Dimanche 24 juin 2018
Last update on 2/11/2016
Last update on 2/11/2016
The latest news in the History of Western Art from the Middle Age to the 1930's
A portrait by Duplessis acquired by Ottawa 27/10/2009
The Canadian museum has acquired the Portrait of Monsieur de Bussy by Joseph-Siffred Duplessis from the Colnaghi Gallery in London. The model, a nobleman from Picardy, was a lieutenant in the Gardes Françaises and served as hunting master for (...)
Le Monde Article Returns to the Church of Saint Saturnin 05/06/2013
A long article in Le Monde returned last weekend to the affair we had discussed on 30 July 2012 : the wish of the pastor of Saint Saturnin, in the Auvergne region, along with some of the parishoners (including Mrs. Hortefeux, the mother of the (...)
Saint Peter’s Denial by the Le Nain brothers officially joins the Louvre 20/01/2010
As we had announced already last 29 May 2009 (see news item), Saint Peter’s Denial by the Le Nain brothers (ill.) officially entered the Louvre (the Ministry of Culture issued a press release on the 14th confirming the name of the patron, (...)
Exhibition of 18th and 19th century works at the Galerie Terrades 08/12/2009
As is the custom every year, the Galerie Terrades in Paris is exhibiting a new selection of works accompanied by a catalogue. This type of exhibition is highly interesting for art historians. About ten objects are from the 18th century, among (...)
Guercino’s Lot and his Daughters acquired by Toledo 12/01/2010
A remarkable Seicento masterpiece has joined the collection at the Toledo Museum of Art. This Lot and his Daughters (ill.) was in a private Italian collection until recently. Guercino painted the story of Lot who became drunk at the hands of (...)
Two Northern paintings acquired by Châlons-en-Champagne 08/12/2009
Despite budgetary restrictions affecting many museums, some of these manage to maintain an active acquisitions policy. This is the case for Châlons-en-Champagne which wishes to emphasize its already extensive Flemish and Dutch holdings and has (...)
Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo moves on to Rome 13/01/2010
After a month-long exhibition in Milan, the Saint John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci from the Louvre is being presented, from 1st to 31st January, at the Palazzo Venezia in Rome as part of the show Il Potere e la Grazia. I Santi Patroni (...)
The Odiot holdings join the Musee des Arts Decoratifs 04/01/2010
Last January (see news item of 26/1/09) we had already spoken of the fund drive launched by the Ministry of Culture in its search for a patron to help in the acquisition of a series of 176 drawings from the Manufacture of Jean-Baptiste-Claude (...)
La Belle Ferroniere and La Belle Jardiniere expected to arrive shortly in Milan 03/01/2010
After the Saint John the Baptist which was the only work in a scholarly exhibition at the Palazzo Reale (see editorial of 18/11/09), La Belle Ferroniere [or Portrait of an Unknown Woman] by Leonardo again and La Belle Jardiniere [or Madonna and (...)
The sale of French heritage censured by the Conseil Constitutionnel 06/01/2010
The Conseil Constitutionnel [or Constitutional Court] has just censured article 116 (formerly article 52) of the 2010 Finance law which included a provision ceding the rights of historical monuments belonging to the government to local entities (...)
A large plaster cast by Robert Coin acquired by Lille 22/12/2009
The recent donation by Philippe Laporte and Yannick Pellegrin no doubt has renewed the museum’s interest in 1930’s sculpture. In fact, there could be no better tribute than the recent acquisition (along with the municipal archives and the city’s (...)
A monumental vase by Ringel d’Illzach joins the Getty Museum 03/01/2010
The work recently acquired by the Getty museum is exceptional, both in size and artistic importance. It is one of those which we regret was not acquired by a French museum. From now on, art lovers will have to travel to California to admire (...)
A Degas pastel from the Musee d’Orsay stolen in Marseille 07/01/2010
A small pastel by Edgar Degas, The Choristers (ill.), belonging to the Musee d’Orsay was stolen from the Musee Cantini in Marseille where it was on display as part of the exhibition De la scene au tableau (see the review here) which ended on 3 (...)
Xavier Salmon appointed Directeur du Patrimoine et des Collections for the Château de Fontainebleau 27/02/2010
Now an « Etablissement public », the château in Fontainebleau is no longer run by a curator, like Versailles and some other museum institutions, something which we have often pointed out as being an unfortunate (...)
Two Acquisitions for the Musée des Avelines in Saint Cloud 07/02/2013
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, (...)
Louise Le Gall appointed as head of the Musée Thomas-Henry in Cherbourg 16/02/2010
A young curator and recent graduate of the Institut National du Patrimoine, Louise Le Gall has just been named as director of the Musée de Cherbourg. At the same time, she will act as head of the other municipal museums since the city is also (...)
