Wayne Thiebaud
1920-2021 · American · Pop Art, Bay Area Figurative, Realism
Auction record: $19.13M
Four Pinball Machines, 1962 · Christie's, New York · Jul 10, 2020
Source: heni.com
Biography
Wayne Thiebaud (1920 to 2021) worked as a cartoonist and commercial artist before becoming a painter and a long serving teacher at the University of California, Davis. His 1962 exhibition in New York, with rows of cakes, pies and gumball machines rendered in thick, buttery paint and glowing shadows, placed him alongside the Pop artists, although he saw himself as a realist painter in the tradition of Chardin and Morandi. Later he painted steep San Francisco streets and Sacramento Delta landscapes. For the market his early still lifes of the 1960s are the most coveted, and their scarcity drives the top prices, while later cakes, landscapes and works on paper trade more often. His record, Four Pinball Machines, sold at Christie's in July 2020.
Recent auction results
| Self-Portrait (1973)Phillips, New York | $2M | May 19, 2026 | heni.com |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various Cakes (1981)Sotheby's, New York | $2.68M | May 15, 2026 | heni.com |
| Happy Birthday (1962)Phillips, New York | $1.27M | May 13, 2025 | heni.com |
Market
- Liquidity: Medium
Museums
- Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Whitney Museum of American Art, New York
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington
- Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento
Sources
- HENI News, Four Pinball Machines
- Masterworks, Wayne Thiebaud
- HENI News, Various Cakes
- HENI News, Self-Portrait
- HENI News, Happy Birthday
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