# Morris Graves artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/morris-graves/
Profile generated: 2026-05-18T10:07:14.193Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1910-08-28
- Death date: 2001-05-05
- Nationality: American
- Movements: American Modernism, Mysticism, Northwest School
- Common media: oil on canvas, tempera, ink on paper

## About Morris Graves

Morris Cole Graves (1910–2001) was an American painter and one of the first Modern artists from the Pacific Northwest to earn wide national and international recognition. Associated with the Northwest School, Graves developed a deeply personal visual language rooted in the muted landscapes of the Pacific Northwest, East Asian aesthetics, and spiritual philosophy. Reviewers often described his approach as Mysticism. His paintings employ a recurring personal iconography — birds, flowers, chalices, and other symbolic forms — to investigate the nature of consciousness and perception. Works by Graves are held in major museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art and Tate, and his career is documented in the Getty Union List of Artist Names, the RKD, and the Library of Congress authority files.

## Common works and media

Graves is best known for intimate tempera and oil paintings on canvas and panel, as well as ink drawings on paper. His most recognizable subjects include solitary birds, flowers, chalices, and other symbolic forms rendered in the restrained, earth-toned palette of the Pacific Northwest. Collectors may also encounter works on paper, prints, and later-career paintings that reflect his continued engagement with Asian-influenced spirituality and nature-based symbolism.

## Market and appraisal context

Morris Graves' work appears at auction primarily within Post-War and Contemporary Art and American Art categories. Key factors that influence appraisal include the specific medium (tempera, oil, or ink), the period of execution, subject matter (especially his sought-after bird paintings), documented provenance, exhibition history, and condition. Works with strong museum provenance or early-period dating from his recognized mystical phase tend to attract the most collector attention. As with any 20th-century American painter, authoritative attribution and clear condition reporting are essential for accurate valuation.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines verified identity research from museum records, library authority files (Getty ULAN, VIAF, Library of Congress, RKD), and biographical sources with auction records, 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/33443
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1693440
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/115177006/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500010825
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Graves
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/morris-graves-1206
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/2309
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n83042154