Price databaseBrowseSell your artwork
Watchlist

William Kentridge

South African · b. 1955 · Painter, Printmaker

William Kentridge is a South African artist best known for his prints, drawings, and animated films. He is especially noted for a sequence of hand-drawn animated films he… (Wikipedia)

Own a work by William Kentridge? Get a free auction estimate →

848lots offered2009–2026years recorded79%sold (669)$4.9kSign up free to seemedian price

18 works by William Kentridge with an auction history (offered more than once) →

1 work by William Kentridge coming up at auction · bid with the house ↓

Record prices

  1. William Kentridge, Anti-Entropy, 2011, charcoal, coloured pencil and poster paint on 3 sheets of brown pattern-makers paper, in artist's frameAnti-EntropyPhillips · £375,000≈ $475,988≈ €418,267Sign up to see
  2. William Kentridge, Drawing for Stereoscope: Soho at Desk on Telephone, charcoal and pastel on paperDrawing for Stereoscope: Soho at Desk on TelephoneStrauss & Co · ZAR 4,092,480≈ $365,172≈ £229,639≈ €292,465Sign up to see
  3. William Kentridge, Dancing Couple, charcoal, pastel and gold ink on paperDancing CoupleStrauss & Co · ZAR 4,092,480≈ $321,219≈ £248,795≈ €285,553Sign up to see

William Kentridge’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 847 auction results for William Kentridge between 2009 and 2026, of which 669 sold (79%). A further 1 lot was offered at auction without a published result. Recorded sale prices range from $70Sign up free to see to $476kSign up free to see. The highest price recorded is $476kSign up free to see for Anti-Entropy at Phillips in June 2019. The most common medium is etchings (173 lots). Most results come from Strauss & Co (691), Phillips (110) and Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (9).

All filters
Longest side–Reset

847 results · page 1 of 22

Sign up free to see all prices. You’ve seen the free realized prices for this month. Artist, title, date, house, medium, size and estimates stay visible to everyone. Create a free account · Sign in
  1. William Kentridge, Camera Horus, 2006, drypoint on Hahnemühle Warm White paper
    Camera Horus, 2006
    Drypoint · Paper
    image size: 17,5 by 20,5cm; sheet size: 28,5 by 33cm; 42 by 46 by 3,5cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 629
    ZAR 35,132≈ $2,161≈ £1,613≈ €1,880Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. ZAR 30,000–50,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  2. William Kentridge, Leaf, Waiting for the Sybil, 2019, coffee-lift aquatint and drypoint on hand-made Phumani sisal 120gsm paper mounted onto 300gsm Revere paper
    Leaf, Waiting for the Sybil, 2019
    Aquatint · Paper
    image size: 28,5 by 19,5cm; sheet size: 43 by 31,5cm; 59 by 47,5 by 4,5cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 681
    ZAR 30,032≈ $1,847≈ £1,379≈ €1,607Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. ZAR 20,000–30,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  3. William Kentridge, Wittgenstein's Rhinoceros, 2007, lithograph and hand-painting on Munken on Crane's Crest on BFK Rives, White 400
    Wittgenstein's Rhinoceros, 2007
    Lithograph · Paper
    image size: 130 by 111cm; sheet size: 160 by 121cm; 179 by 140 by 7cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 115
    ZAR 257,950≈ $15,851≈ £11,756≈ €13,737Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. ZAR 200,000–300,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  4. William Kentridge, 9 Films, Drawings for Projection, 2004, archival pigment print on cotton rag paper
    9 Films, Drawings for Projection, 2004
    Photograph · Other support · ed. 40/50
    image size: 156 by 110cm; 173 by 127 by 4,5cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 161
    ZAR 462,100≈ $28,396≈ £21,061≈ €24,609Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. ZAR 400,000–500,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  5. William Kentridge, Something Has Been Postponed, 2019, coffee-lift aquatint and drypoint on paper
    Something Has Been Postponed, 2019
    Aquatint · Paper · ed. 7/40
    image size: 29 by 39cm; sheet size: 45 by 50cm; 55 by 59 by 3,5cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 55
    ZAR 152,425≈ $9,367≈ £6,947≈ €8,117Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. ZAR 50,000–70,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  6. William Kentridge, Preparing for the Day, Little Morals Series, 1991, aquatint, drypoint, engraving and etching on paper
    Preparing for the Day, Little Morals Series, 1991
    Aquatint · Paper · ed. 20/45
    image size: 23,5 by 32cm; sheet size: 32 by 44cm; 59 by 70,5 by 3cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 56
    ZAR 108,113≈ $6,644≈ £4,927≈ €5,757Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. ZAR 30,000–50,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  7. William Kentridge, Everyone Their Own Projector, 2008, Artist's book
    Everyone Their Own Projector, 2008
    Artist's book · ed. 2/120
    26 x 19.6 x 1 cm (10 1/4 x 7 3/4 x 3/8 in.)
    Phillips · · Lot 413
    £194≈ $262≈ €225Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £800–1,200View at Phillips ↗
  8. William Kentridge, Receiver, 2005, The complete artist's book with 23 photogravure and drypoints, on handmade abaca paper, with full margins, 22 bound and one loose (as issued), with text by Wislawa Szymborska, all contained in the original handmade black paper wrappers and fabric-covered slipcase; and seven additional photogravure and drypoints, on various papers, with full margins
    Receiver, 2005
    Photograph · Paper · ed. AP
    all S. various sizes, largest 37.5 x 59 cm (14 3/4 x 23 1/4 in.) book 38 x 29.5 x 3 cm (14 7/8 x 11 5/8 x 1 1/8 in.)
    Phillips · · Lot 414
    £9,675≈ $13,058≈ €11,243Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £1,000–1,500View at Phillips ↗
  9. William Kentridge, Bird Catching: one plate, 2006, Drypoint and aquatint, on Hahnemühle paper, with full margins
    Bird Catching: one plate, 2006
    Drypoint · Paper · ed. 16/18
    I. 39.6 x 39.5 cm (15 5/8 x 15 1/2 in.) S. 49.3 x 48.9 cm (19 3/8 x 19 1/4 in.)
    Phillips · · Lot 415
    £1,677≈ $2,263≈ €1,949Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £1,000–1,500View at Phillips ↗
  10. William Kentridge, Bird Catching: one plate, 2006, Drypoint and aquatint, on Hahnemühle paper, with full margins
    Bird Catching: one plate, 2006
    Drypoint · Paper · ed. 16/18
    I. 39.6 x 39.5 cm (15 5/8 x 15 1/2 in.) S. 49.3 x 48.9 cm (19 3/8 x 19 1/4 in.)
    Phillips · · Lot 416
    £3,096≈ $4,179≈ €3,598Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £1,000–1,500View at Phillips ↗
Also offered, result not published (1)

