# Martin Disler artist context and auction value notes Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/martin-disler/ Profile generated: 2026-05-06T21:08:31.000Z Quality: high confidence, strong sources ## Artist identity - Birth date: 1949-03-01 - Death date: 1996-08-27 - Nationality: Swiss - Movements: Neue Wilde - Common media: painting, drawing, sculpture, calligraphy, artist books ## About Martin Disler Martin Disler (1949–1996) was a Swiss painter, draughtsman, sculptor, and writer associated with the Neue Wilde movement, a revival of expressive figurative painting that emerged in European art centers during the late 1970s and 1980s. Born in Seewen, Switzerland, Disler developed an intensely personal visual language characterized by raw gestural energy, fragmented figures, and an eclectic range of media including painting, drawing, calligraphy, sculpture, and artist books. His work gained international recognition through exhibitions across Europe and the United States, and he is represented in the permanent collections of major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate in London. Disler was also a prolific writer, producing literary and poetic texts alongside his visual practice. He died in 1996 at the age of 47. His estate maintains a comprehensive online catalogue at martin-disler.ch. ## Common works and media Collectors most frequently encounter Disler's paintings on canvas and works on paper, including ink drawings, watercolors, and mixed-media pieces. His output also includes sculptures, calligraphic works, and limited artist books. Subjects range from figurative and portrait-like forms to abstract gestural compositions. Many works carry no formal title, and dating can be approximate, particularly for earlier pieces from the late 1960s and 1970s. ## Market and appraisal context Martin Disler's secondary market is active and predominantly Swiss- and German-speaking, with 274 catalogued auction lots spanning 2002 to May 2026 and 203 lots carrying a realised price. The price distribution is wide: the interquartile range runs from roughly €600 to €4,000, with a median near €1,900, while the ceiling at €176,400 reflects rare large-scale or museum-grade paintings. The ten most frequently observed auction houses are Koller Auctions, Galerie Moenius, Germann Auction House Ltd, Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer, Christie's, Galerie Fischer Auktionen AG, AaG Auktionshaus am Grunewald, Adams Amsterdam Auctions, Schuler Auktionen, and Auktionshaus Arnold—concentrated in Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands, with occasional appearances at Christie's and Clarke Auction Gallery (US). Liquidity has softened recently: 39 priced lots in the trailing 12 months versus 69 in the prior 12 months, suggesting a cyclical cooling rather than structural decline. Works on paper and smaller paintings routinely trade between €360 and €3,600, while significant canvases from the 1980s Neue Wilde period command five-figure CHF prices at Swiss houses like Artcurial and Koller. ## Auction-house-backed market evidence Martin Disler's secondary market is active and predominantly Swiss- and German-speaking, with 274 catalogued auction lots spanning 2002 to May 2026 and 203 lots carrying a realised price. The price distribution is wide: the interquartile range runs from roughly €600 to €4,000, with a median near €1,900, while the ceiling at €176,400 reflects rare large-scale or museum-grade paintings. The ten most frequently observed auction houses are Koller Auctions, Galerie Moenius, Germann Auction House Ltd, Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer, Christie's, Galerie Fischer Auktionen AG, AaG Auktionshaus am Grunewald, Adams Amsterdam Auctions, Schuler Auktionen, and Auktionshaus Arnold—concentrated in Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands, with occasional appearances at Christie's and Clarke Auction Gallery (US). Liquidity has softened recently: 39 priced lots in the trailing 12 months versus 69 in the prior 12 months, suggesting a cyclical cooling rather than structural decline. Works on paper and smaller paintings routinely trade between €360 and €3,600, while significant canvases from the 1980s Neue Wilde period command five-figure CHF prices at Swiss houses like Artcurial and Koller. ### Appraisal notes An Appraisily appraisal for a Martin Disler work would cross-reference the item's medium, dimensions, date, signature, and condition against the auction-record dataset of 274 lots. High-resolution photographs are essential because many lots are untitled and attribution relies on visual comparison with catalogued works. Provenance documentation—gallery invoices, estate stamps, exhibition labels—carries disproportionate weight given the prevalence of undated, unsigned, or monogrammed pieces in the oeuvre. The appraisal would identify comparable lots by matching medium (painting vs drawing vs sculpture), period (especially 1980s Neue Wilde works), and size bracket, then position the subject within the observed price distribution. Where the work falls above the 75th percentile (above ~€4,000 equivalent), additional justification through exhibition history, literature references, or estate authentication is recommended. The multi-currency record base (EUR, CHF, USD) requires normalisation to a single reference currency at appraisal date. ### Valuation factors - Medium and scale: paintings on canvas command the highest prices; works on paper, calligraphy, and artist books trade in a lower tier (typically €360–€1,200). - Period and style: works dated to the 1980s Neue Wilde phase are the most sought-after and achieve the strongest results at major Swiss houses. - Title and dating: many lots are untitled and undated; titled and firmly dated works with clear cataloguing tend to realise higher prices. - Provenance and estate documentation: works with estate stamps, gallery labels, or exhibition history carry stronger attribution and buyer confidence. - Auction-house tier: results at Koller, Artcurial, and Christie's tend to exceed those at regional German houses, reflecting both lot quality and buyer pool depth. - Currency and geography: the market is primarily denominated in CHF and EUR; Swiss-auction results in CHF often set the upper benchmarks. - Condition: works on paper from the 1970s–1980s should be examined for foxing, edge wear, and fading, which materially affect value. - Liquidity trend: the recent drop from 69 to 39 lots over two consecutive 12-month windows may affect turnaround time for resale. ### Collector notes ### Market caveats - Price records span EUR, CHF, and USD; direct comparison requires currency normalisation at the relevant date. - Many auction lots carry generic titles (e.g., 'Untitled') with no image in the source pack, so medium and size cannot be verified from lot titles alone. - The highest recorded price (€176,400 equivalent) is an outlier more than 40× the median; this reflects a rare museum-grade work and is not representative of typical market levels. - The trailing 12-month lot count (39) is materially lower than the prior 12-month count (69); this may reflect market cyclicality, consignment timing, or reduced estate supply, and does not necessarily indicate declining values. - Attribution for unsigned or monogrammed works should be confirmed through the estate catalogue or a qualified specialist, as the oeuvre includes many works with partial or ambiguous signatures. ### Market evidence sources - Appraisily auction record index: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/martin-disler/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0 - Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer via Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-martin-disler-1949-1996-305-c-54357cff49 - Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer via Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-martin-disler-1949-1996-304-c-1a55b41a13 - Germann Auction House Ltd via Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-martin-disler-1949-1996-untitled-64-c-6c4ba1b475 - Adams Amsterdam Auctions via Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-martin-disler-swiss-1949-1996-untitled-1983-63-c-3bf4e1c885 - Clarke Auction Gallery via Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-martin-disler-swiss-1949-1996-91-c-e3a5b01add - AaG Auktionshaus am Grunewald via Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-martin-disler-1949-seewen-genf-1996-r-528-c-a7a3fecff9 - Auktionshaus Arnold via Invaluable: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-martin-disler-erstes-l-u-sig-sonst-l-u-mon-73-c-9ebae437cd ## Appraisily data basis Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. The Martin Disler page draws on museum collection records, library authority files, the artist's official catalogue, and Invaluable auction data. ## Sources - RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/23296 - VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/111583648/ - Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q670011 - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Disler - Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500053927 - Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82239953 - The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/1553 - Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/martin-disler-1011 - Martin Disler Estate: http://www.martin-disler.ch