From Hirst to Hockney, Banksy to Basquiat, explore the record-breaking auction results for some of the art world’s most recognisable and iconic artists, all of which are sold at Extraordinary Objects.

David Hockney

‘Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)’ - $90 million
Christie’s - New York

Sold following a 10-minute battle between two bidders via telephone ‘Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures)’ sold for $90 million in 2018 - making it the most expensive work sold at auction by a living artist. The sale overtook Jeff Koon’s 2013 sale of stainless steel Balloon Dog (Orange) which sold for $58m.

Tracey Emin

‘My Bed’ - £2.5 million
Christie’s - London

My Bed, which documents the artist's traumatic relationship breakdown, sold for £2.54m at Christie's auction house in 2014. The installation was made in Emin's Waterloo council flat in 1998 and is referred to by the artist as an unconventional and uncompromising self-portrait though objects.

‘Like A Cloud of Blood’ - £2.3 million
Christie’s - London

Achieving a remarkable price of £2.3 million at Christie's 20th/21st Century Evening Auction in October 2022, Tracey Emin's Like A Cloud Of Blood (2022) soared well above double its estimated value. The work was auctioned in aid of Emin’s ‘TKE Studios’ and fund would be allocated to support the establishment of the creative space and studios for emerging artists.

Jean-Michel Basquiat

‘Untitled’ - $110.5 million
Sotheby's - New York

Part of the rarefied $100 million-plus club, Jean-Michel Basquiat’s 1982 painting of a skull sold for $110.5 million and became (at the time) the sixth most expensive work ever sold at auction.

Jeffrey Deitch referred to Basquiat as now being “ in the same league as Francis Bacon and Pablo Picasso”. The work was purchased by Chinese billionaire Yusaka Maezawa who had previously set an auction record for another Basquiat work, paying $57.3 million for the artist’s large 1982 painting of a horned devil.

Banksy

Image Credit: Getty Images for Sotheby's

‘Love Is In The Bin’ - £18.5 million
Sotheby’s - London

The first artwork ever to be created at auction Banksy’s ‘Love Is In The Bin’ sold at Sotheby’s auction house for £18.5 million in 2018, the same auction house the work was created in. Described by BBC journalist James Peak as the “preeminent artwork of the 21st century” the artwork had previously sold in 2018 at the same auction house where it was famously shredded.

Bridget Riley

'Gala' - £3.5 million
Christie's - London

Sold during the 2022 Modern British Art Evening Sale at Christie's London, Gala significantly exceeded its estimate of £3.5 million, hammering an impressive £4.4 million and setting a new auction record for Riley. Replicating the dynamic flow of a rippling prismatic surface, Painted in Riley's Gala (1974) is a striking visual experiment by Riley that represents the height of the Op Art movement.

The Connor Brothers

‘Old Behaviour’ - £47,880
Phillip’s - London

The Connor Brothers set their record in 2022 with ‘Old Behaviour’, one of their most recent pieces. The piece hammered for £47,880 at Phillips' 20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale, despite a low estimate of £8,000. The evocative painting represents a significant shift from The Connor Brothers' work influenced by pulp fiction and exemplifies the revitalised style they created during the country's lockdown.

David Shrigley

‘Memorial’ - $160,000
Sotheby’s - New York

David Shrigley broke his auction record in February 2023 with Memorial, a five-meter monument with typical engravings of a shopping list that resembles a war memorial. In order to create the most commonplace everyday products, Shrigley asked his friends to gather their shopping lists, which he then cut down to include less 'posh' items. Memorial was a public art project that showcased his talent for making interesting, site-specific art that appeals to a wide range of viewers and benefits the neighbourhood. The artwork sold for $160,000 at Sotheby’s New York

Grayson Perry

‘I Want To Be An Artist’ - $632,750
Christie’s - London

Grayson Perry's 1996 work, I Want To Be An Artist, is a colourful and very personal addition to his ceramic vase series. It honours two of Perry's favourite American painters, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, who are shown on opposite sides of the vase. Perry incorporates little symbols that are representative of each artist's work through a visual tribute. The work sold for £632,750, smashing it’s pre-auction estimate of £60,000-80,000.

Damien Hirst

'The Golden Calf' - £10.3 million
Sotheby's - London

Now the richest living British artist, Damien Hirst has set numerous auction records. The infamous Damien Hirst piece ‘The Golden Calf’ sold for £10.3 million GBP at Sotheby's in 2018—making it his most expensive artwork to ever be sold at auction. The bull calf had solid 18-carat hooves, horns, and a golden disc dangling from its head attached and was then placed in a formaldehyde solution.

Gilbert and George

'To Her Majesty' - £1.88 million
Christie's - London

Completed in 1973, To Her Majesty is one of the first photographs in a series of pieces by the self-described "living sculptures," Gilbert & George. It is composed of a sequence of black and white photos, reminiscent of the inseparable pair's many drinking sessions in the early 1970s. The work sold at Christie’s Post War and Contemporary Sale in 2008 for £1.88 million.

Invader

'TK_119 (Astroboy)' - $1.22 million
Sotheby's - New York

Tk_119 (Astroboy) created in 2014 is a graphic homage to the classic Japanese manga series, and realised a total of US$1,220,000 in November 2019 at Sotheby's New York, smashing its auction estimate. Using the common tile as his characteristic medium, the work of Parisian street artist and mosaic king Invader is an instantly recognised appropriation of contemporary visual culture.

Jenny Holzer

'Arno Pair' - $1.56 million
Christie's - New York

Executed in 2010, his pair of curved Carrara White marble benches named ‘Arno Pair’ became Jenny Holzer’s highest auction result in 2022 after being sold at the Post-War and Contemporary Sale at Christie’s.

Harland Miller

'Murder, We've All Done It' - £325,000
Christie’s - London

Murder - We've All Done, a special edition dust jacket format that features the artist's usual inspiration, is in keeping with Miller's Penguin Classics dust jacket series. Naturally, the clever language caught attention at Christie's London in 2021 where it sold for £325,000.

Ai Weiwei

'Circle of Heads' - £3.4 million
Phillip's - London

Circle of Animals by AI Weiwei captures the fusion of many creative and cultural influences. These sculptures, which depict the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, were initially commissioned by Emperor Qianlong and were inspired by artworks from Beijing's Old Summer Palace from the 18th century. This work holds Ai's highest auction record, having been sold for £3,442,500 at Phillips London in June 2015.

Keith Haring

'Untitled' - $6.5 million
Sotheby's - New York

A new auction record for Haring was set in May 2017 when Untitled (1982) sold for over £5 million at Sotheby's Contemporary Art Evening Auction. Haring's key style is present in this work, with his cartoon characters, dogs, street art aesthetics, and a potent political statement. The piece, which draws inspiration from the tensions between youth culture and state authority, powerfully depicts the fight between life and death as well as good and evil—themes that were extremely important to Haring and drove his creative vision throughout his career.

José Parlá

'Writers Bench' - $224,000
Phillip's - Hong Kong

José Parlá's Writer's Bench is a significant piece within his broader body of work, it specifically references a historical location in New York City, known as the "Writer's Bench," where graffiti artists in the 1970s and 1980s would gather to share ideas, sketch, and collaborate. In June 2022, Parlá’s auction record was smashed when the work sold for $224,723 at Phillip’s Hong Kong as part of their 20th Century and Contemporary Art.

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Our Artist's Highest Auction Records