# Philip Guston artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/philip-guston/
Profile generated: 2026-05-05T01:41:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1913-06-27
- Death date: 1980-06-07
- Nationality: Canadian-born American
- Movements: Abstract Expressionism, Neo-Expressionism (late work)
- Common media: oil painting, printmaking, drawing, mural

## About Philip Guston

Philip Guston (1913–1980), born Philip Goldstein in Montreal, was a Canadian-American painter, printmaker, muralist, and draftsman whose career traversed three distinct artistic phases. He first gained recognition in the 1930s and 1940s for socially engaged figurative work and murals, then became a leading figure in the Abstract Expressionist movement during the 1950s and 1960s alongside peers in the New York School. In the late 1960s, Guston made a dramatic and controversial return to figuration, developing a raw, cartoonish visual language featuring hooded figures, everyday objects, and allegorical scenes that addressed racism, fascism, antisemitism, and the banality of evil. Today he is regarded as one of the most important and influential American painters of the twentieth century, with work held by major institutions worldwide including the Tate, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Library of Congress.

## Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers may encounter Guston works across several media: large-scale oil paintings from his abstract period characterized by lush, gestural brushwork; late figurative oil paintings with cartoon-like hooded figures, shoes, clocks, and studio imagery; lithographs and screen prints produced in limited editions; ink drawings and works on paper; and early murals and easel paintings from the 1930s and 1940s. His prints, especially those from the 1960s and 1970s, appear frequently in the secondary market and can be identified by edition numbers and printer chop marks.

## Market and appraisal context

Philip Guston commands a deep and liquid secondary market anchored by Post-War and Contemporary Art sales at Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips, with an active mid-tier presence at Swann Auction Galleries, Rago Arts and Auction Center, Bonhams, and James Cox Gallery. The Appraisily auction-record index tracks 478 lots with 375 carrying realized prices. The price distribution is wide: prints and ephemera at the low end ($20–$5,750), works on paper and ink drawings in the mid-range ($3,000–$30,000), and major paintings at the top (the recorded high in this dataset is $12.57M; the artist's public auction record is US$25.8M for To Fellini at Christie's 2013). The interquartile range ($3,250–$126,000) reflects the steep premium that important canvases and late figurative works command over prints and minor works on paper. Liquidity has been consistent, with 22 priced lots in the most recent 12 months and 26 in the prior period, indicating steady collector demand across price tiers.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Philip Guston commands a deep and liquid secondary market anchored by Post-War and Contemporary Art sales at Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips, with an active mid-tier presence at Swann Auction Galleries, Rago Arts and Auction Center, Bonhams, and James Cox Gallery. The Appraisily auction-record index tracks 478 lots with 375 carrying realized prices. The price distribution is wide: prints and ephemera at the low end ($20–$5,750), works on paper and ink drawings in the mid-range ($3,000–$30,000), and major paintings at the top (the recorded high in this dataset is $12.57M; the artist's public auction record is US$25.8M for To Fellini at Christie's 2013). The interquartile range ($3,250–$126,000) reflects the steep premium that important canvases and late figurative works command over prints and minor works on paper. Liquidity has been consistent, with 22 priced lots in the most recent 12 months and 26 in the prior period, indicating steady collector demand across price tiers.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would use these auction records as comparable-sale evidence alongside the work's photographs, dimensions, medium, signature, condition report, provenance chain, edition details (for prints), and exhibition history. The wide dispersion between prints ($20–$11,340), works on paper ($1,750–$190,500), and major oil paintings (into eight figures) means that medium, period, and scale are the primary value drivers. A professional appraisal would identify the work's period (early figurative, Abstract Expressionist, or late figurative), confirm authenticity against the catalogue raisonné and established scholarship, assess condition, and then select comparable lots from the same period and medium—prioritizing sales at the top-tier houses (Christie's, Sotheby's, Phillips) where estimates tend to be most reliable for major works, and at Swann or Rago for prints and works on paper.

