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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 realized prices on this page are locked. A Research Pass reads 50 of them for $39, once — buy a pass | ||||||
| 2003·11 | america-la france variations iv (w.a.c. 332; b. 300; t. 446:rm65) | $3,000–$4,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | mediterranean, state ii yellow (w.a.c. 179; b. 148; t. 393:rm12) | $1,200–$1,500 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | la guerra i (w.a.c. 252; b. 219; t. 408:rm27) | $2,000–$3,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | personnage (walker art center 3; belknap 1) | $3,000–$4,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | put out all flags (w.a.c. 263; b. 230) | $4,000–$6,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | elegy study i (w.a.c. 488; b. 425) | $7,000–$9,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | delos (w.a.c. 525) | $5,000–$7,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | america-lafrance variations vi (w.a.c. 334; b. 302; t. 448:rm67) | $3,000–$4,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | america-la france variations ii (w.a.c. 330; b. 298; t. 444:rm63) | $2,500–$3,500 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | st. michael i (state ii) (w.a.c. 235; b. 204; t. 396:rm15) | $3,000–$4,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | game of chance (w.a.c. 377; b. 345) | $5,000–$7,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | america-lafrance variations iii (w.a.c. 331; b. 299; t. 445:rm64) | $2,500–$3,500 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | black for mozart (w.a.c. 521) | $12,000–$15,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | untitled (w.a.c. 224; b. 193) | $3,000–$4,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | airless black; and through black emerge purified (w.a.c. 311 & 315; b. 279 & 288; t. 428:rm47 & t. 437:rm56) | $1,200–$1,500 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | easter day 1979 (w.a.c. 244; b. 212; t. 400:rm19) | $3,000–$4,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | black cathedral (w.a.c. 522) | $4,500–$5,500 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | hollow man's cave (w.a.c. 523) | $5,000–$7,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·11 | black rumble (w.a.c. 356; b. 308; t. 460:rm79) | $1,500–$2,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2003·10 | The Mexican Window | oil and charcoal on canvas | $700,000–$1,000,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2003·10 | Untitled (Elegy) | tempera on Strathmore paperboard | $100,000–$150,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2003·10 | Open, # 75 | acrylic and charcoal on canvas | $300,000–$500,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2003·10 | Beside the Sea, No. 3 | oil on paper | $100,000–$150,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2003·10 | Imaginary Landscape | pastel, ink and gouache on board | $40,000–$60,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2003·10 | The Wedding | oil on canvas | $800,000–$1,200,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2003·09 | Black with No Way Out, from El Negro (B. 285; E. & B. 313; Tyler 434) | $8,000–$12,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2003·07 | Tricolor (Belknap 24) | $1,079–$1,618 | Christie's | |||
| 2003·07 | Mediterranean Light | $10,787–$16,180 | Christie's | |||
| 2003·05 | Open No. 148 | $20,000–$30,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2003·03 | Beau Geste | $2,000–$2,500 | Wright | |||
| 2003·03 | Beau Geste | $2,000–$2,500 | Wright | |||
| 2003·03 | Beau Geste | $2,000–$2,500 | Wright | |||
| 2002·12 | The Basque Suite: Untitled (B. 58; E. & B. 87) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·12 | The Basque Suite: Untitled (Belkamp 57; Engberg and Banach 86) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·12 | Octavio Paz, Three Poems , The Limited Editions Club, New York, 1988 (B. 354-80; E. & B. 387) | $1,000–$1,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·12 | Burning Sun (B. 310; E. & B. 357) | $3,000–$5,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·12 | America-La France Variations IV (B. 300; E. & B. 332) | $1,500–$2,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·12 | Black Sea (B. 210; E. & B. 241) | $2,000–$2,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·12 | Roth-Händle (B. 137; E. & B. 168) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·12 | French Revolution Bicentenniel Suite IV (Terenzio 352) | $2,022–$2,697 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·11 | (1915-1991) | $404–$539 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·11 | untitled (Study for the Hollow Men) | $7,000–$9,000 | Wright | |||
