James Ensor

(Belgian, 1860–1949)

James Ensor was a Belgian painter and important influence known for his macabre and brightly colored depictions of masked skeletons, seascapes, and carnivals. In works such as Christ’s Entry into Brussels in 1889 (1888), Ensor explored both autobiographical and social themes through thickly painted patches of color and grotesque caricatures. “Medicinal sea, west-national sea, adored mother, I want in a fresh bouquet, without surrealist ways, to celebrate your one hundred faces, your surfaces, your facets, your dimples, your Rubescent bottoms, your diamond crests, your sapphire tops, your qualities, your delights, your profound charms,” he once mused. Born on April 13, 1860 in Ostend, Belgium, Ensor went on to study at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, where he rebelled against the strict instruction and befriended like-minded students such as Théo van Rysselberghe. After selling the entire contents of his studio in the 1890s do to a personal crisis, Ensor was resolute to give up painting, though he returned to it after only a few short years. By the early 20th century, he had become widely known throughout Europe by artists such as Paul KleeGeorge Grosz, and Alfred Kubin. Ensor died on November 19, 1949 in Ostend, Belgium. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, the Neue Pinakothek in Munich, and the Tate Gallery in London, among others.

James Ensor Artworks

James Ensor (4,479 results)
Le Verger, 1886

James Ensor

Le Verger, 1886

Sale Date: March 17, 2005

Auction Closed

La mort poursuivant le troupeau humain, 1896

James Ensor

La mort poursuivant le troupeau humain, 1896

Sale Date: March 15, 2005

Auction Closed

Compositie met figuren

James Ensor

Compositie met figuren

Sale Date: March 5, 2005

Auction Closed

La cathédrale, 1886

James Ensor

La cathédrale, 1886

Sale Date: March 5, 2005

Auction Closed

Studieblad

James Ensor

Studieblad

Sale Date: March 5, 2005

Auction Closed

Petite calèche

James Ensor

Petite calèche

Sale Date: March 5, 2005

Auction Closed

Marche des Rotariens Ostendais, 1927

James Ensor

Marche des Rotariens Ostendais, 1927

Sale Date: February 23, 2005

Auction Closed

Blick auf Oestende, 1888

James Ensor

Blick auf Oestende, 1888

Sale Date: December 11, 2004

Auction Closed

Marche des Rotariens Ostendais, 1927

James Ensor

Marche des Rotariens Ostendais, 1927

Sale Date: December 7, 2004

Auction Closed

Le botaniste scandinave frise, 1886

James Ensor

Le botaniste scandinave frise, 1886

Sale Date: December 7, 2004

Auction Closed

Crustacés (Nature morte à l'oeuf, au..., 1891–1894

James Ensor

Crustacés (Nature morte à l'oeuf, au..., 1891–1894

Sale Date: February 8, 2005

Auction Closed

Dahlias, 1932

James Ensor

Dahlias, 1932

Sale Date: February 9, 2005

Auction Closed

Intérieur aux trois portraits, 1938

James Ensor

Intérieur aux trois portraits, 1938

Sale Date: February 9, 2005

Auction Closed

Baisers de fleurs, caresses de fruits, 1939

James Ensor

Baisers de fleurs, caresses de fruits, 1939

Sale Date: February 8, 2005

Auction Closed

Maisons du nord

James Ensor

Maisons du nord

Sale Date: December 15, 2004

Auction Closed

Affiche voor het carnaval van Oostende, 1931

James Ensor

Affiche voor het carnaval van Oostende, 1931

Sale Date: December 11, 2004

Auction Closed

Les patineurs, 1889

James Ensor

Les patineurs, 1889

Sale Date: December 4, 2004

Auction Closed

Les insectes singulièrs, 1888

James Ensor

Les insectes singulièrs, 1888

Sale Date: December 2, 2004

Auction Closed

Scènes de la vie du Christ (portfolio of 32), 1921

James Ensor

Scènes de la vie du Christ (portfolio of 32), 1921

Sale Date: December 2, 2004

Auction Closed

Grande vue de Mariakerke, 1887

James Ensor

Grande vue de Mariakerke, 1887

Sale Date: November 30, 2004

Auction Closed

Les Patineurs, 1889

James Ensor

Les Patineurs, 1889

Sale Date: November 30, 2004

Auction Closed

Christ descendant aux enfers, 1895

James Ensor

Christ descendant aux enfers, 1895

Sale Date: November 29, 2004

Auction Closed

Squelettes voulant se chauffer, 1895

James Ensor

Squelettes voulant se chauffer, 1895

Sale Date: November 29, 2004

Auction Closed

Salon des Cent - Exposition James Ensor, 1898

James Ensor

Salon des Cent - Exposition James Ensor, 1898

Sale Date: December 1, 2004

Auction Closed