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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024·05 | Untitled 2 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2024·05 | The Octavio Paz Cover | $1,500–$2,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2024·05 | Untitled 9 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2024·05 | Untitled 8 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2024·05 | Untitled 7 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2024·05 | Untitled 24 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 71 realized prices on this page are locked. A Research Pass reads 50 of them for $19, once — buy a pass | ||||||
| 2024·05 | Untitled 23 | $4,000–$6,000 | Dane Fine Art | |||
| 2024·05 | Untitled 10 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2024·05 | Untitled 5 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2024·05 | Lament for Lorca | $8,000–$12,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·05 | Untitled 17 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2024·05 | Untitled 19 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2024·05 | Untitled 16 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2024·04 | Slate Gray Pintura , 1975 | aquatint, lift-ground etching, and collograph on J.B. Green paper | $2,000–$3,000 | Freeman's | Hindman | ||
| 2024·04 | Untitled (No. 12) (from The Basque Suite ), 1971 | screenprint on J.B. Green paper | $2,000–$4,000 | Freeman's | Hindman | ||
| 2024·04 | Maritime Collage #3 | $21,372–$32,058 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·04 | Game of Chance (Walker Art Center 377) | $3,500–$4,500 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·04 | Untitled 12 | $1,000–$1,500 | Dane Fine Art | |||
| 2024·04 | Untitled 11 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2024·04 | Untitled 13 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2024·04 | No. 3, from The Basque Suite | Screenprint in colors on wove paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·04 | No. 4, from The Basque Suite | Sceenprint in colors on wove paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·04 | Three Figures | Lithograph in colors on wove paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·04 | Mask (For Ingmar Bergman) | $7,000–$10,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2024·04 | Water's Edge (T. 453, E. & B. 339) | $4,000–$6,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2024·04 | On the Wing (T. 454, E. & B. 340) | $3,000–$5,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2024·04 | Soot-Black Stone, #6 | $1,200–$1,800 | Rago | |||
| 2024·04 | Untitled 21 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2024·04 | Untitled 20 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2024·03 | Gesture IV (State I) | $8,000–$12,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·03 | Hermitage | $3,000–$4,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·03 | Africa Suite 10 | Screenprint in colors on wove paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·03 | Los Angeles Sun | Aquatint on wove paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·03 | Roth-Händle | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2024·03 | Oy/yo (Belknap 196) | $2,000–$3,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·03 | Open Study (White Line on Beige No. 1) | $40,000–$60,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·03 | Untitled (In Brown with Gauloises and the Figure 4) | $40,000–$60,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·03 | Red Open with White Line (Belknap 207) | $7,000–$10,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·03 | Dutch Linen: Four Plates (Belknap 131-134) | $7,000–$10,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·03 | The Red and Black No. 46 | $40,000–$60,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·03 | Open No. 126: In Beige with Blue | $70,000–$100,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·03 | Black Open | $250,000–$350,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·03 | The Star of David | $100,000–$150,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·03 | The Paris Review | $1,800–$2,500 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2024·02 | NYC Cultural Institutions | Lithograph in colors with embossing on wove paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·02 | Mulligan's Tower | Etching in sepia on wove paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·02 | Black Sea | Etching and Aquatint on wove paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·02 | Elegy (Study) | Lithograph on wove paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2024·02 | Gauloises Bleues (Raw Umber Edge) (E. & B. 99) | $1,500–$2,500 | Phillips | |||
