Mainie Jellett Auction Prices and Value Guide
Mainie Jellett auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 288 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Mainie Jellett auction prices: quick answer
Mainie Jellett auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Mainie Jellett
- Source records
- 288
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Mainie Jellett market snapshot
Mainie Jellett shows deep auction liquidity with 196 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $2,400. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 15 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2025-12-11.
Realized price distribution
- Under $1,000 (23.2% · 38 sales)
- $1,000 to $10,000 (64.0% · 105 sales)
- $10,000+ (12.8% · 21 sales)
- Median sale (last 12 months)
- $2,000
- Sales recorded (last 12 months)
- 15
- Median shift vs prior year
- 0.0%
- Latest recorded sale
- 2025-12-11
Artist context
About Mainie Jellett
Mainie Jellett (1897–1944) was an Irish painter and one of the leading advocates of modern art in Ireland. Born in Dublin, she produced what are regarded as among the first abstract paintings shown in the country, most notably Decoration (1923), exhibited at the Society of Dublin Painters Group Show. Jellett became a vocal champion of modernist ideas at a time when Irish audiences were largely hostile to abstraction, and her work helped shift Irish art toward international avant-garde currents. Her paintings are held in museum collections across Ireland. She also participated in the art competition at the 1928 Summer Olympics. Active roughly from 1918 through the late 1930s, Jellett's career combined bold artistic experimentation with dedicated public advocacy for modernism in Irish cultural life.
ModernismAbstract artpaintingabstract composition
Common works and media
Jellett worked chiefly in oil and watercolour on paper and canvas. Her output includes abstract and semi-abstract compositions, decorative panel paintings, and later works that blend cubist-derived structure with figurative and religious subjects. Prints and works on paper occasionally appear at auction. Collectors encountering Jellett pieces should expect paintings, drawings, and gouaches rather than sculpture or print editions in large numbers.
Market and appraisal context
Mainie Jellett's works appear at auction primarily under Irish Art and Modern British and Irish Art categories. Because her active period was relatively short and her total output modest, surviving works can be scarce. Provenance linked to the Society of Dublin Painters, major Irish institutions, or documented exhibition history adds value and supports attribution. Auction records may list her under variant spellings such as "Jellet" without the second t. Collectors should verify medium, date, and condition against museum-held examples. No specific price-range claims can be made from the available sources; consult recent auction results for current market data.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Value drivers
- Provenance and exhibition history with the Society of Dublin Painters or major Irish institutions
- Works held in museum collections in Ireland strengthen attribution confidence
- Small overall oeuvre due to relatively short career (active c. 1918–1944) may affect availability
- Attribution should consider documented name variants (Jellett, Jellet) in auction records
Appraisal caveats
- No major auction-house records were present in the source pack; comparable sale data should be verified via auction databases before any appraisal conclusions.
- Death year is reported as 1944 in Wikidata and VIAF but as 1943/1944 in RKD; this should be resolved with catalogue records when dating works.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Wikidata library authority
- Getty Vocabulary Program library authority
- VIAF library authority
- RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History library authority
- Wikipedia wikipedia
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 Mainie Jellett 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 Mainie Jellett artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.