Phryne Stepping out of her Bath by Chinard acquired by the Louvre in New York 10/02/2010
On Friday 29th January, at Sotheby’s New York, the Département des sculptures won the bidding for Phryne emerging from her Bath by Joseph Chinard for $482,500 (including charges) at the auction of Arthur M. Sackler’s (...)
Acceptance in lieu : recent acquisitions of British museums (2) 25/01/2010
As announced (see news item of 21/11/09), we list below the works acquired through “acceptance in lieu“ for the period 2008/2009 (following that already published for 2007/2008). Many of these objects have not yet been assigned definitely to a (...)
A painting by William Etty acquired by the York Art Gallery 01/12/2009
The York Art Gallery which already holds the world’s largest collection of paintings by William Etty, a native of the city, has just acquired another work by him, Preparing for a Fancy Dress Ball (...)
Aix-la-Chapelle Buys a Last Judgement by Nicolas Pickenoy 04/03/2014
In 2008, the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Pau acquired a beautiful painting by Nicolas Pickenoy representing The Last Judgement. At the time we wrote that there were only three known history paintings by this Dutch artist born in Antwerp, a portrait (...)
The Prince of Liechtenstein’s bronzes exhibited at the Kugel Gallery 14/09/2008
In 2004 the Liechtenstein Museum opened its doors in Vienna. Over the last few years the Prince of Lichtenstein had become more active in his acquisitions policy, making him one of the most important European buyers of classical (...)
After the exhibition in Evreux devoted to Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne and Nicolas de Plattemontagne, after the retrospective on Philippe de Champaigne in Lille, the Musée de Port-Royal is now highlighting these three artists by presenting their (...)
Three drawing exhibitions at Parisian galleries 27/03/2010
Several Parisian galleries have organized drawing exhibitions, as they do every year during the Salon du Dessin. This short review will not cover them all, focusing instead on three which struck us particularly for the quality of the works (...)
The Portrait of Madame Reiset by Girodet acquired by Montargis 13/02/2010
Always as active, the Musée de Montargis has once again expanded its collections with a splendid work by Girodet. The Portrait of Madame Reiset, executed with great virtuosity and revealing particularly delicate colours, was acquired from the La (...)
Before mortgaging the Hôtel de la Marine, restore it to mint condition ! 03/02/2010
The ongoing serial of the Hôtel de la Marine’s future provides new episodes regularly, each one a bit more surrealist than the last. While higher-ups are pondering ways in which to better facilitate matters for potential (...)
Five landscapes attributed to Mauperché acquired by the Musée de Sainte-Ménehould 26/02/2010
Closed since 2004 due to security problems, the Musée de Sainte-Ménehould, a small town which has gone down in history as the place where Louis XVI was recognized during his flight from France before being arrested in Varenne, is undergoing a (...)
Jean-Luc Martinez, President-Director of the Louvre 03/04/2013
Although everyone was predicting Sylvie Ramond - the French Minister of Culture’s choice -, the official appointment will name instead, according to our sources, Jean-Luc Martinez, 49, as President-Director of the Louvre, during the Council of (...)
Some new websites 30/01/2010
French museums are progressively improving their websites, offering virtual visitors more and more information concerning their collections and activities. In the last few months, two of them have inaugurated new (...)
The Albani and the Cavaliere d’Arpino from the Senate back at the Louvre 01/03/2010
peaking ironically, we had raised the possibility (see news item of 28/5/09) that the return of a painting by Jean-Baptiste Oudry on deposit at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was a result of our article on “France’s Hidden Museums”. It was in (...)
Alain Seban’s Beaubourg Circus not Expensive 12/03/2012
Among other controversial statements made by Alain Seban, recently reappointed as president of the Centre Pompidou, one of his latest, Le Monde of 2/3/12, was delivered without the slightest trace of humor, saying that the structure of the (...)
Janniot’s legal heir opposes Kawamata’s project for the Palais de la Porte Doree 28/03/2010
Alfred Janniot (1889-1969) The Congo, detail from the bas-relief of the facade of the Palais de la Porte Dorée Photo : All rights reserved 28/3/10– Heritage – Paris, Palais de la Porte Doree – Under French law, an artist’s heirs also hold (...)
Two Paintings by Michel-Ange Challe Donated to the Louvre 23/12/2013
Thanks to the help of the Société des Amis du Louvre, the museum recently received a donation made by Christian and Nathalie Volle and by Marie-Catherine Sahut consisting of two canvases painted by Michel-Ange Challe (or Charles-Michel-Ange (...)
