Tobia Scarpa Auction Prices and Value Guide

Tobia Scarpa auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 1,481 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Tobia Scarpa auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Tobia Scarpa
Source records
1,481
Market update
2026-02-16

Tobia Scarpa market snapshot

Tobia Scarpa shows deep auction liquidity with 477 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $1,200. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 56 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2026-02-03.

Realized price distribution

  • Under $1,000 (43.7% · 139 sales)
  • $1,000 to $10,000 (52.2% · 166 sales)
  • $10,000+ (4.1% · 13 sales)
Median sale (last 12 months)
$1,200
Sales recorded (last 12 months)
56
Median shift vs prior year
0.0%
Latest recorded sale
2026-02-03

Artist context

About Tobia Scarpa

Tobia Scarpa (born 1935) is an Italian architect and designer whose career spans over six decades. A graduate of the IUAV University of Venice, he formed a celebrated creative partnership with his wife, Afra Bianchin Scarpa (1937–2011), producing influential work in furniture, interior architecture, art glass, and silver. The couple's designs are recognized for their rigorous exploration of material properties and manufacturing techniques, collaborating with leading Italian and international manufacturers including B&B Italia, San Lorenzo Silver, and Knoll International. Son of the renowned Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa, Tobia was shaped by a family tradition of exacting craftsmanship and modernist sensibility. Their work is held in major museum collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Louvre in Paris. Notable recognition includes the Compasso d'Oro in 1969 and the International Forum Design award in 1992.

Postmodern designFurniture designArchitectureArt glassInterior designMaterial exploration

Common works and media

Tobia Scarpa's auction and appraisal profile most commonly includes chairs and seating furniture designed for B&B Italia and Knoll, art glass pieces (particularly for Venini), silver tableware and decorative objects for San Lorenzo Silver, lighting fixtures, and interior architecture models or drawings. Furniture—especially lounge chairs, sofas, and modular seating systems—represents the largest category encountered at auction. Architectural drawings and exhibition design documentation also appear, though less frequently.

Market and appraisal context

Tobia Scarpa maintains a deep and liquid secondary market with 782 catalogued auction lots and 531 priced results spanning 2011 to April 2026. The auction record shows sustained collector demand, with 102 lots offered in the most recent 12-month period compared to 110 in the prior period—indicating stable, not declining, liquidity. Prices range from €50 for small accessories or lighting components to €64,000 for rare complete sets such as eight 'Africa' chairs (Piasa, February 2025). The median realized price of approximately €1,200 and an interquartile range of €550–€2,500 reflect a market where individual furniture pieces are accessible to mid-range collectors, while curated groups, rare models, or pieces with strong provenance command premium prices. The auction footprint is concentrated among specialist European 20th-century design houses—Wannenes Art Auctions, Piasa, Cambi Casa d'Aste, Pandolfini Casa d'Aste, Quittenbaum Kunstauktionen, Artcurial, and Finarte—with occasional appearances at Christie's and Wright, confirming institutional-grade market recognition. Furniture dominates the lot mix, particularly seating (Coronado, Bastiano, Africa/Artona series) produced for B&B Italia, Maxalto, Knoll, Gavina, and Cassina. Lighting (Foglio wall sconces for Flos, Capalonga table lamp) and decorative objects also appear regularly.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • 20th Century Design
  • Postmodern Furniture
  • Furniture design
  • Art glass
  • Lighting

Value drivers

  1. Attribution: works designed by Tobia Scarpa alone versus in collaboration with Afra Scarpa may affect collector interest and market value
  2. Manufacturer and provenance: pieces produced for B&B Italia, San Lorenzo Silver, or Knoll International carry identifiable production provenance that can affect appraisal
  3. Medium and edition: furniture, art glass, silver objects, and architectural models each have distinct market segments and condition standards
  4. Museum provenance or exhibition history: works associated with institutional exhibitions at MoMA or other museums may carry premium value
  5. Attribution specificity: works credited to Tobia Scarpa alone versus Afra & Tobia Scarpa jointly may influence collector interest and realized price; the auction record contains both types of attribution
  6. Manufacturer and production era: pieces produced for B&B Italia, Maxalto, Knoll, Gavina, Cassina, Flos, and San Lorenzo Silver each carry distinct market expectations; earlier production runs and first-edition pieces tend to command higher prices than later re-editions

Appraisal caveats

  • Market data for Tobia Scarpa works should be corroborated with recent auction records; the source pack did not include direct auction-house results
  • Much of the publicly available scholarship and auction history treats Tobia and Afra Scarpa as a joint practice; disentangling solo attributions requires careful provenance review
  • The auction record mixes lots attributed to Tobia Scarpa alone and to Afra & Tobia Scarpa jointly; disentangling solo market performance requires filtering by attribution, which the aggregate statistics do not separate
  • The €64,000 maximum price represents an outlier (a complete set of eight Africa chairs); the vast majority of individual lots fall below €5,000, and median pricing should be used as the primary benchmark for typical pieces

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 Tobia Scarpa

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Tobia Scarpa 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 Tobia Scarpa artwork?

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