# Roy de Maistre artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/roy-de-maistre/
Profile generated: 2026-05-24T02:44:39.817Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1894-03-27
- Death date: 1968-03-01
- Nationality: Australian, British
- Movements: Early Australian Modernism, Abstraction, Cubism
- Common media: oil on canvas, oil on board, gouache, watercolour

## About Roy de Maistre

Roy de Maistre (1894–1968) was an Australian-born painter who became a leading figure in early Australian modernism before establishing a distinguished career in London. Born in New South Wales, he is recognised as the first Australian artist to produce purely abstract work, pioneering a theory of "colour-music" that linked musical tones to specific colours during the late 1910s. After early success in Sydney, de Maistre moved to England in the early 1930s, where his mature output adopted a figurative style influenced by Cubism. His religious paintings, notably the Stations of the Cross in Westminster Cathedral, are among his most celebrated later achievements. Appointed CBE for his contributions to art, de Maistre is represented in the Tate Gallery, the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and other major public collections.

## Common works and media

De Maistre worked primarily in oil on canvas and board, with gouache and watercolour on paper also well represented. Common subjects include abstract colour studies from his early Australian period, figurative portraits, still lifes, interiors, landscapes, and religious compositions — especially the Stations of the Cross. His London-period works show Cubist-influenced structure and muted palettes. Collectors may also encounter his decorative commissions and design work.

## Market and appraisal context

Roy de Maistre's works appear regularly at international auction across oils, gouaches, and works on paper. His early Australian abstract and colour-music experiments from the late 1910s are historically significant and relatively scarce, which can elevate collector interest. Later London-period figurative and religious paintings with Cubist influence form the bulk of what reaches the market. Provenance linking works to his Sydney or London periods, exhibition history, and condition are key valuation factors. Attribution should account for his multiple recorded name forms, including "Roi de Mestre" and "LeRoy Leveson Laurent Joseph de Maistre."

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine researched artist identity with available auction records, sale dates, realised prices, comparable lots, and auction-house context when those records exist. For Roy de Maistre, identity data is drawn from Tate, the Getty ULAN, VIAF, the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, and Wikidata authority files.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/52057
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/roy-de-maistre-1556
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/69731312/
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500025404
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7372740
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_De_Maistre
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80072617