Olafur Elíasson Auction Prices and Value Guide
Olafur Elíasson auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 478 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Olafur Elíasson auction prices: quick answer
Olafur Elíasson auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Olafur Elíasson
- Source records
- 478
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Olafur Elíasson market snapshot
Olafur Elíasson shows developing auction liquidity with 16 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $4,450. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 0 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2023-06-15.
Realized price distribution
- Under $1,000 (30.0% · 3 sales)
- $1,000 to $10,000 (40.0% · 4 sales)
- $10,000+ (30.0% · 3 sales)
- Median sale (last 12 months)
- $0
- Sales recorded (last 12 months)
- 0
- Median shift vs prior year
- 0.0%
- Latest recorded sale
- 2023-06-15
Artist context
About Olafur Elíasson
Olafur Elíasson (born 1967, Copenhagen) is an Icelandic-Danish artist whose practice spans large-scale installation, sculpture, photography, and environmental projects. He is best known for immersive works that harness light, water, air, and color to reshape how viewers perceive physical space. Based in Berlin, Elíasson operates Studio Olafur Eliasson, a multidisciplinary workshop that has produced landmark installations for institutions including Tate Modern and the Museum of Modern Art. Beyond gallery work, he has founded social and environmental ventures such as Little Sun, a clean-energy initiative, and has produced the glacier melt photography series and Ice Watch, a public-art project transporting glacial ice to urban centers. His practice bridges art, science, and activism, making his work equally relevant in museum, public-art, and private-collection contexts.
Contemporary installation artLight and space artEnvironmental artLight installationsSculpturePhotographyWater and atmospheric installationsLight, color, and perceptionClimate and environmentGlacier melt and natural phenomena
Common works and media
Collectors may encounter Elíasson's work in several forms: editioned color photographs (including landscapes and the glacier melt series), sculptural multiples and maquettes related to larger installations, light-based wall and floor works, glass and steel sculptures, prints, and artist's books. Photographs and smaller sculptural editions appear most frequently at auction, while large-scale installations and site-specific commissions are typically acquired through galleries or directly from the studio.
Market and appraisal context
Olafur Elíasson is represented in major museum collections worldwide, including Tate and MoMA, and his work appears regularly at leading auction houses. Collectors most frequently encounter his editioned photographs, small-scale sculptural multiples, prints, and maquettes for larger installations. Valuation depends on medium, edition size and number, provenance linking to significant exhibitions, and—for light or kinetic works—the condition and completeness of electrical or mechanical components. Unique large-scale installations require appraisal beyond standard auction comparables and may involve site-specific considerations.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Appraisal caveats
- Large-scale installations may require site-specific appraisal beyond standard auction comparables.
- Editioned multiples and photographs are more readily comparable to public auction records than unique installations.
- Elíasson's market spans commercial gallery editions and major museum commissions; not all work types appear equally at auction.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Wikidata library authority
- Wikipedia wikipedia
- Getty Vocabulary Program library authority
- VIAF library authority
- Library of Congress library authority
- Tate museum or university
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 Olafur Elíasson 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 Olafur Elíasson artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.