Giorgio De Chirico Artwork valuations, appraisals and auction estimates

Giorgio de Chirico (Volos 1888 - Rome 1978) was an Italian painter and the main representative of the artistic movement of metaphysical painting. Giorgio studied painting at the Polytechnic University of Athens, a study which he continued at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence and finally at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich from 1906. Read the full biography

Guide to Giorgio De Chirico price quotations

De Chirico's auction prices increased significantly in the late 1920s and 1930s as his metaphysical paintings gained recognition. His "Piazza d'Italia" sold for $110,500 in 1933, setting a new record for the artist. Prices continued to rise after the Second World War when scholars and collectors rediscovered de Chirico's formative role in the development of Surrealism. In 1987, his early masterpiece "The Poet's Nostalgia" sold for $2.16 million, at the time the highest price ever paid for a work by de Chirico.

Today, de Chirico's best metaphysical paintings from the 1910s and early 1920s fetch the highest prices, often selling for 5-15 million euros. The market for his late neoclassical works from the 1940s and 1950s (Baroque period) is generally lower, with prices ranging from 30,000 euros for smaller works to 200,000 euros for large-scale works.

The metaphysical works of the second period (after the 1950s) are generally sold between 100,000 and 300,000 euros

Giorgio De Chirico Biography

Giorgio de Chirico (Volos 1888 - Rome 1978) was an Italian painter and the main representative of the artistic movement of metaphysical painting. Giorgio studied painting at the Polytechnic University of Athens, a study which he continued at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence and finally at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich from 1906. In 1909 he moved to Milan, where he remained for six months, and at the beginning of 1910 he went to Florence, where he painted his first metaphysical square, The Mystery of the Autumn Afternoon, which was in Piazza Santa Croce. a vision of . In 1911 De Chirico met his brother Alberto in Paris, where he met the major artists of the time, and then began to paint with a more decisive style. He was influenced by Gauguin, from whom the first expressions of Piazza Italia were formed. Between 1912 and 1913 his fame spread, although he was not yet financially successful enough. During this period he began to design his first mannequins. During his Parisian era, George painted some of the foundational paintings of the 20th century. At the outbreak of the First World War, the De Chirico brothers recruited volunteers and were sent to Ferrara. After being disoriented by the changing city, Giorgio took up painting again. Instead of painting large sunny squares, he painted still lifes with geometric symbols, biscuits and bread. In the 1950s his paintings featured self-portraits in baroque clothing and views of Venice. He died in Rome on 20 November 1978.