# Paula Rego artist context and auction value notes Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/paula-rego/ Profile generated: 2026-05-03T04:01:47.169Z Quality: high confidence, strong sources ## Artist identity - Birth date: 1935-01-26 - Death date: 2022-06-08 - Nationality: Portuguese, British - Movements: Figurative art - Common media: Pastel, Oil painting, Printmaking, Watercolor, Collage, Gouache, Drawing, Illustration ## About Paula Rego Paula Rego (1935–2022) was a Portuguese-British artist celebrated as one of the most significant figurative painters of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Born in Lisbon, she moved to Britain in the 1950s and studied at the Slade School of Fine Art, where she met her husband, the painter Victor Willing. Over a career spanning more than six decades, Rego's style shifted from abstract experimentation toward a distinctive representational language rooted in narrative, folklore, and feminist commentary. Her work draws heavily on Portuguese folk tales, literature, and storybook imagery, often featuring bold female figures in domestic and theatrical settings. She became widely known for her large-scale pastel drawings, though she also worked in oil, watercolor, collage, gouache, and printmaking. Major institutions including Tate and the Museum of Modern Art hold her work. A dedicated museum, Casa das Histórias Paula Rego, opened in Cascais, Portugal, in her honor. She was appointed Dame of the British Empire in 2010. ## Common works and media Collectors and appraisers most frequently encounter Rego's work in pastel on paper or canvas, oil on canvas, and various print media including etchings, lithographs, and screenprints. She also produced watercolors, collages, gouaches, and illustrations for published books. Common subjects include narrative scenes drawn from fairy tales, folklore, and literature, often featuring women and girls in psychologically charged domestic or theatrical settings. Her print portfolios and series based on literary works such as nursery rhymes and Portuguese folk stories appear regularly on the secondary market. Mixed-media works on paper are also part of her broader output. ## Market and appraisal context Paula Rego maintains a deep and liquid secondary market with 548 catalogued auction lots spanning over two decades (2002–2026), of which 422 carry realised prices. Her work trades at major international houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Forum Auctions, alongside a strong Portuguese market anchored by Palácio do Correio Velho, Veritas Art Auctioneers, Corte Real, and Renascimento. The price distribution is wide: prints and multiples cluster between €20 and €2,800, drawings and watercolors reach €8,000–€36,000, and unique major works have realised up to €3,466,000. The median lot price of approximately €1,500 reflects the volume of editioned prints, while the 75th percentile near €3,528 and a maximum of €3.47M indicate a significant premium tier for unique pastels and oils. Market activity has increased notably, with 87 priced lots in the most recent twelve months compared to 61 in the prior period—a roughly 43% rise—suggesting sustained or growing collector demand. The breadth of auction-house coverage across UK, Portuguese, and French venues confirms geographically diversified demand. ## Auction-house-backed market evidence Paula Rego maintains a deep and liquid secondary market with 548 catalogued auction lots spanning over two decades (2002–2026), of which 422 carry realised prices. Her work trades at major international houses including Christie's, Sotheby's, Bonhams, and Forum Auctions, alongside a strong Portuguese market anchored by Palácio do Correio Velho, Veritas Art Auctioneers, Corte Real, and Renascimento. The price distribution is wide: prints and multiples cluster between €20 and €2,800, drawings and watercolors reach €8,000–€36,000, and unique major works have realised up to €3,466,000. The median lot price of approximately €1,500 reflects the volume of editioned prints, while the 75th percentile near €3,528 and a maximum of €3.47M indicate a significant premium tier for unique pastels and oils. Market activity has increased notably, with 87 priced lots in the most recent twelve months compared to 61 in the prior period—a roughly 43% rise—suggesting sustained or growing collector demand. The breadth of auction-house coverage across UK, Portuguese, and French venues confirms geographically diversified demand. ### Appraisal notes When appraising a Paula Rego work, Appraisily would combine the 548-lot auction record index with photographs, measured dimensions, medium identification, signature verification, and condition report to establish an evidence-based value range. The large dataset allows filtering comparables by medium (print vs. unique work), size, date of execution, and subject matter. For prints, edition number, edition size, and catalogue raisonné reference (e.g., Rosenthal numbers cited in recent lots) are essential. For unique works, provenance documentation and exhibition history are critical value drivers, particularly given