# Jean-Michel Atlan artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/jean-michel-atlan/
Profile generated: 2026-05-06T19:45:20.562Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1913-01-23
- Death date: 1960-02-12
- Nationality: French
- Movements: CoBrA
- Common media: oil painting, lithograph, pastel, sculpture, drawing

## About Jean-Michel Atlan

Jean-Michel Atlan (1913–1960) was a French painter, sculptor, and lithographer born in Constantine, Algeria. After studying philosophy in Paris, he turned to visual art in the early 1940s and quickly developed a distinctive idiom blending figurative suggestion with bold, calligraphic abstraction. He became associated with the CoBrA group, the post-war European avant-garde collective that emphasized spontaneous, expressive painting rooted in myth and primal imagery. Atlan's canvases are characterized by sweeping dark outlines, saturated color fields, and hybrid creature-like forms that hover between abstraction and representation. His work is held in major institutional collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate in London. He died in Paris at the age of 47, leaving a concentrated body of work produced over roughly fifteen active years.

## Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers most frequently encounter Atlan's work in the form of oil paintings on canvas, often featuring bold, calligraphic compositions in strong colors. Lithographic prints and posters were produced during his lifetime and appear regularly at auction. Works on paper in pastel, gouache, and ink are also part of his known output. Sculpture by Atlan is less commonly seen but documented. Signed works typically carry the single name 'Atlan.' Subjects range from mythological and zoomorphic figures to abstract, totem-like forms.

## Market and appraisal context

Jean-Michel Atlan maintains an active and well-documented international auction presence spanning more than 25 years. Appraisily's auction-record index tracks 453 total lots, of which 281 carry realized prices, with a first recorded sale in June 1999 and the most recent in April 2026. The price distribution is wide: realized prices range from approximately €100 at the low end to €206,250 at the high end, with a median of €10,625 and an interquartile spread of €2,800–€37,200. This dispersion reflects the broad range of media and formats in Atlan's oeuvre—from editioned lithographs and small works on paper at the lower end to large-format oil paintings from his mature period (1950–1960) at the upper end. Recent results confirm a tiered market: major oils at Christie's have achieved €88,900 (April 2026) and €60,960 (October 2025), while lithographs and works on paper at regional houses trade between €250 and €8,500. The top ten auction houses by volume include Christie's, Sotheby's, Artcurial, Bonhams, Aguttes, Piasa, Tajan, Cornette de Saint-Cyr, HVMC, and Art-Torg—indicating deep liquidity concentrated in Paris and international salerooms. Auction volume is stable, with 22 lots observed in the most recent 12-month window versus 29 in the prior 12-month window.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Jean-Michel Atlan maintains an active and well-documented international auction presence spanning more than 25 years. Appraisily's auction-record index tracks 453 total lots, of which 281 carry realized prices, with a first recorded sale in June 1999 and the most recent in April 2026. The price distribution is wide: realized prices range from approximately €100 at the low end to €206,250 at the high end, with a median of €10,625 and an interquartile spread of €2,800–€37,200. This dispersion reflects the broad range of media and formats in Atlan's oeuvre—from editioned lithographs and small works on paper at the lower end to large-format oil paintings from his mature period (1950–1960) at the upper end. Recent results confirm a tiered market: major oils at Christie's have achieved €88,900 (April 2026) and €60,960 (October 2025), while lithographs and works on paper at regional houses trade between €250 and €8,500. The top ten auction houses by volume include Christie's, Sotheby's, Artcurial, Bonhams, Aguttes, Piasa, Tajan, Cornette de Saint-Cyr, HVMC, and Art-Torg—indicating deep liquidity concentrated in Paris and international salerooms. Auction volume is stable, with 22 lots observed in the most recent 12-month window versus 29 in the prior 12-month window.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would use these auction records as comparable-sale evidence alongside submitted photographs, measured dimensions, identified medium, observed signature style (Atlan typically signed with the single name 'Atlan'), condition reports, and any provenance documentation. The 281 priced lots in the index provide a robust comparable pool for statistical analysis. For oil paintings, Appraisily would filter comparables by size, date, and auction-house tier to estimate a realistic value range. For lithographs and prints, edition size, catalogue references (e.g., Polieri and BNF numbers), and paper type would be considered. The wide interquartile spread (€2,800–€37,200) means that accurate categorization of the work's medium, scale, and quality tier is essential for a defensible appraisal. Where a submitted work lacks catalogue-raisonné references or expert authentication, Appraisily would flag this as a risk factor in the appraisal report.

