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)
BARQUE ECHOUEE

James Ensor

BARQUE ECHOUEE

Sale Date: May 18, 1992

Auction Closed

LE FANTOME (DELTEIL, TAEVERNIER, ELESH 73), 1889

James Ensor

LE FANTOME (DELTEIL, TAEVERNIER, ELESH 73), 1889

Sale Date: May 15, 1992

Auction Closed

PORTRAIT D'ALEXANDRA DAVELUY

James Ensor

PORTRAIT D'ALEXANDRA DAVELUY

Sale Date: May 14, 1992

Auction Closed

LE VERGER (DELTEIL, CROQUEZ ET TAVERNIER NO. , 1932

James Ensor

LE VERGER (DELTEIL, CROQUEZ ET TAVERNIER NO. , 1932

Sale Date: May 7, 1992

Auction Closed

LE BOULEVARD VAN ISEGHEM A OSTENDE (D., C...., 1889

James Ensor

LE BOULEVARD VAN ISEGHEM A OSTENDE (D., C...., 1889

Sale Date: May 7, 1992

Auction Closed

TRIOMPHE ROMAIN, 1889

James Ensor

TRIOMPHE ROMAIN, 1889

Sale Date: April 14, 1992

Auction Closed

VOETPADJE TE GROENENDAAL. SENTIER A GROENENDAEL.

James Ensor

VOETPADJE TE GROENENDAAL. SENTIER A GROENENDAEL.

Sale Date: April 9, 1992

Auction Closed

GEZICHT OP DE HAVEN VAN OOSTENDE. VUE DU..., 1888

James Ensor

GEZICHT OP DE HAVEN VAN OOSTENDE. VUE DU..., 1888

Sale Date: April 9, 1992

Auction Closed

CARNAVAL TE OOSTENDE. CARNAVAL A OSTENDE.

James Ensor

CARNAVAL TE OOSTENDE. CARNAVAL A OSTENDE.

Sale Date: April 9, 1992

Auction Closed

GUEPINE, 1912

James Ensor

GUEPINE, 1912

Sale Date: April 7, 1992

Auction Closed

TROUSSELET, 1911

James Ensor

TROUSSELET, 1911

Sale Date: April 7, 1992

Auction Closed

EMMA LAMBOTTE

James Ensor

EMMA LAMBOTTE

Sale Date: April 7, 1992

Auction Closed

MARINE BLEU

James Ensor

MARINE BLEU

Sale Date: March 25, 1992

Auction Closed

AFFICHE EN COULEURS POUR LE CARNAVAL D'OSTENDE, 1931

James Ensor

AFFICHE EN COULEURS POUR LE CARNAVAL D'OSTENDE, 1931

Sale Date: March 18, 1992

Auction Closed

PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST'S AUNT, 1880

James Ensor

PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST'S AUNT, 1880

Sale Date: March 16, 1992

Auction Closed

LA MULTIPLICATION DES POISSONS (THE..., 1891

James Ensor

LA MULTIPLICATION DES POISSONS (THE..., 1891

Sale Date: February 25, 1992

Auction Closed

L'ORAGE, 1889

James Ensor

L'ORAGE, 1889

Sale Date: February 5, 1992

Auction Closed

L'ARTISTE PAR LUI-MEME, 1886

James Ensor

L'ARTISTE PAR LUI-MEME, 1886

Sale Date: February 5, 1992

Auction Closed

LES PECHES CAPITAUX. 1904

James Ensor

LES PECHES CAPITAUX. 1904

Sale Date: January 24, 1992

Auction Closed

L'HOMME AU FOULARD, 1881

James Ensor

L'HOMME AU FOULARD, 1881

Sale Date: December 12, 1991

Auction Closed

LE FIACRE, 1880

James Ensor

LE FIACRE, 1880

Sale Date: December 12, 1991

Auction Closed

THE HAUNTED FURNITURE, 1888

James Ensor

THE HAUNTED FURNITURE, 1888

Sale Date: December 12, 1991

Auction Closed

LES DIABLES DZITTS ET HIHANOX CONDUISANT LE..., 1895

James Ensor

LES DIABLES DZITTS ET HIHANOX CONDUISANT LE..., 1895

Sale Date: December 12, 1991

Auction Closed

VUE DE NIEUPORT, 1888

James Ensor

VUE DE NIEUPORT, 1888

Sale Date: December 12, 1991

Auction Closed