How much is a painting from an estate worth?
Most paintings found in estates are by lesser-known or regional artists. The figures below cover every recorded oil and acrylic painting sale, so the median is a realistic guide for an ordinary estate painting; known names sell for much more.
Across 178,263 oil and acrylic paintings sold at auction since 2021 in the ArtSell database, the median price was $1,491. Half sold between $438 and $6,424, and one in ten sold for more than $27,048.
Find comparable sales for your painting:
How prices are spread
| Under $500 | 27% |
| $500 to $5,000 | 44% |
| $5,000 to $50,000 | 23% |
| $50,000 and up | 6% |
Artists with the most oil and acrylic paintings sold
| Artist | Sales since 2021 | Median |
|---|---|---|
| George Weissbort | 441 | $89 |
| Emerson Woelffer | 379 | $1,638 |
| Graham Knuttel | 278 | $3,139 |
| Richard Rogers | 239 | $190 |
| A. Y. Jackson | 201 | $21,610 |
| Damien Hirst | 200 | $4,410 |
| George Sherwood Hunter | 182 | $162 |
| Sidney Nolan | 178 | $14,286 |
| Arthur Boyd | 169 | $49,092 |
| Fernando Amorsolo | 162 | $104,016 |
Recent oil and acrylic paintings sold
- Joseph Southall, “Study of a Turbaned Head”: $1,322 (1818 Auctioneers, Oct 11, 2026)
- Augustus Edwin Mulready, “The Day is Done”: $1,124 (1818 Auctioneers, Oct 11, 2026)
- Clare Atwood, “Top of the Tide”: $899 (1818 Auctioneers, Oct 11, 2026)
- Olly Alcock, “Cauliflower on Keswick Line”: $238 (1818 Auctioneers, Oct 11, 2026)
- Olly Alcock, “The Jubilee Line”: $238 (1818 Auctioneers, Oct 11, 2026)
- Marion Bloom, “Still life study of a vase of vibrant flowers”: $53 (1818 Auctioneers, Oct 11, 2026)
- Pat Dyson, “A still life cottage window study with vases of”: $46 (1818 Auctioneers, Oct 11, 2026)
- John T. Kenney, “The Quorn”: $727 (John Nicholson's, Oct 10, 2026)
- Odette De Garets, “Still life interior scene”: $198 (Keys Fine Art Auctioneers, Oct 10, 2026)
- Prof. Luigi, “Rocca”: $185 (Keys Fine Art Auctioneers, Oct 10, 2026)
The highest price recorded since 2021: Jean-Michel Basquiat, “Untitled” at $85,000,000 (Phillips, May 18, 2022).
What affects the value
- Find the signature and search the name on ArtSell. A signed painting by an artist with auction results is the easiest to value.
- Check the back: gallery labels, exhibition stickers and inscriptions add value and help identify the work.
- Do not clean or restore a painting before getting an estimate.
Questions
How much is a painting worth?
Across 178,263 oil and acrylic paintings sold at auction since 2021 in the ArtSell database, the median price was $1,491. Half sold between $438 and $6,424, and one in ten sold for more than $27,048.
What share of oil and acrylic paintings sell for under $500?
27% of the recorded oil and acrylic paintings sold for under $500, and 6% sold for $50,000 or more.
Which artists' oil and acrylic paintings sell most often at auction?
George Weissbort, Emerson Woelffer, Graham Knuttel, Richard Rogers, A. Y. Jackson have the most recorded oil and acrylic paintings sales since 2021.
How do I find out what my painting is worth?
Search the artist in the ArtSell price database to see comparable results, use the What's my art worth tool, or send photos for a free auction estimate.
Figures are recorded auction results (price including buyer’s premium where published, converted to USD) in the ArtSell database since 2021, updated twice a day. They describe past sales, not a valuation of any particular work.
More guides: prints · signed lithographs · screenprints · bronze sculptures · watercolors · works on paper · photographs · selling a whole collection