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)
L'orage, 1889–1889

James Ensor

L'orage, 1889–1889

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Bateaux a vapeur, 1889–1889

James Ensor

Bateaux a vapeur, 1889–1889

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Le pont du bois a Ostende, 1889–1889

James Ensor

Le pont du bois a Ostende, 1889–1889

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Squelettes voulant se chauffer, 1895–1895

James Ensor

Squelettes voulant se chauffer, 1895–1895

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Chaumiers, 1888–1888

James Ensor

Chaumiers, 1888–1888

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Sentier a Groenendael, 1888–1888

James Ensor

Sentier a Groenendael, 1888–1888

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

L'adoration des bergers, 1888–1888

James Ensor

L'adoration des bergers, 1888–1888

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Mon portrait en 1960, 1888–1888

James Ensor

Mon portrait en 1960, 1888–1888

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Maisonettes à mariakerke, 1888–1888

James Ensor

Maisonettes à mariakerke, 1888–1888

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Cranes et masques, 1888–1888

James Ensor

Cranes et masques, 1888–1888

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Vue du port d'Ostende, 1888–1888

James Ensor

Vue du port d'Ostende, 1888–1888

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Cranes et masques, 1888–1888

James Ensor

Cranes et masques, 1888–1888

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

L'artiste par lui-meme, 1886–1886

James Ensor

L'artiste par lui-meme, 1886–1886

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Buste

James Ensor

Buste

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Maison du Boulevard Anspach, 1888–1888

James Ensor

Maison du Boulevard Anspach, 1888–1888

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Menu pour Ernest Rousseau, 1896–1896

James Ensor

Menu pour Ernest Rousseau, 1896–1896

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Plage de la panne, 1904–1904

James Ensor

Plage de la panne, 1904–1904

Sale Date: April 16, 1987

Auction Closed

Coquillages, 1937–1938

James Ensor

Coquillages, 1937–1938

Sale Date: April 1, 1987

Auction Closed

Étude pour l'affiche pour

James Ensor

Étude pour l'affiche pour "Le Carnaval..., 1931–1931

Sale Date: April 1, 1987

Auction Closed

Rayons de palette, 1930–1930

James Ensor

Rayons de palette, 1930–1930

Sale Date: March 31, 1987

Auction Closed

Crachats de tubes, caresses de pinceau, 1935–1935

James Ensor

Crachats de tubes, caresses de pinceau, 1935–1935

Sale Date: December 2, 1986

Auction Closed

Old woman with masks

James Ensor

Old woman with masks

Sale Date: December 2, 1986

Auction Closed

Le parc aux oiselles

James Ensor

Le parc aux oiselles

Sale Date: December 2, 1986

Auction Closed

Auto-portrait, 1936–1936

James Ensor

Auto-portrait, 1936–1936

Sale Date: November 20, 1986

Auction Closed