Rating and value of paintings by Ker-Xavier Roussel

If you own a work by or after Ker-Xavier Roussel, and would like to know its value, our state-approved experts and auctioneers will offer you their appraisal services. Our specialists will carry out a free appraisal of your work, and provide you with a precise estimate of its current market value. Then, if you wish to sell your work, we'll guide you towards the best possible arrangement to obtain the optimum price.

Artist rating and value Ker-Xavier Roussel    

The artist Ker-Xavier Roussel left behind a unique body of work, composed mainly of Nabi paintings. Prices for his works are now rising under auctioneers' gavels. His paintings are highly prized, especially by French buyers. The price at which they sell on the art market ranges from €20 to €144,825, a very substantial range but one that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to Roussel's works. In 2018, a landscape painting entitled La danse, executed in oil on isorel, sold for €61,000, whereas it was estimated at between €8,000 and €10,000.

Order of value from a simple work to the most prestigious

Artist Ker-Xavier Roussel's style and technique    

Roussel was a member of the Nabis, a group of post-impressionist painters from the very late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a precursory group in which attributes of Fauvism can be discerned. The painter worked on the representation of bodies and the relationship with their reality, but also on the representation of landscapes, in which some elements of Impressionism are dissociated.

Ker-Xavier Roussel and Nabi painting

Ker-Xavier Roussel (1867-1944) was a 20th-century French painter renowned for his Post-Impressionist and Fauvist works. He was born near Metz, but the defeat by Prussia soon led his family to move. He lived with his father and brother in Paris. His brother frequented many artists and writers, and naturally encouraged him in his career as a painter.

He attended the Lycée Condorcet, where he met Édouard Vuillard, who became his friend and brother-in-law. It was at the same school that he also met Maurice Denis, a painter who was to follow in his footsteps. The three artists were to become leading members of the Nabi group, sharing their pictorial reflections and their work on different painting techniques and perspective.

The Nabi group was formed at the Académie Julian, which was highly innovative for its time, and Roussel was an early member. Together with Paul Sérusier, the group's leader, he created sets for the Théâtre de Chaillot. He went on to exhibit his paintings at the Salon des artistes indépendants and the Libre Esthétique in Brussels. He travels with Maurice Denis to the Côte d'Azur to visit Paul Signac and Paul Cézanne. However, he did not give up decor painting, and participated in projects with Vuillard until the end of his career. He excelled in this discipline and was much in demand, knowing how to go from a fairly small support to an opera ceiling in a short space of time, which gives an idea of his extraordinary talent.

He died at home at the age of 76, probably of natural causes.

Ker-Xavier Roussel's imprint on his period

The artist is not well known to the general public today, as other artists such as Paul Sérusier are more prominent. However, he contributed to the formation and evolution of the Nabis group, and is a painter forgotten by his contemporaries.

He remains a highly sought-after artist among lovers and collectors of Nabis works, which are increasingly in demand at auction. It is therefore highly likely that the artist's value will increase over the next few years.

Recognizing the artist's signature

Not all works by Ker-Xavier Roussel are signed. They may be at the bottom of the painting, but if you think you own one, it's best to have it appraised to be sure of its originality.

Knowing the value of a work

If you happen to own a work by or after Ker-Xavier Roussel, don't hesitate to request a free appraisal using the 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, as well as any relevant information about it. If you wish to sell your work of art, our specialists will also be on hand to offer you alternatives for selling it at the best possible price, taking into account market trends.