François Pompon Auction Prices and Value Guide

François Pompon auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 938 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

François Pompon auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
François Pompon
Source records
938
Market update
2026-02-16

Artist context

About François Pompon

François Pompon was a French sculptor and animalier born on 9 May 1855 in Saulieu, Burgundy. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Dijon before moving to Paris, where he assisted established sculptors while developing his own practice. Pompon made his Salon debut in 1879 with a statue inspired by Victor Hugo's Cosette. Over subsequent decades he gravitated toward animal subjects, refining a smooth-surfaced, radically simplified style that stripped forms to their essential volumes. This mature approach went largely unnoticed until the 1922 Salon d'Automne, where his monumental Ours blanc (White Bear) brought him wide recognition at the age of 67. Today Pompon is regarded as a pivotal figure bridging nineteenth-century animalier traditions and twentieth-century modernist abstraction. His works are held by major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He died in Paris on 6 May 1933.

Modern stylized animalier sculptureBronze (cast, patinated)MarbleStone (carved)PlasterAnimals (bears, birds, roosters, condors, hippopotamuses, pelicans)

Common works and media

Pompon is best known for smoothly modeled, stylized animal sculptures. The most frequently encountered works at auction are cast-bronze editions of animal subjects — particularly the White Bear (Ours blanc), Rooster (Coq), Condor, Hippopotamus, Pelican, and various birds. Bronze editions in reduced formats are the works most likely to appear in appraisal contexts. Marble, stone, and plaster versions exist but are less common on the market. Medals and plaquettes are also documented among his output.

Market and appraisal context

François Pompon maintains an active and well-documented secondary market with 407 auction lots recorded since 2003, of which 284 carry realized prices. The market is anchored by European auction houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Artcurial, and Tajan, with strong representation from French regional houses such as Crait-Muller, Osenat, and Millon & Associés. Price dispersion is wide: the entry level begins at €400 for posthumous or after-model bronzes (e.g., a Grand Ours brun d'après at €800, Louiza Auktion, Sep 2024), while signed lifetime casts of sought-after models reach well into five and six figures. The median realized price sits at €11,700, with the interquartile range spanning €3,800 to €27,360. A standout Artcurial result of €150,000 (Nov 2025) and a historical maximum of €2,000,000 indicate that rare or monumental examples — likely unique stone or marble versions or important lifetime bronze casts — command significant premiums. Liquidity has contracted somewhat recently: only 2 priced lots in the most recent 12 months versus 17 in the prior period, though this may reflect collection cycles rather than diminished demand. The Ours blanc remains the most consistently traded and highest-value model, followed by bird subjects (Faisan at €7,500, Tourterelle at €4,200) and the Coq.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Bronze (cast, patinated)
  • Marble
  • Stone (carved)
  • Plaster

Value drivers

  1. [object Object]

Appraisal caveats

  • Pompon's popular animal models have been widely reproduced; attribution should be confirmed through foundry marks, edition numbering, or catalogued provenance.
  • The 938 auction results attributed to this artist on Appraisily suggest a broad range of works and editions; individual lot values vary significantly by medium, size, and model.
  • [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 François Pompon

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is François Pompon 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 François Pompon artwork?

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