Rating and value of paintings, drawings and lithographs by Paul Delvaux

If you own a work by artist Paul Delvaux or based on his work and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will guide you.

Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your work, and provide you with a precise estimate of its value on the current market.

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Artist's rating and value

A contemporary Belgian artist, Paul Delvaux is known for his significant contribution to the art history of his time, notably as a member of the Post-Impressionist, Expressionist and Surrealist movements.

On the auction market, Paul Delvaux's creations are quite common. Appreciated by collectors, their value is stable. A work signed by Delvaux can fetch millions of euros.

Witness his painting Le miroir,dating from 1936, which sold for €8,453,120 in 2014, while it was estimated at between €7,264,400 and €9,906,000. 

Order of value from the most basic to the most prestigious

The artist's works and style

Paul Delvaux, master of Belgian surrealism, developed a singular style, marked by the alliance of dream and reality. In his works, he explores dreamlike scenes where nude, hieratic female figures wander through classical architectural settings, often bathed in moonlight.

His precise, meticulous technique echoes that of Renaissance painters, with particular attention to detail and perspective. However, unlike traditional realism, Delvaux introduces a strange, almost unreal atmosphere.

The characters seem frozen in time, their faces impassive and their gestures suspended, creating an unsettling contrast with the emotional intensity suggested by the environment. Trains, omnipresent in his work, become symbols of travel, escape or flight, reinforcing this impression of floating between two worlds.

Delvaux's palette, often cold and subtle, contributes to this sensation of strangeness, while evoking a silent, melancholy beauty. His art, both poetic and mysterious, is part of a quest for the unconscious, seeking to reveal what lies behind the veil of appearance.

The life of Paul Delvaux

Paul Delvaux, born in 1897 in Antheit, is a contemporary Belgian artist whose life is marked by an unstable childhood, dominated by his mother's rigid authority. This strict, suffocating family climate left a deep imprint on his imagination and his future creations.

Early in his studies at the Beaux-Arts in Brussels, he became known for his fascination with skeletons, which he explored alongside Émile Salkin. Under the influence of Jean Delville and Constant Montald, he acquired the technical foundations that would shape his work: mastery of composition, the nude and landscape.

Delvaux's early paintings are in a post-impressionist vein, faithful to the influences of the time, but marked by a strong search for realism. However, the influence of James Ensor gradually pushed him towards expressionism.

The faithful representation of nature gradually gave way to a freer interpretation, where the expression of feelings took precedence over mere observation. Composition remains a central element of his art, but strict realism fades in favor of a more personal, introspective style.

It is in this quest for emotional expression that Delvaux evolves towards surrealism, a decisive turning point in his career. Surrealism enabled him to explore dreamlike worlds, populated by enigmatic female figures and skeletons, the latter paradoxically imbued with a certain vitality.

These recurring elements, often set against architectural backdrops, create a striking contrast between the fixity of the figures and the latent emotional intensity. This tension between life and death, stillness and movement, lends his works a unique atmosphere, both serene and unsettling.

Delvaux thus establishes himself as an outstanding artist, whose work transcends the boundaries of reality and dream. His paintings, bathed in a lunar light and an almost palpable silence, reflect a profound sensitivity.

Although he enjoyed success in Belgium, he also made a name for himself internationally, exhibiting in many European countries, notably France, where his work is particularly appreciated.

In recognition of his contribution to art, he was named a correspondent of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Belgium. Delvaux thus pursued a rich career, punctuated by successes and artistic discoveries, leaving a lasting imprint on the world of surrealist art.

Despite the singularity of his work, Paul Delvaux remained faithful to his favorite themes, subtly blending the real and the imaginary, life and death, in compositions of a beauty both fragile and powerful.

Paul Delvaux's surrealist exhibition in Paris

Focus on Paul Delvaux's Sleeping Venus, 1944

Paul Delvaux's Sleeping Venus, a work emblematic of his Surrealist universe, plunges the viewer into a silent dream, where strangeness rubs shoulders with classical beauty.

The figure of the woman, who occupies a central place in Delvaux's production, appears here as a modern Venus, reclining in a timeless architectural setting.

Her relaxed posture and naked body recall classical representations of the goddess of love, but Delvaux, true to his style, infuses this scene with a deeply dreamlike ambience.

The composition of the painting is rigorously constructed. The Venus, reclining in a resting position, seems disconnected from the world around her. Her face is serene, almost frozen, and the nakedness of her body contrasts with the coldness of the classical columns that surround her.

This architectural setting is typical of Delvaux, who likes to create settings reminiscent of antiquity or indefinable, timeless places. Here, the columns not only anchor the scene in a bygone era, but also contribute to the mysterious atmosphere of the painting.

They form a kind of silent theater, an enclosed space where dream and reality meet.

The influence of the classical masters is felt in the depiction of the female body, but the almost clinical coldness of the scene breaks with the sensual warmth usually associated with Venus. The color palette, dominated by pale tones and shades of blue, contributes to this atmosphere of mystery.

The light, diffuse and almost unreal, seems to bathe the scene in a lunar glow, reinforcing the impression of a suspended world, where time has no hold.

This contrast between formal beauty and emotional coldness is at the heart of Delvaux's work. While the sleeping Venus seems frozen in a peaceful slumber, there is also a certain melancholy about the scene. This immobility reinforces the sense of strangeness.

The viewer is both fascinated by the plastic perfection of the body and disturbed by the lack of emotion emanating from the figure. Delvaux, in drawing inspiration from classical figures, empties them of their sensuality to turn them into distant, almost inaccessible icons.

The presence of skeletons, a recurring motif in Delvaux's work, sometimes reinforces this dialogue between life and death, but here they are absent, leaving room for a different kind of reflection. The Sleeping Venus seems to be suspended between two worlds: that of eternal beauty and that of the unconscious.

This ambivalence is typical of Delvaux, who seeks to deconstruct myths to better explore the mysteries of the human soul.

In conclusion, Paul Delvaux's Sleeping Venus is a work in which form and content subtly intertwine to create a painting that is both classic and resolutely modern.

By blending ancient references with a surrealist atmosphere, Delvaux invites the viewer to plunge into a dreamlike universe, where beauty and strangeness coexist in silent harmony.

The legacy of Paul Delvaux

The legacy of Paul Delvaux, an emblematic figure of Belgian surrealism, extends far beyond the borders of his native country. With his unique approach blending classicism and dreamlike imagery, he created a deeply personal universe where mystery and introspection take precedence.

His works, marked by deserted architectural scenes, enigmatic female figures and references to classical mythology, continue to influence many contemporary artists.

In the 20th century, he is as well known as artists such as Émile Deckers, Louis Buisseret or Henri de Groux.

Delvaux redefined the representation of body and space, constantly playing on the tension between presence and absence, dream and reality. His fascination with Antiquity and skeletons, far from being macabre, expresses a poetic reflection on the human condition, where beauty and the transience of life coexist.

Today, his paintings are exhibited in the world's greatest museums, and his work is the subject of academic studies that testify to its importance in the history of modern art.

Delvaux's impact, while discreet, resonates across generations, making him a timeless artist whose imagination continues to fascinate and inspire.

 His signature

Not all of Paul Delvaux's works are signed.

Although there are variations, here's a first example of his signature:

Expertise your property

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