Pat Steir
Blue-chip#3
Egon Investment Scores
Liquidity
8/10
How easily works can be bought and sold at auction
Institutional
10/10
Museum collections, biennials, and institutional recognition
Momentum
7/10
Recent price trends, gallery moves, and market buzz
Discovery
1/10
Undervaluation opportunity relative to peer artists
Risk
1/10
Investment risk factors — higher means more volatile
Market Position
Auction Record
$2,295,000
Elective Affinity Waterfall
Phillips New York, 2018
- Auction Record
- Notes
- Set in 2018 following a breakout 2017 in which her record was broken three consecutive times
- Price
- $2,295,000
- Title
- Elective Affinity Waterfall
- Venue
- Phillips New York
- Currency
- USD
- Sale Date
- 2018
- Year Created
- 1992
- Collector Base
- Composition
- Institutional collectors (major museums), sophisticated private collectors of Abstract Expressionism, feminist art history collectors, international collectors (particularly strong European and Chinese interest given Long Museum Shanghai 2021 survey)
- Demand Patterns
- Waterfall series commands premium; prints provide accessible entry point for new collectors; posthumous demand expected to broaden
- Notable Institutional Collectors
- Crystal Bridges Museum (Walton family), Fondation Cartier (Paris), Hirshhorn, Barnes Foundation — all confirmed holdings
- Auction History
- Liquidity
- Market Depth
- Deep print/multiple market provides broad base; thin ultra-premium market for record-level works
- Accessibility
- Wide price range from $500 prints to $2M+ paintings enables broad collector spectrum
- Annual Trading Volume
- Estimated 20–50+ lots annually across all mediums and price tiers globally
- Notable Results
Title Year Created Price Venue Outcome Sale Year Elective Affinity Waterfall 1992 $2,295,000 Phillips New York Record — sold 2018 Brussels Group: Misty Mountain Waterfall 1991 $396,500 Auction (New York) Sold — doubled high estimate 2017 Gold and Silver Moon Beam 2006 $396,500 Day sale (New York) Sold — met estimate 2017 The Austria Group, No. 7 — $101,600 Sotheby's Sold — exceeded high estimate 2025 Waterfall for a Mature Bride — Christie's Offered — result pending confirmation — Christie's lot (prints portfolio) — Christie's Offered — result TBC — - Sell Through Rate
- Note
- Limited buy-in data available from historical sources; sell-through generally high for major works
- Our Database 2025
- 100% (1/1 sold)
- Historical Estimate
- Strong — multiple sources confirm robust demand particularly for Waterfall series
- Pricing by Category
- Works on Paper
- Note: Drawings, studies, works on paper; Range: $5,000–$50,000
- Mid Size Paintings
- Note: Works 30–80 in., single-panel Waterfall compositions, non-record series; Range: $50,000–$300,000
- Prints and Multiples
- Note: Aquatints, lithographs, etching editions; Crown Point Press and Exit Art prints; highly accessible entry point; Range: $500–$20,000
- Major Waterfall Paintings Large Canvas
- Note: Monumental works (80 in.+), important series titles, major exhibition provenance command top prices; Range: $300,000–$2,295,000
- Price Range All Time
- Low
- 100
- High
- 2295000
- Note
- Low end represents small prints/multiples; high end is major Waterfall oil on canvas
- Currency
- USD
- Primary Market Access
- Note
- Contact Hauser & Wirth for primary market pricing on recent works and estate holdings; prices not publicly disclosed at primary level
- Gallery
- Hauser & Wirth
- Total Lots Catalogued
- 634+ (MutualArt); 745+ artworks tracked on Artnet
- Posthumous Market Outlook
- Risk
- Secondary market previously subject to price volatility (post-2018 correction from peak); estate strategy will be critical
- Death Date
- March 25, 2026
- Expected Dynamic
- Posthumous premium typical within 12–24 months post-death; supply finitude now established; estate management by Hauser & Wirth likely to support careful market stewardship
- Historical Precedent
- Agnes Martin, Joan Mitchell, Lee Krasner — female abstract painters whose markets strengthened significantly posthumously
- Historical Price Trajectory
- Pre 2017
