# Arthur Bowen Davies artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/arthur-bowen-davies/
Profile generated: 2026-05-03T04:54:22.200Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1862-09-26
- Death date: 1928-10-24
- Nationality: American
- Movements: American modernism
- Common media: oil painting, sculpture, printmaking and graphic art, drawing, illustration

## About Arthur Bowen Davies

Arthur Bowen Davies (1862–1928) was an American painter, sculptor, illustrator, and graphic artist who became one of the most influential advocates of modern art in the United States during the early twentieth century. Active from roughly 1888 until his death, Davies studied at Gotham Art Students in the late 1880s before developing a distinctive style that blended romantic figurative compositions with emerging modernist sensibilities. He is widely recognized for championing avant-garde ideas at a time when American audiences were largely unfamiliar with European modernism. Major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York hold his work in their permanent collections. Davies also worked as a designer, collector, and draftsperson, moving fluidly across media throughout his four-decade career. Collectors encounter his paintings, prints, and drawings at auction today, where his role as a bridge figure between traditional American art and the modernist movement continues to generate scholarly and market interest.

## Common works and media

Davies produced oil paintings on canvas and panel, watercolor drawings, pastel works on paper, lithographs and other graphic prints, and sculpture. His paintings often feature dreamlike or allegorical figurative subjects, nudes in pastoral or mythological settings, and landscape compositions. Prints and works on paper constitute a significant portion of his auction appearances. Collectors may also encounter illustrated books and design work bearing his name.

## Market and appraisal context

Arthur Bowen Davies has a well-established and moderately liquid secondary market. Appraisily's auction-record index tracks 351 total lots, of which 258 carry realized prices spanning $25 to $67,100 USD. The interquartile range sits between $325 (25th percentile) and $2,000 (75th percentile), with a median of $850—indicating that most lots are modestly priced works on paper or prints, while significant oil paintings with strong provenance or subject matter command substantially more. The highest recent recorded price is $6,000 for 'Sicillian Idyll' at STAIR (April 2026), and a Christie's sale of the oil 'With Summer Flowers (Hepatica)' realized $4,826 in January 2026. Market activity has accelerated: 22 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window versus 11 in the prior period, suggesting growing auction visibility. Major and regional houses both handle Davies material—Christie's, Bonhams, and Heritage Auctions among the nationals; Rago, Eldred's, STAIR, Skinner, Swann, and John Moran among respected regional specialists. This breadth of house participation supports reliable price discovery.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Arthur Bowen Davies has a well-established and moderately liquid secondary market. Appraisily's auction-record index tracks 351 total lots, of which 258 carry realized prices spanning $25 to $67,100 USD. The interquartile range sits between $325 (25th percentile) and $2,000 (75th percentile), with a median of $850—indicating that most lots are modestly priced works on paper or prints, while significant oil paintings with strong provenance or subject matter command substantially more. The highest recent recorded price is $6,000 for 'Sicillian Idyll' at STAIR (April 2026), and a Christie's sale of the oil 'With Summer Flowers (Hepatica)' realized $4,826 in January 2026. Market activity has accelerated: 22 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window versus 11 in the prior period, suggesting growing auction visibility. Major and regional houses both handle Davies material—Christie's, Bonhams, and Heritage Auctions among the nationals; Rago, Eldred's, STAIR, Skinner, Swann, and John Moran among respected regional specialists. This breadth of house participation supports reliable price discovery.

### Appraisal notes

An Appraisily appraisal for a Davies work would use these 351 indexed auction records as comparable-sale evidence. The appraiser would cross-reference the subject work's medium, dimensions, signature, condition, provenance, and date of execution against the most relevant recent lots. Oil paintings on canvas or board (e.g., 'Sicillian Idyll' at $6,000, 'With Summer Flowers' at $4,826, 'Hanging Clouds' at $2,540) establish the upper tier; watercolors and gouache works cluster around $400–$600; pencil drawings and small prints can fall to $25–$200. Edition size and plate tone for prints, exhibition history for paintings, and any museum or scholarly publication references would be weighed as value multipliers. The appraiser would also note that the top-end record of $67,100 likely represents a major oil with exceptional provenance, setting the ceiling rather than the norm.

### Valuation factors

- Medium is the strongest price driver: major oils on canvas or board regularly realize $2,000–$6,000+ at auction, while watercolors typically fetch $400–$600 and pencil drawings or small prints can fall below $200.
- Provenance and exhibition history significantly amplify value—works with documented museum exhibition records, publication in Davies scholarship, or gallery labels from his lifetime command premiums.
- Subject matter matters: Davies' allegorical and mythological figurative compositions are more sought after than straightforward landscapes, though named-location landscapes (e.g., 'Hudson Valley,' 'Tarquinia') still attract competitive bidding.
- Condition is critical for works on paper, which represent a large share of his auction appearances; foxing, toning, or acidic mounting can materially reduce realized prices.
- Attribution should be confirmed by a qualified specialist—Davies worked across many media and his role as an exhibition organizer means works from his circle are sometimes misattributed to him.
- Print edition details (plate size, edition size, paper type) distinguish higher-value lithographs and etchings from routine graphics.

### Collector notes



### Market caveats

- The all-time high of $67,100 is an outlier that should not be used as a benchmark for typical Davies works; it likely represents a major oil with exceptional provenance or museum-quality significance.
- Six Broward Auction Gallery lots for an identically titled chalk painting (2020–2022) have no price-realized data; these may have been bought-in or withdrawn and should not be treated as comparable sales.
- Davies' market is less prominent than some contemporaries in The Eight or the Ashcan School; pricing can be inconsistent between houses and regions.
- Some lot titles in the record are generic (e.g., 'Arthur Bowen Davies' or 'Three Works') and lack medium, dimensions, or condition notes, limiting their usefulness as precise comparables.
- Auction results reflect hammer prices plus buyer's premium where noted; net proceeds to the seller are lower after house commission.

### Market evidence sources

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- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-arthur-bowen-davies-1862-1928-hanging-clouds-1899-1091-c-1d5dc877b5
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-arthur-bowen-davies-1862-1928-evening-the-bay-114-c-6adbea30d8
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-arthur-bowen-davies-am-1862-1928-portrait-of-a-girl-233-c-0e91952623
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-arthur-bowen-davies-new-york-california-italy-1862-1928-doorway-to-illusion-circa-1922-aquatint-and-etching-on-paper-7-5-x-6-5-sight-framed-14-5-x-12-5-3052-c-b0346b7803
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-arthur-bowen-davies-1862-1928-watercolor-painting-258-c-e31e7f940f
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-arthur-bowen-davies-american-1862-1928-29-c-09712a3ed4
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-arthur-bowen-davies-511-c-9d6469ba85
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-arthur-bowen-davies-hudson-valley-oil-on-board-3462-c-f964fbfa51
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-arthur-bowen-davies-1862-1928-american-pencil-drawing-lady-seated-by-a-window-2178-c-4d0cdcb13b
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-arthur-bowen-davies-three-works-902-c-f48f45b92c
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-arthur-bowen-davies-ny-ca-italy-1862-1928-chalk-painting-antique-37-c-9344dac854

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from museum records, library authority files, and scholarly references with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Arthur Bowen Davies, identity data is grounded in records from MoMA, the RKD, VIAF, and the Library of Congress.

## Sources

- RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/20191
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/1402
- VIAF (Virtual International Authority File): https://viaf.org/viaf/15567847/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79142810
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q708502
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Bowen_Davies
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500013464