| 2024·02 | Tobacco Roth-Händle | $2,500–$3,500 | Rago | |||
| 2024·02 | Africa 3 (from the Africa Suite) | $2,000–$3,000 | Rago | |||
| 2024·02 | Elegy Study | $4,000–$6,000 | Rago | |||
| 2024·02 | Hermitage | $4,000–$6,000 | Rago | |||
| 2024·02 | Gauloises bleues (White) | $2,500–$3,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·02 | Music for J.S. Bach | $2,000–$2,500 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·01 | Three Figures | $8,000–$12,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2024·01 | Music for J.S. Bach (E. & B. 471) | $1,267–$1,901 | Phillips | |||
| 2024·01 | Tricolor – 1973 | $382–$636 | Lyon & Turnbull | |||
| 2024·01 | Soot-Black Stone, #6 | $800–$1,200 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·12 | Roth-Händle , 1975 | brushed aquatint with collage | $4,000–$6,000 | Freeman's | Hindman | ||
| 2023·12 | Gesture II (State I) , 1977 | lift-ground etching and aquatint on gray Rives BFK paper | $3,000–$5,000 | Freeman's | Hindman | ||
| 2023·12 | Chair, 1971 | lithograph on BFK Rives paper | $1,000–$1,500 | Freeman's | Hindman | ||
| 2023·12 | Lyric Suite: Bleeding Black No. 1 | ink on Japanese paper | $12,000–$18,000 | upcoming | Christie's | |
| 2023·12 | Mulligan's Tower | Etching in sepia on wove paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2023·12 | Figuration | $43,084–$64,626 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2023·12 | Beau Geste VI, from Beau Geste Suite | $1,007–$1,511 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·12 | Beau Geste V, from Beau Geste Suite | $1,007–$1,511 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·12 | Beau Geste III, from Beau Geste Suite | $1,007–$1,511 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·12 | Black on Black | Lithograph on chine collé | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2023·11 | Red Samurai, from Octavio Paz Suite | $2,000–$3,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·11 | Souvenir de Californie | $50,000–$70,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·11 | Untitled | Oil on canvasboard | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2023·11 | Figure in Pink and Green | $100,000–$150,000 | Sotheby's | |||
| 2023·11 | Untitled 21 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2023·11 | Untitled 20 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2023·11 | Lament for Lorca (Handprinted | $800–$1,100 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2023·11 | Untitled 14 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2023·11 | Tricolor 137 | $800–$1,100 | Dane Fine Art | |||
| 2023·11 | Untitled 15 | $1,000–$1,500 | Dane Fine Art | |||
| 2023·11 | Je T Aime | $2,000–$3,000 | Dane Fine Art | |||
| 2023·10 | Red Samurai, from Octavio Paz | $2,000–$3,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·10 | Black Flag | $2,000–$3,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·10 | Hermitage | $3,000–$5,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·10 | Mask (for Ingmar Bergman) | $7,000–$10,000 | Bonhams | |||
| 2023·10 | Untitled | $2,000–$3,000 | Christie's | |||
| 2023·10 | Untitled 8 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2023·10 | Untitled 6 | $1,500–$2,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2023·10 | Untitled 2 | $1,000–$1,500 | Dane Fine Art | |||
| 2023·10 | Untitled 3 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2023·10 | Untitled 7 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2023·10 | Untitled 23 | $4,000–$6,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2023·10 | Untitled 10 | $1,000–$1,500 | Dane Fine Art | |||
| 2023·10 | Cultural Institutions | $3,000–$4,500 | Dane Fine Art | |||
| 2023·10 | Untitled 24 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2023·10 | Untitled 9 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2023·10 | Untitled 5 | $1,000–$1,500 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2023·10 | The Octavio Paz Cover | $1,500–$2,000 | Unsold listing | Dane Fine Art | ||
| 2023·10 | Untitled, from X + X (Ten Works by Ten Painters) | Screenprint in colors and collage on wove paper | — | Heritage Auctions | ||
| 2023·10 | Barcelona Elegy to the Spanish Republic (E. & B. 533) | $5,000–$7,000 | Phillips | |||
| 2023·10 | Put Out All Flags (E. & B. 263) | $6,000–$9,000 | Phillips | |||
Realized prices are sold by the record: 50 for $19, non-expiring. Reading them at volume is what Starter is for.