- Slow, steady growth; modest secondary market for prints and smaller works; limited blue-chip attention for major Waterfall paintings
- 2018 Peak
- Record set at $2,295,000 for 'Elective Affinity Waterfall' at Phillips New York — established blue-chip status
- 2019 2023
- Market consolidated post-peak; continued strong secondary market for Waterfall paintings in $100,000–$600,000 range; active print/multiple market in $1,000–$20,000 range
- 2024 2025
- Market remained active: Christie's offered 'Waterfall for a Mature Bride' (99.5 x 94 in.) Nov 2025; 'The Austria Group, No. 7' sold $101,600 at Sotheby's Oct 2025 (exceeded high estimate); multiple print lots active at Rago, Christie's, and smaller houses
- 2017 Breakout
- Auction record broken three times within single year — 'Brussels Group: Misty Mountain Waterfall' (1991) sold $396,500 (doubled $150,000 high estimate); 'Gold and Silver Moon Beam' (2006) fetched $396,500 at same estimates at a day sale in May 2017; Lévy Gorvy sold 'Untitled' (2004) large canvas privately at EXPO Chicago
- 2026 Posthumous
- Death on March 25, 2026 introduces typical posthumous premium dynamic; estate/Hauser & Wirth representation likely to manage supply carefully; 4 upcoming lots confirmed in our database
- Peer Comparables
- Note
- 2017–2018 breakout paralleled major feminist art market reappraisal; category tailwinds remain strong
- Market Tier
- Comparable to late Agnes Martin, Joan Mitchell (deceased female abstract painters represented by major galleries)
- Price Positioning
- Record of $2.295M positions her below Joan Mitchell ($20M+) but above many mid-career female abstractionists — appropriate for her historical importance
Institutional Presence
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
New York, NYMetropolitan Museum of Art
New York, NYWhitney Museum of American Art
New York, NYNational Gallery of Art
Washington, D.C.Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
Washington, D.C.Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia, PASan Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA)
San Francisco, CASmithsonian Institution
Washington, D.C.Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, ILCleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, OH- Awards and Honors
Year Award 1973 National Endowment for the Arts Individual Artist Grant 1976 National Endowment for the Arts Art in Public Institutions Grant 1982 Guggenheim Fellowship for Fine Arts 1991 Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts 2001 Boston University School for the Arts Distinguished Alumni Award 2015 Visionary Woman Award 2016 Elected to American Academy of Arts and Letters - Museum Collections
- Tier 1 US
Institution Location Note Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) New York, NY Permanent collection confirmed Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, NY Permanent collection confirmed; 60 works verified via museum API Whitney Museum of American Art New York, NY Permanent collection confirmed National Gallery of Art Washington, D.C. Permanent collection confirmed Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Washington, D.C. Permanent collection + major solo installation 'Color Wheel' (2019–2021) Philadelphia Museum of Art Philadelphia, PA Group exhibition 1964; permanent collection confirmed San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) San Francisco, CA Permanent collection confirmed Smithsonian Institution Washington, D.C. Multiple works confirmed via museum API; Archives of American Art holds oral history interview Art Institute of Chicago Chicago, IL Works confirmed via museum API Cleveland Museum of Art Cleveland, OH Works confirmed via museum API - Tier 2 Regional
