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)
Les adieux de Napoléon, 1897

James Ensor

Les adieux de Napoléon, 1897

Sale Date: June 18, 2015

Auction Closed

Le verger (recto/verso), 1886

James Ensor

Le verger (recto/verso), 1886

Sale Date: June 18, 2015

Auction Closed

Staande naakte man (recto/verso), 1878

James Ensor

Staande naakte man (recto/verso), 1878

Sale Date: June 18, 2015

Auction Closed

Discuswerper, 1878

James Ensor

Discuswerper, 1878

Sale Date: June 18, 2015

Auction Closed

Ascension vers le dieu lumière

James Ensor

Ascension vers le dieu lumière

Sale Date: June 18, 2015

Auction Closed

Scène burlesque

James Ensor

Scène burlesque

Sale Date: June 16, 2015

Auction Closed

Coquilles formes rebondies, 1943

James Ensor

Coquilles formes rebondies, 1943

Sale Date: June 25, 2015

Auction Closed

Les bons livres, 1937

James Ensor

Les bons livres, 1937

Sale Date: June 25, 2015

Auction Closed

L´Auto-Da-Fé, 1893

James Ensor

L´Auto-Da-Fé, 1893

Sale Date: June 10, 2015

Auction Closed

Le Fantôme, 1889

James Ensor

Le Fantôme, 1889

Sale Date: June 10, 2015

Auction Closed

Le Moulin de Mariakerke (In the Dunes of..., 1889

James Ensor

Le Moulin de Mariakerke (In the Dunes of..., 1889

Sale Date: June 10, 2015

Auction Closed

Maisonnettes à Mariakerke, 1888

James Ensor

Maisonnettes à Mariakerke, 1888

Sale Date: June 10, 2015

Auction Closed

Hôtel de Ville d'Audenaerde, 1888

James Ensor

Hôtel de Ville d'Audenaerde, 1888

Sale Date: June 10, 2015

Auction Closed

ORNAMENT EINES SCHRANKES, 1885

James Ensor

ORNAMENT EINES SCHRANKES, 1885

Sale Date: June 3, 2015

Auction Closed

Le Flacon bleu, 1880

James Ensor

Le Flacon bleu, 1880

Sale Date: June 9, 2015

Auction Closed

My Portrait in 1960, 1888

James Ensor

My Portrait in 1960, 1888

Sale Date: June 6, 2015

Auction Closed

Le grand bassin d'Ostende, 1888

James Ensor

Le grand bassin d'Ostende, 1888

Sale Date: May 20, 2015

Auction Closed

La Chimère

James Ensor

La Chimère

Sale Date: June 1, 2015

Auction Closed

Paresse

James Ensor

Paresse

Sale Date: June 1, 2015

Auction Closed

Nature morte à l'autoportrait, 1935

James Ensor

Nature morte à l'autoportrait, 1935

Sale Date: May 16, 2015

Auction Closed

Lady Godiva, 1933

James Ensor

Lady Godiva, 1933

Sale Date: May 16, 2015

Auction Closed

Mon portrait en 1960 (1888), 1888

James Ensor

Mon portrait en 1960 (1888), 1888

Sale Date: May 16, 2015

Auction Closed

Maison du Boulevard Anspach (1888) (3 works)

James Ensor

Maison du Boulevard Anspach (1888) (3 works)

Sale Date: May 16, 2015

Auction Closed

Cheval (1880) (recto/verso), 1880

James Ensor

Cheval (1880) (recto/verso), 1880

Sale Date: May 16, 2015

Auction Closed