# Serge Ivanoff artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/serge-ivanoff/
Profile generated: 2026-05-31T11:44:01.625Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1893-12-24
- Death date: 1983-02-08
- Nationality: Russian, American, French
- Common media: watercolor, oil painting, illustration (ink and mixed media), drawing

## About Serge Ivanoff

Serge Ivanoff (1893–1983) was a Russian-born painter, illustrator, designer, and watercolorist whose career spanned several continents. Born Sergei Petrovich Ivanov in Moscow on December 24, 1893, he trained at the Academy of Fine Arts in Saint Petersburg before emigrating. After early activity in Finland, Ivanoff established himself in France around 1922 and worked there for nearly three decades as a painter and illustrator. In 1950 he relocated to the United States and was naturalized as an American citizen the following year. He continued his career in America through 1983 and died in Paris on February 8 of that year. His versatility across painting, watercolor, illustration, and design placed his work in both fine-art and commercial contexts, and collectors today encounter his output in auction catalogues spanning French, American, and international sales.

## Common works and media

Ivanoff commonly worked in watercolor, oil paint, and ink on paper or board. His known subjects include portraits, figurative compositions, and illustrative scenes. As a professional illustrator and designer, he also produced commercial artwork and published illustrations. Collectors may encounter finished gallery paintings, preparatory drawings and studies, portrait commissions, and illustration originals. No limited-edition prints or sculpture media are documented in the available authority sources.

## Market and appraisal context

Serge Ivanoff's work appears at auction primarily as original watercolors, portrait illustrations, and figurative paintings. His cross-continental career means works may surface in French, American, and occasionally Finnish sale contexts. Key factors influencing appraisal include the period of creation (French or American), the medium used, provenance documentation, condition—particularly for works on paper—and whether the piece is a finished gallery work or a commercial illustration. Attribution should be confirmed through signature comparison and documented provenance. With 187 recorded lots in the Appraisily database, Ivanoff maintains a moderate auction presence.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from authority files and biographical databases with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Serge Ivanoff, identity data is grounded in the Getty Union List of Artist Names, VIAF, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, and Wikidata.

## Sources

- RKD, Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/41218
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q786010
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/63308760/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500336171
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n97861498
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serge_Ivanoff