American, 1923–1971
Diane Arbus
811results on record
74%sell-through
$12,500median result (USD, incl. premium; 100% observed, 0% estimated from hammer)
$1,197,000record in our coverage
Drawn from 811 recorded results (697 sold · 114 passed) across 12 auction houses, 1998–2026. 8 upcoming lots on the ledger. What we cover
Median sold price by year typical estimate range median result USD, incl. premium; 100% observed, 0% estimated from hammer method · log scale
Where does a value land in this market?
Every sold result for this market, low to high (log scale) — the dashed line is the median. Enter a value to see where it lands.
By medium where medium is recorded or stated in the catalog line
| Medium | Results | Sell-through | Median result (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| photography | 438 | 84% | $13,750 |
| ceramics & design | 22 | 77% | $11,400 |
| other | 10 | 80% | $132,000 |
| prints | 4 | 75% | $1,750 |
| painting | 3 | n/a | $9,560 |
Medium is recorded for 477 of 811 results (59%) — rows above cover that subset; the rest of the record is in the full ledger below.
Compared with Irving Penn Diane Arbus Irving Penn
| Metric | Diane Arbus | Irving Penn |
|---|---|---|
| Median result | $12,500 | $28,800 |
| Record price | $1,197,000 | $567,600 |
| Results on record | 811 | 1,559 |
| Years active at auction | 1998–2026 | 1998–2026 |
Related artists: Irving PennRobert MapplethorpeHenri Cartier-bressonAnsel Adams
Market strength liquidity score, 0–100 · method
68/ 100
- Sell-through74%
- Meets estimate48%
- Market depth811 results
How readily and near-estimate this market clears — sell-through, estimate reliability, and depth, blended into one score. "Meets estimate" is the share of sold lots hammering at or above the low estimate, over catalogs that print a real appraisal: a house whose printed low is a starting bid would meet its estimate on every lot, so those lots are excluded from this term only — their prices and outcomes still count in the other two. Method →
Where this artist sells best
| House | Results | Sell-through | Median | vs. estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christie's | 245 | 95% | $13,750 | — |
| Sotheby's | 246 | 72% | $15,625 | 0.78× |
| Phillips | 196 | 77% | $13,380 | — |
| Heritage Auctions | 39 | 87% | $4,375 | — |
| Bonhams | 51 | 45% | $8,320 | 0.78× |
| Grisebach | 16 | — | $8,401 | — |
| Lempertz | 9 | 100% | $4,435 | — |
| Rago | 5 | 100% | $4,064 | — |
| Wright | 4 | 75% | $6,250 | — |
| Viscontea auction house | 2 | 50% | $1,641 | 0.57× |
| SBI Art Auction | 1 | 0% | — | — |
| Finarte | 2 | 0% | — | — |
The same artist across every house we cover — hammer-vs-estimate side by side. A dash in the estimate column can mean withheld rather than unpublished: the house publishes no hammer price, or its printed low is a starting bid rather than an appraisal. Method →
Prices realized 824 recorded lots — sold, passed, and upcoming — results in USD incl. premium; est. marks a premium estimated from the house's schedule ✓ Includes 114 passed lots
| Date | Lot | Medium | vs. estimate | Estimate USD | Result USD, incl. premium | House |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 97 realized prices on this page are locked. A Research Pass reads 50 of them for $39, once — buy a pass | ||||||
| 2024·07 | Anderson Hayes Cooper | $5,000–$7,000 | Rago | |||
| 2024·07 | Bishop at the Altar, Santa Barbara, Cal. | $5,000–$7,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·07 | The Junior Interstate Ballroom Dance Champions, Yonkers, N.Y | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·07 | Xmas tree in a living room in Levittown, L.I. | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·06 | A Crying Child, New Jersey | Gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·05 | James Brown backstage at the Apollo theater, N.Y.C. | $6,742–$9,438 | Phillips | |||
| 2024·05 | Russian Midget Friends in a Living Room on 100th St, NYC | $6,742–$9,438 | Phillips | |||
| 2024·05 | Identical twins, (Cathleen and Colleen), Roselle, New Jersey, 1966 | gelatin silver print | $800,000–$1,200,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2024·04 | The Junior Interstate Ballroom Champions, Yonkers, New York | Gelatin silver print, printed by Neil Selkirk, 1972 | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·04 | A Flower Girl at a Wedding, Conn. | $10,000–$15,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·04 | Untitled (8) | $10,000–$15,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·04 | A Family One Evening in a Nudist Camp, PA | $6,000–$9,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·04 | A Widow in Her Bedroom on 55th St., NYC, 1963 | $7,000–$10,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·04 | 'Family On The Lawn One Sunday In Westchester, N.Y.' | $80,000–$100,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·04 | A child crying, N.J. | $5,000–$7,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2024·04 | Woman on a park bench on a sunny day, N.Y.C. | $6,000–$8,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2024·04 | Young couple on a