Red Grooms Auction Prices and Value Guide
Red Grooms auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 2,228 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Red Grooms auction prices: quick answer
Red Grooms auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Red Grooms
- Source records
- 2,228
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About Red Grooms
Red Grooms, born Charles Rogers Grooms in 1937, is an American painter, sculptor, printmaker, and performance artist widely recognized for his exuberant, large-scale constructions depicting bustling scenes of modern urban life. After studying at Peabody College in Nashville and attending a summer course with Hans Hofmann in Provincetown in 1957, Grooms became a central figure in the New York art world. He is best known for his "sculpto-pictoramas" — immersive, walk-through environments such as Ruckus Manhattan (1975–1976) and Ruckus Rodeo (1976), created with collaborators under the Ruckus Construction Company banner. His work draws on Pop Art energy, cartoonish figuration, and a satirical eye for American culture. MoMA holds over two dozen works spanning prints, paintings, and mixed-media pieces, reflecting the breadth of a career active from the late 1950s onward.
Pop ArtPaintingSculpturePrintmakingPerformance artUrban life and city scenes
Common works and media
Grooms works across a wide range of media. Collectors may encounter color lithographs and etchings (often from portfolios or illustrated books), paintings on canvas and board, painted wooden and mixed-media sculptures, three-dimensional constructions and dioramas, poster designs, and experimental films. Subjects range from cityscapes and urban street scenes to portraits, art-historical parodies, and Americana themes such as rodeos, circuses, and suburban interiors.
Market and appraisal context
Red Grooms maintains a broad and active secondary market with 893 recorded auction lots spanning from October 2001 through April 2026, of which 539 carried a realized price. The work trades across a wide price band — from $10 for minor posters and ephemera up to $67,000 for significant paintings or constructions — with a median price of $900 and an interquartile range of $375–$2,200. This dispersion reflects the diversity of Grooms's output: editioned prints, posters, and ceramics cluster at the low end, while unique paintings, sculptural constructions, and early works account for the upper tail. Liquidity is solid, with 45 lots appearing in the most recent 12-month window and 69 in the prior 12-month period, indicating consistent although slightly declining throughput. Major houses — Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Swann Auction Galleries — appear regularly alongside specialist and regional houses such as Rago Arts and Auction Center, Hindman (formerly Freeman's), and RoGallery, confirming that Grooms's material is distributed across both blue-chip and mid-tier sale venues.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- Prints and Multiples
- Post-War and Contemporary Art
- Sculpture
- Ceramics and Decorative Objects
- Works on Paper
Value drivers
- Work type (painting, sculpture, print, mixed-media construction) significantly affects value
- Editioned prints and multiples are common; edition number and condition are important factors
- Large-scale sculptural installations and "sculpto-pictoramas" represent the artist's most recognized work
- Provenance linking to notable exhibitions or the Ruckus Construction Company collaborations may affect desirability
- Medium is the primary value driver: unique paintings and large-scale constructions command significantly more than editioned prints, posters, or ceramic multiples
- Edition status and impression number: prints with low edition numbers or artist's proofs may trade at a premium over later impressions
Appraisal caveats
- The artist works across many media and formats; appraisal requires identifying the specific work type, edition status, and condition.
- Public auction records should be consulted for comparable lots specific to the medium and period of the work being appraised.
- The source pack did not include major auction-house results; comparable sale data from additional auction databases may be needed for pricing context.
- Price data reflects 539 of 893 recorded lots; 354 lots lacked a realized price, which may include bought-in, withdrawn, or post-sale negotiated lots that are excluded from the statistical summary.
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
- RKD library authority
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 Red Grooms 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 Red Grooms artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.