William Gear Auction Prices and Value Guide

William Gear auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 822 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

William Gear auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
William Gear
Source records
822
Market update
2026-02-06

Artist context

About William Gear

William Gear (1915–1997) was a Scottish painter and draftsperson recognized for his abstract compositions. Born in Fife, he studied at Edinburgh College of Art before continuing his training on the continent. Gear became active across mainland Europe in the late 1940s and spent the summer of 1948 in St Ives, Cornwall, placing him in dialogue with the post-war British abstract movement. His work is held in the Tate collection, and he was elected a Royal Academician (RA) and a member of the Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA). Gear's paintings typically feature bold, gestural forms and a disciplined use of colour, reflecting the broader shift toward abstraction in mid-twentieth-century British art. Collectors encounter his work most often through Modern British and Post-War Contemporary art sales, where his oils and works on paper appear with regularity.

Post-war abstractionOil paintingWorks on paper / drawingAbstract compositions

Common works and media

Gear produced oil paintings on canvas and board, gouaches, watercolours, and drawings. His abstract compositions often employ dense, centrally placed forms against muted grounds. Works on paper, including studies and smaller compositions, appear frequently at auction and represent an accessible entry point for collectors. Print editions are less commonly documented but may surface in sale catalogues.

Market and appraisal context

William Gear's auction market is well-established and liquid, with 301 recorded lots of which 188 carry realised prices. Sale activity spans from late 2000 through March 2026 across major international and regional UK houses. Bonhams, Sotheby's, and Christie's account for blue-chip placement, while Mallams, Lyon & Turnbull, Dreweatts 1759, Bellmans, and John Nicholson's provide consistent regional coverage. Prices cluster between £400 (25th percentile) and £3,840 (75th percentile) with a median around £950. The top end reaches £25,000, exemplified by a Sotheby's sale of 'Grey and Ochre' (June 2023, £9,525) and a Bonhams sale of 'Spanish Souvenir' (July 2023, £3,800). Works on paper and smaller mixed-media pieces typically realise between £100 and £700, while oil paintings and significant compositions command materially more. Liquidity is moderate-to-good: nine lots appeared in the most recent twelve months, up from three in the prior period, suggesting renewed seller interest.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Oil painting
  • Works on paper / drawing
  • Prints and multiples
  • Mixed media

Value drivers

  1. Medium and support (oil on canvas vs works on paper)
  2. Provenance and exhibition history
  3. RA membership and institutional recognition as a quality signal
  4. Date of execution and connection to his St Ives or continental periods
  5. Medium and support: oil on canvas commands a significant premium over works on paper, mixed media, and prints
  6. Scale: larger works consistently outperform smaller studies and works on paper

Appraisal caveats

  • The 822 recorded lots in the Invaluable database span several decades and a range of media; individual results vary widely based on size, medium, date, and condition.
  • Attribution should be confirmed against documented signatures and provenance records.
  • Of 301 recorded lots, only 188 carry realised prices; unsold or price-withheld lots are excluded from the price distribution and may skew the observed range upward.
  • The max price of £25,000 reflects an outlier; most priced lots fall between £100 and £9,525.

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 William Gear

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is William Gear 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 Gear artwork?

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