Lundi 25 mars 2019
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
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 (...)
The Flight into Egypt by Nicolas Poussin on display at the Louvre 28/12/2007
The Flight into Egypt by Nicolas Poussin, recently acquired by the Musée de Lyon with significant financial assistance from the Louvre
The Musée Gustave Moreau posts a database for its drawings 24/05/2009
The new database, devoted to the drawings of the Musée Gustave Moreau, is remarkable as are the others already offered by the RMN. User friendly and highly commendable for its ergonomics, this is a veritable scholarly catalogue which also (...)
Fifteen Pre-emptions for the Musée de Cahors at the Henri Martin Auction 03/04/2012
As we had announced a few days ago , the Musée Henri Martin in Cahors was particularly active at the auction of the Paul Riff collection in Rennes on Sunday, 1st April. The establishment in fact pre-empted no less than 15 lots, resulting in a (...)
The Félicie de Fauveau Works Acquired by the Historial de Vendée 21/03/2013
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 (...)
Two Houses on the Rue des Carmes in Orleans Definitely Protected 21/03/2013
It’s true ! The prefect today signed the orders listing two of the houses on the rue des Carmes, which the mayor of the city, Serge Grouard, wished to destroy in order to redesign the area, a project which consisted in demolishing an entire (...)
A Barocci, a Ribera and a Baciccio Displayed at Antoine Tarantino’s 29/03/2013
In a talented and determined fashion, Antoine Tarantino in his gallery located rue Saint-Georges, a bit off the beaten track, presents exhibitions highlighting Italian painting, with a noticeable fondness for the Roman school, on a regular (...)
The Cadillac Pietà by Brebiette rather than Vignon 21/03/2013
Attribution questions are often complex and require much caution. Thus, the one concerning the Austin painting, which Pierre Rosenberg (who had only seen it before the restoration) thinks can be given to Jacques Blanchard, a name which also (...)
A Painting in the Tours Cathedral Claimed by the Sacristan 02/05/2012
The story we are about to tell is hard to believe : in 2006, the sacristan of the Tours cathedral, following a request made by the chief architect for historical monuments, was cleaning up a room on the upper floor of the south tower, to help (...)
Various Exhibitions in Paris around the Salon du Dessin 16/04/2013
There are many exhibitions this year during the Salon du Dessin in private galleries around Paris. Besides the ones we mentioned earlier, here are a few more presenting some very beautiful offerings. Certainly the most outstanding is at Boquet (...)
Some acquisitions and a new attribution for the Musée des Augustins in Toulouse 16/03/2008
Despite a restricted acquisitions budget, the museum has managed to continue its policy of enriching the collections
The Roman Baroque Museum in Ariccia 03/12/2008
Visitors to Rome have so much to see in the Eternal City that they don’t necessarily think of going to Ariccia, a small town located less than an hour by train from the StazioneTermini
Death Comes to the Table by Giovanni Martinelli Acquired by Raleigh 03/03/2014
We had already pointed out the acquisition of two paintings presented at the Sarti art gallery in a Caravaggesque exhibition last year : a Daniele Crespi purchased by LACMA and an Andrea Vaccaro by the Musée Fabre in Montpellier. A third canvas (...)
Alexandre et Louis XIV. Tissages de Gloire 11/11/2008
Generally, the large compositions of the History of Alexander by Charles Le Brun exhibited at the Louvre (and at Versailles) are thought to be preparatory cartoons for tapestries. Actually, these paintings, which were first intended most (...)
A native of Nantes, Edgard Maxence was recently highlighted in his hometown and in Douai in a retrospective underscoring the importance of portraits in his work. Catherine Méneu, in her review published on the French site, considered that (...)
A Claude Vignon painting acquired by the Louvre 29/01/2008
The Paintings Department has just acquired a work that appeared at the last Maastricht Art Fair from a French art dealer.
Two months ago we wrote that the Prince of Lichtenstein’s acquisition of the
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 (...)
