American, 1938–2020
Peter Beard
927results on record
75%sell-through
$18,210median result (USD, incl. premium; 99% observed, 1% estimated from hammer)
$672,500record in our coverage
Drawn from 927 recorded results (794 sold · 133 passed) across 20 auction houses, 1998–2026. 11 upcoming lots on the ledger. What we cover
Median sold price by year typical estimate range median result USD, incl. premium; 99% observed, 1% 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 | 471 | 81% | $20,000 |
| prints | 40 | 43% | $5,097 |
| other | 20 | 60% | $5,000 |
| works on paper | 19 | 100% | $15,000 |
| ceramics & design | 5 | 67% | $522 |
| sculpture | 3 | 100% | $20,869 |
| painting | 3 | 100% | $24,049 |
Medium is recorded for 561 of 927 results (61%) — rows above cover that subset; the rest of the record is in the full ledger below.
Compared with Robert Mapplethorpe Peter Beard Robert Mapplethorpe
| Metric | Peter Beard | Robert Mapplethorpe |
|---|---|---|
| Median result | $18,210 | $15,000 |
| Record price | $672,500 | $726,348 |
| Results on record | 927 | 1,490 |
| Years active at auction | 1998–2026 | 1998–2026 |
Related artists: Robert MapplethorpeIrving PennHiroshi SugimotoHenri Cartier-bresson
Market strength liquidity score, 0–100 · method
71/ 100
- Sell-through75%
- Meets estimate53%
- Market depth927 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 | 275 | 73% | $20,316 | 0.80× |
| Christie's | 221 | 94% | $25,286 | — |
| Phillips | 177 | 86% | $27,500 | — |
| Heritage Auctions | 112 | 76% | $4,625 | — |
| Bonhams | 56 | 66% | $6,325 | 0.80× |
| Grisebach | 18 | — | $46,002 | — |
| Rago | 9 | 100% | $1,596 | — |
| Lyon & Turnbull | 11 | 75% | $1,682 | 0.86× |
| Lempertz | 9 | 33% | $11,131 | — |
| Artcurial | 3 | — | $7,112 | 0.83× |
| Chiswick Auctions | 3 | 100% | $1,097 | — |
| Dorotheum | 3 | 100% | $13,471 | — |
| Freeman's | Hindman | 5 | 40% | $7,360 | 0.57× |
| Wright | 3 | 67% | $8,170 | — |
| Sworders | 1 | 100% | $522 | — |
| SBI Art Auction | 1 | 100% | $7,782 | — |
| Bertolami Fine Art | 1 | 100% | $28,819 | — |
| Finarte | 6 | 17% | $23,337 | 0.85× |
| Kruso Art | 1 | 100% | $12,805 | 1.90× |
| Itineris Auction House | 14 | 7% | $5,568 | 0.67× |
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 940 recorded lots — sold, passed, and upcoming — results in USD incl. premium; est. marks a premium estimated from the house's schedule ✓ Includes 133 passed lots
| Date | Lot | Medium | vs. estimate | Estimate USD | Result USD, incl. premium | House |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026·10 | Vessel | $809–$1,079 | upcoming | Lyon & Turnbull | ||
| 2026·10 | Shell Form, 2025 | $2,022–$2,697 | upcoming | Lyon & Turnbull | ||
| 2026·09 | The End of the Game: The Old Africa and the New, 1965 | $270–$404 | upcoming | Chiswick Auctions | ||
| 2026·09 | [Baby Sumo], Taschen, 20006 | $1,348–$2,697 | upcoming | Chiswick Auctions | ||
| 96 realized prices on this page are locked. A Research Pass reads 50 of them for $19, once — buy a pass | ||||||
| 2026·07 | 'Time is Now Country' | $3,000–$5,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2026·07 | 'To Herb [Ritts] from Driftwood Cove, Montauk Point, Long Island, with Donyale Luna' | $6,000–$8,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2026·06 | Stress & Density exhibition poster | $2,500–$3,500 | Rago | |||
| 2026·05 | 15-16 Foot Nile 'Dile [Crocodile, Uganda], 1966 | — | Chiswick Auctions | |||
| 2026·05 | Stress & Density exhibition poster | $2,500–$3,500 | Rago | |||
| 2026·04 | 'Orphaned Cheetah Cubs in Mweiga Nr. Nyeri, Kenya' | $15,000–$25,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2026·04 | Spitting Cobra, Tsavo | $15,000–$25,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2026·04 | I'll Write Whenever I Can | $12,000–$18,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2026·04 | Heart Attack City | $20,000–$30,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2026·04 | Waterbuck Family on the Uaso Nyiro | $20,000–$30,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2026·04 | One year old Mt. gorilla in Rwanda (before the genocide) for The End of the Game | $10,000–$15,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2026·04 | Cheetah Cubs, Mweiga nr. Nyeri | $12,000–$18,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2026·04 | Diary Page, Zara B, Carole Bouquet | Dye bleach print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2026·03 | 'Loliondo Lion Charge' (for 'The End of the Game') | $10,000–$15,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2026·03 | 'Giraffes in mirage on the Taru desert, Kenya, June 1960' (for 'The End of the Game') | $10,000–$15,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2026·03 | [Baby Sumo], Taschen, 20006 | — | Chiswick Auctions | |||
| 2026·03 | Diary, 1993 [Signed, Japanese Edition] | — | Chiswick Auctions | |||
| 2026·01 | A pair of large candlesticks | — | Sworders | |||
| 2026·01 | Flattened vessel | $269–$403 | Bonhams | |||
