Race Riot Auction History

Edition context. This image appears as an editioned screenprint in the Wadsworth Atheneum’s X + X (Ten Works by Ten Painters), 1964, printed by Sirocco under Ives‑Sillman; edition 500 + 10 AP [1][2].

Documented public holdings (examples). Ownership varies by impression. Noted examples include The Museum of Modern Art, New York (acq. 1965; “Gift of Harry C. Oppenheimer [by exchange]”) [1]; the Art Institute of Chicago (acq. 1966) [2]; the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (acq. 1975; ex‑Burton Tremaine) [3]; and the Whitney’s complete portfolio, no. 102/500 [4]. For a specific copy, consult its accession or edition paperwork.

Race Riot (1964) belongs to Warhol’s civil-rights imagery and was published as part of the Wadsworth Atheneum’s X + X portfolio in an edition of 500, printed by Sirocco under Ives‑Sillman [1][2]. The source image is a Charles Moore photograph of police confronting demonstrators in Birmingham, Alabama; institutional notes record that Moore later sued over its unauthorized use, underscoring the work’s charged history and visibility [5].

Because this is a large edition, impressions surface regularly and typically trade in the low‑ to mid‑four‑figure range. Verified results include Hindman’s $3,150 (Dec 14, 2023) for an unsigned‑as‑issued impression [7] and a Heritage Auctions result of $6,875 (2019) [8]. Further listings at Bonhams (Oct 1, 2024) and Sotheby’s (2024) confirm steady secondary‑market turnover, though public pages do not always disclose realized prices [6][9]. Condition (paper tone, staining, handling), margin integrity, whether the print remains within the complete portfolio, and presence of the typical Ives‑Sillman blindstamp—documented across museum examples—can materially influence outcomes [1][2].

It is important not to conflate this print with Warhol’s unique Race Riot canvases from the Death and Disaster series. A four‑panel painting achieved $62,885,000 at Christie’s in 2014, a benchmark that signaled demand for prime 1960s works [10]. Warhol’s broader market has since produced record figures—Shot Sage Blue Marilyn at $195 million (2022) and White Disaster at $85.4 million (2022) [11][12]. Against that backdrop, the 1964 screenprint remains an accessible entry point to a pivotal subject in Warhol’s oeuvre, with values that reflect its editioned nature and condition‑driven variability.