Maurice Brazil Prendergast Auction Prices and Value Guide

Maurice Brazil Prendergast auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 430 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Maurice Brazil Prendergast auction prices: quick answer

Maurice Brazil Prendergast auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.

Artist
Maurice Brazil Prendergast
Source records
430
Market update
2026-02-16

Artist context

About Maurice Brazil Prendergast

Maurice Brazil Prendergast (1858–1924) was a painter and printmaker born in St. John's, Newfoundland, who grew up in Boston and became one of the most distinctive American modernists of the early twentieth century. After training in Paris at the Académie Colarossi and the Académie Julian, he developed a style built on bold, mosaic-like color applied to landscapes and scenes of modern leisure—park promenades, seaside crowds, and harbor views. He exhibited with The Eight at the landmark 1908 Macbeth Galleries exhibition in New York, though his decorative, Post-Impressionist approach set him apart from the Ashcan School realism of his colleagues in that group. Prendergast worked fluently in oil, watercolor, and monotype throughout his career. His younger brother Charles Prendergast was also an artist, and the two shared a lifelong creative and domestic partnership. Major museums holding his work include the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Gallery of Art.

Post-ImpressionismThe EightOil paintingWatercolorMonotypePark and seaside leisure scenesLandscapesScenes of modern life with groups of figures

Common works and media

Prendergast produced oil paintings on canvas and panel, watercolors on paper, and monotype prints. His most recognizable subjects are park and beach scenes populated with groups of strolling figures, often rendered in a characteristic mosaic-like pattern of saturated color. Harbor views, Italian cityscapes, and New England coastal scenes recur throughout his career. A smaller number of still lifes and figure studies also exist. His monotypes—unique single-transfer prints blending painting and printmaking—account for a modest but artistically significant portion of his output.

Market and appraisal context

Maurice Brazil Prendergast's auction market is deep and well-established, with 202 recorded lots spanning from late 1990 through late 2025 and 104 priced results. Major houses—Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Freeman's | Hindman—account for the strongest prices, while regional specialists such as Cottone Auctions, Skinner, and Revere Auctions provide additional liquidity. Oil paintings on canvas dominate the top of the distribution: a Christie's May 2024 sale of 'Summer' (oil on canvas, 29¾ × 42¾ in.) realized $378,000, and the overall record stands at $3,526,000. The interquartile range runs from approximately $13,000 to $140,000, with a median near $45,000, reflecting a market where medium, dimensions, and execution date drive wide price dispersion. Watercolors and works on paper occupy a lower tier but still reach five figures at major houses (Christie's achieved $81,900 for a watercolor in both October 2024 and April 2025). Monotypes and smaller works on paper trade more modestly, often between $1,000 and $10,000. Recent activity has thinned: only 4 priced lots in the trailing 12 months versus 16 in the prior period, suggesting a temporary contraction in consignment volume rather than a decline in artist-level demand.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • American Art
  • Impressionist and Modern Art
  • Oil painting
  • Watercolor
  • Monotype

Value drivers

  1. Medium: oil paintings generally command higher prices than watercolors and monotypes
  2. Provenance and exhibition history can materially affect value
  3. Catalogue raisonné inclusion strengthens attribution confidence
  4. Monotypes are a small portion of output and require expert authentication
  5. Condition is especially important for watercolors, which are susceptible to fading
  6. Medium: oil paintings on canvas command significantly higher prices than watercolors, which in turn outperform monotypes and works on paper

Appraisal caveats

  • Attribution of unsigned or lightly documented works on paper should be confirmed by a qualified specialist
  • Date of birth remains unsettled across authority files (1858, 1859, and 1861 all appear), which can complicate provenance research for early works
  • The 104 priced lots out of 202 total means roughly half of recorded appearances lack published realized prices, which can skew perceptions of liquidity at lower price points
  • Recent auction volume has contracted significantly (4 vs. 16 priced lots year-over-year), making current-year trend analysis less reliable

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 Maurice Brazil Prendergast

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Maurice Brazil Prendergast 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 Maurice Brazil Prendergast artwork?

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