# André Derain artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/andre-derain/
Profile generated: 2026-04-30T00:30:05.886Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1880-06-10
- Death date: 1954-09-08
- Nationality: French
- Movements: Fauvism, Return to Order (Neo-classicism)
- Common media: oil painting, sculpture, lithography, watercolor, drawing, woodcut printmaking, gouache, photography, pastel

## About André Derain

André Derain (1880–1954) was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker who played a defining role in twentieth-century art. Born in Chatou, a suburb west of Paris, he studied at the Académie Carrière where he met Henri Matisse. Together they launched Fauvism at the 1905 Salon d'Automne, a movement built on liberated, non-naturalistic color. Derain's Fauve canvases—from Collioure, London, and the south of France—remain among the most recognizable works of early modernism. By 1910 his palette tightened under the influence of Cézanne and the Old Masters, and after World War I he became a leading figure in the Return to Order, painting classically composed figures, landscapes, and still lifes with restrained tonality. Alongside painting, he produced sculptures, lithographs, woodcuts, book illustrations, and stage designs. An official authentication committee under the Association des Amis d'André Derain continues to catalogue and authenticate his work.

## Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers most often encounter Derain's oil paintings—landscapes, figure compositions, portraits, and still lifes. He also produced a substantial body of works on paper including watercolors, gouaches, pastels, and drawings. His printmaking encompasses lithographs, woodcuts, and etchings, many created as book illustrations for literary commissions. Sculpture, while less prolific, appears at auction occasionally. Photographs taken by Derain later in his life also survive in institutional collections.

## Market and appraisal context

André Derain maintains a deep and liquid auction market spanning more than two decades. Appraisily's auction-record index traces 1,192 lots catalogued since September 2002, with 764 carrying recorded prices and activity continuing through April 2026. The price distribution is exceptionally wide: observed lots range from approximately €40 for minor prints at the low end to a maximum recorded price of roughly $16.3 million for a top-tier Fauve-period oil painting, underscoring the premium placed on Derain's earliest and most iconic work. The interquartile range (p25 €960 to p75 €15,000) and a median near €3,380 reflect a broad middle market dominated by later paintings, works on paper, prints, and multiples. Fifty-four lots appeared in the most recent twelve-month window (down from seventy-nine the prior year), suggesting a still-active but slightly cooling turnover. The house mix is anchored by Christie's and Sotheby's at the top of the market, with a strong French regional presence including Artcurial, Tajan, Osenat, Piasa, and Millon & Associés, plus Bonhams and Swann Auction Galleries internationally. The Jacques Thalheimer collection dispersal at Osenat in March 2026 produced multiple five-figure results (€9,000–€14,100) for portraits and figure studies, demonstrating sustained collector demand for well-provenanced post-Fauve material.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

André Derain maintains a deep and liquid auction market spanning more than two decades. Appraisily's auction-record index traces 1,192 lots catalogued since September 2002, with 764 carrying recorded prices and activity continuing through April 2026. The price distribution is exceptionally wide: observed lots range from approximately €40 for minor prints at the low end to a maximum recorded price of roughly $16.3 million for a top-tier Fauve-period oil painting, underscoring the premium placed on Derain's earliest and most iconic work. The interquartile range (p25 €960 to p75 €15,000) and a median near €3,380 reflect a broad middle market dominated by later paintings, works on paper, prints, and multiples. Fifty-four lots appeared in the most recent twelve-month window (down from seventy-nine the prior year), suggesting a still-active but slightly cooling turnover. The house mix is anchored by Christie's and Sotheby's at the top of the market, with a strong French regional presence including Artcurial, Tajan, Osenat, Piasa, and Millon & Associés, plus Bonhams and Swann Auction Galleries internationally. The Jacques Thalheimer collection dispersal at Osenat in March 2026 produced multiple five-figure results (€9,000–€14,100) for portraits and figure studies, demonstrating sustained collector demand for well-provenanced post-Fauve material.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily would use this auction-record evidence alongside high-resolution photographs, measured dimensions, medium identification, signature and inscription details, condition reports, documented provenance, edition numbering for prints, and a curated set of comparable lots drawn from the 764 priced records. Given the wide dispersion between the €40 minimum and the $16.3 million maximum, period and medium attribution are the most consequential factors: a Fauve-period oil requires fundamentally different comparable analysis than a post-war lithograph or bronze edition. Authentication through the Comité d'authentification of the Association des Amis d'André Derain should be confirmed or recommended before final valuation of any painting, sculpture, or significant work on paper. For prints and multiples, catalogue raisonné references (e.g., Cailler for etchings, Coray & Koella for illustrated books) cited in lot titles provide a baseline for edition identification. Condition is especially important for works on paper and prints, where foxing, fading, or trimmed margins materially affect value within an already compressed price band.

