Wilhelmina Barns-Graham Auction Prices and Value Guide
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 373 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham auction prices: quick answer
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
- Source records
- 373
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham market snapshot
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham shows deep auction liquidity with 171 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $4,000. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 1 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2025-03-20.
Realized price distribution
- Under $1,000 (16.3% · 20 sales)
- $1,000 to $10,000 (68.3% · 84 sales)
- $10,000+ (15.4% · 19 sales)
- Median sale (last 12 months)
- $5,040
- Sales recorded (last 12 months)
- 1
- Median shift vs prior year
- 0.0%
- Latest recorded sale
- 2025-03-20
Artist context
About Wilhelmina Barns-Graham
Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912–2004) was a Scottish painter and printmaker recognised as one of Britain's leading abstract artists. Born in St Andrews, Fife, she studied at Edinburgh College of Art before settling in St Ives, Cornwall, in 1940, where she became a central figure in the St Ives artistic community. She was a founding member of the Penwith Society of Arts and exhibited alongside leading British modernists across a career spanning more than six decades. Appointed CBE for services to art, Barns-Graham's work evolved through phases of landscape-derived abstraction, hard-edged geometric composition, and later expressive colour fields. Her paintings, prints, and works on paper are held in major public collections including Tate, the National Galleries of Scotland, and the British Council. Collectors encounter her work at auction primarily as oil paintings, screenprints, lithographs, and gouaches.
British abstract artSt Ives Schooloil paintinglithographygouacheetchinglandscape-derived abstractiongeometric abstractioncolour-field composition
Common works and media
Common works include oil on canvas and board paintings, gouaches, watercolours, lithographs, screenprints, etchings, and mixed-media works on paper. Subjects range from landscape-derived abstractions of the Cornish coast and Swiss Alps to later geometric and colour-field compositions. Editioned prints, particularly screenprints and lithographs from the 1970s through the 1990s, appear regularly at auction. Drawings and preparatory studies also circulate in the secondary market.
Market and appraisal context
Barns-Graham's auction market centres on abstract paintings, prints, and works on paper. Key valuation factors include medium and date of execution, with mature-period abstract oils and screenprints from the 1960s onward generally commanding stronger results. Provenance linked to the artist's estate or established galleries supports confidence. Editioned prints vary by size, edition number, and condition. Works from her St Ives period carry contextual interest connected to that school's broader market. Collectors should note that her output was prolific across multiple media, and attribution, dating, and condition significantly affect appraisal. Public auction records from major UK and international houses provide comparable data for commonly traded works.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Appraisal caveats
- Barns-Graham was prolific across multiple media over a six-decade career; attribution, dating, and condition should be verified for each work.
- Public auction records from major UK and international houses provide the strongest comparable data; private sale prices may differ.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- Wikidata library authority
- Wikipedia wikipedia
- Getty Vocabulary Program library authority
- VIAF library authority
- Library of Congress library authority
- 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 Wilhelmina Barns-Graham 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 Wilhelmina Barns-Graham artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.