# David Levine artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/david-levine/
Profile generated: 2026-05-24T03:56:09.047Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Death date: 2009-12-29
- Nationality: American
- Common media: pen and ink, watercolor, printmaking

## About David Levine

David Levine (1926–2009) was an American caricaturist, painter, and illustrator celebrated for his incisive pen-and-ink portraits of political and literary figures. Born and based in New York City, Levine studied at the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia and maintained an active career spanning over six decades, from roughly 1945 until his death in 2009. He is best known for the thousands of caricatures he contributed to The New York Review of Books, a body of work that earned him recognition as one of the foremost satirical artists of the twentieth century. Beyond caricature, Levine produced watercolor paintings of New York scenes, particularly Coney Island, reflecting a more personal and observational side of his practice. His official estate site continues to offer fine-art prints and promote his legacy as artist, satirist, and chronicler of American culture.

## Common works and media

Levine's most commonly encountered works include original pen-and-ink caricature drawings of politicians, writers, and cultural figures; watercolor paintings of Coney Island and New York City scenes; and fine-art prints reproduced from his caricatures. Collectors may also find published illustrations, magazine contributions, and poster editions based on his satirical portraits.

## Market and appraisal context

David Levine's work appears regularly at auction, primarily as works on paper including original pen-and-ink drawings, watercolors, and prints. The caricatures published in The New York Review of Books are his most recognizable output and tend to attract the strongest collector attention. Levine's watercolor Coney Island paintings represent a separate collecting category that may appeal to buyers of American figurative watercolors. As with most works on paper, condition, provenance, and confirmation of publication history are key factors in appraisal. Fine-art prints and reproductions are widely available and should be clearly distinguished from original drawings when assessing value.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research from museum, library, and authority sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For David Levine, identity data is grounded in Getty ULAN, VIAF, Wikidata, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, and the artist's official estate site.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q141478
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Levine
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500032114
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/72189003/
- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/49760
- David Levine Estate: http://www.davidlevineart.com
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50049109
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/7082