William S. Schwartz Auction Prices and Value Guide

William S. Schwartz auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 306 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

William S. Schwartz auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
William S. Schwartz
Source records
306
Market update
2026-02-16

William S. Schwartz market snapshot

William S. Schwartz shows very deep auction liquidity with 574 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $460. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 54 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2025-12-12.

Realized price distribution

  • Under $1,000 (68.4% · 256 sales)
  • $1,000 to $10,000 (27.3% · 102 sales)
  • $10,000+ (4.3% · 16 sales)
Median sale (last 12 months)
$650
Sales recorded (last 12 months)
54
Median shift vs prior year
+36.8%
Latest recorded sale
2025-12-12

Artist context

About William S. Schwartz

William Samuel Schwartz (1896–1977) was a Russian-born American painter and lithographer who spent his career in Chicago, Illinois. Born in Smarhoń—then part of the Russian Empire, in present-day Belarus—he immigrated to the United States and became an active figure in the Chicago art world. Schwartz worked primarily in oil painting and lithography, and his output spans several decades of the twentieth century. He is listed in the Union List of Artist Names (Getty Research Institute), the Library of Congress name authority file, and the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, reflecting his documented presence in institutional collections and catalogues. The Museum of Modern Art, New York, also holds a record for Schwartz in its artist database. Collectors most often encounter his work through American paintings and works on paper at auction.

oil paintinglithography

Common works and media

Common work types include oil paintings on canvas and board, lithographic prints, and other works on paper such as drawings. Schwartz's documented mediums span painting and printmaking, and collectors may encounter both unique works and editioned prints at auction. Subject matter and specific series designations are not well-delineated in the available authority sources.

Market and appraisal context

Schwartz's work appears with moderate regularity at auction, with over three hundred documented lots across sale records. Collectors considering an appraisal should note that value depends on medium—oil paintings generally command stronger results than prints or works on paper—as well as subject matter, provenance, date of execution, condition, and confirmed attribution. Comparable public auction records for Chicago-based American painters of the early-to-mid twentieth century provide a useful benchmark. Because Schwartz is not widely associated with a single named movement in major reference sources, provenance and exhibition history carry added weight in establishing significance and market positioning.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Paintings
  • Works on Paper
  • Prints

Value drivers

  1. Medium (oil on canvas versus work on paper or print)
  2. Subject matter and composition
  3. Provenance and exhibition history
  4. Condition and attribution

Appraisal caveats

  • No specific named movement or school is documented in the available authority sources; market comparables should be drawn from Chicago-area early-to-mid 20th-century American painters with similar career profiles.
  • Exact death date is not confirmed in the collected sources; only the year 1977 is attested across multiple authority files.
  • With 306 documented auction lots, Schwartz appears with moderate frequency at auction, but realized-price records from the source pack are not available to assess current market range.

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 S. Schwartz

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is William S. Schwartz 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 S. Schwartz artwork?

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