# Raoul Ubac artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/raoul-ubac/
Profile generated: 2026-05-03T01:02:13.362Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1910-08-31
- Death date: 1985-03-24
- Nationality: Belgian
- Movements: Surrealism
- Common media: photography, painting, sculpture, printmaking and engraving, graphic art, mosaic

## About Raoul Ubac

Raoul Ubac (born Rudolf Ubach, 1910–1985) was a Belgian painter, sculptor, photographer, engraver, and mosaicist who spent most of his career active in France. Born in Malmédy, Belgium, he became associated with the Surrealist movement, contributing photographic experiments during the 1930s and 1940s that explored dreamlike imagery and unconventional darkroom techniques. Later in his career, Ubac shifted toward painting, printmaking, sculpture, and large-scale mosaic work. His photographs from the Surrealist period are held in major museum collections, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. With over one thousand works documented across auction records, Ubac's output spans multiple media and decades, making him a recurring presence in post-war and Surrealist art sales.

## Common works and media

Ubac is represented across a broad range of media. His photographic works from the 1930s and 1940s include experimental Surrealist images using techniques such as solarization and photomontage. Later output encompasses oil paintings, etchings and lithographs, sculptures, and large mosaic commissions. Graphic works and prints appear frequently in auction contexts, alongside a smaller volume of photographs and paintings.

## Market and appraisal context

Raoul Ubac has a well-established auction footprint with 555 lots recorded since 2001, of which 259 carry realized prices. His work appears predominantly at French and Belgian houses—Artcurial, Tajan, Piasa, Cornette de Saint-Cyr, and Bernaerts Auctioneers—alongside periodic offerings at Christie's, confirming institutional-tier recognition. The price distribution is wide: the recorded range spans $20 at the low end to $300,000 at the high, with a median of $700 and a 75th percentile near $4,000. Lithographs, etchings, and other graphic works dominate recent offerings, typically realizing in the low hundreds of euros. The strongest recent result was €12,500 at Artcurial in April 2025, likely for a painting or significant work on paper. Exhibition posters from Galerie Maeght (1967) appear repeatedly at German regional houses, generally without published results. Liquidity has contracted: the most recent 12-month window records 22 lots versus 44 in the prior period, which may reflect reduced supply rather than demand softening for a deceased artist with a finite oeuvre.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Raoul Ubac has a well-established auction footprint with 555 lots recorded since 2001, of which 259 carry realized prices. His work appears predominantly at French and Belgian houses—Artcurial, Tajan, Piasa, Cornette de Saint-Cyr, and Bernaerts Auctioneers—alongside periodic offerings at Christie's, confirming institutional-tier recognition. The price distribution is wide: the recorded range spans $20 at the low end to $300,000 at the high, with a median of $700 and a 75th percentile near $4,000. Lithographs, etchings, and other graphic works dominate recent offerings, typically realizing in the low hundreds of euros. The strongest recent result was €12,500 at Artcurial in April 2025, likely for a painting or significant work on paper. Exhibition posters from Galerie Maeght (1967) appear repeatedly at German regional houses, generally without published results. Liquidity has contracted: the most recent 12-month window records 22 lots versus 44 in the prior period, which may reflect reduced supply rather than demand softening for a deceased artist with a finite oeuvre.

### Appraisal notes

An Appraisily appraisal for a Raoul Ubac work would draw on the 555-lot auction record index to identify comparable sales by medium, dimensions, date of execution, and edition size. Clear photographs of the work, its signature or stamp, and any gallery or exhibition labels are essential for attribution, since early pieces may appear under the aliases Rudolf Ubach or Raoul Michelet. For prints, edition number and total size materially affect value and must be verified. Condition reports are particularly important for photographs and works on paper, which are vulnerable to foxing, light damage, and acid migration. Provenance documentation—especially links to Galerie Maeght or named French/Belgian collections—can meaningfully influence appraised value. The wide price dispersion ($20–$300,000) means selecting truly comparable lots is critical; a lithograph should be compared against lithograph results, not against paintings or unique photographs.

