Bernard Buffet Value: Top Prices Paid at Auction

Les Clowns Musiciens, Le Saxophoniste Et L'Accordéoniste (1991) achieved a record for Buffet’s work when it sold at Christie's London in June 2016 for £850,000. Five years later, in December 2021, it broke its own record when it sold at Christie’s Hong Kong for £1.3 million - making it the first Buffet painting to break the £1 million mark. Its popularity is no surprise. It exemplifies Buffet's most commercially successful subject matter - the sad performers of the circus - rendered in his unmistakable style. The melancholic expressions of his performing subjects reflected Buffet’s own mental health experiences throughout his life, and the performances that these experiences necessitated. The painting was completed in 1991, and stood in direct contrast with the rising popularity of abstract painting of the time. The painting's exceptional size, at almost 3 metres wide, and prime subject matter contributed to its record-breaking performance, cementing Buffet's position as one of the most commercially viable French artists of the post-war period.

La Tour Eiffel Et Les Liliums (1988) sold at Sotheby's in November 2022, representing one of Buffet's most enduring compositions - the Parisian cityscape centred on the Eiffel Tower. Buffet’s stark, linear, angular style was well-suited to architectural works, as this painting proves. But, while the addition of lilies in the foreground might have been an opportunity for contrast for his contemporaries, Buffet used them to exaggerate the angularity of the work. Even in the contrast between industrial structure and organic forms, Buffet’s style is distinctive. The Eiffel Tower appeared repeatedly in Buffet's oeuvre as both a symbol of modernity and a reflection of post-war French identity; however, this particular example has remained largely out of the public eye, selling only twice since its creation and never appearing at exhibitions.

Saint Tropez, Le Port (1993) sold at Ravenel International Art Group, Taiwan, in December 2020, setting a record at the time. This coastal scene is a rare example of Buffet’s interest in maritime subjects, featuring his angular depiction of boats in the harbour of the famous French Riviera resort town. It also incorporates brighter, more cheerful colours than most of his work, but the building storm in the sky reflects Buffet’s more typically angsty tone. This work's strong performance at a non-European auction house highlights Buffet's international appeal, particularly in Asian markets where his work has enjoyed significant appreciation. The artist's representation of Saint-Tropez connects to his personal life as well, as he owned property in the South of France for many years.

Deux Clowns Trompette (1989) achieved this result at an Artcurial Paris auction in December 2020. This work, belonging to the Garnier Collection since its creation, was painted just a decade before Buffet’s death in 1999 - the subject of the circus and its melancholic clowns captivated him throughout his career. The clown motif remains one of Buffet's most potent and personally significant subjects, serving as a vehicle for exploring themes of performance and the human condition, while opening up the potential for striking colour combinations that would define his aesthetic. The work's strong performance, achieving 125% of its high estimate, reflects the enduring collector appreciation for Buffet's circus-themed paintings.

The most recent installment on this list is Le Cirque – Le Jongleur (1955), which sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong in November 2024. This piece depicts a juggler mid-performance. Buffet’s bold outlines and angular shapes add to the precision of the juggler’s skill - there is no suggestion of movement in how Buffet has applied his oil paint, making the juggler appear trapped within his performance. It captures the isolation, vulnerability, and concentration of the performer that is prevalent in all of Buffet’s circus pieces, replacing the bright, garish colours of the circus with more somber tones. Works from this series consistently perform well at auction, proving popular as intense character studies as well as visually-interesting artworks.

Another significant sale for the Hong Kong market, this striking clown portrait sold at Sotheby's in March 2019. Buffet’s popularity in Asia has long been well-established, with a dedicated Bernard Buffet Museum in Surugadaira, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. This painting is a prime example of Buffet’s renowned clown portraits, often combining psychological intensity with his linear style and unnaturally bright, clashing colours. The clown came to represent the inner trauma of post-war France, the existentialist ideas of Sartre and Beckett, and the suffering that goes on behind the mask of society. This particular clown has mostly been kept out of the public eye, with the exception of a brief exhibition at the 40e Exposition d'Art d'Ernée in 1999.

This monumental circus-themed painting from 1955 sold at Anaf, Lyon, in June 1990, making it the earliest sale on this list and a record sale that held for 26 years. At 3 metres wide, it is also one of the largest works on this list. The subject of clowns performing music, once again, becomes the focus of this piece - a combination that both reflects the talents of real-life performers and enhances the sense of artifice in their performance. Although clowns usually bring joy and laughter, Buffet’s clowns are always sad in their roles. Its successful sale in 1990 occurred during a period when Buffet's reception was still very polarised. While his work was popular with collectors, critics still rejected his work as populist.

La Tour Eiffel (1955) achieved this strong result at MatsArt Auctioneers & Appraisers, Jerusalem, in February 2016. Another example of one of Buffet’s most recognisable subjects, the Eiffel Tower, this piece has a particularly grey, muted colour palette. Its depiction of Paris is stark, almost desolate, with an emphasis on industry, steel, and concrete. The 1950s are now considered Buffet’s most critically-acclaimed decade, despite the controversy of his work at the time. The painting's creation did, however, coincide with Buffet being named the best post-war artist by Connaissance des Arts magazine in 1955. Its success at auction in 2016 demonstrates the particularly strong market for Buffet's works from this notable formative period.

Tête De Clown (1961) sold at Sotheby's in October 2018, after remaining in a family’s private collection since its original sale from Galerie Maurice Garnier, where Buffet first sold many of his works. Buffet’s series of clown portraits began in 1955, but, painted six years into the series, this work proves the endless versatility and emotional depth possible within such a limited subject scope. Buffet saw the clown as a vehicle for psychological expression, and, as a result, the clown has become emblematic of his artistic identity.

Unique on this list is Bernard David En Torero (1963), which sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong in October 2021. This portrait is of neither a clown nor a musician, instead depicting a different kind of performer and entertainer - one that is equally reliant on artifice and costume. The character, Bernard David, wears the traditional dress of a Spanish bullfighter, with a palette dominated by greens and blacks. Beyond the symbolic nature of the matador, the painting demonstrates Buffet’s interest in exploring the motifs of different cultures. In the 1950s and 1960s, Buffet used bullfighters as the subject of many original paintings and lithography prints, including The Toreador (1967). This painting’s success in 2021 comes in part from its provenance - Bernard David acquired the piece directly from Buffet, and it remained in his family until 2014.