German/French, 1891–1976
Max Ernst
1,695results on record
78%sell-through
$27,000median result (USD, incl. premium; 96% observed, 4% estimated from hammer)
$15,987,500record in our coverage
Drawn from 1,695 recorded results (1,522 sold · 173 passed) across 39 auction houses, 1998–2026. 4 upcoming lots on the ledger. What we cover
Median sold price by year typical estimate range median result USD, incl. premium; 96% observed, 4% 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| prints | 246 | 78% | $1,618 |
| painting | 226 | 82% | $167,391 |
| works on paper | 109 | 75% | $30,550 |
| other | 108 | 69% | $4,973 |
| sculpture | 80 | 95% | $43,055 |
| ceramics & design | 47 | 60% | $4,419 |
| photography | 9 | n/a | $4,153 |
Medium is recorded for 825 of 1,695 results (49%) — rows above cover that subset; the rest of the record is in the full ledger below.
Compared with Pablo Picasso Max Ernst Pablo Picasso
| Metric | Max Ernst | Pablo Picasso |
|---|---|---|
| Median result | $27,000 | $10,507 |
| Record price | $15,987,500 | $179,365,000 |
| Results on record | 1,695 | 29,706 |
| Years active at auction | 1998–2026 | 1998–2026 |
Related artists: Pablo PicassoJoan MiróMarc ChagallSalvador Dalí
Market strength liquidity score, 0–100 · method
74/ 100
- Sell-through78%
- Meets estimate59%
- Market depth1,695 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sotheby's | 545 | 85% | $87,500 | 0.88× |
| Christie's | 517 | 88% | $63,169 | — |
| Bonhams | 175 | 62% | $2,040 | 0.83× |
| Phillips | 112 | 94% | $6,930 | — |
| Ketterer Kunst | 91 | — | $1,565 | — |
| Dorotheum | 72 | 64% | $1,666 | — |
| Lempertz | 32 | 79% | $18,449 | — |
| Heritage Auctions | 34 | 71% | $1,188 | — |
| Grisebach | 14 | — | $18,734 | — |
| Freeman's | Hindman | 10 | 100% | $2,469 | 1.04× |
| Rago | 7 | 100% | $441 | — |
| Finarte | 8 | 75% | $739 | 1.38× |
| Artcurial | 5 | — | $18,015 | 0.85× |
| Wright | 7 | 71% | $10,000 | — |
| Stockholms Auktionsverk Fine Art | 5 | — | $1,620 | 0.69× |
| Historia Auktionshaus | 6 | 83% | $739 | — |
| Kruso Art | 8 | 62% | $437 | 0.64× |
| Marques dos Santos Leilões | 7 | 57% | $992 | — |
| Koller | 3 | — | $926 | — |
| Strauss & Co | 4 | 75% | $880 | 1.29× |
| SBI Art Auction | 3 | 67% | $789 | — |
| Gomér & Andersson Jönköping | 2 | — | $314 | 0.60× |
| Hermitage Fine Art | 2 | 100% | $1,238 | 0.73× |
| Itineris Auction House | 2 | 100% | $481 | 0.47× |
| Lyon & Turnbull | 1 | — | $1,961 | 1.71× |
| Galerie Bassenge | 1 | — | $527 | — |
| WETTMANN Kunstauktionen | 1 | 100% | $494 | — |
| Tiroche | 1 | 100% | $6,875 | 0.65× |
| Art collect | 1 | — | $625 | 0.29× |
| Ishtar | 1 | 100% | $125 | — |
| Matsart | 1 | 100% | $87,500 | 1.40× |
| Art La Rosa - Casa d'Aste | 1 | 100% | $274 | — |
| Montefiore auction house | 1 | 100% | $600 | 0.96× |
| Casa d'aste Boetto | 1 | 100% | $614 | 1.38× |
| Lamas Bolaño | 2 | 50% | $262 | 0.50× |
| Karljohan Auktioner | 1 | — | $574 | 0.88× |
| VAN HAM Kunstauktionen GmbH Co. KG | 2 | 50% | $22,402 | 1.36× |
| The Bidder | 1 | 0% | — | — |
| Greco Fine Arts & Auctioneers | 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 1,912 recorded lots — sold, passed, and upcoming — results in USD incl. premium; est. marks a premium estimated from the house's schedule ✓ Includes 173 passed lots
| Date | Lot | Medium | vs. estimate | Estimate USD | Result USD, incl. premium | House |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 realized prices on this page are locked. A Research Pass reads 50 of them for $19, once — buy a pass | ||||||
| 1998·07 | La Nuit | $49,695–$66,260 | Christie's | |||
| 1998·07 | Les Deux Oiseaux | $132,520–$198,780 | Christie's | |||
| 1998·07 | Coquillage jaune | oil with pencil and graphite frottage on paper laid down on canvas | $165,650–$248,475 | Christie's | ||
| 1998·05 | Janus (Giano) | $19,598–$26,131 | Christie's | |||
| 1998·05 | Jean Tardieu, Le Parquet se soulève , Éditions Brunidor, Éditions Aperïos, Vaduz, 1973 (S. & L. 20) | $1,200–$1,800 | Christie's | |||
| 1998·05 | Patrick Waldberg: Aux Petits Agneaux (S. & L. 196) | $4,892–$8,153 | Christie's | |||
| 1998·05 | Dans les rues d'Athenes (In the streets of Athens) | $80,000–$100,000 | Christie's | |||
| 1998·05 | Untitled (Microbe) | $10,000–$15,000 | Christie's | |||
| 1998·05 | Poète | glass | $98,910–$131,880 | Christie's | ||
| 1998·04 | L'Homme la Lisire de la Foret (Spies/Leppien 58) | $1,000–$1,500 | Christie's | |||
| 1998·04 | Hallucination | oil on canvas | $1,167,810–$1,501,470 | Christie's | ||
| 1998·01 | Untitled, from Texte und Briefe (Spiess/Leppien 13) | $1,626–$2,440 | Christie's | |||
Realized prices are sold by the record: 50 for $19, non-expiring. Reading them at volume is what Starter is for.