### Valuation factors

- Medium — unique photographs and paintings from the Surrealist period generally command higher prices than later lithographs and prints; the recorded range of $20 to $300,000 reflects this hierarchy
- Period — works from the Surrealist photography period (c. 1934–1945) are more sought after than later abstract graphic output
- Edition — for prints and lithographs, edition size, numbering, and whether the impression is an artist's proof affect value; many Ubac lithographs appear in open or large editions at the low end
- Dimensions — lot titles show prints ranging from approximately 53 × 61 cm; larger works and paintings tend to realize higher prices
- Condition — photographs and works on paper are condition-sensitive; foxing, fading, or acid damage can reduce value significantly
- Provenance — documented history through Galerie Maeght, major French collections, or museum deaccession adds credibility and value
- Attribution — some early works are catalogued under Rudolf Ubach or Raoul Michelet; correct attribution and cross-referencing with catalogue raisonné sources affects marketability
- Auction house — results from Christie's and Artcurial carry more weight as comparables than those from regional or generalist houses

### Collector notes

- Ubac's auction market is liquid but tiered. Lithographs and exhibition posters appear frequently and are accessible at modest price points (often under €500), making them reasonable entry points for collectors of post-war European art. Unique works—paintings, original photographs, and significant works on paper—are less common at auction and can reach into the thousands or tens of thousands of euros. The presence of Christie's and Artcurial as recurring vendors signals sustained institutional interest. Buyers should be aware that many recent lots at regional houses show no published price realized, which may indicate unsold reserves or withdrawn lots; this makes the priced subset (259 of 555 lots) a more reliable comparable pool. French and Belgian provenance is typical and expected. Collectors holding prints should retain edition documentation and condition reports, as these directly affect resale potential.

### Market caveats

- Auction records show 555 total lots but only 259 with realized prices; many listings (especially posters and lower-tier prints) do not publish results, which may overrepresent unsold material in the unpriced set.
- Lot titles mix currencies (EUR, USD, CHF); the Appraisily price statistics are derived from normalized data, but individual lot comparisons should account for currency and date of sale.
- Some Invaluable lot descriptions list Ubac's nationality as 'German' rather than Belgian; this is a cataloguing error but may affect search results on marketplace platforms.
- The German National Library records a birth year of 1911 rather than 1910, which may appear in some cataloguing and should not be treated as a different artist.
- The auction category field is empty across all recent lots; categories above are inferred from lot titles, medium descriptions, and the artist's documented practice, not from structured auction-house classifications.
- Recent 12-month lot volume (22) is half the prior 12-month volume (44); for a deceased artist this likely reflects consignment supply rather than demand change, but the trend limits the number of fresh comparables.

### Market evidence sources

- Appraisily auction record index: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/raoul-ubac/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- Invaluable / Artcurial: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-412-c-edffe8817c
- Invaluable / Artcurial: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-411-c-e705c5a1b5
- Invaluable / Tajan: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-1910-1985-191-c-2dd47eff4f
- Invaluable / Dogny Auction: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-1910-1985-encre-sur-papier-74-c-b06e32b333
- Invaluable / Veilinggebouw de Zwaan: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-1910-1985-7035-c-2e50447c02
- Invaluable / Bernaerts Auctioneers: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-1910-1985-1130-c-2a1435abc6
- Invaluable / Ostantix Auctions: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-1910-1985-a-lithograph-on-paper-882-c-3fd4c54bce
- Invaluable / Christie's: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-1910-1985-composition-raoul-ubac-1910-1985-composition-sign-318-c-fbf4abd9f0
- Invaluable / Artcurial: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-223-c-e3f49bdbe5
- Invaluable / Artcurial: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-222-c-189479da2d
- Invaluable / The Rug Life Auctions: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-1910-1985-original-untitled-lithograph-21in-x-24in-53cm-x-61cm-277-c-11143e308f
- Invaluable / The Rug Life Auctions: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-1910-1985-original-untitled-lithograph-21in-x-24in-53cm-x-61cm-277-c-7e781adc7c
- Invaluable / ACES Gallery: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-german-1910-1985-lithograph-359-c-53b4309a9a
- Invaluable / Auktionshaus Schwab: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-1910-1985-ausstellungsplakat-exhibition-poster-galerie-maeght-1967-457094-c-06243f1b14
- Invaluable / ACES Gallery: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-german-1910-1985-lithograph-313-c-d544182acd
- Invaluable / Auktionshaus Schwab: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-1910-1985-ausstellungsplakat-exhibition-poster-galerie-maeght-1967-457094-c-ba54478ac7
- Invaluable / Art Atelier: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-1204-c-e8a48879b7
- Invaluable / Auktionshaus Schwab: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-1910-1985-ausstellungsplakat-exhibition-poster-galerie-maeght-1967-457094-c-7994241a5c
- Invaluable / Hughes Auctions: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-1910-1985-lithograph-rythme-rompu-abstract-1972-1078-c-0e1425a87d
- Invaluable / Art Atelier: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raoul-ubac-original-starting-bid-115-1252-c-c2d40d693c

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine identity research from library authority files and museum records with auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. This page draws on the Library of Congress, VIAF, RKD, and MoMA collection records.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82106931
- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/78633
- VIAF / OCLC: https://viaf.org/viaf/36925376/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q654902
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/5997
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raoul_Ubac
- VIAF / OCLC (German National Library record): https://viaf.org/viaf/331151170882039091399/