# Kees van Dongen artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/kees-van-dongen/
Profile generated: 2026-04-29T20:48:39.980Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1877-01-26
- Death date: 1968-05-28
- Nationality: Dutch, French
- Movements: Fauvism, Hague School (early influence), Symbolism (early influence)
- Common media: oil painting, watercolour, lithography, pastel, sculpture, ceramics, drawing, illustration

## About Kees van Dongen

Kees van Dongen (1877–1968) was a Dutch-French painter recognised as one of the leading figures of Fauvism. Born Cornelis Theodorus Maria van Dongen in Rotterdam, he settled in Paris around the turn of the twentieth century and quickly became part of its avant-garde circles. His early work reflected Hague School realism and Symbolist tendencies before evolving through a pointillist phase. The decisive shift came with the 1905 Salon d'Automne, where his bold colour and radical form placed him at the centre of the Fauve movement alongside Matisse and Derain. Paintings from roughly 1905 to 1910 — depicting nightlife, cabaret performers, dancers, and vivid female portraits — are widely regarded as his most important period. Van Dongen also worked extensively in lithography, watercolour, pastel, sculpture, ceramics, and illustration, and his later career included fashionable society portraiture. His work is held by major museums worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

## Common works and media

Van Dongen's most commonly encountered works at auction include oil paintings of female figures, portraits, and cabaret or nightlife scenes. Lithographs and prints — often figurative subjects in bold colour — appear frequently and may be signed or unsigned. Watercolours, pastels, and drawings of women, performers, and still lifes are also well represented. Sculptural works and ceramics are less common but documented. Collectors may also encounter illustrated books and poster designs from his commercial period.

## Market and appraisal context

Kees van Dongen commands a deep and liquid international auction market, with 1,975 recorded lots and 1,202 priced results spanning nearly three decades (1997–2026). Major houses Christie's and Sotheby's lead the field, with strong European representation from Artcurial, Tajan, Piasa, and Cornette de Saint-Cyr, alongside Dutch specialists such as Veilinghuis Onder de Boompjes. The price distribution is exceptionally wide — from €20 for minor prints to over €13.8 million for top Fauve-period oils — reflecting the vast range of media, periods, and quality across his long career. The interquartile spread (€1,000–€98,500) underscores that most lots fall in an accessible-to-mid-range band, with a median near €5,055. Recent twelve-month activity of 95 lots shows a modest decline from 145 the prior year, though this likely reflects normal auction cycle variation rather than a structural market shift.

## Auction-house-backed market evidence

Kees van Dongen commands a deep and liquid international auction market, with 1,975 recorded lots and 1,202 priced results spanning nearly three decades (1997–2026). Major houses Christie's and Sotheby's lead the field, with strong European representation from Artcurial, Tajan, Piasa, and Cornette de Saint-Cyr, alongside Dutch specialists such as Veilinghuis Onder de Boompjes. The price distribution is exceptionally wide — from €20 for minor prints to over €13.8 million for top Fauve-period oils — reflecting the vast range of media, periods, and quality across his long career. The interquartile spread (€1,000–€98,500) underscores that most lots fall in an accessible-to-mid-range band, with a median near €5,055. Recent twelve-month activity of 95 lots shows a modest decline from 145 the prior year, though this likely reflects normal auction cycle variation rather than a structural market shift.

### Appraisal notes

Appraisily uses these 1,975 auction records as a comparative baseline alongside submitted photographs, measured dimensions, medium identification, signature verification, condition reports, and documented provenance. For van Dongen, the enormous price dispersion means matching a work to the correct segment — Fauve oil, later portrait, print, or work on paper — is essential before selecting comparable lots. Edition details (size, paper, signing) are critical for lithographs. Condition is especially important for Fauve-period works where colour intensity drives value. An Appraisily appraisal cross-references lot titles, auction house tier, and sale date to narrow the comparable set and produce a grounded estimate.

### Valuation factors

- Period: Fauve-period oils (c. 1905–1910) are the most sought-after; later works trade at a substantial discount
- Medium: Original oils command the highest values; lithographs, watercolours, and works on paper are significantly more accessible
- Subject: Bold female portraits and cabaret/nightlife scenes attract stronger demand than later society portraits
- Condition: Colour intensity is central to Fauve work; fading or restoration of colour fields materially affects value
- Provenance and authenticity: Attribution should be confirmed via catalogue raisonné or expert committee given his prolific output
- Auction house tier: Results from Christie's and Sotheby's tend to set the upper market; regional houses generally achieve lower realisations

### Collector notes

- With a median near €5,055 and an interquartile range of €1,000–€98,500, van Dongen offers entry points across budget levels — from unsigned prints to museum-quality oils
- The 95 lots recorded in the past twelve months indicate active market liquidity, though the decline from 145 suggests buying opportunities may arise at regional sales
- Lithographs and posters appear frequently and can be acquired for a few hundred euros, making them practical entry-level collectibles
- For higher-value acquisitions, insist on condition reports addressing colour saturation and any lining or restoration, particularly for Fauve-period works

### Market caveats

- Prices in the source pack span EUR, GBP, and USD; cross-currency comparison requires conversion and may not reflect buyer premiums uniformly
- Van Dongen's prolific output over a 70-year career means attribution quality varies; works listed as 'after' or 'in the manner of' carry no attribution guarantee and trade at steep discounts
- The headline maximum of €13.8 million reflects a single top-tier Fauve oil and is not representative of typical market levels
- Recent lots showing null price-realised may indicate unsold lots, withdrawn items, or results not yet published and should not be treated as comparable evidence

### Market evidence sources

- Appraisily auction record index: https://appraisily.com/api/scraper-search/artists/kees-van-dongen/seo-profile?recentLimit=24&relatedLimit=0
- Invaluable (Aguttes): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kees-van-dongen-1877-1968-place-vendome-92-c-84a607844f
- Invaluable (Aguttes): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kees-van-dongen-1877-1968-bouquet-de-fleurs-91-c-db5f8a19fa
- Invaluable (Venduehuis der Notarissen): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kees-van-dongen-dutch-french-1877-1968-77-c-83d42cb9f9
- Invaluable (Bonhams): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kees-van-dongen-dutch-1877-1968-rose-dans-un-verre-painted-in-1945-172-c-cff4721bb4
- Invaluable (Kaminski Auctions): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kees-van-dongen-la-rencontre-watercolor-717-c-8a3b40e49b
- Invaluable (Millon & Associés): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kees-van-dongen-1877-1968-avenue-du-bois-1928-21-c-0f588ba4f5
- Invaluable (De Baecque & Associés): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kees-van-dongen-1877-1968-117-c-98f4b6f068
- Invaluable (Shapiro Auctions): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kees-van-dongen-dutch-french-1877-1968-12-c-c4af8435b8
- Invaluable (Templum Fine Art): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kees-van-dongen-rotterdam-1877-monaco-1968-still-life-with-doll-1908-221-c-984a41012a
- Invaluable (The Rug Life Auctions): https://www.invaluable.com/auction-lot-kees-van-dongen-1877-1968-original-color-lithograph-titled-brigitte-bardot-27in-x-33in-69cm-x-84cm-349-c-a03049022b

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine artist identity research from museum, library authority, and scholarly sources with auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realised prices, and comparable lots when those records are available. For Kees van Dongen, identity data is grounded in authority files from the Library of Congress, VIAF, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, and Wikidata, with biographical context drawn from the Museum of Modern Art and corroborating sources.

## Sources

- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n50046695
- RKD – Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/23712
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/6077
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kees_van_Dongen
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/56617272/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q170345