Sol Lewitt Value: Top Prices Paid at Auction

LeWitt’s current auction record is held by this monumental configuration of the artist’s characteristic sculptural cubes, when it sold out of the Mallin Collection at Sotheby's New York in February 2023. It was created in 1991, during LeWitt's mature period, and demonstrates the artist's sustained exploration of geometric forms and spatial relationships. LeWitt had a systematic approach to sculpture, which is why many of his works are so geometrically precise compared to the looser form of his painted works. LeWitt began his series of modular sculptures (or “structures,” as LeWitt preferred to call them) in the 1960s, connecting 12 linear elements at eight corners. The modules would then be connected to create larger, more complex sculptures that challenged the commodification of art in their enormous size. 1 x 2 Half Off (1991), however, is an example of a deceptively simple single-module work.

The sale of Wavy Brushstroke (1995) at Sotheby's New York in November 2014 set a record for LeWitt at the time, achieving more than double its high estimate. It represents one of LeWitt's later explorations into two-dimensional work, and was created just 12 years before his death. Combining gouache, watercolour, and drawing techniques, this painting stands in direct contrast with the rigid, monochromatic sculptures that occupy most of this list. The brushstrokes are, as the title suggests, more organic, but still with LeWitt’s characteristic sense of direction and deliberation - LeWitt called this “controlled movement.” Unlike his earlier works, which were produced by assistants using sets of instructions, LeWitt painted this piece and other curvilinear works from the 1990s himself - a factor that greatly contributed to its record sale price in 2014.

Hanging Sculpture 24 D (1991) achieved this significant result at Sotheby's New York in November 2023. It was created in the same year as the record-breaking 1 x 2 Half Off (1991), and sold for its top 10 value in the same year, too. This suspended sculpture shows LeWitt’s ability to transform simple forms through mathematical relationships and his skilful use of negative space. Similarly, its title suggests a systematic, mathematical approach to compositional experimentation, with “24” and “D” denoting variations within a larger series. At over 3 metres tall, it hangs, seemingly weightless, on a wall at eye-level for the viewer - a point that was always important to LeWitt. As such, viewers are encouraged to engage with the space the work occupies.

This sale of Wavy Brushstrokes (1995) in July 2015 followed the 2014 sale of Wavy Brushstroke (1995) at a time when collector interest in LeWitt’s organic, free-form paintings was at an all-time high. It sold at Sotheby’s London for more than double its high estimate and nearly four times its low estimate. Its simple provenance, being held in the Rhona Hoffman Gallery since 2000, meant it was relatively unknown, which, combined with its monumental size at nearly 4.5 metres wide, made it an appealing investment for LeWitt collectors.

Corner Piece No.4, another significant work from 1976, sold at Sotheby's New York in November 2015. Seven years earlier, in 2007, the same sculpture had sold for £329,280, demonstrating sustained collector interest in LeWitt's corner installations. Its assembly and form are similar to that of its companion piece, Corner Piece No.2 (1976), but with more of a unique structural form. Rather than simply occupying and filling the corner of a room, this work creates alternative platforms and spaces.

Created between 1966 and 1968, this steel sculpture achieved this top-10 result at Christie's New York in November 2015. Modular Floor Structure represents one of LeWitt's earliest explorations into systematic sculptural forms, and, as such, appears to be one of his simplest. LeWitt went on to prove that his “building block” cubes could be arranged in infinite combinations. The work dates from a crucial period in the artist's career when he was developing his fundamental ideas about Conceptual Art and the relationship between planning and execution in artistic practice. Its success at auction, at a time when LeWitt’s works were gaining renewed traction, was expected for such a formative piece of work.

This baked enamel and steel sculpture from 1967 achieved its result at Sotheby's New York in May 2008. The work's provenance from the prestigious Helga & Walther Lauffs Collection contributed to its strong performance at auction. Modular Cube, Base, like Modular Floor Structure (1966-68) is an example of LeWitt's foundational explorations of cubic forms during the 1960s, a period that established him as a pioneering figure in Minimalist sculpture. His initial choice to use very industrial materials and his invariable use of white rather than colour, aligned with the ideals of the movement. Before this time, LeWitt had been creating a series of closed-form wooden sculptures; works such as Modular Cube, Base (1967) signified his move towards more skeletal constructions.

Wall Structure B (1978) sold at Sotheby's New York in May 2015. This painted wood installation harks back to LeWitt’s initial experimentation with single-layer cubes, but this time assembled vertically, rather than horizontally. Much of LeWitt’s work from the 1970s focuses on creating wall-mounted structures that challenge the traditional expectations for sculpture versus paintings. While paintings are usually hung on gallery walls at eye level, sculptures are not - here, LeWitt reverses the concept. At this point in his career, LeWitt had completed his transition from Minimalism to Conceptual Art, using his art to express his ideas regardless of its resulting complexity. Exhibitions in his name had been held at MoMA, Kunsthalle Berlin, the Gemeentemuseum at The Hague, and more, marking his status as one of the world’s best-known contemporary artists.

The final piece on this list is Wall Floor Piece No.1 (1976), a painted wood structure that sold at Christie's New York in May 2009. It is another example of LeWitt's sophisticated understanding of how sculptural forms can activate both vertical and horizontal spaces and fit into the regular architectural spaces that we live in. 1976 was also the year LeWitt created his Corner Pieces, signifying his fascination with the horizontal-vertical dynamic that became pronounced in the mid-1970s. Wall Floor Piece No.1 (1976) is LeWitt at his finest, when his conceptual ideas, formal explorations, and artistic resistance fully came together; its significance was recognised early, with its inclusion at MoMA just two years after it was created.

This painted wood sculpture from 1976 achieved its notable result at Sotheby's New York in November 2007. Corner Piece No.2 represents LeWitt's innovative approach to site-specific installation work during the 1970s - it first appeared at the John Weber Gallery in 1977. Unlike LeWitt’s earlier steel works and later lightweight aluminium works, this piece is made out of painted wood. Fitting neatly into the corner of a room, the piece is the perfect example of LeWitt’s methodical determination to assemble geometric forms that interact with, and become part of, architectural space. In this instance, the corner is both a constraint and an opportunity for artistic intervention.