LIVE LOTS 17,750,525 HOUSES 866 UNSOLD RECORDED 4,679,484 UPDATED NIGHTLY
TheBasis.Art

American, 1917–2009

Irving Penn

Follow artist
1,559results on record
73%sell-through
$28,800median result (USD, incl. premium; 100% observed, 0% estimated from hammer)
$567,600record in our coverage

Drawn from 1,559 recorded results (1,372 sold · 187 passed) across 17 auction houses, 1998–2026. 21 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

$16K$32K$47K1998: $15K median, 17 sold1999: $11K median, 38 sold2000: $8.8K median, 9 sold2001: $10.0K median, 11 sold2002: $35K median, 43 sold2003: $15K median, 10 sold2004: $22K median, 30 sold2005: $35K median, 91 sold2006: $29K median, 131 sold2007: $31K median, 50 sold2008: $23K median, 38 sold2009: $20K median, 29 sold2010: $58K median, 23 sold2011: $48K median, 24 sold2012: $24K median, 33 sold2013: $36K median, 57 sold2014: $31K median, 108 sold2015: $23K median, 63 sold2016: $36K median, 54 sold2017: $44K median, 51 sold2018: $44K median, 70 sold2019: $35K median, 46 sold2020: $21K median, 37 sold2021: $48K median, 38 sold2022: $23K median, 49 sold2023: $21K median, 36 sold2024: $23K median, 45 sold2025: $36K median, 100 sold2026: $31K median, 31 sold19982005201220192026

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.

$29K$64$568K

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

MediumResultsSell-throughMedian result (USD)
photography 972 87% $27,960
other 58 64% $22,860
ceramics & design 19 58% $23,220
prints 10 100% $23,500
sculpture 6 100% $19,515
painting 4 100% $8,066
works on paper 4 50% $31,090

Medium is recorded for 1,073 of 1,559 results (69%) — rows above cover that subset; the rest of the record is in the full ledger below.

Compared with Robert Mapplethorpe Irving Penn Robert Mapplethorpe

$16K$32K$47K1998: $7.5K median1999: $6.3K median2000: $7.6K median2001: $6.2K median2002: $9.7K median2003: $10K median2004: $9.6K median2005: $26K median2006: $11K median2007: $21K median2008: $12K median2009: $21K median2010: $16K median2011: $14K median2012: $10K median2013: $16K median2014: $19K median2015: $12K median2016: $18K median2017: $21K median2018: $19K median2019: $13K median2020: $15K median2021: $13K median2022: $18K median2023: $15K median2024: $12K median2025: $9.8K median2026: $22K median1998: $15K median1999: $11K median2000: $8.8K median2001: $10.0K median2002: $35K median2003: $15K median2004: $22K median2005: $35K median2006: $29K median2007: $31K median2008: $23K median2009: $20K median2010: $58K median2011: $48K median2012: $24K median2013: $36K median2014: $31K median2015: $23K median2016: $36K median2017: $44K median2018: $44K median2019: $35K median2020: $21K median2021: $48K median2022: $23K median2023: $21K median2024: $23K median2025: $36K median2026: $31K median19982005201220192026
MetricIrving PennRobert Mapplethorpe
Median result$28,800$15,000
Record price $567,600 $726,348
Results on record1,5591,490
Years active at auction 1998–2026 1998–2026

Related artists: Robert MapplethorpeHenri Cartier-bressonHelmut NewtonHorst P. Horst

Market strength liquidity score, 0–100 · method

73/ 100
  • Sell-through73%
  • Meets estimate61%
  • Market depth1,559 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

HouseResultsSell-throughMedianvs. estimate
Christie's 641 97% $28,944 —
Sotheby's 425 68% $28,576 0.88×
Phillips 364 77% $36,250 —
Heritage Auctions 46 70% $11,352 —
Bonhams 57 53% $10,240 0.76×
Grisebach 8 — $11,009 —
Lempertz 5 50% $20,696 —
Wright 8 38% $215 —
Artcurial 3 — $535 0.73×
Finarte 3 100% $2,634 0.84×
Rago 3 67% $14,075 —
SBI Art Auction 4 50% $11,781 —
Chiswick Auctions 1 100% $7,102 —
Lyon & Turnbull 1 — $6,988 3.20×
Stockholms Auktionsverk Fine Art 1 — $9,101 0.71×
Karlstad Hammarö Auktionsverk 1 — $64 0.95×
Freeman's | Hindman 1 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 1,593 recorded lots — sold, passed, and upcoming — results in USD incl. premium; est. marks a premium estimated from the house's schedule ✓ Includes 187 passed lots

