Mercredi 22 mai 2013
Last update on 17/05/2013
Last update on 17/05/2013
The latest news in the History of Western Art from the Middle Ages to the 1930's
We had recounted the story of this amazing discovery here : a presumed portrait by Rembrandt, on copper, which appeared on the auction block in England in October 2007 with the attribution, "follower of Rembrandt", had sold for 2.2 million (...)
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art recently announced the acquisition of a work by Robert Seldon Duncanson (1821-1872), presented as the first Afro-American artist to have gained international stature. Entitled The Caves and painted in 1869, (...)
Thanks to a donation of "acceptance in lieu", the Musée du Louvre has just added a superb tableau by Ary Scheffer, representing Ruth and Naomi to its collections. This panel still has its beautiful original frame showing quotes from the book of (...)
Faithful Friendship was on view at the Daniel Katz Gallery for the terracotta exhibition held in 2010. It is now a permanent resident of the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm which has just purchased it from the English art dealer. The work, auctioned (...)
Following its rediscovery a few years ago, 19th century Danish painting is now systematically acquired by major European and American museums. While Christoph Eckersberg remains the most familiar name, he is not the only great artist of the (...)
Three drawings were pre-empted by the Musée Rodin at Christie's Paris on 11 April. They come from the collection of Eugène Rehns and were held by his descendants until now ; the collector also owned sculptures by the master, some of which will (...)
Thanks to a surprising coincidence, the Canadian museum has acquired a magnificent painting by Gerrit van Honthorst at the same time as it returned a work by the same artist to its owners after realizing it had been looted from a Jewish family, (...)
The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Montreal had wished to acquire a Sèvres ensemble in order to enrich their Napoleon collection, for quite a while. Their wish has now been granted thanks to the purchase at Christie's Paris on 22 and 23 April at the (...)
The Metropolitan Museum pronounced the winning bid of 1.44 million euros (including charges) for the Le Brun painting last 15 April at Christie's Paris. Entitled The Sacrifice of Polyxena, the work resided at the Ritz (located in the Hôtel (...)
Here a Macabre Vision, there a Scene of Desolation rise in black or brown ink, India ink, graphite and charcoal... The dark drawings in "broyeur de sombre", as Bourdelle defined himself, are now displayed in full light, no doubt impregnated with (...)
We will soon be able to see the exhibition currently showing in Abou-Dhabi here in Paris but a glance at the accompanying catalogue already gives us a good idea of the acquisitions policy pursued by France-Museums. We said it before : whether (...)
The Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris has just acquired a view of the coast at Belleville, in Seine Maritime, a masterpiece by Oscar Penguilly L'Haridon from the Vincent Lécuyer Gallery in Paris. The painting dates from 1868 and was (...)
In our review of the 2009 Maastricht fair, we had reproduced a beautiful painting by Nicolas Mignard, The Rapt of Proserpina, presented at the Galleria Silvano & Lodi. The work had then been exhibited at the Paris-Tableau by Jean-François (...)
The four drawing ensembles by Luc-Olivier Merson for the illustrations of José Maria de Heredia's Trophées offered in one lot by Christie's yesterday, which we feared might be separated will in fact remain together, and permanently preserved for (...)
Tuesday evening, a large crowd eagerly attended the inauguration of the Salon du Dessin, more so than last year. This high attendance was all the more appreciated by the dealers because, according to them, major collectors and curators (French, (...)
Patrick Ramade, the director of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Caen, purchases an important old master painting nearly every year, often an Italian work, which we mention regularly on this site. His latest acquisition, made at the Galerie Canesso in (...)
During the Christie's auction this afternoon, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Bordeaux pre-empted a large sheet by William Bouguereau for 9,000€ (before charges). This is a preparatory work for the figure of Hercules for the ceiling of the foyer at (...)
How does one explain the fact that a masterpiece can remain on the art market for several years without finding a buyer ? We kept asking ourselves this question every time we admired Erminia and the Shepherds by Guillaume Guillon-Lethière at the (...)
The Louvre pre-empted a study by François Boucher, A Meal during the Hunt, this afternoon at the Hôtel Drouot, at Beaussant-Lefèvre auctioneers, for 100,000 euros (without charges). The work, illustrated in the catalogue for the exhibition, Chasses (...)
The Sarasota Museum purchased a large copper work painted by Otto van Veen (also known as Otto Venius) representing The Adoration of the Shepherds for $56,250 (including charges) last 30 January at Christie's New York. Following a stay in Italy (...)
Since our last article highlighting acquisitions at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Valenciennes, the museum has added several more important works, thanks to both donations and purchases. The Carpeaux holdings have thus expanded with a drawing (...)
One castle joins another : the Bowes Museum received a donation (acceptance in lieu) of a Turner canvas representing Lowther Castle shown in a golden aura towards late afternoon, nestled in the background of a hilly landscape. The painter (...)
The Félicie de Fauveau exhibition currently showing at the Historial de Vendée in Lucs-sur-Boulogne and which we will soon look at more closely, provides us with a chance to discover several of her works, or some representing her, acquired by this (...)
Who is this dead officer being cast into the sea from a French ship with a cannon salute ? The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Montreal, which has just purchased this imposing and magnificent painting at the Maastricht Fair, from Richard Feigen, will (...)
The Rijksmuseum, which is to reopen its doors in a few days after renovations lasting almost a decade (and which we will soon discuss), acquired a masterpiece of 19th century French silver from the Kugel gallery : the vase of Neptune and (...)