| 2002·11 | Mexican Night II (B. 318) | $12,000–$16,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·11 | Flags (B. 408) | $7,000–$9,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·11 | Red Sea II (B. 211) | $4,000–$6,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·11 | Elegy Black Black (B. 274) | $8,000–$12,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·09 | Drunk with Turpentine | $9,000–$12,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·09 | America-La France Variations VI (B. 302) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·09 | America-La France Variations IV (B. 300) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·09 | America-La France Variations III (B. 299) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·09 | La Guerra I (B. 219) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·09 | Black Cathedral | $4,000–$6,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·09 | Black Rumble (B. 308) | $1,500–$2,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·09 | In White with Green Stripe (B. 346) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·09 | Game of Chance (B. 345) | $4,000–$6,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·09 | Gauloises Bleues (Belknap 33) | $1,800–$2,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·09 | Untitled (Belknap 26) | $700–$900 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·09 | America-La France Variations IX (B. 305) | $1,500–$2,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·09 | Three Forms II (B. 416) | $1,400–$1,600 | Christie's | |||
| 2002·09 | Elegy Sketch, State II (Blue) | gouache and crayon over lithograph | $40,000–$60,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2002·05 | Lines for St. Gallen | Lithograph printed in colours Estimate: € 850 / $ 969 Sold: € 920 / $ 1,048 (incl | $981–$981 | Ketterer Kunst | ||
| 2002·03 | Beau Geste IV | $2,000–$2,500 | Wright | |||
| 2001·12 | Yellow Flight (B. 333) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·12 | On the Wing (B. 309) | $4,000–$5,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·12 | Elegy Black Black (B. 274) | $8,000–$12,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·12 | Hermitage (B. 149) | $4,000–$5,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·12 | Basque Suite: Five Plates (Belknap 50-3; 55) | $5,000–$7,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·12 | Vivo (B. 335) | $1,800–$2,200 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·12 | Composition | $10,000–$15,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·11 | Suchard on Orange #1 | $35,000–$45,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·11 | Nicht Werfen with Yellow Stripes | $120,000–$160,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·11 | Blackened Sun (B. 313; E. & Ba. 343) | $2,500–$3,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·11 | Untitled C; D; No. 3; and No. 7, from The Basque Suite (Belknap 52-3, 55-6; Engberg & Banach 81-2, 84-5) | $4,000–$6,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·11 | Australia (B. 296; E. & B. 322) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·11 | Black Cathedral (E. & Ba. 522) | $5,000–$7,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·11 | Game of Chance (B. 345; E. & Ba. 377) | $5,000–$7,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·11 | America-La France Variations VII (B. 303; E. & Ba. 335) | $3,000–$5,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·11 | Robert Motherwell | $944–$1,214 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·11 | (1915-1991) | $674–$1,079 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·10 | Put Out All Flags (Belknap 230) | $4,000–$5,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·10 | Hollow Men Suite | $1,300–$1,500 | Wright | |||
| 2001·10 | Hollow Men Suite | $1,300–$1,500 | Wright | |||
| 2001·10 | Hollow Men Suite | $1,300–$1,500 | Wright | |||
| 2001·10 | Naples Yellow Open | $3,000–$4,000 | Wright | |||
| 2001·10 | Music for J. S. Bach | $2,000–$3,000 | Wright | |||
| 2001·10 | Hollow Men Suite | $1,300–$1,500 | Wright | |||
| 2001·06 | A La Pintura (To The Paintbrush) | $1,500–$2,000 | Wright | |||
| 2001·06 | Aberdeen Stone | $5,000–$7,000 | Wright | |||
| 2001·05 | Harvest, with Two White Stripes, from Summer Light Series (E. & B. 142; B. 126) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2001·04 | Elegy Study I (Belknap 425) | $8,000–$10,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2000·12 | The Berggruen Series (B. 225-8) | $4,000–$5,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2000·12 | Red Sea II (B. 211) | $4,000–$6,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2000·12 | Red Sea I (Belknap 158) | $3,500–$4,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2000·12 | Black Sea (B. 210) | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2000·11 | Untitled | $2,000–$2,500 | Christie's | |||
| 2000·11 | Spanish Elegy: La Carolina | ink on paper | $30,000–$50,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2000·11 | Royal Dirge | acrylic on canvas | $250,000–$350,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2000·11 | Arches Cover | acrylic, paper, printed paper, and packing tape collage on canvas board | $60,000–$80,000 | Christie's | ||
| 2000·09 | The Razor's Edge (Enberg & Banach 362; Belknap 330) | $6,000–$8,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2000·06 | Untitled | $5,393–$8,090 | Christie's | |||
Realized prices are sold by the record: 50 for $39, non-expiring. Reading them at volume is what Starter is for.