William Tolliver Auction Prices and Value Guide

William Tolliver auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 359 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

William Tolliver auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
William Tolliver
Source records
359
Market update
2026-02-16

William Tolliver market snapshot

William Tolliver shows deep auction liquidity with 243 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $1,250. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 36 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2026-01-30.

Realized price distribution

  • Under $1,000 (44.4% · 76 sales)
  • $1,000 to $10,000 (52.6% · 90 sales)
  • $10,000+ (2.9% · 5 sales)
Median sale (last 12 months)
$780
Sales recorded (last 12 months)
36
Median shift vs prior year
0.0%
Latest recorded sale
2026-01-30

Artist context

About William Tolliver

Nationality

American

William Tolliver was an American painter and printmaker associated with contemporary African American art. Working across oil, acrylic, watercolor, and oil pastel, he developed an expressive figurative language that he described as “representational abstract expressionism.” His imagery frequently addresses Southern Black labor, jazz and blues musicians, and rural landscapes, combining recognizable subjects with expressive treatments of color and form. Collectors may encounter Tolliver through paintings, works on paper, and prints rather than through one narrowly defined medium. This breadth also means that works attributed to him can appear under several auction categories. The collected sources identify his full name, American nationality, painting and printmaking practices, characteristic media, and recurring subjects, but they do not provide sufficiently authoritative evidence for his birth or death dates. Those dates should remain unassigned until corroborated by a museum, estate, catalogue, or fuller authority record.

Representational abstract expressionism, as described by the artistContemporary African American artOil paintingAcrylic paintingWatercolorOil pastelSouthern Black laborJazz and blues musiciansRural landscapes

Common works and media

Commonly described works include paintings in oil, acrylic, watercolor, and oil pastel, together with prints and other works on paper. Recurring imagery includes Southern Black labor, jazz and blues musicians, and rural landscapes. Appraisily's auction taxonomy also places matched lots under fine art and paintings, works on paper and prints, sculpture and mixed media, and decorative art and editions. The collected source pack does not establish how frequently each category occurs or authenticate any individual object.

Market and appraisal context

William Tolliver's auction results should be evaluated against genuinely comparable works rather than a single overall price statistic. Relevant distinctions include medium, dimensions, date, subject, condition, restoration, signature or inscriptions, edition information, provenance, exhibition history, catalogue references, and confidence in the attribution. Appraisily's public index contains matched auction records across paintings, works on paper, prints, editions, and other categories, but those records are a starting point for research rather than a final appraisal. Reported results may differ in whether fees are included, while private sales, incomplete feeds, later attribution changes, and condition findings may not appear in the public data.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Fine art and paintings
  • Works on paper and prints
  • Sculpture and mixed media
  • Decorative art and editions

Value drivers

  1. Medium, dimensions, date, and period within the artist's career
  2. Condition, restoration history, and surface quality
  3. Signature, inscriptions, edition details, and attribution confidence
  4. Provenance, exhibition history, and catalogue references
  5. Subject matter, rarity, and comparable public auction sales for similar works

Evidence

Sources for artist context

This source-grounded artist context is based on collected public records: medium confidence, thin source quality.

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 Tolliver

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is William Tolliver 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 Tolliver artwork?

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