Tom Rippon Paintings & Artwork for Sale | Tom Rippon Art Value Price Guide

Sep. 28, 2024
Tom Rippon Montana Studio Pottery Wall Sculpture
Est: $300 - $400
18 1/8" by 13" by 2". Tom Rippon (1954 - 2010) was active/lived in Montana, California. Tom Rippon is known for Whimsical ceramics, art education. Nobody did sculptures like Tom Rippon did sculptures. His colorful, curious ceramic figures, at once technically dazzling and playfully eyecatching, were instantly recognizable - in no small part because few dared imitate Rippon's style. Yet, when friends, fans and colleagues gather this Sunday to remember Rippon, his inestimable influence on a generation of artists will be hard to miss. "Tom was a hero of mine in the art world, long before I started teaching," said Beth Lo, herself a nationally known ceramicist and professor of art at the University of Montana. "He is truly a pivotal person in the development of ceramic arts." Rippon, a former University of Montana professor of art, passed away on Dec. 2 after protracted health problems. Yet those who knew the California-born, Chicago-educated artist find it hard to speak of him in the past tense. For them, Rippon remains a vital part of Montana's widely heralded ceramic art community, thanks to his extensive artistic legacy. Rippon's works are currently held in the collections of major institutions, including the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, the Los Angeles County Museum, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and area museums such as the Missoula Art Museum, the Montana Museum of Art and Culture and the Yellowstone Art Museum. And, thanks to the 19 years he spent as a UM professor of art, his lessons are held in the minds of many of today's emerging artists. "There isn't anybody who has worked exactly off his style, but I think that all his students will remember him very, very fondly for his influence as well as simply the joy of life that Tom had," said Lo. "He came up kind of old-school, where the artist would make work and the students would get stuff sort of through osmosis through your work ethic and watching you work. But there's no doubt he was a major influence for many of our students." Rippon's immersion in the ceramic arts came early, thanks in part to his aunt, the sculptor Ruth Rippon, and also to a friendship with the highly influential artist Robert Arneson. While still a teen, Rippon began baby-sitting the University of California-Davis sculpture professor's sons. Soon enough, Arneson invited Rippon to the school's sculpture studios, where he worked alongside the program's graduate students. Such was Rippon's early blossoming that in the late 1980s, when he was still in his 30s, Lo already considered him one of the most important ceramic artists in the West. So when Rippon applied for a newly created faculty position in ceramics at UM in 1989, "I pretty much flipped out," recalls Lo. UM art history and criticism professor Rafael Chacon said Rippon's early reputation only grew during his time at the University of Montana, where he taught until 2008. "I think that Tom was a worthy successor to (former ceramics professor) Rudy Autio," said Chacon. "Tom had not just a similar dedication to ceramics as a discipline, but they also believed in educating and the productive life as the artist as well as teacher." Chacon said Rippon's style, often categorized in the so-called "California Funk" movement of art, combined exquisite craftsmanship with a love for street and folk art. "There was a vibrancy to his work, it was almost caricature, always with the human figure engaged in play or some kind of humorous anecdotal narrative situation," said Chacon. "He always treated the figure with a certain amount of wit and humor, and oftentimes a double entendre between what we see and how one would describe it visually or orally." This Sunday, Chacon and Lo will be among those who will gather to remember Rippon and celebrate his legacy. Though inspired by his passing, the event won't be anything approaching a somber service, said Edward Morrissey, assistant to the director at UM's School of Fine Arts and an organizer of the event. "Tom's wife, Sarah, said Tom would want more clinking of glasses than tears, and I couldn't agree more," said Morrissey. "We are really shooting for something with as little structure as possible, in keeping with his extremely casual nature. We're shooting for just an informal gathering of people who were touched by him." "He had such a big impact here," added Morrissey, "that this just seemed like something we had to do."
Davis Brothers Auction
Apr. 10, 2024
Tom Rippon Signed Etching Edition of 20
Est: $200 - $400
Tom Rippon Signed and numbered etching from an edition of 20 [Poet's Game]. Measures 8 x 10 plate size and 12.25 x 14.25 inches framed. Gallery framed. Appears to be in excellent condition. Not inspected out of framing. If lot is absent of a condition report one may be requested via email. Condition report is provided as an opinion only and is no guarantee as grading can be subjective. Buyer must view photographs or scans to assist in determining condition and ask further questions if so desired. Our in-house shipping department will gladly pack and ship any item that fits into a 14x14x14 inch or 30x5x24 inch or equivalent or smaller box/folio if it is not fragile or over 25lbs. We will charge for labor to pack and process based on actual time it takes, actual cost of materials used to pack and actual shipper charges that will include insurance and signature required. We generally use USPS and Fed Ex and compare the pricing between the two. Books maximum box size will be 14x14x14 inch or equivalent and will be shipped USPS Media Mail unless otherwise requested. We gladly will give shipping estimates prior to auction. Please make this request at least 24 hours prior to auction for our shipping department to respond. If your invoice is for multiple items, we will use our discretion on requiring the use of an outside shipper. We reserve the right to require an outside shipper on any item(s) in the auction even if not stated.
