# Lowell Nesbitt artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/lowell-nesbitt/
Profile generated: 2026-04-30T03:05:12.907Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1933-10-04
- Death date: 1993-07-08
- Nationality: American
- Movements: American Photorealism
- Common media: oil painting, printmaking, sculpture, stained glass, drawing, photography

## About Lowell Nesbitt

Lowell Blair Nesbitt (1933–1993) was an American painter, printmaker, sculptor, and stained glass artist known for his large-scale canvases and prolific output across multiple media. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, he earned a B.F.A. from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in 1955 and studied at the Royal College of Art in London before serving in the United States Army. Nesbitt gained national prominence as the official artist for NASA during the Apollo 9 and Apollo 13 missions, and his work was further recognized when the United States Postal Service issued four stamps featuring his paintings in 1980. His work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and he is associated with the American Photorealist tradition. Collectors frequently encounter his prints, paintings, and works on paper at auction.

## Common works and media

Collectors are most likely to encounter Nesbitt's screenprints and lithographs, often depicting floral or botanical subjects, as well as abstract and realist compositions. He also produced oil paintings on canvas, drawings, stained glass pieces, and sculptural works. Editioned prints should be checked for numbering, signature, and edition size. His NASA-related works and preparatory studies for large-scale commissions, such as the 1976 Treasure Island mural, represent a more specialized segment of his output.

## Market and appraisal context

Lowell Nesbitt's work has a deep and active secondary market, with 1,267 auction lots recorded and 982 carrying realized prices. Auction activity spans from March 1995 through April 2026, demonstrating sustained collector interest over three decades. Price dispersion is wide: realized prices range from $1 to $32,000, with a median of $400 and an interquartile spread of $200–$1,100. This broad range reflects the diversity of his output — editioned screenprints and lithographs commonly sell in the $100–$300 range, while original oil paintings cluster between $260 and $1,000 at regional houses, with larger or more significant canvases reaching higher results. His work appears regularly across a wide roster of auction houses including Heritage Auctions, Sotheby's, Capsule Gallery Auction, Broward Auction Gallery LLC, Kamelot Auctions, DuMouchelles, Austin Auction Gallery, Hampel Fine Art Auctions, and Sarasota Estate Auction, indicating geographically dispersed demand. The most recent 12-month period shows 51 lots offered, down from 86 in the prior 12 months, suggesting a modest cooling in supply though liquidity remains healthy for an American 20th-century artist. Botanical and floral subjects (irises, roses, poppies, poinsettias, flamingos) dominate the encountered lots, with serigraphs from the late 1970s and early 1980s — often editioned to 200 — being the most frequently traded format.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Lowell Nesbitt's work has a deep and active secondary market, with 1,267 auction lots recorded and 982 carrying realized prices. Auction activity spans from March 1995 through April 2026, demonstrating sustained collector interest over three decades. Price dispersion is wide: realized prices range from $1 to $32,000, with a median of $400 and an interquartile spread of $200–$1,100. This broad range reflects the diversity of his output — editioned screenprints and lithographs commonly sell in the $100–$300 range, while original oil paintings cluster between $260 and $1,000 at regional houses, with larger or more significant canvases reaching higher results. His work appears regularly across a wide roster of auction houses including Heritage Auctions, Sotheby's, Capsule Gallery Auction, Broward Auction Gallery LLC, Kamelot Auctions, DuMouchelles, Austin Auction Gallery, Hampel Fine Art Auctions, and Sarasota Estate Auction, indicating geographically dispersed demand. The most recent 12-month period shows 51 lots offered, down from 86 in the prior 12 months, suggesting a modest cooling in supply though liquidity remains healthy for an American 20th-century artist. Botanical and floral subjects (irises, roses, poppies, poinsettias, flamingos) dominate the encountered lots, with serigraphs from the late 1970s and early 1980s — often editioned to 200 — being the most frequently traded format.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would use these 1,267 auction records as comparable-sale evidence when appraising a Nesbitt work. Key steps in an appraisal would include: (1) identifying the medium — original oil paintings typically command multiples of editioned prints; (2) confirming signature, edition numbering, and edition size for prints, as his large print output makes documentation essential; (3) measuring dimensions and comparing against recent lots of similar scale; (4) evaluating condition, particularly for works on paper; (5) assessing subject matter — NASA-related works and major commissions carry premium interest beyond the common floral serigraphs; (6) verifying provenance, especially for works attributed to his Apollo or USPS commission periods. The $400 median provides a useful anchor for common floral prints and small works, while the $32,000 ceiling indicates that exceptional pieces — likely large-scale paintings or historically significant commissions — can reach substantially higher values. Photos, medium confirmation, and signature verification are critical inputs alongside the auction record data.

