Olaf Wieghorst Auction Prices and Value Guide
Olaf Wieghorst auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 1,050 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Olaf Wieghorst auction prices: quick answer
Olaf Wieghorst auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Olaf Wieghorst
- Source records
- 1,050
- Market update
- 2026-02-16
Artist context
About Olaf Wieghorst
Olaf Wieghorst (1899–1988) was a Danish-American painter and sculptor celebrated for his vivid depictions of the American frontier. Born in Viborg, Denmark, Wieghorst immigrated to the United States in 1918, settling first in New York City before eventually making California his home. He became one of the foremost chroniclers of Western life, working in a tradition alongside earlier masters such as Frederic Remington and Charles Russell. His paintings and sculptures capture the drama of cowboys, horses, and the open range with an authenticity rooted in direct observation. In 1992, Wieghorst was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Great Westerners at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, cementing his stature within the canon of Western American art. His work remains widely collected and frequently appears at major auction houses specializing in Western and American art.
Western American Artoil paintingsculptureAmerican frontiercowboys and horsesAmerican West
Common works and media
Wieghorst is best known for oil-on-canvas paintings of cowboys, horses, cavalry officers, and frontier scenes. He also produced bronze sculptures of equestrian and Western subjects. Reproduction prints, posters, and limited-edition lithographs circulate widely and may appear in appraisal contexts. Collectors most frequently encounter mid-sized easel paintings, though large-scale canvases and small maquettes also surface at auction.
Market and appraisal context
Olaf Wieghorst maintains an active and well-documented secondary market spanning nearly four decades, from June 1988 through May 2026. Appraisily auction records index 502 total lots with 385 carrying realized prices. The price distribution is wide: the 25th percentile sits at $600, the median at $3,000, and the 75th percentile at $8,400, with a ceiling of $100,000 for top-tier oil paintings. Liquidity has increased markedly, with 37 priced lots in the most recent 12-month period compared to just 10 in the prior 12 months. Major houses handling Wieghorst include Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, Heritage Auctions, Jackson Hole Art Auction, and Scottsdale Art Auction, alongside specialist Western-art dealers such as Altermann Galleries and Mark Sublette Medicine Man Gallery. The strongest prices are for large oil-on-canvas cowboy, horse, and frontier scenes — a 24 x 30 in. oil titled 'Pay-Day' realized $48,260 at Christie's in January 2026, and 'Cowboy on Horse' reached $15,000 at Jackson Hole Art Auction in September 2025. Works on paper and drawings trade in a lower tier ($222–$3,175), while limited-edition lithographic prints and reproduction posters cluster at the bottom of the range ($50–$550). Bronze sculptures occupy a middle band, with 'Praying to the Buffalo Spirit' realizing $1,850 at Bradford's in May 2026.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- oil painting
- sculpture
- works on paper
- prints and lithographs
Value drivers
- [object Object]
Appraisal caveats
- Market data is inferred from the artist's known output and auction presence (over 1,000 catalogued lots); no specific realized-price records are included in the source pack.
- Collectors should verify attribution through documented provenance, as Wieghorst's popularity has led to reproduction prints and posters that may be mistaken for originals.
- Price data covers 502 catalogued lots (385 priced) from Appraisily's auction-record index. Not every auction appearance may be captured, and results from smaller or non-reporting houses may be underrepresented.
- The $100,000 maximum reflects the single highest recorded price in this dataset and may not represent a ceiling for museum-quality works in private-treaty sales.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Wikidata library authority
- VIAF library authority
- Library of Congress library authority
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History 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 Olaf Wieghorst 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 Olaf Wieghorst artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.