Gene Bernard Davis Auction Prices and Value Guide

Gene Bernard Davis auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 1,199 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Gene Bernard Davis auction prices: quick answer

Gene Bernard Davis auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.

Artist
Gene Bernard Davis
Source records
1,199
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Gene Bernard Davis

Gene Davis (1920–1985) was an American painter recognized as a leading figure in the Color Field movement and the Washington Color School. Born and based in Washington, D.C., he became best known for canvases composed of vertical stripes of vivid, rhythmic color. Though largely self-taught as a visual artist—his early career was in journalism—Davis developed a distinctive approach that emphasized optical vibration and the perceptual relationships between adjacent hues. His work is held by major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate in London. Over a career spanning three decades, Davis explored seriality, scale, and the expressive possibilities of pure color, producing both intimate paintings and large-scale public installations. Collectors encounter his work most often at Post-War and Contemporary Art sales.

Color Field paintingWashington Color SchoolAcrylic paint on canvasWorks on paperPrints and screenprintsVertical stripe compositions

Common works and media

Davis is most associated with acrylic stripe paintings on canvas, ranging from small-scale works to mural-sized compositions. He also produced watercolors, drawings, screenprints, and lithographs. Subjects are almost entirely abstract, built from vertical bands of color. Some late works expanded into multi-panel formats and public commissions. In appraisal contexts, collectors are most likely to encounter original paintings on canvas, signed prints from documented editions, and works on paper.

Market and appraisal context

Gene Davis has a deep and liquid secondary market. Appraisily auction records index 749 lots with 618 carrying realized prices, spanning February 2002 through April 2026. Fifty-four priced lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window, essentially flat versus the prior 12 months (53 lots), indicating stable and ongoing demand. Price dispersion is wide: the interquartile range runs from $470 to $3,120, with a median of $900 and a recorded maximum of $151,200. This spread reflects the sharp medium and scale divide within Davis's output—editioned lithographs and screenprints dominate the lower half of the distribution, while unique acrylic-on-canvas paintings from the 1960s and 1970s regularly achieve five-figure results and occasionally six figures at major houses. Top-tier houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Hindman appear alongside specialist regional firms such as Los Angeles Modern Auctions, Weschler's, Potomack Company, and Rago Arts and Auction Center, confirming broad catalog placement across Post-War & Contemporary Art, American Art, and Prints & Multiples sales.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Post-War & Contemporary Art
  • American Art
  • Prints & Multiples

Value drivers

  1. Size and scale of the work — Davis produced both intimate stripe paintings and monumental mural-scale pieces
  2. Medium — original acrylic on canvas paintings generally carry higher values than works on paper or prints
  3. Period and provenance — works from the 1960s and 1970s, the height of his Color Field period, are most sought after
  4. Condition and exhibition history
  5. Medium is the single strongest price driver: unique acrylic-on-canvas paintings from the 1960s–1970s typically achieve $5,000–$30,000+, while editioned lithographs and screenprints cluster in the $350–$900 range.
  6. Scale matters—mural-sized canvases command premiums over small-format works. Mixed-media works on board from the 1950s (pre-stripe period) trade in the $2,750–$4,400 band.

Appraisal caveats

  • Davis produced a large body of work across multiple mediums, including prints and works on paper, so auction results can vary widely by medium, size, and period.
  • Attribution should be confirmed as several artists share the name Gene Davis.
  • The price distribution reflects mixed mediums: the $45 minimum likely corresponds to an unframed print or miniature, while the $151,200 maximum likely represents a large-scale prime-period painting at a major house. Median and quartile figures should be interpreted in that context rather than applied to any single work.
  • Some recent lots are priced in CAD; direct comparison with USD results requires currency conversion.

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 Gene Bernard Davis

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Gene Bernard Davis 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 Gene Bernard Davis artwork?

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