# Emil Ganso artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/emil-ganso/
Profile generated: 2026-05-08T11:11:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1895-04-14
- Death date: 1941-04-18
- Nationality: German, American
- Movements: American Modernism
- Common media: painting, printmaking

## About Emil Ganso

Emil Ganso (1895–1941) was a German-born American painter and printmaker. Born in Halberstadt, Germany, he emigrated to the United States and established a career centered on figurative painting and graphic arts. Ganso is recognized for his depictions of the nude and for working across both oil and print media, including etching and lithography. His work is represented in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Ganso's career was cut short by his death in Iowa City, Iowa, at the age of 46. He is listed in Bénézit's Dictionnaire critique et documentaire des peintres and documented by the RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History, the Getty ULAN, and the Library of Congress Name Authority File.

## Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers most commonly encounter Ganso's work as oil paintings on canvas or panel, etchings, lithographs, and drawings. Figurative subjects, particularly nudes, are a recurring theme. Prints may appear as single impressions or in small editions. Works on paper range from finished compositions to preparatory studies. With over five hundred documented auction appearances, Ganso's prints and paintings are accessible but not abundant in the secondary market.

## Market and appraisal context

Emil Ganso's work appears at auction primarily as paintings, prints, and works on paper. His relatively short career produced a finite body of work, which can affect availability and pricing. Key factors in appraisal include medium (oil versus print), subject matter (particularly figurative and nude compositions), condition, provenance, and any institutional exhibition history. Prints should be assessed for edition size, plate quality, and paper condition. Collectors are advised to consult recent comparable auction results and, when possible, seek expert attribution review, as no publicly available catalogue raisonné has been identified.

## Appraisily data basis

This artist page draws on identity records from Wikidata, the Getty Union List of Artist Names, the Library of Congress Name Authority File, VIAF, the RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History, and the Museum of Modern Art. Appraisily combines this artist research with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available.

## Sources

- RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/30167
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/2071
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20750459
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/13136623/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n95099276
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500017088