The Value of Old Paintings by Female Artists: Understanding Their Worth

Rarity, rediscovery, and shifting attributions: the value of antique paintings by female artists varies greatly depending on the artist and provenance.

Below you’ll find all our valuation guides dedicated to antique paintings by female artists—antique paintings and drawings by female painters. Each guide details the price ranges observed at auction and the factors that determine a work’s value before it is entrusted to our state-certified auctioneers.

Why the Value of Women Artists Is Rising in the Art Market

A rediscovery driven by collectors and auction houses

The value of paintings by female artists has seen remarkable growth over the past two decades, a trend that secondary market data is documenting with increasing clarity.

This rise is not the result of a passing fad but rather the manifestation of a profound process of historical correction, fueled by major retrospective exhibitions at the world’s leading museums, by academic research that has systematically reexamined the contribution of women artists to art history, and by a fundamental shift among the most discerning collectors, who have come to understand the scope and durability of this trend.

International auction houses have gradually strengthened their presence in this segment by dedicating themed sales to women artists and including their works in prestigious auctions alongside male artists from the same period and artistic movement.

This increased visibility has itself contributed to the establishment of fairer valuations, by exposing these works to competition from collectors who might not have become aware of them in a less thematically focused auction setting.

Works That Have Long Been Undervalued

The historical undervaluation of paintings by women artists stems from a combination of structural factors that have long disadvantaged their presence in the market: limited access to official commissions and academic awards, insufficient representation in public collections—which serve as the market’s institutional benchmarks—and the absence of specialized galleries that could have established and sustained their market value.

These obstacles, extensively documented in recent historiography, explain why artists such as Artemisia Gentileschi—long overshadowed by her father Orazio— or Berthe Morisot, who was systematically placed in the orbit of her male contemporaries, had to wait until the turn of the 21st century to see their market values approach those that the intrinsic quality of their works would have justified.

The Highest-Priced Female Artists at Auction

Pioneers in Art History: Artemisia Gentileschi, Berthe Morisot, Natalia Goncharova

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–c. 1656) is today considered one of the most important Baroque painters of her century; her mastery of Caravaggesque chiaroscuro and the dramatic power of her compositions securing her a place of the highest order in the history of 17th-century painting.

The rarity of her works on the open market—most of which are held in museums—makes every appearance at public auction a major event, with hammer prices reaching considerable levels.

Berthe Morisot (1841–1895), the only female founding member of the Impressionist group, long suffered from being systematically undervalued compared to her male contemporaries of comparable caliber.

The reassessment of her work in recent years has significantly narrowed this gap, with her pastels and oil paintings—noted for their remarkable lightness and sensitivity—now fetching prices that better reflect their historical significance.

Natalia Goncharova (1881–1962), a major figure in the Russian avant-garde and Neo-Primitivism, holds the auction record for a Russian female artist, with her most ambitious compositions fetching over several million dollars.

Great Women Artists of the 16th–17th Centuries: Sofonisba Anguissola, Lavinia Fontana, Artemisia Gentileschi

Sofonisba Anguissola (c. 1532–1625), the official portraitist at the court of Philip II of Spain, was the first example of a female artist fully integrated into the European royal commission circuit, and her self-portraits, of remarkable psychological insight, are now extremely rare on the open market, with most held in museum collections.

Lavinia Fontana (1552–1614), the first woman to have practiced painting professionally on a full-time basis— court portraits, history paintings, and mythological subjects in late-sixteenth-century Bologna, is enjoying growing institutional recognition, the effects of which are evident in the rare works that appear at public auction.

Artemisia Gentileschi (1593–c. 1656) remains the most iconic figure of this seminal period. Her masterful interpretation of Caravaggesque tenebrism—which she pushed to a dramatic intensity that few of her male contemporaries could match—has definitively secured her a place of the very highest order in the history of European Baroque painting.

The absolute rarity of her works on the open market—with virtually her entire body of work held in institutional collections—makes every appearance at public auction a major event, with hammer prices reaching levels that few 17th-century painters, male or female, can claim.

Great Paintings of the 18th and 19th Centuries: Anne Vallayer-Coster, Vigée Le Brun, Marie-Denise Villers, Rosa Bonheur

Anne Vallayer-Coster (1744–1818), a member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture since 1770, one of only four women ever admitted to that institution, produced a body of still-life work whose richness and precision are comparable to that of Chardin, whose presumed successor she was for a long time before recent art history restored to her a fully independent stylistic identity.