DateLotMediumvs. estimateEstimate USDResult USD, incl. premiumHouse
100 realized prices on this page are locked. A Research Pass reads 50 of them for $19, once — buy a pass
2020·11 Egg Yolk, New York, 2006 $29,520–$41,328 Christie's
2020·11 The Poor Lovers, 1979 $23,616–$35,424 Christie's
2020·11 News Seller, London, 1950 $70,848–$94,464 Christie's
2020·11 Claude Levi-Strauss, Burgundy, France, 1970 $17,712–$23,616 Christie's
2020·10 Worlds in a Small Room Hardcover book with duotone reproductions — Heritage Auctions
2020·10 Patissiers, Paris $40,000–$60,000 Phillips
2020·10 Fishmonger, London $35,000–$55,000 Phillips
2020·10 Sitting Nude Rear, New York $55,000–$75,000 Phillips
2020·10 18 Pieces with Medicine Bottle, New York $20,000–$30,000 Phillips
2020·10 Miles Davis, Hand and Trumpet, New York, July 1 $80,000–$100,000 Phillips
2020·10 'dahomey children', 1967 $19,498–$25,997 Sotheby's
2020·10 'colette', paris, 1951 $5,199–$7,799 Sotheby's
2020·10 'dusek brothers', new york, 1948 $5,199–$7,799 Sotheby's
2020·10 (SM) Twisted Paper, Negative III $15,000–$20,000 Bonhams
2020·10 Yves Saint Laurent, Paris $7,000–$9,000 Wright
2020·10 Igor Stravinsky, New York $20,000–$30,000 Wright
2020·10 cigarette no. 118 $15,000–$25,000 Sotheby's
2020·10 'many skirted indian woman, cuzco' $20,000–$30,000 Sotheby's
2020·10 '3 cretan women' $7,000–$10,000 Sotheby's
2020·10 'two guedras, morocco' $20,000–$30,000 Sotheby's
2020·10 'cameroon, seated warrior, sitting girl' $15,000–$25,000 Sotheby's
2020·10 'chagall figures for mozart's "the magic flute," new york' $8,000–$12,000 Sotheby's
2020·10 'cuzco children, peru' $25,000–$35,000 Sotheby's
2020·10 '3 cretan women (with rope)' $7,000–$10,000 Sotheby's
2020·09 Sculptors’s Model, Paris, 1950 platinum print, printed 1967 $10,000–$15,000 Christie's
2020·09 Vionnet Dress with Fan, 1977 platinum print, printed 1978 $20,000–$30,000 Christie's
2020·09 Four Guedras, Morocco, 1971 platinum print, flush-mounted on aluminum, printed 1985 $40,000–$60,000 Christie's
2020·09 Three wines of France, New York, 1953 $2,107–$2,927 Finarte
2020·09 Three Rissani Women with Bread $38,210–$63,683 Phillips
2020·09 Cretan Landscape $6,368–$8,916 Phillips
2020·07 'nude 150', new york, 1949-50 $17,121–$22,828 Sotheby's
2020·07 cigarette no. 118 $20,000–$30,000 Sotheby's
2020·07 Iceland Poppy/Papaver nudicaule (E), New York $20,000–$30,000 Phillips
2020·07 Saul Steinberg, New York, Jan. 29 $10,000–$15,000 Phillips
2020·04 Valentina Nicholaevna Sanina Schlee, Fashion Designer $8,000–$12,000 Bonhams
2020·04 (Vermeer) Still Life with Mouse $5,000–$7,000 Bonhams
2020·04 Icelandic Poppy/Papaver Nudicaule (New York) $25,000–$35,000 Bonhams
2020·04 Feather Glove (Small Neg XXX) $25,000–$35,000 Bonhams
2020·04 Spencer Tracy, New York, March 23 $14,000–$16,000 Phillips
2020·04 cigarette no. 118 $25,000–$35,000 Sotheby's
2020·04 'two new guinea warriors holding hands' $12,000–$18,000 Sotheby's
2020·04 'kate moss (hand on neck)' $50,000–$70,000 Sotheby's
2020·04 'camel' $20,000–$30,000 Sotheby's
2020·04 'two guedras' $35,000–$50,000 Sotheby's
2020·04 'lion (front view)' $20,000–$30,000 Sotheby's
2020·04 cigarette 8 $15,000–$20,000 Sotheby's
2020·04 'woman in palace (marrakech, morocco, lisa fonssagrives-penn)' $70,000–$100,000 Sotheby's
2020·04 'two asaro mudmen, new guinea' $10,000–$15,000 Sotheby's
2020·03 Hot stone treatment, 2002 $1,867–$2,746 Finarte
2020·03 Cult cream, 1996 $1,647–$2,746 Finarte
