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)
Ma tante cherie, 1916

James Ensor

Ma tante cherie, 1916

Sale Date: December 17, 1996

Auction Closed

Marine, 1880

James Ensor

Marine, 1880

Sale Date: December 17, 1996

Auction Closed

Sorcières dans la bourrasque, 1910

James Ensor

Sorcières dans la bourrasque, 1910

Sale Date: December 10, 1996

Auction Closed

Les Gorges Chaudes

James Ensor

Les Gorges Chaudes

Sale Date: December 10, 1996

Auction Closed

Peintres aux prises - De discussierende..., 1938

James Ensor

Peintres aux prises - De discussierende..., 1938

Sale Date: December 10, 1996

Auction Closed

Le tambour major, 1925–1929

James Ensor

Le tambour major, 1925–1929

Sale Date: December 10, 1996

Auction Closed

Coquillages et chinoiseries, 1928–1930

James Ensor

Coquillages et chinoiseries, 1928–1930

Sale Date: December 7, 1996

Auction Closed

Triomphe Romain, 1889

James Ensor

Triomphe Romain, 1889

Sale Date: December 7, 1996

Auction Closed

Huisjes te mariakerke, 1888

James Ensor

Huisjes te mariakerke, 1888

Sale Date: December 7, 1996

Auction Closed

Ferme flamande, 1888

James Ensor

Ferme flamande, 1888

Sale Date: December 7, 1996

Auction Closed

La liseuse

James Ensor

La liseuse

Sale Date: December 7, 1996

Auction Closed

Le roi peste, 1895

James Ensor

Le roi peste, 1895

Sale Date: December 6, 1996

Auction Closed

Gilles et sauvage, 1891

James Ensor

Gilles et sauvage, 1891

Sale Date: December 4, 1996

Auction Closed

La mort poursuivant le troupeau des humains, 1896

James Ensor

La mort poursuivant le troupeau des humains, 1896

Sale Date: December 4, 1996

Auction Closed

Le verger, 1886

James Ensor

Le verger, 1886

Sale Date: December 4, 1996

Auction Closed

La dame au brise-lames - De vrouw op de..., 1880

James Ensor

La dame au brise-lames - De vrouw op de..., 1880

Sale Date: December 3, 1996

Auction Closed

Triomphe romain, 1889

James Ensor

Triomphe romain, 1889

Sale Date: December 2, 1996

Auction Closed

La bataille des Éperons d'Or, 1895

James Ensor

La bataille des Éperons d'Or, 1895

Sale Date: November 30, 1996

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Masques scandalisés, 1895

James Ensor

Masques scandalisés, 1895

Sale Date: November 29, 1996

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Le grand bassin d'Ostende, 1888

James Ensor

Le grand bassin d'Ostende, 1888

Sale Date: November 26, 1996

Auction Closed

Sentier à Groenendael, 1888

James Ensor

Sentier à Groenendael, 1888

Sale Date: November 26, 1996

Auction Closed

Les cataclysmes, 1888

James Ensor

Les cataclysmes, 1888

Sale Date: November 26, 1996

Auction Closed

Kopfstudien

James Ensor

Kopfstudien

Sale Date: November 16, 1996

Auction Closed

Bataille des eperons d'or, 1895

James Ensor

Bataille des eperons d'or, 1895

Sale Date: November 14, 1996

Auction Closed