Alexej Von Jawlensky Value: Top Prices Paid at Auction

Schokko (c.1910), sometimes called Schokko Mit Tellerhut, achieved Jawlensky's current auction record when it sold at Sotheby's London in February 2008 - almost 200% of its £4.4 million sale at Sotheby’s New York in 2003. This vibrant portrait exemplifies Jawlensky's mature style during his crucial Munich period. The subject, a woman adorned with a wide-brimmed hat (rendered in oil on cardboard laid on canvas), showcases his command of bold, unmixed pigments and confident brushwork. The painting's materiality and textured surface amplify the quality of the colours, even more than 100 years on, while its flattened perspective was cause for Jawlensky's artistic breakthrough following his 1905 Paris visit. Its auction success came after an extensive exhibition history, including shows at the Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus and Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris.

Frau Mit Grünem Fächer (1912) sold at Sotheby's New York in May 2011, demonstrating the enduring appeal of Jawlensky's pre-war portraits. The painting is a particularly striking example of Jawlensky’s approach to colour. The rich purple background against the yellow, pink, and green skin of the woman’s face and neck and the bold blue of her clothes demonstrates the artist’s fondness for complementary colours. The sharp contrast between dark and light is at once three-dimensional and flattened by the geometric facial planes of the subject. The work's history is particularly notable - it was acquired by Emmy "Galka" Scheyer, whose vigorous promotion in America significantly elevated Jawlensky's international profile and helped secure his legacy beyond European circles.

Spanische Tänzerin (1909) sold at Ketterer Kunst in June 2024, making it the most recent sale on this list and marking Jawlensky's consistently positive market trajectory. This dual-sided masterpiece juxtaposes a flamenco dancer with an abstract Murnau landscape on the reverse, both painted in the same year, showcasing Jawlensky's simultaneous engagement with figurative and more expressive subject matter. The dancer's demure pose is, however, at odds with the fiery performance of flamenco, reflecting Jawlensky’s interest in accurately capturing the range of human emotion. Once part of Josef Gottschalk's avant-garde collection, the work's impressive result reflects its rarity and exceptional provenance. It remains one of only a few examples from this period of Jawlensky’s career that isn’t owned by international museums.

Mädchen Mit Zopf (1910) achieved this result at Ketterer Kunst in June 2023, originating at a point in Jawlensky’s career when he was pivoting towards more simplified forms and emotive colour. Dr. Clemens Weiler, Jawlensky's first biographer, called this painting a "keypiece of Expressionism" for its synthesis of spiritual and formal innovation - with the girl’s braid creating spatial tension against the background. The piece was originally gifted by Jawlensky to Dr. Weiler and has passed through private collections ever since. Its provenance, having been displayed at Jawlensky's 1964 centennial retrospective, which toured the US, in addition to its relative obscurity ever since, aided its sale in 2023, resulting in a final value of more than £1 million above its high estimate.

Blaue Kappe (c.1912) sold at Sotheby's New York in November 2018 as an example of what Jawlensky himself described as his pursuit of "inner ecstasy" through colour relationships. The subject's blue hat, a reference to Der Blaue Reiter, stands in complete contrast with the reds, pinks, and oranges of the rest of the piece, creating maximum chromatic tension - cadmium yellow against chromium oxide green. Van Gogh-inspired impasto textures also add tactile dimension to the composition. The work's impressive exhibition history, including extended display at the Courtauld Gallery (2002-18), established it as an important bridge between Fauvism and German Expressionism, with art historians noting its introspection compared to contemporaries like Kees van Dongen.

Frau Mit Fächer (1912), subtitled Frau Aus Turkestan or “Woman From Turkestan,” achieved this strong result at Christie's London in March 2024 as another distinctive example of Jawlensky's mature portraits from his now most prolific year, 1912. The work's stylistic parallels to Matisse's L'Algérienne (1909) highlight the cross-pollination between French Fauvism and German Expressionism that Jawlensky helped facilitate. The non-naturalistic colours, flattened perspective, and universalised features are also reflective of Jawlensky’s involvement with Der Blaue Reiter - these stylistic choices were outlined in Kandinsky’s Concerning the Spiritual in Art (1910). After initially entering a private collection of Galka Scheyer in Hollywood for five decades, then the collection of Sam and Audrey Levin for five years, and finally another private collection for six decades, without any notable exhibitions since its creation, its recent appearance at auction generated significant interest. Its final price reflects collectors' ongoing appreciation for Jawlensky's synthesis of Western Modernism and Eastern spirituality - a combination that remained central to his artistic philosophy.

Odalyske (1910), which sold at Christie's New York in May 2009, reimagines Orientalist tropes through a Fauvist lens. The reclining figure, on a jewel-toned settee, recalls Matisse's odalisques, while subverting naturalism in favour of Jawlensky’s typically flattened shapes and shadows of acidic green. Jawlensky's military upbringing in Russia likely informed his romanticised depictions of "exotic" subjects, though his approach transcends mere appropriation. Painted on board using an alla prima technique, this work is one of the largest, at nearly a metre wide, and most accomplished of Jawlensky’s existing nude paintings, demonstrating the ability to work at scale that contributed to his rapid rise within European avant-garde circles.

Dunkle Augen (1912) achieved this result at Christie's London in February 2006, another work from what many consider Jawlensky's 1912 creative zenith. The portrait employs searing reds and green tones framed by thick Prussian blue contours, creating a distinctive stained-glass effect. The title ("Dark Eyes") emphasises the subject's gaze, reflecting Jawlensky's belief - rooted in Russian Orthodox tradition - that eyes serve as windows to spiritual essence or inner divinity. Its subject is Jawlensky’s partner and the mother of his son Andreas, Helene Neznakomova - their relationship, and the involvement of their mutual friend Marianne von Werefkin, was the subject of much speculation. Neznakomova and Jawlensky only married after a rift grew between them and Werefkin. The painting's exceptional provenance adds even more historical significance to this portrait; it comes from Dr. Max Kugel's collection and was originally exhibited alongside Jawlensky's self-portrait from the same year.

This 1911 portrait of a pouting girl in a sailor suit sold at Sotheby's London in February 2012, capturing Jawlensky's symbolic colourism. The titular red ribbon, a burst of cadmium hue against cooler blues and greens, symbolises youthful vitality contrasting with the subject's sombre gaze. Painted during what Jawlensky called his "most powerful" creative period, the work exemplifies his pre-war synthesis of Fauvist palette and subtle Expressionist distortion. Included in the Nazis' 1937 Degenerate Art exhibition, the painting's suppression underscores its radical departure from academic norms, while its strong auction performance reflects enduring appreciation for Jawlensky's psychologically charged portraits.

Rounding up Jawlensky’s top 10 auction results is the June 2017 sale of Infantin (Spanierin) (1912-1913) at Christie's London. This piece is typical of Jawlensky’s explorations of theatrical identities and cultural hybridity. The portrait features a figure in a floral headdress and azure shawl, likely inspired by Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes performances in Munich. Despite the subtlety of its universalised face, this portrait, like many of Der Blaue Reiter works, brings together both Modernist abstraction and an interest in folk art. The painting's distinguished ownership chain - from Serge Sabarsky's influential collection to its inclusion in the seminal Malerei des Deutschen Expressionismus (1987-88) exhibition - helped establish its importance within the German Expressionist canon and contributed to its strong market performance.