# David Bomberg artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/david-bomberg/
Profile generated: 2026-05-09T17:37:31.052Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1890-12-05
- Death date: 1957-08-19
- Nationality: British
- Movements: Vorticism, Whitechapel Boys
- Common media: oil painting, works on paper, drawing

## About David Bomberg

David Garshen Bomberg (1890–1957) was a British painter associated with the Vorticist movement and the Whitechapel Boys, a group of Jewish immigrant artists active in London's East End before the First World War. Born in Birmingham and raised in London, Bomberg studied at the Westminster School of Art and the Slade School of Fine Art, where he developed a bold, geometric style that attracted early critical attention. His pre-war canvases, marked by angular forms and mechanical energy, placed him among the most radical British modernists of his generation. After serving with the Royal Engineers in the First World War, his style shifted toward a more expressive, landscape-based realism. Bomberg spent decades teaching at Borough Polytechnic in London, where he mentored artists including Frank Auerbach and Leon Kossoff. His work is held by Tate, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and other major public collections.

## Common works and media

Bomberg's output spans oil paintings, charcoal and ink drawings, watercolours, and prints. Early geometric compositions such as 'The Mud Bath' and 'In the Hold' are among his most recognised works. Later subjects include Middle Eastern and Mediterranean landscapes, Cornish coastal scenes, figure studies, and self-portraits. Works on paper from his war service and travel sketches also circulate on the market.

## Market and appraisal context

Bomberg's early Vorticist compositions, produced in small numbers before 1915, are the rarest and most sought-after works at auction. Later landscapes and figurative paintings from his Palestine, Spanish, and Cornish periods appear more frequently. Collectors should consider period, medium, provenance, condition, and exhibition history when evaluating a Bomberg work. Oil paintings typically realize higher prices than drawings or works on paper. Attribution can be nuanced for works associated with his Borough Polytechnic teaching circle, and specialist consultation is advisable.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from museum, library authority, and public scholarship sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realised prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. This profile draws on records from Tate, the Museum of Modern Art, RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History, Getty ULAN, VIAF, and the Library of Congress.

## Sources

- RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/10211
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/david-bomberg-777
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/651
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bomberg
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q734355
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500014864
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/32796163/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50042057