Acquisition of a Francesco Trevisani and a Paul Huet by the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Pau 06/10/2009
The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Pau emphasizes the strong points in its collections with regular acquisitions. Two of the guidelines in this policy concern landscapes of the Southwest by 19th century (...)
Diana and Actaeon by Titian still not acquired by London and Edinburgh 28/01/2009
The deadline for the combined purchase by the National Gallery of Scotland and that of London of Titian’s painting
The 24th Biennale des Antiquaires 14/09/2008
The Biennale des Antiquaires is traditionally dominated by Decorative Arts. Just after entering, visitors will notice the Galerie Vallois stand, specialized in 30’s furniture, with several pieces remarkably enhanced in an understated (...)
The Church in Gesté Vandalized and still Threatened 16/05/2013
Is the city of Gesté above the law and the authority of the courts which judged this case ? This is at least the impression given by the mayor and his municipal council who once again voted, Monday 6 May, their determination to partially (...)
Recent acquisitions of the Musée des Avelines in Saint Cloud 03/02/2010
While many small museums today face serious financial difficulties, others, on the contrary and fortunately for the pleasure of all, can afford to develop and encourage the activities they offer, even to increase their (...)
Rediscovery of An Annunciation by François Le Moyne, on Loan to the National Gallery in London 19/12/2011
The catalogue raisonné of François Le Moyne by Jean-Luc Bordeaux, Arthéna Ed. 1985, lists a lost Annunciation under number 66. In his biography on Le Moyne, Count de Caylus explained that he thought the work had left for England. He was right (...)
Daniel Sarrabat (1666-1748) 11/11/2011
A native of Lyon, who studied under Bon Boullogne and received the Grand Prix of the Académie Royale in France, Daniel Sarrabat was practically unknown before this retrospective in Bourg-en-Bresse, despite a very active career in Lyon and its (...)
Rennes Launches a Fundraiser to Purchase a Ribera 20/09/2013
The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Rennes has launched a fundraiser, from 15 September to 31 December 2013, a public appeal in order to acquire a painting by Jusepe de Ribera which resurfaced last year in an exhibition organized by the Tarantino Gallery (...)
Two paintings by Giovanni Battista Lama acquired by the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Agen 17/11/2008
The museum in Agen has just acquired two very beautiful Neapolitan paintings,
Béatrix Saule likely replacement for Pierre Arizzoli-Clémentel as director of Versailles 26/07/2009
As Pierre Arizzoli-Clémentel, directeur général de l’Etablissement public du musée et du domaine national de Versailles, is retiring the Minister of Culture and Communication has appointed Béatrix Saule, conservateur général du patrimoine, the (...)
A collector’s itinerary. History, fables and portraits 10/09/2008
After Sceaux and Arras, this exhibition of a private collection will end its tour at the Musée Bonnat. We should have talked about it much earlier (we saw it in Sceaux a year ago now and those readers who missed it and are unable to go to Bayonne (...)
Guillaume Ambroise, in Bordeaux, to replace Olivier Le Bihan, leaving for Troyes 08/12/2009
Last summer, Olivier Le Bihan, 55, director of the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux did not have his contract renewed by the city. He was then appointed on 1st October to direct the Musées de Troyes, with the goal of joining the Musée d’Art (...)
“Acceptance in Lieu” of a Cézanne for Orsay 23/07/2009
While patronage for national treasures seems to be on the wane – we hope only temporarily due to current economic conditions – Acceptance in Lieu is still one of the ways French museums continue to acquire certain works which would otherwise be (...)
The French Senate ratifies the sell-off of historical monuments 01/12/2009
Despite voting two positive amendments to article 52 of the 2010 Finance Law (see article), on 27 November the Senate ratified, before it goes before the “Commission mixte paritaire” [mixed round-table commission], the government’s power to turn (...)
Publication of "La recherche au Musée du Louvre 2011" 06/01/2013
A little over a year ago, we had welcomed the publication by the Musée du Louvre of a hefty volume devoted to its scholarly activities. We regretted the fact that it was not for sale as the information provided (and the quality of its editing) (...)
An excellent Maastricht fair with confidence restored 16/03/2010
Will the Maastrich Art Fair which just opened finally signal a recovery ? The delighted faces of the dealers here, fully satisfied with sales which started on the first day would seem to indicate (...)
Annonce chercheur test 14/08/2006
Dess|e|ins italiens (Italian Drawings) 31/08/2008
The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon’s graphic collection is not well-known and generally speaking underrated, except for 19th century French drawings which have been showcased in several exhibitions and publications. It would be surprising, however, (...)
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