# Beatrice Wood artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/beatrice-wood/
Profile generated: 2026-05-04T21:22:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1893-03-03
- Death date: 1998-03-12
- Nationality: American
- Movements: Dada
- Common media: ceramics, pottery, sculpture, painting

## About Beatrice Wood

Beatrice Wood (1893–1998) was an American ceramicist, potter, and painter whose career spanned nearly the entire twentieth century. Born in San Francisco, she studied art and theater in Paris before settling in New York, where she became a key participant in the Dada movement alongside Marcel Duchamp and Henri-Pierre Roché. In 1917 the trio founded The Blind Man, one of the landmark Dada publications in the United States. Wood later shifted focus to ceramics in the 1930s, developing a distinctive luster-glaze technique that became her signature. She lived and worked for decades in the Ojai Valley of California, continuing to produce art well past her hundredth year. Known as the "Mama of Dada," Wood remains significant both as a modernist figure and as a studio potter whose work is held by major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

## Common works and media

Wood's most frequently encountered works are hand-thrown or sculpted ceramic vessels, bowls, vases, and plates finished with metallic luster glazes in iridescent gold, copper, and green tones. She also produced figural sculptures, tiles, and mixed-media drawings. Earlier in her career she created drawings, prints, and collage works associated with the New York Dada circle. Editioned prints and published ephemera related to The Blind Man magazine are collectible but uncommon.

## Market and appraisal context

Beatrice Wood maintains a deep and liquid secondary market with 495 auction lots recorded from 2002 through April 2026, of which 409 carry realized prices. Her work trades regularly at established houses including Bonhams, Rago Arts and Auction Center, Heritage Auctions, Sotheby's, and Christie's, alongside regional specialists such as Los Angeles Modern Auctions, John Moran Auctioneers, Clars Auctions, California Auctioneers, and Toomey & Co. The price distribution ranges from $35 at the low end to $20,000 at the top, with a median of $1,500 and an interquartile spread of $800–$3,125. Liquidity is strong: 55 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window (down modestly from 66 in the prior period), indicating consistent collector demand. Luster-glaze chalice forms, figural vessels, and teapots dominate recent results, with chalice forms at Rago achieving $2,400–$7,500 and large figural chalices reaching the upper tier. Heritage Auctions and Rago are the most frequent contemporary venues.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Beatrice Wood maintains a deep and liquid secondary market with 495 auction lots recorded from 2002 through April 2026, of which 409 carry realized prices. Her work trades regularly at established houses including Bonhams, Rago Arts and Auction Center, Heritage Auctions, Sotheby's, and Christie's, alongside regional specialists such as Los Angeles Modern Auctions, John Moran Auctioneers, Clars Auctions, California Auctioneers, and Toomey & Co. The price distribution ranges from $35 at the low end to $20,000 at the top, with a median of $1,500 and an interquartile spread of $800–$3,125. Liquidity is strong: 55 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window (down modestly from 66 in the prior period), indicating consistent collector demand. Luster-glaze chalice forms, figural vessels, and teapots dominate recent results, with chalice forms at Rago achieving $2,400–$7,500 and large figural chalices reaching the upper tier. Heritage Auctions and Rago are the most frequent contemporary venues.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would use these 409 priced auction records as comparable-lot evidence alongside photographs, measured dimensions, medium identification (luster-glaze earthenware vs. matte-glaze ceramic), signature or mark documentation, condition reports (especially glaze integrity, chips, and restoration), provenance history (Ojai Valley studio provenance is significant), edition or unique-work status, and exhibition or publication records. The interquartile range of $800–$3,125 provides a useful baseline for typical luster-glaze vessels, while figural chalices and large-scale works with documented exhibition history may fall in the $4,000–$7,500+ band. Appraisals should weight recent comparable lots from the same form family and glaze type, adjust for condition, and note whether the work dates from an earlier or later period in Wood's career.

