Jeudi 23 février 2012
Last update on 22/02/2012
Last update on 22/02/2012
The latest news in the History of Western Art from the Middle Ages to the 1930's
A Rembrandt for Leiden 19/02/2012
The museum in Leiden, Rembrandt’s hometown, has just acquired a panel by this artist, The Eyeglass Vendor, painted when he was 17, that is, one of the very first paintings which can be attributed to the master. This is an allegory of (...)
The New American Paintings at the National Gallery in Washington 19/02/2012
A self-taught Afro-American artist, Robert Seldon Duncanson was famous for his landscapes of the Hudson River School, influenced by the works of Thomas Cole and which expressed notably the stages of human existence in The Voyage of Life (1842), (...)
A Jacob Jordaens Painting Donated to the Israel Museum 15/02/2012
The King Drinks is one of the most famous subjects in Jacob Jordaens’ work, and among the ones he most often painted. The oldest version is the one at the Staatliche Museum in Cassel, dating from the 1630’s, then there are notably , that at the (...)
A Study by Jacques van Schuppen Acquired by the Musée Fabre in Montpellier 15/02/2012
The Musée has recently acquired, from F. Baulme Fine Arts in Paris, a study of the reception piece for the Academy by Jacques (or Jacob) van Schuppen painted in 1704, Meleager Killing the Calydonian Boar. The son of the Antwerp engraver, Pierre (...)
Hispanic Art History Journals on Internet (1) 13/02/2012
We recently mentioned several art history journals available only on internet. This series of news items will feature Spanish publications or those of Spanish-speaking countries, appearing in paper but also visible on the web. There are many (...)
The Curious Tribulations of a Bust of Christ by Joseph-Marcellin Combette 13/02/2012
Ignorance and foolishness can sometimes be more devastating than greed. How many art works have disappeared from churches because of this, destroyed or sold illegally amid general indifference without leaving any trace of their existence ? This (...)
The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nantes, currently closed due to work on an addition and general refurbishment, has not however stopped all activity, rather the contrary. The adjacent chapel of the Oratoriens (which will be accessible directly through (...)
Restitution of Christ Carrying the Cross by Romanino 13/02/2012
Between March and June 1942, the painting collection owned by Federico Gentili di Giuseppe, who had passed away in 1940, was dispersed at auction in Paris against de wishes of his family which had fled the Nazi persecutions. The documents from (...)
Two New Acquisitions for the Getty Museum 09/02/2012
The Getty has just announced the acquisition of two very different works. One is a 16th century German panel, the other an 18th century French drawing. However, both are of the finest quality. The painting, representing the Trinity surrounded (...)
PLU of Versailles : City Hall’s First Concessions ? 08/02/2012
Is Versailles starting a retreat, aware of its contradictions and that the debate concerning the PLU has now reached national proportions ? In any case, the press release issued last 27 January leads us to think (...)
Two Moillon, Isaac and Louise, for the LACMA 08/02/2012
As announced in our last article on the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, we are going to try and make up for the delay in covering recent acquisitions, at least for the period since 2008, at this museum which adds to its collections each year (...)
A Lanfranco Acquired by the Palazzo Barberini 07/02/2012
A painting by Giovanni Lanfranco recently joined the collections of the Museum at the Palazzo Barberini in Rome ; sold by the Italian gallery, Alberto Di Castro, it represents Saint Luke Healing the Dropsical Child. The iconography seems to (...)
A Piano Sculpted by Carabin Returns to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs 02/02/2012
The Musée des Arts Décoratifs can finally exhibit a piano sculpted by Rupert Carabin in 1900, for the first time today although it had been originally donated in 1938. A superb example of Art Nouveau furniture, this instrument was produced for (...)
The SPPEF Files an Administrative Appeal against the Versailles PLU 01/02/2012
Last 24 January, the new PLU for Versailles could have been officially applied thus preventing any further opposition. Fortunately, the Société pour la Protection des Paysages et de l’Esthétique de la France, presided by Alexandre Gady whom we (...)
Restoration of the Salon de Mercure 01/02/2012
At the same time as the press conference held yesterday by Catherine Pégard, on 26 January, in Versailles, we also visited the restoration site for the Salon de Mercure which should end in June 2012, after ten months of work supervised by both (...)
Catherine Pégard Is Clearly Opposed to the PLU Projects for the Park in Versailles 01/02/2012
Catherine Pégard held her first press conference as president of the Etablissement public du château et du domaine national de Versailles. She is definitely keeping a low profile stating that she relies on specialists (which has been confirmed so (...)
A Drawing by Piero del Pollaiuolo Acquired by the Getty Museum 31/01/2012
The Getty Museum has just announced the acquisition of a drawing attributed to Piero del Pollaiuolo which is a portrait of a young man dating from around 1470. Purchased at auction at Sotheby’s New York on 25 January, it was estimated at (...)
