# Jonathan Borofsky artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/jonathan-borofsky/
Profile generated: 2026-05-14T22:15:17.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1942-12-24
- Nationality: American
- Movements: Conceptual art
- Common media: Sculpture, Painting, Printmaking, Drawing

## About Jonathan Borofsky

Jonathan Borofsky (born December 24, 1942) is an American sculptor, painter, printmaker, and conceptual artist recognized for a practice that spans large-scale public sculpture, painting, and works on paper. Active since the late 1960s, Borofsky became known for a distinctive numbering system in which each artwork receives a sequential number, creating a continuous counting thread across decades of output. His work has been collected and exhibited by major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate in London. Trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Fontainebleau and with studies in art history, Borofsky also held teaching positions during the 1970s. He currently lives and works in Ogunquit, Maine.

## Common works and media

Common work types encountered in appraisal and auction contexts include painted steel and mixed-media sculptures, silkscreen and lithographic prints, acrylic and oil paintings on canvas, and ink or graphite drawings on paper. Many works carry the artist's sequential numbering system. Collectors may also encounter maquettes or smaller-scale versions related to large public commissions, as well as poster editions produced for exhibitions.

## Market and appraisal context

Borofsky's work appears regularly at auction across Post-War and Contemporary Art, Contemporary Prints and Multiples, and Contemporary Sculpture categories. Value depends heavily on medium and scale: monumental outdoor sculptures and unique paintings tend to achieve higher results than editioned prints or drawings. Institutional provenance, particularly exhibition history at museums such as MoMA and Tate, can materially strengthen a work's market profile. Early works bearing variant signatures (Jon Borofsky, Jonathan Borowsky) may require additional authentication. Collectors should verify edition details, numbering, and condition, and consult recent comparable auction records for informed appraisal.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine independent artist identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. This page draws on authority files from Getty ULAN, VIAF, and the Library of Congress, collection records from MoMA and Tate, and biographical data from the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/103701
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/95817049/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q321527
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500022042
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/682
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/jonathan-borofsky-784
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83177353
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Borofsky