Paul Manship Auction Prices and Value Guide

Paul Manship auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 264 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Paul Manship auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Paul Manship
Source records
264
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Paul Manship

Paul Howard Manship (1885–1966) was an American sculptor whose work bridged classical tradition and modernist sensibility, making him one of the most celebrated public sculptors of the early twentieth century. Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Manship studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the American Academy in Rome before establishing his career in New York. He is widely recognized as a leading figure in the Art Deco movement, though his style remained rooted in mythological and classical subject matter rendered with fluid, streamlined forms. His best-known public commission is the gilded bronze Prometheus fountain at Rockefeller Center, an iconic image of New York City. Other major works include the Celestial Sphere Woodrow Wilson Memorial in Geneva and the modern design for the official seal of New York City. Manship also taught notable sculptors including Richard Pousette-Dart and Beniamino Bufano.

Art Decosculpture (bronze, stone, gilt metal)mythological figuresclassical allegorypublic monuments and memorials

Common works and media

Manship's output spans gilt bronze and patinated bronze sculptures, stone carvings, plaster maquettes, medallions, and coins. Mythological figures such as Diana, Actaeon, Prometheus, and Europa appear across scales from tabletop editions to monumental public installations. Reduced versions and maquettes of his large public commissions circulate in the auction market. He also designed medals, commemorative coins, and architectural reliefs. Collectors are most likely to encounter signed and numbered bronze casts, often bearing foundry marks, in sizes ranging from roughly twelve inches to over-life-size.

Market and appraisal context

Paul Manship's sculptures appear regularly at major auction houses in categories covering American art, Art Deco, and twentieth-century sculpture. His output ranged from monumental public bronzes to small-scale editioned casts and maquettes. For appraisal purposes, key factors include the work's scale and medium, edition number and foundry marks, provenance and exhibition history, patina condition, and the subject's relation to his major public commissions. Gilded bronze pieces and works tied to well-known compositions such as Prometheus or his mythological figures tend to attract the strongest market interest. Collectors should note that Manship produced works in multiple edition sizes, and authentication may require reference to the artist's catalogue records.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Appraisal caveats

  • No live auction price data was available in the source pack; realized prices should be verified against recent comparable lots before any appraisal conclusion.
  • Some VIAF partner records list Manship's birth year as 1886 rather than 1885; the RKD and Wikidata consensus of 1885 is used here.

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 Paul Manship

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Paul Manship 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 Paul Manship artwork?

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