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

William Kentridge paintings (8)William Kentridge mixed media (7)William Kentridge works on paper (149)William Kentridge watercolors (3)William Kentridge gouaches (4)William Kentridge pastels (62)William Kentridge drawings (44)William Kentridge prints (613)William Kentridge etchings (173)William Kentridge engravings (3)William Kentridge aquatints (47)William Kentridge drypoints (49)William Kentridge lithographs (165)William Kentridge screenprints (46)William Kentridge woodcuts & linocuts (73)William Kentridge multiples (5)William Kentridge photographs (37)William Kentridge sculpture (30)

William Kentridge: quick facts

What is the highest price paid for a work by William Kentridge at auction?

$475,988Sign up free to see, for Anti-Entropy at Phillips (June 2019) — the highest price in ArtSell’s records.

What is a typical auction price for William Kentridge?

The median sale price is $4.9kSign up free to see across 669 priced sales. Prices vary by medium, size and date — see the price chart & statistics.

How many works by William Kentridge have sold at auction?

669 of 847 recorded lots sold between 2009 and 2026. 1 further lot was offered with no published result and is not counted.

Which auction houses sell William Kentridge?

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

William Kentridge signature

753 catalogued lots by William Kentridge record a signature line. The most common placement is in the margin (85% of lots that state a placement). Most often: signed.

Placement

  • in the margin187
  • lower right20
  • lower left7
  • on the reverse5
  • lower centre1

Form

  • signed684
  • signed and dated55
  • initialled7
  • signed in pencil7

William Kentridge signature: all forms and examples →

About William Kentridge

William Kentridge is a South African artist best known for his prints, drawings, and animated films. He is especially noted for a sequence of hand-drawn animated films he produced during the 1990s, constructed by filming a drawing, making erasures and changes, and filming it again. He continues this process meticulously, giving each change to the drawing a quarter of a second's to two seconds' screen time. A single drawing will be altered and filmed this way until the end of a scene. These palimpsest-like drawings are later displayed along with the films as finished pieces of art.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related artists — South African, born 1930–1980

More South African artists of the same period