Grant Zahajko Auctions, LLC
Dec. 03, 2023
Tom Rippon - Mirror
Est: $400 - $600
A whimsical blazed porcelain mirror by artist Tom Rippon. Signed on back. 18 x 15.5. Measurements are in inches. (Height x Width x Depth)
Barton's Auction
Sep. 24, 2022
TOM RIPPON, ABSTRACT CERAMIC TEA POT.
Est: $300 - $500
Rippon, Tom (American, 1954-2010). Abstract ceramic lidded tea pot, 1997. Signed on bottom "RIPPON 1997." 8 1/2" x 7 1/4" x 4". Provenance: Purchased from the Mobilia Gallery Cambridge, MA in 2000. Includes receipt. From a Maryland private collection.
Quinn's Auction Galleries
Oct. 23, 2021
Tom Rippon Two Figures with Castle
Est: $500 - $1,000
Tom Rippon (American, 1954-2010) Two Figures with Castle, 1985 Porcelain Signed and dated Rippon 1985, back Signed and dated, base.
Larsen Art Auction
Aug. 25, 2020
Tom Rippon (American, b. 1954) Untitled
Est: $400 - $600
Tom Rippon (American, b. 1954) Untitled ceramic
Hindman
Jul. 12, 2020
Sculpture, Tom Rippon
Est: $2,000 - $4,000
Tom Rippon (American, 1954-2010), Untitled (Landscape), ceramic sculpture mounted on plywood base (with pedestal), sculpture dimensions: 8"h x 33.25"w x 14.25"d. Provenance: The Estate of Dr. Raymond and Mrs. Marilyn Weisberg (San Francisco, CA)
Clars Auctions
Jun. 14, 2020
Sculpture, Tom Rippon
Est: $2,000 - $4,000
Tom Rippon (American, 1954-2010), Untitled (Landscape), ceramic sculpture mounted on plywood base (with pedestal), sculpture dimensions: 8"h x 33.25"w x 14.25"d. Provenance: The Estate of Dr. Raymond and Mrs. Marilyn Weisberg (San Francisco, CA)
Clars Auctions
Jun. 17, 2017
Sculpture, Tom Rippon
Est: $800 - $1,200
Tom Rippon (American, 1954 - 2010), "La Smperba," (Abstract Face with Hat), painted glazed ceramic sculpture, overall: 23"h x 10"w x 10"w
Clars Auctions
Mar. 18, 2017
Sculpture, Tom Rippon
Est: $250 - $450
Tom Rippon (American, 1954-2010), Breasts and an Anchor, 1976, ceramic sculptural picture frame with ink drawing, pencil signed and dated verso, overall: 6.25"h x 6.25"w x 2.25"d
Clars Auctions
Feb. 19, 2017
Sculpture, Tom Rippon
Est: $500 - $700
Tom Rippon (American, 1954-2010), Breasts and an Anchor, 1976, ceramic sculptural picture frame with ink drawing, pencil signed and dated verso, overall: 6.25"h x 6.25"w x 2.25"d
Clars Auctions
Dec. 12, 2015
Sculpture, Tom Rippon
Est: $400 - $600
Tom Rippon (American, 1954 - 2010), The Top Hat, painted and glazed porcelain, signed on the bottom, overall: 24.5"h x 10"w x10"d. Provenance: Anna Gardner Gallery (Stinson Beach, CA)
Clars Auctions
Jun. 24, 2015
* Tom Rippon, (American, b. 1954), Clock, 1981
Est: $600 - $800
Tom Rippon (American, b. 1954) Clock, 1981 lust glazed porcelain inscribed Rippon and dated (verso) 13 1/2 x 11 3/4 inches.
Hindman
Dec. 17, 2014
Untitled (Woman Patting Her Hair)
Est: $800 - $1,200
Tom Rippon (American, b. 1954) Untitled (Woman Patting Her Hair) painted and glazed porcelain 22¾ x 7 x 4¾ in. (57.8 x 17.8 x 12.1 cm.) Executed circa 1978.
Christie's
Dec. 17, 2014
Untitled
Est: $1,500 - $2,000
Tom Rippon (American, b. 1954) Untitled signed, dated and titled '"UNTITLED"/ RIPPON 80"' (underneath the base) glazed porcelain and plastic element 14¼ x 7 x 4 in. (36.2 x 17.8 x 10.2 cm.) Executed in 1980.
Christie's
Feb. 28, 2014
Tom Rippon (American b. 1954), An Honest Man
Est: $500 - $700
Tom Rippon (American b. 1954) An Honest Man Signed, dated 85 and titled on underside of base Porcelain Height: 14-1/2 in (36.8 cm)Property from the Estate of Bernard and Sherley Koteen
Weschler's
Feb. 28, 2014
Tom Rippon (American b. 1954), Miss-Stress #1, 2, 3: Three Cups
Est: $500 - $700
Tom Rippon (American b. 1954) Miss-Stress #1, 2, 3: Three Cups Each signed on underside Rippon and dated 1986 Each ceramic. Smallest with chip to interior of rim. Heights from: 4-1/4 to 8 in (10.8 to 20.3 cm)Property from the Estate of Bernard and Sherley Koteen
Weschler's