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Max Ernst, Le Grand Assistant

Max Ernst

German · 1891–1976 · Painter, Printmaker

Max Ernst was a German-born painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a pioneer of the Dada movement and surrealism in Europe. He… (Wikipedia)

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780lots offered2001–2026years recorded89%sold (659)$1.7kSign up free to seemedian price

5 works by Max Ernst with an auction history (offered more than once) →

2 works by Max Ernst coming up at auction · bid with the house ↓

Record prices

  1. Max Ernst, Dans les rues d'Athènes, 1960, bronzeDans les rues d'AthènesPhillips · $1,534,000≈ £1,169,029≈ €1,324,355Sign up to see
  2. Max Ernst, Pyramid Lake, 1946, oil on canvasPyramid LakePhillips · £627,500≈ $862,938≈ €743,784Sign up to see
  3. Max Ernst, Mer agitée, soleil, nuage et maître Corbeau avec son fils, 1953, Collage and oil on canvasMer agitée, soleil, nuage et maître Corbeau avec son filsLempertz · €620,000≈ $740,094≈ £530,267Sign up to see

Max Ernst’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

2 in forthcoming sales · bid with the house

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

ArtSell has recorded 740 auction results for Max Ernst between 2001 and 2026, of which 659 sold (89%). A further 40 lots were offered at auction without a published result. Recorded sale prices range from $66Sign up free to see to $1.5MSign up free to see. The highest price recorded is $1.5MSign up free to see for Dans les rues d'Athènes at Phillips in November 2025. The most common medium is lithographs (252 lots). Most results come from Van Ham (235), Phillips (112) and Ketterer Kunst (103).

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  1. Max Ernst, Yellow Sea Shell, chromolithography
    Yellow Sea Shell
    Lithograph · ed. 15/450
    Artmark · · Lot 99
    €250≈ $284≈ £215HammerSign up free to seeEst. €250–450View at Artmark ↗
  2. Max Ernst, Salon de Mai, 1958, poster, lithograph
    Salon de Mai, 1958
    Lithograph · Paper
    44,5x66,5 cm
    Van Sabben Poster Auctions · · Lot 96
    €172≈ $196≈ £148Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €50–100View at Van Sabben Poster Auctions ↗
  3. Max Ernst, Untitled, 1974, Colour frottage in pastel chalks on paper, mounted on light blue card
    Untitled, 1974
    Pastel · Paper
    25 x 13.3 cm
    Lempertz · · Lot 224
    €6,350≈ $7,391≈ £5,489Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €6,000–8,000View at Lempertz ↗
  4. Max Ernst, POISSONS (Fish), 1967, etching and aquatint in three colors on Rives BFK paper
    POISSONS (Fish), 1967
    Etching · Paper · ed. 22/99
    19.5"h, 25.75"w
    Palm Beach Modern Auctions · · Lot 449
    $1,408≈ £1,054≈ €1,211Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $300–400View at Palm Beach Modern Auctions ↗
  5. Max Ernst, DA BALLADE DU SOLDAT, print (other)
    DA BALLADE DU SOLDAT
    Print (other)
    38.5 x 28.5 cm
    Capitolium Art · · Lot 15
    €252≈ $294≈ £219Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €300–500View at Capitolium Art ↗
  6. Max Ernst, Chéri Bibi, 1973, Bronze
    Chéri Bibi, 1973
    Sculpture · ed. edition of 175
    34.5 x 18 x 17 cm (13.5 x 7 x 6.6 in)
    Ketterer Kunst · · Lot 44
    €22,110≈ $26,046≈ £19,222Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €15,000–View at Ketterer Kunst ↗
  7. Max Ernst, "Oiseaux Souterrains", Farblithographie auf leichtem Karton
    "Oiseaux Souterrains"
    Lithograph · Board
    Blattmaße ca. 31 x 56,5 cm
    Auktionshaus Mehlis · · Lot 3588
    €100≈ $115≈ £87HammerSign up free to seeView at Auktionshaus Mehlis ↗
  8. Max Ernst, Untitled; and Untitled (S. & L. 248), 1973, Two lithographs, one in colors, on Japan nacre paper, with full margins
    Untitled; and Untitled (S. & L. 248), 1973
    Lithograph · Paper
    both I. 10 7/8 x 6 in. (27.6 x 15.2 cm) both S. approx. 14 7/8 x 10 1/4 in. (37.8 x 26 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 265
    $903≈ £660≈ €763Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $800–1,200View at Phillips ↗
  9. Max Ernst, Après moi le XXe Siècle, from Hommage à Max Ernst; and Untitled, from XXe Siècle no. 42 (S. & L. 202 & 252), 1971 & 1974, Two lithographs in colors, one on Japan paper and one on wove paper, with full margins
    Après moi le XXe Siècle, from Hommage à Max Ernst; and Untitled, from XXe Siècle no. 42 (S. & L. 202 & 252), 1971 & 1974
    Lithograph · Paper · ed. EA
    Après moi le XXe Siècle I. 11 1/2 x 9 7/8 in. (29.2 x 25.1 cm) S. 20 1/8 x 13 1/4 in. (51.1 x 33.7 cm) Untitled, from XXe Siècle no. 42 I. 12 1/2 x 9 1/2 in. (31.8 x 24.1 cm) S. 19 1/2 x 13 1/2 in. (49.5 x 34.3 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 266
    $839≈ £614≈ €709Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $800–1,200View at Phillips ↗
  10. Max Ernst, Festin: one plate; and Hommage à San Lazzaro, from San Lazzaro et ses amis (Homage to San Lazzaro, from San Lazzaro and His Friends) (S. & L. 249.VI), 1974 & 1975, Two lithographs in colors, on wove paper, with full margins
    Festin: one plate; and Hommage à San Lazzaro, from San Lazzaro et ses amis (Homage to San Lazzaro, from San Lazzaro and His Friends) (S. & L. 249.VI), 1974 & 1975
    Lithograph · Paper
    Festin: one plate I. 13 1/2 x 10 3/8 in. (34.3 x 26.4 cm) S. 18 1/8 x 13 1/2 in. (46 x 34.3 cm) Hommage à San Lazzaro I. 12 1/4 x 9 1/2 in. (31.1 x 24.1 cm) S. 14 x 10 3/8 in. (35.6 x 26.4 cm)
    Phillips · · Lot 268
    $1,226≈ £897≈ €1,035Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,200–1,500View at Phillips ↗
Also offered, result not published (40)

