Anish Kapoor Auction Prices and Value Guide
Anish Kapoor auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 782 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Anish Kapoor auction prices: quick answer
Anish Kapoor auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Anish Kapoor
- Source records
- 782
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About Anish Kapoor
Sir Anish Kapoor (born 12 March 1954, Mumbai) is a British-Indian sculptor whose practice spans installation, conceptual art, and monumental public sculpture. He moved to England in 1972 and studied at Hornsey College of Art and Chelsea School of Art and Design. Kapoor first gained recognition in the early 1980s for pigment-covered sculptural assemblages, and has since become known for mirror-polished stainless steel forms, immersive void sculptures, and large-scale architectural installations sited in cities and museums worldwide. His work investigates materiality, perception, and the phenomenology of space using media ranging from raw pigment and stone to engineered surfaces. Major public commissions include Cloud Gate in Chicago and the ArcelorMittal Orbit in London. Kapoor has exhibited at Tate, MoMA, the Serpentine Gallery, and numerous international venues. He was appointed CBE in 2003, elected a Royal Academician in 2008, and received a knighthood in 2016.
Installation artConceptual artContemporary British sculptureSculpture (steel, stone, pigment, PVC, mirror-polished stainless steel)Wax and resin installationsMixed-media assemblageVoid and negative spacePerception and materialityMonumental public sculpture
Common works and media
Kapoor's output encompasses pigment sculptures built from raw color powder, mirror-polished stainless steel concave and convex forms, void works carved in alabaster and sandstone, freestanding stone and fibreglass pieces, wax and resin installations, PVC membrane sculptures, and architectural-scale public commissions. Editioned prints, artist's proofs, and maquettes for larger projects also circulate at auction. Collectors may encounter wall-based mirror reliefs and mixed-media works combining engineered and natural materials.
Market and appraisal context
Anish Kapoor maintains a deep, liquid secondary market spanning over two decades of auction records. Appraisily's auction-record index tracks 551 total lots with 416 priced results, dating from February 2002 through May 2026. His work appears consistently at the top tier of the contemporary sculpture market: Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, Phillips, and Artcurial all feature Kapoor regularly. Price dispersion is extremely wide—from $20 for small editioned prints to $5,860,000 for monumental unique sculptures—reflecting a catalogue that ranges from woodcuts and jewellery editions through pigment-on-paper works, alabaster carvings, and large-scale stainless steel and fibreglass installations. The median realised price of approximately $23,750 and a 75th percentile near $242,500 confirm that mid-career unique works command significant sums, while editioned prints and small objects trade in the low thousands. Liquidity has moderated slightly: 19 priced lots in the most recent 12-month window versus 28 in the prior 12 months, though this may reflect normal auction-cycle variation rather than softening demand. Recent highlights include a large Untitled sculpture (2004) selling for £380,000 at Bonhams in October 2025, an alabaster Untitled fetching $381,000 at Christie's in September 2025, and an Artcurial lot realising €520,000 in October 2025.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- Contemporary Art
- Post-War and Contemporary Sculpture
- Prints and Multiples
- Works on Paper
Value drivers
- Medium and material (pigment, mirror-polished steel, alabaster, resin, wax) strongly affect value
- Scale and whether the work is a unique piece versus a limited edition or maquette
- Provenance and exhibition history, especially links to major museum shows or public commissions
- Date of execution; early pigment works (1980s) and large-scale mirror sculptures (2000s onward) are particularly sought after
- Condition is critical for pigment surfaces and mirror finishes, which are susceptible to handling and environmental damage
- Medium is the strongest price determinant: monumental unique sculptures in pigment, mirror-polished steel, or alabaster trade in the hundreds of thousands to millions; works on paper and prints trade in the low thousands
Appraisal caveats
- Kapoor's market spans from editioned prints and small maquettes to monumental unique sculptures, so comparable sales must match medium and scale closely.
- Installation-specific or site-conditioned works may require specialist assessment for authenticity and reinstallability.
- Auction prices shown are realised prices (hammer plus buyer's premium in most cases) and may not reflect the full cost basis for a buyer. They should not be treated as appraised values.
- Price dispersion across currencies (GBP, USD, EUR) means direct comparison requires conversion to a common currency at the relevant date.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Library of Congress library authority
- RKD library authority
- VIAF library authority
- Wikidata library authority
- Tate museum or university
- The Museum of Modern Art museum or university
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 Anish Kapoor 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 Anish Kapoor artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.