Asger Jorn Auction Prices and Value Guide

Asger Jorn auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 1,591 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Asger Jorn auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Asger Jorn
Source records
1,591
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Asger Jorn

Asger Jorn, born Asger Oluf Jørgensen in 1914 in Vejrum, Denmark, was a Danish painter, sculptor, ceramicist, printmaker, and author who became one of the most inventive European artists of the post-war era. He studied in Paris under Fernand Léger before co-founding the experimental COBRA group in 1948, an artist collective named after Copenhagen, Brussels, and Amsterdam that championed spontaneous, expressive painting rooted in myth, folk art, and the unconscious. Jorn later helped found the Situationist International, contributing theoretical writings alongside his visual work. His paintings are recognized for their vigorous brushwork, vivid color, and hybrid figurative-abstract forms. Major museums including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tate in London, and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam hold significant collections of his work. Jorn died in 1973 in Aarhus, Denmark.

COBRASituationist Internationaloil paintingsculptureceramicslithographyabstract and semi-figurative compositions

Common works and media

Jorn's output spans oil paintings on canvas and panel, gouaches and works on paper, lithographs and screen prints (often issued in editions), ceramic plates and vessels, bronze sculptures, woven tapestries based on his designs, and artist books. Common subjects include semi-abstract figures, masked faces, animal-like creatures, and vibrant landscape-inspired compositions. Collectors encountering Jorn at auction will most frequently find mid-century oil paintings and editioned lithographs.

Market and appraisal context

Asger Jorn maintains an active and well-documented secondary market spanning over three decades, with 862 cataloged lots and 576 priced records in the Appraisily database. His work is traded internationally through top-tier houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers, and Artcurial, as well as regional European specialists such as Cornette de Saint-Cyr, Adams Amsterdam Auctions, and Bernaerts Auctioneers. The price distribution is wide: prints and minor works on paper regularly realize between €30 and €700, while unique oil paintings from his COBRA period (late 1940s–early 1950s) have commanded results approaching $2.1 million at the top end. The median price of $4,750 reflects the mix of editioned prints, ceramics, and unique works that characterize his market. Liquidity is solid, with 47 lots offered in the most recent 12-month period (down from 62 the prior year), suggesting continued but slightly cooling supply.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Post-War and Contemporary Art
  • Prints and Multiples

Value drivers

  1. Medium and support: oil on canvas works generally command stronger results than works on paper or prints
  2. Period: COBRA-era and early 1950s works are particularly sought after
  3. Provenance and exhibition history strengthen attribution confidence
  4. RKD records over 1,000 image entries, indicating substantial documented output across media
  5. Medium and support: oil on canvas works command significantly stronger results than works on paper, prints, or ceramics. The Appraisily dataset shows a 150× spread between the 25th percentile ($700) and the 75th percentile ($34,850), largely driven by medium differentiation.
  6. Period: COBRA-era works (1948–1951) and early 1950s paintings are the most sought-after, aligning with the artist's founding role in the movement.

Appraisal caveats

  • No major auction-house catalog notes were available in this source pack; comparable sale data should be verified through dedicated auction databases.
  • Jorn produced ceramics, prints, and editions in addition to unique paintings, so medium identification is essential before appraisal.
  • Attribution of unsigned or undocumented works should be confirmed through the RKD or a qualified specialist.
  • Price data is drawn from the Appraisily auction-record index and covers lots from 1995 through April 2026. Not all lots have realized prices (576 of 862 are priced), so unsold or reserve-not-met lots are excluded from price statistics.

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 Asger Jorn

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Asger Jorn 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 Asger Jorn artwork?

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