William Kentridge

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)

848lots offered2009–2026years recorded79%sold (669)$5kSign 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. Anti-Entropy by William Kentridge, 2011, charcoal, coloured pencil and poster paint on 3 sheets of brown pattern-makers paper, in artist's frame, sold Jun 2019Anti-EntropyPhillips · £375,000≈ $475,988≈ €418,267Sign up to see
  2. Drawing for Stereoscope: Soho at Desk on Telephone by William Kentridge, charcoal and pastel on paper, sold Nov 2014Drawing for Stereoscope: Soho at Desk on TelephoneStrauss & Co · ZAR 4,092,480≈ $365,172≈ £229,639≈ €292,465Sign up to see
  3. Dancing Couple by William Kentridge, charcoal, pastel and gold ink on paper, sold Jun 2017Dancing 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).

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  1. Bird Catching by William Kentridge, 2006, drypoint and acquatint Hahnemühle warm White 300gsm paper, offered May 2026
    Bird Catching, 2006
    Drypoint · Paper
    image size: 40 by 39,5cm; sheet size: 49,5 by 49cm; 60,5 by 60 by 3,5cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 44
    Unsold / did not meet reserveEst. ZAR 50,000–70,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  2. Almost Don't Worry by William Kentridge, 2010, linocut on paper, offered Apr 2026
    Almost Don't Worry, 2010
    Woodcut / linocut · Paper
    119 by 108cm excluding frame; 143 by 131,5 by 5,5cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 68
    Unsold / did not meet reserveEst. ZAR 350,000–450,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  3. Eight Figures by William Kentridge, 2010, linocut on paper, offered Apr 2026
    Eight Figures, 2010
    Woodcut / linocut · Paper
    104 by 200cm excluding frame; 127,5 by 223,5 by 6,5cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 69
    Unsold / did not meet reserveEst. ZAR 600,000–800,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  4. Dying barbarians by William Kentridge, 2014, charcoal on found ledger pages, offered Apr 2026
    Dying barbarians, 2014
    Drawing
    46.5 x 66 cm (18 1/4 x 25 7/8 in.)
    Phillips · · Lot 29
    Unsold / did not meet reserveEst. £10,000–15,000View at Phillips ↗
  5. Art in a State of Grace - Woman with Fish (S.292) by William Kentridge, 1988, colour screenprint on paper, offered Mar 2026
    Art in a State of Grace - Woman with Fish (S.292), 1988
    Screenprint · Paper
    image size: 166 by 96cm; 175 by 116 by 4cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 468
    Unsold / did not meet reserveEst. ZAR 500,000–700,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  6. General by William Kentridge, power-tool engraved ploycarbon sheet on hand-painted Vélin d'Arches Blanc 300gsm paper, offered Mar 2026
    General
    Engraving · Paper · ed. 21/35
    120 by 79,5cm excluding frame; 156 by 113,5 by 3,5cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 557
    Unsold / did not meet reserveEst. ZAR 450,000–550,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  7. Preparatory Sketch for Woyzeck on the Highveld (recto) Mine Compound (verso) by William Kentridge, 1992, charcoal on paper, offered Mar 2026
    Preparatory Sketch for Woyzeck on the Highveld (recto) Mine Compound (verso), 1992
    Drawing · Paper
    66 by 117cm excluding frame; 83 by 134,5 by 2cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 574
    Unsold / did not meet reserveEst. ZAR 1,500,000–2,000,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  8. Colour Chart I by William Kentridge, 2012, linocut on handmade sisal-cotton paper, offered Nov 2025
    Colour Chart I, 2012
    Woodcut / linocut · Paper · ed. 16/40
    143,5 by 80,5cm excluding frame; 186,5 by 106,5 by 8,5cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 43
    Unsold / did not meet reserveEst. ZAR 200,000–300,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  9. Colour Chart II by William Kentridge, 2012, linocut on handmade sisal-cotton paper, offered Nov 2025
    Colour Chart II, 2012
    Woodcut / linocut · Paper · ed. 16/40
    143,5 by 80,5cm excluding frame; 186,5 by 106 by 8,5cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 44
    Unsold / did not meet reserveEst. ZAR 200,000–300,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  10. Sleeper and Ubu by William Kentridge, 1997, soft-ground etching, aquatint and drypoint, from two copper plates, and power-tool engraved polycarbon sheet for the Ubu, offered Nov 2025
    Sleeper and Ubu, 1997
    Etching · Paper
    image size: 97 by 193,5cm; 109,5 by 204,5 by 3,5cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 99
    Unsold / did not meet reserveEst. ZAR 300,000–400,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
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 (29)

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.

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