# Louis Schanker artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/louis-schanker/
Profile generated: 2026-05-30T11:42:33.238Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1903-07-20
- Nationality: American
- Movements: Abstract Art
- Common media: painting, etching

## About Louis Schanker

Louis Schanker (1903–1981) was an American painter and etcher recognized for his contributions to abstract art. Born in New York City on July 20, 1903, Schanker developed a practice centered on painting and printmaking that positioned him within the broader American abstract movement. His work is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, affirming his institutional significance. Schanker is documented in standard art-historical references including the Bénézit Dictionnaire, Falk's Who Was Who in American Art, and Cummings' Dictionary of Contemporary American Artists. Known works such as Abstract Landscape and Abstraction with Hearts reflect an engagement with compositional abstraction, and his etchings demonstrate a parallel commitment to print as a serious medium. Collectors and scholars encounter Schanker's work across both paintings and works on paper at auction and in museum holdings.

## Common works and media

Schanker worked across painting and etching. His paintings range from small-scale abstract compositions to larger canvases, often with figural or landscape-derived abstractions. His etchings include both unique states and editioned prints, with titles such as Abstract Landscape, Composition with Figures, and Dictator's Dream. Print subjects lean toward abstract and semi-abstract compositions. Works on paper, including drawings and print proofs, also appear at auction.

## Market and appraisal context

Louis Schanker's work appears at auction primarily as paintings and etchings, with over 200 lots tracked in public sales records. For appraisal purposes, the distinction between unique paintings and editioned prints is significant: paintings tend to realize higher prices, while etchings and prints vary with edition size, condition, and impression quality. Provenance, date of execution, and documented exhibition history are key valuation factors. Collectors should verify attribution through provenance documentation or expert consultation, as with any American abstract artist of this period. Comparable auction results for similar American abstract painters of the mid-twentieth century provide useful benchmarks.

## Appraisily data basis

This artist page is compiled from museum collection records, library authority files, and art-historical reference entries. Appraisily artist pages combine identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available.

## Sources

- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/97309
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6688131
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/26003975/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500041072
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/5202
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n84087606
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_Schanker