Rating and value of drawings and paintings by André Planson

André Planson’s paintings and drawings sell for up to €31,250 at auction. An appraisal allows us to accurately determine the current market value of your André Planson artwork and, if applicable, optimize the sale of the piece.

If you own a work by André Planson and would like to know its value, our state-certified auctioneers will provide a free appraisal based on authenticity, market rating, and recent market results. 

Market Value and Appraisal of Artist André Planson

Maurice Joron is a French painter associated with the Realist movement who primarily creates portraits and mythological scenes, both in oil and watercolor.

Today, his works sell for between €50 and €31,250—a significant range that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to the artist’s works.

For example, his 1944 oil on canvas titled *Matinée provençale* sold for €31,250.

A range of values from a simple work to the most prestigious

Placing the Artist in Context

Period

André Planson (1898–1981) was a French painter whose career spanned both world wars and the major transformations of modern French art. His artistic training combined provincial roots with a Parisian outlook.

After receiving guidance from the landscape painter Paul Meslé, he studied at the Académie Ranson in Paris from 1917 to 1919, and later studied under Maurice Denis, the direct heir to Nabi Symbolism. Beginning in 1923, he exhibited in all the renowned Parisian art salons.

His stature as a public artist is evidenced by numerous government commissions. He was elected a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in 1960; today, some twenty museums hold his works, attesting to enduring recognition that extends beyond his own era.

Current

Planson was the central figure of the Poetic Reality movement: along with Roland Oudot, Maurice Brianchon, Christian Caillard, Roger Limouse, and Raymond Legueult, he formed this group—a term coined in 1949 by art critic Gisèle d’Assailly.

This movement occupies a unique position in the postwar art scene: it is characterized by a style imbued with reverie, running counter to the abstract avant-garde movements that dominated the Parisian art scene at the time.

Its artistic connection to Fauvism is explicit and proudly asserted: the group is distinguished by bold, cheerful colors inspired by the Fauves, broad, impasto brushstrokes, and, above all, an optimistic spirit.

The Life of André Planson

Cultural Background

An excellent violinist, Planson wavered for a long time between music and painting before finally choosing the visual arts. This formative indecision shaped his relationship with color.

In 1915, he was drafted during World War I and was seriously wounded. After his recovery, he began studying architecture before devoting himself entirely to painting.

He received several government commissions: the Palais de Chaillot (1937), the Enghien High School (1954), the Louis-le-Grand High School (1957), and contributed to the decoration of ocean liners between 1952 and 1966.

Artistic and Intellectual Circle

Before moving to Paris, he received guidance from the landscape painter Paul Meslé, who was then living in Champigny, and was impressed at the Louvre by the works of Nicolas Poussin—a dual influence from a local master and monumental classicism that permanently shaped his conception of landscape and composition.

He also took classes with Maurice Denis at the Académie Ranson; Denis was a leading figure of the Nabi movement and a theorist of the relationship between color, decoration, and spirituality—teachings that profoundly influenced his generation and explain the resolutely non-naturalistic approach to light in his work.

In 1923, he met the painter Roland Oudot, who became his friend and artistic companion. Together, they helped form the group known as the Peintres de la Réalité poétique.

Techniques by André Planson

The Artist’s Style

Planson openly embraces his Fauvist heritage, with bold colors and broad brushstrokes. He belongs to the Réalité Poétique group, whose program is based on the lyrical celebration of everyday life, nature, and the human figure—in direct opposition to the abstract avant-garde movements.

His figurative work is deliberately stripped of intellectual pretensions. He renders landscapes, still lifes, and female figures in a pictorial style that is both passionate and balanced, sharing his generous vision of existence.

It is primarily in the Marne Valley that Planson draws his inspiration, making this region of his childhood the center of his sensibility as a landscape artist. He is also an excellent engraver and lithographer.

Spotlight on a Key Work

Mural decoration of the Théâtre du Palais de Chaillot, 1937

The decoration of the Palais de Chaillot was part of a revival of mural painting in France, driven by the Popular Front’s public art programs, which commissioned leading figures of modernist figurative art to adorn major national cultural institutions.

The mural commission required Planson to adapt his personal style—broad brushstrokes, warm colors, and subjects drawn from everyday life—to the demands of the architectural space, prompting him to consider visibility from a distance, chromatic integration with the building, and the monumentalization of everyday motifs.

FAQ – How do you appraise a work by André Planson?

1) What is “Poetic Reality,” and why does this artistic movement influence the valuation?

Together with his painter friends, Planson founded an informal movement united by a shared desire to explore figurative art, using bold, cheerful colors inspired by the Fauves and broad, impasto brushstrokes. It is one of the most active French figurative movements of the postwar period.

2) Are all of Planson’s subjects equally valued at public auction?

The difference can be considerable. Value is closely tied to the subject matter. The paintings by André Planson most sought after by collectors are those featuring flowers and nudes, while landscapes are less in demand.

3) Are all decades of Planson’s work equally valued on the market?

The decade from 1935 to 1955 represents the artist’s creative prime and generally yields the highest auction prices. This is the period when his style—rich colors, broad brushstrokes, and Mediterranean light—is most fully developed.

Recognizing the Artist’s Signature

André Planson signs his works at the bottom of his canvases with his name in a relatively fluid and rounded handwriting.