# Cuno Amiet artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/cuno-amiet/
Profile generated: 2026-04-30T10:53:32.941Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1868-03-28
- Death date: 1961-07-06
- Nationality: Swiss
- Movements: Modernism
- Common media: oil painting, watercolor, pastel, printmaking (etching, engraving), sculpture, drawing, graphic art / illustration

## About Cuno Amiet

Cuno Amiet (1868–1961) was a Swiss painter, sculptor, printmaker, and illustrator widely regarded as a pioneer of modern art in Switzerland. Born in Solothurn and later based in Oschwand in the canton of Bern, Amiet was the first Swiss painter to prioritize colour as the primary organizing element in composition, distinguishing his work from the more linear academic traditions of his contemporaries. Active across oil painting, watercolor, pastel, etching, drawing, and sculpture, he produced a large and varied body of work over a career spanning more than six decades. His paintings are held in major international collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate in London. Amiet's emphasis on colour-driven composition positioned him as a key transitional figure bridging late-nineteenth-century European painting and Swiss modernism.

## Common works and media

Amiet worked across a broad range of media. Oil paintings on canvas and board form the core of his auction presence, followed by watercolors and pastels on paper. He also produced etchings, engravings, and other graphic prints, as well as drawings in various media. Sculptural works are less common at auction but documented in institutional collections. Subjects include landscapes, portraits, still lifes, and genre scenes, often characterized by vivid, expressive colour palettes.

## Market and appraisal context

Cuno Amiet commands an active and well-documented secondary market with 801 total auction lots catalogued, 486 of which carry realized prices. Auction activity spans from December 2003 through March 2026, indicating sustained long-term demand. The price distribution is wide: recorded prices range from CHF 20 for small prints and lithographs up to CHF 3,300,000 at the top end. The median realized price sits at CHF 15,000, with the interquartile range spanning CHF 4,000–40,000. Liquidity remains healthy but has moderated slightly: 44 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window versus 74 in the prior 12 months. The market is concentrated among Swiss and European auction houses—Koller Auctions leads in frequency, followed by Christie's, Sotheby's, Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer, Galerie Kornfeld, and Galerie Fischer—reflecting Amiet's deep rootedness in Swiss art collections. Oil paintings, particularly colour-dominant modernist canvases, achieve the strongest results, while works on paper, prints, and posters trade at lower price points.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Cuno Amiet commands an active and well-documented secondary market with 801 total auction lots catalogued, 486 of which carry realized prices. Auction activity spans from December 2003 through March 2026, indicating sustained long-term demand. The price distribution is wide: recorded prices range from CHF 20 for small prints and lithographs up to CHF 3,300,000 at the top end. The median realized price sits at CHF 15,000, with the interquartile range spanning CHF 4,000–40,000. Liquidity remains healthy but has moderated slightly: 44 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window versus 74 in the prior 12 months. The market is concentrated among Swiss and European auction houses—Koller Auctions leads in frequency, followed by Christie's, Sotheby's, Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer, Galerie Kornfeld, and Galerie Fischer—reflecting Amiet's deep rootedness in Swiss art collections. Oil paintings, particularly colour-dominant modernist canvases, achieve the strongest results, while works on paper, prints, and posters trade at lower price points.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would use these 486 priced auction records as comparable-sale evidence alongside the client's photos, measured dimensions, medium identification, signature or monogram verification (Amiet used a "CA" monogram), condition report, and documented provenance. The wide price range (CHF 20 to CHF 3,300,000) means medium, support, size, period, and subject are critical discriminators. Oil paintings on canvas from Amiet's mature colourist period generally anchor the upper range; lithographs, small works on paper, and posters anchor the lower end. Appraisily cross-references attribution against RKD records (artist ID 1538) and institutional holdings at MoMA and Tate. For unsigned or monogrammed-only works, specialist examination is recommended before valuation. Edition details for prints (plate size, edition size, paper type) and exhibition or literature references can materially affect value.

### Valuation factors

- Medium and support: oil on canvas commands the highest prices; works on paper (watercolor, pastel, drawing) trade lower; prints and posters at the entry level
- Size and scale: larger canvases and mature-period works consistently outperform small-format or late graphic works
- Subject and period: colour-dominant landscapes and portraits from Amiet's modernist period are most sought-after
- Signature and authentication: "CA" monogram should be verified against RKD records; unsigned works require specialist attribution
- Provenance and exhibition history: documented gallery or museum exhibition records and clear ownership chain add significant value
- Condition: restoration, relining, or foxing on works on paper can substantially reduce value
- Auction-house tier: results from Christie's, Sotheby's, and Koller carry stronger comparability weight than regional houses
- Currency considerations: most lots sell in CHF; USD results (e.g., Swann, Rachel Davis) require currency-adjusted comparison

### Collector notes

- Amiet's market is liquid but concentrated in Swiss and European venues—expect the best selection at Koller, Christie's, and Sotheby's Swiss Art sales. Entry-level collectors can acquire lithographs and small works on paper for CHF 20–1,000, while mid-range oil paintings typically realise CHF 10,000–40,000. Top-tier colourist canvases have exceeded CHF 3 million. The recent 12-month lot count (44 vs 74 the prior year) suggests a modest cooldown in supply, which could support prices for quality pieces. When buying, verify the "CA" monogram against RKD records and request condition reports—many works on paper show age-related foxing or toning. Swiss-provenance lots with exhibition labels tend to outperform comparable works without documented history. Posters and graphic works (e.g., the Bahnhof Buffet Basel poster at USD 4,064 at Swann) are an accessible segment but appreciate more slowly than paintings.

### Market caveats

- Price data is drawn from 486 priced lots out of 801 catalogued; 315 lots lack realised prices, which may skew the observed distribution toward the sell-through subset.
- The recent 12-month lot count (44) is lower than the prior period (74); a single year's fluctuation does not necessarily indicate a trend shift.
- Most results are denominated in CHF; currency conversion is required when comparing against USD-denominated lots from US auction houses.
- Individual lot titles in the source pack often lack medium, dimensions, and date details, limiting the precision of lot-level comparables without further research.
- The maximum recorded price (CHF 3,300,000) represents an outlier; the 75th percentile is CHF 40,000, and most transactions fall well below the top end.
- Attribution of unsigned or monogrammed works requires specialist review; the RKD record (artist 1538) should be the primary reference for authentication.

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/cuno-amiet/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-cuno-amiet-3467-c-0f8a8fcf0a
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-cuno-amiet-3466-c-0560a1c2a8
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-cuno-amiet-1868-1961-267-c-d58017aaa5
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-cuno-amiet-1868-1961-266-c-4662732e14
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-cuno-amiet-1868-1961-255-c-187126d7ab
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-cuno-amiet-1868-1961-254-c-947e77d40d
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-cuno-amiet-sonderausstellung-cuno-amiet-kunstsalon-wolfsberg-vintage-poster-247-c-9de2aa3593
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-cuno-amiet-bahnhof-buffet-basel-1921-166-c-8f9b9d0e66
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-cuno-amiet-swiss-1868-1961-lithograph-9-c-2359c08b4c
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-cuno-amiet-1868-1961-499-c-eb1939723a

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines artist identity research from museum, library authority, and biographical sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. Identity data is grounded in the Library of Congress Name Authority File, VIAF, RKD, Wikidata, and institutional collection records from MoMA and Tate.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83224756
- RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/1538
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/7399068/
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuno_Amiet
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q566797
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/149
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/cuno-amiet-646
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500005153