# Alfred Ost artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/alfred-ost/
Profile generated: 2026-05-08T12:05:30.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1884-02-14
- Death date: 1945-10-09
- Nationality: Belgian
- Movements: Social realism and engaged art, Mystical and symbolist late work
- Common media: oil painting, watercolor, drawing (ink and graphite), poster design (lithograph), illustration, political cartoon

## About Alfred Ost

Alfred Ost (1884–1945) was a Belgian painter, illustrator, watercolorist, poster designer, and political cartoonist whose career moved from figurative realism toward socially engaged and later mystical art. Born in Zwijndrecht, he first became known for detailed animal paintings and genre scenes before turning to religious subjects recast in everyday Flemish settings. During World War I he lived in Amsterdam, where contact with avant-garde circles expanded his stylistic range. His experience of bipolar disorder, deepened by the trauma of war, brought darker tones and pessimistic themes into his later output. Alongside visual work he published poetry. His posters and illustrations are well represented in Belgian and Dutch public collections, and his paintings and drawings appear regularly at auction across the Low Countries.

## Common works and media

Ost worked across a wide range of media. The works most commonly found at auction include oil paintings of animals and genre scenes, watercolors, ink and graphite drawings, lithographic poster designs, and political cartoons. He also produced illustrated books and written poetry. Religious subjects placed in contemporary Flemish settings recur throughout his career, while his later work includes mystical and symbolist compositions in darker palettes. His monogrammed pieces — signed 'AO' or 'D.G.' (Deo Gratias) — are documented in the RKD records.

## Market and appraisal context

Ost's works appear frequently at Belgian and Dutch auction houses, with over 500 recorded lots. Collectors most often encounter his animal paintings, poster designs, watercolors, and ink drawings. Value is shaped by medium, with oils generally valued above works on paper; by subject, with his early realist animal scenes forming a distinct category; and by date and condition. His poster designs from the Amsterdam period and after are a recognizable collectible segment. Attribution should be confirmed through his documented monograms 'AO' or 'D.G.' and cross-referenced with RKD or museum records.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine identity research from authority files and museum records with auction results, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot data when available. For Alfred Ost, biographical data is supported by records from the Getty Union List of Artist Names, VIAF, the Library of Congress Name Authority File, and the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2062015
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Ost
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500160637
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/74661265/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/nr95035683
- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/61081