Théo TOBIASSE

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

Status, prices and estimates for Théo Tobiasse

Price of a painting: 1,000 – 25,000€.

Artist’s status for the sale of a drawing or a watercolour: 500 – 8,000€.

Selling price of a lithograph or an engraving: 80 – 15,000€.

Average estimate for a sculpture: 1,000 – 25,000€.

A youth of travel

Théo Tobiasse was born in Jaffa, Israel in 1927. His parents came from Lithuania, which they fled to escape the pogroms and political tensions in Eastern Europe at that time. The family moved to Paris in the 1930s, where his father held a position in a Russian printing house.

His appetence for the practice of painting and drawing manifests itself at an early age and is reinforced by his discoveries of contemporary art. He was refused entry to the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs on religious grounds, which particularly affected him.

It was as a graphic designer at the renowned French printing company Draeger that he began his professional career after the end of the Second World War. A gruelling period during which he and his family lived for almost two years in a Parisian hiding place.

The late beginnings of a self-taught artist

In his early days in the 1960s, Tobiasse quickly won a contract to exhibit at the Faubourg Saint-Honoré gallery.

His figurative canvases are based on motifs from the folklore of the Eastern countries and Judaism, originating from his childhood. His luminous palette animates architectures which, within his compositions, vibrate despite a latent tension. Generously shaped female bodies question reality.

The incessant back and forth between his personal history, the story of the Holocaust drama and iconography between fiction and reality permeate his work.

Some aspects of this unique approach are reminiscent of Marc Chagall‘s paintings.

His first exhibitions date back to his debut on the art scene.

The mature artist condensed and mixed the styles he observed and appreciated. He liked to work in an emulation relationship with the techniques of the great masters of the Dutch and Flemish Golden Age, such as Rembrandt van Rijn, whose Jewish bride from the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam left a strong impression on him.

The 70s and 80s were a time of returning to his roots, prompting Tobiasse to make references to his personal culture and religion.

Tobiasse settled in the South of France from the 1960s onwards, where he continued to practice his techniques, while also developing new approaches in things like lithography.

Honours and Awards

His stained-glass windows and frescoes in the Great Synagogue of Nice are a testament to his artistic talents.

Tobiasse left France for the United States in 1984 and returned to Saint-Paul-de-Vence on an intermittent basis.

A retrospective was devoted to him at the Palais Carnolès in Menton in 1999.

He was distinguished and honoured during his lifetime, but also after his death in 2012.

Recognising Théo Tobiasse’s signature

Like many artists, Théo Tobiasse did not sign all of his works. However, you will find below an example of a signature in order to give you a first idea. Variations of this signature exist: do not hesitate to contact one of our experts to authenticate a signature in a formal way.

Appraising and selling a painting by Théo Tobiasse

If you own a painting or any other sculpture by Théo Tobiasse, 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.