Julien DUPRÉ

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Status, price and estimation by artist Julien Dupré

Price of a painting signed Dupré: 1,000 – 80,000€.

Estimate of a drawing or watercolour by the artist for auction: 80 – 10,000€.

A comfortable upbringing

Born in Paris to a father who was a jeweller, Julien Dupré grew up in a well-to-do environment.

Having always been attracted to painting, he began his training at the National School of Fine Arts in Paris, where he made his debut in the studio of the French painter Isidore Alexandre Auguste Pils, and Henri Lehmann, a French painter of German origin.

The naturalist painter Désiré François Laugée also contributed to the young man’s artistic training. He came to be a key figure in Dupré’s career and personal life.

In fact, Laugée got Dupré to participate in the events of the artistic milieu of the second half of the 19th century, and also introduced him to his daughter Marie, who became his wife a few years later.

Dupré a faithful artist among the faithful

His artistic mastery was acquired through the various artistic movements and deployments of the 19th century, but he did not let his art remain restricted to such movements. From the Barbizon school in particular, Dupré would create his work in nature by travelling to the countryside to do so from 1880 on. This was a place like no other where he could indulge in multiple and infinite observations of nature.

His scenes of the rural world are striking, such as the gleaners depicted at work (Les Glaneuses), absorbed in their harvesting and ploughing. These are poignant moments in life, given the truthfulness of the figures portrayed. The farm animals, grazing or drinking, are full of vitality.

This naturalistic impulse led him to follow in the footsteps of a painter with a strong sense of realism, Jean-François Millet, who depicted similar rural themes.

True to himself, and despite the criticism of some, Dupré did not fall into the trap of Impressionism. His touch remained figurative and dazzling. The critics of his time were hardly mistaken, and in an unequivocal outspokenness evokes he “who believes that the prairie is green, and has the courage to say so”.

Whether he liked it or not, his luminous and colourful works were a pure place of expressive power.

Dupré – between France and the United States

The artist was a popular figure with the Americans of his time, and today his paintings can be found in the public collections of the Columbia Museum of Art and the Worcester Art Museum in Worcester.

On several occasions throughout his career, Julien Dupré participates in the annual Salon des artistes français. He also had the opportunity to take part in the 1889 World’s Fair, a highlight of his artistic career marked by the awarding of a gold medal.

His paintings, precious testimonies of the rurality of his time, are preserved throughout France, in the Palais des Beaux-arts in Lille, in the Museum of Grenoble, and in Carcassonne in the Museum of Fine Arts.

Julien Dupré died in Paris in 1910 at the age of 59.

Recognising Julien Dupré’s signature

Like many artists, Dupré 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

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Appraising and selling a piece by Julien Dupré

If you own a piece by Julien Dupré 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.