Swiss/American, 1907–1984
Herbert Matter
116results on record
77%sell-through
$1,188median result (USD, incl. premium; 100% observed, 0% estimated from hammer)
$14,446record in our coverage
Drawn from 116 recorded results (93 sold · 23 passed) across 8 auction houses, 1998–2026. 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 | 35 | 67% | $1,895 |
| ceramics & design | 8 | 88% | $1,680 |
| works on paper | 4 | 75% | $882 |
| prints | 4 | 100% | $2,112 |
Medium is recorded for 51 of 116 results (44%) — rows above cover that subset; the rest of the record is in the full ledger below.
Compared with Harry Bertoia Herbert Matter Harry Bertoia
| Metric | Herbert Matter | Harry Bertoia |
|---|---|---|
| Median result | $1,188 | $18,750 |
| Record price | $14,446 | $1,943,900 |
| Results on record | 116 | 1,828 |
| Years active at auction | 1998–2026 | 1998–2026 |
Related artists: Harry BertoiaHenri Cartier-bressonBerenice AbbottAndy Warhol
Market strength liquidity score, 0–100 · method
74/ 100
- Sell-through77%
- Meets estimate60%
- Market depth116 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wright | 36 | 83% | $952 | — |
| Rago | 33 | 88% | $960 | — |
| Christie's | 12 | — | $3,720 | — |
| Bonhams | 13 | 69% | $2,550 | 0.80× |
| Grisebach | 5 | — | $3,522 | — |
| Lempertz | 8 | 50% | $2,660 | — |
| Sotheby's | 2 | 100% | $2,875 | 0.67× |
| Heritage Auctions | 7 | 29% | $644 | — |
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 116 recorded lots — sold, passed, and upcoming — results in USD incl. premium; est. marks a premium estimated from the house's schedule ✓ Includes 23 passed lots
| Date | Lot | Medium | vs. estimate | Estimate USD | Result USD, incl. premium | House |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 realized prices on this page are locked. A Research Pass reads 50 of them for $19, once — buy a pass | ||||||
| 2026·04 | Alberto Giacometti Sculptures (3 works) | Gelatin silver prints | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·11 | Nude on Beach, Provincetown | $800–$1,200 | Rago | |||
| 2025·03 | Louisa and Alexander Calder, Roxbury, Conn. | $500–$700 | Rago | |||
| 2024·12 | Four works | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2024·11 | Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York | $1,000–$1,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·09 | Untitled (three works) | $1,200–$1,800 | Rago | |||
| 2024·09 | Untitled (Painting of a Man) | $700–$900 | Rago | |||
| 2024·07 | Untitled (two works) | $800–$1,200 | Wright | |||
| 2024·06 | Untitled (three works) | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2024·05 | Untitled (three works) | $1,500–$2,500 | Wright | |||
| 2024·04 | Untitled (Woman with Beads) | $800–$1,200 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·03 | Untitled (four works) | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2024·03 | Untitled (Lightbulbs); Eames and Saarinen, Case Study House (two works) | $1,000–$1,500 | Rago | |||
| 2024·02 | Untitled (Giacometti) (two works) | $1,000–$1,500 | Wright | |||
| 2023·12 | Morning Star, Roxbury (from the Calder by Matter portfolio) | $600–$800 | Rago | |||
| 2023·12 | Two works | $1,000–$1,500 | Rago | |||
| 2023·12 | Hands in Movement | $700–$900 | Rago | |||
| 2023·12 | Cabbage (solarized) | $2,000–$2,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·12 | Untitled (Photogram) | $1,500–$2,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·12 | Untitled (Woman with Beads) | $1,200–$1,800 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·11 | Hi! c. 1928 (from Calder by Matter) | $600–$800 | Rago | |||
| 2023·10 | Untitled (three works) | $1,500–$2,500 | Wright | |||
| 2023·10 | Grill. c. 1935 (from Calder by Matter) | $600–$800 | Wright | |||
| 2023·10 | Untitled (Biomorphic Photogram) | $2,000–$3,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·10 | Untitled (Photogram of Pins) | $2,000–$3,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·10 | Mercedes Matter | $1,500–$2,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·09 | Calder with Mobile (for the Hotel Avila) (from the Calder by Matter portfolio) | $600–$800 | Rago | |||
| 2023·08 | Knoll advertisement study | $500–$700 | Wright | |||
| 2023·08 | Photograph and ephemera collection | $1,500–$2,000 | Wright | |||
| 2023·08 | Photograph for Charles and Ray Eames | $500–$700 | Wright | |||
| 2023·07 | Untitled (Photogram) | $1,500–$2,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·07 | Aerial View of Ocean | $1,000–$1,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·06 | Untitled | $1,068–$1,602 | Lempertz | |||
| 2023·06 | Untitled | $1,068–$1,602 | Lempertz | |||
| 2023·06 | Mercedes Matter | $1,282–$1,602 | Lempertz | |||
| 2023·06 | Mercedes Matter | $1,068–$1,602 | Lempertz | |||
| 2023·06 | Untitled | $1,068–$1,602 | Lempertz | |||
| 2023·04 | Light Drawing | $800–$1,000 | Wright | |||
| 2023·04 | Light Drawing (four figures) | $800–$1,000 | Wright | |||
| 2023·04 | Untitled (Photogram) | $1,500–$2,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·04 | 'She and Her Shadow' (Jones Beach) | $1,500–$2,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·04 | Untitled (Mercedes Matter on the Beach) | $1,500–$2,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·02 | Ephemera and photography | $2,000–$3,000 | Wright | |||
