Larry Rivers Auction Prices and Value Guide
Larry Rivers auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 2,340 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Larry Rivers auction prices: quick answer
Larry Rivers auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Larry Rivers
- Source records
- 2,340
- Market update
- 2026-02-16
Artist context
About Larry Rivers
Larry Rivers (1923–2002), born Yitzroch Loiza Grossberg in the Bronx, New York, was an American painter, sculptor, photographer, and jazz musician widely recognized as a founding figure of Pop art. Before turning to visual art, he performed as a saxophonist, and that musical sensibility informed the improvisational energy of his painting throughout his career. Rivers studied at New York University with Hans Hofmann and became one of the first artists of his generation to bridge abstract expressionism's gestural freedom with recognizable figurative imagery, a move that opened the door to the Pop art sensibility that followed. His reworking of historical subjects — most famously Washington Crossing the Delaware — combined irreverence with deep engagement with art-historical tradition. Major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate in London hold his work. Over a career spanning five decades, Rivers also produced sculpture, prints, films, and poetry, cementing a multidisciplinary legacy that continues to attract scholarly and collector attention.
Pop artAbstract Expressionism (early career context)Oil paintingSculpturePhotographyPrintmakingFigurative compositionsHistorical and literary referencesPortraits
Common works and media
Collectors and appraisers most frequently encounter Larry Rivers' oil paintings on canvas, many of which revisit historical or literary themes with a modernist sensibility. He also produced a substantial body of prints — including lithographs and screen prints — often issued in signed and numbered editions. Sculptural works, mixed-media constructions, and collages appear less commonly at auction. Works on paper, including charcoal and ink drawings, surface regularly in the secondary market. Rivers' photographic work is less frequently seen in auction contexts but is represented in institutional collections.
Market and appraisal context
Larry Rivers commands an active, well-documented secondary market with 1,408 auction lots recorded in the Appraisily auction index and 719 carrying realized prices. Sale activity spans from November 1991 through April 2026, with 147 lots appearing in the most recent 12-month window versus 158 in the prior 12 months — indicating sustained but slightly softening liquidity. Price dispersion is wide: the median stands at $1,250, the 75th percentile at $6,463, and the ceiling reaches $1,215,000, reflecting a market where rare large-scale oils from the 1950s and 1960s command six- and seven-figure prices while editioned prints routinely trade between $100 and $700. Major houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Swann Auction Galleries handle the most significant material, while regional and online firms such as RoGallery, DUMBO Auctions, Bruce Teleky Inc., STAIR, Rago Arts and Auction Center, and Heritage Auctions dominate the print and works-on-paper tier. The broad house roster confirms deep market penetration across collector segments.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- Post-War and Contemporary Art
- American Art
- Prints and Multiples
- Works on Paper
- Drawings
Value drivers
- [object Object]
Appraisal caveats
- The Invaluable source pack indicates approximately 2,340 auction records, suggesting a well-documented but broad market with wide price variation by medium, size, and period.
- Rivers produced prints and multiples in quantity; not all works bearing his name carry equal scarcity or value.
- Attribution should be confirmed through expert review or catalogue raisonné entry.
- The Appraisily auction index reflects 1,408 lots of which 719 carry realized prices; unsold or unpriced lots are excluded from the price distribution, so actual sell-through rates may differ from the volume figures suggest.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- RKD (Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie) library authority
- Library of Congress library authority
- Wikidata library authority
- VIAF library authority
- The Museum of Modern Art museum or university
- Tate museum or university
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 Larry Rivers 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 Larry Rivers artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.