### Valuation factors

- Medium: original oil paintings on canvas command significantly higher prices than editioned prints. Recent oil paintings realized $260–$1,000 at regional houses, while signed and numbered serigraphs typically realized $100–$275.
- Subject: floral and botanical subjects (roses, irises, poppies, poinsettias) are the most commonly traded and tend to cluster near the median. NASA-related works, male nudes, and non-botanical subjects can attract differentiated collector interest.
- Edition details: serigraphs are frequently encountered in editions of 200 (e.g., 'Flamingo' 54/200, 'Tiger Lily' 197/200). Lower edition numbers, full documentation, and strong signature clarity support stronger results.
- Size and scale: larger works command premiums. A 36×36 inch serigraph and large-format oil paintings are in a different bracket than small works on paper.
- Condition: works on paper (prints, drawings) should be inspected for foxing, fading, mat burn, and hinge damage. Oil paintings should be checked for craquelure, relining history, and surface condition.
- Institutional provenance: Nesbitt's presence in the Museum of Modern Art collection and his NASA and USPS commissions provide cultural-authority context that supports long-term value.
- Auction-house tier: lots at Sotheby's and Heritage Auctions may reflect different price levels than regional houses. The house and sale context should be weighed when using comparables.

### Collector notes



### Market caveats

- Many recent auction lots have no reported realized price (null values), which may indicate unsold lots, post-sale private negotiations, or reporting gaps. The price distribution should be interpreted with this in mind.
- Nesbitt's prolific print output means attribution questions can arise for unsigned or poorly documented works. Professional authentication or expert opinion may be needed for works without clear provenance.
- The $32,000 maximum reflects a historical outlier or exceptional work; it should not be used as a benchmark for common floral prints or small-format pieces.
- One recent lot (Hampel Fine Art Auctions, March 2026) was transacted in EUR rather than USD, indicating some international market activity that may not be fully captured in USD-denominated price statistics.
- The decline from 86 lots in the prior 12-month period to 51 in the most recent 12 months could reflect reduced supply, market softening, or seasonal variation — a single-year comparison is insufficient to identify a trend.

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/lowell-nesbitt/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-ny-md-1933-1993-oil-painting-417-c-0a8a4114fb
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-ny-md-1933-1993-graphite-painting-698-c-97f414aa5f
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-pineapple-and-fruit-oil-painting-on-canvas-115-c-f074858915
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-ny-md-1933-1993-oil-painting-403-c-0294df3912
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-1933-1993-pink-poppy-pastel-drawing-571-c-0c342918ac
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-american-1933-1993-flamingo-serigraph-signed-and-numbered-54-200-c-1981-1319-c-d304d90bd9
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-ny-md-1933-1993-oil-painting-309-c-2ed413db62
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-pointsettia-1978-serigraph-signed-36-x-36-107-c-4bb48a28e5
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-american-1933-1993-red-rose-serigraph-169-c-d6d43b9a97
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-ny-md-1933-1993-oil-painting-198-c-22f498b8ca
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-ny-md-1933-1993-oil-painting-51-c-ad34e9ba48
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-ny-md-1933-1993-oil-painting-549-c-f314cb38fa
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-ny-md-1933-1993-oil-painting-37-c-f314ca5a8d
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-1933-1993-american-signed-limited-edition-1964-lithograph-623-c-77f2c5de99
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-untitled-lithograph-print-801q-c-96f89f51f8
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-lowell-nesbitt-1933-baltimore-maryland-1993-new-york-768-c-bc74c564d5

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine structured artist identity research from museum, library authority, and encyclopedia sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Lowell Nesbitt, identity data is grounded in the Library of Congress Name Authority File, VIAF, RKD, Wikidata, and the MoMA collection record, supplemented by biographical context from Wikipedia.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79091592
- RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/59160
- VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/77108353/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6693179
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowell_Blair_Nesbitt
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/4265
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500023038