# Rachel Whiteread artist context and auction value notes Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/rachel-whiteread/ Profile generated: 2026-05-16T19:41:08.755Z Quality: high confidence, strong sources ## Artist identity - Nationality: British, English - Movements: Contemporary British Sculpture, Young British Artists (YBA) - Common media: Cast sculpture (plaster, concrete, resin, rubber, metal), Installation art, Photography, Drawing ## About Rachel Whiteread Rachel Whiteread (born 1963, London) is a British sculptor and installation artist recognised for casting the negative spaces of everyday objects and architectural interiors. Working with industrial materials such as plaster, concrete, resin, rubber, and metal, Whiteread transforms familiar domestic forms — floors, rooms, hot water bottles, furniture — into solid sculptural presences that make the invisible tangible. She studied painting at Brighton Polytechnic before completing her MA in sculpture at the Slade School of Fine Art in London (1985–1987). In 1993 she became the first woman to receive the Turner Prize, cementing her position as a leading figure in contemporary British art. Her major public commissions include the Holocaust Memorial in Vienna's Judenplatz and the fourth plinth commission in Trafalgar Square. Whiteread was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to art. Her work is held in the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art (New York), Tate (London), and numerous international institutions. ## Common works and media Collectors and appraisers most frequently encounter Whiteread's work in cast plaster, resin, rubber, and concrete, often depicting domestic objects such as floors, tables, chairs, mattresses, and hot water bottles. Architectural casts of entire rooms and building interiors represent her most ambitious projects. Editioned bronze and resin multiples exist alongside unique sculptures, and she also produces drawings, photographs, and works on paper. Public commissions in concrete and resin, including memorial and site-specific installations, form a distinct category. Provenance documentation, edition numbering, and material identification are essential for accurate appraisal of any Whiteread work. ## Market and appraisal context Rachel Whiteread's work appears at auction primarily within Post-War and Contemporary Art sales. Key valuation factors include the scale and material of a given piece — large architectural casts and unique bronzes command significantly higher prices than smaller editioned works in plaster or resin. Provenance linking a work to a notable exhibition or institutional collection can substantially affect its market position. Her status as a Turner Prize winner with deep museum holdings supports sustained collector interest. Editioned casts, maquettes, and works on paper trade in a different range from unique large-scale sculptures. Appraisals should account for edition size, date of execution, condition, exhibition history, and comparable public auction results for works of similar medium and dimension. ## Appraisily data basis This Appraisily artist page combines verified artist identity research from museum, library authority, and public encyclopedia sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. Biographical and contextual claims are cited to specific institutional sources. Market observations reference public auction data where accessible and are qualified when source evidence is limited. ## Sources - Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q454041 - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Whiteread - Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500118666 - VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/96560847/ - Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr94042914 - The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/6910 - Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/rachel-whiteread-2319 - RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/133689