# Raymond Pettibon artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/raymond-pettibon/
Profile generated: 2026-05-02T01:19:18.825Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: American
- Movements: Contemporary art, Punk and post-punk visual art
- Common media: Ink on paper drawing, Painting, Photography, Video art, Wall painting and mural installation, Screen printing and poster art, Artist books and zines

## About Raymond Pettibon

Raymond Pettibon is an American contemporary artist born in 1957 in Tucson, Arizona. He first gained attention in the early 1980s through the southern California punk rock scene, designing posters, flyers, and album covers for bands on SST Records, the label founded by his brother Greg Ginn. Pettibon's signature practice combines ink drawings with hand-lettered text, weaving together imagery drawn from American literature, art history, politics, religion, and popular culture. Over the following decades his work expanded into painting, photography, video, and large-scale wall installations, earning him wide recognition in the international contemporary art world. His work is held in the permanent collections of major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Tate in London. Pettibon studied economics and mathematics at the University of California, Los Angeles, and worked briefly as a high school teacher before committing to art. He currently lives and works in New York City.

## Common works and media

Pettibon is most recognized for ink-on-paper drawings incorporating hand-lettered text, featuring recurring motifs such as surfers, trains, baseball players, political figures, and comic-book-style characters. Additional formats encountered in auction and appraisal contexts include paintings on canvas or panel, large-scale wall drawings and mural installations, photographs, video works, artist books and zines, and original punk-era concert posters and album cover art. Prints and multiples exist but represent a smaller portion of his output compared to unique works on paper.

## Market and appraisal context

Raymond Pettibon maintains a deep and liquid secondary market with 951 tracked auction lots and 775 priced results spanning from May 2000 through April 2026. His work trades at a broad range: the 25th percentile sits at $350, the median at $1,912, and the 75th percentile at $10,000, with a recorded maximum of $1,865,000. This wide dispersion reflects the variety of formats in his output, from small ink-on-paper drawings and screenprints at the lower end to large-scale unique paintings and mixed-media works that command five- and six-figure prices. Ten named auction houses account for the most frequent appearances, including blue-chip houses Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips alongside specialist regional firms such as Los Angeles Modern Auctions, Santa Monica Auctions, Wright, and Rago Arts and Auction Center. European houses (Kunsthaus Lempertz KG, Auktionshaus Arnold, Ressler Kunst Auktionen, Adams Amsterdam Auctions) confirm international demand. Volume has moderated recently: 149 priced lots in the most recent 12-month period compared with 222 in the prior 12 months, though this still represents healthy liquidity for a living contemporary artist.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Raymond Pettibon maintains a deep and liquid secondary market with 951 tracked auction lots and 775 priced results spanning from May 2000 through April 2026. His work trades at a broad range: the 25th percentile sits at $350, the median at $1,912, and the 75th percentile at $10,000, with a recorded maximum of $1,865,000. This wide dispersion reflects the variety of formats in his output, from small ink-on-paper drawings and screenprints at the lower end to large-scale unique paintings and mixed-media works that command five- and six-figure prices. Ten named auction houses account for the most frequent appearances, including blue-chip houses Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips alongside specialist regional firms such as Los Angeles Modern Auctions, Santa Monica Auctions, Wright, and Rago Arts and Auction Center. European houses (Kunsthaus Lempertz KG, Auktionshaus Arnold, Ressler Kunst Auktionen, Adams Amsterdam Auctions) confirm international demand. Volume has moderated recently: 149 priced lots in the most recent 12-month period compared with 222 in the prior 12 months, though this still represents healthy liquidity for a living contemporary artist.

### Appraisal notes

When appraising a Raymond Pettibon work, Appraisily would combine the 775 priced auction results in its database with specifics of the item presented: photographs, dimensions, medium (ink on paper, acrylic and gouache on board, screenprint, photograph, etc.), signature presence and form, edition details for prints, condition report, and documented provenance. Comparable lots would be filtered by medium, approximate size, date range, and subject matter. The large dataset allows meaningful statistical benchmarks (median, interquartile range) alongside direct lot-by-lot comparison. For unique ink-on-paper drawings—the most common format—the 25th–75th percentile band of $350–$10,000 provides a reference frame, adjusted upward for notable subjects (iconic surfer or train imagery), earlier dates (1980s punk-era material), institutional provenance, or larger scale. Prints and multiples, artist books, and ephemera generally fall below the median. Mixed-media paintings and works sold at top-tier houses in London or New York tend to fall above the 75th percentile.

