György Kepes Auction Prices and Value Guide
György Kepes auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 278 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
György Kepes auction prices: quick answer
György Kepes auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- György Kepes
- Source records
- 278
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About György Kepes
György Kepes (1906–2001) was a Hungarian-born American painter, photographer, designer, educator, and art theorist whose career bridged European avant-garde experimentation and postwar American art and technology. Born in Hungary, Kepes immigrated to the United States in 1937 and joined the faculty of the New Bauhaus in Chicago, where he taught design and explored the intersections of light, perception, and visual communication. In 1967 he founded the Center for Advanced Visual Studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a pioneering program linking art, science, and technology, and directed it until his retirement in 1974. His wide-ranging practice encompassed painting, photography, photograms, cliché-verre, glass design, and theoretical writing. Works by Kepes are held in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tate in London, and other major institutions. Collectors encounter his work primarily through photographic prints, works on paper, and paintings that appear at international auction.
BauhausLight and space artPaintingPhotographyCliché-verreGlass designLight, perception, and visual theory
Common works and media
Collectors are most likely to encounter photographic prints (including gelatin silver prints, photograms, and cliché-verre), paintings in oil or mixed media, works on paper such as drawings and watercolors, prints and multiples, and occasional design objects or glass works. His subject matter often explores light, abstraction, and visual perception. Works span his European period through his decades at MIT.
Market and appraisal context
György Kepes's works appear across several auction categories, with photographs and works on paper being the most common. Valuation depends on medium, date, provenance, condition, and whether a work can be linked to his influential Bauhaus or MIT periods. Photographic prints, including cliché-verre and photograms, are the most frequently traded. Paintings and larger-format works are less common at auction. Collectors should verify edition details, printing dates, and condition with a qualified specialist, and compare against public auction records for comparable lots.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- Photographs
- Works on paper
- Paintings
- Prints and multiples
Value drivers
- Medium: photographic works and cliché-verre prints are the most frequently encountered categories at auction
- Provenance: association with Bauhaus and MIT institutional history can affect collector interest
- Period: works from the New Bauhaus / Chicago period or the CAVS/MIT period may carry different market profiles
- Condition and edition: photographic prints should be assessed for edition size, printing date, and condition
Appraisal caveats
- Auction records from a single database may not reflect the full range of realized prices across all auction houses and sale dates.
- Attribution and dating of photographic works require specialist verification; not all works attributed to Kepes in auction catalogues are equally well documented.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
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 György Kepes 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 György Kepes artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.