Jules de Balincourt
Blue-chip#50
Egon Investment Scores
Liquidity
7/10
How easily works can be bought and sold at auction
Institutional
9/10
Museum collections, biennials, and institutional recognition
Momentum
7/10
Recent price trends, gallery moves, and market buzz
Discovery
1/10
Undervaluation opportunity relative to peer artists
Risk
1/10
Investment risk factors — higher means more volatile
Market Position
Auction Record
$414,656
US World Studies II
Christie's London
- Pricing
- Liquidity
- Market Segment
- Established mid-career contemporary painter
- Sell Through Rate
- Active secondary market with consistent sales
- Annual Auction Volume
- Approximately 10-15 lots annually
- Total Auction Lots Recorded
- 215+ artworks offered at auction (MutualArt)
- Collector Base
- Collector Profile
- Museum-quality collectors, established contemporary art collectors
- Geographic Distribution
- International: US, Europe (France, UK, Italy), Asia (Japan, Hong Kong)
- Known Institutional Collectors
- Brooklyn MuseumSaatchi GalleryOppenheimer-JCCC Collection for Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art
- Auction History
- Work
- US World Studies II
- Year
- 2010
- Price
- $414,656
- Currency
- USD
- Auction House
- Christie's London
- Market Position
- Market Positioning
- Mid-career contemporary painter with strong institutional validation and active gallery representation. Works alongside Victoria Miro, Thaddaeus Ropac, and Pace Gallery stable including established names. Market comparable to other mid-career figurative painters with museum backing.
Institutional Presence
Brooklyn Museum
Brooklyn, New York, USALos Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)
Los Angeles, CA, USAMuseum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)
Los Angeles, CA, USAModern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Fort Worth, Texas, USAMontreal Museum of Fine Arts
Montreal, CanadaCollezione Maramotti
Reggio Emilia, ItalyMuseo di arte moderna e contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto (MART)
Rovereto, ItalyPortland Art Museum
Portland, ME, USAMusée départemental d'art contemporain de Rochechouart
Rochechouart, FranceSaatchi Gallery
London, UK- Exhibitions
- Major Group Exhibitions
Year Venue Location Exhibition 2005 MoMA PS1 New York Greater New York 2006 Palais de Tokyo Paris Notre histoire… 2006 Whitney Museum New York Whitney Biennial 2007 Guggenheim Bilbao Spain Art in America: 300 Years of Innovation 2007 Royal Academy of Arts London USA TODAY 2007 State Hermitage Museum Saint Petersburg USA TODAY 2009 Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes Havana, Cuba 10th Havana Biennial 2004 MoMA PS1 New York Collection (or How I Spent a Year)
- Museum Collections
- Fair Participation
Year Dates Fair Represented by 2025 September 2025 Frieze Seoul Pace Gallery 2025 September 11–14, 2025 Tokyo Gendai Pace Gallery - Curatorial Interest
- Extensive solo museum exhibitions across US, Europe, and Asia. Strong curatorial support evidenced by major institutions (MoMA PS1, Mori Art Museum, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Fort Worth Modern).
- Awards and Recognition
- Called 'mayor of Bushwick' by Paper Magazine for founding Starr Space
- Created scenic design for New York City Ballet's Scherzo Fantastique choreographed by Justin Peck (2017)
Career & Biography
- Career
- Career Milestones
Year Event 1972 Born in Paris early 1980s Moved with family to California, grew up near Malibou Lake in Santa Monica Mountains 2005 Participated in Greater New York at MoMA PS1 - major career breakthrough 2006 Founded Starr Space (alternative art space/community center) in Brooklyn, Bushwick 2006-2009 Operated Starr Space for three years with diverse community programming 2006 Whitney Biennial participation 2010 Solo exhibition at Mori Art Museum, Tokyo 2010 Auction record set: US World Studies II sold for $414,656 at Christie's London 2021 Joined Pace Gallery representation (alongside Victoria Miro and Thaddaeus Ropac)
- Identity
- Residences
- Brooklyn, New York (primary studio)Malpais, Costa RicaSprings, East Hampton, New York
- Getty Ulan Id
- 500332332
- Verified Name
- Jules de Balincourt
- Professional Roles
- installation artistpainter
- Artistic Context
- Describes himself as a 'tourist of globalization who consumes culture visually and intellectually.' Work oscillates between utopia and dystopia, exploring crossroads where viewers' emotive responses hover between rational realism and abstract subconscious.
