Kees van Dongen Auction Prices and Value Guide

Kees van Dongen auction prices are tracked in Appraisily's artist market index, with source-directory coverage of 3,302 records. Use this page to review sold-lot activity, market context, and valuation factors before requesting a formal appraisal.

Kees van Dongen auction prices: quick answer

Kees van Dongen auction prices depend on medium, size, date, condition, provenance, edition details, attribution confidence, and recent comparable auction sales.

Artist
Kees van Dongen
Source records
3,302
Market update
2026-02-16

Artist context

About Kees van Dongen

Kees van Dongen (1877–1968) was a Dutch-French painter recognised as one of the leading figures of Fauvism. Born Cornelis Theodorus Maria van Dongen in Rotterdam, he settled in Paris around the turn of the twentieth century and quickly became part of its avant-garde circles. His early work reflected Hague School realism and Symbolist tendencies before evolving through a pointillist phase. The decisive shift came with the 1905 Salon d'Automne, where his bold colour and radical form placed him at the centre of the Fauve movement alongside Matisse and Derain. Paintings from roughly 1905 to 1910 — depicting nightlife, cabaret performers, dancers, and vivid female portraits — are widely regarded as his most important period. Van Dongen also worked extensively in lithography, watercolour, pastel, sculpture, ceramics, and illustration, and his later career included fashionable society portraiture. His work is held by major museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

FauvismHague School (early influence)Symbolism (early influence)oil paintingwatercolourlithographypastelfemale portraitsnightlife and cabaret scenesdancers and performers

Common works and media

Van Dongen's most commonly encountered works at auction include oil paintings of female figures, portraits, and cabaret or nightlife scenes. Lithographs and prints — often figurative subjects in bold colour — appear frequently and may be signed or unsigned. Watercolours, pastels, and drawings of women, performers, and still lifes are also well represented. Sculptural works and ceramics are less common but documented. Collectors may also encounter illustrated books and poster designs from his commercial period.

Market and appraisal context

Kees van Dongen commands a deep and liquid international auction market, with 1,975 recorded lots and 1,202 priced results spanning nearly three decades (1997–2026). Major houses Christie's and Sotheby's lead the field, with strong European representation from Artcurial, Tajan, Piasa, and Cornette de Saint-Cyr, alongside Dutch specialists such as Veilinghuis Onder de Boompjes. The price distribution is exceptionally wide — from €20 for minor prints to over €13.8 million for top Fauve-period oils — reflecting the vast range of media, periods, and quality across his long career. The interquartile spread (€1,000–€98,500) underscores that most lots fall in an accessible-to-mid-range band, with a median near €5,055. Recent twelve-month activity of 95 lots shows a modest decline from 145 the prior year, though this likely reflects normal auction cycle variation rather than a structural market shift.

Auction categories and appraisal factors

Common auction categories

  • Post-War & Contemporary Art
  • Impressionist & Modern Art
  • Works on Paper
  • Prints & Multiples
  • Oil Painting

Value drivers

  1. Period: Fauve-period oils (c. 1905–1910) are generally the most sought-after at auction
  2. Subject: Bold female portraits and cabaret/nightlife scenes tend to attract stronger bidding than later society portraits
  3. Medium: Original oils command the highest values; lithographs, pastels, watercolours, and works on paper are more accessible entry points
  4. Provenance and authenticity: Attribution should be confirmed through catalogue raisonné or expert committee, as van Dongen's large output includes many works of varying quality
  5. Condition: Vivid colour is central to Fauve work; condition issues affecting colour fields can significantly impact value
  6. Period: Fauve-period oils (c. 1905–1910) are the most sought-after; later works trade at a substantial discount

Appraisal caveats

  • Van Dongen's long career and prolific output mean quality and market value vary considerably across periods and media.
  • Later society portraits and commercial work from the 1920s onward generally command lower prices than his Fauve-period paintings.
  • Lithographs and editioned prints appear frequently at auction; edition size, paper quality, and signing affect value.
  • Prices in the source pack span EUR, GBP, and USD; cross-currency comparison requires conversion and may not reflect buyer premiums uniformly

Evidence

Sources for artist context

This source-grounded artist context passed Appraisily's promotion threshold: high confidence, strong sources.

Source-grounded artist Markdown

Data basis

This page is built from Appraisily's public auction market index. Private transactions, incomplete sale feeds, and attribution changes may not be fully represented.

LLM-readable Markdown summary for Kees van Dongen

LLM summary index · LLM full index

Artist value FAQ

How much is Kees van Dongen worth?

Comparable public auction sales are the best starting point, but final value depends on the specific artwork, condition, size, medium, provenance, and attribution confidence.

Can Appraisily value my Kees van Dongen artwork?

Yes. Appraisily can review photos, dimensions, signatures, condition, provenance, and comparable market data to prepare a current valuation.