Families often call us with the same question: “We have a painting by Maynard Dixon. What is it worth?” The honest answer is that it depends. Maynard Dixon (1875–1946) worked for more than fifty years as an illustrator, painter, and muralist, in many sizes, subjects, and media. Two paintings with the same signature can be worth very different amounts. This guide explains what drives the value of Maynard Dixon paintings and how to have a painting looked at and sold.
For his life and career, see our Maynard Dixon artist page.
What drives the value of a Maynard Dixon painting
No single factor sets a price. Collectors and dealers weigh several things together.
Subject
Subject matters a great deal with Dixon. He is best known for two themes:
- Desert landscapes under big skies. Mesas, buttes, and open desert with towering clouds and low horizons are his signature subject, and strong examples are in steady demand with Western art collectors.
- Native American subjects. His paintings of Navajo, Hopi, and other Native American people of the Southwest are among his most admired works.
Other subjects have their own followings:
- Cowboys, horses, and ranch life, a theme he returned to from his earliest illustrations to his last years.
- Utah, Nevada, and California landscapes, including the cliffs and cottonwoods around Mount Carmel, Utah.
- Depression-era social realist paintings, such as his Forgotten Man series. These are rare, and many are in museum collections.
A typical, well-painted example of a popular subject usually draws more interest than an unusual or weaker one.
Size
Size is not everything, but it counts. Dixon painted everything from small panels done on the spot to large studio canvases and murals. A large, fully resolved studio painting is a different object from a small sketch, and the market treats them differently.
Period and quality
Dixon’s work changed over a long career, from his illustration years around 1900, through the heavier paint of the 1910s, to the simplified, modern style he developed in the 1920s and his late Utah and Arizona paintings. Within every period, quality varies. Strong design, clear color, and a powerful sense of space are what make a Dixon stand out.
Condition
Old paintings often have dirty varnish, small losses, tears, or past restoration. Some of this is normal and can be corrected by a good conservator. Heavy overpaint, a relined canvas that has flattened the surface, or old damage in an important area can all affect value. Please don’t clean or retouch a painting yourself before having it looked at. Leave it as it is.
Provenance
Provenance is the ownership history of a painting. Gallery labels, exhibition labels, old receipts, family letters, and photographs showing the painting in a home years ago all help. A painting that can be traced back toward the artist, or that was shown in a documented exhibition, gives buyers more confidence. Labels from Western galleries and exhibitions of his time can be especially helpful.
Signature and authenticity
Most Maynard Dixon paintings are signed, often with his name and sometimes his thunderbird symbol, but a signature on its own does not prove anything. Dixon’s style has been widely imitated, and signatures can be added later. Buyers look at the whole painting: the handling of paint, the canvas or panel, the stretcher, the labels, and how the work fits with Dixon’s known paintings. If you are unsure, say so. Questions about attribution are common and nothing to be embarrassed about.
Medium: finished oils vs. sketches
Dixon worked in oil, watercolor, pastel, and pen and ink. Finished oil paintings on canvas generally sit at the top of the market. Small oil sketches on board, watercolors, and drawings are collected in their own right but are usually valued differently from major canvases. His published illustrations and original illustration art form a separate market, and prints or reproductions made after his paintings are a separate category altogether.
Why auction results vary so much
Auction prices for Maynard Dixon paintings cover a very wide range. That’s normal, for several reasons:
- Every painting is different. Subject, size, quality, and condition change from lot to lot.
- The setting matters. A painting featured in a major Western or American art sale with a full catalogue entry may perform differently from one offered in a general estate auction.
- Timing and competition. Two determined bidders can push a price well past its estimate. A quiet sale can leave a good painting unsold.
- Fees. Published results often include the buyer’s premium, and the seller receives less after commissions and costs.
- Missing information. Many private sales are never made public, so auction records show only part of the market.
That is why a single auction result is not a price guide. Judging what a painting is really worth means weighing its subject, size, medium, date and condition against what the market has actually paid, and that takes years of experience. That is where we can help.
How to have your Maynard Dixon painting evaluated
The first step is easy and can all be done from home.
- Take clear photos of the whole front of the painting (straight on, without glare), the back, the signature, and any labels, stamps, or writing.
- Measure the painting (height × width, without the frame).
- Write down what you know: where the painting came from, how long your family has owned it, and any old receipts, letters, or exhibition history.
- Send everything to us. Steven Stern Fine Arts has handled Maynard Dixon paintings for many years. We’ll review your painting and get back to you.
Please note that we are a gallery, not a formal appraisal service. If you need a written appraisal for insurance, estate, or donation purposes, you should hire an independent qualified appraiser.
How to sell a Maynard Dixon painting
Collectors usually choose from a few options:
- Selling directly to a gallery. This is usually the quickest and simplest route, with no public exposure.
- Consigning with a gallery. The gallery offers your painting to its collectors, and you are paid when it sells.
- Auction. Auction can work well, but results are public, fees apply, and an unsold painting can be harder to sell later.
Steven Stern Fine Arts buys and consigns Early California and Western American paintings, and Maynard Dixon is one of the Western artists we know well. Collectors of Western art can also visit our Western Art Expert site. We handle every inquiry personally and in confidence.
Thinking of selling a Maynard Dixon painting? Contact Steven Stern Fine Arts.
- Email: StevenSternFineArts@gmail.com
- Phone: (310) 570-5679
- Online: Sell Your Art
Related: Maynard Dixon artist page · Sell Your Art