# Alvin Carl Hollingsworth artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/alvin-carl-hollingsworth/
Profile generated: 2026-08-24T17:14:59.461Z
Quality: medium confidence, thin sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1928-02-25
- Death date: 2000-07-14
- Nationality: American
- Movements: Black Arts Movement
- Common media: Painting, Comic art, Drawing

## Portrait

![Alvin Carl Hollingsworth](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/74/Alvin_Hollingsworth%2C_New_York_Amsterdam_News_1977_12_03_pg32.jpg/1280px-Alvin_Hollingsworth%2C_New_York_Amsterdam_News_1977_12_03_pg32.jpg)
Unknown author Unknown author · Public domain
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alvin_Hollingsworth,_New_York_Amsterdam_News_1977_12_03_pg32.jpg

## About Alvin Carl Hollingsworth

Alvin Carl Hollingsworth (1928–2000) was an American painter, comic artist, and educator. Born in Harlem, he is described as one of the earliest Black artists active in American comic books, while a secondary source also places him in the context of the Black Arts Movement. Collectors may encounter his name as Alvin C. Hollingsworth or under the pseudonym Alvin Holly. His documented work across painting and comics means that objects associated with him can enter different collecting contexts, making accurate identity and medium classification especially important. Public entity records connect Hollingsworth with Wikidata, Getty ULAN, VIAF, the Library of Congress, ISNI, and the National Gallery of Art. The available source pack establishes the broad outline of his identity and career, but it does not provide enough substantive museum or scholarly text to define his subjects, named series, stylistic development, or complete chronology with high confidence.

## Common works and media

Public biographical sources identify Hollingsworth as both a painter and a comic artist, with drawing also noted in a secondary source. Paintings and comic-related works are therefore plausible appraisal categories. The collected material does not establish a reliable breakdown of formats, subjects, named series, print editions, or the relative frequency of different work types at auction, so each object should be classified from its physical characteristics and documentation rather than from the artist's name alone.

## Market and appraisal context

An appraisal should first determine whether an object belongs to Hollingsworth's painting practice, comic-art practice, or another documented medium, and whether it carries his full name, abbreviated name, or the Alvin Holly pseudonym. These distinctions affect which public records are genuinely comparable. The source pack signals an Appraisily auction-record set, but it provides no accessible lot-level descriptions, realized prices, dates, dimensions, provenance, or condition information. It also contains no usable major-auction-house analysis. No price direction or category frequency should therefore be inferred here. A defensible valuation requires verified object details and comparisons with public sales assigned to the same artist and closely matching work type.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine public artist-identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Hollingsworth, the current identity evidence is more complete than the accessible lot-level market evidence.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4738121
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500490674
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n85006381
- National Gallery of Art: https://www.nga.gov/collection/artist-info.52797.html
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/55567378/
- ISNI: https://isni.org/isni/0000000025250867
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_Hollingsworth
- Wikipedia: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alvin_Hollingsworth
- Wikipedia: https://ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%A2%D9%84%D9%81%D9%8A%D9%86_%D9%87%D9%88%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%86%D8%BA%D8%B3%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%B1%D8%AB
- Appraisily: https://appraisily.com/artist/alvin-carl-hollingsworth/