Beniamino Bufano Auction Prices and Value Guide

Beniamino Bufano auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 245 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Beniamino Bufano auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Beniamino Bufano
Source records
245
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Beniamino Bufano

Beniamino Bufano (1898–1970) was an Italian-American sculptor celebrated for his large-scale public monuments promoting peace and his modernist animal forms rendered in smooth, simplified contours. Born in Potenza, Italy, Bufano immigrated to the United States and trained at the Art Students League of New York, the New York School of Fine and Applied Arts, and the National Academy. After early years in New York City and a period in Paris during the 1920s, he settled in San Francisco, where he spent most of his career from roughly 1930 until his death in 1970. Bufano worked across a distinctive range of materials—ceramics, marble, stainless steel, mosaic, and terracotta—often combining media in a single piece. His smoothly rounded sculptures of animals and figures, along with his peace monuments installed throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, make his work a familiar presence in Northern California public art and a recurring entry at auction.

Modernismceramicsstone (including marble)stainless steelmosaicanimalspeace monumentsChristian religious sceneshuman figures

Common works and media

Bufano's most commonly encountered works at auction and in private collections include small-to-medium-scale sculptures of animals—particularly birds, cats, and bears—rendered in his characteristically smooth, rounded modernist style. Busts and religious figure sculptures in terracotta, marble, and bronze also appear regularly. Mosaic panels and mixed-media works combining ceramic and stone are less common but documented. Large-scale stainless steel and stone peace monuments are primarily found in public installations rather than on the secondary market.

Market and appraisal context

Bufano's auction market spans sculpture in ceramics, carved stone, terracotta, metal, and mosaic. Collectors most frequently encounter tabletop-scale animal figures and busts, while his monumental public commissions rarely appear for sale. Valuation depends heavily on material, scale, condition, and whether a piece is an original carving or a cast-stone replica. Provenance tied to San Francisco Bay Area exhibitions or commissions can add contextual significance. Buyers should note that Bufano occasionally used the name Benvenuto Bufano, which can affect attribution accuracy in auction records.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Appraisal caveats

  • No major museum collection or artist-estate catalogue raisonné was available in the source pack to systematically authenticate works.
  • Bufano used multiple names (Beniamino, Benvenuto, Benny), which can complicate auction attribution and provenance searches.

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 Beniamino Bufano

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Beniamino Bufano 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 Beniamino Bufano artwork?

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