Institution Location Note Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art Bentonville, AR Permanent collection Denver Art Museum Denver, CO Permanent collection Buffalo AKG Art Museum Buffalo, NY Permanent collection Phoenix Art Museum Phoenix, AZ Permanent collection Honolulu Museum of Art Honolulu, HI Permanent collection Joslyn Museum Omaha, NE Permanent collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag The Hague, Netherlands Permanent collection Kunstmuseum Bern Bern, Switzerland Permanent collection Irish Museum of Modern Art Dublin, Ireland Permanent collection Musée d'Art Contemporain Lyon, France Permanent collection Centre National d'Art Contemporain de Grenoble Grenoble, France Permanent collection Long Museum (West Bund) Shanghai, China Permanent collection + first comprehensive China survey 2021 - Total Museum Count
- 30+ confirmed institutions across US, UK, Europe, Asia
- Tier 1 International
Institution Location Note Tate Gallery London, UK Permanent collection; major retrospective held Louvre Museum Paris, France Permanent collection confirmed Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Netherlands Permanent collection confirmed Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain Paris, France Permanent collection confirmed
- Solo Exhibition History
Title Year Venue Location Note First solo exhibition 1964 Terry Dintenfass Gallery New York — Major retrospective 1990s Tate Gallery London, UK Landmark international retrospective Traveling exhibition 1990s Brooklyn Museum / New Museum of Contemporary Art New York / Europe Traveled throughout Europe Pat Steir: Blue River 2013 National Academy Museum New York — Pat Steir: Drawing Out of Line 2010 Museum of Art, RISD → Neuberger Museum Providence RI / New York Traveling show Silent Secret Waterfalls 2019 Barnes Foundation Philadelphia, PA — Color Wheel 2019–2021 Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Washington, D.C. Site-specific installation First comprehensive survey in China 2021 Long Museum (West Bund) Shanghai, China — Painted Rain February–May 2024 Hauser & Wirth West Hollywood Los Angeles, CA Blue-toned works; exploration of chromatic depth Song July 2025 Hauser & Wirth Zurich Zurich, Switzerland First European solo with gallery; new suite of paintings; opened during Zurich Art Weekend 2025; accompanied by new monograph - Publications and Monographs
Title Note Publisher Pat Steir (monograph) New monograph dedicated to recent work, accompanying 'Song' exhibition at Zurich Hauser & Wirth Publishers Oral History Interview with Pat Steir Primary archival resource; discusses career, influences, feminist advocacy Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution - Significant Group Exhibitions
Year Venue Location 1964 Philadelphia Museum of Art — 1964 Museum of Modern Art — 2004 Whitney Museum of American Art — 2006 Museo Tamayo Arte Contemporáneo Mexico City 2006 ZKM Karlsruhe, Germany 2013 AC Institute New York 2013 Castello Svevo Bari, Italy
Career & Biography
- Identity
- Gender
- Female
- Known As
- Pat Steir
- Death Age
- 87
- Full Name
- Iris Patricia Steir (née Sukoneck)
- Birth Date
- April 10, 1938
- Death Date
- March 25, 2026
- Birth Place
- Newark, New Jersey, USA
- Career Span
- 1962–2026 (64 years active)
- Death Cause
- Natural causes
- Death Place
- Manhattan, New York, USA
- Nationality
- American
- Getty Ulan Id
- 500025304
- Education
- Notable
- Rejected a scholarship to Smith College in favor of Pratt to pursue art
- Institutions
Name Years Location Notes Pratt Institute 1956–1958 Brooklyn, New York Studied under Richard Lindner and Philip Guston; influential early contact with two major 20th-century figures Boston University College of Fine Arts 1958–1960 Boston, Massachusetts Studied art and philosophy; interdisciplinary training shaped her conceptual framework Pratt Institute 1960–1962 Brooklyn, New York Returned to complete degree; graduated 1962 - Key Teachers
- Richard LindnerPhilip Guston
- Personal Life
- Activism
- Founding board member of Heresies feminist journal (1977); pioneer for women artists' recognition in male-dominated New York art world; archives of oral history interview at Smithsonian/Archives of American Art (2008)
- Marriages
Spouse Status Merle Steir Early, brief marriage; kept the surname Steir professionally throughout her life Joost Elffers Later marriage; survived her at time of death - Family Background
- Russian Jewish heritage; parents both aspired to be artists but failed commercially — did not encourage her initially, yet she persisted
