# Wolfgang Tillmans artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/wolfgang-tillmans/
Profile generated: 2026-05-04T02:18:26.969Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: German
- Movements: Contemporary Photography
- Common media: Photography (chromogenic prints, inkjet prints, silver gelatin prints)

## About Wolfgang Tillmans

Wolfgang Tillmans (born 1968, Remscheid, Germany) is a German fine-art photographer and artist whose wide-ranging practice spans portraiture, landscape, still life, and abstract imagery. He studied at Bournemouth & Poole College of Art and Design from 1990 to 1992 and has become one of the most influential photographers of his generation. In 2000, Tillmans was awarded the Turner Prize, the first photographer and first non-British artist to receive the honour. His work is held in major museum collections worldwide, including Tate, the Museum of Modern Art, and Centre Pompidou. Tillmans is recognised for his continual investigation into the foundations of the photographic medium, producing images that blur the line between documentary observation and experimental abstraction. He lives and works in Berlin and London, maintaining an active international exhibition schedule with recent solo presentations at Centre Pompidou, Paris (2025) and Regen Projects, Los Angeles (2026).

## Common works and media

Tillmans works primarily in photography, producing chromogenic (c-type) prints, inkjet prints, and silver gelatin prints in sizes ranging from intimate to mural-scale. Common subjects include portraits of friends, musicians, and cultural figures, still lifes, aerial and landscape views, nightclub and youth culture scenes, and abstract cameraless photographs. His practice also extends to artist books, posters, and multi-panel installations. Collectors may encounter both unique prints and limited editions, with edition sizes varying by project and period.

## Market and appraisal context

Wolfgang Tillmans's work appears regularly at major auction houses, with over 800 recorded lots across photographic editions and unique prints. Valuation depends on factors including print size, edition number, date of execution, whether the work is unique or editioned, provenance, exhibition history, and condition. His photographic output spans multiple formats—from small chromogenic prints to large-scale inkjet works—and edition sizes and printing methods vary significantly across his career. Works from recognised series or early periods tend to attract stronger market interest. As with all contemporary photography, authentication, provenance documentation, and condition reports are essential for accurate appraisal.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realised prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. This page draws on museum collection records, library authority files, the artist's official site, and verified public sources.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q704012
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n95068999
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/116347751/
- RKD - Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/220210
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/wolfgang-tillmans-2747
- Wolfgang Tillmans: http://tillmans.co.uk/
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Tillmans
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/8044