# Rico Lebrun artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/rico-lebrun/
Profile generated: 2026-05-24T20:39:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1900-12-10
- Death date: 1964-01-01
- Nationality: Italian, American
- Common media: painting, sculpture, drawing, watercolor, printmaking, illustration

## About Rico Lebrun

Rico Lebrun (1900–1964), born Rico Federico Lebrun in Naples, Italy, was an Italian-American painter, sculptor, draftsman, watercolorist, and printmaker who emigrated to the United States and became a significant figure in mid-twentieth-century American art. He worked across painting, sculpture, and works on paper, often engaging literary and figurative subjects. Lebrun's work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and he is recognized in major library authority systems including the Getty Union List of Artist Names, VIAF, and the Library of Congress. He taught and influenced notable artists including Eva Hesse and Joseph Glasco, extending his impact beyond his own studio practice. His versatility across media — from oil painting to large-scale sculpture to intimate drawings — makes his work encountered by collectors in a wide range of auction and appraisal contexts.

## Common works and media

Lebrun produced paintings in oil, freestanding sculptures, watercolors, ink and pencil drawings, and prints. Figurative and literary themes recur across his output. Works encountered at auction range from small-scale preparatory drawings and watercolor studies to larger canvases and sculptural pieces. Illustration work is also part of his oeuvre, reflecting his early career as an illustrator.

## Market and appraisal context

Rico Lebrun's work appears regularly in the auction market, with over 250 documented records across paintings, sculptures, works on paper, prints, and watercolors. His dual identity as an Italian-born American artist active in the mid-century period places his work within the Post-War and Modern categories. Key valuation factors include the specific medium (paintings and sculptures tend to achieve higher prices than works on paper or prints), the work's date, dimensions, provenance, condition, and exhibition history. Institutional representation at MoMA and his role as a teacher of Eva Hesse contribute to his art-historical standing. Collectors should consult recent comparable auction results for current market guidance.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine structured 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. For Rico Lebrun, identity data is grounded in the Getty ULAN, VIAF, RKD, Wikidata, and MoMA records.

## Sources

- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/48684
- VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/59890445/
- Getty Research Institute: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500030304
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3431662
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rico_Lebrun
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/3447
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50054701