Marlene Dumas' Auction Record Jumps 100% with $13.63m Sale
3 min read · 15 May 2025
Miss January. Image courtesy of Christie's
Marlene Dumas, Miss January (1997) sold for $13.63m, more than the low estimate at Christie's in New York on May 14. The oil on canvas work, consiged by the Rubell family from its collection, had been traded once in the past.
It is the second time one of Marlene Dumas' paintings has been the world's most expensive work of art by a living female artist.
Dumas told The Guardian she had mixed feelings about the sale, which took place in 2008. "It had a strange force. In South Africa, you weren’t proud to be an artist: it felt egocentric," she said. "I was a bit ashamed. The attitude... was: that’s just a drawing."
The visitor. Image courtesy of Sotheby's
The sale beat Dumas' previous auction record by $7.31m, a 100% rise. Her previous record was set by The visitor (1995), which sold for $6.32m at Sotheby's on July 1, 2008. The work had not been traded before.
In 2024, Dumas' The Schoolboys was reportedly sold by David Zwirner at Art Basel in Miami for $9m.
Sale Date | Title | Price | Record Increase | Venue | City |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2025-05-14 | Miss January | $13.63m | 116 % | Christie's | New York |
2008-07-01 | The visitor | $6.32m | 113 % | Sotheby's | London |
2005-02-09 | Teacher | $2.97m | 170 % | Christie's | London |
2004-11-10 | Jule-die vrou | $1.1m | 25 % | Christie's | New York |
2004-05-13 | Young boys | $880,000 | 57 % | Phillips de Pury & Company | New York |
2004-05-11 | Dance | $560,000 | 93 % | Christie's | New York |
2003-11-11 | Wet Dreams | $290,000 | 9 % | Christie's | New York |
2003-06-26 | Feathered Stola | $266,300 | 534 % | Christie's | London |
2002-11-14 | Candle burning | $42,000 | 30 % | Christie's | New York |
1995-11-30 | Magdalena Glorious Venice | $32,400 | - | Sotheby's | Zurich |
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