Alberto Burri Auction Prices and Value Guide
Alberto Burri auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 786 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Alberto Burri auction prices: quick answer
Alberto Burri auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Alberto Burri
- Source records
- 786
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About Alberto Burri
Alberto Burri (1915–1995) was an Italian painter, sculptor, and graphic artist recognized as a leading figure of post-war European art. Trained as a physician, he began painting in 1943 while interned as a prisoner of war in Texas. After returning to Italy, he settled in Città di Castello and developed a radical practice centered on unconventional materials — burlap, tar, burned plastic, PVA, and wood — earning him association with Matterism and the broader Art Informel movement. Burri described his approach as polymaterialist. His work shares affinities with Lucio Fontana's Spatialism and influenced the revival of assemblage art in both Europe and the United States. Major series include the Catrami (tars), Sacchi (burlap sacks), Combustioni (burned plastics), Cretti (crack works), and Cellotex paintings. The Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri in Città di Castello preserves his legacy.
Matterism (Informal Art / Art Informel)Post-war European AssemblyPainting (oil, acrylic, vinyl)Sculpture and three-dimensional assemblageUnconventional materials including burlap (jute), plastic, wood, PVA, Combustion (burned plastic and wood), Cellotex, metalPrints and graphic worksAbstract material compositions exploring texture, deterioration, and material transformation
Common works and media
Collectors and appraisers most frequently encounter Burri's burlap (Sacchi) compositions, tar paintings (Catrami), burned plastic and wood reliefs (Combustioni), craquelure-style works (Cretti), and late-period Cellotex pieces. Prints and graphic editions also appear on the secondary market. His work spans painting, sculptural relief, assemblage, and large-scale land art, with the majority of auction lots falling into the painting and relief categories.
Market and appraisal context
Alberto Burri's secondary market is deep and internationally distributed. Appraisily's auction index tracks 531 lots with 387 priced results spanning June 1999 through February 2026. The dataset shows wide price dispersion: a mixed-media minimum at $40, a lower quartile near $1,900, a median near $7,800, an upper quartile near $120,000, and a maximum indexed result above $9.1 million. The dominant auction-house footprint is led by Christie's (181 lots) and Sotheby's (71 lots), with strong Italian-house representation from Finarte (58 lots), Finarte Roma (23 lots), Pananti Casa D'Aste SRL (18 lots), Aste Bolaffi (10 lots), and Felima Art Casa D'Aste (10 lots). Bonhams, Picenum, Wannenes Art Auctions, Casa d'aste Minghini, Dorotheum, Rago Arts and Auction Center, Santa Fe Art Auction, Wright, Il Ponte Auction House, Eurantico Casa d'Aste, Casa D'aste Guidoriccio, Mallet Auction, and Art-Rite round out the observed houses. Recent 12-month activity shows 16 lots versus 30 in the prior 12-month window, indicating a moderate but active turnover. The price spectrum reflects a bifurcated market: unique material works from the Sacchi, Combustioni, Cretti, and Cellotex series command five- to seven-figure results, while serigraphs, etchings, graphic editions, and catalogue-related lots trade in the low-three to low-four-figure range.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- Post-War and Contemporary Art
- Painting (oil, acrylic, vinyl, mixed media)
- Sculpture and three-dimensional assemblage
- Works on paper (etchings, aquatints, serigraphs)
- Prints and graphic editions
Value drivers
- Series identification: Sacchi, Combustioni, Cretti, Cellotex, Catrami, and Bianchi e neri unique works occupy the high-value lane; serigraphs, etchings, and graphic editions occupy a separate lower-value lane and must not be compared directly.
- Material condition: burlap fibers, burned plastic surfaces, craquelure (Cretti), PVA, and Cellotex are inherently fragile. Surface stability, conservation history, and any restoration materially affect value.
- Period and date: 1950s and 1960s material works generally carry stronger demand than later works, with early Sacchi and Combustioni pieces forming the top tier.
- Scale: large unique paintings and reliefs command premiums over smaller works on paper or editions.
- Provenance and authentication: Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri documentation, exhibition history, and literature citations (e.g., Corà general catalog references) are important for market confidence.
- Edition details: for prints and graphic works, edition size (e.g., 90 + XV for the Cretto Nero B etching), printer (e.g., 2RC Printing House, Rome), and provenance notes affect value within the graphic-edition lane.
Appraisal caveats
- Burri's unconventional materials degrade over time; condition reports and conservation history materially affect appraisal
- Authentication may involve the Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri; unauthenticated works require additional due diligence
- Prints and graphic works are a separate market segment from unique material paintings and should not be compared directly
- The Appraisily auction index aggregates multiple currencies (USD, EUR, JPY) and object types; artist-level medians are directional indicators, not direct appraisal values. Lot-level currency, date, and series must be used for comparable selection.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History) library authority
- The Museum of Modern Art museum or university
- Tate museum or university
- Fondazione Burri artist official site
- Library of Congress library authority
- VIAF 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 Alberto Burri 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 Alberto Burri artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.