| 2023·02 | Case Study House photograph | $700–$900 | Wright | |||
| 2022·12 | Four Photographs | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2022·12 | Two Photographs of Alexander Calder and Alberto Giacometti | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2022·12 | Three Works | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2022·12 | Four Photographs of Alberto Giacometti's Works | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2022·12 | Untitled | $1,054–$1,581 | Lempertz | |||
| 2022·12 | Nude on the beach (Mercedes Matter) | $1,054–$1,581 | Lempertz | |||
| 2022·09 | Three Photographs of Calder Mobiles | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2022·09 | Four Photographs of Alberto Giacometti and His Works | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2022·09 | Three photographs of Mercedes Matter | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2022·03 | Untitled (Mercedes Matter) (three works) | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2022·03 | Untitled (two works) | $1,000–$1,500 | Rago | |||
| 2022·03 | Untitled (Pollock); Untitled (Hoffman) (two works) | $1,200–$1,800 | Rago | |||
| 2022·03 | Jackson Pollock at Betty Parsons Gallery | $1,000–$1,500 | Rago | |||
| 2022·03 | Untitled (Calder) (three works) | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2022·03 | Untitled (Giacometti) (three works) | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2021·12 | Untitled (Giacometti) (four works) | $2,000–$3,000 | Rago | |||
| 2021·12 | Ink and Glycerine; Untitled (double exposure) (two works) | $1,000–$1,500 | Rago | |||
| 2021·12 | Untitled (three works) | $1,000–$1,500 | Rago | |||
| 2021·12 | Untitled (Calder) (three works) | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2021·12 | Photogram | $1,129–$1,355 | Lempertz | |||
| 2021·09 | Untitled (Giacometti) (five works) | $2,000–$3,000 | Rago | |||
| 2021·09 | Untitled (Calder) (three works) | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2021·09 | Untitled (two photograms) | $1,000–$1,500 | Rago | |||
| 2021·04 | Photomontage #9 | Gelatin silver | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2021·01 | Eames Furniture Detail (2 works) | Gelatin silver | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2020·10 | Eames Furniture Detail (2 works) | Gelatin silver | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2020·07 | mercedes (carles) matter | $2,000–$3,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2018·11 | Study in Motion, Indian Dancer, Pravina Vashi | Gelatin silver, printed later | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2018·06 | Swimmer, probably Mercedes Matter, circa 1940s | Gelatin silver | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2018·06 | Skier | Gelatin silver | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2017·08 | working mock-up for Arts & Architecture cover | $1,500–$2,000 | Wright | |||
| 2017·07 | Winter-Luftverkehr poster | $300–$500 | Wright | |||
| 2017·01 | working mock-up for Arts & Architecture cover | $3,000–$5,000 | Wright | |||
| 2017·01 | Schweiz | $1,453–$2,180 | Christie's | |||
| 2016·08 | Untitled (Knoll collage) | $700–$900 | Wright | |||
| 2016·06 | Mercedes, Nude in Net | $2,000–$3,000 | Wright | |||
| 2016·06 | Nude in Driftwood | $2,000–$3,000 | Wright | |||
| 2015·11 | Sonnenbad. 1930er Jahre | Vintage | $847–$1,270 | Grisebach | ||
| 2014·03 | untitled (Knoll collage) | $2,000–$3,000 | Wright | |||
| 2013·10 | Giacometti, Kunsthalle Basel | $1,620–$2,430 | Christie's | |||
| 2013·09 | Seagulls in Flight | $1,000–$1,500 | Wright | |||
| 2013·05 | Alberto Giacometti, Paris. Um 1965 | Later gelatin silver print | $1,036–$1,295 | Grisebach | ||
| 2012·12 | Hand with Stocking | $5,000–$7,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2012·11 | Skulpturen im Atelier von Alberto Giacometti, Rue Hippolyte-Maindron, Paris. Um 1960 | Later gelatin silver print | $1,289–$1,934 | Grisebach | ||
| 2009·06 | Alberto Giacometti. 1960–1965 | Vintage | $846–$1,128 | Grisebach | ||
| 2009·06 | Skulptur im Atelier von Alberto Giacometti. 1960–1965 | Vintage | $846–$1,128 | Grisebach | ||
| 2008·02 | Provincetown, 1940 | credit, title and date in ink (on the verso) | $2,500–$3,500 | Christie's | ||
| 2007·06 | Wire Chair Study | $700–$900 | Wright | |||
| 2007·06 | Bertoia Wire Chair Study | $700–$900 | Wright | |||
| 2007·06 | Double Wire Chair Study | $700–$900 | Wright | |||
| 2007·06 | Bertoia Multi-plane Construction Study | $700–$900 | Wright | |||
| 2007·06 | Wire Chair Study | $700–$900 | Wright | |||
| 2007·06 | Double Wire Chair Study | $700–$900 | Wright | |||
| 2007·06 | Nude (Mercedes Matter), c.1946 | gelatin silver print | $2,988–$3,984 | Christie's | ||
| 2006·06 | photograph | $100–$200 | Wright | |||
| 2006·02 | Nude in Reeds, c. 1940 | gelatin silver print | $4,000–$6,000 | Christie's | ||
Realized prices are sold by the record: 50 for $19, non-expiring. Reading them at volume is what Starter is for.