The young Infanta at the Louvre : a martyr to attribution 11/02/2009
Will the High Museum demand to be reimbursed by the Louvre ? The question might seem normal given the fact that in the
Trois expositions impressionnistes : Rouen, Caen, Honfleur 21/06/2010
True, the festival, “Normandie Impressioniste” is above all a marketing ploy, a communications operation promoted by Laurent Fabius under the sponsorship of Pierre Bergé and Jérôme Clément. The exhibitions organized for the occasion were cause for (...)
Fontainebleau is not Schönbrunn 08/11/2007
1. Château of Fontainebleau Quartier Henri IV, north wing, northern façade overlooking the city Current state. The entire façade is painted yellow Photo : D. Rykner (30 August 2007) A section of the château of Fontainebleau, known as the (...)
The Musée des Beaux-Arts de Nancy buys a Claude 28/12/2007
The Musée des Beaux-Arts in Nancy (France) had waited until 1980 to acquire its first painting by Claude Gellée, a native of Chamagne where he was born in 1600, not far from the capital city of the dukedom of Lorraine. The work, a (...)
Death of Anne Harnoncourt 02/06/2008
Anne d’Harnoncourt, director of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, passed away suddenly yesterday, 1st June, at the age of 64. She had been curator for the 20th century collection from 1972 until 1982 before taking over as head of the (...)
The demolition permit for 12, rue de Tournon suspended by legal authorities 23/07/2008
At 12, rue de Tournon in Paris, the construction of two elevators meant eliminating historical staircases although they are part of a group of buildings listed
The Façade of the Hôtel Lambert Overwhelmed by Reconstituted Pots à Feu 07/04/2012
Six months ago we expressed our concern for the lack of communication now surrounding the restoration project at the Hôtel Lambert, contradicting the promises made by the owner of increasing access to journalists. We are perhaps not the only (...)
The Rembrandt which reappeared last year in England is authentic 29/06/2008
In October 2007, we pointed out the appearance, in a small British auction house, of a portrait representing Rembrandt but ascribed to one of his “followers”,
By De-Regulating Wind Energy, Parliamentarians Are Threatening Heritage 08/10/2012
The new French Minister of Culture had started out her term in what appeared to be a promising way and we had heartily commended her initial decisions. Since then, the announcement of the cultural budget, followed by its detailed presentation, (...)
The Troglodyte Church of Haute-Isle and its 17th century Furnishings 01/10/2012
We often find fault with mayors who disregard their heritage but do not wish to overlook the many who fortunately assume their responsibilities and fight to protect and restore the historical monuments in their towns. We will attempt to present (...)
The Holy Family with Palm Tree by Pierre Puget preempted by Marseille 23/06/2008
As implied in our news item of 17/6/08, the announcement of the auction of The Holy Family with Palm Tree by Pierre Puget provided an excellent opportunity
Marie Antoinette’s desk by Jean-Henri Riesener returns to Versailles 22/03/2011
Despite current economic hardships which tend to see a decrease in patronage, the château of Versailles has just enriched its collection with a major acquisition : the desk which Marie Antoinette had commissioned from Riesener in (...)
A Leonardesco Portrait of a Woman published as an authentic Leonardo 22/06/2008
Next 5 July, Alessandro Vezzosi is publishing a work entitled Leonardo infinito in which he ascribes the Portrait of a Woman on parchment, held in a private Swiss collection, to Leonardo.
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 (...)
Several new and useful links 12/08/2008
Internet’s phenomenal development reveals new sites every day. The following are some of particular interest which will be included in our
Budget : François Hollande’s Big Lie 19/09/2012
Who said last 19 January : "I promise that the cultural budget will be entirely protected during the next presidential term." ? The President of the French Republic, elected a few weeks later, François Hollande. Why did the media - and we were (...)
