# William Dobell artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/william-dobell/
Profile generated: 2026-05-08T02:21:14.723Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1899-09-24
- Nationality: Australian
- Common media: painting

## About William Dobell

Sir William Dobell (1899–1970) was an Australian painter best known for his distinctive portraits and landscapes. Born in Newcastle, New South Wales, he trained in Sydney and later studied in London at the Slade School of Fine Art, absorbing European modernist ideas that he brought to bear on Australian figurative painting. Dobell won the Archibald Prize, Australia's most prestigious portrait award, on three occasions — a record that cemented his reputation as one of the country's leading figurative artists. His bold, expressive approach to portraiture stirred public debate about the boundaries between representation and caricature, most famously during the 1943 Archibald controversy. Active from the mid-1920s until 1970, he worked across portraits, landscapes, and genre scenes. The Dobell Prize for drawing was established in his honour, reflecting his lasting influence on Australian art.

## Common works and media

Dobell's output includes oil portraits and self-portraits, landscape paintings of Australian coastal and rural settings, figure studies, and genre scenes. Works on paper such as drawings and sketches also circulate in the secondary market. Print editions and reproductive posters derived from his well-known paintings are also encountered by collectors.

## Market and appraisal context

William Dobell's works appear regularly in Australian and international auction rooms. His portraits — especially those of prominent sitters and Archibald Prize-related compositions — tend to attract the strongest collector interest. Landscapes and genre scenes from his mature period also trade at auction. Provenance, exhibition history, condition, and whether a work can be securely dated to a recognized phase of his career all affect appraisal value. Collectors should also consider the medium: oil paintings on canvas generally command higher prices than works on paper or studies. Attribution questions can arise with unsigned or undocumented works, making expert verification important.

## Appraisily data basis

This artist page combines identity research from library authority files, museum records, and biographical databases with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot data when those records are available. Sources include Wikidata, VIAF, the Library of Congress Name Authority File, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, and Invaluable auction listings.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1354357
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Dobell
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/526149196539474792331/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n81149649
- RKD: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/23380