# Marie Laurencin artist context and auction value notes Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/marie-laurencin/ Profile generated: 2026-04-29T20:58:28.595Z Quality: high confidence, strong sources ## Artist identity - Birth date: 1883-10-31 - Death date: 1956-06-08 - Nationality: French - Movements: Cubism (Section d'Or circle), Parisian avant-garde - Common media: Oil painting, Printmaking (lithography, etching), Watercolor, Porcelain painting, Book illustration, Stage and set design ## About Marie Laurencin Marie Laurencin (1883–1956) was a French painter, printmaker, illustrator, and stage designer who became a distinctive voice within the early twentieth-century Parisian avant-garde. Born in Paris and trained in porcelain painting at Sèvres before studying at the Académie Humbert, she was drawn into the circle of Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, and the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who championed her work. Though associated with the Cubist group known as the Section d'Or, Laurencin developed a highly personal style that departed from Cubist formal rigor in favor of lyrical, pastel-toned compositions depicting graceful young women in dreamlike settings. Influences from Persian miniature painting and French Rococo decoration are evident throughout her mature work. Beyond easel painting, she designed sets for Diaghilev's Ballets russes and the Comédie Française, and illustrated literary works by André Gide and Lewis Carroll. Her work is held by major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Tate in London. ## Common works and media Collectors and appraisers most frequently encounter Laurencin's oil paintings on canvas or panel depicting female figures, portraits, and allegorical scenes in her characteristic pastel palette. Her graphic output is substantial and includes lithographs, etchings, and aquatints, many of which reproduce her favored motifs of young women, animals, and pastoral settings. Illustrated books—particularly her edition of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and collaborations with literary figures—are also well represented in the market. Watercolors, gouaches, and drawings on paper appear regularly at auction, as do occasional porcelain pieces reflecting her early training. ## Market and appraisal context Marie Laurencin maintains an active and well-documented secondary market with 2,004 recorded auction lots, of which 1,215 carry realized prices spanning from 1994 to April 2026. The price distribution is extremely wide: the minimum recorded price is $10 (typically lithographs or small prints), the 25th percentile sits at $320, the median is $1,517, the 75th percentile reaches $15,600, and the auction record stands at $6,200,000. This dispersion reflects the broad range of media in her oeuvre—mass-produced prints and illustrated books at the low end, signed oil paintings from her signature mature period at the high end. Liquidity is strong, with 91 lots appearing in the trailing twelve months (down modestly from 101 the prior year), indicating consistent but not overheated demand. Top-tier houses Christie's and Sotheby's anchor the market, followed by French specialists Artcurial, Piasa, and Aguttes, Swiss houses Piguet and Galerie Kornfeld, and mid-market sellers including Bonhams, Swann Auction Galleries, and Setdart. Recent oil paintings from the 1920s–1930s have realized CHF 38,100–50,800 at Piguet (December 2025), EUR 67,000 at Piasa (June 2024), and EUR 25,000 at Il Ponte (November 2024). Works on paper and watercolors trade in the EUR 400–5,500 range, while lithographs can sell for under $50. The market is well-established and liquid across price tiers, making Laurencin accessible to both entry-level print collectors and high-end painting buyers. ## Auction-house-backed market evidence Marie Laurencin maintains an active and well-documented secondary market with 2,004 recorded auction lots, of which 1,215 carry realized prices spanning from 1994 to April 2026. The price distribution is extremely wide: the minimum recorded price is $10 (typically lithographs or small prints), the 25th percentile sits at $320, the median is $1,517, the 75th percentile reaches $15,600, and the auction record stands at $6,200,000. This dispersion reflects the broad range of media in her oeuvre—mass-produced prints and illustrated books at the low end, signed oil paintings from her signature mature period at the high end. Liquidity is strong, with 91 lots appearing in the trailing twelve months (down modestly from 101 the prior year), indicating consistent but not overheated demand. Top-tier houses Christie's and Sotheby's anchor the market, followed by French specialists Artcurial, Piasa, and Aguttes, Swiss houses Piguet and Galerie Kornfeld, and mid-market sellers including Bonhams, Swann Auction Galleries, and Setdart. Recent oil paintings from the 1920s–1930s have realized CHF 38,100–50,800 at Piguet (December 2025), EUR 67,000 at Piasa (June 2024), and EUR 25,000 at Il Ponte (November 2024). Works on paper and watercolors trade in the EUR 400–5,500 range, while lithographs can sell for under $50. The market is well-established and liquid across price tiers, making Laurencin accessible to both entry-level print collectors and high-end painting buyers. ### Appraisal notes Appraisily would use these auction records as a comparable-sales baseline alongside physical examination of the work. For an accurate appraisal, the following should be documented and