Mario Schifano Auction Prices and Value Guide

Mario Schifano auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 3,927 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Mario Schifano auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Mario Schifano
Source records
3,927
Market update
2026-02-16

Artist context

About Mario Schifano

Mario Schifano (1934–1998) was an Italian painter, collagist, filmmaker, and musician born in Khoms, Libya, who became one of the most influential figures in post-war Italian art. Active in Rome from the late 1950s, Schifano emerged as a leading voice of Italian Pop Art alongside artists associated with the Piazza del Popolo circle. His early monochrome Paesaggi (landscapes) and Anemic paintings stripped imagery to gestural marks on raw canvas, bridging European informalism and American Pop sensibility. Over subsequent decades he incorporated photography, film, television imagery, and rock music into his practice, producing a body of work that moved fluidly between painting, collage, and experimental media. The Archivio Mario Schifano in Rome maintains his catalogue raisonné and provides authentication services for works submitted for archival registration.

Italian Pop Art (Scuola di Piazza del Popolo)Postmodern traditionPainting (oil and acrylic on canvas)CollagePastelPhotographyLandscapes (paesaggi)Media and advertising imageryGeometric and gestural abstraction

Common works and media

Schifano's output spans oil and acrylic paintings on canvas (including large-format works), collage on paper and board, pastels, photographs, silkscreen prints, and experimental films. Common subjects include fragmented landscapes, television-screen compositions, gestural marks on monochrome grounds, and media-derived imagery. Editioned prints and works on paper appear regularly at auction and provide a more accessible entry point for collectors. Photographic works and film-related pieces are less frequently traded but are documented in museum and gallery holdings.

Market and appraisal context

Mario Schifano has a deep and active international auction market. Appraisily records 2,475 total lots with 1,685 priced results spanning from December 2000 to April 2026. The price distribution is wide: realized prices range from €10 at the low end (small works on paper, prints, and decorative ceramics) to €1,302,000 at the high end for major paintings from the 1960s Pop Art period. The median price sits at approximately €3,000, with the interquartile range spanning roughly €300 to €12,500. The most recent 12-month period shows 250 lots offered, compared to 337 in the prior 12 months, indicating a still-active but slightly cooling market cadence. The auction footprint is concentrated in Italy but includes international houses: Finarte, Felima Art Casa D'Aste, Pananti Casa D'Aste SRL, Picenum, Casa d'Aste Babuino, Mediartrade, Finarte Roma, and Wannenes dominate the Italian segment, while Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, Dorotheum, Koller Auctions, and Hampel Fine Art Auctions provide international exposure. Recent standout results include two untitled paintings from the 1990s at €42,000 each and a 1981 untitled work at €40,000 (all at Pananti, March 2026), a 1960 Monocromo at €16,000 (Bonhams, December 2024), and a 1960 Senza Titolo at €32,000 (Itineris, June 2024). Prints and decorative ceramics trade well below €1,000, while oils and acrylics from the 1960s–1970s Paesaggi and Anemic series command the strongest premiums.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Painting (oil and acrylic on canvas)
  • Works on paper (pastel and drawing)
  • Collage
  • Prints and multiples (lithograph, silkscreen)
  • Photography

Value drivers

  1. [object Object]

Appraisal caveats

  • Catalogue raisonné is still in progress; the 1960–1969 volume is the first published segment. Works outside that period may lack full archival documentation.
  • Some early sources list a birth year of 1932 or 1933 rather than 1934; the Library of Congress and RKD agree on 1934-09-20.
  • Schifano's output was large and varied across media; attribution and dating should be confirmed with the Archivio Mario Schifano before appraisal.
  • The catalogue raisonné is still in progress; only the 1960–1969 volume has been published. Works outside that period may lack full archival documentation, and authentication should be sought from the Archivio Mario Schifano.

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 Mario Schifano

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Mario Schifano 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 Schifano artwork?

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