# August Macke artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/august-macke/
Profile generated: 2026-05-11T19:22:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1887-01-03
- Death date: 1914-09-26
- Nationality: German
- Movements: German Expressionism, Der Blaue Reiter
- Common media: Oil painting, Watercolor, Drawing, Linocut

## About August Macke

August Macke (1887–1914) was a German Expressionist painter and a leading member of Der Blaue Reiter (The Blue Rider), the pioneering Munich-based movement that shaped the course of early twentieth-century modernism alongside Wassily Kandinsky and Franz Marc. Born in Meschede, Germany, Macke developed a distinctive style that blended vivid color with influences drawn from French Cubism, Orphism, and Italian Futurism—movements he absorbed during formative visits to Paris and exhibitions across Europe. His work is characterized by luminous palettes, rhythmic compositions, and everyday subjects rendered in an optimistic, decorative idiom. A close friend of Franz Marc, Macke participated in the first Der Blaue Reiter exhibition in 1911 and contributed to the group's landmark almanac. His productive career was cut short when he was killed in combat during the First World War, at the age of twenty-seven. Despite the brevity of his output, Macke produced hundreds of paintings and watercolors now held by major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Kunstmuseum Bonn, and the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus.

## Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers most commonly encounter Macke's oil paintings on canvas or board, as well as watercolors, ink and pencil drawings, and linocut prints. His subjects include vibrant street and park scenes, garden and landscape views, portraits, and figurative groups. Works from his 1914 Tunisian trip—featuring light-filled architectural and market scenes—are particularly well known. Prints and works on paper appear more regularly at auction than major oils, and later exhibition posters reproducing his paintings also circulate in the secondary market.

## Market and appraisal context

August Macke's work appears regularly in the Impressionist and Modern Art sale categories at international auction houses. Because his career lasted less than a decade and ended with his death in 1914 at age twenty-seven, the total number of extant oil paintings is relatively small, which supports strong collector interest when significant works surface. Oil paintings from 1913 and 1914—particularly those showing the influence of his Tunisian travels with Paul Klee—are among the most valued at auction. Watercolors, drawings, and prints by Macke are encountered more frequently and provide accessible entry points for collectors. Provenance, condition, and confirmation against catalogue raisonné records are critical factors in any appraisal, as misattributions and copies do circulate. Museum holdings and RKD documentation serve as important reference points for authentication.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine verified artist identity research from museum records, library authority files, and scholarly databases with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot data when those records are available. For August Macke, identity data draws on the Getty Union List of Artist Names, VIAF, RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, Wikidata, and the Museum of Modern Art collection records.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/51753
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q33981
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_Macke
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500007945
- VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/19686273/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50040893
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/3670