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)

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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) →

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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).

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  1. William Kentridge, A Brief Weightlessness, 2025, giclée print on 300gsm Somerset paper
    A Brief Weightlessness, 2025
    Print (other) · Paper · ed. 19/30
    image size: 35 by 42cm; sheet size: 40 by 50cm
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 379
    ZAR 66,069≈ $4,041≈ £2,991≈ €3,436Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. ZAR 30,000–50,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  2. William Kentridge, The Bird and Its Watcher, 2013, linocut on paper
    The Bird and Its Watcher, 2013
    Woodcut / linocut · Paper
    sheet size: 60,5 by 80cm, unframed
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 412
    ZAR 58,554≈ $3,581≈ £2,651≈ €3,045Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. ZAR 50,000–70,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  3. William Kentridge, Vase of Flowers, 2016, etching on paper
    Vase of Flowers, 2016
    Etching · Paper
    51 by 39cm excluding frame; 81 by 67 by 5cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 85
    ZAR 93,685≈ $5,718≈ £4,225≈ €4,847Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. ZAR 60,000–80,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  4. William Kentridge, Procession, 2021, etching on paper
    Procession, 2021
    Etching · Paper
    sheet size: 42 by 90cm, unframed
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 86
    ZAR 102,107≈ $6,232≈ £4,604≈ €5,282Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. ZAR 70,000–100,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  5. William Kentridge, Shadow Quartet, 2003, bronze with dark brown patina, in 4 parts
    Shadow Quartet, 2003
    Sculpture · ed. 8/8
    (i) 34 x 16 x 16 cm (13 3/8 x 6 1/4 x 6 1/4 in.) (ii) 30 x 16 x 16 cm (11 3/4 x 6 1/4 x 6 1/4 in.) (iii) 34 x 19 x 17 cm (13 3/8 x 7 1/2 x 6 3/4 in.) (iv) 36 x 16 x 16 cm (14 1/8 x 6 1/4 x 6 1/4 in.) overall installation dimensions variable
    Phillips · · Lot 2
    £77,400≈ $104,831≈ €88,975Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £35,000–55,000View at Phillips ↗
  6. William Kentridge, Walking Man, 2000, Linocut on Tableau rice paper
    Walking Man, 2000
    Woodcut / linocut · Paper · ed. 10/25
    95 3/4 x 39 3/8in (243.2 x 100cm)
    Bonhams · · Lot 161
    $15,360≈ £11,445≈ €13,146Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $18,000–22,000View at Bonhams ↗
  7. William Kentridge, Music Box Tondo, 2006, Archival pigment print in black and red on Hahnemühle paper
    Music Box Tondo, 2006
    Photograph · Paper · ed. 4/60
    42 1/4 x 42 1/8in (107.3 x 107cm)
    Bonhams · · Lot 162
    $10,880≈ £8,107≈ €9,312Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $6,000–8,000View at Bonhams ↗
  8. William Kentridge, Art in a State of Siege (100 Years of Easy Living) (S.294), 1988, colour screenprint on brown paper
    Art in a State of Siege (100 Years of Easy Living) (S.294), 1988
    Screenprint · Paper
    sheet size: 163 by 98cm; 178,5 by 114 by 5cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 469
    ZAR 229,325≈ $13,409≈ £10,027≈ €11,587Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. ZAR 200,000–300,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  9. William Kentridge, Iris, 2003, sugarlift etching on paper
    Iris, 2003
    Aquatint · Paper · ed. 36/40
    image size: 20 by 15cm; 50 by 44,5 by 3,5cm including frame
    Strauss & Co · · Lot 472
    ZAR 42,044≈ $2,458≈ £1,838≈ €2,124Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. ZAR 30,000–50,000View at Strauss & Co ↗
  10. William Kentridge, Drawing for Algiers, 2003, pastel and gouache on paper
    Drawing for Algiers, 2003
    Pastel · Paper
    80 x 80 cm (31 1/2 x 31 1/2 in.)
    Phillips · · Lot 188
    £33,540≈ $44,729≈ €38,690Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. £30,000–50,000View 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 (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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