Life with Sweets, Juan van der Hamen y Léon (1622) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Study for "A Sunday on La Grande Jatte", Georges Seurat (1884) — The Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Portrait of a Woman, Anna Claypoole Peale (1820) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Nymphs and a Satyr (Amor Vincit Omnia), Nicolas Poussin (c. 1625–27) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Brooch (c. 1890–1910) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Still Life with Vegetables, Partridge, and a Jug, Adolphe-Félix Cals (1858) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- The Auction House: The Town Crier, Honoré Daumier (1864, printed 1920) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Scenes of Witchcraft: Morning, Salvator Rosa (c. 1645–49) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Portrait of a Man, Possibly Sir Soulden Lawrence, John I Smart (1770) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Nini in the Garden (Nini Lopez), Auguste Renoir (1876) — The Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Plaque (c. 500–200 BCE) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Seascape with Open Sky, Eugène Boudin (1860) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- The Doge's Palace, Venice, Richard Parkes Bonington (1826) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Portrait Head of a Noble or Official (175–200 CE) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Portrait of a Man, Louis Lafitte (1793) — The Metropolitan Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- Portrait Bust of a Man (27 BCE–14 CE) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0
- An Old Clothes Shop, Seven Dials, John Thomson (1877) — Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 1.0