### Valuation factors

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### Collector notes

- Atlan's market is liquid and international, with regular appearances at major Paris salerooms (Artcurial, Aguttes, Piasa, Tajan) and global houses (Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams). Collectors seeking entry points will find lithographs and smaller works on paper available below €5,000, while mature-period oil paintings typically trade between €30,000 and €90,000 depending on size, date, and quality. The finite oeuvre—Atlan produced work over only about 15 years—means that supply is inherently limited, which may support long-term value retention. Works with documented Galerie Maeght provenance or catalogue-raisonné references carry a premium. Buyers should verify signatures (the single-name 'Atlan' is standard) and obtain condition reports, especially for works on paper. The slight decline in observed volume (29 to 22 lots year-over-year) may reflect normal market fluctuation rather than a structural shift, given the small absolute numbers involved.

### Market caveats

- All price data is sourced from the Appraisily auction-record index, which aggregates public auction feeds. Some lots lack realized prices (indicated as null), meaning the true median and distribution may differ slightly from the computed figures.
- Prices are reported in mixed currencies (primarily EUR, with some USD and CHF). The statistical distribution (min, P25, median, P75, max) was computed by Appraisily's pipeline and may or may not have been normalized to a single currency before aggregation.
- The source pack does not include a dedicated catalogue raisonné or artist-estate source. Authentication of Atlan works should reference the Polieri catalogue (referenced in at least one Bonhams listing) and expert opinion where available.
- Atlan's short career (died at 47) means the total oeuvre is limited, which can make comparable selection sensitive—small sample sizes within narrow medium/date bands may produce wider confidence intervals in appraisals.
- Lot titles in the auction feed do not consistently include dimensions, medium, or catalogue numbers, so some comparables may require additional verification from the auction-house catalog or condition report.
- Recent volume declined from 29 to 22 lots over comparable 12-month windows; this small-sample fluctuation should not be over-interpreted as a market trend.

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/jean-michel-atlan/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-michel-atlan-1913-1960-sans-titre-282-c-01985e2473
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-michel-atlan-1913-1960-composition-de-septembre-379-c-99b6b5b843
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-michel-atlan-1913-1960-sans-titre-40-c-ed6351b4ea
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-michel-atlan-1913-1960-sans-titre-1956-19-c-8bc9ee36c1
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-michel-atlan-1913-1960-fugl-1951-20-c-20931633d1
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-michel-atlan-378-c-4d68bf40fe
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-michel-atlan-351-c-187759a011
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-michel-atlan-350-c-108baee4e5
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-michel-atlan-1913-1960-sans-titre-1953-polieri-1743-bnf-31-lithographie-en-quatre-couleurs-sur-bfk-rives-d-un-tirage-a-150-exemplaires-signee-au-crayoneditee-par-formes-et-vie-paris-56-x-45-cmlithograph-in-four-colors-179-c-39fcd813ff
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-michel-atlan-1913-1960-untitled-1955-15-c-52b13c9695
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-jean-michel-atlan-1913-1960-untitled-1952-97-c-bb49116991

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research from museum, library-authority, and scholarly sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Jean-Michel Atlan, identity data is grounded in the Getty Union List of Artist Names, the Library of Congress Name Authority File, VIAF, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, and museum collection records from MoMA and Tate.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n88610405
- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/2863
- VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/7386238/
- VIAF / German National Library: https://viaf.org/viaf/638145857994623021574/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q689646
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500055885
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/235
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/jean-michel-atlan-673