# Chaïm Soutine artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/chaim-soutine/
Profile generated: 2026-05-10T05:42:45.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Death date: 1943-08-09
- Nationality: Belarusian, French
- Movements: Expressionism, School of Paris
- Common media: oil painting, drawing

## About Chaïm Soutine

Chaïm Soutine (1893–1943) was a painter born in Smilavičy, in present-day Belarus, who became one of the most distinctive voices of the School of Paris. Of Belarusian-Jewish heritage, Soutine emigrated to Paris as a young man and joined the vibrant émigré art scene centered around Montparnasse. His emotionally charged canvases—characterized by turbulent brushwork, vivid color, and visceral energy—placed him firmly within the Expressionist current, even as he maintained a fiercely individual style. Soutine is best known for his haunting portraits, swirling landscapes of the French countryside, and his visceral still-life paintings of animal carcasses and food. His work drew admiration from contemporaries and collectors alike; his paintings entered major museum collections during his lifetime and now reside in institutions including the Museum of Modern Art, the Tate, and the Centre Pompidou.

## Common works and media

Soutine produced oil paintings and works on paper. His most commonly encountered subjects in appraisal and auction contexts include expressive portraits (often of service workers and children), densely painted landscapes of Céret and Cagnes-sur-Mer, and still lifes—especially his well-known series depicting animal carcasses, poultry, and fish. Works on paper and drawings appear less frequently but are also collected.

## Market and appraisal context

Soutine's paintings appear regularly in Impressionist and Modern Art sales at major auction houses. His works are valued for their raw emotional intensity and distinctive impasto technique. Key factors affecting appraisal include the subject matter (portraits and certain still-life series tend to be most sought after), provenance history, canvas condition given his heavy paint application, and expert authentication. Because Soutine lacked a universally accepted catalogue raisonné, attribution requires specialist connoisseurship. Collectors should be aware that authentication disputes can arise, and works without clear provenance or expert endorsement may carry significant risk.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines structured identity research from museum records, library authority files, and public biographical sources with auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot data when those records are available.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50021650
- RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/74050
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q160141
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/18015110/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500004801
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/5543
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/chaim-soutine-1971
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cha%C3%AFm_Soutine