# Werner Gilles artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/werner-gilles/
Profile generated: 2026-05-23T14:22:20.875Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1894-08-29
- Death date: 1961-06-22
- Nationality: German
- Movements: Bauhaus
- Common media: oil painting, lithography, watercolor, drawing

## About Werner Gilles

Werner Gilles (1894–1961) was a German painter, lithographer, watercolorist, and draftsman. He trained at the Akademie in Kassel before studying in 1918 at the Weimar Bauhaus under Walther Klemm and Lyonel Feininger, placing him among the early generation of artists shaped by the Bauhaus movement. Gilles worked across painting, printmaking, and drawing throughout his career, producing works that reflect the modernist currents of early twentieth-century Germany. His association with the Bauhaus at its founding site in Weimar connects him to one of the most influential art and design movements of the era. Collectors encounter Gilles's work primarily through his prints and works on paper, which appear periodically at auction in Europe and North America.

## Common works and media

Gilles is most frequently encountered at auction as a printmaker and watercolorist. Common work types include lithographic prints, watercolors on paper, ink and graphite drawings, and occasional oil paintings. Subjects range across landscape, still life, and figurative compositions. Signed prints and numbered editions, when present, carry stronger documentation value than unsigned or unattributed works on paper.

## Market and appraisal context

Werner Gilles's auction presence is modest relative to more prominent Bauhaus figures. Lithographs, watercolors, and drawings constitute the majority of works offered at auction; oil paintings appear less frequently. Key factors in appraisal include the specific medium and technique, date of execution, condition, provenance clarity, and any exhibition or publication history. His Bauhaus training can add contextual value, but appraisal should be grounded in documented comparable sales. Specialist review is recommended for attribution questions, as works from this period may present condition or authenticity considerations.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine structured artist identity research from museum, library authority, and scholarly sources with available auction records, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lot data. For Werner Gilles, identity data is grounded in the RKD, Getty ULAN, VIAF, and Wikidata authority records. Market observations are general and should be supplemented by professional appraisal when specific valuation is needed.

## Sources

- RKD — Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/31708
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500027299
- VIAF (OCLC): https://viaf.org/viaf/32790786/
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q321021
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Werner_Gilles
- Library of Congress: https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n86069160