SwissArtGallery · Documented identity

Félix Ziem

Born : 1821Died : 1911Documented citizenships : France

The French painter Félix Ziem, born in 1821 and died in 1911, drew on travel and recurring places in his work: Venice, which he discovered in 1842 and which, according to his biography, became his main source of inspiration, as well as the cities and regions he travelled through on his journey to the Orient. He discovered Martigues in 1840, where he set up a studio in 1860; Constantinople, Lebanon, Greece and Egypt as far as Khartoum also marked this journey, which later centred on studios in Martigues and Nice and stays in Paris.

His training began at the École des beaux-arts de Dijon, where he attended drawing and architecture classes in 1837–1838 and received first prize for architectural composition in 1838. After leaving Dijon, he worked as a works supervisor on the Marseille Canal and took part in the construction of the Roquefavour Aqueduct. In 1840, the Duke of Orléans commissioned three watercolours from him after being shown two of Ziem’s works; Ziem then devoted himself to painting and drawing. He made his debut at the Salon de Paris in 1849 with views of the Bosphorus, Rome and Venice. The following year, his Vue du palais des Doges, exhibited at the Salon, became his first work to be acquired by the State.

From 1853, his repertoire also included scenes of everyday life, portraits and rural landscapes, in a temporary move towards the Barbizon school. The journey he undertook in 1856 took him to Constantinople, Turkey, Lebanon, Greece and Egypt, where he travelled down the Nile as far as Khartoum. His biography states that he frequently reworked his subjects in his studio in Montmartre; his numerous sketchbooks bear witness to this practice. In Saint Petersburg, he taught watercolour painting to the grand duchesses.

Martigues also held a lasting place in his career: after setting up a studio there in 1860, he bought the house he had been renting there in 1861. In 1865, the art dealer Durand-Ruel became one of his dealers. From 1880, Ziem also had a studio in Nice, where he spent most of his time when he was not in Paris.

Two works held at the Art Institute of Chicago show the place of Venice in his repertoire: Fête de Saint Marc, Venise, dated 1870–90, and Venice from the Riva looking toward the Piazzale San Marco, dated around 1890. A Ziem collection was inaugurated at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris in 1905, and works entered the Louvre as part of the Chauchard bequest. In Martigues, the Musée Ziem was established in 1908 following a donation by the painter, and inaugurated in 1910. In 2013, the Petit Palais presented the exhibition « Félix Ziem, J'ai rêvé le beau, peintures et aquarelles ».

This profile brings together identity references for Félix Ziem and paintings, drawings and works on paper documented in auction catalogues.

29 references are documented at Artcurial Beurret Bailly Widmer, Dobiaschofsky, Genève Enchères, Schuler, Piguet, Lempertz, Germann. Each record links to its source; the amounts are not a general valuation of the artist’s work.

Works recorded at auction

Photograph : Piguet · Enlarge image ↗

Piguet

"Rome, Saint-Pierre"

Watercolour

Original catalogue wording

"Rome, Saint-Pierre"
aquarelle

Catalogue period : 2026-05-27 — 2026-06-10

Published result : 15000 CHF

Fees not specified in the available data

Estimate : CHF 6000–8000

Félix Ziem

Works recorded at auction

"Rome, Saint-Pierre"

Promenade en sandolo dans la lagune

Vue de Venise

House in the Lagoon

Sailing boats off the coast

In the manner of

Blick auf Istanbul und den Bosporus

Vue de Venise

Sunset

Boats in the Venice lagoon

In the manner of

Sailing ship in the Venice lagoon.

Procession by the Doge's Palace in Venice

In the manner of

In the manner of

In the manner of

In the manner of

Venise, San Giorgio maggiore

"Caravane de chameliers en Orient",

Grenades

The Riva degli Schiavoni and the Doge's Palace, 1878

References excluded from statistics: attributions and special lots

Attribué à Félix Ziem — Portrait d'homme au cigare,

Attribué à Felix Ziem — Portrait d'homme,

Attribué à Félix Ziem — "Le Grand Canal à Venise le matin",

Circle of

Attribué à Ziem, Félix — zugeschrieben Stilleben mit Granatäpfeln

Circle of

Circle of Félix François Ziem — Evening Mood over Venice

Attribué à Félix Ziem — Scène de port, bord du Nil

Sources and references

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