institutional representation at Tate, MoMA, and the dedicated Casa das Histórias Paula Rego. The wide price dispersion (€20 to €3.47M) means that medium and scale alone can shift valuation by orders of magnitude, making precise comparable selection important. Recent auction results from both UK and Portuguese houses should be weighted, as geographic venue affects hammer price. ### Valuation factors - Medium is the single strongest price determinant: unique pastels and oils trade at premiums of 100× or more over editioned prints and multiples - Scale matters—large-format pastels and paintings command the highest prices; small prints and azulejo tiles trade in the hundreds of euros - Edition details for prints: edition size, plate number (e.g., 46/50), and catalogue raisonné reference (Rosenthal) directly affect value - Subject matter: narrative and storybook-themed works (Nursery Rhymes, Peter Pan, Stone Soup series) are closely associated with the artist and frequently appear at auction - Provenance and exhibition history: documented gallery provenance (e.g., Hayletts Gallery, as seen in recent lots) and institutional loan history add measurable value - Geographic auction venue: works sold at Christie's, Sotheby's, and Bonhams in London tend to realise higher prices than equivalent lots at regional Portuguese houses, though Portuguese venues offer strong liquidity for prints and smaller works - Date of execution: mature-period works from the 1990s–2010s, particularly narrative pastels, attract stronger collector interest than early abstract or experimental pieces - Condition: works on paper are vulnerable to foxing, fading, and handling damage; condition reports are essential for accurate valuation ### Collector notes - Rego's print market is accessible and liquid, with etchings and lithographs regularly trading between €500 and €2,800 at both UK and Portuguese auction houses. This makes her prints a practical entry point for collectors. Unique works—especially pastels and oils—are considerably rarer at auction and trade in a much higher bracket; the record price of €3.47M underscores the premium for major unique pieces. Collectors should note that her work appears frequently at Portuguese houses (Palácio do Correio Velho, Veritas, Corte Real), which can offer opportunities but may also mean different buyer pools and price levels than London sales. Print buyers should verify edition numbers and Rosenthal catalogue references, as these appear in lot descriptions and affect value. Signed prints with full margins and good condition consistently outperform unsigned or trimmed examples. Azulejo tiles and decorative editions (such as the Ratton editions seen in recent lots) trade at lower price points and represent a niche collectible category rather than fine-art investment. Market volume has increased over 40% year-on-year, indicating healthy liquidity for both buyers seeking to acquire and sellers seeking to exit. ### Market caveats - Auction prices in this addendum are sourced from Appraisily's internal auction-record index derived from public auction feeds; they may not capture every private sale or gallery transaction. - Prices are reported in mixed currencies (EUR, GBP); currency conversion is not applied, so cross-venue comparisons require adjustment. - Some recent lots lack a price-realised value, indicating either unsold results or data not yet reported; the lot count and price distribution reflect priced lots only. - The maximum price of €3,466,000 represents an outlier; the median lot price of approximately €1,500 more closely reflects the typical print or small-work transaction. - Attribution should be verified by a qualified appraiser: Rego's prints are widely editioned, and works on paper require careful examination for signature authenticity and condition. - Market data covers auction records from 2002 to early 2026; pre-2002 market activity is not reflected here. - Collectors should verify edition details, catalogue raisonné references, and condition independently before making purchasing or valuation decisions. ### Market evidence sources - Appraisily auction record index: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/paula-rego/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0 ## Appraisily data basis This Appraisily artist page combines identity research from museum, library authority, and biographical sources with publicly available auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot information when those records are available. Artist identity data is cross-referenced across multiple independent sources including the Library of Congress, VIAF, RKD, Tate, and MoMA. ## Sources - Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q235318 - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paula_Rego - VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/85382368/ - Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n92045837 - The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/4847 - Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/paula-rego-1823 - RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/66004