# Júlio Pomar artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/julio-pomar/
Profile generated: 2026-05-05T03:04:53.687Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1926-01-10
- Death date: 2018-05-22
- Nationality: Portuguese
- Movements: Neo-Realism
- Common media: painting, printmaking, sculpture

## About Júlio Pomar

Júlio Pomar (1926–2018) was a Portuguese painter, printmaker, and sculptor widely regarded as one of the most important Portuguese visual artists of the twentieth century. Born Júlio Artur da Silva Pomar in Lisbon, he studied at the Lisbon School of Fine Arts and emerged in the 1940s as a leading figure of Portuguese Neo-Realism, a movement that combined social engagement with figurative painting. Over a career spanning more than seven decades, Pomar moved through neo-realist figuration into increasingly abstract and experimental territory, working across oil painting, serigraphy, tapestry, ceramics, and sculpture. Art historian José-Augusto França called him the greatest Portuguese painter of his generation. He received Portugal's Grand Officer of the Order of Liberty and the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit. His work is held in Portuguese public collections and appears regularly on the international auction market.

## Common works and media

Pomar produced oil paintings, gouaches, drawings, serigraphs, etchings, lithographs, ceramics, tapestries, and bronze sculptures. Recurring subjects include human figures, animals (particularly bulls and dogs), mythological scenes, and everyday life rendered first in a social-realist idiom and later in vibrant semi-abstraction. Collectors frequently encounter his signed and numbered prints, mid-century figural paintings, and late-career abstract canvases at auction.

## Market and appraisal context

Júlio Pomar has a well-established and liquid auction market, with 569 recorded lots and 294 priced results spanning from May 2008 to May 2026. The market is overwhelmingly concentrated in Portuguese auction houses—Palácio do Correio Velho, Cabral Moncada Leilões, Corte Real Leiloeira, Veritas Art Auctioneers, and Renascimento account for the bulk of turnover—with occasional appearances at international houses such as Millon & Associés. Price dispersion is wide: the median result is €400, reflecting a large volume of serigraphs and works on paper, while the 75th percentile sits at €2,500 and the recorded maximum reaches €180,000 for major paintings. Oil and acrylic paintings on canvas from Pomar's neo-realist and later abstract periods command the strongest prices, with recent examples including "Petite Léda Paysanne" at €26,000 (Cabral Moncada, November 2024) and "Portrait au crayon bleu" at €15,000 (Palácio do Correio Velho, December 2025). Signed and numbered serigraphs and prints form the volume tier, typically realising between €170 and €550. Market liquidity remains solid, with 46 lots crossing the block in the most recent 12-month period compared to 58 in the prior 12 months, suggesting a modest softening in supply but continued active trade.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Júlio Pomar has a well-established and liquid auction market, with 569 recorded lots and 294 priced results spanning from May 2008 to May 2026. The market is overwhelmingly concentrated in Portuguese auction houses—Palácio do Correio Velho, Cabral Moncada Leilões, Corte Real Leiloeira, Veritas Art Auctioneers, and Renascimento account for the bulk of turnover—with occasional appearances at international houses such as Millon & Associés. Price dispersion is wide: the median result is €400, reflecting a large volume of serigraphs and works on paper, while the 75th percentile sits at €2,500 and the recorded maximum reaches €180,000 for major paintings. Oil and acrylic paintings on canvas from Pomar's neo-realist and later abstract periods command the strongest prices, with recent examples including "Petite Léda Paysanne" at €26,000 (Cabral Moncada, November 2024) and "Portrait au crayon bleu" at €15,000 (Palácio do Correio Velho, December 2025). Signed and numbered serigraphs and prints form the volume tier, typically realising between €170 and €550. Market liquidity remains solid, with 46 lots crossing the block in the most recent 12-month period compared to 58 in the prior 12 months, suggesting a modest softening in supply but continued active trade.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily uses Pomar's recorded auction results—569 lots with 294 priced—to build comparable-sale grids adjusted for medium, dimensions, period, edition size, and condition. For an accurate appraisal, we need clear photographs (front, back, signature, edition numbering), exact dimensions, medium identification (oil on canvas, acrylic, serigraph, bronze sculpture, etc.), date or period attribution, provenance history, and condition report. Paintings are compared against painting results; serigraphs and prints against the print tier. Bronze sculptures such as the "Carré Noir (Hommage à Malevitch)" edition are compared against sculptural multiples. Because Pomar's output spans seven decades and multiple styles, period identification is critical: neo-realist figural works from the 1940s–1950s, transitional mid-century works, and later abstract canvases each occupy different price bands. Provenance linking to major Portuguese exhibitions, publications, or the artist's estate would support premium valuation.