The Houdon Portrait by Marie-Gabrielle Capet Is Indeed from the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Caen 26/01/2012
The miniature painting representing Houdon sculpting Voltaire’s bust by Marie-Gabrielle Capet, and which the Service des musées de France had demanded be withdrawn from the auction, was finally removed for conservation (...)
Discovery of a Lost Painting by Léon Bénouville 26/01/2012
Churches, but also city halls and other public places, hold some welcome surprises for us. In this case, thanks to the sharp eye of a young municipal councilman, an important painting by Léon Bénouville, which had disappeared practically since it (...)
Nicolas Sarkozy Confirms the Louvre’s Management of the Hôtel de la Marine 26/01/2012
Theoretically, the French President’s speech to the cultural world in Paris expressing his new year’s wishes is usually posted on the Elysée website shortly after. But at publication time, this was still not the case and, not having been able to (...)
The Restoration of the Chapel des Ames du Purgatoire in the Church of Sainte Marguerite 25/01/2012
The Chapel of the Ames du Purgatoire [Souls in Purgatory], which is located on the left side of the church of Sainte Marguerite in Paris, was built in 1761/1762 and designed by Victor Louis, the famous architect known for the theater in (...)
Two Paintings Acquired by the Fine Arts Museum in Seville 25/01/2012
The Museum of Fine Arts in Seville has made some beautiful additions to its already rich collections. The first, acquired by the Spanish Ministry of Culture, illustrates the Rest during the Flight into Egypt ; produced at the end of the 17th or (...)
The Service des Musées de France Demands the Withdrawal of a Miniature at the Hôtel Drouot 24/01/2012
This afternoon, 24 January, a miniature with no minimum price representing the sculptor Houdon, signed and dated bottom left "M.G. CAPET AN 9" was to go on the auction block at the Hôtel Drouot, room 16, at the auctioneers Pescheteau-Badin. (...)
BRAFA 2012 in Brussels 23/01/2012
The BRAFA which opened on 20 January in Brussels continues to improve in quality every year. True, old master paintings and drawings are, regrettably, fewer in number but this is compensated by the abundance of sculptures and, of course, art (...)
A Portrait by Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein Restituted, Returns to Dresden 23/01/2012
The Portrait of the Countess Thekla Ludolf by Carl Christian Vogel von Vogelstein, also known as Young Woman with Drawing Board, had become one of his most popular works since its acquisition in 1940 by the Gemäldegalerie in Dresden. However, (...)
The Woman’s Portrait Attributed to Simon Vouet Acquired by the Musée Georges de La Tour 19/01/2012
The painting attributed to Simon Vouet, a portrait of a woman representing perhaps his wife Virginia Vezzi, which the Musée Georges de La Tour wished to add to its collections thanks to a fundraising campaign , has finally been purchased and now (...)
News from the Louvre in Fukushima 17/01/2012
Our article on the exhibition to be sent by the Louvre to Fukushima was echoed in the media. We can now add more information : The exhibition is in fact a bit richer than we had originally announced and it also contains drawings ; a list dated (...)
A Cretey Painting for the National Collections 16/01/2012
A painting by Louis Cretey (from the Michel Descours collection) has joined the French public collections through acceptance in lieu. The Ministry of Culture has assigned the canvas to the Louvre which did not previously own any works by the (...)
Upcoming Auction at Artcurial of Part of the Jacques Thuillier Collection 16/01/2012
We know that Jacques Thuillier, who recently passed away, was an exceptional collector and a generous donor to French museums. Two groups of works were donated respectively to Nancy and Vic-sur-Seille. The (very theoretical) anonymity (...)
The Acquisition of Jean Malouel’s Pietà by the Louvre 16/01/2012
About a month ago we had announced that the Louvre was set to purchase a national treasure, a painting attributed to Jean Malouel, Pietà with Saint John and Two Angels. This is now official, with the price tag amounting to 7.8 million euros, (...)
Another Painting by Carolus Duran for the Lille Museum 16/01/2012
The Palais des Beaux-Arts in Lille has acquired a beautiful portrait of a woman by Carolus Duran, which had come up for auction on 21 February 2010 at Mercier & Cie., estimated at between 8,000 and 12,000 €. A native of this city, the artist (...)
A Bust Attributed to Leone Leoni Acquired by the Museum of the Order of Saint John 16/01/2012
Founded after the capture of Jerusalem by the Crusaders in 1099, the Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem experienced a tumultuous history. Having settled in Cyprus in 1291, after the occupation of Palestine by Islamic forces, then (...)
Several Art History Journals only on Internet 16/01/2012
The relative simplicity and the lower costs of publishing on the internet have resulted in the appearance of several new art history journals. These can only be found online and publish in-depth articles with the help of a selection panel. Some (...)
Two Silver Pieces and a Terracotta Acquired by the Rijksmuseum 12/01/2012
10/01/12 - Acquisitions - Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum - The Rijksmuseum has been holding two 17th century silver cups on deposit since 1970, which it has now purchased finally with help from several patrons [1]. These two objects (ill. 1 and 2), (...)
