Aristide Maillol Auction Prices and Value Guide

Aristide Maillol auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 2,974 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Aristide Maillol auction prices: quick answer

Aristide Maillol auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.

Artist
Aristide Maillol
Source records
2,974
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Aristide Maillol

Aristide Maillol (1861–1944) was a French sculptor, painter, and printmaker born in Banyuls-sur-Mer in the Pyrénées-Orientales. Originally trained as a painter under Jean-Léon Gérôme and Alexandre Cabanel at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, he turned to sculpture in the 1890s and became one of the most influential European sculptors of the early twentieth century. Maillol is best known for his monumental bronze and stone female nudes, which combine Mediterranean classical restraint with simplified, volumetric forms. His work marked a decisive departure from the expressive drama of Auguste Rodin, championing instead harmony, balance, and stillness. Major museums including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tate in London, and the Musée Maillol in Paris hold significant collections of his sculpture, prints, and drawings. Collectors encounter Maillol's work across a range of media at auction, from large-scale bronze casts to woodcuts, lithographs, and terracotta maquettes.

Modern classical sculpture revivalBronze sculptureLithographyWoodcutEtchingFemale nudeClassical and mythological themes

Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers most frequently encounter Maillol bronzes of seated and standing female nudes, often titled after mythological or elemental themes. Terracotta and plaster maquettes for larger commissions also circulate. On paper, Maillol produced woodcut-illustrated books (notably editions of Virgil and Ovid), lithographs, and etchings of female figures and landscapes. Oil paintings from his early career occasionally appear, though his reputation rests primarily on sculpture and printmaking. Works range from tabletop maquettes to monumental garden bronzes.

Market and appraisal context

Aristide Maillol maintains a deep and active secondary market spanning over 25 years of recorded auction activity, with 1,347 cataloged lots and 839 priced results dating from February 2001 through April 2026. The market is anchored by Christie's and Sotheby's at the top tier, with consistent representation at Bonhams, Artcurial, Lempertz, Tajan, and Swann Auction Galleries. Price dispersion is exceptionally wide—from $10 for minor prints to $2,994,500 at the top end—reflecting the broad range of media in which Maillol worked. The median realized price of $2,600 and the 75th percentile at $37,500 indicate that the bulk of lots are works on paper and small-scale bronzes, while large-scale lifetime bronze casts of iconic compositions drive the upper market. Recent 12-month activity (83 lots) is slightly below the prior year (99 lots), suggesting stable but not rising liquidity. Major bronze sculptures such as the Pendule, dite Les deux soeurs (Lempertz, December 2025, €120,000) and Baigneuse debout se coiffant (Bonhams, November 2024, $48,000) confirm continuing strong demand for sculptural work. Prints and illustrated books—particularly woodcut editions of Virgil's Georgics and Ovid's L'Art d'Aimer—trade regularly in the €180–£380 range, representing the most accessible entry point for collectors.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Bronze sculpture
  • Lithography
  • Woodcut
  • Etching
  • Oil painting

Value drivers

  1. Medium: bronze casts (particularly large-scale) and original terracotta or stone works generally carry the strongest auction results
  2. Edition and foundry: Maillol bronzes were cast by prestigious foundries including Alexis Rudier and Valsuani; edition number and foundry marks affect value
  3. Subject: monumental female nude figures such as La Méditerranée, L'Air, and La Rivière are among the most sought-after subjects
  4. Provenance: works with documented exhibition or collection history linked to Dina Vierny or the Musée Maillol may carry added significance
  5. Condition and authenticity: authentication by the Maillol estate or Comité Maillol and verification of foundry stamps are standard valuation steps
  6. Medium and scale: monumental bronze casts command the highest prices; original terracotta and stone works are rare and prized; prints and drawings trade at significantly lower levels

Appraisal caveats

  • Edition sizes and posthumous casting practices vary; collectors should verify whether a bronze is lifetime or posthumous and confirm edition numbering.
  • Prints and works on paper by Maillol appear frequently at auction with a wide price range depending on medium, size, and condition.
  • The Invaluable/Appraisily catalog of 2,974 lots suggests a substantial secondary-market presence spanning sculpture, prints, and drawings.
  • Prices in this dataset span multiple currencies (USD, EUR, GBP) and are not currency-normalized; direct comparison requires conversion to a common currency.

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 Aristide Maillol

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Aristide Maillol 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 Aristide Maillol artwork?

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