bench in Washington Square Park, N.Y.C. | $12,000–$18,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2024·03 | Anderson Hays Cooper | $5,000–$7,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·03 | The Junior Interstate Ballroom Dance Champions, Yonkers, NY | $8,000–$12,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·02 | Topless Dancer in Her Dressing Room, San Francisco, Cal. | $8,000–$12,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·02 | Young Waitress at a Nudist Camp, NJ | $8,000–$12,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·02 | Two girls on the Beach Coney Island, NY, 1958 | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | $5,000–$7,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2024·02 | Triplets in their bedroom, NJ, 1963 | gelatin silver print | $30,000–$50,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2023·11 | Puerto Rican Woman with a Beauty Mark, N.Y.C. | $40,000–$60,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2023·10 | Couple arguing, Coney Island, N.Y. | $7,000–$9,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·10 | Anderson Hays Cooper, N.Y.C. | $6,000–$8,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·10 | Woman at counter smoking, N.Y.C. | $10,000–$15,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·10 | Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus in their living room, Albion, N.Y. | $6,000–$8,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·10 | A House on a Hill, Hollywood, CA | $10,000–$15,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·10 | Boy with a straw hat waiting to march in a pro-war parade, N.Y.C. | $80,000–$120,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·10 | Germaine Greer | $6,000–$9,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·07 | Blonde girl, Washington Square Park, N.Y.C, 1965 | gelatin silver print | $20,000–$30,000 | upcoming | Christie's | |
| 2023·07 | Germaine Greer | $10,000–$15,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·06 | Portfolio 12 Heliogravure | $2,077–$2,769 | Viscontea auction house | |||
| 2023·06 | Patriotic Young Man with a Flag, N.Y.C. | $9,438–$13,483 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2023·05 | A widow in her bedroom, N.Y.C. | $33,708–$47,192 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·05 | Woman with eyeliner, N.Y.C. | $8,090–$10,787 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·05 | Mia Villiers-Farrow on a Bed | $5,393–$8,090 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·05 | Elizabeth Taylor look-alike reclining on a bed, London, England | $26,967–$40,450 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·05 | Puerto Rican woman with a beauty mark, N.Y.C. | $10,787–$16,180 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·05 | A woman passing on the street, N.Y.C. | $8,090–$10,787 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·05 | A box of ten photographs | $900,000–$1,200,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2023·05 | Teenage couple on Hudson Street, N.Y.C. 1963 | gelatin silver print | $150,000–$250,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2023·04 | 'Couple Arguing, Coney Island, N. Y.' | $5,393–$8,090 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2023·04 | 'A Naked Man Being A Woman, N.Y.C.' | $6,742–$9,438 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2023·04 | Girl with a Cigar in Washington Square Park, N. Y. C. | $30,000–$50,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2023·04 | Anderson Hays Cooper | $6,000–$9,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2023·04 | Identical twins, Roselle, N.J. | $150,000–$250,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·04 | Untitled (14) | $7,000–$9,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·04 | Woman with Parcels, N.Y.C. | $6,000–$8,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·04 | Boy with a straw hat waiting to march in a pro-war parade, N.Y.C. | $12,000–$18,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·04 | Laughing Woman in a Feather Mask, N.Y.C. | $8,000–$12,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·04 | Young man on a sofa, N.Y.C. | $8,000–$12,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·04 | The Junior Interstate Ballroom Dance Champions, Yonkers, N.Y. | $15,000–$25,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·04 | A family one evening in a nudist camp, Pa. | $30,000–$50,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·04 | Claes and Patty Oldenburg | Toned gelatin silver print on Agfa paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2023·04 | Frank Stella | Toned gelatin silver print on Agfa paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2023·04 | Marcella and Leslie Matthaei standing in front of a window | $6,000–$8,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·02 | "Couple in a Pier, N.y.c., 1963" | $8,077–$11,539 | Viscontea auction house | |||
| 2023·01 | Female Impersonators in Mirror, NYE, 1958 | $2,500–$3,500 | Wright | |||
| 2022·11 | Young Couple in Washington Square Park, N.Y.C. | $10,787–$16,180 | Phillips | |||
