How to sell an art collection

A collection sells best when the strongest works are offered on their own and the rest are grouped sensibly. The work is mostly in the inventory, and you probably have half of it already.

Of the 203,775 oil and acrylic paintings sold at auction since 2021 in the ArtSell database, half brought between $425 and $6,523, the median was $1,465, and 28% sold for under $500.

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What these works sell for

Oil and acrylic paintings

$1,465

median · middle half $425–$6,523 · 203,775 sales since 2021

Prints

$654

median · middle half $231–$2,273 · 114,395 sales since 2021

Works on paper

$743

median · middle half $225–$2,901 · 117,380 sales since 2021

Bronze sculptures

$2,100

median · middle half $700–$7,040 · 21,060 sales since 2021

Recent examples

Håkon Bleken, “Uten tittel”: $2,640 (Blomqvist, Oct 14, 2026)
Axel Ender, “Uten tittel”: $1,689 (Blomqvist, Oct 14, 2026)
Even Ulving, “Uten tittel”: $1,267 (Blomqvist, Oct 14, 2026)
Madeleine Pyk, “Sjörövare”: $528 (Blomqvist, Oct 14, 2026)
Xan Krohn, “Bøverkinnhalsen”: $507 (Blomqvist, Oct 14, 2026)

1. Make a simple inventory

A spreadsheet with one row per work is enough: number, artist (if known), title or subject, medium, size, and where you got it. Add a photo reference for each. An existing insurance schedule or old appraisal is a good starting point.

2. Find the works that carry the value

In most collections a handful of works account for most of the value. Look up each named artist on ArtSell. Works by artists with a strong auction record are the ones to research and sell individually.

Search auction prices by artist →

3. Keep groups together where it helps

A run of prints by the same artist, a group of works with the same provenance, or a themed set can sell better together. Lesser works are often offered as group lots.

4. Get one review of the whole collection

Rather than sending dozens of separate requests, send the count, the location and a few photos or your inventory in one go. We review the whole collection and tell you which works to sell, how, and what similar works have brought.

Send your collection for a free review →

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Artists whose oil and acrylic paintings sell most often

George Weissbort (median $89) · Emerson Woelffer (median $1,638) · Lowell Nesbitt (median $875) · Graham Knuttel (median $3,139) · Richard Rogers (median $190) · Damien Hirst (median $4,375) · A. Y. Jackson (median $21,610) · George Sherwood Hunter (median $162)

Figures are recorded auction results (price including buyer’s premium where published, converted to USD) in the ArtSell database for the last five years, refreshed twice a day. They describe past sales, not a valuation of any particular work.