# Clementine Hunter artist context and auction value notes Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/clementine-hunter/ Profile generated: 2026-05-02T17:24:15.524Z Quality: high confidence, strong sources ## Artist identity - Birth date: 1886-12 - Death date: 1988-01-01 - Nationality: American - Movements: American folk art, Outsider art - Common media: oil painting, painting on found surfaces and objects ## About Clementine Hunter Clementine Hunter was a self-taught African American folk artist born in late 1886 in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, and raised in the Cane River region. She spent most of her life on Melrose Plantation, where she worked as a field hand, cook, and housekeeper before beginning to paint in her fifties, using materials left behind by a visiting artist. Over the following decades she produced thousands of vibrant narrative paintings depicting cotton picking, baptisms, funerals, weddings, fishing, and daily life on the plantation. Working outside academic tradition, Hunter became one of the most recognized figures in American folk and outsider art. She was the first African American artist to receive a solo exhibition at the New Orleans Museum of Art. Hunter continued painting into her late nineties and died on January 1, 1988. Her work is held in major museum and private collections and remains a touchstone for collectors of Southern self-taught art. ## Common works and media Hunter worked primarily in oil on canvas, board, and paper, but also painted on found surfaces including window shades, jugs, and other household objects. Common subjects include cotton picking, wash day, baptisms, funerals, weddings, fishing, and other scenes of rural Louisiana plantation life. She also produced floral still lifes and religious narratives. Works range from small tabletop paintings to large mural-scale compositions. Late-career works on paper and greeting cards also circulate in the secondary market. ## Market and appraisal context Clementine Hunter maintains one of the most active and liquid markets of any American self-taught or folk artist. Appraisily's auction-record index tracks 953 total lots (864 with realized prices), spanning from August 2000 through April 2026. The market has deepened in recent years: 65 lots sold in the most recent 12-month window versus 57 in the prior 12-month period, indicating sustained or growing demand. Prices are widely dispersed — the recorded range is $176 to $85,400 USD — with a median of $5,000 and an interquartile spread of $3,125 to $8,235. Important narrative compositions on board or canvas regularly achieve $6,000–$10,000 at regional houses, while standout subjects (notably "Baptism in Cane River" at Christie's in February 2026 for $15,240, and "Picking Cotton" at Crescent City Auction Gallery in September 2025 for $10,250) reach significantly higher. The market is anchored by New Orleans–based regional specialists — Neal Auction Company, New Orleans Auction Galleries, and Crescent City Auction Gallery — with periodic appearances at Christie's and Heritage Auctions confirming mainstream recognition. Smaller or later works on paper and canvasboard routinely trade between $1,000 and $3,500. ## Auction-house-backed market evidence Clementine Hunter maintains one of the most active and liquid markets of any American self-taught or folk artist. Appraisily's auction-record index tracks 953 total lots (864 with realized prices), spanning from August 2000 through April 2026. The market has deepened in recent years: 65 lots sold in the most recent 12-month window versus 57 in the prior 12-month period, indicating sustained or growing demand. Prices are widely dispersed — the recorded range is $176 to $85,400 USD — with a median of $5,000 and an interquartile spread of $3,125 to $8,235. Important narrative compositions on board or canvas regularly achieve $6,000–$10,000 at regional houses, while standout subjects (notably "Baptism in Cane River" at Christie's in February 2026 for $15,240, and "Picking Cotton" at Crescent City Auction Gallery in September 2025 for $10,250) reach significantly higher. The market is anchored by New Orleans–based regional specialists — Neal Auction Company, New Orleans Auction Galleries, and Crescent City Auction Gallery — with periodic appearances at Christie's and Heritage Auctions confirming mainstream recognition. Smaller or later works on paper and canvasboard routinely trade between $1,000 and $3,500. ### Appraisal notes An Appraisily appraisal for a Clementine Hunter painting would use these 953 auction records as the primary comparable-sales database. The appraiser would first establish the work's medium (oil on canvas, board, paper, or found surface), dimensions, subject matter, and condition, then filter comparables by similarity of medium, size, period, and subject complexity. Signature presence and legibility are material: Hunter did not consistently sign her work, so a clear signature or gallery label adds weight. Provenance tracing to Melrose Plantation, to early Louisiana collectors, or to recognized dealers is a significant value driver. The appraiser would select recent comparable lots from the same auction houses that dominate her market — particularly Neal Auction Company and New Orleans Auction Gallery — and adjust for differences in scale, subject rarity, and condition. For works without clear provenance or signature, the appraiser would flag authentication risk and apply appropriate valuation discounts. The wide price dispersion means that even small differences in size, subject, and condition can produce large valuation gaps, so lot-level comparison is essential rather than relying on averages alone. ### Valuation factors - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] ### Collector notes ### Market caveats - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] - [object Object] ### Market evidence sources - undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/clementine-hunter/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-clementine-hunter-1887-1988-baptism-in-cane-river-oil-on-paper-laid-dow-152-c-496a00610e - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-clementine-hunter-1887-1988-cotton-picking-oil-on-canvas-board14-x-18-i-168-c-dea3c080f5 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-clementine-hunter-1887-1988-funeral-procession-oil-on-board16-1-4-x-24-1-4-161-c-3e4020fd61 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-clementine-hunter-1887-1988-zinnias-in-a-pot-oil-on-board24-1-4-x-16-1-4-in-113-c-b87455b774 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-clementine-hunter-1887-1988-african-house-oil-on-canvas-board11-7-8-x-1-107-c-9e545d65e6 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-clementine-hunter-1887-1988-shooting-birds-oil-on-upson-board16-x-20-in-22-c-4d636d5400 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-clementine-hunter-american-louisiana-1887-1988-picking-cotton-sight-h-17-3-4-in-w-23-1-2-in-framed-h-30-1-2-in-w-35-3-4-in-377-c-e7c4c36a21 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-clementine-hunter-american-louisiana-1886-1988-the-wedding-oil-on-canvas-laid-on-masonite-laid-on-board-127-c-2cdef1fef1 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-clementine-hunter-american-louisiana-1886-1988-picking-and-hauling-cotton-oil-on-board-126-c-d6b5bb447a - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-clementine-hunter-american-louisiana-1886-1988-harvesting-gourds-at-the-african-house-oil-on-board-16-in-x-24-in-539-c-e6243d4ad9 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-clementine-hunter-american-louisiana-1886-1988-making-syrup-319-c-daee694d53 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-clementine-hunter-american-1887-1988-111-c-f310cbd379 ## Appraisily data basis Appraisily artist pages combine identity research from museum, library authority, and scholarly sources with public auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Clementine Hunter, sources include the Library of Congress Name Authority File, VIAF, Wikidata, and the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History. ## Sources - Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n88016218 - VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/96519292/ - Wikimedia Foundation: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2978902 - RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/292259 - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clementine_Hunter - Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500111625