
Matisse
2015 · Hand-colored lithograph in black on white wove paper
Sheet: 25.9 × 16.7 cm (10 1/4 × 6 5/8 in.)
Art Institute of Chicago

Red Grooms builds large-scale, walk-through sculptural environments from painted wood, papier-mâché, and mixed media, saturating them with cartoonish exaggeration and vernacular American satire. His crowded tableaux people architectural spaces with life-sized figures whose distortion and irreverence expose the grit and absurdity beneath everyday urban spectacle. The landmark installation Ruckus Manhattan (1975) established his approach: immersive, comic, and structurally theatrical, treating the city as a cast of characters rather than a backdrop. His work occupies a singular position between folk tradition, Pop sensibility, and political caricature.
Source: Moma Bulk 2026 05 04 · Trust score: 92% · Updated 25d ago
| Work | Auction House | Date | Estimate | Hammer Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Christie's | Sep 2025 | $6,000 – $8,000 | $10,795 | |
| Christie's | Nov 2024 | $2,000 – $3,000 | $6,930 | |
| Christie's | Nov 2024 | $1,000 – $1,500 | $2,268 | |
| Christie's | Nov 2024 | $2,000 – $3,000 | $3,024 | |
| Christie's | Nov 2024 | $3,000 – $5,000 | $3,780 | |
| Christie's | Nov 2023 | $6,000 – $8,000 | Unsold | |
| Christie's | Mar 2023 | $3,000 – $5,000 | $7,560 | |
| Christie's | May 2021 | $3,000 – $5,000 | $25,000 | |
| Christie's | Aug 2020 | $8,000 – $12,000 | $21,250 | |
| Christie's | Apr 2020 | $2,000 – $3,000 | $4,375 |