### Valuation factors

- Period: Fauve-period oils (1905–1907) dominate the top of the market; Cézanne-influenced works (c. 1908–1910) also command premiums; post-1918 neo-classical works trade at significantly lower levels.
- Medium: Oil paintings carry the strongest results; bronze sculptures (e.g., La femme assise at £8,890 at Christie's March 2026) and works on paper occupy the middle tier; lithographs, woodcuts, and etchings cluster below €2,000 in most recent results.
- Provenance: Named collections (e.g., Jacques Thalheimer, sold Osenat March 2026) and documented exhibition history produce measurably stronger results; collector confidence increases with transparent chain of ownership.
- Authentication: The Comité d'authentification under the Association des Amis d'André Derain is the recognized authority; committee-confirmed works trade at a premium over unsigned or unverified attributions.
- Edition and catalogue references: Prints with documented catalogue raisonné numbers (Cailler, Coray & Koella) and clear edition numbering are more readily appraised and tend to achieve more predictable prices.
- Subject: Landscapes and figure compositions from key creative periods attract stronger bidding; portraits and still lifes vary widely depending on period and quality.
- Condition: For works on paper and prints, condition (foxing, fading, margins, handling creases) can shift value significantly within the compressed lower-middle price band.
- Market liquidity: With 54–79 lots per year appearing at auction across a dozen active houses, Derain maintains reliable secondary-market liquidity, though top-tier Fauve oils appear infrequently.

### Collector notes

- Derain's auction market is broad but stratified. A collector considering a Fauve-period oil is entering a different market tier (seven to eight figures) than someone acquiring a mid-century lithograph (three to low four figures). Verify which tier applies before relying on median or average price data.
- French regional houses—Artcurial, Tajan, Osenat, Piasa, Millon—frequently offer Derain material, often at lower estimates than Christie's or Sotheby's for comparable later-period works. Monitoring these venues can reveal value opportunities, but condition reporting and provenance documentation may be less detailed.
- Prints and multiples appear regularly (Tajan, Swann) and provide accessible entry points. Look for catalogue raisonné references, edition size, and signature in pencil. Recent Tajan results show prints trading in the €489–€1,588 range.
- The March 2026 Osenat dispersal of the Jacques Thalheimer collection—six lots totaling roughly €48,300 in recorded prices—shows that well-provenanced figure studies and portraits from the 1920s–1930s can achieve five-figure results at a regional house, a useful data point for owners of similar material.
- Bronze sculptures appear occasionally (Christie's sold La femme assise for £8,890 in March 2026). Edition size, foundry marks, and patina condition are key appraisal factors for this medium.
- Buyers should budget for authentication costs when acquiring paintings or significant works on paper. The Comité d'authentification process can add time and expense but materially protects resale value.
- Lot volume dipped from 79 to 54 year-over-year, which could indicate tightening supply of quality material rather than falling demand. Watch for whether this trend continues through 2026.

### Market caveats

- The $16.28 million maximum recorded price represents an extreme outlier; the vast majority of lots trade below €15,000. Any appraisal should be anchored to period-, medium-, and quality-specific comparables rather than headline auction records.
- Approximately 36% of catalogued lots (428 of 1,192) lack a recorded sale price, indicating withdrawn, bought-in, or post-sale-negotiated lots. This may inflate the apparent strength of the priced distribution.
- Recent lot titles often lack full medium, date, and dimension details, making direct comparison difficult without consulting the full auction-house cataloguing.
- Derain's later neo-classical output is voluminous and stylistically varied, which can complicate attribution. Works without committee authentication or clear provenance should be treated with caution.
- Prices are recorded in mixed currencies (EUR, GBP, USD, ZAR). Currency conversion and sale-date context are necessary for accurate comparison across houses and geographies.
- The source pack reflects auction records only; private sale and gallery prices are not captured and may differ materially from public auction results.

### Market evidence sources

- undefined: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/andre-derain/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-andre-derain-1880-1954-femme-aux-boucles-d-oreilles-et-au-collier-de-per-1303-c-8eaaaf8f9d
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-andre-derain-1880-1954-la-femme-assise-the-seated-woman-bronze-with-b-1301-c-c646e6e19d
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-andre-derain-1880-1954-31-c-2bb48baa09
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-andre-derain-1880-1954-28-c-d28fb6afbc
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-andre-derain-france-1880-1954-collection-jacques-thalheimer-femme-assise-robe-gris-bleu-et-111-c-559322aa25
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-andre-derain-france-1880-1954-collection-jacques-thalheimer-enfant-aux-trois-masques-vers-1-110-c-1bfcc883a7
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-andre-derain-france-1880-1954-collection-jacques-thalheimer-portrait-de-jeune-fille-fond-ro-109-c-92ba3307dc
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-andre-derain-france-1880-1954-collection-jacques-thalheimer-portrait-de-femme-rousse-vers-1-108-c-85bbf9fa8b
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-andre-derain-france-1880-1954-collection-jacques-thalheimer-le-paradis-terrestre-deux-baign-60-c-a47dd784f5
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-andre-derain-1880-1954-138-c-4ac97c75fb
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-andre-derain-1735-c-4365d690fb
- undefined: https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-andre-derain-1880-1954-nu-allonge-circa-annees-1930-10-c-6e098151f4

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine structured identity research from library authorities and museum records with auction results, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots. For André Derain, this page draws on the Library of Congress Name Authority, RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, VIAF, Tate, and the artist's official site. Authentication guidance references the Comité d'authentification of the Association des Amis d'André Derain.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50001721
- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/22036
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/2469239/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q156272
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andr%C3%A9_Derain
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/andre-derain-998
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/1500
- Association des Amis d'André Derain: https://www.andrederain.fr/