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Colin McCahon: career timeline

New Zealand · 1919–1987 · Works grouped by the decade they were made (the cataloged date, or a date in the signature or title), not by sale date. 242 of 325 lots (74% of works) have a usable creation date; the others are listed at the end by the decade they were sold. Each work is shown once, even when it sold more than once.

Colin McCahon: works at auction by decade the work was made. Each work counted once; medians use sold works only, in US dollars.
Decade madeWorksSoldMedian sold priceMain medium
1930s11$39.3kSign upOil
1940s1612$14.7kSign upDrawing
1950s6845$12.1kSign upLithograph
1960s5843$57kSign upAcrylic
1970s9180$23.6kSign upAcrylic
1980s22$1.2kSign upPrint (other)

Where does mine fit?

Enter what you know about a work by Colin McCahon to see the closest recorded works from the same period, with their auction results. These are past records only, not a valuation: condition, authenticity, provenance and the market all change what a work brings. For an auction estimate of your work, get a free auction estimate.

1930s 1 work

Sold
1 of 1
Median
$39.3kSign up
Average
$39.3kSign up
Typical size
18.5 × 18 in (48 × 46 cm)
Mediums
Oil (1)
Subjects
—

1940s 16 works

Sold
12 of 16
Median
$14.7kSign up
Average
$107kSign up
Typical size
9 × 9.5 in (23 × 24 cm)
Mediums
Drawing (8), Oil (3), Watercolor (3)
Subjects
Landscapes (4), Beach scenes (3), Markets & villages (1)
Show 4 more (1940s)

1950s 68 works

Sold
45 of 68
Median
$12.1kSign up
Average
$56.3kSign up
Typical size
19.5 × 18 in (50 × 46 cm)
Mediums
Lithograph (19), Drawing (17), Oil (12)
Subjects
Landscapes (9), Beach scenes (1), Sea & coast (1)
Show 12 more (1950s)

…and 44 more works from this group in the full results list.

1960s 58 works

Sold
43 of 58
Median
$57kSign up
Average
$80.6kSign up
Typical size
21.5 × 18.5 in (55 × 47 cm)
Mediums
Acrylic (21), Other (10), Drawing (9)
Subjects
Landscapes (20), Flowers & still life (1), Sunsets & night (1)
Show 12 more (1960s)

…and 34 more works from this group in the full results list.

1970s 91 works

Sold
80 of 91
Median
$23.6kSign up
Average
$66.1kSign up
Typical size
15.5 × 22 in (39 × 56 cm)
Mediums
Acrylic (29), Drawing (19), Lithograph (18)
Subjects
Landscapes (7), Beach scenes (4), Sea & coast (4)
Show 12 more (1970s)

…and 67 more works from this group in the full results list.

1980s 2 works

Sold
2 of 2
Median
$1.2kSign up
Average
$1.2kSign up
Typical size
19.5 × 25 in (50 × 64 cm)
Mediums
Print (other) (1), Screenprint (1)
Subjects
—

Creation date not recorded

81 works have no cataloged or signed date. They are grouped here by the decade they were last sold, which says nothing about when they were made.

Undated, sold in the 2000s 7 works

Sold
7 of 7
Median
$2.2kSign up
Average
$4.8kSign up
Typical size
15 × 15.5 in (38 × 40 cm)
Mediums
Screenprint (4), Lithograph (2), Acrylic (1)
Subjects
Landscapes (5)
Show 1 more (2000s)

Undated, sold in the 2010s 35 works

Sold
23 of 35
Median
$6.5kSign up
Average
$89.3kSign up
Typical size
17 × 23.5 in (43 × 60 cm)
Mediums
Acrylic (7), Other (7), Screenprint (7)
Subjects
Landscapes (14), Beach scenes (4), Figures & portraits (1)
Show 6 more (2010s)

…and 23 more works from this group in the full results list.

Undated, sold in the 2020s 39 works

Sold
37 of 39
Median
$10.9kSign up
Average
$30.1kSign up
Typical size
46.5 × 29.5 in (118 × 75 cm)
Mediums
Other (17), Screenprint (11), Oil (4)
Subjects
Landscapes (4), Beach scenes (1)
Show 6 more (2020s)

…and 27 more works from this group in the full results list.

Medians and averages count sold works only (each work's most recent sale), in US dollars at the sale-date rate. Works cataloged as “attributed to”, “circle of” or similar are left out. All Colin McCahon auction results →