Mary Frank Auction Prices and Value Guide

Mary Frank auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 255 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Mary Frank auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Mary Frank
Source records
255
Market update
2026-02-06

Mary Frank market snapshot

Mary Frank shows deep auction liquidity with 172 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $300. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 5 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2025-09-14.

Realized price distribution

  • Under $1,000 (84.1% · 95 sales)
  • $1,000 to $10,000 (15.0% · 17 sales)
  • $10,000+ (0.9% · 1 sales)
Median sale (last 12 months)
$200
Sales recorded (last 12 months)
5
Median shift vs prior year
0.0%
Latest recorded sale
2025-09-14

Artist context

About Mary Frank

Mary Frank (born Mary Lockspeiser, 1933, London) is a British-American sculptor, painter, printmaker, and illustrator whose work explores the emotional resonance of the human figure within the natural world. She emigrated to the United States in 1940 and has spent decades building a practice that moves fluidly between clay sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking, and ceramics. Art historian Linda Nochlin described Frank as "the visual poet of the inner life," noting her willingness to confront themes of mortality, loss, and fragmentation without offering easy redemption. A major retrospective, The Observing Heart, was held at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz in 2022. Her work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and is represented by multiple authority records including Getty ULAN, VIAF, and the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History.

Figurative artSculpture (clay, plaster, bronze)Painting (oil, mixed media)PrintmakingDrawingHuman figures and the bodyNature and the natural worldMortality, loss, and fragmentationEmotional and psychological interior life

Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers most frequently encounter Mary Frank's terracotta and clay figurative sculptures, often depicting reclining or fragmented human forms; mixed-media paintings on panel or canvas; lithographs and intaglio prints; and preparatory drawings in ink, charcoal, and gouache. Ceramics and illustrative works also appear. Her sculptural work frequently uses earthy, organic forms that blur the boundary between figure and landscape, while her paintings and prints tend toward expressive, gestural handling of mythological and natural subjects.

Market and appraisal context

Mary Frank's work appears at auction across Post-War and Contemporary Art, Modern Prints, and Sculpture categories. Prints and works on paper surface with greater frequency than unique sculptures or paintings. Collector interest is supported by strong institutional recognition, including MoMA holdings and a 2022 museum retrospective. When evaluating Frank's work, appraisers should consider medium and scale, documented provenance and exhibition history, edition status for prints, condition of clay and plaster works, and whether the piece is accompanied by gallery or estate documentation. Realized prices vary significantly by medium, size, and period.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Value drivers

  1. Medium and scale: small works on paper and prints are more accessible at auction; large-scale sculptures and paintings tend to command higher prices
  2. Museum recognition and institutional holdings (MoMA, Dorsky Museum retrospective) support long-term collector interest
  3. Provenance and exhibition history are important factors; works with documented gallery or museum provenance carry stronger attribution confidence
  4. Editioned prints and works on paper appear with some regularity at auction; unique sculptures and paintings are less frequent

Appraisal caveats

  • Market data for Mary Frank is not deeply covered in the collected source pack; collectors should consult major auction databases for realized prices and lot history
  • Attribution should be confirmed through provenance documentation, especially for unsigned prints and works on paper

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 Mary Frank

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Mary Frank 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 Mary Frank artwork?

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