### Valuation factors

- Period: late figurative canvases (late 1960s–1980) with hooded figures and cartoonish imagery command the highest prices at auction
- Medium: major oil paintings trade in the seven-to-eight-figure range; works on paper and ink drawings typically in the $1,750–$190,500 range; prints and multiples generally under $12,000
- Provenance and exhibition history: well-documented gallery and museum provenance materially increases value
- Condition: condition is critical for works on paper and prints, which are vulnerable to foxing, light damage, and acidity
- Edition and printer details: prints from the 1960s–1970s (e.g., A Suite of Ten Lithographs) should be verified by edition number and printer chop marks
- Scale: large-scale canvases command premiums over smaller works in the same period and medium
- Market liquidity: consistent 20–26 priced lots per year across multiple houses indicates healthy secondary-market demand

### Collector notes

- Guston's market has three distinct price tiers. Entry-level collectors can acquire prints and ephemera for $20–$5,750, with Swann Auction Galleries and Rago being reliable sources for lithographs and screen prints from the 1960s and 1970s. Mid-range buyers will find works on paper, ink drawings, and prints on full sheets at Christie's and Swann in the $3,000–$30,000 range—note the Christie's November 2025 ink-on-paper Layers that realized $190,500, showing that exceptional works on paper can exceed this band. Top-tier late figurative oil paintings are concentrated at Christie's and Sotheby's Post-War and Contemporary sales and trade well into seven figures. Authentication should always reference the catalogue raisonné; attribution questions are most common with early figurative works from the 1930s–1940s and unsigned prints.

### Market caveats

- The max price of $12.57M in the Appraisily dataset reflects the highest recorded lot in the indexed sample; the artist's broader public auction record stands at US$25.8M (To Fellini, Christie's 2013), confirming that the sample does not capture all top-end sales.
- Two recent lots from Venduehuis der Notarissen (April 2025) carried no realized price, indicating either buy-ins or post-sale negotiations not reflected in the data.
- Prices are denominated in mixed currencies (USD, GBP, CAD, EUR); direct comparison requires currency normalization.
- Print prices depend heavily on edition size, plate/sheet dimensions, and condition; titled prints from named series (e.g., The Street, Coat, East Side) tend to outperform generic Untitled works at the same house.
- The Appraisily auction-record index derives from public auction feeds and may not capture private sales, gallery primary-market prices, or all minor-house results.

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/philip-guston/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-philip-guston-1913-1980-layers-ink-on-paper19-x-25-3-8-in-48-3-x-64-3-551-c-f3da7a0380
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-philip-guston-1913-1980-room-sheet-32-3-4-x-42-1-2-in-832-x-1080-mm-68-c-233434bb88
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-philip-guston-1913-1980-sea-sheet-30-3-4-x-40-1-2-in-781-x-1029-mm-67-c-317441fb7f
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-philip-guston-canadian-american-1913-1980-75-c-a1b4023a7e
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-philip-guston-1913-1980-untitled-ink-on-paper-laid-on-board18-1-4-x-24in-96-c-5dc4cfd8ed
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-philip-guston-1913-1980-the-street-120-c-1ed43f3b47
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-philip-guston-sky-167-c-61448088ef
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-philip-guston-1913-1980-east-side-sheet-32-3-4-x-42-5-8-in-832-x-1083-114-c-3e74f6fa61
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-philip-guston-1913-1980-american-canadian-four-prints-from-a-suite-of-ten-lithographs-84-c-ea24a69ad1
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-philip-guston-1913-1980-curtain-sheet-31-x-40-1-2-in-787-x-1029-mm-70-c-307473dbf2

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine independent artist identity research from museum, library authority, and scholarly sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. Information on this page is drawn from publicly cited sources and should not substitute for a professional appraisal.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q701952
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Guston
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/7145857770023020580/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79151524
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/philip-guston-1231
- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/34725