Karl Stanley Benjamin

American · 1925–2012 · Painter

Karl Stanley Benjamin was an American painter of vibrant geometric abstractions, who rose to fame in 1959 as one of four Los Angeles–based Abstract Classicists and subsequently… (Wikipedia)

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70auction results2005–2026years recorded89%sold (62)$20.8kSign up free to seemedian price

3 works by Karl Stanley Benjamin with an auction history (offered more than once) →

1 work by Karl Stanley Benjamin coming up at auction · bid with the house ↓

Record prices

  1. Karl Stanley Benjamin, Untitled, 1955, Oil on canvasUntitledLos Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · $71,875≈ £47,286≈ €55,921Sign up to see
  2. Karl Stanley Benjamin, Yellow Landscape, 1953, oil on canvasYellow LandscapeBonhams · $68,415≈ £52,409≈ €63,172Sign up to see
  3. Karl Stanley Benjamin, Untitled (Mondrian), 1957, oil on canvasUntitled (Mondrian)Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · $60,480≈ £49,893≈ €57,284Sign up to see

Karl Stanley Benjamin’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).

Coming up at auction

1 in forthcoming sales · bid with the house

Listed from the auction houses’ own websites; estimates are the houses’ own, not results.

ArtSell has recorded 70 auction results for Karl Stanley Benjamin between 2005 and 2026, of which 62 sold (89%). Recorded sale prices range from $832Sign up free to see to $71.9kSign up free to see. The highest price recorded is $71.9kSign up free to see for Untitled at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) in May 2013. The most common medium is oil paintings (59 lots). Most results come from Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (46), Bonhams (16) and Rago Auctions (3).

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  1. Karl Stanley Benjamin, #14, 1965, oil on canvas
    #14, 1965
    Oil · Canvas
    42 h x 42⅛ w in (107 x 107 cm)
    Rago Auctions · · Lot 107
    $35,840≈ £26,528≈ €30,627Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $15,000–View at Rago Auctions ↗
  2. Karl Stanley Benjamin, Curve-Straight (CS) #4, 1963, oil on canvas
    Curve-Straight (CS) #4, 1963
    Oil · Canvas
    55 x 42 in.
    Bonhams · · Lot 30
    $10,240≈ £7,652≈ €8,790Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $12,000–18,000View at Bonhams ↗
  3. Karl Stanley Benjamin, Tape Grid (TG) #15, 1961, oil on canvas
    Tape Grid (TG) #15, 1961
    Oil · Canvas
    28 h x 14 w in (71 x 36 cm)
    Toomey & Co. · · Lot 157
    $2,794≈ £2,074≈ €2,367Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $4,000–View at Toomey & Co. ↗
  4. Karl Stanley Benjamin, City, 1951, oil on Masonite
    City, 1951
    Oil · Board
    22½ h x 14 w in (57 x 36 cm)
    Toomey & Co. · · Lot 158
    $2,794≈ £2,074≈ €2,367Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–View at Toomey & Co. ↗
  5. Karl Stanley Benjamin, #11, 1966, oil on canvas
    #11, 1966
    Oil · Canvas
    59½ h x 59½ w in (151 x 151 cm)
    Rago Auctions · · Lot 158
    $20,320≈ £15,215≈ €17,409Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $15,000–View at Rago Auctions ↗
  6. Karl Stanley Benjamin, A Group of 5 Screenprints, 1976
    A Group of 5 Screenprints, 1976
    three sheets 19 x 19in (48.3 x 48.3cm)
    Bonhams · · Lot 38
    $3,072≈ £2,274≈ €2,605Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $3,000–5,000View at Bonhams ↗
  7. Karl Stanley Benjamin, #9, 1968, oil on canvas
    #9, 1968
    Oil · Canvas
    42 x 42 in.
    Bonhams · · Lot 47
    $10,240≈ £7,521≈ €8,665Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $10,000–15,000View at Bonhams ↗
  8. Karl Stanley Benjamin, Stripes II, 1979, Screenprint in colors on Arches paper
    Stripes II, 1979
    Screenprint · Paper · ed. 20/50
    25 x 30 1/4in (63.6 x 77cm)
    Bonhams · · Lot 210
    $832≈ £615≈ €711Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $600–800View at Bonhams ↗
  9. Karl Stanley Benjamin, Sansevieria Plant, 1951, pastel on paper
    Sansevieria Plant, 1951
    Pastel · Paper
    30 h x 22 w in (76 x 56 cm)
    Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · · Lot 113
    $1,260≈ £937≈ €1,083Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $2,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
  10. Karl Stanley Benjamin, #3, 1967, oil on linen
    #3, 1967
    Oil · Linen
    40¼ h x 56 w in (102 x 142 cm)
    Rago Auctions · · Lot 129
    $27,940≈ £20,899≈ €24,239Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $18,000–View at Rago Auctions ↗

Karl Stanley Benjamin paintings (61)Karl Stanley Benjamin oil paintings (59)Karl Stanley Benjamin works on paper (3)

Karl Stanley Benjamin: quick facts

What is the highest price paid for a work by Karl Stanley Benjamin at auction?

$71,875Sign up free to see, for Untitled at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (May 2013) — the highest price in ArtSell’s records.

What is a typical auction price for Karl Stanley Benjamin?

The median sale price is $20.8kSign up free to see across 62 priced sales. Prices vary by medium, size and date — see the price chart & statistics.

How many works by Karl Stanley Benjamin have sold at auction?

62 of 70 recorded lots sold between 2005 and 2026.

Which auction houses sell Karl Stanley Benjamin?

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

Karl Stanley Benjamin signature

16 catalogued lots by Karl Stanley Benjamin record a signature line. Most often: initialled.

Placement

  • on the reverse1

Form

  • initialled6
  • signed in pencil4
  • signed and dated4
  • signed2

Karl Stanley Benjamin signature: all forms and examples →

About Karl Stanley Benjamin

Karl Stanley Benjamin was an American painter of vibrant geometric abstractions, who rose to fame in 1959 as one of four Los Angeles–based Abstract Classicists and subsequently produced a critically acclaimed body of work that explores a vast array of color relationships. Working quietly at his home in Claremont, California, he developed a rich vocabulary of colors and hard-edge shapes in masterful compositions of tightly balanced repose or high-spirited energy. At once intuitive and systematic, the artist was, in the words of critic Christopher Knight, "a colorist of great wit and inventiveness."

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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