Lowell Nesbitt Auction Prices and Value Guide

Lowell Nesbitt auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 2,344 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Lowell Nesbitt auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Lowell Nesbitt
Source records
2,344
Market update
2026-02-16

Artist context

About Lowell Nesbitt

Lowell Blair Nesbitt (1933–1993) was an American painter, printmaker, sculptor, and stained glass artist known for his large-scale canvases and prolific output across multiple media. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he earned a B.F.A. from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in 1955 and studied at the Royal College of Art in London before serving in the United States Army. Nesbitt gained national prominence as the official artist for NASA during the Apollo 9 and Apollo 13 missions, and his work was further recognized when the United States Postal Service issued four stamps featuring his paintings in 1980. His work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and he is associated with the American Photorealist tradition. Collectors frequently encounter his prints, paintings, and works on paper at auction.

American Photorealismoil paintingprintmakingsculpturestained glassflowers and botanical subjectsspace and NASA themesmonumental murals

Common works and media

Collectors are most likely to encounter Nesbitt's screenprints and lithographs, often depicting floral or botanical subjects, as well as abstract and realist compositions. He also produced oil paintings on canvas, drawings, stained glass pieces, and sculptural works. Editioned prints should be checked for numbering, signature, and edition size. His NASA-related works and preparatory studies for large-scale commissions, such as the 1976 Treasure Island mural, represent a more specialized segment of his output.

Market and appraisal context

Lowell Nesbitt's work has a deep and active secondary market, with 1,267 auction lots recorded and 982 carrying realized prices. Auction activity spans from March 1995 through April 2026, demonstrating sustained collector interest over three decades. Price dispersion is wide: realized prices range from $1 to $32,000, with a median of $400 and an interquartile spread of $200–$1,100. This broad range reflects the diversity of his output — editioned screenprints and lithographs commonly sell in the $100–$300 range, while original oil paintings cluster between $260 and $1,000 at regional houses, with larger or more significant canvases reaching higher results. His work appears regularly across a wide roster of auction houses including Heritage Auctions, Sotheby's, Capsule Gallery Auction, Broward Auction Gallery LLC, Kamelot Auctions, DuMouchelles, Austin Auction Gallery, Hampel Fine Art Auctions, and Sarasota Estate Auction, indicating geographically dispersed demand. The most recent 12-month period shows 51 lots offered, down from 86 in the prior 12 months, suggesting a modest cooling in supply though liquidity remains healthy for an American 20th-century artist. Botanical and floral subjects (irises, roses, poppies, poinsettias, flamingos) dominate the encountered lots, with serigraphs from the late 1970s and early 1980s — often editioned to 200 — being the most frequently traded format.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • oil painting
  • screenprint (serigraph)
  • lithograph
  • drawing (graphite, pastel)
  • works on paper

Value drivers

  1. Medium: original paintings command higher values than prints; screenprints and lithographs are more commonly encountered at auction
  2. Subject: NASA-related works and major commissions carry premium interest
  3. Institutional holdings: works in MoMA and other museum collections support long-term market visibility
  4. Provenance and edition: prints should be checked for edition size, numbering, and signature; unique works require attribution verification
  5. Medium: original oil paintings on canvas command significantly higher prices than editioned prints. Recent oil paintings realized $260–$1,000 at regional houses, while signed and numbered serigraphs typically realized $100–$275.
  6. Subject: floral and botanical subjects (roses, irises, poppies, poinsettias) are the most commonly traded and tend to cluster near the median. NASA-related works, male nudes, and non-botanical subjects can attract differentiated collector interest.

Appraisal caveats

  • With over 2,300 auction records, Nesbitt's work appears frequently at auction, suggesting a broad range of price points depending on medium, size, subject, and condition.
  • Attribution should be confirmed for unsigned or undocumented works, as his print output was substantial.
  • Many recent auction lots have no reported realized price (null values), which may indicate unsold lots, post-sale private negotiations, or reporting gaps. The price distribution should be interpreted with this in mind.
  • Nesbitt's prolific print output means attribution questions can arise for unsigned or poorly documented works. Professional authentication or expert opinion may be needed for works without clear provenance.

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 Lowell Nesbitt

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Lowell Nesbitt 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 Lowell Nesbitt artwork?

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