Rating and value of paintings by JonOne

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Rating and value of the artist JonOne   

Considered an important street art artist of the 20th century, JonOne leaves behind an artistic identity of his own. His work consists mainly of paintings.

At present, the prices of his works are rising at auctioneers' gavels, his stock is on the rise. His canvases and other works are particularly prized, especially by French and American buyers, and the price at which they sell on the art market ranges from €30 to €128,500, a considerable delta but one that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to JonOne's works.

In 2013, a polychrome composition entitled Rolls Royce Corniche model sold for €128,500 while it was estimated at between €20,000 and €30,000.

Order of value from a simple work to the most prestigious 

Style and technique of the artist JonOne

JonOne is a major international street art artist with roots in New York graffiti. His work lies at the crossroads of graffiti writing, gestural abstraction and the heritage of abstract expressionism. He makes an assertive transition from the street to the studio without any formal break.

He initially trained in graffiti writing in New York in the 1980s. His practice is based on tagging, throw-up and wildstyle, with a progressive transposition of urban language to canvas.

Lettering forms the matrix of his work. Letters are deliberately fragmented, superimposed and sometimes rendered illegible. In this way, he transforms writing into a visual rhythm, rather than a legible message.

His work is fundamentally abstract, though derived from graffiti language. There is no recognizable figuration. The composition is based on the internal dynamics of shapes and colors.

His compositions are all-over, with no hierarchical focal point. The pictorial surface is saturated, often right up to the edges. His gestures are rapid, energetic and instinctive. The movement of the body is of great importance in the pictorial act, which in certain respects brings it closer to action painting (Jackson Pollock, Janet Sobel). His palette is highly saturated and contrasting, with vivid primary and secondary colors, and a layering of multiples.

Color is used as an autonomous expressive force, with an absence of illusionistic modeling or gradation. He uses mainly acrylic on canvas, with frequent use of broad brushes, markers and spray cans.

The pictorial material is visible but not impastoed in a sculptural manner. He quickly superimposes the cocuhes and makes assumed traces of the gesture and passage of the tool. His rhythmic organization is close to music, joining certain artists of lyrical abstraction on this point.

JonOne's career

JonOne was born in 1963 in New York, under the name John Andrew Perello. He has Dominican origins and grew up in the Harlem district, a decisive context for his immersion in urban culture.

He came into contact with New York graffiti in the early 1980s, and began tagging under the name JonOne from 1977-1978. At first, he practiced urban tagging as an identity statement.

In the 1980s, he quickly became part of the New York grafitti scene. He was a member of the 1956 All Starz collective, an influential grafitti group. He worked on subways, walls and industrial spaces.

At the end of the 1980s, he began working on canvas, without abandoning the graffiti language. He moved to Paris in 1987, and joined the Hôpital Éphémère art squat collective. He met artists from the European alternative scene.

The artist developed an increasingly abstract and gestural style of painting, gradually abandoning the legibility of lettering in favor of composition. He incorporates references to Western art history.

From the 1990s onwards, he exhibited in galleries, took part in international fairs and institutional collaborations. He became one of the first graffiti artists to be fully recognized on the contemporary art market.

JonOne defends a continuity between graffiti and contemporary painting, and refuses the hierarchy between urban and institutional art. His artistic practice is based on the freedom of gesture. He pursues intense studio-based production and multiplies monumental formats.

Market segmentation and the artist's rating

The market for JonOne's work is very active, international and highly hierarchical. The artist belongs to the first circle of historical street art, with an abundant but differentiated output.

One-off paintings on canvas are the most valued core segment, along with gestural abstraction derived from graffiti. Mural works have a symbolic and institutional value; they are not directly marketable but have a strong indirect impact on the quotation.

Serigraphs, multiples and editions constitute an entry-level segment with wide distribution. Works from the 1980s-1990s are relatively rare, with a strong historical premium (Hôpital Ephémère period).

The 2000s are the market's structuring period, with highly sought-after works. The 2010s and 2020s see abundant production, with a strong hierarchy based on format and quality.

Small formats (under 80 cm) are an entry-level market for one-off works. Medium formats (100-150 cm) form the core of the market, with greater liquidity. Very large formats (over 180 cm) are part of the high-end segment, in a narrower market but with high symbolic value.

Valuation criteria are the density of abstract writing, chromatic balance, gestural energy, lsibility of signature and dating, and provenance.

The market is very strong overall, supported by institutional recognition and international demand for graffiti pioneers, with a growing polarization for historical and large-format works, which are on the rise, and more stable secondary works.

Recognizing the artist's signature

JonOne sometimes signs his works, most of the time at the bottom of the painting, in a color that contrasts with the background.

Knowing the value of a work 

If you happen to own a work by JonOne or after the artist, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal using our form on our website.

A member of our team of experts and certified auctioneers will contact you promptly to provide you with an estimate of the market value of your work, as well as any relevant information about it.

If you're thinking of selling your work, our specialists will also help you find alternatives to sell it at the best possible price, taking into account market trends.