Rating and value of paintings by Boris Grigoriev

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Rating and value of the artist Boris Grigoriev   

Boris Grigoriev is a Franco-Russian painter of the 20th century. He left behind a unique body of work reflecting his moods and personality. This legacy is made up of paintings, mostly oil on canvas.

Today, prices for his works are reaching unprecedented heights at auction. His paintings and other works are particularly prized, especially by French and Russian buyers, and the price at which they sell on the art market ranges from €170 to €2,555,000, a considerable delta but one that speaks volumes about the value that can be attributed to Grigoriev's works.

In 2008, a predominantly green polychrome composition entitled Shepherd of the Hills, dating from 1920, sold for €2,555,000, against an estimate of €2,000,000 to €2,700,000.

Order of value from a simple work to the most prestigious

Boris Grigoriev, exploring human psychology

In the 1920s, in portraits such as Woman in Kimono (Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg), Grigoriev chose to explore human psychology through energetic brushstrokes and vivid colors.

Like his contemporaries, such as Amedeo Modiglianiwho favored simplicity of line and form to convey the essence of his models, Grigoriev's combination of bright tones and elongated forms creates faces that, though stylized, express great emotional intensity.

The brushstrokes are full of vigor and, far from being smooth or controlled, give way to a certain movement that testifies to the artist's impetuosity.

This approach is marked by a striking contrast between warm colors - oranges, reds, yellows - and darker tones, which reinforces the impact of the features.

The construction of the face seems almost sculptural, each zone meticulously built, but in a way that is more instinctive than rational.

The eyes, often exaggerated, immediately capture attention, conveying not only the individual but also a broader perception of the human soul. Grigoriev uses light and shadow not to create a realistic illusion, but to accentuate the almost theatrical dimension of his subjects.

It's not a simple representation, but a real emotional staging where form and color serve a purpose that goes beyond the surface of appearance.

The artist, influenced by Expressionism and Symbolism, succeeds in giving his figures a certain monumentality, but also an intensity specific to the psychology of his models.

Both stylistically close to surrealists such as Max Ernst and historically close to artists such as Nicolas de StaëlGrigoriev succeeded in establishing himself as an important figure in twentieth-century Russian painting.

Boris Grigoriev, his life, his work

Boris Grigoriev was born in St. Petersburg in 1886, in a tsarist Russia in the throes of change. From an early age, he showed a talent for painting and entered the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts, where he acquired the solid foundations of an academic training. However, even during his formative years, he moved away from rigid conventions and turned to the modern currents sweeping Europe.

On his first trips to Paris in 1910, he met the avant-garde artists of the day, particularly Fauves and Symbolists.

Grigoriev's art took on a new dimension, integrating both a mastery of classical forms and a freedom of expression.

His portraits in the early 20th century reveal this fusion between academic rigor and a more intimate exploration of the human psyche. This unique blend soon made its mark on the European art scene.

After living through the turmoil of the Russian Revolution, the artist left his country for good in 1920. He settled in Paris, where he continued his research into the human form and portraiture.

In his works, Grigoriev seeks to capture not only the appearance of his models, but also their essence, creating compositions that oscillate between formal rigor and soulful expression.

The Paris years were a period of great production for him, when the influence of French artists, combined with his own Russian roots, were reflected in portraits of unique emotional intensity.

Through his work, Grigoriev doesn't just illustrate faces: he captures souls, in a desire to transcend simple representation.

The artist thus remains faithful to his artistic ideal, that of a painting where inner research and technique harmonize with strong emotional expression.

Focus on The Young Woman in the Red Bodice, 1924

Boris Grigoriev's 1924 portrait, entitled Young Woman with Red Bodice (Museum of Russian Art, St. Petersburg), reveals the full complexity of his stylistic research.

This vivid yet intimate painting plunges us into the world of the young woman, captured in a natural pose but at the same time highly codified by palette and form.

The dominant red on the model's bodice immediately catches the eye, creating a striking contrast with the soft skin tones and shadows that shape her face.

The sensuality of the portrait lies in this opposition between the warmth of the colors and the rigor of the structure of the forms, in a palpable tension that gives rise to a form of psychological depth.

The use of light and shadow, characteristic of Grigoriev's work, introduces a real emotional dimension.

The carefully sketched facial contours show the artist's academic heritage, while expressing an intensity that borders on expressionism.

The young woman's silhouette seems almost to vibrate, suggesting that she is not simply a frozen subject but a person in motion, with a history and personality that invite themselves into the viewer's gaze.

The portrait thus becomes much more than a simple representation; it offers a plunge into the intimate, an attempt to capture not just the appearance, but the very soul of the model.

The subtle blend of classical and modern techniques makes this work a shining example of Grigoriev's style, a style in which every brushstroke seems to vibrate with the tension between rigor and emotion.

Boris Grigoriev's imprint on his period

In the 1920s, Boris Grigoriev established himself as a central figure in Russian art, notably through his exploration of the tensions between tradition and modernity.

From the moment he arrived in Paris, his style, marked by a penetrating realism, drew on the influences of European artists while remaining deeply rooted in his Russian culture. This duality is perfectly illustrated in his portraits and genre scenes, where he succeeds in marrying the codes of academic painting with the aspirations of a freer, more personal expression.

In his quest for renewal, Grigoriev also explores the means of a more intimate representation, where every gesture, every stroke seems to respond to a need for pure truth, far from the smooth appearances and conventions of the past.

In Parisian salons and Russian artistic circles alike, Grigoriev became the spokesman for an era in the throes of change, bearing witness to a Russian society disrupted by social and political upheaval.

His works, often characterized by unadorned faces, express a raw, unvarnished humanity, a kind of transparency of subject that echoed the concerns of his time.

The psychological depth that emanates from his characters goes beyond mere external presentation to reveal their inner complexity.

Grigoriev's impact lies in his ability to destabilize conventions while respecting the very essence of performance.

His canvases reveal an expressive power that, without conforming to traditional canons, seeks to capture the truth, the soul of the characters he paints, and in so doing, upsets the hierarchy of forms while giving them a new breadth.

With his intense, sensitive approach, he became a major witness and player in the transformation of the artistic landscape of his time, not only in Russia but also in European circles, where he imposed a personal vision rooted in vibrant modernity. 

Recognizing Boris Grigoriev's signature  

Boris Grigoriev's works are often signed at the bottom of the painting. He often signs "Boris Grigoriev" in a dark tone.

Knowing the value of a work

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