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 "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 "Grande vue de Mariakerke (Large View of..., 1887")
James Ensor
Grande vue de Mariakerke (Large View of..., 1887
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Sous-Bois à Groenendael (Forest at..., 1888")
.jpg "Sentier à Groenendael (Footpath at..., 1888")
.jpg "Sentier à Groenendael (Footpath at..., 1888")
.jpg "La Kermesse au Moulin (Village Fair at the..., 1889")
James Ensor
La Kermesse au Moulin (Village Fair at the..., 1889
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Le Chasseur (The Hunter), 1888")
.jpg "Les Patineurs (The Skaters), 1889")
.jpg "La Kermesse au Moulin (Village Fair at the..., 1889")
James Ensor
La Kermesse au Moulin (Village Fair at the..., 1889
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Les Bains à Ostende (The Baths at Ostend), 1899")
James Ensor
Les Bains à Ostende (The Baths at Ostend), 1899
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "La Blague de l'Eléphant (The Elephant Joke), 1888")
James Ensor
La Blague de l'Eléphant (The Elephant Joke), 1888
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
-(t.-142;-e.-136).jpg "Affiche pour le Carnaval d'Ostende (Poster..., 1931")
James Ensor
Affiche pour le Carnaval d'Ostende (Poster..., 1931
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Masques intrigués (Curious Masks), 1904")
.jpg "Les Joueurs (The Gamblers), 1895")
.jpg "Peste dessous, Peste dessus, Peste partout..., 1904")
James Ensor
Peste dessous, Peste dessus, Peste partout..., 1904
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Peste dessous, Peste dessus, Peste partout..., 1904")
James Ensor
Peste dessous, Peste dessus, Peste partout..., 1904
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Le Pisseur (The Pisser), 1887")
.jpg "Le Jardin d'Amour (The Garden of Love), 1888")
.jpg "Le Bal Fantastique (The Fantastic Ball), 1889")
.jpg "Le Bal Fantastique (The Fantastic Ball), 1889")
.jpg "Assemblée dans un Parc (Meeting in a Park), 1891")
James Ensor
Assemblée dans un Parc (Meeting in a Park), 1891
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Musiciens fantastiques (Fantastic Musicians), 1888")
James Ensor
Musiciens fantastiques (Fantastic Musicians), 1888
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Le Combat des pouilleux Désir and Rissolé..., 1888")
James Ensor
Le Combat des pouilleux Désir and Rissolé..., 1888
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "L'Assassinat (The Assassination), 1888")
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