Marie Vassalieff

Do you own a piece by Marie Vassilieff and would you like to know more about the work and its value? Our Experts will carry out a free appraisal of your painting, provide you with an estimate of the market price, and help you to sell it at the best price.

Status, price and estimation of the artist Marie Vassilieff

Price of a painting: 1,500 – 443,400 €.

Price of a drawing: 390 – 18,400 €.

Estimation of a print: 3,000 – 8,500 €.

Estimation of a sculpture: 2,300 – 11,000 €.

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

The formation of Marie Vassilieff

Marie Vassilieff was a painter and sculptor born in Smolensk in Russia on 12 February 1884. She died in Nogent-sur-Marne on 14 May 1957.

Despite her parents’ wish that she should study medicine, Marie Vassilieff enrolled at the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg in 1903. Two years later, she arrived in Paris and took classes at the La Palette Academy of Painting under the direction of Sonia Delaunay, then at the Henri Matisse Academy. She quickly joined the Montparnasse community of artists.

Marie Vassilieff and the Vassilieff Academy

After founding the Russian Academy of Painting and Sculpture in 1911, the following year she opened the Vassilieff Academy, which was attended by the greatest avant-garde painters, including Ossip Zadkine, Amedeo Modigliani, Chaim Soutine and Pablo Picasso.

In 1914, the artist took part in the Salon des Indépendants and presented works of cubist tendency. The same year, concerned about the financial situation of many of her colleagues, she decided to transform her studio into a popular canteen that welcomed artists and their models. The place soon became an extremely busy place, where the artists would give performances.

During a trip to Russia in 1915, Marie Vassilieff took part in two exhibitions in Petrograd and Moscow. They are situated between futuristic and supremacist currents. In Petrograd, Marie exhibited alongside Kasimir Malevitch, who presented his Black Square on a white background.

Marie Vassilieff’s dolls

At the exhibition in Moscow, Marie Vassilieff showed her dolls for the first time. These were celebrated by the art critic and writer Marie Dormoy in the magazine Art and Decoration, which placed them in the category of works of art. She says that they are shouting the truth and are recognisable as such. Marie Vassilieff’s doll portraits include those of Picasso, Paul Poiret and André Derain.

The painter took part in major artistic events such as the International Exhibition of Modern Decorative and Industrial Arts in 1925 for which she created an anthropomorphic set of furniture, or the International Exhibition of Arts and Techniques in Modern Life in 1937 where she showed a model of her gigantic decorative panel that she created for the Gare Montparnasse in collaboration with René Péro.

At the end of the 1940s, the artist responded to a commission for a ceramic dinner service from his patron, the building contractor Edmond Didier.

In 2016, the city of Paris inaugurates the Villa Vassilieff which takes place in its former workshop in Montparnasse. It welcomes artists in residence and offers a rich cultural programme throughout the year.

Recognising Marie Vassilieff’s signature

Like many artists, Marie Vassilieff 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.

Appraise and sell a painting by Marie Vassilieff

If you own a Marie Vassilieff painting or any other sculpture, 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 painting. In the event of a sale, our specialists will also advise you on the various options available to sell your work at the best price.