### Valuation factors

- Form type: chalice forms with figural elements command the strongest prices ($2,400–$7,500+), followed by teapots and tea services ($750–$4,600), with simple bowls and plates at the lower end
- Glaze quality: luster-glaze earthenware with pronounced iridescence consistently outperforms matte-glaze works; condition of the luster surface is a primary value driver
- Size and scale: larger works (e.g., tall vessels, large chalices) achieve higher prices than smaller examples within the same form family
- Provenance: works with documented Ojai Valley studio provenance, exhibition history, or publication records carry premiums
- Period: earlier works and Dada-era ephemera are significantly rarer and more valuable than later-life production, which is more abundant
- Condition: chips, cracks, glaze losses, or restorations materially reduce value in this market segment
- Attribution: Wood's luster glazes have been widely reproduced; verified marks and signatures are essential for confirming authenticity

### Collector notes

- Wood's ceramics appear at auction frequently enough (roughly 4–6 lots per month) that buyers can be selective rather than chasing every opportunity. The median price of $1,500 makes entry-level luster-glaze pieces accessible, while top-tier figural chalices and large vessels in the $4,000–$7,500 range represent the established collector tier. Rago Arts and Auction Center and Heritage Auctions are the most reliable venues for Wood's work in the current market. Buyers should prioritize glaze condition and iridescence quality—these are the attributes most sensitive to value. Sellers with well-documented provenance, clear studio marks, and strong glaze surfaces can reasonably expect results in the median-to-upper-quartile range for typical forms. Works with figural elements or unusual forms should be positioned toward the upper end of comparable ranges. The modest decline from 66 to 55 lots year-over-year does not indicate softening demand; rather, supply may be tightening as works enter permanent collections.

### Market caveats

- Of 495 recorded lots, 86 lack realized prices, meaning bid results, withdrawn lots, or post-sale data gaps are present in the record set
- The $35 minimum price likely represents a minor work, fragment, or ephemera item and should not be treated as representative of Wood's ceramic market
- The $20,000 maximum price is an outlier well above the p75 of $3,125 and may reflect a rare Dada-era work, a major figural sculpture, or a highly documented exhibition piece
- Attribution must be confirmed against documented ceramics signatures and marks, as Wood's luster glazes have been widely reproduced and inspired by other makers
- Later-life works are more abundant in the market; earlier Dada-era works and ephemera are significantly rarer and not well represented in these auction records
- Auction results reflect hammer or realized prices but may not include buyer's premiums, which can add 20–25% to the effective purchase price
- The observed auction houses list includes both major international houses (Sotheby's, Christie's) and regional specialists; results from regional houses may reflect different buyer pools and price expectations

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/beatrice-wood/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-1893-1998-head-hunter-488-c-dc44e9a8e3
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-three-piece-tea-service-127-c-4dc4f80873
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-three-piece-tea-service-184-c-1bf415d8e9
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-chalice-form-190-c-640481faa0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-chalice-form-188-c-7ec4eca97e
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-vessel-with-three-faces-16-c-ff14ce4b7d
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-tall-vessel-with-multiple-faces-15-c-d4843a084c
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-chalice-form-144-c-22848adab5
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-chalice-with-figures-153-c-0ad40f2834
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-1893-1998-teapot-together-with-eight-dessert-plates-c-1975-126-c-b3e4e48a11
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-1894-1998-chalice-vase-luster-glazed-earthenware-6-c-ac64497b9c
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-american-1893-1998-teapot-1977-matte-glazed-ceramic-5-1-4-x-8-67089-c-02744559cf
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-american-1893-1998-large-chalice-luster-glazed-earthenware-6-3-67092-c-b23434fbb0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-american-1893-1998-teapot-1992-luster-glazed-earthenware-11-1-67087-c-3f84f33af7
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-beatrice-wood-american-1893-1997-black-spiral-teapot-circa-1980-glazed-earth-67035-c-e68449084a

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from museum records, library authority files, and scholarly sources with auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Beatrice Wood, identity data is grounded in records from the Library of Congress, VIAF, RKD, the Museum of Modern Art, and Wikidata.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q459378
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatrice_Wood
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/95736362/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84014830
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/27127
- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/103110