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. 24 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?
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 3,094 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025·12 | Scylla and Charybdis - Episode IX | $2,000–$2,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | Untitled 23 | $4,000–$6,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | Untitled 24 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | Untitled 5 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | Architecture - Episode VIII (Lestrygonians) | $2,000–$2,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | Untitled 2 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | Untitled 10 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | Hades - Episode VI (Telemachus) | $2,000–$2,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 42 realized prices on this page are locked. A Research Pass reads 50 of them for $39, once — buy a pass | ||||||
| 2025·12 | Music for J. S. Bach | Lithograph on chine appliqué Moriki handmade paper laid on Arches paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·12 | Communicants- Episode V (Lotuseaters) | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | Nymph - Episode IV (Calypso) | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | Untitled 19 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | Philology - Episode III (Proteus) | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | The Tower - Episode I (Telemachus) | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | Untitled 17 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | Untitled 16 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | History - Episode II (Nestor) | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·12 | Three Poems. New York: The Limited Editions Club, [1988]. | $800–$1,200 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·12 | New York Cultural Institutions (from the New York, New York portfolio) | $800–$1,200 | Rago | |||
| 2025·12 | Sans titre | $23,078–$34,617 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·12 | Elegy (for Salvador Allende) | $173,085–$230,780 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·11 | Untitled 13 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·11 | Untitled 11 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·11 | Untitled 12 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·11 | La Belle Hélene | $60,000–$80,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2025·11 | Gauloises on Scarlet No. 9 | acrylic and printed paper collage on Upson board | $60,000–$80,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2025·11 | Brasiliera | acrylic, canvas collage and paper collage on canvas mounted on Masonite | $250,000–$350,000 | upcoming | Christie's | |
| 2025·11 | The Blank End Off | $500,000–$700,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·11 | Elegy Mural Study | $300,000–$400,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·11 | Untitled | Ink on paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·11 | Black and White Plus Passion | $500,000–$700,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·11 | No. 3, from The Basque Suite | Screenprint in colors on wove paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·11 | A Sculptor's Picture, with Blue | $750,000–$1,000,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2025·11 | Elegy Study | $7,000–$10,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·11 | Untitled, from The Basque Suite | $2,000–$3,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·11 | Nude | $10,787–$16,180 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·11 | Calligraphic Study I | $1,000–$1,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·11 | Newport Opera | $5,000–$6,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·11 | Untitled 21 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·11 | Untitled 20 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·11 | Cyclops - Episode XII | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·11 | Star of the Sea - Episode XIII (Nausikaa) | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·11 | The Streets - Episode X (Wandering Rocks) | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·11 | Untitled 15 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·11 | Untitled 14 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·11 | Lament for Lorca (Handprinted | $800–$1,100 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | Hades - Episode VI (Telemachus) | $2,000–$2,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | The Octavio Paz Cover | $1,500–$2,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | Untitled 10 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | Untitled 3 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | Lungs - Episode VII (Eolus) | $2,000–$2,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | Untitled 24 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | Untitled 8 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | Untitled 7 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | Architecture - Episode VIII (Lestrygonians) | $2,000–$2,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | Untitled 23 | $4,000–$6,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | Untitled 5 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | Scylla and Charybdis - Episode IX | $2,000–$2,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | Untitled 9 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | Untitled 2 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·10 | Hermitage | $3,000–$5,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2025·10 | The Times, with Music | $69,234–$92,312 | Christie's | |||
| 2025·10 | Flesh Automatism (Walker Art Center 346) | $6,000–$8,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·10 | Running Elegy II, Blue State (Walker Art Center 320) | $10,000–$15,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·10 | Long Point Gallery: Music for Long Point; and Music for J.S. Bach (E. & B. 442 & 471) | $2,000–$4,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2025·10 | Spoleto Festival (E. & B. 60) | $1,000–$2,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2025·10 | Summertime in Italy (with Blue): two plates; Summertime in Italy (with Crayon); and Untitled, from 9 portfolio (E. & B. 32, 36 & 56) | $4,000–$6,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2025·10 | Untitled, from Flight, 1970, published | Lithograph in colors on wove paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·10 | Cultural Institutions, from New York, New York | Lithograph in colors with embossing on Arches paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·10 | Gesture IV (State I) | Etching and aquatint in colors on J.B. Green paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·10 | Madrid Suite F (from the Madrid suite) | $1,500–$2,000 | Rago | |||
| 2025·10 | Untitled (from the Basque suite) | $2,000–$3,000 | Rago | |||
| 2025·10 | Untitled (from the New York International portfolio) | $1,000–$2,000 | Rago | |||
| 2025·10 | El Negro | $6,000–$8,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·10 | Chair | $600–$800 | Rago | |||
| 2025·10 | Three Prints | $3,000–$5,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·09 | Red Sea II , 1979 | lift-ground etching and aquatint on arches cover paper | $8,000–$12,000 | Freeman's | Hindman | ||
| 2025·09 | A View No. 6 (from the View series) | $10,000–$15,000 | Rago | |||
| 2025·09 | Red Sea I , 1976 | lift-ground etching and aquatint on arches cover paper | $8,000–$12,000 | Freeman's | Hindman | ||
| 2025·09 | Untitled (Orange) and Untitled (Green), from London Series I (B. 60, 63) | $4,045–$5,393 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·09 | The Basque Suite (Belknap 50-59) | $20,225–$33,708 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2025·09 | Untitled 15 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | Untitled 14 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | The Streets - Episode X (Wandering Rocks) | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | Lament for Lorca (Handprinted | $800–$1,100 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | Cyclops - Episode XII | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | Star of the Sea - Episode XIII (Nausikaa) | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | Alberti Elegy | Lithograph on Okawara chine appliqué on handmade paper, | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·09 | Untitled, from The Basque Suite | Screenprint in colors on wove paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2025·09 | Nymph - Episode IV (Calypso) | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | Untitled (from London Series II) | $3,000–$4,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | Communicants- Episode V (Lotuseaters) | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | Untitled 19 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | The Tower - Episode I (Telemachus) | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | Untitled 16 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | History - Episode II (Nestor) | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | Philology - Episode III (Proteus) | $2,000–$3,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | Untitled 17 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2025·09 | Africa 3, from Africa Suite | $2,500–$3,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2025·09 | Signs on White | $2,500–$3,500 | Bonhams | |||
Realized prices are sold by the record: 50 for $39, non-expiring. Reading them at volume is what Starter is for.