- Career Timeline
Year Event 1962 Graduated Pratt Institute with BFA; began professional artistic career 1963 First group show at High Museum, Atlanta 1964 Work exhibited in group shows at Philadelphia Museum of Art and MoMA — among first women artists to gain real traction in New York's male-dominated art scene 1964 First solo show at Terry Dintenfass Gallery, New York 1964–1969 Art Director at Harper & Row publishing; worked as book illustrator and designer to sustain artistic practice Early 1970s Teaching career began: Parsons School of Design, Princeton University, CalArts (California Institute of the Arts) 1973 Moved to Los Angeles to teach at CalArts; contact with West Coast art scene 1977 Co-founded Heresies: A Feminist Publication on Art and Politics; landmark feminist journal in the art world Late 1970s Founding board member of Printed Matter bookshop, New York — advocacy for artists' books and publications 1982 Awarded Guggenheim Fellowship for Fine Arts; Artforum publishes major critical essay by Ted Castle 1988 Created first 'Waterfall' painting — pivotal shift inaugurating signature series; method: pouring thinned oil paint from atop a ladder onto monumental canvases 1990 'Sixteen Waterfalls of Dreams, Memories, and Sentiment' (1990) — major multi-panel Waterfall work 1991 Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Pratt Institute 1990s International recognition for Waterfall series; exhibitions at Tate Gallery London, Brooklyn Museum, New Museum of Contemporary Art (touring Europe) 2001 Boston University School for the Arts Distinguished Alumni Award 2013 National Academy Museum, NY: solo 'Pat Steir: Blue River' 2015 Visionary Woman Award from Moore College of Art & Design 2016 Elected to American Academy of Arts and Letters 2017 Breakthrough auction year — auction record broken three times within a single year, culminating in 2018 record 2018 Auction record set at $2,295,000 for 'Elective Affinity Waterfall' (1992) at Phillips New York 2019 Major solo installations: 'Silent Secret Waterfalls' at Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia; 'Color Wheel' at Hirshhorn Museum (2019–2021) 2021 First comprehensive survey exhibition in China at Long Museum (West Bund), Shanghai 2024 'Painted Rain' solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth West Hollywood (February–May 2024) — exploration of blue-toned works 2025 'Song' solo exhibition at Hauser & Wirth Zurich (July 2025) — first solo show with gallery in Europe; new monograph published March 25, 2026 Died of natural causes in Manhattan at age 87; confirmed by husband Joost Elffers and niece Lily Sukoneck-Cohen - Studio Practice
- Scale
- Works range from intimate prints to monumental multi-panel canvases spanning entire gallery walls
- Method
- For Waterfall paintings: stood atop ladders or in the basket of a cherry-picker, sending thinned oil paint cascading down the surface of monumental canvases; result governed by gravity and chance
- Location
- Primarily New York City (Manhattan)
- Materials
- Oil paint, aquatint, lithography, spit-bite, soap ground, sugar-lift aquatint; Crown Point Press collaborations for printmaking
- Artistic Influences
- Literary
- Early desire to become a poet; maintained strong literary advocacy throughout career
- Philosophical
- Deep engagement with Eastern philosophy (Taoism) and its embrace of chance, gravity, and natural process as artistic agents
- Art Historical
- Abstract ExpressionismColor Field paintingTaoist philosophyChinese landscape painting (Song Dynasty)MinimalismConceptual Art
- Direct Teachers
- Richard LindnerPhilip Guston
- Acknowledged Mentors
- Agnes Martin — described as Steir's longtime mentor; influence on egoless production and process-based painting
Artistic Profile
- Themes
- The relationship between control and chance in artistic production
- Gravity as a creative force
- The sublime in nature — water, light, atmosphere
- Eastern philosophy: Taoism, non-attachment, flow
- Art historical dialogue — explicit homage to predecessors (Barnett Newman 'zip' paintings, Song Dynasty landscape painting)
