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?
The same figure also answers the seller's question: which house clears a work like this, and for how much — expected proceeds by house, from the sell-through the rest of this page is built on.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 98 realized prices on this page are locked. A Research Pass reads 50 of them for $19, once — buy a pass | ||||||
| 2015·03 | Girl with a cigar in Washington Square Park, N.Y.C. | $7,000–$10,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·12 | 'national junior interstate dance champions of 1963, yonkers, n. y.' | $200,000–$300,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2014·11 | Tattooed man at a carnival, Md. | $10,958–$14,089 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·11 | Retired man and his wife at home in a nudist camp one morning, N.J. | $18,785–$28,178 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·11 | Identical Twins, Roselle, NJ, 1967 | $49,744–$74,616 | Christie's | |||
| 2014·11 | Three Puertorican Ladies, New York, 1963 | $4,974–$7,462 | Christie's | |||
| 2014·10 | Woman Carrying a Child in Central Park, N.Y.C. | $8,000–$12,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2014·10 | Woman and Her Son, N.Y.C. | $6,000–$8,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2014·10 | Two Ladies at the Automat, N.Y.C. | $20,000–$30,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2014·10 | Woman in her Négligée, N.Y.C. | $6,000–$8,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2014·10 | Charles Atlas | Gelatin silver, printed by Neil Selkirk 1985 | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2014·10 | Two Female Impersonators, Apollo Theater, N.Y.C. | Gelatin silver | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2014·10 | Audience with Projection Booth, N.Y.C., 1958 | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | $3,000–$5,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2014·10 | Groom Kissing His Bride, N.Y.C., 1966 | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | $3,000–$5,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2014·10 | Nancy Bellamy's Bedroom, N.Y.C., 1961 | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2014·10 | Baseball game in Central Park, N.Y.C. | $35,000–$55,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·10 | The Junior Interstate Ballroom Dance Champions, Yonkers, N.Y. | $15,000–$25,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·10 | Two ladies walking in Central Park, N.Y.C. | $10,000–$15,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·10 | Masked woman in wheelchair, P.A. | $10,000–$15,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·10 | Teenage couple on Hudson Street, N.Y.C. | $20,000–$30,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·10 | Lady bartender at home with souvenir dog, New Orleans | $18,000–$22,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·09 | A Family One Evening in a Nudist Camp | $60,000–$80,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2014·09 | 'man at a parade on fifth avenue, n. y. c.' | $8,000–$12,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2014·09 | Boy with a straw hat waiting to march in a pro-war parade, N.Y.C., 1967 | gelatin silver print, printed 1973 by Neil Selkirk | $20,000–$30,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2014·09 | Transvestite at her Birthday Party, N.Y.C., 1969 | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | $5,000–$7,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2014·05 | „Two ladies at the automat, N.Y.C“. 1966 | Gelatin silver print by Neil Selkirk, 1980 | $13,608–$20,412 | Grisebach | ||
| 2014·05 | Brenda Diana Duff Frazier, 1938 Debutante of the Year, at home, 1966 | gelatin silver print | $25,000–$35,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2014·05 | William Mack, sage of the wilderness, N.Y.C. 1961 | gelatin silver print | $10,000–$15,000 | Unsold listing | Christie's | |
| 2014·05 | Young couple on a bench in Washington Square Park, N.Y.C., 1965 | gelatin silver print, printed 1965 - 1967 | $50,000–$70,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2014·05 | Girl with a cigar in Washington Square Park, N.Y.C. 1965 | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | $8,000–$12,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2014·05 | Girl in a beret in Central Park, N.Y.C. 1958 | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | $5,000–$7,000 | Unsold listing | Christie's | |
| 2014·05 | Four English children, Central Park, N.Y.C. 1962 | gelatin silver print, printed between 1962 and 1963 | $15,000–$25,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2014·05 | Two girls with their grandfather in Central Park, N.Y. C. 1962 | gelatin silver print, printed 1962-1964 | $15,000–$25,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2014·05 | 'a woman in a bird mask, n.y.c.', 1967 | $11,879–$15,273 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2014·05 | 'three puerto rican ladies, nyc', 1963 | $8,485–$11,879 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2014·04 | Boy Reading a Magazine, N.Y.C. | Gelatin silver, printed later by Neil Selkirk | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2014·04 | selected images of the ramapo mountain people | $15,000–$25,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2014·04 | Transvestite on a Couch, NYC | $20,000–$30,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2014·04 | 'the human pincushion (1), ronald c. harrison' | $60,000–$90,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2014·04 | 'rocks on wheels, disneyland, cal.' | $10,000–$15,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2014·04 | Stripper, Miss Sata Lyte, in her dressing room with glasses Atlantic City, N.J. | $35,000–$55,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·04 | Burlesque Comedienne in her dressing room, Atlantic City, N.J. | $10,000–$15,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·04 | Tattooed man at a Carnival, M.D. | $12,000–$18,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·04 | Two men dancing at a drag ball, N.Y.C | $6,000–$8,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·04 | Two Ladies at the Automat, NYC | $20,000–$30,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2013·11 | 'russian midget friends in a living room on 100th street, nyc', 1963 | $13,460–$20,190 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2013·11 | 'a woman with pearl necklace and earrings, n.y.c', 1967 | $6,730–$9,422 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2013·11 | Headless Man | Gelatin silver, printed by Neil Selkirk | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2013·11 | Transvestite at a Drag Ball, New York City | Gelatin silver, printed by Neil Selkirk | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2013·10 | Patriotic Young Man with a Flag, N.Y.C. | $7,000–$10,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2013·10 | Germaine Greer, Feminist in Her Hotel Room, N.Y.C. | $10,000–$15,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2013·10 | Germaine Greer, Feminist in Her Hotel Room, N.Y.C. | $8,000–$10,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2013·10 | 'A House on a Hill, Hollywood, Cal.' | $9,000–$12,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2013·10 | Girl in a party dress, N.Y.C. | $6,000–$8,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2013·10 | Patriotic Young Man with a Flag, N.Y.C. | $60,000–$80,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2013·10 | A Young Girl at a Nudist Camp, PA | $6,000–$8,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2013·10 | King and Queen of a senior citizens' dance, N.Y.C. | $60,000–$80,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2013·10 | Burlesque Comedienne in her dressing room, Atlantic City, N.J. | $35,000–$45,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2013·10 | Mae West in a Chair at Home, Santa Monica, Cal. | $7,000–$9,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2013·09 | Girl with a cigar in Washington Square Park, N.Y.C. | $10,000–$15,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2013·05 | „Two Friends at home, N.Y.C.“. 1965 | Gelatin silver print by Neil Selkirk, 1972 | $12,952–$19,428 | Grisebach | ||
| 2013·04 | 'Woman with a Veil on Fifth Avenue, N.Y.C.' | $15,000–$25,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2013·04 | Puerto Rican woman with a beauty mark, N.Y.C., 1965 | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | $15,000–$25,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2013·04 | Triplets in their bedroom, N.J., 1963 | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | $25,000–$35,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2013·04 | A Family on their lawn one Sunday in Westchester, N.Y., 1968, from 'A Box of Ten Photographs' | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | $40,000–$60,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2013·04 | Untitled (6), 1970-1971 | gelatin silver print, printed by Neil Selkirk | $8,000–$12,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2013·04 | Teenage couple on Hudson Street, NYC, 1963 | gelatin silver print, printed later by Neil Selkirk | $15,000–$20,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2013·04 | Lady bartender at home with a souvenir dog, New Orleans | $15,000–$25,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2013·04 | A Flower Girl at a Wedding, Conn. | $30,000–$50,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2013·04 | Triplets in their bedroom, N.J. | $25,000–$35,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2013·04 | Identical Twins Cathleen (l) and Colleen, Roselle, N.J. | $180,000–$220,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2013·03 | Transvestite at a Drag Ball, New York City | Gelatin silver, printed by Neil Selkirk | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2013·03 | Southbay Singles: Couple on a Chaise Lounge | Gelatin silver, printed by Neil Selkirk | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2013·02 | Woman in a Rose Hat, N.Y.C. | gelatin silver print | $6,203–$9,304 | Christie's | ||
| 2013·02 | Patriotic Young Man with a Flag, N.Y.C. | gelatin silver print | $7,754–$10,855 | Christie's | ||
| 2012·12 | 'child with a toy hand grenade in central park, n. y. c' | $50,000–$70,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2012·12 | 'bishop at the altar, santa barbara, cal.' | $10,000–$15,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2012·11 | woman with a briefcase and pocketbook, n.y.c., 1962 | $50,980–$63,725 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2012·11 | waitress, nudist camp, n.j., 1963 | $19,118–$31,862 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2012·11 | Germaine Greer, Feminist in Her Hotel Room, N.Y.C. | $15,000–$20,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2012·11 | Germaine Greer, Feminist in Her Hotel Room, N.Y.C. | $10,000–$15,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2012·10 | 'untitled (23)' | $5,000–$7,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2012·10 | 'girl in a watch cap, nyc' | $15,000–$25,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2012·10 | 'two boys smoking in central park, nyc' | $8,000–$12,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2012·05 | Lady at a masked ball with two roses on her dress, N.Y.C., 1967 | $9,502–$12,669 | Bonhams | |||
| 2012·04 | 'a box of ten photographs' | $400,000–$600,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2012·04 | 'senator eugene mccarthy on election night' | $20,000–$30,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2011·11 | Masked Woman in a Wheelchair, PA | Gelatin silver, 1972 by Neil Selkirk | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2011·11 | teenage couple on hudson street, ny, 1963 | $13,650–$20,475 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2011·10 | Burlesque Comedienne | $20,000–$30,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2011·10 | charlie lucas with giant buck nolan, lady midget margharita and others, hubert's museum, n. y. c. | $15,000–$25,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2011·10 | 'a family one evening in a nudist camp, pa' | $10,000–$15,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2011·10 | 'transvestite at her birthday party, n. y. c.' | $6,000–$9,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2011·10 | 'woman with a veil on fifth avenue, n y c' | $20,000–$30,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2011·10 | Viva at Home | $100,000–$200,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2011·04 | 'patriotic young man with flag, n. y. c.' | $10,000–$15,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2010·11 | lady at a mask ball with two roses on her dress, nyc 1967 | $10,939–$16,409 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2010·10 | 'xmas tree in a living room in levittown, l. i.' | $100,000–$150,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2010·10 | 'topless dancer in her dressing room, san francisco, cal.' | $15,000–$25,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2010·05 | burlesque commedienne in her dressing room, atlantic city, n.j. 1963 | $9,988–$12,842 | Sotheby's | |||
Realized prices are sold by the record: 50 for $19, non-expiring. Reading them at volume is what Starter is for.