Artistic Profile
- Evolution
- De Balincourt's work has evolved from overtly political map paintings and American cultural commentary in the early 2000s to more universal psychological landscapes. While maintaining signature saturated colors and intuitive process, recent work shows movement toward timeless, placeless imagery focused on humanity's relationship with nature and internal psychological states. Post-2016, work has become less directly topical but maintains underlying social consciousness through metaphor and ambiguity.
- Influences
- Stylistic Influences
- Pop ArtFolk ArtFauvismGerman ExpressionismOutsider ArtBay Area Figurative MovementHudson River School (referenced critically)Surrealism (dream-like qualities)
- Themes and Subjects
- Signature Motifs
- Faceless/generalized figuresLone cowboysGlobes and mapsExplosions and radiationsNocturnal scenes with moonGroups gathering in natureBoats and waterPalm trees and tropical landscapesAerial perspectivesWatchers on hills
- Movements and Periods
- Critical Positioning
- Positioned as democratic, accessible painter working against conceptual art establishment. Helped revive painting in early 2000s. Bridges abstraction and figuration. Works operate at crossroads of collective imagination and individual perception. Part of general painting revival in 21st century.
- Art Historical References
- Paul Gauguin (exotic landscapes, Tahitian references)Jasper Johns (maps, appropriation of imagery)Édouard Manet (Les filles sur l'herbe references Déjeuner sur l'herbe)Pieter Bruegel (aerial perspective genre scenes)David Hockney (pool paintings)Arthur Dove (abstraction)Milton Avery (color relationships)
- Techniques and Mediums
- Oil on wood panel (primary support)Stenciling, masking, tape techniquesSpray paint combined with traditional oilOil stick applicationsWatercolor-like oil washesBuilding up translucent layersWorking without preparatory sketchesIntuitive, stream-of-consciousness processWorks on multiple paintings simultaneously (up to 10)Begins with abstraction, develops into figuration
Critical Reception
- Critical Reception
- Featured in
- JUXTAPOZObserverWallpaperPort MagazineFloorr MagazineLibérationNuméroConnaissance des arts
- Catalogue Raisonne
- No comprehensive catalogue raisonné identified. Major monograph published by Skira Rizzoli in 2013.
- Critical Consensus
- Recognized as helping revitalize painting in the early 2000s. Work praised for oscillating between abstraction and figuration, utopia and dystopia. Compared to Peter Doig, references to Gauguin, Manet, Jasper Johns, Bruegel. Described as 'the Hitchcock of the painting world' by Adrian Searle. Democratic artist who refuses conceptual barriers. Intuitive, stream-of-consciousness approach.
- Publications and Media
- Major Publications
Title Year Critic Publication — 2013 Adrian Searle The Guardian Parallel Universe review 2013 Pier Paolo Pancotto Artforum International — 2014 Mara Hoberman Artforum — 2016 Jonathan Griffin The Telegraph Interview about Stumbling Pioneers exhibition 2016 Emily Spicer Studio International How Artist Jules de Balincourt is Preparing for His First New York Solo Show in a Decade — — Cultured Magazine Monday Gallery (Pace Gallery exhibition review) — — Harper's Magazine Jules de Balincourt Might Just Be Brooklyn's Rousseau — — Observer
Gallery & Representation
- Fair Presence
- Fair Participation Pattern
- Regular participation at major fairs including Frieze Seoul, Tokyo Gendai through Pace Gallery
- Representation
- Gallery Tier
- Tier 1 representation with three major international galleries
- Geographic Reach
- Primary market: Contact galleries for current pricing. Secondary market: Active auction presence with 10-15 lots annually. Strong presence in New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong, with exhibitions across US, Europe, and Asia
This is what the market knows about Jules de Balincourt. What Egon can also tell you: whether Jules de Balincourt fits your portfolio — based on your existing holdings, budget, and investment timeline.
Get Personalized AnalysisActive Market Signals
Signal Timeline & Strength Analysis
Gallery moves, auction records, institutional acquisitions, price milestones — tracked over 90 days
Collector Demographics & Buyer Analysis
Geographic distribution, institutional vs. private buyers, collector profiles, and secondary market activity
Personalized Acquisition Strategy
Optimal entry points, comparable pricing analysis, timing recommendations, and portfolio fit assessment
Go Deeper with Personalized Intelligence
You now have Egon's market assessment of Jules de Balincourt. The next question is personal: does this artist belong in your collection? Egon analyzes collection fit based on your aesthetic thesis, existing holdings, budget, and investment goals — delivering acquisition strategies no public index can provide.