# Mogens Balle artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/mogens-balle/
Profile generated: 2026-05-29T21:32:32.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1921-04-01
- Death date: 1988-11-20
- Nationality: Danish
- Movements: CoBrA
- Common media: painting, illustration

## About Mogens Balle

Mogens Balle (full name Mogens Erik Schack Balle, 1921–1988) was a Danish painter and illustrator associated with the CoBrA movement, the experimental artists' group active from 1948 to 1951 that championed spontaneous, expressive painting rooted in myth, folk art, and the unconscious. Born in Asminderud, Denmark, Balle worked alongside other Scandinavian and Dutch artists who rejected academic convention in favor of raw, gestural abstraction. His work is represented in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and is documented in major scholarly references including the Bénézit Dictionary of Artists, the Weilbach Danish artist lexicon, and the Saur Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon. He is buried at Vaerslev, Denmark. Collectors most frequently encounter Balle's work through Post-War European art sales and CoBrA-school auction groupings.

## Common works and media

Collectors are likely to encounter oil and acrylic paintings on canvas, works on paper including ink and gouache drawings, and prints. Subject matter typically reflects CoBrA interests: semi-abstract figuration, animal and mythological motifs, and improvisational compositions with bold color. Illustrated books and collaborative CoBrA editions also appear on the market. Condition assessment should address the paper support and pigment stability common to post-war works on paper.

## Market and appraisal context

Mogens Balle's works appear regularly on the secondary market, with over 200 documented auction and appraisal records. Valuation is influenced by the work's connection to the CoBrA movement, medium and scale, provenance clarity, condition, and whether the piece can be securely attributed to Balle rather than another member of the Balle family of Danish painters. Institutional holdings, including MoMA, provide a benchmark for quality. Appraisers should verify signature, date, and exhibition history, and compare against realized prices for comparable CoBrA-school works by artists of similar standing.

## Appraisily data basis

This Appraisily artist page combines identity research from Getty ULAN, RKD, VIAF, and Wikidata with documented auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots drawn from the Invaluable database when available. Museum collection records and published scholarly references support biographical and attribution claims.

## Sources

- RKD (Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie): https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/95605
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500122314
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/314149105999768490214/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2074610
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n87922005
- The Museum of Modern Art: https://www.moma.org/artists/7718