Rating and value of paintings, drawings, watercolors by Frank Will

If you own a work by or based on the artist Frank Will 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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Rating and value of the artist Frank Will

A major artist of the École de Paris, Frank Will has established himself as a sure bet on the art market. Highly prized by collectors, Will's works remain highly rated on the auction market, selling for between €10 and €21,230.

A work signed by Will can fetch tens of thousands of euros. His oil on canvas La Seine à Rouen sold for €21,230.

Order of value from the most basic to the most prestigious

Frank Will's works and style

Frank Will's works are varied. The artist uses drawing, watercolor and painting equally well. His style is all his own, creating a kind of blur and sometimes indefinite forms.

His painting reflects everyday life. Inspired by simple subjects, Will depicts Parisian scenes, landscapes and portraits. Frank Will developed his artistic identity in France. He began by producing landscape paintings.

However, he soon turned to postimpressionism, seeking to represent emotions in a more marked way. His work is characterized by the use of pure colors and vivid strokes to create graphic, dynamic works that emphasize movement.

He is associated with Post-Impressionism and the École de Paris. His subjects and motifs are scenes of Parisian life, views of Montmartre and thematic impressions of monuments such as the Sacré Coeur or the Opera. Shapes are sometimes blurred or indefinite, with a " vapeur " effect and blurring.

He uses pure colors, vivid strokes and dynamic graphics to suggest movement. he pays particular attention to urban atmospheric effects (mists, water reflections, rainy atmospheres) in his watercolors or paintings.

In the middle of his career, he moved towards a more subjective expression of motifs, with less attention to strict detail and more emphasis on visual impression. His mediums include oil paint, watercolor and charcoal drawing.

He also uses washes, to give soft transitions between planes or areas of sky and water. His line is free, contours are not always rigid and he can leave blurred edges or imprecise shapes.

The life of Frank Will

Frank William Boggs, known as Frank Wills, (1900 - 1950) was a French painter and watercolorist born in Seine-et-Oise into a family of artists. He grew up in the studio of his father, Frank Myers Boggs, and later began studying architecture, which he abandoned to devote himself to painting.

He adopted the pseudonym Frank Will between 1917 and 1921 to distinguish himself from his father. In the same years, he befriended and collaborated with the painter Gen Paul. He then collaborated with Barré & Dayez to produce postcards.

In 1936, he married Victoire Royer, and settled in Mantes-la-Jolie. From then on, he divided his time between the provinces and Paris. In Montmartre, he was involved in musical events, particularly jazz, which were both a source of inspiration and a source of fatigue and neglect for his health.

In 1948, he traveled to Morocco, where he contracted parasitic disorders. In 1950, he was hit by a bus on the Place de l'Opéra and underwent lung surgery, but died the same day. He is buried in Père Lachaise.

Frank Will's work was exhibited in several galleries, including Georges Petit, Hector Brame and Henri Bureau. He also took part in group exhibitions in Paris, and internationally at the end of his career. His works can be found in public collections, notably in Meudon (Musée d'Art & Histoire), Menton, Versailles, Saint Malo and other towns.

Market segmentation and artist's rating

Frank Will's works are positioned in the cityscape, Paris scenes, watercolor and drawing segments. The panorama of his work is segmented by medium : paintings - oil on canvas and panel constitute a high but less dominant segment. Works on paper (watercolors, drawings and mixed media) constitute the dominant segment of his sales.

Posters, postcards and reproductions form the most accessible segment, but often outside the primary market (commercial reproductions). Typical buyers are art lovers of Paris views, collectors of 20th-century French art, and specialized galleries.

The market for Frank Will's works is mainly secondary. Paris and the Paris region is the main marketplace where his works are traded. Rarity is selective; there are many works on paper, but fewer signed or large-format pieces, which creates price tiers.

3,996 were auctioned, all techniques included.

Factors influencing the value of works are signature, provenance, condition, format, support, rarity of motif (recognized Parisian scene) as well as quality of conservation.

His signature

Not all of Frank Will's works are signed. In addition, it's important to note that there were several variations of his signature and the pseudonyms he used. Among them : Franque, Frank, Belliot, Naudin and Frank-Will.

Expertise your property

If you own a work by Frank Will, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal by filling in our online form.

A member of our team of experts and licensed auctioneers will contact you to provide an estimate of your work's market value.

If you are considering selling your work, our specialists will also guide you through the various alternatives available to obtain the best possible price, taking into account market trends and the specific features of each work.