# Bernard Dufour artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/bernard-dufour/
Profile generated: 2026-05-16T21:11:13.519Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Death date: 2016-07-22
- Nationality: French
- Movements: Post-war abstract painting
- Common media: oil painting, photography, drawing

## About Bernard Dufour

Bernard Dufour (1922–2016) was a French painter, photographer, and illustrator whose career spanned more than six decades. He first gained recognition for abstract painting in the years following the Second World War, engaging with the post-war renewal of the Parisian art scene. In later decades Dufour shifted toward figurative work, producing portraits and human-figure compositions that became a defining strand of his mature output. His work has been documented in major reference sources including the Getty Union List of Artist Names, VIAF, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, and the Library of Congress. Collectors most often encounter Dufour through paintings, works on paper, and photographs that appear in European and international auction sales.

## Common works and media

Dufour's output includes oil paintings on canvas and panel, drawings in ink and graphite, and photographic works. Early abstract compositions and later figurative paintings — especially portraits and nude or clothed figure studies — are the work types most frequently seen at auction. Illustrated books and print editions may also appear. Medium, edition size (where applicable), date, and condition are key identifiers for appraisal purposes.

## Market and appraisal context

Bernard Dufour's auction profile includes original paintings, works on paper, and photographs. His post-war abstract canvases and later figurative portraits and figure studies represent the most commonly encountered categories. Valuation depends on medium, dimensions, date of execution, provenance, condition, and exhibition or publication history. A 1964 feature in the journal L'oeil documents an active exhibition career. Comparable results from Post-War and Contemporary Art sales at major auction houses provide the most reliable pricing context, though collectors should note that his stylistic range means individual lots can vary significantly in demand.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from authority files and institutional sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q822388
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernard_Dufour
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500020665
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/212407990/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n88625108
- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/24620