Jose Luis Cuevas

Mexican · 1934–2017 · Painter, Printmaker

José Luis Cuevas was a Mexican artist who worked as a painter, writer, draftsman, engraver, illustrator, and printmaker. Cuevas was one of the first to challenge the then… (Wikipedia)

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494lots offered2003–2026years recorded44%sold (173)$350Sign up free to seemedian price

50 works by Jose Luis Cuevas with an auction history (offered more than once) →

1 work by Jose Luis Cuevas coming up at auction · bid with the house ↓

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Figura obscenaMorton Subastas · Jun 2026MX$230,000≈ $13,039≈ £9,908≈ €11,496Sign up to see
Adoradores del Macho CabríoBonhams · Jul 2022$5,355≈ £4,422≈ €5,290Sign up to see
Carnet de EspanaRago Auctions · May 2018$4,375≈ £3,225≈ €3,655Sign up to see

Jose Luis Cuevas’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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391 results · page 5 of 10

Al Pincel, from The Homage to Quevedo Portfolio, 1969
Lithograph · Paper · ed. 44/100
sheet 22 3/8 x 30in
Bonhams · Mar 24, 2013 · Lot 2085
$438≈ £288≈ €338Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $400–600View at Bonhams ↗
The Secret of Sir Walter Raleigh, 1973
Watercolor · Paper
10 1/2 x 7in
Bonhams · Aug 19, 2012 · Lot 2122
$1,063≈ £677≈ €864Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,000–1,500View at Bonhams ↗
Crime by Cuevas (portfolio of 11 lithographs), 1968
Lithograph
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Dec 11, 2011 · Lot 455
$94≈ £60≈ €70Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $500–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
Estudios para una historieta de ciencia ficción, 1967 (4)
Drawing · Paper
each 6 1/8 x 4 1/2in (15.5 x 11.5cm)
Bonhams · May 11, 2010 · Lot 1180
$2,196≈ £1,487≈ €1,729Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–4,000View at Bonhams ↗
Political Demagogy, 1968
Drawing · Paper
11 x 14in (27.9 x 35.6cm)
Bonhams · May 11, 2010 · Lot 1181
$1,952≈ £1,321≈ €1,537Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–4,000View at Bonhams ↗
Hombre enclaustrado, 1960
Drawing · Paper
24 3/4 x 37 3/4in (62.9 x 95.9cm)
Bonhams · May 11, 2010 · Lot 1182
$1,830≈ £1,239≈ €1,441Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–4,000View at Bonhams ↗
Kafka viviendo sus diarios; Untitled (2)
Watercolor · Paper
11 1/4 x 8 1/2in (28.6 x 21.6cm)
Bonhams · May 4, 2009 · Lot 8130
$1,464≈ £985≈ €1,107Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–2,000View at Bonhams ↗
Autorretrato como Van Gogh, 1962
Drawing · Paper
38 9/16 x 26in (98 x 66cm)
Bonhams · May 4, 2009 · Lot 8131
$3,660≈ £2,463≈ €2,768Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $4,000–6,000View at Bonhams ↗
Aquello fardo de sueños impreciso...
Drawing · Paper
17 1/4 x 23 1/2in (43.7 x 59.7cm)
Bonhams · Nov 18, 2008 · Lot 191
$1,440≈ £958≈ €1,138Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,500–3,000View at Bonhams ↗
Untitled (Letter), 1982 (3)
Drawing · Paper
each 8 5/8 x 6 1/4in (21.9 x 15.9cm)
Bonhams · Nov 18, 2008 · Lot 192
$1,680≈ £1,118≈ €1,328Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,500–3,500View at Bonhams ↗

Also offered, result not published (103)

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

Jose Luis Cuevas works on paper (75)Jose Luis Cuevas watercolors (17)Jose Luis Cuevas drawings (52)Jose Luis Cuevas prints (285)Jose Luis Cuevas etchings (160)Jose Luis Cuevas lithographs (52)Jose Luis Cuevas screenprints (69)Jose Luis Cuevas sculpture (4)

Jose Luis Cuevas signature

451 catalogued lots by Jose Luis Cuevas record a signature line. The most common placement is lower right (38% of lots that state a placement). Most often: signed.

Placement

lower right3
upper left3
upper right1
lower centre1

Form

signed333
signed and dated113
signed in pencil5

Pencil signed lower right — La Renaudiere, Austin Auction Gallery, Feb 20, 2026
Signed and inscribed upper left — Borgia-Heads in Profile, Clarke Auction Gallery, Jun 29, 2025
Firmado y fechado 7.VI.67 al frente. Firmado y fechado 7 de junio 1967 al reverso — Estudio para el primer mural efímero # 44, Morton Subastas, Mar 14, 2024

Jose Luis Cuevas signature: all forms and examples →

About Jose Luis Cuevas

José Luis Cuevas was a Mexican artist who worked as a painter, writer, draftsman, engraver, illustrator, and printmaker. Cuevas was one of the first to challenge the then dominant Mexican muralism movement as a prominent member of the Generación de la Ruptura. He was a mostly self-taught artist, whose styles and influences are moored to the darker side of life, often depicting distorted figures and the debasement of humanity. He remained a controversial figure throughout his career, not only for his often shocking images, but also for his opposition to writers and artists who he felt participated in corruption or created only for money. In 1992, the José Luis Cuevas Museum was opened in the historic center of Mexico City holding most of his work and his personal art collection. His grandson Alexis de Chaunac is a contemporary artist.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.