| 2026·01 | 'San Quentin Summer (T.C. & Bobby Beausoleil)' (Truman Capote) | $800–$1,200 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·12 | Large Tusker 1965 | $93,328–$139,992 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·12 | Gorongosa Lion, Portuguese East Africa | $93,174–$119,795 | Phillips | |||
| 2025·11 | [no title recorded] | — | Dorotheum | |||
| 2025·11 | [no title recorded] | — | Dorotheum | |||
| 2025·11 | [no title recorded] | — | Dorotheum | |||
| 2025·10 | Vessel | $656–$919 | Lyon & Turnbull | |||
| 2025·10 | Tall Form | $1,969–$2,625 | Lyon & Turnbull | |||
| 2025·10 | I’ll Write Whenever I Can… | $7,000–$10,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·10 | „Tracking the Mt. Gorilla, Rwanda“. 1984 | Gelatin silver print with original drawings by Peter Beard in ink, 1998 | $14,017–$21,026 | Grisebach | ||
| 2025·10 | Single Cheetah | $67,171–$94,039 | Phillips | |||
| 2025·10 | Serengeti Lion | $50,000–$70,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2025·10 | Wounded Lion @ Lariak Estate / Rumuruti Kenya | $100,000–$150,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2025·10 | Nena von Schlébrügge in "Major Accident" starring Salvator Dali, December | $20,000–$30,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2025·10 | Veruschka von Lehndorf roping rhinos for eventual release at Darajani, Tsavo Park | $17,517–$29,195 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·10 | Colonial East Africa | $8,175–$11,678 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·10 | Akaeyee (Lake Rudolph) | Unique oversized digital pigment print, printed 2014 | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·10 | Large Mugger Crocodile, Circa 15-16 Feet, Uganda | Unique oversized digital pigment print, printed 2014 | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·07 | Untitled ('Lake Rudolf') | $3,000–$4,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·07 | Diary Page, Thurs-Friday June 27-28, '91 | $3,000–$5,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·06 | Tall Ovoid Tapering Vessel | $274–$412 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·06 | Ovoid Tapering Vessel | $274–$412 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·05 | Vive La Difference, Danya Subuk (Men in Truck) , 1968/1998 | iris print | $10,000–$15,000 | Freeman's | Hindman | ||
| 2025·05 | Time is Now Country | $3,000–$5,000 | Rago | |||
| 2025·05 | Untitled (To Kitty and Jimmy @ Christmas) | $1,500–$2,500 | Rago | |||
| 2025·05 | Sail Form | $935–$1,202 | Lyon & Turnbull | |||
| 2025·04 | Giraffes in mirage on the Taru Desert, Kenya | Unique Polaroid print with applied blood | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·04 | Rhino, 1960s | Oversized gelatin silver print, printed later with applied collage, ink, and blood. | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·04 | Turkana Bibi | Unique Polaroid print with applied ink and blood | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·04 | Bicentennial Diary | Halftone print, printed 1988 | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·04 | Elephant | Unique oversized digital pigment print, printed 2014 | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·04 | Fayell Tall at El Molo Bay, Loiyangalani, Lake Rudolf, Kenya, February | Digital print on dye coupler paper, printed later | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·04 | Akaeyee (Lake Rudolph) | Unique oversized digital pigment print, printed 2014 | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·04 | Large Mugger Crocodile, Circa 15-16 Feet, Uganda | Unique oversized digital pigment print, printed 2014 | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·04 | © (New York, 1938 - Montauk, 2020) | $1–$2,723 | Bertolami Fine Art | |||
| 2025·04 | Waterbuck Family on the Uaso Nyiro/ for The End of the Game/ Last Word from Paradise | $38,769–$64,614 | Phillips | |||
| 2025·04 | 'Cheetah Cubs at Feeding Time, Mweiga Nr. Nyeri, Kenya' | $15,000–$25,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·04 | Giraffes on the Taru Desert, Kenya for The End of the Game | $8,000–$12,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2025·04 | Loliondo Lion Charge from The End of the Game | $8,000–$12,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2025·03 | Karen Blixen, Rungstedlund and Wamba Doorway | $8,000–$12,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·03 | Untitled ('Lake Rudolf') | $4,000–$6,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·03 | Elephant Embryo (from 'The End of the Game') | $3,000–$5,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·12 | Machine in the Garden Tsavo, Kenya | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·12 | Vultures Feasting, circa 1960s | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·12 | Elephant Bones | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·12 | Game Control on Lariak Estate for Gilbert Coleville (from The End of the Game ), 1960 | unique gelatin silver print with ink handwork | $5,000–$7,000 | Freeman's | Hindman | ||
| 2024·12 | Tsavo Park (from "The End of the Game ), 1976-1977 | unique gelatin silver print with blood handwork | $7,000–$9,000 | Freeman's | Hindman | ||
