David Shrigley Auction Prices and Value Guide
David Shrigley auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 2,160 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
David Shrigley auction prices: quick answer
David Shrigley auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- David Shrigley
- Source records
- 2,160
- Market update
- 2026-02-16
Artist context
About David Shrigley
David Shrigley (born 1968, Macclesfield, England) is a British visual artist known for his distinctive line drawings, sculptures, and text-based works that combine deadpan humor with surreal, often darkly comic observations about everyday life. He studied at the Glasgow School of Art and lived in Glasgow for nearly three decades before relocating to Brighton. Shrigley rose to prominence in the 1990s through his roughly rendered ink drawings—characterized by a deliberately childlike aesthetic—that pair sparse imagery with witty, aphoristic captions. His practice extends well beyond drawing: he works across painting, printmaking, sculpture, photography, animation, and artist books, and has released spoken-word recordings. Appointed OBE for services to visual art, Shrigley is represented in major international collections including Tate and the Museum of Modern Art, New York. Collectors encounter his work primarily through prints, multiples, drawings, and sculptural editions.
Contemporary British ArtConceptual Artdrawingpaintingsculptureprintmakingdark humor and absurdityeveryday life and mundane situationstext-based works and aphorisms
Common works and media
Collectors and appraisers most commonly encounter Shrigley's black-and-white line drawings on paper, color screenprints and etchings in numbered editions, small-scale sculptural editions (often in bronze or resin), artist books and monographs, and animation stills or photographic prints. His work frequently features single figures or objects paired with hand-lettered text, deadpan captions, or absurdist slogans. Political cartoons and tattoo-related works also appear in his published output.
Market and appraisal context
David Shrigley maintains a deep and active secondary market with 1,245 auction lots recorded from June 2007 through March 2026, of which 917 carry realized prices. His auction footprint spans at least ten named houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips, and Bonhams alongside specialist contemporary-art sellers such as Tate Ward Auctions, Forum Auctions, Chiswick Auctions, and Sworders. Liquidity is strong: 136 priced lots appeared in the most recent 12 months (down from 166 the prior year), indicating a modest softening in volume but continued institutional and collector demand. Price dispersion is wide—realized prices range from approximately £20 for small editions and prints to £300,000 at the top end, with a median of £1,200 and an interquartile range of £450–£2,375. This spread reflects the breadth of Shrigley's output: modestly priced editioned screenprints and multiples anchor the lower end, while unique drawings, early works, and sculptural editions drive the upper tier. The UK market dominates, with GBP-denominated results from Tate Ward, Forum, and Chiswick, but USD results from John Moran Auctioneers and Rago Arts and Auction Center confirm transatlantic demand. Recent comparable lots from late 2025 and early 2026 show works on paper and screenprints routinely realizing £800–£2,400 in the UK and $2,970–$4,445 in the US.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- contemporary prints and multiples
- works on paper
- contemporary sculpture
- artist books and multiples
- contemporary photography
Value drivers
- [object Object]
Appraisal caveats
- Shrigley's extensive print output and editioned works mean that condition, edition number, and documentation (signatures, certificates) are especially important at appraisal.
- Artist books and multiples exist in multiple formats and editions; verify edition details before valuation.
- The £300,000 maximum recorded price likely represents an outlier (possibly a major unique sculpture or early-career drawing) and should not be treated as representative of the broader market.
- Category labels in the auction-record dataset are sparse (null for most recent lots); the commonAuctionCategories listed here are inferred from medium descriptions in lot titles and the artist's known practice rather than structured auction-house categories.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Library of Congress library authority
- VIAF library authority
- The Museum of Modern Art museum or university
- Tate museum or university
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History library authority
- David Shrigley artist official site
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.
Artist value FAQ
How much is David Shrigley 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 David Shrigley artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.