Henry Heerup Auction Prices and Value Guide

Henry Heerup auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 428 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Henry Heerup auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Henry Heerup
Source records
428
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Henry Heerup

Henry Heerup (1907–1993) was a Danish painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and printmaker recognized as one of Denmark's most inventive modernists. Born in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, he worked across an unusually broad range of media—paintings, lithographs, linocuts, stone carvings, drawings, and assemblages built from found scrap materials. His imaginative visual language blended figurative motifs with near-abstract forms, drawing on mythological and everyday subjects. Heerup was active in the Danish avant-garde and became a member of the international COBRA movement, exhibiting alongside prominent European artists. His stone sculptures and colorful graphic works became signature forms, and his playful approach to materials helped define the character of post-war Danish art. Today Heerup's work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and numerous Scandinavian institutions, and his prints and sculptures appear regularly at international auction.

COBRAoil paintinglithographylinocutstone sculptureabstract and near-abstract compositionsfigurative and symbolic motifs

Common works and media

Heerup is most commonly encountered in appraisal and auction contexts through his color lithographs and linocut prints, often depicting stylized figures, animals, and symbolic motifs. He also produced stone sculptures—typically small carved works—and oil paintings. His assemblages, constructed from found scrap materials, represent a distinctive but less frequently seen part of his output. Drawings and works on paper in ink and watercolor also circulate on the market. Many of his prints were issued in signed and numbered editions.

Market and appraisal context

Henry Heerup has a well-established secondary market with 232 recorded auction lots (174 with prices) spanning 2000–2025, primarily concentrated at Danish and Northern European houses. Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers and Svendborg Auktionerne ApS dominate the turnover, with additional appearances at Christie's, Venduehuis der Notarissen, and Bernaerts Auctioneers. The price distribution is wide: the 25th percentile sits at approximately 295, the median near 900, and the 75th percentile around 3,200, with a recorded maximum of 74,568. Prices are predominantly denominated in DKK, with EUR and USD appearing for non-Scandinavian houses. Unique works—oil paintings, stone sculptures, and assemblages—command the upper range (e.g., a 1947 painting titled Kærlighedsfugle realized 23,000 DKK at Auktionshuset.com in March 2024; a carved stone Flying Bird sold for 900 USD at Concept Art Gallery in December 2023). Editioned lithographs and linocuts occupy the lower range (e.g., a signed/numbered color lithograph sold for 50 USD at Weschler's in June 2024). Liquidity has slowed recently: only 3 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window compared to 12 in the prior 12 months, which may reflect market cyclicality rather than declining demand.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • oil painting
  • lithography
  • linocut
  • stone sculpture
  • drawing

Value drivers

  1. Medium: unique works (stone sculptures, paintings, assemblages) typically command higher prices than editioned prints
  2. Edition: signed and numbered lithographs and linocuts form a significant portion of the auction market
  3. Condition and provenance are standard valuation factors for works on paper and prints
  4. Attribution should be verified through catalogue references, as Heerup's graphic style has been widely reproduced
  5. Medium: unique works (stone sculptures, oil paintings, assemblages) trade at significantly higher prices than editioned prints and multiples
  6. Edition details: signed and numbered lithographs/linocuts should be checked for edition size—large editions (e.g., 350) trade at the low end; small editions or unique proofs command more

Appraisal caveats

  • Print editions and reproductions should be distinguished from original graphic works.
  • Market data reflects general auction trends; individual work values depend on specific provenance, condition, and rarity.
  • Price distribution statistics (p25, median, p75, max) aggregate across DKK, EUR, and USD and should be interpreted as ordinal indicators rather than direct value equivalents.
  • The recent 12-month sample of 3 lots is too small for reliable trend analysis; the apparent decline from 12 lots may reflect seasonal or cyclical variation.

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 Henry Heerup

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Henry Heerup 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 Henry Heerup artwork?

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