Yasumasa Morimura Auction Prices and Value Guide

Yasumasa Morimura auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 214 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Yasumasa Morimura auction prices: quick answer

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

Artist
Yasumasa Morimura
Source records
214
Market update
2026-02-06

Yasumasa Morimura market snapshot

Yasumasa Morimura shows solid auction liquidity with 134 tracked lots. Median realized sale is around $5,000. Category concentration is still broad or sparse. Last 12 months recorded 10 sales. Latest recorded sale: 2025-12-12.

Realized price distribution

  • Under $1,000 (24.1% · 14 sales)
  • $1,000 to $10,000 (34.5% · 20 sales)
  • $10,000+ (41.4% · 24 sales)
Median sale (last 12 months)
$1,600
Sales recorded (last 12 months)
10
Median shift vs prior year
+60.0%
Latest recorded sale
2025-12-12

Artist context

About Yasumasa Morimura

Yasumasa Morimura (born 1951, Osaka, Japan) is a contemporary Japanese photographer, video artist, and performer whose practice centers on inserting his own costumed visage into canonical Western artworks and photographs. Since the 1980s, he has re-enacted paintings by Velázquez, Manet, van Gogh, and others—transforming himself through elaborate makeup, props, and digital manipulation to explore the fluidity of identity across gender, race, and cultural boundaries. Morimura's work interrogates postcolonial power dynamics and the Western gaze upon Asia, asking who gets to inhabit the frame of art history. His photographs, videos, and live performances have been exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Tate (London), and in major international surveys including the Rencontres d'Arles and Prospect Frankfurt. Trained at a Japanese university and active since the late 1970s, Morimura is recognized internationally as a leading figure in contemporary appropriation art.

Appropriation artContemporary artPhotographyVideo artLive performanceFilmSelf-portraiture and identity transformationArt-historical reinterpretationGender and racial boundariesPostcolonialism

Common works and media

Morimura is best known for large-format chromogenic color prints in which he substitutes his own face and body for those of figures in famous paintings—most notably works referencing Velázquez's Las Meninas, Manet's Olympia, and self-portraits by van Gogh and Rembrandt. These photographic prints are typically produced in limited editions. He also creates video works and staged live performances extending the same conceptual framework. Black-and-white photographic series, smaller-format prints, and later digital composites appear less frequently but are part of his broader auction footprint.

Market and appraisal context

Morimura's auction presence spans contemporary photography, Asian contemporary art, and post-war and contemporary sales. Large-format chromogenic prints from his best-known series—particularly those re-staging famous Western portraits—are the works most frequently encountered at auction. Edition size, print date, condition, and the specific series all influence collectible value. Provenance tied to major museum exhibitions or prominent galleries can increase buyer confidence. Because Morimura works across photography, video, and performance, his output covers a range of price tiers, and appraisal requires identifying the medium, edition details, and exhibition history of the individual work.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Value drivers

  1. Large-format chromogenic prints and C-prints are the most commonly encountered work type at auction
  2. Edition size and print number significantly affect value; works from smaller editions or unique prints command stronger results
  3. Provenance from major gallery exhibitions or museum shows adds collectible weight
  4. Subject matter matters: works referencing canonical Western masterpieces (e.g., Manet's Olympia, Velázquez's Las Meninas) are among the most sought-after
  5. Condition, print date, and whether the work is signed and dated are standard appraisal considerations

Appraisal caveats

  • The source pack does not include specific auction-house sale records or realized prices; market estimates should be corroborated with live auction databases.
  • Morimura produces work in multiple formats including unique prints, limited editions, and video installations, which occupy different price tiers.
  • Attribution should be verified against published catalogues or gallery documentation, as Morimura's appropriation practice can lead to confusion with the source works he references.

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 Yasumasa Morimura

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Yasumasa Morimura 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 Yasumasa Morimura artwork?

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