Jacob Lawrence Auction Prices and Value Guide

Jacob Lawrence auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 1,453 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Jacob Lawrence auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Jacob Lawrence
Source records
1,453
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Jacob Lawrence

Jacob Armstead Lawrence (1917–2000) was an American painter celebrated for his vivid narrative depictions of African-American history and everyday life. Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and raised in Harlem from the age of thirteen, Lawrence was shaped by the cultural energy of the Harlem Renaissance and by his parents' experience of the Great Migration—the mass movement of African Americans from the rural South to northern cities. He called his own style "dynamic cubism," blending bold, angular composition with the patterns and rhythms of West African and Meso-American art. Working primarily in gouache and tempera on paper, Lawrence produced landmark series devoted to figures such as Toussaint L'Ouverture, Harriet Tubman, and Frederick Douglass, as well as his renowned sixty-panel Migration Series. His palette of strong blacks and browns set against bright color captured both struggle and vitality. Lawrence later became a professor at the University of Washington, teaching there for sixteen years.

Harlem RenaissanceDynamic CubismSocial RealismGouacheTemperaOil on canvasScreen printsAfrican-American historical subjectsThe Great MigrationContemporary Black life in America

Common works and media

Lawrence's most frequently encountered works at auction and in collections include gouache and tempera paintings on paper, often depicting scenes of Harlem life, builders, families, and historical narratives. He produced oil paintings on canvas throughout his career, including larger studio compositions. His screen prints—especially those published later in his career—are widely held by collectors and appear regularly in the prints-and-multiples market. Drawing in pencil, ink, and charcoal also appears among his documented output. Common subjects include interior domestic scenes, labor and construction workers, street life, and episodes from African-American and American history.

Market and appraisal context

Jacob Lawrence's auction market is deep and active, with 1,017 recorded lots and 726 priced results spanning from May 1999 to April 2026. The market shows strong liquidity: 111 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month period, stable against 108 in the prior 12 months. Price dispersion is wide—realized prices range from $10 for smaller prints to $4,470,000 for major paintings—reflecting the broad spectrum of media and significance across his output. The median price sits at $3,000, with an interquartile range of $900–$6,000, indicating that mid-tier works on paper and prints form the bulk of trade activity. Confirmed recent Lawrence lots include screen prints (e.g., 'Hiroshima' signed screenprint, $200), gouache works (e.g., 'Brotherhood for Peace,' $1,800; 'Toussaint at Ennery,' $2,900), and paintings (e.g., 'The Builders (The Family),' 1974, $4,250; 'The Library' at Bonhams, $4,500). The market is anchored by specialist and major houses alike: Swann Auction Galleries, Black Art Auction, Christie's, Bonhams, and Freeman's | Hindman are among the most active venues.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Gouache
  • Tempera
  • Oil on canvas
  • Screen prints
  • Works on paper

Value drivers

  1. [object Object]

Appraisal caveats

  • Major paintings by Lawrence are held in permanent museum collections (MoMA, Phillips Collection, Whitney, Met) and rarely appear at auction; most auction activity involves works on paper and prints
  • Attribution should be confirmed through the Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Catalogue Raisonné project or comparable scholarly resources
  • The source pack did not include auction-house records with specific realized prices; market benchmarks should be verified against current auction databases
  • The recent-lot sample includes results for artists named 'Jacob' who are not Jacob Lawrence (e.g., Jacob Epstein, Julius Jacob, Emanuel Jacob, Jacob de Gheyn II); only lots explicitly attributed to 'Jacob Lawrence, 1917–2000' should be used as comparables.

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 Jacob Lawrence

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Jacob Lawrence 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 Jacob Lawrence artwork?

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