# George Hendrik Breitner artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/george-hendrik-breitner/
Profile generated: 2026-05-11T19:55:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Nationality: Dutch
- Movements: Amsterdam Impressionism
- Common media: oil painting, photography, watercolor, etching, drawing

## About George Hendrik Breitner

George Hendrik Breitner (1857–1923) was a Dutch painter and photographer recognized as a leading figure of Amsterdam Impressionism. Born in the Netherlands, Breitner developed a distinctive realist approach to depicting modern urban life, concentrating on Amsterdam street scenes, harbour views, and the everyday movements of city dwellers. He painted en plein air and was unusual among his contemporaries for integrating photography into his artistic practice, using the camera to capture fleeting atmospheric effects and the texture of rainy weather as studies for his canvases. In addition to oil painting, Breitner produced watercolors, etchings, and drawings. His work is held in major museum collections including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and his biography and oeuvre are documented by the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History.

## Common works and media

Collectors and appraisers may encounter Breitner works across several media: oil paintings of Amsterdam street scenes and harbours, watercolors and drawings of urban subjects, etchings, and gelatin silver photographs of city life. His paintings typically feature bold brushwork and muted, atmospheric palettes. Photographic prints of street views and construction sites are also documented in institutional collections. Prints and works on paper are more frequently available than major canvases.

## Market and appraisal context

Breitner's works appear regularly at auction, with oil paintings of Amsterdam street scenes and harbour subjects drawing the strongest collector interest. Works on paper, including watercolors and drawings, represent a more accessible segment of his market. His photographs, originally created as reference material, have gained independent recognition and trade separately. Attribution and provenance should be verified against the RKD catalogue. Condition, subject matter, size, and period all influence appraisal value, and collectors should note that his output spans multiple media with distinct market profiles.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine identity research from museum records, library authority files, and scholarly sources with auction-house records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For George Hendrik Breitner, identity data is grounded in the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, Getty ULAN, VIAF, Wikidata, and the Museum of Modern Art collection record.

## Sources

- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q289441
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Hendrik_Breitner
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500006861
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/71495339/
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50043496
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/64954
- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/12318