American, b. 1935
Robert Cottingham
363results on record
80%sell-through
$1,500median result (USD, incl. premium; 82% observed, 18% estimated from hammer)
$348,500record in our coverage
Drawn from 363 recorded results (311 sold · 52 passed) across 12 auction houses, 1998–2026. What we cover
Median sold price by year typical estimate range median result USD, incl. premium; 82% observed, 18% 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 | 110 | 88% | $1,047 |
| painting | 18 | 100% | $35,480 |
| works on paper | 9 | 100% | $9,973 |
| ceramics & design | 3 | 67% | $15,065 |
| other | 3 | 100% | $2,000 |
Medium is recorded for 143 of 363 results (39%) — rows above cover that subset; the rest of the record is in the full ledger below.
Compared with Andy Warhol Robert Cottingham Andy Warhol
| Metric | Robert Cottingham | Andy Warhol |
|---|---|---|
| Median result | $1,500 | $32,500 |
| Record price | $348,500 | $195,040,000 |
| Results on record | 363 | 15,103 |
| Years active at auction | 1998–2026 | 1998–2026 |
Related artists: Andy WarholJim DineRoy LichtensteinRobert Rauschenberg
Market strength liquidity score, 0–100 · method
69/ 100
- Sell-through80%
- Meets estimate41%
- Market depth363 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Heritage Auctions | 70 | 93% | $1,000 | — |
| Sotheby's | 45 | 88% | $33,020 | 1.04× |
| Christie's | 41 | 100% | $10,710 | — |
| Rago | 43 | 93% | $1,250 | — |
| Bonhams | 54 | 69% | $1,408 | 0.76× |
| Phillips | 17 | 88% | $6,000 | — |
| Freeman's | Hindman | 17 | 82% | $1,088 | 0.85× |
| Wright | 28 | 39% | $1,560 | — |
| Dorotheum | 4 | 75% | $715 | — |
| Ansuini Auctions | 2 | 50% | $349 | 0.43× |
| Capsule Gallery Auction | 1 | 100% | $1,250 | 1.54× |
| Aste Palatina | 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 627 recorded lots — sold, passed, and upcoming — results in USD incl. premium; est. marks a premium estimated from the house's schedule ✓ Includes 52 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 | ||||||
| 2019·10 | An American Alphabet: C | $1,500–$2,500 | Phillips | |||
| 2019·10 | An American Alphabet: A | $1,500–$2,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2019·09 | An American Alphabet - R, 1993 | $3,000–$5,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2019·09 | Ice | $500–$700 | Bonhams | |||
| 2019·09 | American Hi-Fi | $1,500–$2,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2019·05 | ha | $150,000–$250,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2019·04 | Untitled | $4,000–$6,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2019·02 | Blues (1989) | $500–$800 | Capsule Gallery Auction | |||
| 2019·02 | Discount Store | $7,000–$10,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2019·01 | Santa Fe | $1,000–$1,500 | Wright | |||
| 2018·10 | Art | $4,000–$6,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2018·10 | empire | $1,000–$1,500 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2018·04 | American Signs | $10,000–$15,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2018·04 | Santa Fe II | $1,000–$1,500 | Wright | |||
| 2018·04 | Santa Fe | $1,000–$1,500 | Wright | |||
| 2018·03 | P R R | $20,000–$30,000 | Wright | |||
| 2018·03 | Erie | $20,000–$30,000 | Wright | |||
| 2018·03 | Northern Pacific Railway | $20,000–$30,000 | Wright | |||
| 2018·03 | B & O | $20,000–$30,000 | Wright | |||
| 2018·03 | Reading Lines | $20,000–$30,000 | Wright | |||
| 2018·03 | New York Central System | $20,000–$30,000 | Wright | |||
| 2018·03 | Santa Fe | $20,000–$30,000 | Wright | |||
| 2018·03 | N H | $20,000–$30,000 | Wright | |||
| 2018·03 | Union Pacific Railroad | $20,000–$30,000 | Wright | |||
| 2018·03 | Great Northern Railway | $20,000–$30,000 | Wright | |||
| 2018·03 | Rock Island | $20,000–$30,000 | Wright | |||
| 2018·03 | Nickel Plate Road | $20,000–$30,000 | Wright | |||
| 2018·03 | Patte's | acrylic on paper | $6,936–$9,710 | Christie's | ||
| 2018·03 | Rolling Stock, 1990 | $4,000–$6,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2017·11 | Showboat, 1996 | $10,000–$15,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2017·10 | Carry Out, 1983 29 1/4 x 21 in. (74.3 x 53.3 cm) | $15,000–$25,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2017·10 | Study for Portal II, 1992 24 1/2 x 20 1/2 in. (62.2 x 52.1 cm) | $6,000–$8,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2017·07 | An American Alphabet: K | $1,000–$1,500 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2017·06 | American Signs | $12,906–$19,359 | Phillips | |||
| 2017·05 | Ode | $100,000–$150,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2017·04 | An American Alphabet: K | $2,000–$3,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2017·03 | Chassie System | $10,000–$15,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2017·03 | R | $5,000–$7,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2017·03 | Women and Girls | $60,000–$80,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2017·01 | Don't Walk | $500–$700 | Wright | |||
| 2017·01 | Orph, from Documenta portfolio | $1,233–$1,849 | Phillips | |||
| 2017·01 | American Signs | $9,860–$14,790 | Phillips | |||
