American, 1915–1991
Robert Motherwell
2,411results on record
86%sell-through
$5,000median result (USD, incl. premium; 90% observed, 10% estimated from hammer)
$12,690,000record in our coverage
Drawn from 2,411 recorded results (2,224 sold · 187 passed) across 20 auction houses, 1998–2026. 29 upcoming lots on the ledger. What we cover
Median sold price by year typical estimate range median result USD, incl. premium; 90% observed, 10% 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 | 1,035 | 94% | $4,500 |
| painting | 114 | 73% | $149,000 |
| works on paper | 70 | 76% | $48,438 |
| ceramics & design | 39 | 77% | $7,500 |
| other | 19 | 71% | $6,000 |
| sculpture | 5 | 75% | $9,472 |
Medium is recorded for 1,282 of 2,411 results (53%) — rows above cover that subset; the rest of the record is in the full ledger below.
Compared with Andy Warhol Robert Motherwell Andy Warhol
| Metric | Robert Motherwell | Andy Warhol |
|---|---|---|
| Median result | $5,000 | $32,500 |
| Record price | $12,690,000 | $195,040,000 |
| Results on record | 2,411 | 15,103 |
| Years active at auction | 1998–2026 | 1998–2026 |
Related artists: Andy WarholRoy LichtensteinPablo PicassoJim Dine
Market strength liquidity score, 0–100 · method
77/ 100
- Sell-through86%
- Meets estimate55%
- Market depth2,411 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christie's | 612 | 95% | $5,975 | — |
| Sotheby's | 603 | 85% | $13,750 | 0.95× |
| Bonhams | 313 | 79% | $3,570 | 0.80× |
| Heritage Auctions | 221 | 94% | $3,500 | — |
| Phillips | 220 | 85% | $6,000 | — |
| Rago | 113 | 90% | $2,570 | — |
| Freeman's | Hindman | 83 | 95% | $2,750 | 0.75× |
| Wright | 72 | 82% | $2,875 | — |
| Dorotheum | 12 | 75% | $5,633 | — |
| Doyle | 9 | 78% | $2,880 | — |
| SBI Art Auction | 8 | 62% | $1,840 | — |
| Ketterer Kunst | 4 | — | $2,521 | — |
| Barridoff Auctions | 4 | 100% | $3,594 | 1.15× |
| Lyon & Turnbull | 2 | 100% | $1,203 | 0.77× |
| Grisebach | 1 | — | $43,476 | — |
| Artcurial | 1 | — | $14,745 | 0.40× |
| Matsart | 1 | 100% | $4,062 | 1.08× |
| Kruso Art | 2 | 50% | $41 | 0.10× |
| Clark's Auction Company | 1 | 100% | $12,500 | 0.33× |
| Auktionshaus am See | 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 3,099 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
| 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 | ||||||
| 2007·05 | Hollow Man's Cave (E. & B. 523) | $1,000–$1,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·05 | Black Cathedral (E. & B. 522) | $8,000–$12,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·05 | Mediterranean Light (E. & B. 524) | $25,000–$35,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·05 | Delos (E. & B. 525) | $8,000–$12,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·05 | The Persian II (B. 323; E. & B. 353) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·04 | Elegy Black Black | $15,000–$20,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·04 | Red Open with White Line | $5,000–$7,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·04 | Red Sea II | $8,000–$10,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·04 | Perpetual Summer | $6,000–$8,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·03 | yellow chord (belknap 244) | $5,897–$9,828 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2007·02 | Untitled (Bird) | ink on paper | $15,000–$20,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2007·02 | Bird Study | $8,000–$12,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2007·02 | Brushstroke (B. 218; E. & B. 251) | $600–$900 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·02 | El General (B. 214; E. & B. 246) | $700–$900 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·02 | Easter Day (B. 212; E. & B. 244) | $700–$900 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·02 | Primal Sign I (B. 223; E. & B. 256) | $1,200–$1,800 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·02 | America-La France Variations VI (B. 302; E. & B. 334) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·02 | New York International : One Plate (Belknap 28; Engberg & Banach 50) | $800–$1,200 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·02 | Music for J.S. Bach (B. 409; E. & B. 471) | lithograph, 1989, on | $1,800–$2,200 | Christie's | ||
| 2007·02 | Summertime in Italy with Lines (B. 22; E. & B. 35) | $1,000–$1,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·02 | Portfolio 9 : One Plate (B. 27; E. & B. 56) | $1,000–$1,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·02 | Untitled (B. 38; E. & B. 67) | $1,000–$1,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·02 | Africa Suite : Four Plates (B. 40, 72, 47-8; E. & B. 69, 72, 76-7) | $4,000–$6,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2007·02 | Samurai II (B. 213; E. & B. 245) | lithograph, 1980, on | $2,500–$3,500 | Christie's | ||
| 2006·12 | Untitled, from London Series I | $3,000–$5,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·11 | Imaginary Letter | $40,000–$60,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | untitled | $40,000–$60,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | The Edelstone View #1 and The Edelstone View #2 | acrylic on canvas | $400,000–$600,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2006·11 | guardian no. 7 | $40,000–$60,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | the red and the black no. 52 | $30,000–$40,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Port of Boston II | $70,000–$90,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Seahorse Collage | $40,000–$60,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Redness of Red (W.A.C. 354) | $15,000–$20,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Gesture II (State I) (W.A.C. 205) | $3,000–$4,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Mexican Night II (W.A.C. 348) | $15,000–$20,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | America La France Variations V (W.A.C. 333) | $2,000–$3,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Easter Day; El General; adn La Guerra II (W.A.C. 244, 246 and 253) | $3,000–$4,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Lament for Lorca (W.A.C. 289) | $6,000–$8,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Gesture I (State I) (W.A.C. 203) | $4,000–$5,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Wanderers (W.A.C. 