W. Eugene Smith

American · 1918–1978 · Photographer

William Eugene Smith was an American photojournalist. He has been described as "perhaps the single most important American photographer in the development of the editorial… (Wikipedia)

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83lots offered2011–2026years recorded72%sold (57)$3kSign up free to seemedian price

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Thelonious Monk Rehearsing in the LoftPhillips · Apr 2017$30,000≈ £24,118≈ €28,166Sign up to see
Walk to Paradise GardenPhillips · Oct 2018$23,750≈ £18,290≈ €20,649Sign up to see
Tomoko Uemura Being Bathed by her Mother, MinamataPhillips · Oct 2020$21,250≈ £16,347≈ €18,085Sign up to see

W. Eugene Smith’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 79 auction results for W. Eugene Smith between 2011 and 2026, of which 57 sold (72%). A further 4 lots were offered at auction without a published result. Recorded sale prices range from $228Sign up free to see to $30kSign up free to see. The highest price recorded is $30kSign up free to see for Thelonious Monk Rehearsing in the Loft at Phillips in April 2017. The most common medium is photographs (78 lots). Most results come from Phillips (33), Bonhams (22) and Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (7).

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79 results · page 1 of 2

6th Ave at 28th Street During Snowstorm, 1958
Photograph
34.3 x 19.5 cm
Lempertz · Jun 5, 2026 · Lot 628
€3,048≈ $3,548≈ £2,634Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €3,000–4,000View at Lempertz ↗
Silhouette of Patient in Trance, Haiti
Photograph
5½ h x 7⅞ w in (14 x 20 cm)
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Mar 10, 2026 · Lot 219
$635≈ £472≈ €545Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
Steel Worker, Pittsburgh, 1955-56
Photograph
8½ h x 5⅞ w in (22 x 15 cm)
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Mar 10, 2026 · Lot 220
$762≈ £567≈ €655Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
'Leyte Cathedral, Philippines', 1944
Photograph
9 1/8 x 11 3/4 in. (23.2 x 29.8 cm.)
Bonhams · Jan 22, 2026 · Lot 339
$614≈ £458≈ €525Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,000–1,500View at Bonhams ↗
Grandma Moses, 1948
Photograph
13 1/8 x 10 1/4 in. (33.3 x 26 cm.)
Bonhams · Jan 22, 2026 · Lot 340
$333≈ £248≈ €284Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $800–1,200View at Bonhams ↗
Untitled (School Children) (from 'Spanish Village'), 1950
Photograph
10 1/8 x 13 3/8 in. (25.7 x 34 cm.)
Bonhams · Jan 22, 2026 · Lot 341
$410≈ £305≈ €350Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,000–1,500View at Bonhams ↗
'Welsh Village', 1950
Photograph
6 7/8 x 12 1/4 in. (17.5 x 31.1 cm.)
Bonhams · Jan 22, 2026 · Lot 342
$640≈ £477≈ €547Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,200–1,800View at Bonhams ↗
Death of Gus-Gus, 1953
Photograph
7 7/8 x 10 in. (20 x 25.4 cm.)
Bonhams · Jan 22, 2026 · Lot 343
$1,664≈ £1,240≈ €1,421Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,200–1,800View at Bonhams ↗
Schweitzer's Hands (from 'Man of Mercy'), 1954
Photograph
9 5/8 x 13 1/8 in. (24.4 x 33.3 cm.)
Bonhams · Jan 22, 2026 · Lot 344
$640≈ £477≈ €547Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–2,000View at Bonhams ↗
Leper Patient and Religious Medal at Dr. Albert Schweitzer's, 1954
Photograph
10 1/8 x 12 7/8 in. (25.7 x 32.7 cm.)
Bonhams · Jan 22, 2026 · Lot 345
$538≈ £401≈ €459Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,000–1,500View at Bonhams ↗

Also offered, result not published (4)

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

W. Eugene Smith photographs (78)

W. Eugene Smith: quick facts

What is the highest price paid for a work by W. Eugene Smith at auction?

$30,000Sign up free to see, for Thelonious Monk Rehearsing in the Loft at Phillips (April 2017) — the highest price in ArtSell’s records.

What is a typical auction price for W. Eugene Smith?

The median sale price is $3kSign up free to see across 57 priced sales. Prices vary by medium, size and date — see the price chart & statistics.

How many works by W. Eugene Smith have sold at auction?

57 of 79 recorded lots sold between 2011 and 2026. 4 further lots were offered with no published result and are not counted.

Which auction houses sell W. Eugene Smith?

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

About W. Eugene Smith

William Eugene Smith was an American photojournalist. He has been described as "perhaps the single most important American photographer in the development of the editorial photo essay." His major photo essays include World War II photographs, the visual stories of an American country doctor and a nurse midwife, the clinic of Albert Schweitzer in French Equatorial Africa, the city of Pittsburgh, and the pollution which damaged the health of the residents of Minamata in Japan. His 1948 series, Country Doctor, photographed for Life, is now recognized as "the first extended editorial photo story".

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.