# Fred Cress artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/fred-cress/
Profile generated: 2026-08-24T12:04:42.949Z
Quality: medium confidence, adequate sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: Australian
- Common media: Painting, Drawing

## About Fred Cress

Fred Cress (1938–2009), whose full name was Frederick Harold Cress, was a painter who migrated from Britain to Australia and is identified by authority records as an Australian artist. The collected sources connect him particularly with painting, drawing, and portraiture. His best-documented public distinction in this pack is the 1988 Archibald Prize, awarded for his portrait of fellow artist John Beard. VIAF also associates Cress with the publication “Whispers: drawings 1958–2007” and records several titled works, confirming a substantial drawing practice alongside his paintings. Collectors may therefore encounter his name attached to both paintings and works on paper, including portraits. Getty ULAN, VIAF, Wikidata, Library of Congress, and ISNI identifiers help distinguish him from similarly named people. The available evidence does not establish a specific movement or school, so none is assigned here.

## Common works and media

The collected sources support paintings, drawings, and portrait subjects as the principal work types associated with Fred Cress. VIAF identifies “Whispers: drawings 1958–2007,” while the biographical source records his award-winning portrait of John Beard. The pack does not provide enough evidence to characterize additional media, editions, recurring series, or broader subject categories.

## Market and appraisal context

The input inventory associates Fred Cress with 383 records, but the collected public pack exposes no individual lot descriptions or realized prices. A careful appraisal should therefore classify a work first and compare paintings with paintings, drawings with drawings, and portraits with closely related subject matter when suitable public records become available. The current evidence supports these work types but does not support a price range, market trend, edition pattern, or claim about the premium attached to any period or subject. Object-specific conclusions require readable comparable sales and documentation for the particular work; the artist’s authority identifiers can help confirm that records refer to the correct Fred Cress.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist-identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. This profile’s identity is supported by public authority records, while its market interpretation remains limited because the collected pack contains no readable lot-level results.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2781406
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/96248115/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500079490
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Cress
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n93071906
- ISNI: https://isni.org/isni/0000000078957348