| 2024·12 | Nor Dread, Nor Hope Attend (from The End of the Game ), 1977 | unique gelatin silver print | $7,000–$9,000 | Freeman's | Hindman | ||
| 2024·12 | But Past Who Can Recall or Done Undo (Paradise Lost) (from The End of the Game ), 1977 | unique gelatin silver print with blood handwork | $7,000–$9,000 | Freeman's | Hindman | ||
| 2024·11 | Untitled ('Lake Rudolf') | $4,000–$6,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·11 | Fifty Years of Portraits | $800–$1,200 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·11 | I'll Write Whenever I Can, Koobi Fora, Lake Rudolf, Kenya | $6,320–$8,848 | Phillips | |||
| 2024·11 | Spitting Cobra, Tsavo, June | $12,640–$18,961 | Phillips | |||
| 2024·11 | Female Gerenuk on the Tiva, Tsavo North, near Kathamula (before the die-off), February | $88,482–$113,763 | Phillips | |||
| 2024·11 | Elephants on the Tiva Lugga | $100,000–$150,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·11 | Orphaned cheetah cubs at Mweiga near Nyeri for The End of the Game / Last word from Paradise | $37,921–$63,202 | Phillips | |||
| 2024·11 | Margritte Rammé, Living Sculpture for "Tusk" | $15,168–$22,753 | Phillips | |||
| 2024·11 | Diary Pages and Mailing Envelope | $5,000–$7,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·10 | Dark Blue Disc, 2024 | $1,949–$2,599 | Lyon & Turnbull | |||
| 2024·10 | Vessel, 2023 | $1,299–$1,949 | Lyon & Turnbull | |||
| 2024·10 | Fayel Tall | $10,000–$15,000 | Rago | |||
| 2024·10 | Untitled (Give it a Try) | Offset lithograph print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | Karen Blixen (Contact sheet and 2 prints from the sitting,) December 3 | Gelatin silver contact sheet and two prints. | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | The End of the Game Exhibition Poster | Lithograph print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | Andy Warhol, Montauk, 1970s-1980s | Gelatin silver contact strip (3 frames). Accompanied by an Andy Warhol Enterprises, Inc., New York headed airmail envelope. | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | Untitled (Lion, Kenya), c. 1960s | Gelatin silver print. | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | San Quentin Summer | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | Skull Photographs for the Harry Horn Collection with Evelyn Kühn, Andy Warhol, and Larry Rivers (triptych) | Unique Polaroid prints | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | Untitled (Collage of Collages) | Lithograph | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | Uganda Popu Study (Baby Elephant Embryo) | Gelatin silver print with applied ink and blood, printed later | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | New Year's Greetings Card, 1960s | Gelatin silver print and newspaper collage affixed on card stock with extensive annotations in ink. | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | Elephant's Memory | Gelatin silver print with applied ink, printed later | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | Miscellaneous correspondence and text to (and from) Peter Beard | 4 typed letters to Peter Beard from Thomas Dinesen, one including a gelatin silver print portrait of Dinesen, Tove Dinesen, Clara Svendsen, 3 with original envelopes, Saufe Farah Adan, respectively dated 1 November 9, 1967, March 27, 1974, March 28, 1974, March 29, 1974, 6 April 1974, a copy of Dinesen's handwritten introduction (in English) to his book "Tanne Min Soster Karen [Blixen]" (1974); an undated copy of a handwritten letter from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to Peter Beard, used in his book, "Longing for Darkness" (1970), accompanied by a gelatin silver copy print of John and Jacqueline Kennedy, inscribed 'For Kamande Gatura from Jacqueline Kennedy'; an undated, handwritten draft of a telegram by Peter Beard on the back of an airmail envelope; and an undated Montauk postcard from Peter Beard to Gillies Turle at Hog Ranch, Kenya. | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | Invitation to the Opening of Peter Beard's Exhibition, "Carnets Africains: A Retrospective (1955-Present)" at The Time Is Always Now, New York City, April 1-2 | Card invitation, with inscription and drawings by Zara Beard; invitation envelope inscribed 'the one and only' [Audra Allen] and with Beard's handwritten Hog's Ranch, Nairobi address and elaborate drawings in ink. | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | Salvador Dali Signing Book | 5 gelatin silver contact prints (two contact prints mounted together.) | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | Selected images and contact sheets, including "Maureen Gallagher and Night Feeder,"1987; and "Loliondo Lion Charge," 1964 (13 works) | 11 gelatin silver prints and contact sheets; and 2 dye-coupler prints. | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·10 | Zebra Carcass | Gelatin silver print | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
Realized prices are sold by the record: 50 for $19, non-expiring. Reading them at volume is what Starter is for.