# Stanley Cosgrove artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/stanley-cosgrove/
Profile generated: 2026-05-10T12:10:33.565Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1911-12-23
- Death date: 2002-04-28
- Nationality: Canadian
- Common media: oil painting, drawing, mural

## About Stanley Cosgrove

Stanley Morel Cosgrove (1911–2002) was a Canadian painter, draughtsperson, and muralist born and based in Montréal, Québec. Active across much of the twentieth century, Cosgrove became recognized for his landscape paintings, which critics have noted for their calm, contemplative quality. He trained and worked within the broader current of Canadian modern painting, contributing to the country's post-war art scene. His work is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and he is documented in major reference publications including the Bénézit dictionary of artists and the Witt Checklist of Painters. Cosgrove spent most of his life in Montréal, where he died in 2002 at the age of 90.

## Common works and media

The most common Cosgrove works encountered at auction and in collections are oil paintings on canvas, predominantly landscapes depicting Canadian scenery. He also produced drawings and works on paper, and is credited as a muralist. Subject matter centers on serene, atmospheric landscapes. Works range from small easel paintings to larger canvases. No published catalogue raisonné was identified, so attribution relies on expert review and exhibition records.

## Market and appraisal context

Stanley Cosgrove's auction market is anchored in Canadian regional houses, with 31 recorded lots and 21 priced results spanning 2006 to 2025. Walker's (Ottawa) is the dominant venue, accounting for the highest prices: a top result of CAD 4,750 in December 2010 and multiple results in the CAD 2,300–3,250 range. Westbridge Fine Art (Vancouver) and Cosner Gallery have produced mid-range results (CAD 200–1,750), while Saskatchewan Network for Art Collecting and Kavanagh Auctions handle works on paper and prints at the lower end (CAD 60–375). The overall median price is CAD 1,750, with an interquartile range of CAD 275–3,250, reflecting a meaningful gap between oil paintings on canvas and works on paper. Recent activity is thin — only one priced lot since 2022 (CAD 1,400 at A. H. Wilkens in August 2025) — which limits the reliability of current-market trend conclusions. The market is established but illiquid, with roughly 1–2 lots appearing per year.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Stanley Cosgrove's auction market is anchored in Canadian regional houses, with 31 recorded lots and 21 priced results spanning 2006 to 2025. Walker's (Ottawa) is the dominant venue, accounting for the highest prices: a top result of CAD 4,750 in December 2010 and multiple results in the CAD 2,300–3,250 range. Westbridge Fine Art (Vancouver) and Cosner Gallery have produced mid-range results (CAD 200–1,750), while Saskatchewan Network for Art Collecting and Kavanagh Auctions handle works on paper and prints at the lower end (CAD 60–375). The overall median price is CAD 1,750, with an interquartile range of CAD 275–3,250, reflecting a meaningful gap between oil paintings on canvas and works on paper. Recent activity is thin — only one priced lot since 2022 (CAD 1,400 at A. H. Wilkens in August 2025) — which limits the reliability of current-market trend conclusions. The market is established but illiquid, with roughly 1–2 lots appearing per year.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would use these auction records as comparable-sale context, cross-referencing them against the work's photographs, dimensions, medium, signature, condition report, and provenance documentation. Because no published catalogue raisonné exists, signature verification and provenance chain are especially important. Oil landscape paintings on canvas by Cosgrove tend to fall in the CAD 950–5,750 range based on recorded results, while drawings, prints, and works on paper cluster between CAD 60 and CAD 375. Comparable lots should be selected by matching medium, subject, approximate dimensions, and date of execution. Walker's results provide the strongest high-end comparables for oil paintings; Kavanagh and Saskatchewan Network results are more relevant for works on paper. All prices are recorded in CAD and should be currency-adjusted if the appraisal is issued in another currency. The thin recent volume (1 lot in 24 months) means an appraiser should supplement with live auction-database checks at the time of valuation.

### Valuation factors

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### Collector notes

- Cosgrove's market is stable but thin. Buyers seeking oil landscapes should reference Walker's results (CAD 1,600–4,750) as the benchmark tier. Works on paper and prints can be acquired below CAD 400 but have limited resale upside. The 2010 peak at CAD 4,750 has not been matched in subsequent years, which may reflect a softening in the Canadian post-war segment or simply the irregular appearance of strong works. The August 2025 result of CAD 1,400 at A. H. Wilkens for an untitled work suggests the market remains active at the mid-range. Collectors should verify signatures and obtain condition reports, given the absence of a catalogue raisonné. Institutional representation (MoMA permanent collection) and inclusion in the Bénézit dictionary provide long-term confidence, but the narrow auction volume means individual results can be volatile.

### Market caveats

- Only 21 of 31 recorded lots have published price results; 10 lots show no realised price, which may indicate buy-ins or withdrawn lots and skews the observed distribution upward.
- Recent market activity is extremely thin — 1 priced lot in the past 24 months — so the median and quartile figures reflect the 2006–2025 window rather than current conditions.
- All recorded prices are in CAD and may not reflect USD or other currency valuations without conversion.
- No published catalogue raisonné was identified; attribution of unsigned, undated, or undocumented works requires expert review.
- Lot titles in the auction record often lack medium, dimensions, and date of execution, limiting the precision of category-level analysis.
- The existing profile lists 'mural' as a medium, but no mural-scale works appeared in the recent auction sample; large or site-specific works may trade outside public auction channels.

### Market evidence sources

- Appraisily auction record index: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/stanley-cosgrove/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines identity research from library authority files (Library of Congress, Getty ULAN, VIAF, RKD), museum collection records (MoMA), and biographical reference entries (Bénézit, Witt Checklist) with auction-house context and comparable sale records when those are available. All biographical claims are cited to institutional-grade sources.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n82074338
- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/18552
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/1259
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanley_Cosgrove
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3496810
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500072563
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/47563198/