Ferdinand Holder

Do you have a piece by Ferdinand Holder in your possession and would like to know its value? Our Experts will carry out a free appraisal of your piece, provide you with an estimate of the market price, and then help you to sell at the best possible price.

Quote, estimation and price of the artist Ferdinand Holder

Price of a painting: 9,400 – 3,000,000 €.

Estimation of a drawing: 340 – 34,000 €.

Estimation of a print: 40 – 4,700 €.

Price of a sculpture: 4,000 – 19,000 €.

If you would like to have a work by Ferdinand Holder appraised, our experts will take care of everything.

Studies and first paintings

Ferdinand Hodler was a Swiss painter born on 14 March 1853 in Bern. He died on 19 May 1918 in Geneva. At the age of 8, the young child lost his father and two brothers to tuberculosis. At the age of 12, in 1965, Ferdinand Hodler took over his father-in-law’s carpentry business to support his family, but tuberculosis took them all away one by one.

After completing his studies as a painter-decorator, Ferdinand Hodler moved to Geneva in 1872 where he painted, throughout his life, the landscapes he saw from his balcony. Of the Swiss painters, he left the biggest mark on late-19th and early-20th century art.

His early works were inspired by Swiss realism, such as the works of Rudolf Koller and Alexander Calame. But new artistic horizons opened up for him during a trip to Spain in 1878, when
Ferdinand Hodler turned to symbolism and his work was finally recognised, particularly thanks to La Nuit, his most grandiose work. He attracted the attention of Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, his mentor and model. His influence allowed Hodler to develop his models, nudes and antique fashion, as can be seen in Dialogue with Nature.

Expressionism and recognition

From 1890 onwards, Hodler turned to expressionism through geometric and colourful figures. Yet his most famous paintings depict everyday people, for example Le Bucheron, exhibited at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. His work influenced several artists, including Albin Egger-Lienz.

In 1896 Ferdinand Hodler and his works were filmed by François-Henri Lavanchy-Clarke, who worked for the Lumière brothers. These images were presented at the University of Basel in 2018. Furthermore, in 1896 Ferdinand Hodler was invited to teach painting and drawing at l’Ecole des Arts et Métiers. In 1897, he held a conference in Freiburg on “The Mission of the Artist”. He denounced the bombing of the city of Reims in 1914 and was expelled from German art societies.

His works are exhibited in the greatest museums across Europe such as the Musée d’Orsay and the Neue Pinakothek in Munich.

In March 2018, upon the centenary of his death, a self-portrait of Ferdinand Hodler was sold for 730,000 Swiss francs in Basel.

Recognising F. Holder’s signature

Like many artists, Ferdinand Holder did not sign all of his works. However, you will find below an example of the signatures to give you an idea. Variations of these signatures do exist, do not hesitate to contact one of our experts to formally authenticate a signature.

Appraising and selling a piece by Ferdinand Holder

If you own a piece by Ferdinand Holder or any other object, ask for a free estimate via our online form.

You will then be contacted by a member of our team of experts and auctioneers to give you an independent view of the market price of your piece. In the context of a possible sale, our specialists will also advise you on the different options available to sell your work at the best price.