Clementine Hunter Auction Prices and Value Guide

Clementine Hunter auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 1,114 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Clementine Hunter auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Clementine Hunter
Source records
1,114
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Clementine Hunter

Clementine Hunter was a self-taught African American folk artist born in late 1886 in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, and raised in the Cane River region. She spent most of her life on Melrose Plantation, where she worked as a field hand, cook, and housekeeper before beginning to paint in her fifties, using materials left behind by a visiting artist. Over the following decades she produced thousands of vibrant narrative paintings depicting cotton picking, baptisms, funerals, weddings, fishing, and daily life on the plantation. Working outside academic tradition, Hunter became one of the most recognized figures in American folk and outsider art. She was the first African American artist to receive a solo exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Hunter continued painting into her late nineties and died on January 1, 1988. Her work is held in major museum and private collections and remains a touchstone for collectors of Southern self-taught art.

American folk artOutsider artoil paintingpainting on found surfaces and objectsplantation and rural lifecotton picking and agricultural laborbaptisms and religious ceremoniesweddings and funerals

Common works and media

Hunter worked primarily in oil on canvas, board, and paper, but also painted on found surfaces including window shades, jugs, and other household objects. Common subjects include cotton picking, wash day, baptisms, funerals, weddings, fishing, and other scenes of rural Louisiana plantation life. She also produced floral still lifes and religious narratives. Works range from small tabletop paintings to large mural-scale compositions. Late-career works on paper and greeting cards also circulate in the secondary market.

Market and appraisal context

Clementine Hunter maintains one of the most active and liquid markets of any American self-taught or folk artist. Appraisily's auction-record index tracks 953 total lots (864 with realized prices), spanning from August 2000 through April 2026. The market has deepened in recent years: 65 lots sold in the most recent 12-month window versus 57 in the prior 12-month period, indicating sustained or growing demand. Prices are widely dispersed — the recorded range is $176 to $85,400 USD — with a median of $5,000 and an interquartile spread of $3,125 to $8,235. Important narrative compositions on board or canvas regularly achieve $6,000–$10,000 at regional houses, while standout subjects (notably "Baptism in Cane River" at Christie's in February 2026 for $15,240, and "Picking Cotton" at Crescent City Auction Gallery in September 2025 for $10,250) reach significantly higher. The market is anchored by New Orleans–based regional specialists — Neal Auction Company, New Orleans Auction Galleries, and Crescent City Auction Gallery — with periodic appearances at Christie's and Heritage Auctions confirming mainstream recognition. Smaller or later works on paper and canvasboard routinely trade between $1,000 and $3,500.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • oil painting
  • painting on found surfaces and objects

Value drivers

  1. [object Object]

Appraisal caveats

  • Over 1,100 auction records exist for this artist, indicating a prolific and active market; however, authentication can be difficult due to the volume of unsigned or ambiguously attributed works.
  • Hunter's birth year is disputed across authority files (1885, 1886, 1887, 1889); this does not affect valuation directly but researchers should note the discrepancy when comparing dated works.
  • [object Object]

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 Clementine Hunter

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Clementine Hunter 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 Clementine Hunter artwork?

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