364) | $3,000–$4,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Black for Mozart (W.A.C. 521) | $15,000–$20,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Perpetual Summer (W.A.C. 361) | $6,000–$8,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Elegy Fragment II (W.A.C. 360) | $3,000–$4,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | America-La France Variations VI (W.A.C. 334) | $2,000–$3,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | america-la france variations ix (w.a.c. 337) | $2,500–$3,500 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Black Cathedral (W.A.C. 522) | $6,000–$8,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Gesture III (W.A.C. 207) | $4,000–$5,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | roth-händle (w.a.c. 168) | $2,000–$3,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | the berggruen series (w.a.c. 258-61) | $4,000–$6,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | st. michael iii (w.a.c. 237) | $3,000–$4,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Calligraphy I (W.A.C. 490) | $3,500–$4,500 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | elegy study i (w.a.c. 448) | $7,000–$9,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | flags (w.a.c. 470) | $7,000–$10,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | the black douglas stone (walker art center 102) | $3,000–$5,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | hommage à picasso: window (w.a.c. 141) | $2,500–$3,500 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | mediterranean; and vivo (sepia) (w.a.c. 177; and 365) | $3,000–$4,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | soot-black stone #1-6 (w.a.c. 162-67) | $4,000–$6,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | america-la france variations viii (w.a.c. 336) | $2,500–$3,500 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·11 | Raphael Alberti, El Negro , Tyler Graphics Ltd., New York, 1983 (B. 268-291; E. & B. 308.1-.21) | $6,000–$10,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·11 | Easter Day; El General; and La Guerra II (B. 212, 214, and 220; E. & B. 244, 246 and 253) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·11 | Roth-Händle II [blue] (B. 153; E. & B. 190) | $3,000–$4,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·11 | Wave (B. 413; E. & B. 475) | $10,000–$15,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·11 | Black for Mozart (E. & B. 521) | $15,000–$20,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·11 | Burning Elegy (E. & B. 520) | $30,000–$40,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·10 | Untitled | $9,302–$13,023 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·10 | Untitled | $10,000–$15,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·10 | Untitled | $900–$1,200 | Wright | |||
| 2006·10 | Rite of Passage I | $1,500–$2,000 | Wright | |||
| 2006·10 | The Paris Review | $1,000–$1,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·10 | Calligraphic Study V | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·10 | Blue Gesture, from Octavio Paz Suite | lithograph and linocut in colors, 1988, on | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2006·10 | Untitled, from Octavio Paz Suite | lithograph, 1988, on | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2006·10 | In White with Green Stripe | $2,500–$3,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·09 | Untitled, from New York Portfolio (B. 260; E. & B. 293) | $700–$900 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·09 | The Poet's Eye (B. 429; E. & B. 493) | $3,500–$4,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·09 | Music for J.S. Bach (B. 409; E. & B. 471) | lithograph in colors, 1989, on | $1,500–$2,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2006·09 | Yellow Flight (B. 333; E. & B. 367) | $2,800–$3,200 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·09 | Black Rumble (B. 308; E. & B. 356) | $1,200–$1,800 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·09 | America-La France Variations IX (B. 305; E. & B. 337) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·09 | St. Michael I (State II) (B. 204; E. & B. 235) | $3,000–$4,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·09 | Harvest, with Leaf, from the Summer Light Series (B. 123; E. & B. 147) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·09 | Untitled, from The Basque Suite (B. 56; E. & B. 85) | $1,500–$2,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·09 | Untitled (Belknap 29; Engberg & Banach 51) | $700–$1,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·06 | Drawing | $21,966–$27,458 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·06 | Spanish Elegy: La Carolina | $11,081–$14,775 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·05 | Three Figures (B. 426; E. & B. 489) | $10,000–$15,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·05 | Gesture IV (State I) (Belknap 172; Engberg & Banach 208) | $8,000–$12,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·05 | On the Wing (B. 309; E. & B. 340; T. 454) | $4,000–$6,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2006·05 | Blackened Sun | $4,000–$6,000 | Wright | |||
| 2006·05 | Mexican Night II | $18,000–$22,000 | Wright | |||
| 2006·05 | elegy to the spanish republic | $50,000–$60,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·05 | Beside the Sea #64 | $60,000–$80,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·05 | In the Summer Sun | $80,000–$100,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·05 | Guardian no. 9 | $40,000–$60,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·05 | suchard on orange #1 | $60,000–$80,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·05 | Red Cut by Black | $600,000–$800,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·05 | Untitled | pen, India ink and brush and ink wash on paper | $14,000–$18,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2006·04 | america-la france variations ix (w.a.c. 337) | $2,000–$3,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·04 | vivo (sepia) (w.a.c. 365) | $2,500–$3,500 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2006·04 | america-la france variations v (w.a.c. 333) | $2,000–$3,000 | Sotheby's | |||
Realized prices are sold by the record: 50 for $19, non-expiring. Reading them at volume is what Starter is for.