### Valuation factors

- Medium: oil and acrylic paintings on canvas command significantly higher prices than serigraphs, etchings, and other prints; bronze sculptures and unique ceramics fall between.
- Period and style: neo-realist figural works from the 1940s–1950s and later large-scale abstract canvases tend to achieve the strongest results; decorative prints form a lower price tier.
- Dimensions: larger canvases (80 cm+ on the longest side) consistently outperform small works on paper; scale is a key price differentiator within the painting category.
- Edition and multiplicity: numbered serigraphs (e.g., edition 6/91) and bronze editions (e.g., 3/8) trade at multiples of entry-level pricing but well below unique paintings.
- Provenance and exhibition history: works with documented exhibition or publication records, or estate provenance, carry a premium over undocumented lots.
- Condition: as with all works on paper and canvas, condition reports directly affect realised price, especially for older neo-realist works.
- Market venue: results from established houses such as Cabral Moncada Leilões and Palácio do Correio Velho tend to be more reliable comparables than smaller or generalist venues.

### Collector notes

- Pomar's print market is accessible: signed serigraphs regularly sell in the €170–€550 range at Portuguese auction houses, making them a practical entry point for collectors of Portuguese modern art.
- For paintings, budget €2,500–€26,000+ depending on size, period, and medium. Recent major results include €26,000 for "Petite Léda Paysanne" (oil, 2024) and €15,000 for "Portrait au crayon bleu" (acrylic, 2025).
- Bronze sculptures such as the "Carré Noir (Hommage à Malevitch)" series (edition of 8, dated 2003) appear repeatedly at auction—wait for a priced result to establish a reliable comparable before bidding.
- The market is almost entirely Portugal-based. If buying from outside the Iberian Peninsula, factor in shipping, insurance, and potential currency conversion from EUR.
- Supply dipped from 58 lots in the prior 12 months to 46 in the most recent 12 months. This does not indicate declining demand but may reflect fewer consignments; monitor upcoming Palácio do Correio Velho and Cabral Moncada catalogues for new inventory.

### Market caveats

- The auction market is heavily concentrated in Portuguese houses; fewer results from major international auction houses (Christie's, Sotheby's, etc.) means the upper-end price ceiling may not be fully reflected in the available data.
- Of 569 recorded lots, only 294 have published realised prices (52%). Many recent lots show null prices, which may indicate unsold lots, post-sale private treaties, or reporting gaps. The price distribution should be interpreted with this incompleteness in mind.
- The recorded maximum of €180,000 is an outlier well above the 75th percentile of €2,500. The wide dispersion means that an average or mean price is not a useful guide; comparable selection must match the specific medium, period, and scale of the work being appraised.
- No museum collection pages or catalogue raisonné references were available in the source pack, which limits the ability to verify authenticity and completeness of the artist's oeuvre for appraisal purposes.
- All prices are recorded in EUR. Collectors in other currencies should account for exchange-rate fluctuations when using historical results as valuation benchmarks.

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/julio-pomar/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-julio-pomar-1926-2018-carre-noir-hommage-a-malevitch-escultura-em-bronze-assinado-e-datado-de-2003-edicao-3-8-dim-aprox-38-x-38-cm-alt-a-416-c-14c43b2983
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-julio-pomar-1926-2018-carre-noir-hommage-a-malevitch-escultura-em-bronze-assinado-e-datado-de-2003-edicao-3-8-dim-aprox-38-x-38-cm-alt-a-337-c-9eaecc8113
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-julio-pomar-serigrafia-s-papel-79-x-59-cm-61-c-cd5620e8c1
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-julio-pomar-1926-2018-manteacao-de-sancho-oleo-sobre-tela-dim-aprox-116-x-88-cm-557-c-f693cc81ef

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine structured artist identity research from authority files, museum records, and biographical sources with available auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot data. For Júlio Pomar, this page draws on the Library of Congress authority file, Getty ULAN, VIAF, RKD, and Wikidata, supplemented by auction catalog references when available.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81090560
- RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/130823
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/122036205/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500062782
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1339597
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C3%BAlio_Pomar