Wassily Kandinsky Value: Top Prices Paid at Auction

Murnau Mit Kirche II (1910) set Kandinsky's current auction record when it sold at Sotheby's London in March 2023. This vivid landscape, measuring 96 x 105.5 cm, represents the pinnacle of Kandinsky's pre-abstract Expressionist period, capturing the Bavarian village of Murnau, one of Kandinsky’s favourite subjects, with bold colours and simplified forms. It was around 1910 that Kandinsky first started moving away from representational art, introducing such techniques as flattened perspective, a vibrant palette, and simplified architectural forms. Murnau Mit Kirche II (1910) is a prime example of Kandinsky’s “floating in space” effect, created by separating colour from line. Its unique provenance - having been stolen by the Nazis from the Jewish Stern family and later restituted to their heirs - contributed to its historic performance at auction.

This important transitional work from 1913, its title translating literally to “Painting With White Lines,” achieved this impressive result at Sotheby's London in June 2017. Its swirling forms and vibrant, contrasting colours are balanced by the structural white lines that give the piece its title. It was created during Kandinsky's time in Munich, just before the outbreak of World War I, and demonstrates the artist's evolving theories about colour and composition as outlined in his seminal 1910 text Concerning the Spiritual in Art. Kandinsky was growing firm in his belief that painting could, and should, express inner experiences and spiritual concepts when executed non-representationally. His portfolio of work was intended to reflect a universal spirituality. The painting's rarity, having changed hands only once, and art historical significance contributed to its strong performance.

This vibrant landscape from 1909 achieved this result at the same sale Bild Mit Weissen Linien (1913) sold for £29.2M, which meant two new records were set for Kandinsky on the same night. Painted during Kandinsky's crucial years in Murnau, Bavaria, “Landscape With Green House” shows his bold use of colour and increasingly abstracted forms while still retaining recognisable landscape elements. The painting's flattened perspective and vivid, non-naturalistic colours reveal the influence of Fauvism and folk art on Kandinsky's developing style. This period in Murnau, where Kandinsky worked alongside Gabriele Münter, Alexej von Jawlensky, and Marianne von Werefkin, was instrumental in his progression toward abstraction, making works from this time particularly significant to collectors and institutions. The piece had not appeared for sale since 1920, making its 2017 auction the first time it had been available to collectors for almost 100 years.

Tensions Calmées (1937) sold out of a prestigious American collection at Sotheby's London in June 2021. This sophisticated late composition features a complex arrangement of geometric and biomorphic forms against a dark background, creating a sense of cosmic space. It was painted during Kandinsky's Paris period following his departure from Germany, and demonstrates the culmination of his career-spanning approach to composition and colour relationships. The painting's title reflects Kandinsky's lifelong interest in the dynamic tensions between opposing forces - geometric and organic, light and dark, structure and spontaneity - which he sought to harmonise through his art. The work’s rich provenance and exhibition history, beginning with the Three Masters of Bauhaus exhibition at the Nierendorf Gallery in 1938 and travelling to the Guggenheim New York in 1945 and beyond, added to its appeal and value for collectors in 2021.

The first installation on this list that did not take place at Sotheby’s London, Tiefes Braun (1924) sold at Christie's New York in November 2022. It had been part of the Paul G. Allen Collection since 2000, but had previously appeared at multiple special exhibitions at the Guggenheim New York, including Kandinsky, Klee, Feininger: 3 Bauhaus Painters in 1970. The geometric abstract composition is typical of Kandinsky’s Bauhaus period, a style he developed during his tenure at the influential German design school. It demonstrates key features of Bauhaus work, including a warm palette of earthy tones contrasted with vibrant primary colours, as well as sharp geometry contrasted with organic forms. Created during a period of intense theoretical development, the work exemplifies Kandinsky's systematic approach to abstraction that would influence generations of artists.

Its title translating to “Rigid And Curved,” Rigide Et Courbé (1935) secured this result at Christie's New York in November 2016. This work, seemingly resembling music instruments and notes in its arrangement of geometric and organic shapes, is notable for its experimental technique - Kandinsky applied sand to the canvas to create a textured surface before painting, giving the work a distinctive tactile quality that can only properly be appreciated up close. It was created during Kandinsky’s time in Paris, after the Nazi regime closed the Bauhaus school, and demonstrates the artist’s intent to continue the Bauhaus work. The work's impressive scale, at almost 2 metres wide, innovative technique, and rarity - having been displayed only once at the Museum of Non-Objective Paintings (now the Guggenheim) in New York in 1949 - contributed to its strong performance at auction.

This early abstract work from 1910, “Improvisation On Mahogany,” achieved this result at Sotheby's New York in November 2018. As the title suggests, the work was painted on a mahogany panel rather than canvas and focuses on experimenting with materials, forms, and combinations. Part of his Improvisations series, which Kandinsky described as "spontaneous expressions of incidents of an inner character," the painting features a bright colour palette and a composition that hovers between figuration and abstraction. The work remained in the collection of Nina Kandinsky, Kandinsky’s wife, until 1963, staying largely out of the public eye and only changing hands a couple of times. This, alongside its significance as a key transitional work in Kandinsky's development toward pure abstraction, drove strong bidding from international collectors, allowing it to surpass its high estimate.

Another remarkable sale at Sotheby's New York in November 2018 was this vibrant abstract from 1913. The work has an apocalyptic theme, which Kandinsky treats with swirling, abstracted forms and a luminous colour palette, evoking a sense of chaos but also unexpected positivity. It was created during his affiliation with Der Blaue Reiter in Munich, just before World War I would force his return to Russia, and therefore represents Kandinsky at the height of his early abstract period, when his theories about the spiritual dimensions of art were fully crystallising - its title translating to “On The Theme Of The Last Judgement.” Before its sale, it had been on display at the London Courtauld Gallery between 2002-18.

Weisses Oval (1921) achieved this impressive result at Sotheby's London in November 2024, making it the most recent instalment on this list. This geometric abstract composition demonstrates Kandinsky's artistic evolution following his return to Germany, encouraged by Paul Klee, to teach at the Bauhaus. As one of the earliest of Kandinsky’s Bauhaus works, it has been featured in many Bauhaus exhibitions, including Kandinsky: Russian and Bauhaus Years at the Kunsthaus Zurich in 1983-84. At the time of its creation, Kandinsky was developing his systematic theories about the relationships between basic forms and colours - as such, the work represents his intellectual approach to abstraction, which would be further elaborated five years later in his 1926 text Point and Line to Plane.

Rounding off this top 10 list is Le Rond Rouge (1939), which sold at Sotheby's London in November 2018 - a night that was incredibly significant for Kandinsky’s market. It was created during Kandinsky's final years in Paris, where he lived in relative isolation after fleeing Nazi Germany. The composition, featuring a dominant red circle set against a composition of playful biomorphic elements and geometric shapes, seems to suggest a break from conformity. The work is typical of Kandinsky's late style, which incorporated influences from Surrealism while maintaining his distinctive Bauhaus abstraction. Despite the challenging circumstances of its creation during the looming World War II, the painting exhibits a joyful, almost whimsical quality that speaks to Kandinsky's enduring creative spirit.