Adolf Arthur Dehn Auction Prices and Value Guide

Adolf Arthur Dehn auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 967 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Adolf Arthur Dehn auction prices: quick answer

Adolf Arthur Dehn auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.

Artist
Adolf Arthur Dehn
Source records
967
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Adolf Arthur Dehn

Adolf Arthur Dehn (1895–1968) was an American painter, printmaker, and lithographer whose career engaged several defining movements in twentieth-century American art. Born in Waterville, Minnesota, Dehn became best known for his mastery of lithography, combining technical precision with a wit that captured the absurdities of modern life. Over a career that stretched from the 1920s through the 1960s, he contributed to regionalism, social realism, and caricature, helping shape the visual language of American art between the World Wars. A two-time Guggenheim Fellow, Dehn produced work ranging from satirical social commentary to lyrical landscapes of the Midwest and Mountain West. His prints and paintings are held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate in London, and other major institutions. Collectors today encounter his work most often through his prolific output of lithographs, watercolors, and drawings.

RegionalismSocial RealismCaricatureLithographyPaintingPrintmakingWatercolorLandscapeSocial satire

Common works and media

Dehn produced lithographs, etchings, watercolors, oil paintings, and drawings. His graphic output includes both editioned prints and unique works on paper. Common subjects include landscapes (particularly Minnesota, Colorado, and New England scenes), social satires of urban and rural life, animal imagery, and caricatures. He also created posters and book illustrations. Signed and numbered lithographs are the most frequently encountered work type at auction, followed by watercolors and drawings.

Market and appraisal context

Adolf Arthur Dehn maintains an active and well-documented secondary market anchored by his prolific output of lithographs, watercolors, and works on paper. Appraisily auction records index 249 lots with 178 priced results spanning 2002 through April 2026, indicating sustained trade over more than two decades. Prices cluster between $175 (25th percentile) and $960 (75th percentile) with a median of $400 USD, though the range stretches from $20 for small or unsigned prints to $9,375 for exceptional unique works. Liquidity is solid: 19 lots appeared in the trailing twelve months and 25 in the prior period, distributed across at least ten named auction houses including Skinner, Heritage Auctions, Christie's, Eldred's, Weschler's, RoGallery, Thomaston Place Auction Galleries, Toomey & Co., and DuMouchelles. Recent Eldred's sales in April 2026 concentrated on Dehn's Martha's Vineyard ink-wash landscapes (1932–1934), which realized $175–$1,000 each, while an oil on masonite titled 'Procession' (1951) achieved $900 at DuMouchelles in January 2026 and a 1941 lithograph 'Man from Orizaba' sold for $2,091 at Santa Fe Art Auction. Unique works—oil paintings, large watercolors, and signed early lithographs with low edition numbers—trade at a premium to standard editioned prints. The market is weighted toward prints and multiples rather than paintings, which appear less frequently and command higher prices when they surface.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Lithography
  • Printmaking
  • Watercolor
  • Painting
  • Works on Paper

Value drivers

  1. [object Object]

Appraisal caveats

  • With nearly 1,000 documented auction lots, Dehn's market is active but heavily weighted toward prints rather than unique works
  • Later restrikes or posthumous impressions may circulate; collectors should verify edition status
  • Tate lists Dehn's death year as 1963, which conflicts with the 1968 date given by Library of Congress, RKD, VIAF, and Wikidata
  • Approximately 29% of indexed lots (71 of 249) lack realized prices, which may represent unsold lots, withdrawn items, or pre-sale estimates without posted results; this can skew the observed price distribution.

Evidence

Sources for artist context

This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.

Source-grounded artist Markdown

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.

LLM-readable Markdown summary for Adolf Arthur Dehn

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Adolf Arthur Dehn 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 Adolf Arthur Dehn artwork?

Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.