SwissArtGallery · Documented identity
Born in Paris in 1763, the French painter Georges Bernard Michel devoted most of his work to the still-rural landscapes of Montmartre and its surroundings, where windmills are a recurring motif. His subjects also took him to the forest of Fontainebleau, Romainville, the Plaine Saint-Denis and Saint-Ouen. In 1789, he accompanied Antoine-Louis-Marie de Gramont, duc de Guiche, to Germany; through the art dealer Jean-Baptiste-Pierre Lebrun, he subsequently worked as a restorer and copyist of Dutch landscapes.
Michel exhibited at the Salon from 1796 to 1814, then voluntarily stopped presenting his works from 1821 onwards. His work is divided into three periods: the first is associated with the influence of his teacher and contemporaries, the second with that of the Dutch masters, while the third is distinguished by a freer and quicker technique. He also worked in watercolour.
Several works held in public collections illustrate the variety of his subjects and their evolution over time: Paysage avec moulins à vent (1790–1795), oil on panel, is held at the Sheffield Galleries; Chaumière à la lisière d’un bois, circa 1795, at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Reims. Le Moulin de Montmartre, circa 1820, is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, while Le Moulin d’Argenteuil, dated 1830, is held at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Pau. The Musée du Domaine départemental de Sceaux also holds three paintings entitled La Plaine Saint-Denis, dated circa 1830.
In 1927, the Galerie Charpentier in Paris paid tribute to the painter by presenting 113 paintings, drawings and watercolours. In 2017–2018, the exhibition « Georges Michel, le paysage sublime », bringing together 58 works, was presented at the monastery of Brou, then at the Fondation Custodia in Paris. His work has also been the subject of a study published by Alfred Sensier in 1873 and a book by Léo Larguier published in 1927.
This profile brings together identity references for Georges Michel and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.
Dobiaschofsky · Genève Enchères · Piguet · Lempertz
References include catalogue entries and available results; they do not all represent completed sales. Attributed works and special lots are excluded from the priced results.
Oil on paper, mounted on canvas
"Moulin aux environs de Paris".
Öl auf Papier, auf Leinwand
Catalogue period : 2022-11-04
Published result : 7000 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 9000
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Oil on canvas
Paysage aux moulins
huile sur toile
Catalogue period : 2022-09-22
Published result : 1000 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 1000–1500
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Oil on canvas
Abendlandschaft mit Windmühle.
Öl auf Leinwand
Catalogue period : 2016-11-11
Published result : 3500 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 3000
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Oil on paper, mounted on canvas
Weite Landschaft mit Dorf und Windmühle
Öl auf Papier, auf Leinwand
Auction date : 2016-05-21
Published result : 24800 EUR
Including buyer’s premium
Estimate : 20000
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Oil on canvas
Georges Michel (1763-1848), \Paysage avec
huile sur toile
Catalogue period : 2011-12-14
Published result : 2000 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 800–1200
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Oil on canvas
Village et moulin
huile sur toile
Catalogue period : 2017-09-27
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
Estimate : CHF 1000–1500
View the lot at the auction house ↗These references are shown separately because of their attribution or lot composition. Each record states the reason.
Oil on panel
Attribué à Georges Michel — Paysage aux ruines animé
huile sur panneau
attribué à
Catalogue period : 2025-09-11 — 2025-09-24
Attributed to
Catalogue reference — sale not confirmed
Estimate : CHF 1000–1500
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Oil on canvas
Attribué à Georges Michel — Paysage au village et au moulin
huile sur toile
Attribué à
Catalogue period : 2019-12-12
Attributed to
Published result : 1900 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 1500–1800
View the lot at the auction house ↗Oil on canvas
Attribué à GEORGES MICHEL — Weite Landschaft mit Bauerndorf und Staffage.
Öl auf Leinwand
Zugeschrieben
Catalogue period : 2014-05-16
Attributed
Published result : 2400 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 4000
View the lot at the auction house ↗Oil on paper, mounted on canvas
Attribué à GEORGES MICHEL — Küstenpartie mit Ortschaft und Booten.
Öl auf Papier, auf Leinwand
Zugeschrieben
Catalogue period : 2013-11-09
Attributed
Published result : 550 CHF
Fees not specified in the available data
Estimate : CHF 700
View the lot at the auction house ↗SwissArtGallery documentary note based on the cited sources. Titles, media and qualifications are provided in the profile language; the original catalogue wording remains available in each record.
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