Kees Van Dongen Value: Top Prices Paid at Auction

La Quiétude (1918) achieved Van Dongen's current auction record when it sold at Christie's London in October 2023, significantly exceeding its high estimate of £5 million. This dreamlike composition represents the culmination of influences from the artist's 1913 Egyptian journey, where he sailed down the Nile with antiquarian Joseph Altounian. During this trip, he was particularly struck by the two-dimensional silhouettes of Egyptian statuary at sites like the tombs of Beni Hasan, which profoundly impacted his approach to form. The painting features two intertwined figures - one midnight blue, one siren red - alongside birds, a dog, and a monkey against a grey background. Its composition evokes a harem scene with a "sleepy Scheherazade made modern by her heeled boots," connecting it to Van Dongen's illustrations for One Thousand and One Nights created that same year. The work's exceptional provenance adds another layer of interest - it was originally owned by Paul Poiret, the revolutionary fashion designer who was both a friend and patron of Van Dongen.

Jeune Arabe (1910) sold at Sotheby's New York in November 2009. This significant work emerged following a career-changing contract with the prestigious Bernheim-Jeune gallery in 1909, which provided Van Dongen with financial stability and enabled his travels to Spain and North Africa in 1910. The work's exhibition history reveals its importance to the artist's legacy, appearing in major retrospectives across Europe, including at the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris in 1990 and the 2008-09 international exhibition spanning Monaco, Montreal, and Barcelona. The vibrant red figure against a simple white background demonstrates Van Dongen's maturing style during what art historians consider the peak of his career. His newfound prosperity following the Bernheim-Jeune contract represented a significant shift for the artist who had previously struggled financially after his arrival in Paris. Jeune Arabe (1910) was important enough to grace the cover of Beaux-Arts magazine in 1985, solidifying its status as an iconic representation of the artist's work.

La Gitane (c.1910-11) achieved this impressive result at Christie's London in February 2010. Created immediately following Van Dongen's Mediterranean journey, this portrait demonstrates how direct exposure to the authentic subjects, colours, and light of Spain revitalised his approach to painting. The work marks a critical transition where Van Dongen found a way to merge the passion of Fauvism with more controlled representation. The woman depicted exhibits the self-assured posture characteristic of Van Dongen's female subjects, wearing countless signifiers of her nationality and cultural origins - something that was only possible due to Van Dongen’s firsthand experience in Spain. In Paris, he had primarily worked with imagined ‘exotic’ settings. Art critics have described this period in Van Dongen's development as something of an epiphany, when his direct experience with Mediterranean light and culture transformed his palette.

L'Ouled Naïl (1910) sold at Christie's London in February 2008, exceeding its high estimate by 40%. The Ouled Naïl women were part of a semi-nomadic Algerian tribe and were known for earning their dowries through belly dancing (and sometimes prostitution) before returning to their communities to marry. Their elaborate gold coin jewelry - visible in the painting - served as portable wealth, and they reportedly wore spiked bracelets to deter overzealous admirers. An interesting detail about this painting is that Van Dongen misspelled "Tunisia" as "TUNSIE" on the stretcher, suggesting his travels may have extended further than documented in official accounts. This work was requested for the major Van Dongen retrospective at the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco in 2008, underscoring its importance in understanding this period of his career when he was moving beyond the strict confines of Fauvism while retaining its vivid colour palette.

Femme Au Grand Chapeau (1911) exemplified Van Dongen's evolving position as an artist increasingly connected to Parisian high society and the world of fashion when it sold at Sotheby's London in June 2005. Created around 1911 (though sometimes dated as early as 1901 in exhibition catalogs), this painting demonstrates his ongoing fascination with elaborate hats and fashionable women. This work has an impressive provenance and exhibition history. It was previously owned by Dr. Roudinesco in Paris, later acquired by Nelson A. Rockefeller, and eventually donated to the Museum of Modern Art in New York - a testament to its artistic significance. The painting appeared in major exhibitions across Europe, including at the Musée de Bordeaux, Museum Boymans in Rotterdam, and Galerie Charpentier in Paris.

