Malvina Hoffman Auction Prices and Value Guide

Malvina Hoffman auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 305 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Malvina Hoffman auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Malvina Hoffman
Source records
305
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Malvina Hoffman

Malvina Hoffman (1885–1966) was an American sculptor celebrated for her life-size bronze portraits and figurative works. Born and based in New York City, she studied at the Art Students League and the School of Applied Design for Women before training with Gutzon Borglum and, notably, Auguste Rodin in Paris. Hoffman gained wide recognition for her dynamic sculptures of dancers, including a well-known portrayal of Anna Pavlova. Her most ambitious commission was the Hall of the Races of Mankind, a series of over one hundred life-size bronze figures created for the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago and exhibited at the 1933 Century of Progress International Exposition. Over a career spanning six decades, she produced portrait busts of prominent individuals, war memorials, and ethnographic figure studies in bronze, plaster, and marble. She was also a published author, writing about her artistic practice and travels.

American Realism (sculpture)bronzeplastermarbleportraitsdancers and performing figuresethnographic and cultural figure studieswar memorials

Common works and media

Hoffman's most frequently encountered works at auction include life-size and half-life-size bronze portrait busts, figurative bronze sculptures of dancers and cultural figures, small-scale bronze maquettes and studies, plaster casts and models, and occasional marble portrait heads. Her Races of Mankind figures, originally commissioned for the Field Museum, represent a distinct and recognizable body of work. War memorial sculptures and commemorative plaques also appear in public and private collections. Prints and publications authored by Hoffman, including her memoirs, circulate as supporting material.

Market and appraisal context

Malvina Hoffman's work appears at auction primarily as bronze sculptures and portrait busts, with dancer subjects and figures from the Races of Mankind series attracting particular collector interest. Key valuation factors include medium (bronze versus plaster or marble), scale, subject matter, edition number and foundry marks, and documented exhibition or institutional provenance. Works connected to her Rodin lineage or to well-known sitters such as Pavlova tend to generate stronger results. Collectors should verify attribution carefully, as Hoffman's prolific output and the existence of period casts and posthumous editions require close examination. Comparable lots from major auction houses provide the most reliable pricing benchmarks.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Appraisal caveats

  • The collected source pack does not include specific auction result data. Comparable public auction records from major houses should be consulted for current market pricing.
  • The Hall of the Races of Mankind series includes over 100 figures; individual works from this commission may vary significantly in rarity and collector interest.

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 Malvina Hoffman

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Malvina Hoffman 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 Malvina Hoffman artwork?

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