- Feminist authorship — questioning the 'heroic gesture' of male Abstract Expressionism
- Process transparency — foregrounding the making of the work itself
- Movements
- Abstract Expressionism (mature/late career)Process ArtFeminist ArtConceptual Art (early career)Post-MinimalismColor Field (influence)Postwar American Art
- Signature Series
Name Period Description Waterfall Paintings — Monumental poured oil canvases made by sending thinned paint cascading from a ladder or cherry-picker; spans dozens of sub-series including 'Brussels Group,' 'Austria Group,' 'Elective Affinity,' 'Silent Secret,' 'Gold and Silver,' 'Misty Mountain,' 'Sixteen Waterfalls of Dreams Memories and Sentiment' Wall Drawings 1970s–2000s Immersive site-specific installations adapting her painting language to architectural scale Printed Works 1960s–2020s Extensive printmaking practice in parallel with painting; collaborations with Crown Point Press and Exit Art NY; represents accessible market entry point - Mediums and Materials
- Drawing
- Works on paper; wall drawings
- Primary
- Oil paint on canvas (Waterfall series)
- Photography
- Listed as professional role in Getty ULAN (supplementary practice)
- Printmaking
- Aquatint, lithography, etching, spit-bite aquatint, soap ground aquatint, sugar-lift aquatint; major print publisher Crown Point Press (San Francisco)
- Installation
- Site-specific wall installations (Hirshhorn 'Color Wheel' 2019–2021)
- Art Historical Lineage
- Peers
- Joan MitchellHelen FrankenthalerElizabeth Murray
- Predecessors
- Barnett NewmanAgnes MartinJackson Pollock (drip method)Song Dynasty Chinese landscape painters
- Students and Influenced
- Multiple generations of artists through teaching at Parsons, Princeton, CalArts, Hunter College
- Style and Visual Language
- Signature
- Large-scale poured and dripped oil paint compositions in which gravity and chance generate cascading, luminous waterfall-like forms on monumental canvases
- Late Career
- Site-specific wall drawings; exploration of color modality ('Painted Rain' blue works 2024); continued formal experimentation through final year
- Mature Style
- Waterfall paintings (1988 onward) — gravity-governed poured oil on canvas; the defining body of work
- Early Career Style
- Loosely associated with conceptual art and minimalism; iconographic canvases and immersive wall drawings from late 1970s–early 1980s
- Defining Characteristics
- Combines deliberate handwork with uncontrolled pours, splashes, and drips
- Harnessing gravity as a primary compositional tool
- Luminous veils of paint that sweep across the canvas vertically
- Sense of tranquility and awe — countering the 'jittery energy' of traditional Abstract Expressionism
- Large-format, often room-scale, immersive works
- Exploration of aesthetic degradation — breaking down paintings into semblances of themselves
- Color Field saturation combined with gestural accident
Critical Reception
- Media Coverage
- Frequency
- High — covered extensively in art press throughout career; death in March 2026 generated major obituary coverage in all major art publications and mainstream press
- Recent Signals
- Multiple strength-7.0/10 signals from Art Newspaper, ARTnews, Artnet News in March 2026 (death coverage)
- Artforum published memorial retrospective confirming death (Strength 6.0/10 signal)
- Academic Discourse
- Published Books
- Monograph published by Hauser & Wirth Publishers (2025); earlier catalogue essays by major institutions
- Teaching Legacy
- Taught at Parsons School of Design, Princeton University, CalArts, and Hunter College — directly influenced multiple generations of artists
- Archival Resource
- Archives of American Art (Smithsonian) holds major oral history interview (2008) — primary resource for scholarly research
- Critical Reception
- Overall Assessment
- Broadly acclaimed as one of the most significant American abstract painters of the late 20th and early 21st centuries; widely recognized as a pioneer of process-based abstraction and an important figure in feminist art history
