This clock made in China in the 18th century to please the Qianlong emperor not only gives the time—it comes alive from top to bottom to pay tribute to the sovereign. On May 27, 2008, in Hong Kong: Christie’s dispersed a beautiful collection of fifteen late eighteenth-century Chinese automaton...

Alone or in flocks, sheep have left their mark on European history. It is not well known but, in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, sheep were weaponized in the trade war between France and England. Spain had the finest breeds, which were jealously guarded. But in 1786, King Carlos...

International auction houses are planning another week of photography sales even as some, like Sotheby's, Christie's and Phillips, have posted mixed results. In April, the usually sought-after prints, such as Irving Penn’s The Children of Cuzco and Helmut Newton’s emblematic Sie...

At the helm of the French National Museum of the Middle Ages and its renovation project since 2019, this eminent medievalist has just inaugurated the new layout, on May 12. Founded in 1843, the Musée de Cluny has long been overlooked in the Paris museum landscape. With no major renovations since...

According to Artprice, demand is high for works by German artists in general and Günther Förg (1952-2013) in particular. In 20 years, Günther Förg’s price index soared by 617%, Sigmar Polke’s 379% and Emil Nolde’s 37%. Several factors may explain this. Germany is one of the few countries whose...

The Hôtel Drouot welcomes visitors to the new installment of its regular collegial exhibition, known as the “Œuvres Choisies” (“Selected Works”). The exhibition presents some of the most exciting works to come up for sale in the upcoming months. This installment of the “Œuvres Choisies” exhibition...

Germaine Richier, Jean Dubuffet and Bernard Buffet are the names to remember from the collection gallerist Henri Creuzevault left to his children. It proves that it is not always quantity but rarity that counts. Success breeds success, they say. The children of Michelle Fagot, born Creuzevault,...

The Colombian painter is back in the market's good graces, after a resounding debut was followed by a dramatic decline in his performance at auction. After a dazzling debut in the auction room in 2013, marked by a record sale of $400,000 with Phillips New York for the 2011 Untitled (Drawings...

One icy winter, Pieter Bruegel the Elder painted his Brabant village, Sint-Anna-Pede. In this unique work, his son, Pieter Bruegel the Younger, delivers his version of the composition, one of the famous family’s most highly-prized works. The air is crystal-clear, the sky barely blue and the vague...