Adja Yunkers Auction Prices and Value Guide
Adja Yunkers auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 770 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Adja Yunkers auction prices: quick answer
Adja Yunkers auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Adja Yunkers
- Source records
- 770
- Market update
- 2026-02-16
Adja Yunkers market snapshot
Adja Yunkers shows deep auction liquidity with 455 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $550. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 22 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2025-12-12.
Realized price distribution
- Under $1,000 (72.3% · 272 sales)
- $1,000 to $10,000 (27.4% · 103 sales)
- $10,000+ (0.3% · 1 sales)
- Median sale (last 12 months)
- $1,000
- Sales recorded (last 12 months)
- 22
- Median shift vs prior year
- +100.0%
- Latest recorded sale
- 2025-12-12
Artist context
About Adja Yunkers
Adja Yunkers (1900–1983) was a Latvian-born American abstract painter and printmaker whose career spanned six decades and several continents. Born in Riga, then part of the Russian Empire, Yunkers studied in Leningrad, Berlin, Paris, and London before settling in Paris for fourteen years. In 1939 he relocated to Stockholm, where he published and edited the arts journals ARS and Creation. After emigrating to the United States in 1947, he taught at the New School for Social Research in New York and spent summers at the University of New Mexico. A 1949 Guggenheim Fellowship supported his continued work in abstract painting and printmaking. Yunkers is especially recognized for his innovative color woodcuts of the 1950s, which introduced expressive brushwork into the medium, and for major lithograph series produced at the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles during the 1960s. His work is held by the Museum of Modern Art in New York and other institutions.
Abstract artpaintingcolor woodcutlithographcollageabstract composition
Common works and media
Yunkers's most frequently encountered works at auction and in collections include color woodcuts from the 1950s, lithographs from the 1960s (particularly the Salt and Skies of Venice series produced at the Tamarind Lithography Workshop), abstract paintings in oil and mixed media, collages, and graphic works on paper. His prints range from bold, gestural abstractions to atmospheric compositions. Woodcuts are notable for their integration of painterly brushwork into the relief-printing process.
Market and appraisal context
Adja Yunkers has a well-established secondary market with 518 auction lots recorded from 1991 through April 2026, of which 413 carry realized prices. His work trades primarily at regional and national American auction houses including Freeman's | Hindman, Rago Arts and Auction Center, Wright, Los Angeles Modern Auctions, RoGallery, Toomey & Co., and Bonhams. The median auction price of $549 and interquartile range of $350–$1,000 reflect a market dominated by editioned prints—color woodcuts, lithographs, and screenprints—with paintings and unique works reaching significantly higher levels up to $20,000. The price distribution is wide ($10–$20,000), indicating that medium, edition status, and provenance are primary value drivers. Recent 12-month volume (17 lots) is roughly half the prior 12-month volume (34 lots), suggesting a moderate contraction in market liquidity. Priced recent lots cluster between $100 and $2,400, with lithographs and collages from the 1960s–1970s consistently achieving four-figure results at houses like Freeman's | Hindman and Rago.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- color woodcut
- lithograph
- screenprint
- collage
- painting
Value drivers
- Medium and technique: color woodcuts from the 1950s are distinctive for incorporating brushwork into the woodcut genre; lithographs from the 1960s Tamarind Workshop period are well documented
- Series and title: works from the Salt and Skies of Venice lithograph series carry recognizable provenance from the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles
- Edition and impression: print editions, plate versus trial proofs, and numbered impressions affect value
- Period: works from the 1950s color woodcut period and 1960s lithograph period are most frequently encountered at auction
- Institutional holdings: MoMA and other museum collections add credibility and name recognition for collectors
- Medium: unique paintings and major collages command the highest prices; editioned prints (lithographs, woodcuts, screenprints) trade in the $100–$2,400 range depending on period and edition
Appraisal caveats
- No specific auction price records or market trend data were available in the collected source pack; individual work values depend heavily on medium, edition, condition, and provenance.
- Attribution and dating should be confirmed against catalogue records or museum documentation, as Yunkers worked across multiple continents and periods.
- The price range of $10–$20,000 spans over three orders of magnitude; any individual work's value depends heavily on medium, edition, condition, and provenance, and cannot be reliably estimated from the median alone.
- Auction volume has declined from 34 lots in the prior 12-month period to 17 in the most recent 12-month period. This may reflect reduced supply, shifting consignor behavior, or normal market fluctuation—insufficient data to determine direction.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Wikidata library authority
- Wikipedia wikipedia
- VIAF library authority
- The Museum of Modern Art museum or university
- RKD library authority
Data basis
This page is built from Appraisily's public auction market index. Private transactions, incomplete sale feeds, and attribution changes may not be fully represented.
Artist value FAQ
How much is Adja Yunkers worth?
Comparable public auction sales are the best starting point, but final value depends on the specific artwork, condition, size, medium, provenance, and attribution confidence.
Can Appraisily value my Adja Yunkers artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.