# Aaron Bohrod artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/aaron-bohrod/
Profile generated: 2026-05-05T06:33:12.892Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1907-11-21
- Death date: 1992-04-03
- Nationality: American
- Movements: American Realism, Trompe-l'œil
- Common media: oil painting, drawing

## About Aaron Bohrod

Aaron Bohrod (1907–1992) was an American painter and draftsman celebrated for his meticulously rendered trompe-l'œil still-life compositions. Born in Chicago, he studied at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Art Students League in New York before serving in the U.S. Army War Art Unit and as an artist correspondent for Life magazine during World War II. After the war, Bohrod held artist-in-residence posts — first at Southern Illinois University beginning in 1941, then at the University of Wisconsin from 1948 onward. Working firmly within the American realist tradition, he built a reputation for illusionistic paintings that confound the boundary between depicted and real objects. His work is documented in major reference sources including Bénézit's Dictionnaire critique, Baigell's Dictionary of American Art, and Who Was Who in American Art. Collectors encounter Bohrod's paintings and drawings at auction with some regularity, reflecting a decades-long exhibition and teaching career centered in the Midwest.

## Common works and media

Bohd most commonly appears at auction as oil-on-canvas or oil-on-panel still-life paintings, especially trompe-l'œil compositions depicting everyday objects — letters, currency, tools, printed matter, and assembled curios. Drawings and watercolors on paper also circulate, though less frequently. Works range from intimate cabinet-scale panels to larger gallery paintings. Editioned prints or posters are not a documented significant part of his output; the market is primarily driven by unique paintings and works on paper.

## Market and appraisal context

Aaron Bohrod's secondary market is well-established and actively traded, with 372 recorded auction lots spanning from April 1992 to April 2026 and 259 lots carrying realized prices. The market shows stable liquidity: 25 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window and 25 in the prior 12-month window, indicating consistent collector demand without speculative spikes. Prices are broadly distributed — the interquartile range runs from $225 to $2,500 USD with a median of $950 — reflecting a market where modest works on paper and decorative pieces trade at the lower end while mature trompe-l'œil still-life oils and larger gallery-scale paintings command multiples of the median. The top realized price in the record is $28,800. The artist's work passes through a mix of prominent international houses (Christie's, Sotheby's, Heritage Auctions), respected regional firms (Hindman, Neal Auction Company, Toomey & Co. Auctioneers, Rachel Davis Fine Arts, Dirk Soulis Auctions, Wright), and smaller galleries, which is characteristic of a mid-century American regional realist with national name recognition and a strong Midwest collector base. Trompe-l'œil still-life compositions in oil are the strongest-performing category, with recent examples at Soulis Auctions realizing $2,000. Figurative oil paintings have reached $1,375–$2,700 in 2025–2026. Works on paper, watercolors, lithographs, and textile designs trade at lower price points, typically under $500. A collaborative studio pottery vase with ceramist F. Carlton Ball realized $500 in April 2026, confirming a modest but present decorative-arts market beyond two-dimensional work.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Aaron Bohrod's secondary market is well-established and actively traded, with 372 recorded auction lots spanning from April 1992 to April 2026 and 259 lots carrying realized prices. The market shows stable liquidity: 25 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window and 25 in the prior 12-month window, indicating consistent collector demand without speculative spikes. Prices are broadly distributed — the interquartile range runs from $225 to $2,500 USD with a median of $950 — reflecting a market where modest works on paper and decorative pieces trade at the lower end while mature trompe-l'œil still-life oils and larger gallery-scale paintings command multiples of the median. The top realized price in the record is $28,800. The artist's work passes through a mix of prominent international houses (Christie's, Sotheby's, Heritage Auctions), respected regional firms (Hindman, Neal Auction Company, Toomey & Co. Auctioneers, Rachel Davis Fine Arts, Dirk Soulis Auctions, Wright), and smaller galleries, which is characteristic of a mid-century American regional realist with national name recognition and a strong Midwest collector base. Trompe-l'œil still-life compositions in oil are the strongest-performing category, with recent examples at Soulis Auctions realizing $2,000. Figurative oil paintings have reached $1,375–$2,700 in 2025–2026. Works on paper, watercolors, lithographs, and textile designs trade at lower price points, typically under $500. A collaborative studio pottery vase with ceramist F. Carlton Ball realized $500 in April 2026, confirming a modest but present decorative-arts market beyond two-dimensional work.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would use these auction records as a comparable-sale baseline, then adjust for the specific attributes of the work being appraised. Key appraisal inputs include: (1) photographs of the front, back, signature, and any labels or inscriptions; (2) dimensions and support (oil on canvas, oil on panel, watercolor on paper, lithograph, etc.); (3) medium confirmation, as Bohrod worked across oil, watercolor, mixed media, lithography, and textile design, each with different value tiers; (4) signature verification — Bohrod's works are typically signed, but unsigned works require provenance documentation; (5) condition report, including any restoration, craquelure, foxing (works on paper), or frame condition; (6) provenance chain — works with gallery or institutional provenance, or documentation tying them to his University of Wisconsin residency (1948 onward) or WWII-era Life magazine correspondence, may carry a historical premium; (7) exhibition history, if any; (8) comparable lot selection from the 259 priced auction records, filtered by medium, subject, scale, and date. Given the wide price spread ($30–$28,800), comparable selection materially affects the appraisal conclusion, and specialist review is recommended for any work estimated above the $2,500 P75 threshold.

