Wolfgang Paalen

Austrian · 1905–1959 · Painter, Sculptor

Wolfgang Robert Paalen was an Austrian-Mexican painter, sculptor, and art philosopher. A member of the Abstraction-Création group from 1934 to 1935, he joined the influential… (Wikipedia)

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11auction results2013–2026years recorded100%sold (11)$38.2kSign up free to seemedian price

Record prices

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Avertissement I (Peinture)Grisebach · Jul 2020€387,500≈ $439,503≈ £347,405Sign up to see
Hommes possiblesGrisebach · May 2013€132,980≈ $172,954≈ £113,517Sign up to see
Les tours de lumièreGrisebach · Nov 2013€60,000≈ $81,666≈ £49,964Sign up to see

Wolfgang Paalen’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 11 auction results for Wolfgang Paalen between 2013 and 2026, of which 11 sold (100%). Recorded sale prices range from $1.3kSign up free to see to $440kSign up free to see. The highest price recorded is $440kSign up free to see for Avertissement I (Peinture) at Grisebach in July 2020. The most common medium is oil paintings (6 lots). Most results come from Grisebach (3), Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) (3) and Ketterer Kunst (3).

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11 results

Avertissement, 1934
Oil · Canvas
36.7 x 53 cm (14.4 x 20.8 in)
Ketterer Kunst · Jul 15, 2026 · Lot 181
€33,500≈ $38,210≈ £28,506Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €10,000–View at Ketterer Kunst ↗
Messagers, 1949
Oil · Canvas
30.5 x 25.5 cm (12 x 10 in)
Ketterer Kunst · Jul 15, 2026 · Lot 56
€46,900≈ $53,494≈ £39,909Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €15,000–View at Ketterer Kunst ↗
Composition, 1933
Oil · Canvas
53 x 37 cm (20.8 x 14.5 in)
Ketterer Kunst · Jun 13, 2026 · Lot 138
€47,730≈ $55,209≈ £41,195Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €20,000–View at Ketterer Kunst ↗
Phantoms I, 1933
Oil · Paper
14 1/2 x 20 5/8 in. (36.8 x 52.4 cm)
Phillips · May 15, 2024 · Lot 104
$15,240≈ £12,077≈ €14,069Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $15,000–20,000View at Phillips ↗
Untitled, 1954
Drawing · Paper
2 1/4 x 6 1/4 in.
Bonhams · Apr 20, 2022 · Lot 24
$2,550≈ £1,953≈ €2,355Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–2,500View at Bonhams ↗
Avertissement I (Peinture), 1934
Oil
115 × 195 cm
Grisebach · Jul 9, 2020 · Lot 3
€387,500≈ $439,503≈ £347,405Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €200,000–300,000View at Grisebach ↗
Abstraction with Lyrical Form; Abstraction with Geometric and Lyrical Form (2), c. 1950
Woodcut / linocut · Paper
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Mar 5, 2017 · Lot 238
$1,250≈ £1,018≈ €1,180Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
Paysage Musical, 1947
Gouache · Paper
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · May 22, 2016 · Lot 142
$5,000≈ £3,453≈ €4,457Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $4,000–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
Untitled, 1954
Drawing · Paper
Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · May 22, 2016 · Lot 144
$1,750≈ £1,208≈ €1,560Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. $1,500–View at Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) ↗
Les tours de lumière, 1936
Oil
41 × 33 cm
Grisebach · Nov 29, 2013 · Lot 522
€60,000≈ $81,666≈ £49,964Price realizedSign up free to seeEst. €25,000–35,000View at Grisebach ↗

Wolfgang Paalen paintings (6)Wolfgang Paalen oil paintings (6)Wolfgang Paalen works on paper (4)

Wolfgang Paalen: quick facts

What is the highest price paid for a work by Wolfgang Paalen at auction?

$439,503Sign up free to see, for Avertissement I (Peinture) at Grisebach (July 2020) — the highest price in ArtSell’s records.

What is a typical auction price for Wolfgang Paalen?

The median sale price is $38.2kSign up free to see across 11 priced sales. Prices vary by medium, size and date — see the price chart & statistics.

How many works by Wolfgang Paalen have sold at auction?

11 of 11 recorded lots sold between 2013 and 2026.

Which auction houses sell Wolfgang Paalen?

Grisebach, Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) and Ketterer Kunst account for the most recorded results. Grisebach · Los Angeles Modern Auctions (LAMA) · Ketterer Kunst

About Wolfgang Paalen

Wolfgang Robert Paalen was an Austrian-Mexican painter, sculptor, and art philosopher. A member of the Abstraction-Création group from 1934 to 1935, he joined the influential Surrealist movement in 1935 and was one of its prominent exponents until 1942. Whilst in exile in Mexico, he founded his own counter-surrealist art-magazine DYN, in which he summarized his critical attitude towards radical subjectivism and Freudo-Marxism in Surrealism with his philosophy of contingency. He rejoined the group between 1951 and 1954, during his sojourn in Paris.

From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.