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 "L'Assassinat (The Assassination), 1888")
.jpg "Les Adieux de Napoléon (Napoleon's Farewell), 1897")
James Ensor
Les Adieux de Napoléon (Napoleon's Farewell), 1897
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Alimentation Doctrinaire, 2ème planche..., 1889")
James Ensor
Alimentation Doctrinaire, 2ème planche..., 1889
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Les vieux polissons (The old Scamps), 1895")
.jpg "Les mauvais médecins (The bad Doctors), 1895")
.jpg "Les Bons Juges (The Good Judges), 1894")
-(set-of-8-works).jpg "Les Sept Péchés Capitaux (The Seven..., 1888–1904")
James Ensor
Les Sept Péchés Capitaux (The Seven..., 1888–1904
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "L'Orgueil, from: Les Sept Péchés Capitaux..., 1904")
James Ensor
L'Orgueil, from: Les Sept Péchés Capitaux..., 1904
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "La Luxure, from: Les Sept Péchés Capitaux..., 1888")
James Ensor
La Luxure, from: Les Sept Péchés Capitaux..., 1888
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
James Ensor
Péchés Capitaux dominés par la Mort, from:..., 1904
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Le Christ aux Enfers (Christ in Hell), 1895")
.jpg "Le Christ aux Enfers (Christ in Hell), 1895")
.jpg "Le Christ descendant aux Enfers (Christ..., 1895")
James Ensor
Le Christ descendant aux Enfers (Christ..., 1895
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Le Christ agonisant (Christ tormented by..., 1895")
James Ensor
Le Christ agonisant (Christ tormented by..., 1895
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Le Christ aux Mendiants (Christ among the..., 1895")
James Ensor
Le Christ aux Mendiants (Christ among the..., 1895
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "L'Entrée du Christ à Bruxelles (The Entry of , 1898")
James Ensor
L'Entrée du Christ à Bruxelles (The Entry of , 1898
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "L'Entrée du Christ à Bruxelles (The Entry of , 1898")
James Ensor
L'Entrée du Christ à Bruxelles (The Entry of , 1898
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Le Christ aux Mendiants (Christ among the..., 1895")
James Ensor
Le Christ aux Mendiants (Christ among the..., 1895
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "La Multiplication des Poissons (The..., 1891")
.jpg "La Multiplication des Poissons (The..., 1891")
.jpg "La Tentation du Christ (The Temptation of..., 1888")
James Ensor
La Tentation du Christ (The Temptation of..., 1888
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "L'Adoration des Bergers (The Adoration of..., 1888")
James Ensor
L'Adoration des Bergers (The Adoration of..., 1888
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
.jpg "Le Christ dans la Barque (Christ in the Boat), 1898")
James Ensor
Le Christ dans la Barque (Christ in the Boat), 1898
Sale Date: March 19, 2014
Auction Closed
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