120 Drawings Acquired by Berlin and Augsborg 12/01/2012
The engravings room in Berlin and the Augsborg Museum have jointly acquired, thanks to funding from the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Stiftung Preubischer Kulturbesitz), with the services of the Arnoldi-Livie Gallery in Munich, an (...)
Catherine Chevillot Appointed Head of the Musée Rodin 09/01/2012
Currently Chief curator for heritage at the Musée d’Orsay, Catherine Chevillot has been appointed director of the Musée Rodin, replacing Dominique Viéville. After completing a DEA (a graduate degree) in contemporary and modern art history on (...)
A Saint Cecilia now Restored, but with no Attribution, Joins the Dulwich Gallery 07/01/2012
The painting which this British museum has just hung in its galleries is a veritable discovery as its extremely poor condition had relegated it to storage in the late 19th century. It had not been displayed since then and had, in fact, become (...)
A Follow-up to the Debate on the Restoration of Leonardo’s Saint Anne 07/01/2012
The restoration of Leonardo da Vinci’s Saint Anne has once again sparked off a debate, when in fact nothing new has happened since the month of October. We had known since the beginning about Jean-Pierre Cuzin’s opposition to this restoration, and (...)
An Update on the Serres d’Auteuil 07/01/2012
Although we have not brought up the subject of the Serres d’Auteuil in the last few months, and Paris City Hall’s decision to install the Roland-Garros tournament there, two recent events occurring in December have convinced us to reopen a debate (...)
A Painting by Antonio Joli for the Prado 03/01/2012
The Friends of the Prado Foundation donated a veduta by the Italian artist representing Queen Maria Amalia of Saxony Visiting Trajan’s Arch in Benevento to the Spanish museum last November. This painting reflects the new attraction of travellers (...)
Versailles : Jean-Jacques Aillagon Now Opposes the Previous President of the Public Establishment 03/01/2012
In 2011, Jean-Jacques Aillagon, the president of the Etablissement public de Versailles, had supported the installation of the Roland-Garros tennis tournament on the property of the Matelots and the Mortemets, which had been promised to the (...)
Donation of a Wax Model by David d’Angers to the Cabinet des médailles at the Louvre 03/01/2012
The Cabinet des médailles has received a donation from Francesco Tuzio of a wax model by the sculptor representing Jean-Baptiste Kleber shortly before the opening of the exhibition David d’Angers, les visages du romantisme. When creating his (...)
Some New Internet Web Sites 29/12/2011
Of the four sites we point out here for their interest to our readers, only the last one has been available for many years although we had not yet talked about it nor included it in our links page. We begin our article with an English blog which (...)
Death of Miklos Boskovits 29/12/2011
One of the world’s greatest connoisseurs of Italian Medieval and Renaissance painting, Miklos Boskovits, passed away in Florence last 19 December. Born in Budapest in 1935, Boskovitz soon chose to interest himself in Italian Primitives, a domain (...)
A Saint Jerome Attributed to Jean Ducamps Acquired by Cambrai 24/12/2011
Jean Ducamps, a student of Abraham Janssens, born in Cambrai and active in Rome, is still generally overlooked by art historians. Not so long ago, the best known of the works attributed to him, in several known versions, was Death Comes to the (...)
A Zurbarán and a Champaigne Donated to the Seattle Art Museum 24/12/2011
Two important paintings have joined the collections at the Seattle Art Museum, donated by the collector Barney A. Ebsworth. This is a fractional gift, an original form of donation : the collector cedes part ownership of the work to the museum (...)
Read the entire article by Bénédicte Bonnet Saint-Georges and Didier Rykner
Sophie Join-Lambert Appointed Head of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Tours 24/12/2011
As the city of Tours did not wish to reconsider the question of a raise for Philippe Le Leyzour, recently appointed Conservateur général du Patrimoine, he will no longer remain as director of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in this city and will finish (...)
The Louvre Acquires Two Silver Tureens by Robert-Joseph Auguste 23/12/2011
The Louvre recently acquired a pair of lidded tureens, with their liners and trays through Sotheby’s[[This direct purchase was made possible with the help of Sotheby’s thanks to the new law of 20 July 2011. The Louvre had already benefited from (...)
Maryvonne de Saint-Pulgent Appointed as Head of the Maison de l’Histoire de France 23/12/2011
The rumor that Jean-François Hébert was resigning from the Maison de l’Histoire de France had been circulating for the last few days. President of the château de Fontainebleau, he told us that this was not a resignation but in fact the end of his (...)
Acquisition of a Carus Painting by the Pommersche Landesmuseum in Greifswald 21/12/2011
The Pommersche Landesmuseum in Greifswald, Pomerania, the birthplace of Caspar David Friedrich, holds some paintings by this artist, but did not yet own any works by Carl Gustav Carus, one of his best disciples and also a friend, until now. (...)