### Valuation factors

- [object Object]
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### Collector notes



### Market caveats

- Of 372 recorded lots, 259 carry realized prices; 113 lots lack price data, which means the lower end of the market may be underrepresented and the observed price distribution may skew slightly upward.
- Several recent lots (Crescent City Auction Gallery's Jackson Square listings, The Written Word Autographs watercolors, Soulis Auctions mixed-media Central Park 1930) show null price realizations, suggesting they may have been bought-in or withdrawn. These lots should not be treated as comparable sales.
- Bohrod's realist style has overlap with other mid-century American painters; attribution should be confirmed through provenance records, signature comparison, or expert review, especially for unsigned works.
- Textile designs and the collaborative pottery vase with F. Carlton Ball represent tangential markets and should not be used as primary comparables for oil paintings.
- The highest recorded price ($28,800) is a significant outlier relative to the $2,500 P75 and $950 median; using this as a benchmark without understanding the specific work's attributes would overstate typical value.
- Catalogue raisonné status is unknown from available sources; absence of a comprehensive catalogue means provenance verification may require additional expert input.

### Market evidence sources

- Appraisily auction record index: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/aaron-bohrod/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- Invaluable / Wright: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-fish-tile-165-c-a8719f94c0
- Invaluable / Wright: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-boy-outside-shack-140-c-dff9853520
- Invaluable / Wright: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-boy-playing-at-beach-141-c-0316210a3a
- Invaluable / Wright: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-building-and-train-tracks-142-c-324dbc999a
- Invaluable / Revere Auctions: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-f-carlton-ball-studio-pottery-vase-817-c-dfe738d611
- Invaluable / Charlton Hall: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-115-c-183a091201
- Invaluable / Direct Auction Galleries: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-painting-of-storefront-and-home-249-c-2e98659693
- Invaluable / Soulis Auctions: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-1907-1992-oil-on-artist-s-board-368-c-bcab16eb89
- Invaluable / Soulis Auctions: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-1907-1992-mixed-media-central-park-1930-347-c-0561d2b4b2
- Invaluable / Neal Auction Company: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-american-wisconsin-1907-1992-exotica-fabric-209-c-8cdf4781b0
- Invaluable / Rachel Davis Fine Arts: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-american-1907-1992-lithograph-119-c-4c5590a941
- Invaluable / Clements: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-american-1907-1992-75-c-cc14db6750
- Invaluable / Soulis Auctions: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-1907-1992-trompe-l-oeil-oil-on-panel-127-c-e1342459e3
- Invaluable / Neal Auction Company: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-american-wisconsin-1907-1992-classic-and-romantic-nudes-oil-on-panel-93-c-6e6423ea6c
- Invaluable / Joshua Kodner: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-new-orleans-street-1939-961-c-c864d6dac6
- Invaluable / Broward Auction Gallery: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-wi-il-1907-1992-oil-painting-145-c-f494753a00
- Invaluable / Millea Bros Ltd: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-oil-on-canvas-2103-c-d194c52b96
- Invaluable / MBA Seattle Auction LLC: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-aaron-bohrod-pagan-magic-1952-fabric-bolt-274-c-09d4500b4f

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines artist identity research drawn from the Library of Congress, Getty ULAN, VIAF, and RKD authority files with publicly documented auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot data. When available, auction-house catalogue notes and institutional exhibition histories supplement the biographical and market context presented here.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83051003
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/47563942/
- RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/9992
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500029376
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4661858
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Bohrod