Paula Rego Auction Prices and Value Guide

Paula Rego auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 888 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Paula Rego auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Paula Rego
Source records
888
Market update
2026-02-16

Artist context

About Paula Rego

Paula Rego (1935–2022) was a Portuguese-British artist celebrated as one of the most significant figurative painters of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Born in Lisbon, she moved to Britain in the 1950s and studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, where she met her husband, the painter Victor Willing. Over a career spanning more than six decades, Rego's style shifted from abstract experimentation toward a distinctive representational language rooted in narrative, folklore, and feminist commentary. Her work draws heavily on Portuguese folk tales, literature, and storybook imagery, often featuring bold female figures in domestic and theatrical settings. She became widely known for her large-scale pastel drawings, though she also worked in oil, watercolor, collage, gouache, and printmaking. Major institutions including Tate and the Museum of Modern Art hold her work. A dedicated museum, Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, opened in Cascais, Portugal, in her honor. She was appointed Dame of the British Empire in 2010.

Figurative artPastelOil paintingPrintmakingWatercolorFeminist narrativesPortuguese folk tales and storybook imageryFemale figures and domestic scenes

Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers most frequently encounter Rego's work in pastel on paper or canvas, oil on canvas, and various print media including etchings, lithographs, and screenprints. She also produced watercolors, collages, gouaches, and illustrations for published books. Common subjects include narrative scenes drawn from fairy tales, folklore, and literature, often featuring women and girls in psychologically charged domestic or theatrical settings. Her print portfolios and series based on literary works such as nursery rhymes and Portuguese folk stories appear regularly on the secondary market. Mixed-media works on paper are also part of her broader output.

Market and appraisal context

Paula Rego maintains a deep and liquid secondary market with 548 catalogued auction lots spanning over two decades (2002–2026), of which 422 carry realised prices. Her work trades at major international houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Forum Auctions, alongside a strong Portuguese market anchored by Palácio do Correio Velho, Veritas Art Auctioneers, Corte Real, and Renascimento. The price distribution is wide: prints and multiples cluster between €20 and €2,800, drawings and watercolors reach €8,000–€36,000, and unique major works have realised up to €3,466,000. The median lot price of approximately €1,500 reflects the volume of editioned prints, while the 75th percentile near €3,528 and a maximum of €3.47M indicate a significant premium tier for unique pastels and oils. Market activity has increased notably, with 87 priced lots in the most recent twelve months compared to 61 in the prior period—a roughly 43% rise—suggesting sustained or growing collector demand. The breadth of auction-house coverage across UK, Portuguese, and French venues confirms geographically diversified demand.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Post-War and Contemporary Art
  • Prints and Multiples
  • Works on Paper
  • Drawing
  • Watercolor

Value drivers

  1. Medium is a key factor: large-scale pastels and oil paintings generally command higher prices than works on paper, prints, or illustrations
  2. Provenance and exhibition history are important, given institutional recognition (Tate, MoMA, dedicated museum in Cascais)
  3. Edition size and medium matter for prints; unique works carry premium over multiples
  4. Condition, date of execution, and subject matter (storybook-themed works are particularly associated with the artist) affect value
  5. Medium is the single strongest price determinant: unique pastels and oils trade at premiums of 100× or more over editioned prints and multiples
  6. Scale matters—large-format pastels and paintings command the highest prices; small prints and azulejo tiles trade in the hundreds of euros

Appraisal caveats

  • Market data in this summary is based on institutional and biographical sources only, not on a comprehensive analysis of realized auction prices.
  • Collectors should verify attribution, edition details, and condition with a qualified appraiser before making valuation decisions.
  • Auction prices in this addendum are sourced from Appraisily's internal auction-record index derived from public auction feeds; they may not capture every private sale or gallery transaction.
  • Prices are reported in mixed currencies (EUR, GBP); currency conversion is not applied, so cross-venue comparisons require adjustment.

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 Paula Rego

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Paula Rego 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 Paula Rego artwork?

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