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)
Queen Parysatis (1899), 1899

James Ensor

Queen Parysatis (1899), 1899

Sale Date: May 20, 2017

Auction Closed

The Adoration of the Shepherds (1888), 1888

James Ensor

The Adoration of the Shepherds (1888), 1888

Sale Date: May 20, 2017

Auction Closed

The Ice Skaters (1889), 1889

James Ensor

The Ice Skaters (1889), 1889

Sale Date: May 20, 2017

Auction Closed

Christ and the Beggars (1895), 1895

James Ensor

Christ and the Beggars (1895), 1895

Sale Date: May 20, 2017

Auction Closed

Roman Triumph (1889), 1889

James Ensor

Roman Triumph (1889), 1889

Sale Date: May 20, 2017

Auction Closed

The Fantastic Ball (1889), 1889

James Ensor

The Fantastic Ball (1889), 1889

Sale Date: May 20, 2017

Auction Closed

The Assassination (1888), 1888

James Ensor

The Assassination (1888), 1888

Sale Date: May 20, 2017

Auction Closed

Caesar's denarius (1888), 1888

James Ensor

Caesar's denarius (1888), 1888

Sale Date: May 20, 2017

Auction Closed

Horse (1880); Sketch of a Woman (recto/verso), 1880

James Ensor

Horse (1880); Sketch of a Woman (recto/verso), 1880

Sale Date: May 20, 2017

Auction Closed

La Cathédrale, 1886

James Ensor

La Cathédrale, 1886

Sale Date: May 31, 2017

Auction Closed

Coup de vent à la lisière, 1888

James Ensor

Coup de vent à la lisière, 1888

Sale Date: April 25, 2017

Auction Closed

Verger, 1886

James Ensor

Verger, 1886

Sale Date: April 25, 2017

Auction Closed

Bouquet d’arbres, 1888

James Ensor

Bouquet d’arbres, 1888

Sale Date: April 25, 2017

Auction Closed

Pouilleux se réchauffant, 1895

James Ensor

Pouilleux se réchauffant, 1895

Sale Date: April 25, 2017

Auction Closed

Le Christ tenté, 1888

James Ensor

Le Christ tenté, 1888

Sale Date: May 2, 2017

Auction Closed

Fridolin and Gragapança of Ypperdamme, 1895

James Ensor

Fridolin and Gragapança of Ypperdamme, 1895

Sale Date: May 2, 2017

Auction Closed

La Kermesse au Moulin, 1889

James Ensor

La Kermesse au Moulin, 1889

Sale Date: May 2, 2017

Auction Closed

MON PORTRAIT EN 1960 (DELTEIL, TAVERNIER,..., 1888

James Ensor

MON PORTRAIT EN 1960 (DELTEIL, TAVERNIER,..., 1888

Sale Date: April 4, 2017

Auction Closed

Etude de personnages, 1880

James Ensor

Etude de personnages, 1880

Sale Date: March 27, 2017

Auction Closed

Lady Godiva (1933)

James Ensor

Lady Godiva (1933)

Sale Date: March 11, 2017

Auction Closed

Péril extra jaune (1938)

James Ensor

Péril extra jaune (1938)

Sale Date: March 11, 2017

Auction Closed

Flowers and fruits - Fleurs et fruits (ca. 1938)

James Ensor

Flowers and fruits - Fleurs et fruits (ca. 1938)

Sale Date: March 11, 2017

Auction Closed

La gamme d'amour (1929)(album w/ 22 works)

James Ensor

La gamme d'amour (1929)(album w/ 22 works)

Sale Date: March 11, 2017

Auction Closed

Scènes de la vie du Christ (1921)(alubum w/ 31...

James Ensor

Scènes de la vie du Christ (1921)(alubum w/ 31...

Sale Date: March 11, 2017

Auction Closed