Kazuo Shiraga Auction Prices and Value Guide

Kazuo Shiraga auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 378 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Kazuo Shiraga auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Kazuo Shiraga
Source records
378
Market update
2026-02-16

Kazuo Shiraga market snapshot

Kazuo Shiraga shows deep auction liquidity with 326 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $466,200. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 13 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2025-11-14.

Realized price distribution

  • Under $1,000 (2.0% · 5 sales)
  • $1,000 to $10,000 (5.2% · 13 sales)
  • $10,000+ (92.9% · 234 sales)
Median sale (last 12 months)
$1,512,000
Sales recorded (last 12 months)
13
Median shift vs prior year
+9.5%
Latest recorded sale
2025-11-14

Artist context

About Kazuo Shiraga

Born

1924

Died

2008

Nationality

Japanese

Also known as

Shiraga Kazuo, 白髪一雄

Kazuo Shiraga (1924–2008) was a Japanese painter and performance artist associated with the first generation of the Gutai Art Association. Born in Amagasaki, he trained in Nihonga before turning toward experimental practice after World War II. In 1952 he co-founded Zero-kai with Saburo Murakami and Akira Kanayama; the group merged with Gutai in 1955. Shiraga is especially identified with a physically demanding form of painting made by applying and moving paint with his feet. This method rejected conventional brushwork and made bodily action central to the work's creation. His broader practice encompassed performance, three-dimensional objects, conceptual projects, and installations, some known chiefly through photographs or film. Collectors encounter his abstract paintings most often, while museums and scholars place them within Gutai's wider exploration of material, gesture, and direct action in postwar Japanese art.

Gutai Art AssociationAbstract artPostwar Japanese avant-gardePainting, including foot-painted canvasesPerformance artThree-dimensional objectsConceptual art and installationsAbstractionBodily action and the physical behavior of painting materials

Common works and media

Works encountered in appraisal and auction contexts include abstract paintings, works on paper, prints, mixed-media objects, sculpture, and editions. Shiraga is best known for paintings created through direct bodily action, particularly canvases worked with his feet. His wider experimental practice also included performances, conceptual projects, three-dimensional objects, and installations, although some ephemeral works survive principally through documentary photographs and films. Medium, date, dimensions, inscriptions, and documentation should be established before selecting comparable lots.

Market and appraisal context

A Kazuo Shiraga appraisal should begin with closely comparable works rather than a general artist-level price. Medium, dimensions, date, condition, restoration, provenance, exhibition history, catalogue references, signatures, and attribution confidence can all distinguish one result from another. For paintings, the integrity and treatment of the heavily worked surface deserve particular attention. Public auction records can help establish context, but reported totals may not use identical fee conventions, and private transactions or later attribution changes may be absent. Comparables should therefore be matched by work type, scale, period, condition, and documentation before any value conclusion is drawn. Edition information should also be checked when assessing prints or other multiples.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Fine art and paintings
  • Works on paper and prints
  • Sculpture and mixed media
  • Decorative art and editions

Value drivers

  1. Medium, dimensions, date, and position within the artist's career
  2. Condition, restoration history, and preservation of the painted surface
  3. Signature, inscriptions, edition information, and attribution confidence
  4. Provenance, exhibition history, and catalogue references
  5. Recent public auction results for works comparable in medium, size, date, and condition
  6. Subject matter, rarity, and current market demand

Appraisal caveats

  • Public auction records are a starting point rather than a final appraisal; private sales and incomplete feeds may not be represented (https://appraisily.com/artist/kazuo-shiraga/).
  • Reported auction totals may include buyer premiums or other fees, so comparable results should be checked on a like-for-like basis (https://appraisily.com/artist/kazuo-shiraga/).
  • Authentication, attribution changes, and condition can materially affect value (https://appraisily.com/artist/kazuo-shiraga/).

Evidence

Sources for artist context

This source-grounded artist context is based on collected public records: medium confidence, adequate source quality.

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 Kazuo Shiraga

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Kazuo Shiraga 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 Kazuo Shiraga artwork?

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