Raoul Dufy Auction Prices and Value Guide
Raoul Dufy is included in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 7,744 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Quick answer
Auction value for Raoul Dufy depends on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Raoul Dufy
- Source records
- 7,744
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About Raoul Dufy
Raoul Dufy (1877–1953) was a French painter, printmaker, illustrator, and designer whose career bridged Fauvism and a distinctive decorative modernism. Born in Le Havre and trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Dufy first gained attention when he exhibited with the Fauves in the early 1900s, adopting their bold, non-naturalistic color. Over the following decades he developed an immediately recognizable style characterized by rapid, calligraphic line, luminous washes of color, and scenes of leisure—regattas, horse races, orchestral concerts, and seaside promenades. Beyond easel painting, Dufy designed textiles for the couturier Paul Poiret and the silk house Bianchini-Férier, produced ceramics, illustrated books, and created large-scale murals, most notably the vast La Fée Électricité for the 1937 Paris Exposition. His work is held by major institutions worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate in London, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Fauvismoil paintingwatercolorprintmakingtextile designoutdoor social gatheringsregattas and maritime sceneslandscapesmusical instruments
Common works and media
Oil on canvas paintings of regattas, horse racing, orchestras, and garden parties are among the most recognized Dufy works at auction. Watercolors and gouaches with his signature loose line and saturated palette appear frequently. Dufy also produced a substantial body of original prints—lithographs and etchings—often in signed and numbered editions, as well as illustrations for luxury livres d'artiste. His ceramic plates and vases, fabric designs for Bianchini-Férier, and large-scale mural commissions represent additional categories that surface in the appraisal and auction market.
Market and appraisal context
Dufy's output spans oil paintings, watercolors, gouaches, prints, ceramics, and textile designs, resulting in a wide and layered auction market. Major oils from his Fauvist and interwar periods have achieved strong results at international auction houses, while his signed lithographs, etchings, and fabric designs trade at more accessible price points. Key valuation factors include medium, scale, period, provenance, condition, and whether the work is documented in the catalogue raisonné. Collectors should note that Dufy's commercial textile production was often unsigned and editioned, which differentiates those pieces from unique works on paper or canvas. Authentication and expert cataloguing remain important for any Dufy work coming to market.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Wikidata library authority
- Wikipedia wikipedia
- VIAF library authority
- Library of Congress library authority
- The Museum of Modern Art museum or university
- 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 Raoul Dufy 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 Raoul Dufy artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.