# Ygael Tumarkin artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/ygael-tumarkin/
Profile generated: 2026-05-02T02:44:30.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1933-10-23
- Death date: 2021-08-12
- Nationality: Israeli
- Common media: sculpture, painting, assemblage (found objects), graphic arts / prints, set design / scenography

## About Ygael Tumarkin

Ygael Tumarkin (1933–2021) was a German-born Israeli sculptor, painter, graphic artist, and set designer, recognized as one of Israel's most prominent visual artists. Born Peter Martin Gregor Heinrich Hellberg in Dresden, Germany, he immigrated to Palestine with his family in 1935. Tumarkin became widely known for his large-scale public sculptures, assemblages incorporating found objects, and graphic works. His Holocaust memorial in Tel Aviv is among his most celebrated commissions. Over a career spanning more than six decades, Tumarkin's work engaged with themes of memory, violence, and the Israeli landscape, and he also designed sets for theatrical productions. His art is held in major museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York. The artist's name appears in catalogues under several romanizations, including Igael, Yigal, and Ygael Tumarkin.

## Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers most frequently encounter Tumarkin's bronze and mixed-media sculptures, assemblages made from found objects, paintings, and graphic works including prints and drawings. Public and commissioned monumental sculptures form an important part of his output. Works on paper, including lithographs and screen prints, are also known to circulate on the secondary market. Attribution should account for the artist's multiple romanized name forms.

## Market and appraisal context

Ygael Tumarkin has a deep and well-documented secondary market spanning over three decades (1994–2026), with 966 total auction lots recorded and 482 carrying realized prices. The price distribution is wide: from $10 for small graphic works on paper up to $34,000 for significant sculptures or paintings, with a median of $950 and an interquartile range of $345–$2,800. This dispersion reflects the breadth of Tumarkin's output, from editioned prints and small-scale works on paper at the lower end to unique bronzes, assemblages, and paintings commanding the top tier. The market is concentrated in Israeli auction houses—Yair Art Gallery, Tiroche Auction House, Montefiore Auction House, and Hammersite account for the majority of volume—while international appearances at Christie's, Sotheby's, and German houses (Auktionshaus Schwab, Kastern) confirm broader collector reach. Liquidity is healthy and growing: 47 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month period versus 37 in the prior 12 months, a 27% increase in auction volume. Recent Tiroche results (December 2025) show strong mid-range pricing, with seven lots realizing between $3,600 and $8,000. Works appearing through German regional houses typically realize lower prices (€200–€360), likely reflecting smaller-scale graphic works and less competitive bidding pools.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Ygael Tumarkin has a deep and well-documented secondary market spanning over three decades (1994–2026), with 966 total auction lots recorded and 482 carrying realized prices. The price distribution is wide: from $10 for small graphic works on paper up to $34,000 for significant sculptures or paintings, with a median of $950 and an interquartile range of $345–$2,800. This dispersion reflects the breadth of Tumarkin's output, from editioned prints and small-scale works on paper at the lower end to unique bronzes, assemblages, and paintings commanding the top tier. The market is concentrated in Israeli auction houses—Yair Art Gallery, Tiroche Auction House, Montefiore Auction House, and Hammersite account for the majority of volume—while international appearances at Christie's, Sotheby's, and German houses (Auktionshaus Schwab, Kastern) confirm broader collector reach. Liquidity is healthy and growing: 47 lots appeared in the most recent 12-month period versus 37 in the prior 12 months, a 27% increase in auction volume. Recent Tiroche results (December 2025) show strong mid-range pricing, with seven lots realizing between $3,600 and $8,000. Works appearing through German regional houses typically realize lower prices (€200–€360), likely reflecting smaller-scale graphic works and less competitive bidding pools.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would use Tumarkin's auction record profile as a comparable-sales anchor, then layer in specifics from the work being appraised: photographs showing medium, surface condition, and signature; measured dimensions; edition information for prints or multiples; documented provenance (gallery labels, exhibition history, collection stamps); and a condition report noting any losses, repairs, patination changes on bronzes, or stability concerns in assemblages. Because the artist's name appears in catalogues as Igael, Yigal, and Ygael Tumarkin, comparable-lot searches should use all variant spellings to avoid missing relevant sales. The wide price range ($10–$34,000) means that medium, scale, and uniqueness are the primary value discriminators. A unique bronze sculpture with strong provenance should be compared against the upper quartile (above $2,800), while editioned prints typically fall in the lower quartile (below $345). Works sold through major international houses (Christie's, Sotheby's) may carry a premium over regional Israeli or German results.

