Ufan Lee Auction Prices and Value Guide
Ufan Lee auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 593 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Ufan Lee auction prices: quick answer
Ufan Lee auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Ufan Lee
- Source records
- 593
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About Ufan Lee
Lee Ufan, born June 24, 1936, in Kyŏngsang-namdo, South Korea, is a painter, sculptor, and philosopher of art who has lived and worked primarily in Japan since 1956. He is the leading theorist and central figure associated with Mono-ha, a Japanese art movement of the late 1960s and 1970s that emphasized raw materials—stone, steel, glass, rope—and their encounter with surrounding space rather than formal composition. His best-known bodies of work include the From Point and From Line painting series, built from repeated single brushstrokes of mineral pigment, and the Relatum sculptures, which place boulders and industrial plates in dialog. Lee Ufan also taught art theory at the University of Tokyo and has written extensively on phenomenology, critiquing Western rationalist traditions from an East Asian philosophical standpoint. His work is held by major museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate in London.
Mono-ha (School of Things)Minimalismpaintingsculptureprocess and material engagementphenomenology and perception
Common works and media
Collectors most frequently encounter Lee Ufan's mineral-pigment-on-canvas paintings from the From Point, From Line, and From Wind series, characterized by repeated gestural brushstrokes that trail off across blank grounds. His three-dimensional Relatum works—pairs or groups of natural stone and manufactured steel plates arranged on gallery floors—are also widely exhibited and sold. Smaller-scale sculptures, works on paper, early drawings, and editions or prints based on his painting motifs appear at auction as well. Site-specific installations, while not typically portable for resale, contribute to his institutional profile and influence the market standing of his movable works.
Market and appraisal context
Lee Ufan maintains a deep and internationally distributed auction market spanning more than two decades, with 366 recorded lots and 303 priced results dating from September 2002 through December 2025. The price distribution is wide: the minimum recorded price is $260, the 25th percentile is $45,000, the median is $253,000, the 75th percentile is $900,000, and the maximum is $11,265,000. Liquidity is stable, with 25 lots offered in the trailing twelve months and 27 in the prior twelve-month period. Major international houses—Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips, Bonhams, Artcurial, and Koller Auctions—regularly feature Lee Ufan works alongside specialist Asian auctioneers including Mallet Auction, SBI Art Auction Co., Ltd., and New Art Est-Ouest Auctions. Recent 2025 results illustrate the stratification: a large From Winds oil and mineral pigment on canvas (86 × 114 in.) achieved $1,524,000 at Christie's New York, a From Line painting brought €2,012,000 at Christie's Paris, a From Point painting realized HK$2,032,000 at Christie's Hong Kong, and a Correspondence canvas made $457,200 at Christie's New York, while smaller or later works traded as low as $750–$5,000 at regional houses such as Berkeley Auction Gallery and Germann Auction House. Works are sold in USD, EUR, CHF, HKD, and JPY, reflecting a genuinely global collector base across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- painting
- sculpture
Value drivers
- Series and period matter: works from the From Point and From Line painting series and large-scale Relatum sculptural installations are the most recognized in auction contexts
- Medium affects value: large-scale stone-and-steel sculptures and mineral-pigment canvases command different market segments
- Provenance and exhibition history: works with museum exhibition records or inclusion in major Mono-ha surveys carry stronger attribution documentation
- Series identification is the primary value driver: From Point, From Line, and From Winds paintings in oil and mineral pigment on canvas, and Correspondence and Dialogue series works, each carry distinct market expectations; Relatum sculptural installations occupy a separate segment
- Scale strongly affects value: large-format canvases (e.g., 86 × 114 in.) have achieved seven-figure results at Christie's, while smaller works on paper or prints from the same period trade in the low thousands
- Medium: oil and mineral pigment on canvas is the most recognized and highest-selling medium; works in other media or on paper trade at lower price points
Appraisal caveats
- No specific realized prices or auction records were available in this source pack; market statements are based on the artist's stature and institutional recognition only
- With 593 recorded lots in the Appraisily database, Lee Ufan has significant auction presence; individual appraisal should reference specific comparable sales data
- Prices are reported in multiple currencies (USD, EUR, CHF, HKD, JPY) and are not normalized; currency conversion at the sale date should be applied before direct price comparison
- Lot titles in the auction record are often abbreviated or generic (e.g., 'LEE UFAN' without series or dimension detail); appraisal comparables should be verified against full catalogue entries
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Library of Congress library authority
- VIAF library authority
- Wikidata library authority
- Wikipedia wikipedia
- 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 Ufan Lee 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 Ufan Lee artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.