Ellsworth Kelly

American · 1923–2015

Ellsworth Kelly was an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker associated with hard-edge painting, Color field painting and minimalism. His works demonstrate unassuming… (Wikipedia)

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$3,105,000≈ £2,381,683≈ €2,790,008Sign uprecord price · incl. premiumDark Blue ReliefPhillips2017580lots offered2003–2026years recorded93%sold (530)$6.9kSign up free to seemedian price

9 works by Ellsworth Kelly with an auction history (offered more than once) →

2 works by Ellsworth Kelly coming up at auction · bid with the house ↓

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Dark Blue ReliefPhillips · May 2017$3,105,000≈ £2,381,683≈ €2,790,008Sign up to see
Black Diagonal ReliefPhillips · May 2025$1,143,000≈ £864,664≈ €1,028,618Sign up to see
LeavesPhillips · Sep 2018$198,000≈ £150,536≈ €168,382Sign up to see

Ellsworth Kelly’s highest prices recorded at auction, ranked in US dollars at each sale-date exchange rate and shown in the currency of the sale (with the buyer’s premium where the house publishes it).

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2 in forthcoming sales · bid with the house

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578 results · page 11 of 15

String bean leaves I, 1965/1966
Lithograph · Paper · ed. 20/75
90 x 62.5 cm
Lempertz · Dec 3, 2016 · Lot 589
€3,720≈ $3,959≈ £3,136Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €4,000–6,000View at Lempertz ↗
Orange Green, 1970
Lithograph · Board · ed. 69/75
105,4 x 76,8 cm
Lempertz · Dec 3, 2016 · Lot 590
€5,704≈ $6,070≈ £4,808Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €6,000–View at Lempertz ↗
Blue Yellow Red, 1970-73
Screenprint · Board · ed. AP
66 x 64,8 cm
Lempertz · Dec 3, 2016 · Lot 592
€2,852≈ $3,035≈ £2,404Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €3,000–View at Lempertz ↗
Canigou, 1973-1976
Lithograph · Board · ed. 16/16
86,4 x 104,1 cm
Lempertz · Dec 3, 2016 · Lot 593
€5,208≈ $5,542≈ £4,390Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €5,500–View at Lempertz ↗
Untitled (Orange State III), 1988
Lithograph · Board · ed. 5/13
118,4 x 115,6 cm
Lempertz · Dec 3, 2016 · Lot 595
€8,680≈ $9,237≈ £7,317Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €6,500–View at Lempertz ↗
Red Curve, 1999
Lithograph · Board · ed. 49/50
76,2 x 58,1 cm
Lempertz · Dec 3, 2016 · Lot 596
€9,300≈ $9,897≈ £7,840Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €6,500–View at Lempertz ↗
Two Blacks and White, 2000
Lithograph · Board · ed. 9/46
76,2 x 76,2 cm
Lempertz · Dec 3, 2016 · Lot 597
€4,712≈ $5,015≈ £3,972Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €5,000–View at Lempertz ↗
Blue Curve (State III), 1988
Lithograph · Board · ed. 11/15
95,5 x 213,4 cm
Lempertz · Dec 3, 2016 · Lot 598
€31,000≈ $32,990≈ £26,133Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €13,000–15,000View at Lempertz ↗
Untitled, 1960
Drawing · Paper
28 1/2 x 22 1/2 in. (72.4 x 57.2 cm.)
Phillips · Nov 17, 2016 · Lot 154
$52,500≈ £42,155≈ €48,988Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $40,000–60,000View at Phillips ↗
Pears II
Rago Auctions · Nov 5, 2016 · Lot 547
$12,500≈ £10,007≈ €11,268Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $4,000–View at Rago Auctions ↗

Also offered, result not published (10)

Lots by Ellsworth Kelly that were offered at auction where the house did not publish whether they sold. Not counted in any statistics.

Ellsworth Kelly paintings (6)Ellsworth Kelly oil paintings (4)Ellsworth Kelly works on paper (44)Ellsworth Kelly drawings (19)Ellsworth Kelly prints (490)Ellsworth Kelly etchings (8)Ellsworth Kelly aquatints (5)Ellsworth Kelly lithographs (396)Ellsworth Kelly screenprints (71)

Ellsworth Kelly signature

273 catalogued lots by Ellsworth Kelly record a signature line. The most common placement is lower right (71% of lots that state a placement). Most often: signed.

Placement

lower right20
on the reverse6
in the margin2

Form

signed240
signed in pencil19
initialled11
signed and dated3

Signed and dated "Aug 30 '60 Kelly" on the reverse — Untitled, Phillips, May 14, 2025
Signed "Kelly" lower right — Seven Oranges, Phillips, May 14, 2025
Signed and dated "Kelly 76" lower right; titled and dated "BLACK CURVE, RADIUS 12 FEET 1976" on the reverse — Black Curve, Radius 12 Feet, Phillips, May 14, 2025

Ellsworth Kelly signature: all forms and examples →

About Ellsworth Kelly

Ellsworth Kelly was an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker associated with hard-edge painting, Color field painting and minimalism. His works demonstrate unassuming techniques emphasizing line, color and form, similar to the work of John McLaughlin and Kenneth Noland. Kelly often employed bright colors. He lived and worked in Spencertown, New York.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.