Ida Kohlmeyer Auction Prices and Value Guide
Ida Kohlmeyer auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 566 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Ida Kohlmeyer auction prices: quick answer
Ida Kohlmeyer auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Ida Kohlmeyer
- Source records
- 566
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About Ida Kohlmeyer
Ida Kohlmeyer (1912–1997) was an American painter and sculptor who lived and worked in New Orleans, Louisiana. Born Ida Rittenberg to Polish immigrant parents, she earned a literature degree from Newcomb College in 1933 before turning to painting in her thirties. After completing a graduate degree at the Newcomb School of Art, she studied with Hans Hofmann in Provincetown, Massachusetts during the summer of 1956—a pivotal experience that shifted her work toward abstraction by 1957. Kohlmeyer became associated with Abstract Expressionism and developed a distinctive pictographic visual language. Her work is held by the National Museum of Women in the Arts, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Speed Art Museum, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and the New Orleans Museum of Art. Active in the New Orleans Jewish community throughout her life, she remained a vital figure in Southern art until her death in Metairie, Louisiana.
Abstract Expressionismpaintingsculpturepictographic abstraction
Common works and media
Kohlmeyer is best known for abstract paintings in oil and acrylic, often featuring bold color fields and pictographic symbol systems. She also produced sculptures, works on paper, and prints. Collectors may encounter her work in a range of formats including large-scale canvases, smaller panel paintings, screen prints, and mixed-media pieces. Her subject matter moved from early figurative work to fully abstract compositions after the mid-1950s, with recurring motifs drawn from symbol-like forms and gestural mark-making.
Market and appraisal context
Ida Kohlmeyer's work appears regularly at auction, with over 560 recorded lots in public databases. Her paintings and sculptures are collected both regionally and nationally, with institutional holdings at major museums reinforcing her market standing. Factors that influence appraisal include whether a piece is an original painting, sculpture, or print; its date relative to her post-1957 abstract period; dimensions; provenance history; and condition. Works tied to her Abstract Expressionist and pictographic phases tend to attract stronger market interest. Attribution should be verified through published scholarship, as no catalogue raisonné is referenced in available sources.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- Post-War and Contemporary Art
- American Art
Value drivers
- Museum-held works across at least five major US institutions strengthen provenance credibility
- Association with Hans Hofmann and Abstract Expressionism anchors market positioning
- Strong regional market presence in Southern US and Louisiana collecting circles
- Over 560 auction records in the Appraisily/Invaluable database suggest regular secondary-market availability
Appraisal caveats
- Medium, dimensions, date, condition, provenance history, and whether a work is a painting, sculpture, or print significantly affect appraisal outcomes
- No catalogue raisonné is cited in available sources; attribution should be verified through published scholarship or estate records
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Library of Congress library authority
- VIAF library authority
- Getty Vocabulary Program library authority
- Wikidata library authority
- Wikipedia wikipedia
- RKD library authority
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 Ida Kohlmeyer 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 Ida Kohlmeyer artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.