At almost life size, a bronze by William Theed, the Elder, was acquired by the Metropolitan in 2012 from the Tomasso Brothers Fine Art gallery. It represents Thetis sitting on a shell carrying her son Achilles' arms from Vulcan's forge. She (...)
The Museum of Art in Philadelphia received several donations in the past few months of Latin-American and American works. Donated by Roberta and Richard Huber in 2012, four paintings - three of which are anonymous - reflect 18th century Colonial (...)
Charles Baudelaire did not like François-Auguste Biard and signed his critical execution in a few lines when reviewing the Salon of 1846, once again proving that this great poet was a mediocre art critic. In fact, Biard was a multi-talented (...)
All fairies are not good and all wizards are not infallible. This is what Gustave Doré tells us in his painting, Vivian and Merlin, just acquired by the museum in Bourg-en-Bresse and part of the recent exhibition on the artist at this (...)
An admirer of Eugène Delacroix, Vincent Van Gogh copied some of his works and was influenced by his theory of colors - a letter addressed to Théo on 3 or 4 November 1885 provides proof - noticing particularly the importance of vivacity and (...)
Paul Jeromack announced it in an article published in The Art Newspaper : the Metropolitan Museum last 29 January purchased a drawing by Jacques-Louis David at an auction held at Swann Galleries in New York for the very reasonable amount of $700 (...)
The Folkwang Museum has recovered one of its works : a wooden statuette by Maillol - a rare example - representing a young woman - a not so rare subject... -, which had been acquired by Gertrude and Karl Ersnt Osthaus from Ambroise Vollard in (...)
After being acknowledged as a National Treasure, a 13th century diptych sculpted in ivory, held in a private collection and planned for auction, finally joined the collections at the Louvre. Marie-Christine Labourdette reminded us that the term (...)
It had been much too long since the Petit Palais had acquired an old master painting. This is now corrected with the announcement that the Parisian museum has purchased a portrait of a man by Abraham de Vries from the London gallery, Rafael (...)
The Louvre has lent one of its latest acquisitions to the Historial de Vendée at Lucs-sur-Boulogne, currently presenting an exhibition on Félicie de Fauveau, which we will return to at length soon. The lamp, known as The Lamp of Saint Michael, (...)
These past two years, the Musée Fabre in Montpellier, the region's most active institution in terms of acquisitions (both in quantity and quality) enriched its collections with two works by Dominique-Louis-Ferréol Papety thanks to the generosity (...)
The Musée de Beaux-Arts in Reims which wished to acquire the furniture for Henry Vasnier's dining room, auctioned at Sotheby's yesterday on Saturday, 16 February , was only partly successful in its attempt. Like the glass seen by an optimist as (...)
Among those artists highlighted at the Musée Fabre there is obviously the one who bequeathed his collections and gave it his name, François-Xavier Fabre. Besides the great retrospective staged in 2008, the museum continues to make regular (...)
The Musée national du château de Pau has just acquired from the Orsay Gallery in Paris, a work by Jean Valette-Falgore, known as Valette-Penot, representing a relief with a portrait of Henri IV in profile. Born in Montauban in 1710, a student of (...)
Starting today, this museum in the Spanish capital will display an early 15th century French painting, acquired in May 2012, representing Christ in the Garden of Olives with Saint Agnes and Louis I d'Orleans as a Donor. The prince was identified (...)
An oil study of a woman in a bust view dating from the 1730's, now certifiably attributed to François Boucher, was added in 2012 to the inventory of the Cleveland Museum of Art. It was bequeathed by Muriel S. Butkin who, at her death in 2008, (...)
The beautiful retrospective on Philippe-Jacques de Loutherbourg organized by the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Strasbourg elicited the generosity of two private lenders who have decided to part with their works, a gouache and two drawings, for the (...)
The Swedish museum acquired a gouache and watercolor miniature on ivory representing Madame Lefranc Painting a Portrait of her Husband, from Christie's London on 27 November 2012. A student of the miniaturist François-Elie Vincent, of the pastel (...)
The cuts in acquisition budgets now afflicting museums is no reason to stop all purchases. Turning to patrons and/or launching fundraisers is another way to remedy the state's lack of commitment, but it is also possible, even for small museums, (...)
An Italian Woman has just become an important addition to the National Gallery for two reasons : painted by this eminent artist, it was part of the collection of a famous painter, Lucian Freud who disappeared in 2011. However, the press release (...)
We had already known for several weeks that the fundraising drive launched by the Louvre for the acquisition of the ivory statues, the Synagogue and Saint John, completing a 13th century Descent from the Cross, had reached its goal. In order not (...)
The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lille has been without a director for several months since the departure of Alain Tapié. His successor was appointed a few days ago as we mentioned in our last editorial, though without revealing his name which we knew (...)
An extraordinary - in the literal sense - ensemble is to enrich the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, as related in the British press. This bequest might almost discourage us from writing if we wish to be as exhaustive as possible in describing it (...)
The donation to the Prado of twelve Spanish art works ranging from the 13th to the 15th century by the collector José Luis Varez Fisa, born in Barcelona in 1928, is the largest made to this museum in over fifty years. A special room will be set (...)
An oncologist, Philippe Denis assembled an extensive collection of paintings by Eugène Carrière which he wished to donate to a museum. Thanks to the counsel of Etienne Bréton and Corinne Hershkovitch (a lawyer who recently helped in recovering a (...)