2020·02 nude 130, 1949-1950 $8,700–$13,050 Sotheby's
2019·12 Guedras in the Wind, Morocco $40,000–$60,000 Bonhams
2019·11 Gisele (B), New York $27,455–$32,946 Lempertz
2019·11 „Dorian Leigh + Maurice Tillet, New York“. 1946 Later gelatin silver print $3,303–$5,504 Grisebach
2019·11 Porträts für Vogue. 1947 4 Vintages $11,009–$16,514 Grisebach
2019·11 cecil beaton with nude, new york, 1946 $7,698–$9,897 Sotheby's
2019·11 three rissani women with bread, morocco, 1971 $33,102–$55,170 Sotheby's
2019·11 flat glove, 1975 $16,551–$27,585 Sotheby's
2019·11 poppy: showgirl, new york, 1968 $55,170–$77,238 Sotheby's
2019·11 frozen foods, new york, 1977 $77,238–$99,306 Sotheby's
2019·11 Still life with Grape and Moth (A), New York, 1976 $9,998–$13,331 Christie's
2019·11 Cigarette #37, New York, 1974 $27,772–$38,882 Christie's
2019·11 Aphrodisiacs, New York, 1997 tirage Cibachrome, tiré en 1998 $22,218–$33,327 Christie's
2019·11 Cigarette #50, 1975 $27,772–$38,882 Christie's
2019·11 Cigarettes #123, New York, 1972 $27,772–$38,882 Christie's
2019·11 Lavender Glory Poppy, New York, 1968 $55,545–$77,763 Christie's
2019·11 Ballet Theatre, New York, 1947 $8,887–$13,331 Christie's
2019·11 Single Oriental Poppy, New York, 1968 $33,327–$55,545 Christie's
2019·11 Mrs. WM. Rhinelander Stewart, New York, 1948 $7,776–$9,998 Christie's
2019·11 Bee (A), New York, 1995 $44,436–$66,654 Christie's
2019·11 Dr. and Mrs. Gilbert Grosvenor, Washington D.C., 1951 $6,665–$8,887 Christie's
2019·11 Frozen Foods, New York, 1977 $77,763–$99,981 Christie's
2019·10 Cigarette 17 $12,826–$19,239 Phillips
2019·10 Woman with three loaves, Morocco (B) $23,087–$28,217 Phillips
2019·10 colette $8,000–$12,000 Sotheby's
2019·10 '3 dahomey girls' $10,000–$15,000 Sotheby's
2019·10 dr. & mrs. gilbert h. grosvenor $6,000–$9,000 Sotheby's
2019·10 'the poor lovers' $25,000–$35,000 Sotheby's
2019·10 7 Shells (New York, May 2 $15,000–$20,000 Bonhams
2019·10 Icelandic Poppy/Papaver Nudicaule (New York $30,000–$50,000 Bonhams
2019·10 Two Guedras, Morocco, 1971 platinum-palladium print, flush-mounted on aluminum, printed 1978 $40,000–$60,000 Christie's
2019·10 Three Tulips (Red Shine, Black Parrot, Gudoshnik), New York $60,000–$80,000 Phillips
2019·10 Rock Groups, San Francisco (Big Brother and the Holding Company and The Grateful Dead) $25,000–$35,000 Phillips
2019·10 Hippie Family F (San Francisco) $15,000–$20,000 Phillips
2019·10 Miles Davis, New York $30,000–$50,000 Phillips
2019·10 Salvador Dali, New York, February 20 $15,000–$25,000 Phillips
2019·10 Spencer Tracy, New York, March 23 $15,000–$25,000 Phillips
2019·05 'nude 150', new york, 1949-50 $19,213–$25,618 Sotheby's
2019·05 'girl in bed (jean patchett)', new york, 1949 $38,427–$64,044 Sotheby's
2019·05 'hippie family (kelly)', san francisco, 1967 $8,966–$12,809 Sotheby's
2019·05 'fishmonger', london, 1950 $38,427–$64,044 Sotheby's
2019·05 'marlene dietrich', new york, 1948 $23,056–$32,022 Sotheby's
2019·05 Nude 65, New York $12,881–$19,321 Phillips
2019·05 Still Life with Skull, Pitcher and Medicine Bottle, New York $12,881–$19,321 Phillips
2019·05 Cigarette No. 17, New York $19,321–$25,761 Phillips
2019·05 The Angel, New York $10,305–$15,457 Phillips
2019·05 Four Shoes, New York $10,305–$15,457 Phillips
2019·04 Iman and David Bowie Gelatin silver — Heritage Auctions
2019·04 Philip Roth, Vanity Fair Gelatin silver — Heritage Auctions
2019·04 Father and Son (Cuzco, Peru) $7,000–$10,000 Bonhams

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