Collectors spent a record 1.257 billion CZK on art auctions in the Czech Republic

Josef Čapek: In June (Landscape), 1938

Prague - The turnover of domestic art auctions reached a record this year, exceeding one billion crowns for the first time. According to initial estimates, collectors and investors spent 1.257 billion crowns on art. Jan Skřivánek from the Artplus server, which specializes in the art market, reported this to ČTK. Compared to the previous year, the turnover increased by 331 million crowns, which is a 36 percent increase. In recent years, the year-on-year increase has never exceeded 100 million crowns. This year also surpassed the previous record year of 2013 by more than 300 million, when the turnover of auctions was 943 million crowns.

However, 2016 was record-breaking for the art market in other aspects as well. After three years, the top ten ranking changed significantly, including a new domestic record. A potential buyer would need a record 240 million crowns to purchase the ten most expensive paintings of the year. For the first time, the entire top ten of the most expensive sold works consists of items priced above ten million crowns, with two additional paintings auctioned above this threshold.

The final figure representing last year's turnover may still be refined, Skřivánek stated. Exact figures will be provided in the Artplus yearbook, which its authors will traditionally present at the beginning of next year. The turnover is reported including auction commissions, which are around 20 percent.

František Kupka (1871-1957): Series C I. (Counter-values), 1935, oil on wooden panel, 55x60 cm

The most expensive work of the year is the abstract painting Series C I. (Counter-values) by František Kupka, which sold at the November auction of the Adolf Loos Apartment and Gallery for 62 million crowns, including the auction commission in the price. The achieved price is a new record for Czech auctions and the third highest auction price for Kupka's work on an international scale.

In addition to Kupka, a painting by Oskar Kokoschka and two large canvases by Josef Šíma also made it to the list of the ten most expensive works at Czech auctions. Aside from Kupka and Kokoschka, only one painting, Sleeping by Toyen, has been auctioned for more than 20 million crowns this year, and that was back in 2009.

This year, new authorial records were recorded by gallerists for Šíma, Josef Čapek, Jan Zrzavý, and Antonín Slavíček. In the case of Slavíček, it is also a record in the category of 19th-century art. After six years, he surpassed Jakub Schikaneder, with his painting Contemplation sold for 8.1 million crowns. According to Skřivánek, the tenth place of the baroque painting Judith with the head of Holofernes is also a success. So far in the country, only two works by old masters have been auctioned for more than ten million crowns.

Most expensive sold works at Czech auctions in 2016

Order	Author	Work	Price without commission	Price with commission
1.	František Kupka	Counter-values (Series C I.)	62	62
2.	Oskar Kokoschka	Frogs	36.25	37.7
3.	Josef Šíma	Studio	24	28.8
4.	Josef Šíma	At four o'clock in the afternoon	22	22.88
5.	Antonín Slavíček	On the Bench	15	18
6.	Josef Čapek	In June	14.1	17.512
7.	Jan Zrzavý	Fantastic Landscape	12	14.4
8.	Emil Filla	Reader of Lidové noviny	11.8	14.16
9.	Jan Zrzavý	Field on Ile de Sein II	10.8	12.96
10.	Johannes Spilberg	Judith with the Head of Holofernes	9.4	11.656

(prices are in millions of crowns)