Pol Bury Auction Prices and Value Guide

Pol Bury auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 1,677 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Pol Bury auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Pol Bury
Source records
1,677
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About Pol Bury

Pol Bury (1922–2005) was a Belgian artist renowned for his pioneering kinetic sculptures that explore the visual power of slow, almost imperceptible movement. He began his career as a painter in the late 1940s, associating with the Jeune Peintre Belge group and the experimental COBRA movement before turning decisively toward sculpture and motion-based art in the 1950s. His motorized metal works—often featuring rows of polished steel cylinders or spheres that rotate at glacial speeds—became his signature idiom and earned him international recognition. Major museums including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Tate in London, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris hold his work in their permanent collections. Beyond sculpture, Bury produced paintings, graphic works, collages, photographs, and jewelry designs, reflecting a restless creative range that spanned more than five decades.

COBRAJeune Peintre BelgeKinetic artkinetic sculpture (motorized and slow-moving metal)paintinggraphic works and printsjewelry designslow motion and movement as artistic conceptabstract and geometric forms

Common works and media

Collectors most frequently encounter Bury's polished-metal kinetic wall reliefs and freestanding motorized sculptures, which use slowly rotating cylinders or spheres to create shifting reflections. He also produced paintings from his COBRA period, screen prints and etchings, collages, photographs, and designed jewelry. Public commissions such as fountain-sculptures—including L'Octagon in San Francisco—represent a distinct category. Works range from unique sculptures to editioned prints and multiples.

Market and appraisal context

Pol Bury's secondary market is deep and well-established, with 1,190 auction lots recorded since 2003 and 802 carrying realized prices. The price distribution is wide: the recorded maximum is €219,800 while the median sits at approximately €1,600 and the 25th percentile at €325, reflecting a market that spans accessible prints and small jewelry through to major kinetic sculptures. The strongest prices are consistently achieved for motorized kinetic sculptures—Christie's Paris realized €33,020 for 'Erectiles' (Dec 2025), €13,970 for '15 billes d'acier sur un cube', and €12,700 for '4 disques' in the same session. Piasa, the most frequent auctioneer of Bury's work, has achieved results such as €11,000 for a maquette of 'Capteurs de Ciel' (Jan 2024) and €10,000 for 'Miroir' (Oct 2023). The market is predominantly European, anchored by Piasa, Cornette de Saint-Cyr, Artcurial, Christie's, and Tajan, with occasional appearances at Sotheby's and Bonhams. Jewelry designs—kinetic rings, cufflinks, and brooch-pendants in 18k gold—form an active sub-market, typically trading between €4,000 and €6,900. Print and graphic works occupy the lower end of the range (€260–€1,300). Liquidity has moderated recently: 46 lots appeared in the trailing 12 months versus 99 in the prior period, suggesting a cooler but still active market.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Post-War and Contemporary Art
  • Kinetic and Op Art
  • Sculpture
  • Prints and Multiples
  • Jewelry and Watches

Value drivers

  1. Medium: motorized kinetic sculptures command the strongest market interest; paintings and prints trade at lower price levels
  2. Provenance: works with exhibition history at major institutions (MoMA, Tate, Centre Pompidou) may carry a premium
  3. Condition: mechanical functioning and original motor components are critical for kinetic sculpture valuations
  4. Edition: editioned bronzes, prints, and multiples should be verified against catalogue records for number and authenticity
  5. Period: early COBRA-associated paintings differ significantly in style and market from later kinetic work
  6. Medium and category: motorized kinetic sculptures achieve the highest prices (up to €219,800); jewelry designs in 18k gold trade in the mid-four-figure EUR range; prints and graphic works typically fall below €1,500

Appraisal caveats

  • The source pack does not include specific auction-house records with realized prices; market context is inferred from institutional holdings and medium classification only
  • Jewelry designs by Pol Bury are a specialized niche and may not follow the same valuation patterns as his sculptural work
  • Price data is derived from Appraisily's auction-record index, which aggregates public auction feeds; private sales, dealer transactions, and gallery prices are not represented
  • The recorded maximum price (€219,800) is an outlier well above the 75th percentile (€6,490) and should not be treated as representative of the typical market range

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 Pol Bury

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Pol Bury 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 Pol Bury artwork?

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