Joel-Peter Witkin

American · b. 1939 · Photographer

Joel-Peter Witkin is an American photographer who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His work often deals with themes such as death, corpses, often featuring ornately decorated… (Wikipedia)

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81lots offered2010–2026years recorded71%sold (54)$3.2kSign up free to seemedian price

1 work by Joel-Peter Witkin with an auction history (offered more than once) →

Record prices

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La GiovanissimaLempertz · May 2013€13,420≈ $17,364≈ £11,500Sign up to see
Le Baiser (The Kiss)Wright · Jan 2023$15,120≈ £12,266≈ €13,900Sign up to see
Studio of the Painter, Courbet, ParisPhillips · Oct 2013$15,000≈ £9,235≈ €11,067Sign up to see

Joel-Peter Witkin’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).

ArtSell has recorded 76 auction results for Joel-Peter Witkin between 2010 and 2026, of which 54 sold (71%). A further 5 lots were offered at auction without a published result. Recorded sale prices range from $394Sign up free to see to $17.4kSign up free to see. The highest price recorded is $17.4kSign up free to see for La Giovanissima at Lempertz in May 2013. The most common medium is photographs (73 lots). Most results come from Phillips (18), Lempertz (12) and Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (11).

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76 results · page 1 of 2

Mother of the future, 2004
Photograph · Paper · ed. 1/10
73,7 x 84 cm
OstLicht Photo Auction · May 28, 2026 · Lot 223
€2,600≈ $3,020≈ £2,253HammerSign up free to seeEst. €3,000–3,600View at OstLicht Photo Auction ↗
'"Mask and Severed Genitalia as Netsuke," New Mexico', 1987
Photograph · ed. 1/15
14 3/4 x 15 in. (37.5 x 38.1 cm.)
Bonhams · Feb 27, 2026 · Lot 81
$960≈ £713≈ €813Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,200–1,800View at Bonhams ↗
Still-Life S.F., 1984
Photograph
14½ h x 14¾ w in (37 x 37 cm)
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Dec 11, 2025 · Lot 156
$1,524≈ £1,139≈ €1,301Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
Studio, Berlin, 1998
Photograph
13⅜ h x 14 w in (34 x 36 cm)
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Dec 11, 2025 · Lot 162
$1,524≈ £1,139≈ €1,301Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
Canova's Venus Shaun Ariane Montiel, 1982
Photograph
14½ h x 14⅝ w in (37 x 37 cm)
Rago Auctions · Nov 4, 2025 · Lot 207
$5,080≈ £3,888≈ €4,421Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $5,000–View at Rago Auctions ↗
Twelve Photographs, 1992-93
Photograph
23¾ h x 17¾ w in (60 x 45 cm)
Rago Auctions · Nov 4, 2025 · Lot 209
$953≈ £729≈ €829Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–View at Rago Auctions ↗
The Expulsion from Paradise of Adam and Eve, New Mexico, 1980
Photograph · ed. 3/3
28 x 28 in. (71.1 x 71.1 cm)
Phillips · Oct 9, 2025 · Lot 257
$3,354≈ £2,508≈ €2,889Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $4,000–6,000View at Phillips ↗
Bacchus Amelius, New Mexico, 1986
Photograph
13⅞ h x 13⅞ w in (35 x 35 cm)
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Jul 31, 2025 · Lot 144
$4,445≈ £3,359≈ €3,883Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
Venus Genetrix, 1981
Photograph
image size: 37 by 37cm; 64,5 by 60 by 4cm including frame
Strauss & Co · Jul 14, 2025 · Lot 269
ZAR 7,035≈ $394≈ £292≈ €337Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. ZAR 6,000–8,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
Harvest; Helena Fourment; Man Without Legs; Portrait of Nan; Ragazzo con quattro Braccia; The Result of War: The Cornucopian Dog; and Venus, Pan and Time, 1985
Etching · Paper
all I. 12 1/8 x 12 1/8 in. (30.8 x 30.8 cm) all S. 22 x 19 1/2 in. (55.9 x 49.5 cm)
Phillips · Apr 16, 2025 · Lot 256
$3,048≈ £2,298≈ €2,684Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–3,000View at Phillips ↗

Also offered, result not published (5)

Lots by Joel-Peter Witkin that were offered at auction where the house did not publish whether they sold. Not counted in any statistics.

Joel-Peter Witkin photographs (73)

Joel-Peter Witkin: quick facts

What is the highest price paid for a work by Joel-Peter Witkin at auction?

$17,364Sign up free to see, for La Giovanissima at Lempertz (May 2013) — the highest price in ArtSell’s records.

What is a typical auction price for Joel-Peter Witkin?

The median sale price is $3.2kSign up free to see across 54 priced sales. Prices vary by medium, size and date — see the price chart & statistics.

How many works by Joel-Peter Witkin have sold at auction?

54 of 76 recorded lots sold between 2010 and 2026. 5 further lots were offered with no published result and are not counted.

Which auction houses sell Joel-Peter Witkin?

Phillips, Lempertz and Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) account for the most recorded results. Phillips · Lempertz · Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA)

About Joel-Peter Witkin

Joel-Peter Witkin is an American photographer who lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His work often deals with themes such as death, corpses, often featuring ornately decorated photographic models, including people with dwarfism, transgender and intersex persons, as well as people living with a range of physical features. Witkin is often praised for presenting these figures in poses which celebrate and honor their physiques in an elevated, artistic manner. Witkin's complex tableaux vivants often recall religious episodes or classical paintings.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.