Rating and value of paintings by Jean Béraud

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Rating and value of the artist Jean Béraud

The artist Jean Béraud leaves behind a classic body of work, composed mainly of genre scenes. He studied art with Léon Bonnat at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris.

Henceforth, the prices of his works rise with the auctioneers' gavels. His paintings are highly prized, especially by American buyers.

The price at which they sell on the art market ranges from €35 to €2,374,250, a very substantial range but one that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to Béraud's works.

In 2016, a canvas depicting the Bois de Boulogne was sold for €1,325,000 while it was estimated at between €530,000 and €706,700.

Order of value from a simple work to the most prestigious

Style and technique of the artist Jean Béraud

Jean Béraud, a true icon of the genre scene, navigates academic canons with ease throughout his career, offering the world an array of fascinating paintings. His dazzling talent shines through in captivating chiaroscuro, where light and shadow dance together to bring to life atmospheres both warm and mysterious.

With a strong sense of realism, he never fails to capture the smallest details, from the delicate fabrics of clothing to the vivid expressions of his characters.

Each painting thus becomes an open window on Parisian life, where everyday life blends with poetry, and each scene exudes palpable emotion, inviting the viewer to plunge into the vibrant world of the Belle Époque.

The life of Jean Béraud

Jean Béraud (1849-1935), a French artist with a fascinating career, was born in St. Petersburg into a family steeped in creativity.

His father, a talented artist, sculpted and painted with passion, and at the time of Jean's birth, he was working on the majestic St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg.

Unfortunately, he died four years later, leaving his wife alone with their two children, who returned to Paris, the cradle of the arts.

Jean, with his eager-to-learn mind, attended the Lycée Condorcet, then followed in his father's footsteps by entering the Beaux-Arts de Paris, where he had the good fortune to be mentored by the famous Léon Bonnat.

It was at the Salon of 1872 that he first exhibited, but it was really in 1876 that he came to prominence with his landmark painting Le Retour de l'enterrement, which propelled him into the limelight.

Through his works, Béraud brilliantly depicts the bourgeoisie, capturing genre scenes imbued with life and charm, and also forges a reputation as a socialite painter alongside figures such as Carolus Duran and Ferdinand Roybet.

At the same time, he painted portraits for influential figures, immortalizing the faces of his time.

Like some of his contemporaries, such as Hyppolite Lazerges or Luc-Olivier Merson, he also explores religious themes, offering some works of spiritual depth centered on Christ.

In 1890, he joined forces with Auguste Rodin and other artists to found the Société nationale des Beaux-Arts, a veritable crossroads for contemporary art.

His commitment didn't stop there: at the heart of the Dreyfus affair, he took sides and joined, along with artist friends, the Ligue de la Patrie Française, an organization with nationalist ideas, thus affirming his role as an artist engaged in the debates of his time.

Focus on Une soirée by Jean Béraud

Une soirée, a work by Jean Béraud, accurately captures the elegance and worldly atmosphere of Belle Époque Parisian society.

This painting, preserved at the Musée d'Orsay, is emblematic of the artist's talent for representing scenes of urban life with meticulous realism, while infusing his works with a certain lightness and irony.

Jean Béraud (1849-1935), himself from a bourgeois background, was perfectly familiar with the codes and habits of this society. His work Une soirée is in this vein, immortalizing opulent salons and refined soirées.

The painting depicts a reception where men in frock coats and women in sumptuous dresses exchange hushed conversations in opulent surroundings. The décor, richly adorned with draperies, sparkling chandeliers and luxurious furniture, reinforces the sense of belonging to a world where everything is governed by appearance and convention.

The way Béraud manages to capture social interactions with such subtlety is quite striking in this work. Every gesture, every glance seems meticulously choreographed. We imagine light-hearted discussions, laughter hushed behind fans, polite greetings.

The painting doesn't tell a particular story, but depicts a frozen moment, like a photograph of a typical Parisian bourgeois evening. Béraud, with his precise brushwork, observes his subjects like a chronicler of his time, revealing the unspoken and superficial exchanges.

Béraud is often compared to contemporary painters such as Edgar Degas or Gustave Caillebotte, who also documented Parisian life.

But where Degas is interested in dancers or horse races, and Caillebotte paints boulevards and workers, Béraud prefers hushed salons and mundane strolls. Une soirée is a perfect illustration of this fascination with the everyday life of high society. His characters are not heroic, they are not dramatic; they are simply actors in the mundane theater of the Belle Époque.

The color palette, dominated by warm, golden tones, accentuates the impression of luxury and comfort. The textures of the dresses, silks and velvets are rendered with impressive precision, testifying to Béraud's technical talent.

The play of light, from chandeliers and candles, adds an intimate, hushed atmosphere to the scene. Here, Béraud masters the art of light and shadow, creating a cinematic atmosphere before its time.

While Une soirée seems at first glance a simple genre scene, it is also a bittersweet critique of bourgeois society. Béraud, while himself an actor in this society, doesn't hesitate to underline its vanity and superficiality.

The refinement of appearances contrasts with the vacuity of exchanges, as if behind the beauty of costumes and sets hides a hollow world with no real depth.

In short, Une soirée is a work that, beneath its airs of worldly painting, reveals a remarkable acuity and irony.

Jean Béraud, with his sharp eye and precise brush, invites us to contemplate not only a scene from Parisian life, but also to reflect on the mores and habits of a bygone era.

Presentation of the Jean Béraud exhibition catalog at Carnavalet

Jean Béraud's imprint on his period

Jean Béraud undeniably marked his era with his late neoclassicism, bringing a unique touch to academic figuration. Considered one of the most eminent painters of his time, he succeeded in selling his canvases at high prices, testifying to his talent and growing popularity.

Over the decades, the value of his work has steadily increased, peaking in the 1990s, when numerous pieces found their way onto the art market, captivating the attention of connoisseurs and experts alike.

Still today, his paintings remain highly prized at auction, attracting American collectors in particular, still enchanted by the beauty and finesse of his style.

Béraud's legacy continues to illuminate the art world, testifying to his lasting influence on future generations.

Knowing the value of a work

If you happen to own a work by or after Jean Béraud, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal using our form on our website.

A member of our team of experts and certified auctioneers will contact you promptly to provide you with an estimate of the market value of your work, not forgetting to send you ad hoc information about it.

If you wish to sell your work, you will also be accompanied by our specialists in order to benefit from alternatives for selling it at the best possible price, taking into account market inclinations.