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

Max Ernst paintings (75)Max Ernst oil paintings (67)Max Ernst mixed media (8)Max Ernst works on paper (80)Max Ernst watercolors (8)Max Ernst gouaches (14)Max Ernst pastels (7)Max Ernst drawings (29)Max Ernst prints (491)Max Ernst etchings (118)Max Ernst aquatints (58)Max Ernst lithographs (252)Max Ernst screenprints (35)Max Ernst woodcuts & linocuts (3)Max Ernst photographs (5)Max Ernst sculpture (49)

Max Ernst: quick facts

What is the highest price paid for a work by Max Ernst at auction?

$1,534,000Sign up free to see, for Dans les rues d'Athènes at Phillips (November 2025) — the highest price in ArtSell’s records.

What is a typical auction price for Max Ernst?

The median sale price is $1.7kSign up free to see across 658 priced sales. Prices vary by medium, size and date — see the price chart & statistics.

How many works by Max Ernst have sold at auction?

659 of 740 recorded lots sold between 2001 and 2026. 40 further lots were offered with no published result and are not counted.

Which auction houses sell Max Ernst?

Van Ham, Phillips and Ketterer Kunst account for the most recorded results. Van Ham · Phillips · Ketterer Kunst

About Max Ernst

Max Ernst was a German-born painter, sculptor, printmaker, graphic artist, and poet. A prolific artist, Ernst was a pioneer of the Dada movement and surrealism in Europe. He had no formal artistic training, but his experimental attitude toward the making of art resulted in his invention of frottage—a technique that uses pencil rubbings of textured objects and relief surfaces to create images—and grattage, an analogous technique in which paint is scraped across canvas to reveal the imprints of the objects placed beneath. Ernst is noted for his unconventional drawing methods as well as for creating novels and pamphlets using the method of collages. He served as a soldier for four years during World War I, which left him shocked and critical of the modern world. During World War II he was designated an "undesirable foreigner" while living in France.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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