George Grosz Auction Prices and Value Guide

George Grosz auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 3,415 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

George Grosz auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
George Grosz
Source records
3,415
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About George Grosz

George Grosz (1893–1959), born Georg Ehrenfried Groß in Berlin, was a German-American painter, caricaturist, and graphic artist whose biting visual satire made him one of the defining figures of Weimar-era culture. A leading member of Berlin Dada and a pioneer of the New Objectivity movement, Grosz produced ink drawings, watercolors, and oil paintings that skewered the corruption, militarism, and social decay of 1920s Germany. He studied at the Royal Academy of Art in Dresden and the School of Applied Arts in Berlin before serving in World War I, an experience that radicalized his art. Fleeing the Nazi regime, Grosz emigrated to the United States in 1933 and became a naturalized citizen five years later. He taught at the Art Students League of New York for many years and gradually shifted toward a less overtly political style. In 1959 he returned to Berlin, where he died in July of that year. Works by Grosz are held by the Museum of Modern Art, Tate, and numerous other public collections worldwide.

Berlin DadaNew Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit)oil paintingink drawingwatercolorprintmaking (etching, lithograph)Berlin street life and nightlifepolitical caricature and satireWeimar Republic societyurban figures and types

Common works and media

Collectors are most likely to encounter Grosz's pen-and-ink drawings and watercolors of Berlin figures — prostitutes, wounded veterans, businessmen, and bohemians rendered in his sharp, linear style. Oil paintings from the early 1920s, often grotesque or satirical group portraits, appear less frequently. Print portfolios and individual etchings or lithographs from editions published in the Weimar years circulate widely. Later works include American landscapes, still lifes, and figure studies in a softer, more conventional manner. Illustration commissions for books and magazines also appear on the market.

Market and appraisal context

George Grosz maintains a deep and liquid secondary market with 1,807 auction lots recorded since 1992, of which 1,159 carry realized prices. Activity is strong and rising: 122 lots appeared in the most recent twelve months, up from 114 the prior year. Works trade across a wide price spectrum — from $13 for minor prints to $9.74 million at the top end — with a median of $5,500 and an interquartile range of roughly $1,000–$15,000. The bulk of volume consists of ink drawings, watercolors, and printmaking (etchings and lithographs) from Grosz's Weimar-period Berlin output, which consistently draws the strongest collector demand. Oil paintings from the 1920s are scarce and command significant premiums. Later American-period landscapes and figure studies trade at lower but respectable levels; recent German-house results include a 1951 Manhattan oil at Lempertz for €26,000. Major houses — Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, Grisebach, Swann Auction Galleries, Kunsthaus Lempertz, Tajan, and Finarte — all appear among the top-ten venues, alongside regional specialists such as Dannenberg, Hampel Fine Art, Karl & Faber, and Van Ham, confirming broad institutional and geographic coverage across North America and Europe.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • oil painting
  • ink drawing
  • watercolor
  • printmaking (etching, lithograph)
  • graphic illustration

Value drivers

  1. [object Object]

Appraisal caveats

  • The RKD records over 2,000 image entries for Grosz, indicating a large and varied body of work. Collectors should verify attribution for works outside well-documented periods.
  • Later American-period works differ significantly in style and subject from the Berlin Dada and New Objectivity output that drives most collector interest.
  • [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 George Grosz

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is George Grosz 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 George Grosz artwork?

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