submitted: (1) high-resolution photographs showing the full work, signature area, and any labels or markings on the reverse; (2) dimensions in centimeters; (3) medium confirmation (oil on canvas, oil on panel, watercolor, lithograph, etching, etc.); (4) signature and date, if present; (5) condition report including any restoration, tears, foxing, or surface issues; (6) provenance history—gallery receipts, exhibition labels, collection stamps, or letters of authenticity are significant value drivers; (7) for prints, edition number, total edition size, and paper type; (8) for illustrated books, binding condition and completeness. The catalogue raisonné by Daniel Marchesseau covers her painted oeuvre and should be consulted for authentication of oil paintings. Comparable lots from the recent auction record—particularly same-medium, similar-size, and similar-period works—provide the strongest pricing anchors. The wide price range means even small differences in medium, date, size, and subject can materially affect estimated value. ### Valuation factors - Medium is the single strongest price determinant: oil paintings routinely realize thousands to millions, while lithographs and small prints can trade below $100 - Period and date: works from the 1920s–1930s mature period, especially oil paintings of female figures in her signature pastel palette, command the highest premiums - Size matters significantly within each medium; larger oils on canvas attract disproportionately higher bids - Provenance strength: documented gallery history (e.g., Galerie Daniel Malingue, Armand Drouant), exhibition labels, and direct-from-artist descent materially increase value, as seen in recent lots at Il Ponte and Setdart - Authentication against the Marchesseau catalogue raisonné is essential for oil paintings; absence of catalogue raisonné entry is a negative value factor - Condition: restorations, overpainting, tears in works on paper, or foxing reduce value, particularly for oils where collectors expect sound condition - Subject matter: signature compositions of young women, girls, and allegorical female figures are most sought-after; lesser-known motifs may trade at a discount - Signature and dating: signed and dated works attract stronger bidding than unsigned examples, especially for works on paper where attribution is harder to confirm - Market volume: with over 2,000 recorded lots, the market is well-supplied, which limits upside for mid-tier material but supports liquidity ### Collector notes ### Market caveats - Price range spans from $10 to $6,200,000 across 1,215 priced lots—using a single 'average price' is misleading; comparable selection must match medium, size, period, and quality - The 3,236-lot figure from the existing profile includes unsold and unpriced lots; the Appraisily auction signals record 2,004 lots with 1,215 carrying realized prices - Attribution of unsigned works on paper carries inherent risk; professional authentication or catalogue raisonné confirmation is recommended before committing significant value - Currency mix (CHF, EUR, GBP, USD) across recent lots means direct price comparison requires conversion; the figures cited above retain their original sale currencies - A modest year-over-year decline in lot count (101 to 91) may reflect normal market fluctuation rather than a trend; too few data points to confirm a directional shift - The existing profile notes a birth-year dispute (1883 vs. 1885) between authority sources; this does not affect market value but may cause cataloguing inconsistencies ### Market evidence sources - undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/marie-laurencin/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-marie-laurencin-1883-1956-jeune-femme-a-l-agneau-1928-106-c-21d9048c5e - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-marie-laurencin-1883-1956-rencontre-dans-le-parc-105-c-9e583e17c3 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-marie-laurencin-paris-1883-1956-female-portrait-1938-watercolor-on-paper-signed-and-dated-in-the-upper-margin-provenance-armand-drouant-gallery-paris-30-c-17df659be4 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-marie-laurencin-paris-1883-1956-feminine-intimacy-1928-oil-on-canvas-signed-and-dated-in-the-corner-provenance-private-collection-acquired-directly-from-the-artist-by-the-godfather-of-the-present-owner-14-c-f2c4444b47 - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-marie-laurencin-huile-sur-toile-67-c-76c4793a4d - undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-marie-laurencin-french-1883-1956-the-ladies-watercolor-on-paper-94-c-93c1820c87 ## Appraisily data basis Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research drawn from museum records, library authority files, and published sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Marie Laurencin, identity data is grounded in the Library of Congress Name Authority File, RKD, VIAF, Wikidata, and museum holdings at MoMA and Tate. ## Sources - Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50039791 - RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/48311 - Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q233088 - The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/3408 - Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/marie-laurencin-1472 - VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/122131844/ - Art Directory / Marie Laurencin: http://www.marielaurencin.com - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Laurencin