Price databaseBrowseWhat’s it worth?Sell your artworkAppraisals
Watchlist
1981 - Future by Ed Ruscha, 1980, oil on canvas, offered Oct 2020Photo © Phillips — view this lot on Phillips ↗

Thumbnail shown for reference only. Phillips holds the rights to its photography — see the full images on the original lot page ↗

Auction result

1981 - Future

Ed Ruscha (American, b. 1937) · 1980

Unsold / did not meet reserve

Estimate £600,000 – £800,000 (≈ $775,860 – $1,034,480) (≈ €656,952 – €875,936)

Offered at Phillips and passed / bought in. Counted in the artist’s sell-through rate; no price, so not in price averages.

Auction history of this work: offered 2 times ↓

Medium
Oil · Paintings all oil results →
As published: “oil on canvas”
Support
Canvas
Signed / inscribed
Signed, titled and dated '“1981 - FUTURE" Ed Ruscha 1980' on the reverse · Ed Ruscha signature
Category
Oil paintings
Dimensions
56 x 202.9 cm. (22 x 79 7/8 in.)
Auction house
Phillips
Sale
20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale (UK010620)
Date
October 20, 2020
Location
London
Lot
16
Estimate
£600,000 – £800,000 (≈ $775,860 – $1,034,480) (≈ €656,952 – €875,936)
Source
Auction house phillips.com ↗
Retrieved Sep 27, 2026

View this lot on Phillips ↗

Own a work by Ed Ruscha? Get a free auction estimate →

Own this work? Add it to My Collection → Private to you, with alerts when comparable works sell.

Provenance trail: auction history of this work

Offered twice between 2020 and 2021 · sold 1 · bought in / unsold 1

  1. 1981 - Future, Phillips 2020

    Oct 20, 2020 · Phillips this result

    20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, lot 16

    Bought in / unsold · est. £600,000 – £800,000

    As catalogued

    Ed Ruscha, “1981 - Future”, 1980

    oil on canvas

    56 x 202.9 cm. (22 x 79 7/8 in.)

  2. 1981 - Future, Phillips 2021

    Jun 8, 2021 · Phillips

    20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in Association with Poly Auction, lot 24

    Sold HK$4,410,000Sign up to see · est. HK$4,000,000 – HK$6,000,000

    As catalogued

    Ed Ruscha, “1981 - Future”, 1980

    oil on canvas

    56 x 202.9 cm. (22 x 79 7/8 in.)

Appearances are linked when the photographs match and the size, medium and title agree (match confidence 88%). Casts and prints are linked only when the cast or impression number also matches. Price changes compare each sold price with the previous one (in USD at each sale’s exchange rate when the currencies differ). Details are shown as each house published them.

Similar size by this artist

Works by Ed Ruscha with a longest side of about 203 cm (80 in) (±20 %).

All Ed Ruscha results of this size →

More results for Ed Ruscha

All results for Ed Ruscha →

Also in this sale

20th Century & Contemporary Art Evening Sale · Phillips · Oct 20, 2020

All Phillips results →

Similar works

Oil results by other artists.