### Valuation factors

- Medium: ink-on-paper drawings are the baseline format; acrylic/gouache paintings and large-scale installations command significantly higher prices
- Size and scale: small works on paper (under 20 inches) cluster near or below the median; oversized wall works and multi-panel pieces trade at a premium
- Date and period: 1980s–early 1990s works carry historical significance tied to the SST Records and Black Flag era; later works are more plentiful and may price lower
- Subject matter: iconic recurring motifs—surfers, trains, political figures, comic-book characters—can increase collector interest and price relative to generic text-heavy drawings
- Provenance: gallery or institutional provenance (MoMA, Tate, named gallery labels) adds measurable value
- Condition: the large volume of output makes condition especially important; foxing, fading, or handling marks disproportionately affect value for common formats
- Edition vs. unique: screenprints and multiples (e.g., the 2004 screenprint at $950) trade well below unique ink drawings of comparable size
- Auction house tier: results from Christie's, Sotheby's, and Phillips tend to reflect higher-value material; regional houses handle more accessible price points

### Collector notes

- The price distribution is wide ($25–$1,865,000). Buyers should compare any asking price against the median of roughly $1,900 and the interquartile range of $350–$10,000 for context on where a specific work falls.
- Unique ink-on-paper drawings from the late 1980s and early 1990s—Pettibon's most recognized period—recently realized $2,250–$15,000 at Santa Monica Auctions (January 2026), providing current comparable benchmarks.
- Screenprints and artist books represent the most affordable entry points ($180–$950 in recent results) but carry less upside potential than unique works.
- Christie's sold a mixed-media painting (acrylic, gouache, ink) for £25,400 in March 2026, illustrating the premium tier for larger or more complex works in major-house settings.
- Volume has softened year-over-year (149 lots vs. 222 lots in the prior period), which may indicate tightening supply rather than reduced demand—sellers with strong provenance may find favorable conditions.
- Authentication and provenance documentation are critical for punk-era ephemera (flyers, posters, album art), which circulate in unauthorized reproductions.
- European auction results (Arnold, Ressler, Adams Amsterdam, Lempertz) denominated in EUR tend to price slightly below comparable USD results at US houses, creating potential arbitrage for buyers willing to bid internationally.

### Market caveats

- Auction-record prices include buyer's premiums; actual hammer prices are lower and the records do not reflect the full premium structure.
- The maximum recorded price of $1,865,000 represents an outlier; the vast majority of lots fall below $10,000.
- Recent 12-month lot count (149) is lower than the prior period (222), which could reflect market softening, reduced consignment supply, or normal variance—insufficient data to determine direction.
- Some recent lots lack category classifications and source URLs in the auction records, limiting the ability to cross-reference with original house catalogues.
- Currency mix (USD, GBP, EUR) across auction houses means direct price comparisons require currency conversion at the applicable sale-date rate.
- Early punk-era flyers and SST Records material may have been reproduced without authorization; provenance verification is essential for these items.
- The Appraisily auction-record data does not include private gallery sales, which may represent a significant segment of Pettibon's market, especially for new or commissioned work.

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/raymond-pettibon/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raymond-pettibon-2004-screenprint-signed-what-would-you-have-me-say-ladies-270-c-1bda95beeb
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raymond-pettibon-homo-americanus-collected-works-178-c-e1a66c5e0e
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raymond-pettibon-american-1957-untitled-555-0690-2018-60-c-c7637dd4fa
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raymond-pettibon-american-1957-untitled-beatle-don-rich-triptyque-ii-from-the-the-three-stooges-series-2020-59-c-eb1a911a68
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raymond-pettibon-b-1957-no-title-i-can-t-take-acrylic-gouache-i-616-c-70ae4ed0a8
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-raymond-pettibon-b-1957-untitled-thou-shalt-read-ink-on-paper17-3-9-c-df40874ffe

## Appraisily data basis

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

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q564945
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Pettibon
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/117809012/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr95027201
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/7500
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/raymond-pettibon-2754
- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/223567