William Conor Auction Prices and Value Guide
William Conor auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 686 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.
William Conor auction prices: quick answer
William Conor auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.
- Artist
- William Conor
- Source records
- 686
- Market update
- 2026-02-06
Artist context
About William Conor
William Conor (1881–1968) was a Belfast-born painter, draftsman, and lithographer celebrated for vivid depictions of everyday life in early twentieth-century Ulster. Appointed OBE and elected President of the Royal Ulster Academy (PPRUA), he also held memberships in the Royal Hibernian Academy (RHA) and the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI). Conor's practice centered on genre scenes, landscapes, and portraits that capture working-class Belfast communities with warmth and observational precision. His work is held in public collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and documented in standard references such as Bénézit and the Witt Checklist. Paintings of Belfast street life, market scenes, and rural Ulster subjects form his most recognized body of work, combining documentary realism with an accessible painterly style.
oil paintingdrawinglithographygenre sceneslandscapeportrait
Common works and media
Conor worked primarily in oil on canvas and board, watercolor, and drawing media. Common auction subjects include Belfast street and market scenes, rural Ulster landscapes, genre pictures of working-class life, and portraits. Lithographic prints also surface in sale records. Works range from small panel studies to larger exhibition-scale canvases.
Market and appraisal context
William Conor's auction market is well-established, with 73 recorded lots spanning 2001–2024 and 40 lots carrying realized prices. The price distribution is wide but informative: the median stands at approximately $2,000 USD, the 25th percentile at $800, and the 75th percentile at $9,000. The top end reaches $192,000, indicating that large-scale or museum-quality Belfast genre scenes command premium prices, while smaller works on paper and studies trade in the low hundreds to low thousands. Conor's work is concentrated at specialist Irish auction houses — Gormleys Art Auctions dominates the volume — but significant lots have passed through Sotheby's and Christie's, confirming international blue-chip channel recognition. Other houses include Ross's Auctioneers & Valuers (Belfast), Sheppards, Adam's (Dublin), Mallams, Case Antiques, Caza Sikes, and Cheffins. Recent liquidity is thin: zero lots in the trailing twelve months and one lot in the prior year (The Boxing Match at Toomey & Co., October 2024, $2,400 USD), suggesting that while the market is mature, it is not highly active at present. The strongest prices are associated with characteristic Belfast and Ulster genre subjects — street scenes, market fairs, sporting subjects — in oil on canvas or board.
Auction categories and appraisal factors
Common auction categories
- oil painting
- drawing
- lithography
- works on paper
Value drivers
- Medium and support (oil on canvas vs. board vs. work on paper)
- Subject matter — Belfast and Ulster genre scenes are most characteristic
- Provenance and exhibition history
- Condition and authentication against Bénézit and RKD documentation
- Medium and support: oil on canvas and board command the highest prices; works on paper (pastel, pencil, crayon) trade in the lower range ($70–$950).
- Subject matter: Belfast street life, market scenes, and Ulster genre subjects are most sought after and achieve the strongest results.
Appraisal caveats
- No specific auction price records were available in the source pack; valuation guidance is based on documented medium, subject, and reference-class factors only.
- Conor produced work over several decades; date, medium, and attribution should be verified against published references before appraisal.
- Price data spans 2001–2024 and mixes USD, GBP, and EUR originals; figures shown are indicative and should be confirmed against specific lot records before relying on them for valuation.
- No lots were recorded in the trailing twelve months, so current market direction is uncertain. One lot in the prior year ($2,400 at Toomey & Co.) provides minimal recent evidence.
Evidence
Sources for artist context
This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.
- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History library authority
- VIAF library authority
- Library of Congress library authority
- The Museum of Modern Art museum or university
- Getty Vocabulary Program library authority
- Wikidata 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 William Conor 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 William Conor artwork?
Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.