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The most expensive Rousseau ever sold

The most expensive Rousseau ever sold is Les Flamants: $43.5 million at Christie's New York in 2023. Famous works such as The Sleeping Gypsy, The Dream and Tiger in a Tropical Storm are in public collections, so they are not for sale and have no price.

Lived
1844–1910
From
French
Movement
Naïve art
Worked in
Paris
Portrait of Henri Rousseau
Rousseau's record$43.5MLes Flamants · 2023

Rousseau's famous works and their prices

  • The Sleeping Gypsy by Henri RousseauThe Sleeping Gypsy1897 · Museum of Modern Art, New YorkNot for sale
  • The Dream by Henri RousseauThe Dream1910 · Museum of Modern Art, New YorkNot for sale
  • Tiger in a Tropical Storm by Henri RousseauTiger in a Tropical Storm1891 · National Gallery, LondonNot for sale

“Not for sale” means a public collection holds the work. Prices are nominal US dollars as reported at the time.

Rousseau next to other artists

Each artist's highest documented sale, from the same research.

  1. Manet$65.1MLe Printemps · 2014
  2. Caillebotte$53MJeune homme à sa fenêtre · 2021
  3. Raphael$47.9MHead of an Apostle, black chalk study for the Transfiguration · 2012
  4. Turner$47.4MRome, from Mount Aventine · 2014
  5. Rousseau$43.5MLes Flamants · 2023
  6. Degas$41.6MPetite danseuse de quatorze ans · 2022
  7. Constable$35.2MThe Lock · 2012
  8. Pissarro$32.1MLe Boulevard Montmartre, matinée de printemps · 2014
  9. Vermeer$30.1MA Young Woman Seated at the Virginals · 2004

Bars are to scale within this list. Source for Rousseau's record: antiquesandartireland.com.

About Henri Rousseau

Self-taught French painter of the Naïve school, nicknamed "Le Douanier" after the Paris toll office where he spent his working life. He retired in 1893, aged 49, to paint full time, and produced the dense jungle scenes he is known for without ever leaving France: his sources were the Jardin des Plantes, its hothouses and its taxidermy, and illustrated books. Ridiculed by critics for most of his career, he was taken seriously by Picasso and the young avant-garde in his final years. He died in Paris in 1910, a few months after exhibiting "The Dream".

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Art Scanner result for the Mona Lisa with its $100M insured value tag
The Mona Lisa in Art Scanner: insured value $100M

Questions

What is the most expensive Rousseau ever sold?

Les Flamants, which sold for $43.5 million at Christie's New York in 2023. Prices are nominal US dollars as reported at the time.

How much is a Rousseau painting worth?

It depends on the work. The highest documented sale is $43.5 million for Les Flamants. Works in public collections are not for sale.

Where can I see Rousseau's paintings?

Among the works here: the Museum of Modern Art, New York and the National Gallery, London.

Who was Henri Rousseau?

Henri Rousseau (1844–1910). Self-taught French painter of the Naïve school, nicknamed "Le Douanier" after the Paris toll office where he spent his working life. He retired in 1893, aged 49, to paint full time, and produced the dense jungle scenes he is known for without ever leaving France: his sources were the Jardin des Plantes, its hothouses and its taxidermy, and illustrated books. Ridiculed by critics for most of his career, he was taken seriously by Picasso and the young avant-garde in his final years. He died in Paris in 1910, a few months after exhibiting "The Dream".

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