| 2016·11 | May Company, 1969 | $50,000–$70,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2016·09 | Pool | $80,000–$120,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2016·06 | Boulevard Drinks (from the American Signs portfolio) | $2,000–$3,000 | Wright | |||
| 2016·06 | Star (from the American Signs portfolio) | $2,000–$3,000 | Wright | |||
| 2016·06 | Rialto (from the American Signs portfolio) | $2,000–$3,000 | Wright | |||
| 2016·06 | Rolling Stock (three works) | $2,000–$3,000 | Wright | |||
| 2016·05 | Barrera-Rosa's | $80,000–$120,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2015·10 | Bud | $1,500–$2,500 | Phillips | |||
| 2015·07 | Roxy | $500–$750 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2015·04 | Q | $10,000–$15,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·11 | J.c., 1982 | $10,000–$15,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2014·10 | American Signs | $18,000–$24,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2014·10 | Travel Notes Portfolio: eight plates | $6,000–$9,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·10 | American Hi Fi, from American Signs | $2,000–$3,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2014·09 | American Signs (portfolio of twelve works) | $15,000–$20,000 | Wright | |||
| 2014·04 | American Signs | $15,000–$25,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2014·03 | Red Corona | $80,000–$120,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2014·03 | Remington 5 | $10,000–$15,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2013·11 | Hot | Color screenprint | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2013·11 | Carl's | Aquatint | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2013·11 | Adams Black Girl and the Butcher | Lithograph in colors | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2013·11 | American Signs 12 | $24,154–$32,205 | Bonhams | |||
| 2013·11 | Fleishman | $125,000–$175,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2013·09 | Me | watercolour on paper | $7,979–$11,170 | Christie's | ||
| 2013·05 | American Signs | $15,000–$25,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2013·04 | Art | $4,000–$6,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2013·04 | American Signs portfolio | $15,000–$25,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2012·09 | Ral's | $125,000–$175,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2012·05 | X | Lithograph | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2012·05 | Radio City Deli | $150,000–$200,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2012·04 | Rolling Stock Series, Study #14 | $10,000–$15,000 | Wright | |||
| 2012·04 | American Signs (portfolio of twelve works) | $15,000–$20,000 | Wright | |||
| 2011·05 | Star, from American Signs | $4,000–$6,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2011·05 | American Signs : three prints | $4,000–$6,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2009·03 | Lone Star | $15,000–$20,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2009·02 | Untitled (Champs Watertower) | $1,000–$1,500 | Wright | |||
| 2008·12 | F.W., from the Landfall Press Etching Portfolio | Landfall Press Etching Portfolio | $1,000–$1,500 | Christie's | ||
| 2008·12 | Black Girl, from the Cottingham Suite | $1,000–$1,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2008·11 | Buschs | $150,000–$250,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2008·10 | Santa Fe | $1,500–$2,000 | Wright | |||
| 2008·10 | Tattoo | $1,500–$2,000 | Wright | |||
| 2008·05 | Pool Car | $70,000–$90,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2008·05 | Star | $80,000–$120,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2008·05 | Schaefer Beer | oil on canvas | $70,000–$90,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2008·04 | Art | $25,000–$35,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2008·04 | Starr | $20,000–$30,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2008·02 | Lone Star | $15,000–$20,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2008·02 | Rolling Stock Portfolio | $2,500–$3,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·12 | Hot | $1,500–$2,000 | Wright | |||
| 2007·11 | Ode | $80,000–$120,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2007·10 | Rolling Stock Portfolio | $2,500–$3,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·09 | Cottingham Suite | $4,000–$5,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2007·09 | Avenue Fish Market | $30,000–$40,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2007·09 | Rialto | $20,000–$30,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2007·06 | Untitled | graphite on tracing paper | $11,960–$15,946 | Christie's | ||
| 2007·06 | (American, B. 1935) | $598–$797 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·05 | Wichita | acrylic on paper | $40,000–$60,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2007·02 | West 12th Street | watercolor on paper | $25,000–$35,000 | Christie's | ||
Realized prices are sold by the record: 50 for $19, non-expiring. Reading them at volume is what Starter is for.