Rating and value of drawings and paintings by Hassan El Glaoui

Hassan El Glaoui’s paintings and drawings sell for up to €128,430 at auction. An appraisal allows us to accurately determine the current market value of your Hassan El Glaoui artwork and, if applicable, optimize the sale of the piece.

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

Artist’s Market Value and
Reputation

A well-documented Orientalist painter, Hassan El Glaoui is a unique figure in the art market. His works, however, command high prices on the market and are highly sought after by collectors.

His works consist exclusively of oil-on-canvas paintings, which sell for between €70 and €128,430—a relatively wide range that speaks volumes about the prices these works can command.

Thus, a work signed or attributed to El Glaoui can fetch thousands of euros at auction, as evidenced by his gouache on canvas, *La sortie du Roi*, which sold for €128,430 despite an estimate of between €90,000 and €140,000.

Ranking of value from the most basic to the most prestigious

Placing the Artist in Context

Period

Hassan El Mezouari El Glaoui (1923–2018) was a Moroccan painter born in Rabat. He was the son of Morocco’s last pasha, Thami El Glaoui, and Lalla Zineb El Mokri, daughter of Grand Vizier El Mokri. His career spanned nearly seven decades of artistic creation.

The artist was supported by his father’s friend, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who convinced his father to let him pursue his artistic calling. He was also supported by U.S. General Anson Goodyear, founder of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

He moved to France in the late 1940s and enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied under the painter Jean Souverbie and completed his training in the studio of Émile Charmy, a leading figure in French modern art.

Artistic Movements

El Glaoui is part of the modern figurative movement, of which he is the leading figure in the history of Moroccan art. He carries on a strong national tradition linked to war processions, the world of warhorses, and horsemen.

His dual training in Paris and Morocco gives his work a synthesis of Eastern tradition and Western modernity. His Moroccan heritage informs his themes and his chromatic sensibility.

His thematic repertoire is inseparable from his unique pictorial style: his works are distinguished by a luminous use of color, slender and delicate lines, and ethereal landscapes.

The Life of Hassan El Glaoui   

Cultural Background

Hassan El Glaoui was born into the Moroccan Berber and Makhzen aristocracy, in a milieu of political power and ancestral traditions of the High Atlas, which inspired a royal and chivalric iconography throughout his work.

He showed an interest in painting at a very early age and obtained his parents’ permission to use a room in their large home as a studio, but he painted in secret for fear of his family’s disapproval, as his father had predicted he would pursue a career in public administration.

He moved to Paris in 1952 to devote himself to the study of art, studying at the Beaux-Arts under the guidance of Jean Souverbie and Émilie Charmy, and returned to Morocco in 1965. He was one of the first figurative artists from Morocco to exhibit in Paris as early as 1950 and in New York as early as 1951. 

Artistic and Intellectual Circle

In 1950, actor Edward G. Robinson, his wife Gladys Lloyd, and General Goodyear were invited by the pasha to Marrakech, where they were so impressed by Hassan’s paintings that they convinced his father to allow him to exhibit his work, backed by three international guarantors.

In the 1950s and 1960s, his work was exhibited in the world’s most prestigious galleries: the Wildenstein and Hammer galleries in New York and the André Weil and Pétrides galleries in Paris were part of a network of high-end galleries that confirmed his integration into the postwar international art market.

Today, he ranks among the most highly regarded Moroccan artists and those who worked in Morocco, alongside Baya Mahieddine, Jacques Majorelle, and Jean Gaston Mantel.

Market Segmentation and Artist Rankings

Prices of Works

The market for El Glaoui’s works shows a considerable range in prices depending on the medium and subject matter. Paintings sell for between €150 and €40,000, drawings and watercolors for between €90 and €45,000, and multiples for between €40 and €1,800.

Gouaches and oil paintings on canvas depicting equestrian subjects (riders, fantasia, and outings outside the city) are the most sought-after pieces, with estimates typically ranging from €30,000 to €100,000, while portraits of a more modest size are estimated at between €10,000 and €30,000.

Active participation in the international secondary market ensures structural liquidity for the body of work, preventing the geographic constraints frequently observed for artists from the Maghreb.

Factors Influencing Value

The unique biographical context of his artistic calling is the primary driver of his critical and commercial renown: it was Winston Churchill, during a visit to the pasha in 1943, who recognized the young artist’s potential and convinced his father to allow him to pursue academic training in Paris.

This well-documented royal patronage constitutes a factor of prestige unmatched in the Maghreb art market: his works are part of the collections of the Royal Palace in Fez and the Parliament in Rabat.

Paradoxically, the issue of authenticity serves as a market safeguard that enhances the value of certified pieces. Given the numerous forged paintings circulating in the art market, the documented provenance of a work by this artist is a decisive criterion.

FAQ – How do you appraise a work by Hassan El Glaoui?

1) Which medium is most highly valued?

El Glaoui works primarily on Isorel (fiberboard), his preferred medium, which gives his works a smooth and vibrant surface, but also on heavy cardstock, mounted paper, loose paper, and, more rarely, on canvas.

2) Are all subjects equally valued on the market?

There is a very clear hierarchy. Large fantasy scenes featuring numerous horsemen command the highest prices, followed by royal processions and official ceremonies, then compositions featuring identifiable Arab horsemen, and finally smaller-format works and watercolors.

3) Is the market at risk of forgeries?

Hassan El Glaoui’s success on the market has led to the circulation of works that may be forgeries, misattributed, or insufficiently documented. A catalog raisonné is currently in preparation.

His signature

Not all of Hassan El Glaoui’s works are signed.

If you think you own one, it’s best to have it appraised to ensure that your painting is an original.

Get Your Hassan El Glaoui Artwork Appraised 

If you own a work by Hassan El Glaoui, an appraisal will help you determine its current market value.

Using our online form, our experts and certified auctioneers will conduct a free appraisal and provide you with a reliable estimate of your artwork’s market value.

 If you’re considering selling it, we’ll guide you through the process to ensure you get the best possible price.