> Source: https://www.openingbid.art/artist/gisele-freund · updated 2026-11-02

# Gisèle Freund (1912–2000)

## What is Gisèle Freund’s work worth? {#value}

As of 2 November 2026, OpeningBid has recorded 150 auction results for Gisèle Freund at 16 houses since 2004. Over the last 24 months the median price was $909 including buyer’s premium (middle half $620–$1,739, n=19). The auction record is $20,619 for James Joyce, Paris, 1939 (2019, Sotheby's). Source: OpeningBid, an independent auction-results database.

**Top auction records: paintings, drawings & sculpture**

| # | Work | Medium | Price | House | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | James Joyce, Paris, 1939, 1939 | Cachet du photographe sur l'image | $20,619 | Sotheby's | Nov 2019 |
| 2 | Album de référence de Gisèle Freund (portraits, natures mortes, reportages), 1938-1976. Schiaparelli, haute couture | 157 épreuves chromogéniques (c. 1970-1980) et une planche-contact, contrecollées sur cartons | $10,948 | Ader | Nov 2023 |
| 3 | Diego Rivera in front of his fresco "The Creation of the World" Mexico City, 1952, circa 1980 | Gelatin silver print | $9,085 | Ader | Nov 2020 |
| 4 | Autoportrait. Double exposition avec Horst, 1933 | Épreuve argentique d’époque | $6,872 | Ader | Jun 2023 |
| 5 | Colette, 1975 | Signé et daté à l'encre, timbre sec du photographe (sous l'image dans la marge) ; cachet de copyright du photographe (au verso) | $6,718 | Christie's | Nov 2013 |
| 6 | Simone de Beauvoir, Paris, 1935 | Cartes-de-visite | $4,411 | Kunsthaus Lempertz | Dec 2025 |
| 7 | Au Pays des Visages, 1977 | Photograph | $4,385 | Sotheby's | Mar 2021 |
| 8 | James Joyce et le taxi rue de l’Odéon à Paris, 1938, circa 1970 | Quatre (4) épreuves argentiques (c. 1970) contrecollées sur cartons | $3,612 | Ader | Jun 2019 |
| 9 | Frida Kahlo in her garden, Coyoacán, Mexico City, 1951 | Cartes-de-visite | $2,793 | Kunsthaus Lempertz | Dec 2025 |

**Top auction records: prints & editions**

| # | Work | Medium | Price | House | Sold |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portrait of Virginia Woolf, 1939 | Chromogenic print | $4,000 | Swann Auction Galleries | May 2024 |

**Median price by medium (last 24 months, n ≥ 5)**

| Medium | Sales | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Photographs | 116 | $937 |

**Median price by size (last 24 months, n ≥ 5)**

| Size | Sales | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Small (under 50 cm) | 117 | $936 |

Data as of 2 November 2026 · Source: OpeningBid, 150 results from 16 houses · [How we compute these figures](https://www.openingbid.art/methodology/price-data)


Gisèle Freund is a German artist with 250 auction lots recorded since 2004, median price $936. Some sold prices are hammer-only and exclude the buyer's premium; they are marked on this page. Some sold prices are not yet verified as premium-inclusive or hammer, and are marked on this page.

A work by Gisèle Freund sold in 2025 for $1,764, according to OpeningBid's index of auction results.

## What is a Gisèle Freund work worth?

Across 150 sold lots tracked by OpeningBid, the median price of a Gisèle Freund work is $936.

The median Gisèle Freund photograph sells for $937 across 146 lots.

The median Gisèle Freund print sells for $625 across 2 lots.

The median Gisèle Freund work on paper sells for $1,284 across 1 lots.

Small (under 50 cm) Gisèle Freund photographs typically sell for $572–$1,414 (the middle half of 120 sold lots).

Prices are premium-inclusive where the house records them; hammer-only prices exclude the buyer's premium, and some prices are not yet basis-verified.

## Price breakdown by category

| Category | Lots tracked | Median price | Record price | Sell-through | Last sale |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prints & Editions | 2 | $625 | $865 | — | 2026-06-30 |
| Works on Paper | 1 | $1,284 | $1,284 | — | 2015-06-29 |
| Photography | 177 | $937†‡ | $20,619 | 82.5% | 2026-06-30 |
| Masterpieces (top of market) | 7 | $6,872 | $20,619 | — | 2025-12-03 |

† hammer price — buyer's premium not included.

‡ reported price — whether it includes the buyer's premium is not yet verified.

## Price by size

### Photography

| Size | Sold lots | Typical range (p25–p75) | Median | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| small (under 50 cm) | 120 | $572–$1,414†‡ | $965†‡ | $20,619 |

† hammer price — buyer's premium not included.

‡ reported price — whether it includes the buyer's premium is not yet verified.

Size is the work's longest edge. Cells appear only with at least 5 sold lots.

## Notable results

| Medium | Year | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Photography | 2019 | $20,619 |
| Photography | 2023 | $10,948 |
| Works on Paper | 2015 | $1,284 |
| Prints & Editions | 2018 | $865 |
| Prints & Editions | 2026 | $385 |

The highest recorded result in each medium. The full sale history is in the OpeningBid app (free sign-up).

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a Gisèle Freund worth?

Across 150 sold lots tracked by OpeningBid, the median price of a Gisèle Freund work is $936. The median Gisèle Freund photograph sells for $937 across 146 lots. The median Gisèle Freund print sells for $625 across 2 lots. The median Gisèle Freund work on paper sells for $1,284 across 1 lots. Small (under 50 cm) Gisèle Freund photographs typically sell for $572–$1,414 (the middle half of 120 sold lots). Prices are premium-inclusive where the house records them; hammer-only prices exclude the buyer's premium, and some prices are not yet basis-verified.

### What is the average price of a Gisèle Freund photograph?

Based on 146 sold lots tracked by OpeningBid, the median auction price of a Gisèle Freund photograph is $937. Prices are premium-inclusive where the house records them; hammer-only prices exclude the buyer's premium, and some prices are not yet basis-verified.

### What is Gisèle Freund's most expensive photograph?

The highest price recorded at auction for a Gisèle Freund photograph is $20,619.

### What is the average price of a small Gisèle Freund photograph?

Based on 120 sold lots, the median auction price of a small Gisèle Freund photograph (small (under 50 cm)) is $965, according to OpeningBid's index of auction results. Prices are premium-inclusive where the house records them; hammer-only prices exclude the buyer's premium, and some prices are not yet basis-verified.

### What is Gisèle Freund's auction record?

Gisèle Freund's auction record is $20,619, set in 2019.

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Data last updated 2026-11-02. OpeningBid tracks 15,390,829 auction lots from 577 auction houses, refreshed nightly.

Cite this page as: OpeningBid, “Gisèle Freund auction prices”, https://www.openingbid.art/artist/gisele-freund (updated 2026-11-02).

Historical auction data, not investment advice. Prices are premium-inclusive USD where the buyer's premium is recorded. Figures marked † are hammer prices (buyer's premium not included); ‡ marks a price whose basis is not yet verified. Non-USD results are converted at the sale month's rate.