Luciano Castelli Auction Prices and Value Guide

Luciano Castelli auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 640 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Luciano Castelli auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Luciano Castelli
Source records
640
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Luciano Castelli

Luciano Castelli (born 1951, Switzerland) is a multidisciplinary Swiss artist whose practice spans painting, sculpture, photography, film, music, performance, and graphic art. Active since the late 1960s, Castelli became a notable figure in the Berlin art scene of the late 1970s, co-founding the group Geile Tiere with the German artist Salomé in 1978. His work is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Castelli's wide-ranging output includes assemblage, watercolor, and drawing alongside his primary painting and photographic work, reflecting an artist who resists narrow categorization and moves fluidly between visual disciplines. His official site documents an unbroken creative arc from 1969 to the present, encompassing exhibitions, publications, and performances. Collectors encounter Castelli's work most frequently at auction in the form of paintings, photographs, and prints.

Neo-Expressionism / Neue Wilde (associated through Geile Tiere group, Berlin late-1970s context)PaintingPhotographySculptureFilmSelf-portraiture and identityFigurative and expressive painting

Common works and media

Collectors are most likely to encounter Castelli's work as paintings (oil and acrylic on canvas or panel), photographs (including silver gelatin and chromogenic prints, often in edition), works on paper (watercolor, drawing, and mixed-media assemblage), graphic art and prints (screenprints, lithographs, and etchings), and sculptural objects. The artist also produces artist books and film works, though these appear less frequently at auction. Subject matter often explores identity, self-representation, and expressive figurative imagery, consistent with the Neo-Expressionist milieu of his formative Berlin years.

Market and appraisal context

Luciano Castelli has a well-established and liquid secondary market spanning more than 25 years of continuous auction activity, from June 1999 through March 2026. The Appraisily auction-record index captures 312 total lots with 153 carrying realized prices. Price dispersion is wide: the recorded minimum is €20 and the maximum is €80,000, with a median of €4,000 and an interquartile range of €1,300–€7,250. This spread reflects the artist's multidisciplinary output — posters and small works on paper sit at the low end, while significant oil paintings from the 1980s Berlin period reach the upper range. The work trades primarily through Swiss and continental-European houses (Germann, Schuler, Koller, Galerie Fischer, Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer, Grisebach, Karl & Faber) with periodic appearances at Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Freeman's | Hindman, confirming international institutional demand. The 12-month throughput of 12 lots (down from 17 the prior year) suggests steady but not oversaturated liquidity. The recurring appearance of the same titles — notably the 1984 'Venise / autoportrait' at Aguttes across three separate sales — indicates consistent market appetite for signature self-portrait works from the early-1980s period.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Painting
  • Works on paper
  • Photography
  • Prints and multiples
  • Sculpture

Value drivers

  1. Medium: paintings generally command higher values than works on paper, photographs, or prints
  2. Provenance: gallery or estate provenance and exhibition history affect appraisal
  3. Period: works from the late-1970s Geile Tiere / Berlin period may carry additional historical significance
  4. Condition and edition details are standard valuation factors for photographs and prints
  5. Medium: oil paintings on canvas command the strongest prices (€3,500–$7,000 at Christie's and Freeman's | Hindman); works on paper and mixed media trade at CHF 4,000–7,000 at Swiss houses; posters and small prints at €20–€350
  6. Date and period: works from the early-to-mid 1980s, especially self-portraits linked to the Berlin / Geile Tiere era, recur at auction with consistent demand and solid results

Appraisal caveats

  • Market data in the source pack is limited to auction-lot counts (640 recorded lots). No individual realized prices or trend analysis are available from the collected sources.
  • Collectors should verify medium, dimensions, edition numbers, signature, condition, and provenance with a qualified appraiser.
  • The artist works across many mediums; values vary significantly between oil paintings, photographs, prints, and sculpture.
  • Of 312 recorded lots, only 153 carry realized prices; 159 lots have no price reported, limiting trend analysis on the full dataset.

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 Luciano Castelli

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Luciano Castelli 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 Luciano Castelli artwork?

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