# Henry Heerup artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/henry-heerup/
Profile generated: 2026-05-10T14:40:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1907-11-04
- Death date: 1993-05-30
- Nationality: Danish
- Movements: COBRA
- Common media: oil painting, lithography, linocut, stone sculpture, drawing, assemblage

## About Henry Heerup

Henry Heerup (1907–1993) was a Danish painter, sculptor, graphic artist, and printmaker recognized as one of Denmark's most inventive modernists. Born in Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, he worked across an unusually broad range of media—paintings, lithographs, linocuts, stone carvings, drawings, and assemblages built from found scrap materials. His imaginative visual language blended figurative motifs with near-abstract forms, drawing on mythological and everyday subjects. Heerup was active in the Danish avant-garde and became a member of the international COBRA movement, exhibiting alongside prominent European artists. His stone sculptures and colorful graphic works became signature forms, and his playful approach to materials helped define the character of post-war Danish art. Today Heerup's work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York and numerous Scandinavian institutions, and his prints and sculptures appear regularly at international auction.

## Common works and media

Heerup is most commonly encountered in appraisal and auction contexts through his color lithographs and linocut prints, often depicting stylized figures, animals, and symbolic motifs. He also produced stone sculptures—typically small carved works—and oil paintings. His assemblages, constructed from found scrap materials, represent a distinctive but less frequently seen part of his output. Drawings and works on paper in ink and watercolor also circulate on the market. Many of his prints were issued in signed and numbered editions.

## Market and appraisal context

Henry Heerup has a well-established secondary market with 232 recorded auction lots (174 with prices) spanning 2000–2025, primarily concentrated at Danish and Northern European houses. Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers and Svendborg Auktionerne ApS dominate the turnover, with additional appearances at Christie's, Venduehuis der Notarissen, and Bernaerts Auctioneers. The price distribution is wide: the 25th percentile sits at approximately 295, the median near 900, and the 75th percentile around 3,200, with a recorded maximum of 74,568. Prices are predominantly denominated in DKK, with EUR and USD appearing for non-Scandinavian houses. Unique works—oil paintings, stone sculptures, and assemblages—command the upper range (e.g., a 1947 painting titled Kærlighedsfugle realized 23,000 DKK at Auktionshuset.com in March 2024; a carved stone Flying Bird sold for 900 USD at Concept Art Gallery in December 2023). Editioned lithographs and linocuts occupy the lower range (e.g., a signed/numbered color lithograph sold for 50 USD at Weschler's in June 2024). Liquidity has slowed recently: only 3 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window compared to 12 in the prior 12 months, which may reflect market cyclicality rather than declining demand.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Henry Heerup has a well-established secondary market with 232 recorded auction lots (174 with prices) spanning 2000–2025, primarily concentrated at Danish and Northern European houses. Bruun Rasmussen Auctioneers and Svendborg Auktionerne ApS dominate the turnover, with additional appearances at Christie's, Venduehuis der Notarissen, and Bernaerts Auctioneers. The price distribution is wide: the 25th percentile sits at approximately 295, the median near 900, and the 75th percentile around 3,200, with a recorded maximum of 74,568. Prices are predominantly denominated in DKK, with EUR and USD appearing for non-Scandinavian houses. Unique works—oil paintings, stone sculptures, and assemblages—command the upper range (e.g., a 1947 painting titled Kærlighedsfugle realized 23,000 DKK at Auktionshuset.com in March 2024; a carved stone Flying Bird sold for 900 USD at Concept Art Gallery in December 2023). Editioned lithographs and linocuts occupy the lower range (e.g., a signed/numbered color lithograph sold for 50 USD at Weschler's in June 2024). Liquidity has slowed recently: only 3 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month window compared to 12 in the prior 12 months, which may reflect market cyclicality rather than declining demand.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would combine these auction records with physical inspection of the work—photographs, dimensions, medium identification, signature examination, and condition report—to establish fair market value. For prints, edition size, numbering, and plate signature versus hand-signature are critical distinctions. For stone sculptures and paintings, provenance history, exhibition records, and condition (especially for works on paper) materially affect value. Comparable lots from Bruun Rasmussen and Svendborg provide the most reliable Denmark-market benchmarks; Christie's and Venduehuis lots offer cross-border context. All price comparisons must account for currency (DKK, EUR, USD) and auction date, as Heerup's market is domestically concentrated and currency-adjusted comparables improve accuracy.

### Valuation factors

- Medium: unique works (stone sculptures, oil paintings, assemblages) trade at significantly higher prices than editioned prints and multiples
- Edition details: signed and numbered lithographs/linocuts should be checked for edition size—large editions (e.g., 350) trade at the low end; small editions or unique proofs command more
- Condition: works on paper and prints are vulnerable to foxing, fading, and acidic mounting; condition reports are essential for accurate appraisal
- Provenance: documented exhibition or collection history adds value; Heerup's COBRA association is a positive provenance signal
- Attribution: Heerup's graphic style has been widely reproduced; catalogue references and expert verification distinguish original prints from later reproductions
- Currency and market: most comparable sales are in DKK at Danish houses; cross-border comparables in EUR or USD require currency normalization
- Liquidity trend: recent 12-month lot count (3) is well below the prior period (12), suggesting thinner near-term comparables

### Collector notes

- Heerup's market is primarily domestic Danish, so collectors buying outside Scandinavia may find fewer comparable sales and should expect wider bid-ask spreads. Signed color lithographs from the 1950s–1970s are the most accessible entry point, typically trading in the low hundreds of USD equivalent. Stone sculptures and original paintings represent the stronger value tier and appear regularly at Bruun Rasmussen and Auktionshuset.com. Buyers should verify that prints are original hand-pulled editions rather than later commercial reproductions—edition numbering and signature style are the key checks. The COBRA connection adds art-historical significance and institutional demand, which supports long-term value retention for high-quality unique works.

### Market caveats

- Price distribution statistics (p25, median, p75, max) aggregate across DKK, EUR, and USD and should be interpreted as ordinal indicators rather than direct value equivalents.
- The recent 12-month sample of 3 lots is too small for reliable trend analysis; the apparent decline from 12 lots may reflect seasonal or cyclical variation.
- Several recent lots lack price-realized data (noted as null), which means unsold or post-sale results were not captured; this may skew distribution statistics toward sold lots only.
- Heerup's distinctive graphic style has been widely reproduced in posters and catalogues; attribution must be confirmed before relying on comparable pricing.
- Auction-house source data comes from the Appraisily auction-record index and a single Invaluable listing; full provenance verification requires direct consultation with the relevant auction house.

### Market evidence sources

- Appraisily: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/henry-heerup/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-henry-heerup-danish-1907-1993-katten-og-fuglen-lithograph-in-color-signed-l-r-and-numbered-345-350-frame-24-1-4-x-24-1-4-in-61-6-x-61-6-cm-200-c-18c4e8798f

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research from museum and authority sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Henry Heerup, identity data is drawn from the Getty ULAN, VIAF, Library of Congress, RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History, and MoMA collection records, supplemented by auction results and public sale data.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2413064
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Heerup
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500014826
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/74652265/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82090008
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/2573
- RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/36906