Mario Carreño Auction Prices and Value Guide
Mario Carreño auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 605 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Mario Carreño auction prices: quick answer
Mario Carreño auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Mario Carreño
- Source records
- 605
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About Mario Carreño
Mario Carreño y Morales (1913–1999) was a Cuban-born painter, illustrator, and designer who became one of the prominent modernist figures in Caribbean art before adopting Chilean citizenship in 1969. Born in Havana on June 24, 1913, Carreño trained and worked across Cuba, Europe, and Latin America, developing a style rooted in Cuban modernism. His practice spanned easel painting, graphic illustration, and poster design, reflecting the cross-currents between fine art and applied design in mid-century Latin America. He is recognized in major institutional collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which holds examples of his work. Carreño spent his later decades in Chile, where he continued to paint until his death on December 20, 1999. Collectors encounter his work primarily in Latin American art sales and museum exhibitions devoted to modern Cuban and Chilean painting.
Cuban Modernismpaintingillustrationposter design
Common works and media
Carreño is best known for paintings in oil on canvas, including figurative compositions and abstractions associated with Cuban modernism. He also produced works on paper — drawings and illustrations — as well as poster designs. Collectors may encounter easel paintings from his Havana period, later Chilean-era canvases, and graphic works that reflect his parallel career as an illustrator and designer.
Market and appraisal context
Mario Carreño has a well-established auction footprint spanning 200 recorded lots from June 1999 through April 2026, with 119 carrying realized prices. His work appears regularly at top-tier houses — Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Phillips — alongside regional specialists such as Setdart, Magna Art Auctions, Templum Fine Art, and Arte Subastas Bilbao. The price distribution is wide: the recorded minimum is $40 and the maximum is $2,616,000, with a median of $39,000 and a 75th percentile of $92,500. Oil paintings on canvas at major houses consistently realize between $24,000 and $57,000 (e.g., Sotheby's sold Plaque for $50,400 in November 2024 and Paraíso perdido for $57,150 in May 2024; Christie's sold an untitled oil for $27,940 in December 2025). Works on paper and gouache compositions trade lower, typically in the hundreds to low five figures. Recent 12-month lot count (9) is down from the prior 12-month period (12), suggesting moderate but slightly softening liquidity. The collector base spans Latin American art specialists, Cuban modernism buyers, and Chilean national art collectors.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- painting
- works on paper
- illustration
- poster design
- sculpture
Value drivers
- Medium and support (oil on canvas, works on paper, posters)
- Date of execution and stylistic period
- Provenance and exhibition history
- Attribution and authenticity verification
- Condition and conservation state
- Medium and support: oil on canvas commands the strongest results; gouache and works on paper trade significantly lower; posters and prints at the bottom of the range
Appraisal caveats
- No catalogue raisonné or published auction price records were available in the collected source pack; appraisal should reference live auction databases for comparable sale data.
- The artist's dual Cuban-Chilean identity means works may surface in both Latin American and Chilean art sale categories.
- No catalogue raisonné exists for Carreño; attribution cannot be confirmed against a published complete-works reference and must rely on expert opinion and certificates of authenticity.
- The $2,616,000 maximum price is an outlier that may reflect a large-scale or historically significant work; median and interquartile range ($11,875–$92,500) are more representative for typical lots.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Library of Congress library authority
- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History library authority
- The Museum of Modern Art museum or university
- VIAF library authority
- Wikidata 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 Mario Carreño 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 Mario Carreño artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.