Anita En Almée (1908) sold at Christie's London in June 2015, and features one of Van Dongen's most important models during his exploration of Parisian nightlife. The subject, Anita la Bohémienne, was a Romani dancer who performed at an establishment in the notorious Place Pigalle district of Montmartre. Van Dongen discovered her during his nightly expeditions into Paris's demi-monde, following in the tradition of Toulouse-Lautrec before him. What makes this painting particularly intriguing is its cultural context. Art historians suggest Van Dongen was possibly capitalising on the contemporary obsession with Salomé that had overtaken Belle Epoque Paris when he created this work. The painting is also significant as evidence of Van Dongen's artistic independence. By 1908, many former Fauves had moved toward a more disciplined, Cézanne-influenced approach, but Van Dongen notably resisted following the crowds.

Lailla (1908) achieved this top 10 result at Sotheby's London in June 2012. Its creation date places it firmly within Van Dongen's most critically acclaimed period - his works between 1905 and 1910 are characterised by their focus on dancers, singers, masquerades, and theatre, and are considered the most important by art historians. The title reflects the artist’s exotic or Oriental influence, which reflects the broader cultural fascination with "the East" prevalent in early 20th century Paris. As this work precedes Van Dongen's actual travels to Spain, Morocco, and later Egypt, it indicates that he was largely working with his imagination rather than direct experience. The substantial hammer price, and its prominent exhibition at the Nouveau Musée National de Monaco & Montreal in 2009, confirms this work's significance within Van Dongen's oeuvre and the continued market appreciation for his 1905-1910 period.

Femme Fatale (c.1905) sold at Christie's New York in November 2004 for almost exactly its high estimate. This work emerges from the pivotal year that launched Van Dongen into the artistic spotlight, when he participated in the controversial Salon d'Automne exhibition that gave birth to Fauvism. As such, this painting represents the artist in his most radical and experimental phase. The work's creation coincided with Van Dongen's move to the infamous Bateau-Lavoir building in Montmartre, where his studio neighbored Pablo Picasso's, initiating a complex friendship between the two artists. The timing of this work is particularly significant as it coincides precisely with the birth of Van Dongen's daughter Augusta ("Dolly") on April 18, 1905, when Van Dongen was still struggling financially. Writer Gertrude Stein described him during this period as "poor" with "a Dutch wife who was a vegetarian and they lived on spinach."

L'Actrice Lili Damita (c.1926) sold at Christie's London in February 2011. This painting exemplifies Van Dongen's transformation from an avant-garde provocateur to a celebrated portraitist of the elite. It commands attention not only through its impressive dimensions, measuring nearly 2 metres wide, but also through its portrayal of one of the era's glamorous film stars, Lili Damita - a successful French actress in European cinema who would later become known for her tumultuous marriage to Hollywood star Errol Flynn in 1935. By 1926, Van Dongen had fully embraced his role as portraitist to the rich and famous. Having divorced his first wife in 1921, he was living with fashion director Jasmy Jacob and had cultivated friendships with leading couturiers, including Paul Poiret. This painting belongs to a period when Van Dongen had become his own dealer, organising exhibitions in his ground-floor studio that attracted fellow artists and the Parisian millionaires alike.

Portrait De Fernande (1905) achieved the final top 10 auction result at Sotheby's London in June 2006. This portrait represents Van Dongen's involvement with the Montmartre avant-garde circle and coincides with the landmark 1905 Salon d'Automne exhibition that gave birth to Fauvism. The subject of this portrait is almost certainly Fernande Olivier, his neighbour Pablo Picasso's tempestuous lover, though the attribution carries a controversial history. When Van Dongen exhibited the portrait, he denied it depicted Fernande - likely because she had promised the notoriously jealous Picasso she would no longer model for other artists.