What is a Irving Penn photograph worth?
1917–2009 · Price guide from past auction results
Half of the 319 works by Irving Penn with a published auction price sold between $17,640Sign up free to see and $67,405Sign up free to see, and the median is $32,500Sign up free to see. For photographs alone, the median is $32,500Sign up free to see across 311 sales. In the last five years the median was $28,380Sign up free to see across 166 sales. These are past auction results, not a valuation: medium, size, condition and provenance all change what a particular work brings.
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Irving Penn prices by medium
- Auction results
- 412
- Sold rate
- 77%
- Active at auction
- 2007–2026
- Median price
- $32.5kSign up free to see
- Record price
- $568kSign up free to see Ginkgo Leaves, New York, Phillips, Oct 2025
| Medium | Priced sales | Typical range | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Photographs | 311 | $18.8k–$67.6kSign up free to see | $32.5kSign up free to see |
| Prints | 4 | $3.5k–$27.3kSign up free to see | $4.9kSign up free to see |
Top auction houses: Phillips (363), Bonhams (13), Grisebach (7)
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Typical range is the middle half of priced sales (USD at the sale-date rate). Past auction results, not a valuation.
Prices by size
| Size (longest side) | Priced sales | Typical range | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small (under 30 cm) | 45 | $10k–$23.8kSign up free to see | $15.7kSign up free to see |
| Mid-size (30–75 cm) | 261 | $22.5k–$75kSign up free to see | $37.5kSign up free to see |
| Large (75–150 cm) | 4 | $13.1k–$54.5kSign up free to see | $21.4kSign up free to see |
Recent Irving Penn sales
- Father kneeling with seated child, Cuzco, Peru, Vintage gelatin silver print, printed — $20,696Sign up free to see, Lempertz, Jun 5, 2026
- Woman in Feather Hat, New York, platinum-palladium print, mounted — $83,864Sign up free to see, Phillips, Apr 16, 2026
- Orchid, Rhyncholaelia Digbyana, New York, dye transfer print — $33,196Sign up free to see, Phillips, Apr 16, 2026
- Cigarette No. 86, platinum-palladium print, mounted — $17,472Sign up free to see, Phillips, Apr 16, 2026
- Rock Groups, Big Brother and the Holding Company and The Grateful Dead, San Francisco, Platinum-palladium print, printed 1979-1980 — $19,219Sign up free to see, Phillips, Apr 16, 2026
- Nude 40, Gelatin silver print, printed 1949-1950 — $12,900Sign up free to see, Phillips, Apr 11, 2026
- Sculptor’s Model, Paris, Platinum-palladium print, printed 1967 — $15,480Sign up free to see, Phillips, Apr 11, 2026
- Black and White Vogue Cover (Jean Patchett), New York, Gelatin silver print, printed 1984 — $90,300Sign up free to see, Phillips, Apr 11, 2026
Questions about Irving Penn prices
What is a Irving Penn photograph worth?
Based on 319 priced auction sales recorded by ArtSell, works by Irving Penn have sold for a median of $32,500, and half of them sold between $17,640 and $67,405. For photographs alone the median is $32,500 (311 sales). Medium, size, condition, subject and provenance all affect the price of a particular work; these are past auction results, not a valuation.
What is the most expensive work by Irving Penn sold at auction?
The highest price in ArtSell’s records is $567,600 for “Ginkgo Leaves, New York” at Phillips in October 2025.
Which Irving Penn medium sells for the most?
By median price, photographs lead with $32,500 (311 sales).
How often do Irving Penn works sell at auction?
77% of the 412 lots recorded between 2007 and 2026 sold.
How can I sell a Irving Penn photograph?
Request a free auction estimate on ArtSell: send photos and details, and our specialists will reply with an estimate. There is no obligation.
Irving Penn have appeared at auction 412 times in ArtSell’s records between 2007 and 2026; 319 sold, a sell-through rate of 77%.
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