- Scholarly Positioning
- Movements
- Late Abstract ExpressionismProcess ArtFeminist ArtConceptual Art (early career)Post-Minimalism
- Mentor Lineage
- Mentored by Agnes Martin — the critical connection to one of the 20th century's great process painters; this lineage is frequently cited in critical literature
- Gender Significance
- Among first women artists to gain serious institutional traction in New York's 1960s male-dominated scene; founding Heresies journal (1977) positioned her as a key feminist art advocate; Smithsonian oral history documents her personal account of gender barriers faced
- Art Historical Context
- Credited with reinvigorating abstract painting by introducing chance, gravity, and philosophical rigor into the gesture; described as bridging Western Abstract Expressionism with Eastern (particularly Taoist and Chinese) aesthetic philosophy
- Critical Quote Context
- Matthew Guy Nichols (2008) described Waterfall works as 'a rain shower through a Newman zip painting' — situating her within canonical Abstract Expressionist lineage while acknowledging innovation
- Key Publications and Reviews
Title Year Significance Publication Type Pat Steir and the Science of the Admirable 1982 Landmark critical essay calling her oeuvre 'one of the most solid, flawed, directly significant, and wonderful' of her period; republished as memorial tribute upon her death in 2026 Artforum — — 2026 Published tribute upon her death revisiting Castle's 1982 essay; confirmed Artforum's long-standing critical endorsement Artforum Memorial retrospective After Decades of Slow and Steady, Pat Steir's Market Is Now Moving at a Breakneck Pace 2017 Documented market breakout year; analyzed collector and institutional validation in real-time Artnet News — — 2026 Confirmed international critical recognition upon death ARTnews Obituary coverage — 2026 Major mainstream cultural endorsement; described Waterfall method in detail The New York Times Obituary: 'Pat Steir, Whose Waterfalls Dazzled, Dies at 87' Don't Go Chasing 'Waterfalls': Remembering Pat Steir 2026 Memorial criticism; positioned her work within feminist and abstract lineage Hyperallergic —
Gallery & Representation
- Art Fair Presence
- Note
- Hauser & Wirth presence at major international art fairs ensures global market reach; recent H&W appearances at FOG 2026 confirmed
- Fairs
- Art BaselEXPO ChicagoFOG Design+Art San FranciscoFriezeArt CologneTEFAF
- Historical Galleries
- Name
- Terry Dintenfass Gallery
- Note
- First solo show — began career relationship with New York gallery system
- Period
- 1964
- Location
- New York
- Current Primary Gallery
- Name
- Hauser & Wirth
- Tier
- Tier 1 (global blue-chip gallery)
- Locations
- New YorkLondonLos AngelesZurichSomersetHong KongMonacoLos Angeles (West Hollywood)MenorcaSt. Moritz
- Memorial Statement
- Published 'In Memoriam: Pat Steir (1938–2026)' upon her death — affirming estate stewardship
- Recent Exhibitions
Title Dates Location Painted Rain February 28 – May 4, 2024 Hauser & Wirth West Hollywood, Los Angeles Song July 2025 (opened Zurich Art Weekend) Hauser & Wirth Zurich - Representation Status
- Primary gallery at time of death (March 2026); will manage estate representation going forward
- Geographic Market Reach
- Primary Markets
- United States (New York, Los Angeles)United Kingdom (London)Switzerland (Zurich)
- Emerging Interest
- China (Long Museum survey 2021 established Asian collector base)
- Secondary Markets
- GermanyFranceNetherlandsChinaJapan
- Secondary Market Galleries
Name Location Role Tier Lévy Gorvy (now Lévy Gorvy Dayan) — Secondary market sales; sold 'Untitled' (2004) large canvas at EXPO Chicago 2017 during market breakout Tier 1–2 Galerie Thomas Schulte Berlin, Germany European secondary market representation Tier 2 Vito Schnabel Gallery New York / St. Moritz Secondary market representation; published extensive artist bio Tier 2 Douglas Flanders & Associates — Secondary market Tier 2–3 Rago Arts and Auction Center Lambertville, NJ Secondary auction — print and multiple sales (2025) —
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