James Ensor
(Belgian, 1860–1949)
Biography
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 Klee, George 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.
Most Expensive Artwork Sold at Auction
James Ensor Artworks
;-and-moulin-à-slykens-(d.-82;.jpg "CHAUMIÈRES; L'ORAGE; LA MARE AUX..., 1888–1891")
James Ensor
CHAUMIÈRES; L'ORAGE; LA MARE AUX..., 1888–1891
Sale Date: September 27, 2016
Auction Closed
;-and-les-petites-barques-(d.-87;-t.,-e.-89).jpg "CHALOUPES; BARQUES ÉCHOUÉES (D., T., E. , 1888–1894")
James Ensor
CHALOUPES; BARQUES ÉCHOUÉES (D., T., E. , 1888–1894
Sale Date: September 27, 2016
Auction Closed
.jpg "ESTACADE; VUE DE NIEUPORT; AND BATEAUX..., 1887–1889")
James Ensor
ESTACADE; VUE DE NIEUPORT; AND BATEAUX..., 1887–1889
Sale Date: September 27, 2016
Auction Closed
.jpg "LA MORT POURSUIVANT LE TROUPEAU DES HUMAINS..., 1896")
James Ensor
LA MORT POURSUIVANT LE TROUPEAU DES HUMAINS..., 1896
Sale Date: September 27, 2016
Auction Closed
.jpg "LE MEUBLE HANTÉ; AND LA CRYPTE (D., T., E...., 1888")
James Ensor
LE MEUBLE HANTÉ; AND LA CRYPTE (D., T., E...., 1888
Sale Date: September 27, 2016
Auction Closed
.jpg "BUSTE; LA CHIMÈRE; AND CANDÉLABRE ET VASE..., 1888")
James Ensor
BUSTE; LA CHIMÈRE; AND CANDÉLABRE ET VASE..., 1888
Sale Date: September 27, 2016
Auction Closed
.jpg "CRÂNES ET MASQUES (D., T., E. 29), 1888")
.jpg "LES PATINEURS (D., T., E. 65), 1889")
.jpg "LES GENDARMES (D., T., E. 55), 1888")
.jpg "LES ÉTOILES AU CIMETIÈRE (D., T., E. 56), 1888")
James Ensor
LES ÉTOILES AU CIMETIÈRE (D., T., E. 56), 1888
Sale Date: September 27, 2016
Auction Closed
.jpg "LE COMBAT DES POUILLEUX DÉSIR ET RISSOLÉ..., 1888")
James Ensor
LE COMBAT DES POUILLEUX DÉSIR ET RISSOLÉ..., 1888
Sale Date: September 27, 2016
Auction Closed
.jpg "LE CHASSEUR (D., T., E. 32), 1888")
.jpg "LA BELGIQUE AU XIXE SIÈCLE (D. 90; T., E. 81), 1889")
James Ensor
LA BELGIQUE AU XIXE SIÈCLE (D. 90; T., E. 81), 1889
Sale Date: September 27, 2016
Auction Closed
.jpg "L'ASSASSINAT (D., T., E. 38), 1888")
;-and-les.jpg "BOULEVARD VAN ISENGHEM, OSTEND; LA MUSIQUE..., 1889")
James Ensor
BOULEVARD VAN ISENGHEM, OSTEND; LA MUSIQUE..., 1889
Sale Date: September 27, 2016
Auction Closed
;-and-les-adieux-de-napoléon-(d.,-t.-111;-e.-114).jpg "AUTO-DA-FÉ (D. 85; T., E. 87); AND LES..., 1893")
James Ensor
AUTO-DA-FÉ (D. 85; T., E. 87); AND LES..., 1893
Sale Date: September 27, 2016
Auction Closed
.jpg "PRISE D'UNE VILLE ÉTRANGE; AND L'ANGE..., 1889")
James Ensor
PRISE D'UNE VILLE ÉTRANGE; AND L'ANGE..., 1889
Sale Date: September 27, 2016
Auction Closed
.jpg "LA BLAGUE DE L'ÉLÉPHANT (D., T., E. 51), 1888")
James Ensor
LA BLAGUE DE L'ÉLÉPHANT (D., T., E. 51), 1888
Sale Date: September 27, 2016
Auction Closed
James Ensor
RUE DU BON SECOURS À BRUXELLES; MAISON..., 1887–1888
Sale Date: September 27, 2016
Auction Closed
.jpg "LES CATACLYSMES (D., T., E. 37), 1888")
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