Janet Fish Auction Prices and Value Guide
Janet Fish auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 205 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Janet Fish auction prices: quick answer
Janet Fish auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Janet Fish
- Source records
- 205
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Janet Fish market snapshot
Janet Fish shows solid auction liquidity with 149 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $800. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 7 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2025-11-20.
Realized price distribution
- Under $1,000 (59.4% · 60 sales)
- $1,000 to $10,000 (13.9% · 14 sales)
- $10,000+ (26.7% · 27 sales)
- Median sale (last 12 months)
- $1,500
- Sales recorded (last 12 months)
- 7
- Median shift vs prior year
- +57.9%
- Latest recorded sale
- 2025-11-20
Artist context
About Janet Fish
Janet Isobel Fish (1938–2025) was an American contemporary realist painter, printmaker, and draftsperson celebrated for her luminous still-life compositions. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she studied under Leonard Baskin and Alex Katz before establishing her career in New York City and later Vermont. Working primarily in oil, lithography, and screenprinting, Fish explored how light interacts with everyday objects—particularly glass containers, transparent wrappers, and patterned surfaces—to create paintings of bold, saturated color and striking optical complexity. She is widely credited with revitalizing still life as a serious subject in late-twentieth-century American painting. Her work is held in major public collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Contemporary Realismoil paintinglithographyscreenprintingdrawingstill lifelight and transparencyeveryday objects
Common works and media
Oil paintings of still-life arrangements featuring glass vessels, fruit, candy wrappers, and patterned textiles are the most frequently encountered Fish works at auction. She also produced lithographs and screenprints, often based on similar still-life subjects, in signed and numbered editions. Drawings and works on paper in charcoal, pastel, and watercolor appear less frequently but are part of her documented practice.
Market and appraisal context
Janet Fish's work appears regularly at auction across Post-War and Contemporary Art, American Art, and Prints and Multiples categories. Oil paintings of her signature glass-and-light still lifes are the most sought-after format, while her lithographs and screenprints provide a more accessible entry point for collectors. When evaluating a Fish work, consider the medium, composition complexity, condition, provenance, and whether the piece reflects her characteristic exploration of transparency and reflected light. Print editions should be assessed for edition size, numbering, and signature. Comparable auction records from major houses provide the most reliable pricing benchmarks.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Value drivers
- Medium: oil paintings generally command higher prices than prints or works on paper
- Subject: signature still-life compositions with glass, transparency, and reflected light are most recognized
- Edition: prints should be evaluated for edition size, numbering, and condition
- Provenance and exhibition history enhance value
Appraisal caveats
- No specific auction records or realized prices were available in the source pack; market estimates should reference live comparable sale data.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History library authority
- Wikipedia wikipedia
- Wikidata library authority
- Getty Vocabulary Program library authority
- VIAF library authority
- Library of Congress 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 Janet Fish 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 Janet Fish artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.