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1860 - 1949
Who was James Ensor?
James Ensor (1860-1949) was a Belgian painter and printmaker regarded as a central contributor to the movements of expressionism and surrealism. He lived in Ostend for nearly his entire life where he was associated with the artistic group Les XX, a group of twenty Belgian painters, designers and sculptors, established in 1883. Although Ensor’s work stood apart from that of his contemporaries, he was nonetheless a major influence on 20th-century names like Paul Klee, Emil Nolde, George Grosz, Alfred Kubin, Wols, Felix Nussbaum, as well as other expressionist and surrealist painters of the day.
Ensor's early paintings depict realistic scenes in a sober style, as scene in works such as Russian Music (1881) and The Drunkards (1883). However, towards the end of the 19th century, his palette became brighter and his subject matter increasingly bizarre. Paintings such as The Scandalized Masks (1883) and Skeletons Fighting over a Hanged Man (1891) depict figures in grotesque masks inspired by the Ostend Carnival. It has been said that Ensor would keep skeletons in his studio and arrange them in enigmatic tableaux before painting them on the canvas. Masks were also a recurrent, theatrical aspect in his still lifes as the artist was attracted by their plastic forms, bright colors, and psycho-symbolic potential.
Buy an artwork inspired by James Ensor
Bring James Ensor Home
James Ensor’s collection works are held in many notable museums across the world such as the Modern Art Museum and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp, and the Museum voor Schone Kunsten in Ostend. Select major works by Ensor are also on view at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Musée d'Orsay, Paris. Ensor’s remaining paintings are sold exclusively through Sotheby’s and Christie’s auction houses. On average, his artwork is bought for about 4 million euros at auction.
In this collection, Singulart online art gallery takes a look at some contemporary artists for sale today whose work reminds us of Ensor. Their paintings are united by a distortion of form, the use of negative space, riotous color, and a proclivity for the bizarre. While buying artwork by James ensor is difficult, these artists for sale are much more affordable and just as enjoyable. Bring their art home today!
Masks Confronting Death
1888
Christ's Entry into Brussels in 1889
1888Artists similar to James Ensor
SINGULART artists in the style of James Ensor
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