Lee Krasner Auction Prices and Value Guide
Lee Krasner auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 354 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Lee Krasner auction prices: quick answer
Lee Krasner auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Lee Krasner
- Source records
- 354
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About Lee Krasner
Lee Krasner (1908–1984) was an American painter and a pioneer of Abstract Expressionism, recognized for a body of work spanning more than five decades of restless formal reinvention. Born in Brooklyn to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, Krasner trained at the Cooper Union Women's Art School and the National Academy of Design before studying with Hans Hofmann, who introduced her to Cubist and modernist ideas. She contributed murals to the Works Progress Administration during the 1930s and joined the American Abstract Artists group. Though often discussed in relation to her husband, Jackson Pollock—whom she married in 1945—Krasner maintained a distinct and evolving artistic voice across painting, collage, assemblage, and works on paper. Major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate, and the Whitney Museum of American Art hold her work, and her career has received significant scholarly reappraisal since the 1980s.
Abstract Expressionismoil paintingcollagegouachedrawingabstractionbiomorphic forms
Common works and media
Krasner's output includes large-scale oil and acrylic paintings on canvas, smaller gouache and oil-on-paper works, collages that frequently incorporated cut-up fragments of her own earlier drawings, and occasional mosaic and mural commissions. Her Little Image series features densely worked, calligraphic abstractions on small canvases. Later works from the 1960s and 1970s tend to be broader in gesture and larger in scale, with bold color fields. Print editions and works on paper also appear in the market. Collectors may also encounter exhibition posters and photographs related to her legacy.
Market and appraisal context
Krasner's work appears at auction primarily in Post-War and Contemporary Art and American Art sales. Key valuation factors include the period and series of a work—her Little Image paintings, collage-based compositions, and later large-scale canvases each carry distinct market profiles—as well as medium, dimensions, provenance, exhibition history, and condition. Works with Pollock-Krasner House or estate provenance tend to attract particular attention. Signed and dated paintings on canvas generally command the strongest results, while works on paper, collages, and prints represent a more accessible segment. Krasner destroyed or reworked many pieces throughout her career, making surviving works from certain periods relatively scarce.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- Post-War and Contemporary Art
- American Art
Value drivers
- Period and series: Little Image paintings, collage-based works, and later large-scale canvases each carry distinct market profiles
- Medium and dimensions: signed and dated paintings on canvas generally command stronger results than works on paper
- Provenance: works with Pollock-Krasner House or estate provenance attract particular attention
- Exhibition history and publication record
- Condition and authentication
Appraisal caveats
- Krasner destroyed or painted over many works throughout her career, making surviving pieces from certain periods relatively scarce
- Appraisals should reference the Pollock-Krasner catalogue for authentication and should account for the work's placement within her documented periods
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- The Museum of Modern Art museum or university
- RKD library authority
- Wikidata library authority
- VIAF library authority
- Getty Vocabulary Program 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 Lee Krasner 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 Lee Krasner artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.