Clifton Pugh Auction Prices and Value Guide

Clifton Pugh auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 1,104 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Clifton Pugh auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Clifton Pugh
Source records
1,104
Market update
2026-02-16

Artist context

About Clifton Pugh

Clifton Ernest Pugh (1924–1990) was an Australian painter born in Melbourne, widely regarded as one of the country's most significant post-war artists. He won the Archibald Prize for portraiture three times and became known for bold, expressive landscapes and figurative works shaped by German Expressionism. Pugh was a key participant in the Antipodeans exhibition alongside Arthur Boyd, John Brack, Charles Blackman, and other leading Australian painters who championed figurative painting against prevailing abstraction. He also exhibited in collaborative and experimental contexts, including a joint show with Barry Humphries responding to Dadaism and the Group of Four exhibitions at the Victorian Artists Society Gallery. His work is held in major Australian public collections and continues to circulate in the secondary market.

German Expressionism (influence)Antipodeansoil paintinglandscapesportraiture

Common works and media

Pugh is most commonly encountered in oil on canvas and oil on board, with subjects including Australian bush landscapes, native flora, portraits of prominent Australians, and figurative compositions. Prints and works on paper also appear in the secondary market. His landscapes often feature dense, gestural brushwork with a distinctive expressionist palette. Portraits range from commissioned likenesses to informal studies. Collectors may also encounter exhibition posters and limited-edition reproductions associated with his Archibald Prize entries and Antipodeans-era shows.

Market and appraisal context

Clifton Pugh maintains an active and liquid secondary market with 828 auction lots recorded, of which 533 carry realized prices spanning 2002 to May 2026. The price distribution is wide: the median stands at AUD 800, the 25th percentile at AUD 250, and the 75th percentile at AUD 4,600, with a ceiling of AUD 73,350. This dispersion reflects a market where small works on paper and prints trade below AUD 500, while significant early oils from the 1950s–1970s regularly command five-figure sums. Liquidity is stable, with 52 lots in the most recent 12 months against 53 in the prior 12 months. Works circulate through ten or more auction houses including Leonard Joel (the most frequent venue), Gibson's, Smith & Singer, Bonhams, Menzies, Christie's, Lawsons, Shapiro Auctioneers, Aalders Auctions, Art Invest, GFL Fine Art, Cooee Art, and Sydney Rare Book Auctions. The strongest prices cluster around large-format oils from Pugh's Antipodeans-era and 1960s–1970s period, particularly landscapes with birds and figurative compositions.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Australian & International Paintings
  • oil painting
  • works on paper
  • prints

Value drivers

  1. Provenance and exhibition history (Antipodeans, Archibald Prize)
  2. Subject matter: landscape vs. portrait vs. figurative works
  3. Medium and condition (oil on canvas, board, or work on paper)
  4. Date of execution (early, mid-career, or late period)
  5. Period of execution: 1950s–1970s works (Antipodeans era) command premiums over 1980s works
  6. Medium: oil on canvas and large-format oils on board achieve the highest prices; works on paper and prints trade at the lower end

Appraisal caveats

  • No public auction price records were available in the source pack; appraisal should reference comparable realized prices from major Australian auction houses.
  • Attribution should be confirmed against published catalogues or expert opinion, especially for unsigned or untitled works.
  • All price data are in AUD and sourced from the Appraisily auction-record index, which aggregates public auction feeds; prices may not include buyer's premiums in all cases.
  • The maximum recorded price (AUD 73,350) is an outlier; the interquartile range (AUD 250–4,600) is more representative of the typical market.

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 Clifton Pugh

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Clifton Pugh 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 Clifton Pugh artwork?

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