# Albert Irvin artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/albert-irvin/
Profile generated: 2026-05-09T12:19:29.297Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1922-08-21
- Death date: 2015-03-26
- Nationality: British, English
- Movements: Abstract Expressionism
- Common media: Painting, Printmaking

## About Albert Irvin

Albert Henry Thomas Irvin (1922–2015) was a British painter and graphic artist celebrated for his vivid, large-scale abstract paintings. Born in London, Irvin studied at Northampton School of Art before developing a distinctive expressionist approach characterized by bold color, gestural energy, and luminous spatial depth. Over a career spanning more than six decades, he became one of Britain's most respected abstract painters, known for pushing the possibilities of acrylic and oil on canvas. Irvin was appointed OBE and elected a Royal Academician, reflecting the institutional recognition his work received. His paintings are held in major public collections, including Tate. Collectors encounter Irvin's work across post-war and contemporary art sales, where his canvases, prints, and works on paper appear regularly at major auction houses.

## Common works and media

Irvin is best known for large-scale abstract acrylic and oil paintings featuring bold, gestural brushwork and rich color fields. He also produced screenprints, lithographs, and works on paper, including gouaches and watercolors. His imagery is non-representational, relying on color relationships, layered surfaces, and dynamic compositional energy rather than figurative subject matter. Titles often reference places or use abstract designations. Prints in signed and numbered editions appear regularly in auction contexts.

## Market and appraisal context

Albert Irvin's work appears at auction primarily within Post-War and Contemporary Art and Modern British Art categories. Key factors influencing appraisal include the medium (oil or acrylic on canvas versus works on paper or prints), the scale of the work, provenance and exhibition history, condition, and date of execution. His large-scale canvases from mature periods tend to attract the strongest collector interest. Irvin also produced screenprints and lithographic editions, which are more accessible at auction but carry broader price ranges depending on edition size and provenance. Collectors should verify attribution, confirm edition details for prints, and review condition reports carefully.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from museum, library authority, and scholarly sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. The information here is drawn from publicly cited sources and should be supplemented by professional appraisal for specific valuation questions.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr93050912
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/albert-irvin-1342
- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/41126
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2831268
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/12185735/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500001617
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Irvin