Xu Beihong Auction Prices and Value Guide

Xu Beihong auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 3,508 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Xu Beihong auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Xu Beihong
Source records
3,508
Market update
2026-02-06

Xu Beihong market snapshot

Xu Beihong shows very deep auction liquidity with 1,196 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $120,000. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 97 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2026-01-18.

Realized price distribution

  • Under $1,000 (21.3% · 169 sales)
  • $1,000 to $10,000 (18.2% · 144 sales)
  • $10,000+ (60.5% · 480 sales)
Median sale (last 12 months)
$5,000
Sales recorded (last 12 months)
97
Median shift vs prior year
+100.0%
Latest recorded sale
2026-01-18

Artist context

About Xu Beihong

Xu Beihong (1895–1953) was a Chinese painter and art critic widely regarded as a pivotal figure in modern Chinese art. Born in Yixing, Jiangsu province, he studied in Japan in 1917 before attending the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he absorbed Western realist techniques. After returning to China, he taught at the Nanjing Academy of Fine Arts and, from 1949, served as president of the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. Xu is recognized for fusing European academic drawing and composition with traditional Chinese ink painting, particularly through his expressive depictions of animals. His work helped reshape art education and practice in twentieth-century China, and his paintings remain among the most sought-after in the Chinese modern-art market. Collectors encounter his work at major international auctions and in museum collections worldwide.

Modern Chinese paintinginkwatercolorwoodcutanimal representation

Common works and media

Xu Beihong is most closely associated with ink and watercolor paintings of animals, particularly horses, lions, and birds. He also produced oil paintings, figure studies, and woodcut prints. His subjects range from dynamic animal compositions to portraits and landscapes. Works on paper in ink and watercolor are the most commonly encountered medium at auction, while oil paintings are rarer. Collectors may also find reproduced prints, posters, and published illustrations derived from his compositions. Many recorded lots are attributed rather than fully authenticated, so medium, signature, and provenance should be verified case by case.

Market and appraisal context

Xu Beihong commands one of the deepest and most liquid markets among modern Chinese artists, with 1,200 recorded lots and 796 priced results spanning from 2001 to March 2026. The price distribution is exceptionally wide: observed results range from $30 at the low end to $72,000,000 at the top, with a median of $118,000 and a 75th percentile near $1.1 million. This dispersion reflects a bifurcated market. Authenticated, well-provenanced works at major houses (Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams) regularly achieve six- and seven-figure results, while a large volume of 'attributed to' lots at regional and online-only houses sell in the hundreds to low thousands of dollars. Ink and watercolor horse subjects dominate the corpus and are the most widely recognized, but oil paintings — far rarer at auction — can carry significant premiums. Recent comparable results include a dedicated 1946 Galloping Horse at Bonhams (March 2026, $78,000 USD), a 1949 Horses oil at Lauren Gallery ($120,000 USD), and a 1946 King Lion at Bonhams Hong Kong. The trailing 12-month lot count of 84 is down from 151 in the prior 12 months, suggesting a moderate contraction in auction volume, though this may reflect market-cycle timing rather than softening demand for premium material.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • ink painting
  • watercolor painting
  • oil painting
  • woodcut
  • hanging scroll

Value drivers

  1. [object Object]

Appraisal caveats

  • No specific auction price data or realized-price records were available in the source pack; market commentary is general and should be supplemented with current auction results before making appraisal judgments.
  • Attribution of works to this artist is complex due to the high volume of recorded lots; professional authentication and provenance research are recommended.
  • [object Object]

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 Xu Beihong

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Xu Beihong 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 Xu Beihong artwork?

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