### Valuation factors

- Medium and scale: unique bronzes and large sculptures command the highest prices; editioned prints and works on paper sit at the lower end of the range.
- Name-variant cataloguing: the artist appears as Igael, Yigal, and Ygael Tumarkin across databases; all forms must be searched to build complete comparable sets.
- Auction-house tier: results from Christie's and Sotheby's tend to exceed those from regional Israeli or German houses for comparable works.
- Provenance and exhibition history: works with documented gallery or museum provenance support stronger valuations.
- Condition: mixed-media assemblages and found-object constructions are vulnerable to material degradation; outdoor bronze works may show patina loss or surface corrosion.
- Edition details: prints and multiples should be checked for edition size, numbering, and plate condition to differentiate from unique works.
- Market trajectory: auction volume has increased 27% year-over-year (37 to 47 lots), suggesting sustained or growing collector interest.

### Collector notes

- Tumarkin's market is liquid and accessible: nearly 1,000 auction lots over three decades mean that comparable sales data is readily available for most work types. Buyers should be aware that the same artist is catalogued under at least three romanized names—search all variants when researching fair market value. Works acquired from major international auction houses (Christie's, Sotheby's) or with museum exhibition history will typically carry a premium. For sellers, consigning through Israeli specialists such as Tiroche or Montefiore may yield stronger results for mid-range works, given established buyer networks for Israeli art. The lower end of the market (€200–€360 at German regional houses) likely reflects small-scale graphic works; unique works in these venues may represent buying opportunities. The recent uptick in auction volume (47 lots in the last 12 months) indicates healthy demand and should support pricing confidence for both buyers and sellers.

### Market caveats

- The artist's name appears in multiple romanized forms (Igael, Yigal, Ygael Tumarkin) across auction catalogues; always cross-reference variant spellings to ensure complete comparable-lot coverage.
- Approximately half of recorded lots (482 of 966) carry realized prices; unsold or pre-estimate lots are excluded from the price distribution and may skew the observed range.
- Price dispersion is wide ($10–$34,000); valuation must account for the specific medium, scale, and uniqueness of the work being appraised rather than relying on median figures alone.
- Several recent lots from Yair Art Gallery and Hammersite show null price-realized values, indicating either unsold lots or results not yet published; do not assume these represent negative market signals.
- Currency mixing (USD and EUR) in recent results means cross-currency comparison requires conversion to a common base; EUR-denominated results from German houses are not directly comparable to USD results from Israeli houses without adjustment.
- The auction record index does not include private-sale or gallery prices, which may differ from public auction results.

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/ygael-tumarkin/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-igael-tumarkin-israeli-1933-2021-406-c-2f65d0fca7
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-igael-tumarkin-israeli-1933-2021-157-c-b706e58046
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-igael-tumarkin-575-c-6af38a1106
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-igael-tumarkin-574-c-093029ade4
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-igael-tumarkin-573-c-55af265a34
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-igael-tumarkin-572-c-4acb22ec17
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-igael-tumarkin-1933-2021-israel-pair-of-works-191-c-8604c7a946
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-igael-tumarkin-b-1933-israeli-34-c-67509a343f
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-igael-tumarkin-israeli-1933-2021-324-c-e394d96232
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-igael-tumarkin-israeli-1933-2021-81-c-0ed27a0908
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-igael-tumarkin-israeli-1933-2021-351-c-be24b5299d

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from museum, library authority, and encyclopedia sources with available auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50012781
- RKD (Netherlands Institute for Art History): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/253183
- VIAF (Virtual International Authority File): https://viaf.org/viaf/32041490/
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/5968
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q777441
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igael_Tumarkin