Her compositions of flowers, game, and musical instruments—notable for their technical precision and luminosity—are now selling at prices that finally reflect the intrinsic quality of a body of work that has been relegated to the background for far too long.

Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1755–1842) is undoubtedly the best-known and most highly regarded figure in late 18th-century French painting: the official portraitist of Marie-Antoinette, whose grace and melancholy she captured with a sensitivity that male portraits of the same period did not always achieve, she pursued a remarkable European career after the Revolution, leaving behind a body of work comprising more than eight hundred paintings, the most significant of which regularly fetch prices ranging from several hundred thousand to several million euros at public auctions.

The steady rise in her market value over the past two decades perfectly illustrates the trend of revaluation that is sweeping the entire market for women artists.

Rosa Bonheur (1822–1899), whose large-scale animal compositions, led by *The Horse Market*, combine academic technical mastery of the highest order with naturalistic observation of almost scientific precision, enjoyed international recognition during her lifetime that few 19th-century painters shared.

Her large canvases, which were already part of the British royal collections during her lifetime, are now enjoying a sustained resurgence of interest, driven by the general reevaluation of the market for women artists and by the fascination that her persona— a self-proclaimed single woman who wore men’s clothing with prefectural authorization, continues to exert on collectors and institutions.

French Women Artists Worth Rediscovering: Marie Laurencin, Séraphine Louis, Louise Abbéma, Hélène Dufau, Alix Aymé

The history of French art includes many women artists whose contributions remain insufficiently recognized and whose market values still reflect this relative undervaluation.

Marie Laurencin (1883–1956), a close associate of the Cubist and poetic circles of the early 20th century, produced work characterized by delicate grace and a colorful lightness that today enjoys strong demand, with her most successful portraits and compositions regularly achieving satisfactory auction prices on the French and international markets.

Séraphine Louis (1864–1942), a major figure in the French naïve art movement discovered by the collector Wilhelm Uhde, has seen her market value rise significantly as naïve art has gained institutional recognition.

Louise Abbéma (1853–1927), a society portraitist of the Belle Époque whose depictions of Sarah Bernhardt are among her most sought-after works, Hélène Dufau (1869–1937) and Alix Aymé (1894–1989) represent other segments of this market that is gradually being rediscovered, where opportunities remain real for discerning collectors.

How to Estimate the Value of a Painting by a Female Artist

Factors that influence value: signature, provenance, condition, period

The criteria for appraising a painting by a female artist are, in principle, the same as those applied to any painting: identification and authentication of the signature, establishment of provenance, assessment of the condition, and precise dating within the artist’s career.

What sets this segment apart is the fact that catalogs raisonné for many artists’ bodies of work are still incomplete, and the need for expertise that is sometimes more time-consuming and in-depth to document works that have not received the same scholarly attention as those of their male contemporaries.

Auctie’s auctioneer has the necessary resources and training to carry out this appraisal, regardless of the period or body of work in question.

The expertise of a certified auctioneer in authenticating a work

Auctie’s auctioneer constantly monitors developments in this market and has access to the most up-to-date research tools to identify and appraise paintings by women artists from all periods.

This expertise is available to you free of charge, with a response within 24 hours, regardless of the nature of the artwork submitted for our review.

Selling a Painting by a Female Artist at Auction

Free and confidential appraisal in less than 24 hours

Auctie's offers a free appraisal of your painting by a female artist, provided in less than 24 hours and with no obligation on your part to list it for sale.

This estimate is based on a rigorous appraisal and the most recent market data, giving you all the information you need to make the best financial decision.

Selling at the Hôtel Drouot or online

If you decide to put your painting up for sale, Auctie’s organizes auctions at the Hôtel Drouot and online that reach a global audience of collectors—particularly those active in the women artists segment, whose international momentum is one of the most powerful drivers of the contemporary art market.

Get your painting appraised with Auctie's

The market for paintings by women artists is one of the most dynamic and promising in the art world today.

From Baroque pioneers to leading figures in contemporary art, from French artists waiting to be rediscovered to global icons, this body of work offers a diversity and richness that continue to spark growing interest among collectors and institutions worldwide.

Knowing the true value of your painting is the first step toward making any informed decision regarding your assets. Auctie’s provides you with this information, free of charge and in complete confidence, in less than 24 hours.