Two Sculpted Allegories by Giovanni Baratta Acquired by the LACMA 08/12/2011
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is one of the museums which makes the most, and best, purchases in the United States. It had been a long time, however, since we had last written about the establishment and we now have much to make up for. (...)
The Petit Palais restores its garlands 05/07/2008
When the Petit Palais reopened in 2005, we had been especially critical of the building’s restoration, commenting on the missing gilded garlands which originally decorated the portico
The illegal installation of Clara-Clara in the Tuileries Gardens 22/02/2009
Installed in April 2008 in the Tuileries at the time of the exhibition Monumenta at the Grand Palais, the gigantic steel sculpture
The Musée Fabre Purchases a Masterpiece by Lionello Spada 14/05/2012
At TEFAF 2011, the Canesso Gallery had exhibited a canvas by Lionello Spada representing a Lamentation of Christ Dead which we had illustrated in an article devoted to this trade fair, saying it was one of the most beautiful paintings on view (...)
Electoral Reserve Period : DRAC Officials Silenced by a Legally Unfounded Order 23/04/2012
With several investigations related to cultural heritage and museums currently underway, we find that all of the questions we have addressed to Directeurs Regionaux des Affaires Culturelles or their deputies are mysteriously answered in the same (...)
A Watercolor by William Wyld Acquired by the Musée Borda in Dax 16/04/2012
We had already mentioned several museum acquisitions during the Fabius auction at Sotheby’s on 26 and 27 October 2011. Another French museum was able to make a purchase which though modest nevertheless proves that despite a limited budget it is (...)
The Opening of the Louvre-Lens 06/12/2012
In the December issue of The Art Newspaper, Vincent Pomarède, director of the Département des peintures at the Musée du Louvre, responded to our criticism of the Louvre Lens, notably the "Galerie du Temps" for which he is one of the curators, with (...)
An important bequest of paintings to the National Gallery and the Tate 02/11/2007
In 2005, Simon Sainsbury, the grandson of John Sainsbury, founder of the famous chain of supermarkets, had donated the funds for an expansion at the National Gallery which is known today as the Sainsbury (...)
La collection Oulmont. Dessins, peintures et pastels du XVIIIe siècle 03/09/2007
Cataloguing, publishing, displaying its collections as much as possible to the largest number of people is one of the major missions of any museum and also allows for unknown works to find their way back into scientific circles as Jérôme (...)
A few useful links 30/09/2009
Internet continues to enrich its offer of useful sites for art history. Here are a few of the most recent ones or some older ones which we had not yet included in our links page :
A painting by Nicolas-René Jollain acquired by the Society of the Cincinnati, in Washington 24/09/2010
Thomas François Lenormand de Victot, Lieutenant of the king’s vessels, fought in the American Revolutionary War and was wounded in combat when the French Navy captured Grenada on 7 July 1779. This earned him the decoration of the Ordre Royal et (...)
The Coaches from Versailles on View at Arras 24/09/2012
We must admit : at first the partnership between Versailles and the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Arras seemed to be a sensationalist operation, presumably useless and prejudicial, as are many of those initiated or approved by the president of the (...)
A Honthorst Masterpiece Acquired by the National Gallery in Washington 28/11/2013
The National Gallery in Washington recently acquired a masterpiece by Gerrit Honthorst representing a concert. This is a daytime scene, without the lighting effects found in the chiaroscuro paintings by the artist known in Italy as Gherardo (...)
The Louvre Pre-Empts a Painting by Hubert Robert 18/11/2012
On 29 November 1789, Baron de Besenval, the military commander of the Ile-de-France region and of the Paris garrison when the first Revolutionary riots broke out (but also a great collector of Northern European paintings), was imprisoned at the (...)
Jean-Léon Gérôme 12/11/2010
With the Cabanel retrospective still on in Montpellier, the Musée d’Orsay is highlighting Jean-Léon Gérôme while also presenting an exhibition on Claude Monet at the Grand Palais. This is no coincidence, simply proof that French museums are finally (...)
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 (...)
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