Jacob Lawrence: career timeline

American · 1917–2000 · Works grouped by the decade they were made (the cataloged date, or a date in the signature or title), not by sale date. 52 of 65 lots (80% 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.

Jacob Lawrence: works at auction by decade the work was made. Each work counted once; medians use sold works only, in US dollars.

Decade made	Works	Sold	Median sold price	Main medium
1950s	2	2	$225kSign up	Gouache
1960s	2	2	$108kSign up	Lithograph
1970s	25	23	$3.8kSign up	Screenprint
1980s	12	9	$1.7kSign up	Screenprint
1990s	10	9	$3.1kSign up	Screenprint

Where does mine fit?

Enter what you know about a work by Jacob Lawrence 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.

Year madeHeight (in)Width (in)MediumSubject

1950s 2 works

Sold: 2 of 2
Median: $225kSign up
Average: $225kSign up
Typical size: 14 × 20 in (36 × 51 cm)
Mediums: Gouache (1), Tempera (1)
Subjects: Markets & villages (1)

1951 Street Scene$69.3kSign up
1958 Two Comedians and a Dancer$382kSign up

1960s 2 works

Sold: 2 of 2
Median: $108kSign up
Average: $108kSign up
Typical size: 20.5 × 13.5 in (52 × 35 cm)
Mediums: Lithograph (1), Gouache (1)
Subjects: —

1967 Brotherhood for Peace$4.4kSign up
1967 Escape$213kSign up

1970s 25 works

Sold: 23 of 25
Median: $3.8kSign up
Average: $4.4kSign up
Typical size: 20 × 22 in (51 × 56 cm)
Mediums: Screenprint (19), Lithograph (5), Other (1)
Subjects: Flowers & still life (5), Figures & portraits (2), Markets & villages (1)

1971 1972 Munich Olympics poster$5.3kSign up
1972 Workshop$1.9kSign up
1972 Olympische Spiele Munchen 1972.$1.3kSign up
1974 Builders No. 3$8.2kSign up
1975 Confrontation at the Bridge, from An American Portrait 1776-1976, Volume 2 (N. 75-2)$8.9kSign up
1975 Confrontation at the Bridge$12.5kSign up
1975 People in Other Rooms (Harlem Street Scene)$4.7kSign up
1975 UntitledResult not published
1976 Morning Still Life$4.4kSign up
1976 Morning Still Life$4.2kSign up
1976 Morning Still Life$2.8kSign up
1976 Morning Still Life$2.5kSign up

Show 12 more (1970s)

…and 1 more works from this group in the full results list.

1980s 12 works

Sold: 9 of 12
Median: $1.7kSign up
Average: $2.5kSign up
Typical size: 19.5 × 14 in (50 × 36 cm)
Mediums: Screenprint (8), Lithograph (3), Other (1)
Subjects: Sunsets & night (1)

1983 Untitled (from the Hiroshima portfolio)$1.2kSign up
1983 Hiroshima (Nesbett L83-1)$7kSign up
1983 Untitled (from the Hiroshima series)$1.5kSign up
1983 Untitled (from the Hiroshima series)$1.8kSign up
1986 Birth of of Toussaint$1.7kSign up · sold 2×
1987 Schomburg Library (Nesbett L87-1)$4.1kSign up
1988 AspirationsUnsold
c. 1989 The First Book of Moses Called Genesis$3kSign up
1989 And God Created All The Fowls Of The Air And Fishes Of The SeasResult not published
1989 UntitledResult not published
1989 And God Brought Forth the Firmament and the Waters (from the First Book of Moses, Called Genesis portfolio)$1kSign up
1989 And God Created the Day and the Night, and God Created and Put the Stars in the Sky (from the First Book of Moses, Called Genesis portfolio)$786Sign up

1990s 10 works

Sold: 9 of 10
Median: $3.1kSign up
Average: $5.1kSign up
Typical size: 28.5 × 22.5 in (72 × 57 cm)
Mediums: Screenprint (5), Lithograph (5)
Subjects: Landscapes (1)

Creation date not recorded

13 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 1 work

Sold: 1 of 1
Median: $50.8kSign up
Average: $50.8kSign up
Typical size: 20 × 24 in (51 × 61 cm)
Mediums: Watercolor (1)
Subjects: —

sold 2006 The Lion King$50.8kSign up

Undated, sold in the 2010s 9 works

Sold: 6 of 9
Median: $2.1kSign up
Average: $2.2kSign up
Typical size: 28 × 20.5 in (71 × 52 cm)
Mediums: Other (4), Lithograph (3), Screenprint (2)
Subjects: Flowers & still life (1)

sold 2011 On the WayUnsold
sold 2013 Studio$950Sign up
sold 2016 Legend of John Brown, # 17$3kSign up
sold 2018 - ''Morning Still-Life'' (Nesbett L76-1)-Result not published
sold 2018 - ''Workshop'' (Nesbett L72-1)-Result not published
sold 2018 Hiroshima$1kSign up

Show 3 more (2010s)

sold 2018 To the Defense$4.1kSign up
sold 2018 Aspiration$1.9kSign up
sold 2019 Morning Still Life$2.3kSign up

Undated, sold in the 2020s 3 works

Sold: 3 of 3
Median: $2.6kSign up
Average: $2.4kSign up
Typical size: 32 × 19 in (81 × 49 cm)
Mediums: Other (2), Screenprint (1)
Subjects: —

sold 2020 Silk screen$3.6kSign up
sold 2020 Pair of Painting Fragments From a Four Panel Screen$950Sign up
sold 2025 The March, from the series The Life of Toussaint L'Ouverture$2.6kSign up

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 Jacob Lawrence auction results →