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
.jpg "Le Grand Bassin d'Ostende (The Main Dock,..., 1888")
James Ensor
Le Grand Bassin d'Ostende (The Main Dock,..., 1888
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Les Chaloupes (Fishing Boats), 1888")
.jpg "Vue du Port d'Ostende (View of the Ostend..., 1888")
James Ensor
Vue du Port d'Ostende (View of the Ostend..., 1888
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "L'Estacade à Ostende (The Breakwater at..., 1887")
James Ensor
L'Estacade à Ostende (The Breakwater at..., 1887
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Le Moulin à Slykens (The Windmill at Slykens), 1891")
James Ensor
Le Moulin à Slykens (The Windmill at Slykens), 1891
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Le Moulin à Mariakerke (The Windmill at..., 1889")
James Ensor
Le Moulin à Mariakerke (The Windmill at..., 1889
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Le Pont Rustique (The Rustic Bridge), 1889")
.jpg "L'Orage (Thunderstorm), 1889")
.jpg "La Mare aux Peupliers (The Pond at the..., 1889")
James Ensor
La Mare aux Peupliers (The Pond at the..., 1889
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Ferme à Leffinghe (Farm at Leffinghe), 1889")
.jpg "Maisonnettes à Mariakerke (Small Cottages at , 1888")
James Ensor
Maisonnettes à Mariakerke (Small Cottages at , 1888
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Le Chaumières (Thatched Cottages), 1888")
.jpg "Plage de la Panne (Beach at La Panne), 1904")
.jpg "Le Pont du Bois (The Wood Bridge), 1889")
.jpg "La Ferme flamande (Flemish Farm), 1888")
.jpg "Le Chenal à Nieuport (View of Nieuport), 1888")
.jpg "Coup de Vent à la Lisière (Squall at the..., 1888")
James Ensor
Coup de Vent à la Lisière (Squall at the..., 1888
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Bouquet d'Arbres (Group of Trees), 1888")
.jpg "Lisière du petit bois (Edge of the Little..., 1888")
James Ensor
Lisière du petit bois (Edge of the Little..., 1888
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Le Verger (The Orchard), 1886")
.jpg "Petite vue de Mariakerke (Small View of..., 1900")
James Ensor
Petite vue de Mariakerke (Small View of..., 1900
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Petite vue de Mariakerke (Small View of..., 1887")
James Ensor
Petite vue de Mariakerke (Small View of..., 1887
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Petite vue de Mariakerke (Small View of..., 1887")
James Ensor
Petite vue de Mariakerke (Small View of..., 1887
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Petite vue de Mariakerke (Small View of..., 1900")
James Ensor
Petite vue de Mariakerke (Small View of..., 1900
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
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