| 2022·11 | Lady on a bus, N.Y.C. | $6,742–$9,438 | Phillips | |||
| 2022·11 | Woman in a Floppy Hat, N.Y.C. | $9,438–$12,135 | Phillips | |||
| 2022·10 | Untitled (8) | $12,000–$18,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2022·10 | Girl in her circus costume, Md. | $7,000–$9,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2022·10 | A Flower Girl at a Wedding, Conn. | $10,000–$15,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2022·10 | Miss Mary King and her dog, Troubles, Carnival, Maryland | $25,000–$35,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2022·10 | Topless Dancer In Her Dressing Room, San Francisco, Cal. | $8,000–$12,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2022·10 | Tattooed Man at a Carnival, MD. | $10,000–$15,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2022·10 | Lady Bartender At Home With Souvenir Dog, New Orleans, LA | $50,000–$70,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2022·10 | A Child Crying, N.J. | Gelatin silver print on Agfa paper, printed later by Neil Selkirk | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2022·10 | Midget in His Bedroom | Gelatin silver print on Agfa paper, printed later by Neil Selkirk | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2022·10 | Girl in a Shiny Dress, New York City | Gelatin silver print on Agfa paper, printed later by Neil Selkirk | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2022·10 | Untitled (3) | $6,000–$9,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2022·10 | Two girls with their grandfather in Central Park, N.Y. C., 1962 | gelatin silver print, printed 1962-1964 | $20,000–$30,000 | upcoming | Christie's | |
| 2022·10 | Child running in park, N.Y.C., 1959 | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | $6,000–$8,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2022·07 | A Very Thin Man in Central Park, N.Y.C. | $3,000–$5,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2022·06 | Untitled (6). 1970/71 | Gelatin silver print by Neil Selkirk | $8,077–$10,385 | Grisebach | ||
| 2022·06 | Two Girls in matching Bathing Suits, Coney Island, N.Y. 1967 | Gelatin silver print by Neil Selkirk | $5,770–$8,077 | Grisebach | ||
| 2022·05 | Untitled (I) | $6,742–$9,438 | Phillips | |||
| 2022·05 | Michael Pollard, N.Y.C. | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2022·05 | Russian Midget Friends in a Living Room on 100th Street, New York City | Gelatin silver print on Agfa paper, printed later by Neil Selkirk | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2022·05 | Marcello Mastroianni in his Hotel Room, NYC | $20,225–$26,967 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2022·05 | Identical twins, Roselle, N. J. | $500,000–$700,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2022·04 | Woman in Three-Quarter Coat on a Path, Central Park, N. Y. C. | $10,000–$15,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2022·04 | 'Family on Lawn One Sunday in Westchester, N.Y.' | $150,000–$250,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2022·04 | Girl with a Cigar in Washington Square Park, N. Y. C. | $30,000–$50,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2022·04 | Four English Children, Central Park, N. Y. C. | $15,000–$25,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2022·04 | 'Boy with a Straw Hat Waiting to March in a Pro-War Parade, N. Y. C.' | $20,000–$30,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2022·04 | 'Girl in a Beret in Central Park, N. Y. C.' | $5,000–$7,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2022·04 | 'Girl in a Watch Cap, N. Y. C.' | $12,000–$18,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2022·04 | Man and a Boy on a Bench in Central Park, N. Y. C. | $20,000–$30,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2022·04 | A flower girl at a wedding, Conn. | $18,000–$22,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2022·04 | Untitled (8), 1970-1971 | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | $12,000–$18,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2022·04 | Untitled (26), 1970-1971 | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Sellkirk | $7,000–$9,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2022·04 | Audience with projection booth, N.Y.C., 1958 | gelatin silver print, flush-mounted on board, mounted on mat | $15,000–$20,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2022·04 | Man in the audience, N.Y.C., 1957 | gelatin silver print | $15,000–$20,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2022·04 | 42nd street movie theater audience, N.Y.C., 1958 | gelatin silver print, flush-mounted on board, mounted on secondary board | $25,000–$35,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2022·04 | Untitled (21), 1970-1971 | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | $7,000–$9,000 | upcoming | Christie's | |
| 2022·04 | Teenager with a baseball bat, N.Y.C., 1962 | gelatin silver print | $15,000–$20,000 | Christie's | ||
Realized prices are sold by the record: 50 for $39, non-expiring. Reading them at volume is what Starter is for.