Marsden Hartley Auction Prices and Value Guide
Marsden Hartley auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 467 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Marsden Hartley auction prices: quick answer
Marsden Hartley auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Marsden Hartley
- Source records
- 467
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About Marsden Hartley
Marsden Hartley (born Edmund Hartley, 1877–1943) was an American Modernist painter, poet, and essayist whose work moved between bold abstraction and expressive realism over a four-decade career. Born in Lewiston, Maine, he studied at the New York School of Art and the National Academy of Design before joining Alfred Stieglitz's circle at Gallery 291 in New York. Extended stays in Paris and Berlin exposed him to Cubism and German Expressionism, producing his celebrated wartime abstract series of military banners and regimental symbols. After periods in New Mexico, Germany, and France, Hartley returned permanently to Maine in the 1930s, painting powerful seascapes, landscapes, and figure studies until his death in Ellsworth in 1943. His work is held by the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, and numerous other public collections.
American ModernismCubism (influenced by)oil paintingpasteldrawingabstract compositionsMaine landscapesmilitary and war motifs (Berlin period)portraits and figures
Common works and media
Hartley produced oil paintings on canvas and panel, pastels on paper, ink and graphite drawings, and occasional prints. Common subjects include abstract military-banner compositions from his Berlin years, New Mexico desert landscapes and still lifes, Maine coastal scenes and mountain views, portraits, and figure studies. Works on paper — including pastel landscapes and charcoal figure drawings — appear at auction more frequently than major oils and represent an accessible entry point for collectors.
Market and appraisal context
Hartley's auction market is anchored by his Berlin-period abstractions (c. 1913–1915), which are the most valuable works at public sale. Late Maine landscapes and New Mexico paintings also appear regularly at auction. Oil paintings on canvas generally command the strongest prices, while pastels, drawings, and works on paper trade at lower levels. Provenance linked to the Stieglitz circle or major museum exhibitions adds measurable premium. Appraisals should weigh period, medium, subject, condition, exhibition history, and catalogue-raisonné verification. Collectors encountering Hartley works should confirm attribution against published scholarship, as attribution questions occasionally arise for lesser-known drawings and studies.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- Post-War & Contemporary Art
- American Art
- Impressionist & Modern Art
Value drivers
- Period: Berlin wartime abstractions (c. 1913–1915) are the most sought-after works at auction
- Medium: oil paintings command higher values than works on paper or pastels
- Provenance: museum exhibition history and major-collection provenance significantly affect value
- Subject: Maine landscapes from the final decade are increasingly collected
- Authenticity: works should be verified against the catalogue raisonné; attribution uncertainties affect value
Appraisal caveats
- No live auction price data was available in this source pack; valuation factors are drawn from institutional and biographical sources, not from specific realized-price records.
- Collectors should consult major auction-house databases and the catalogue raisonné for condition, edition, and comparable-sale data before relying on any appraisal.
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
- Getty Vocabulary Program library authority
- VIAF library authority
- Wikidata library authority
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 Marsden Hartley 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 Marsden Hartley artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.