A Million-Plus Bid for a Limoges Enamel Plaque
The Medieval period dominated majestically with a Limoges enamel plaque by the illustrious Master of the Aeneid, and a delicate limestone bust.
Art
Surrealism: A Women’s Affair a Long Way from France and Europe
With the approach of the Second World War, Surrealism moved across borders. In the UK and the US, women artists delved into esotericism, botany, medicine, cinema, naive art—in fact, everything was grist to their mill.
Daniel Dezeuze: Eternally Questioning Painting
In his studio in Sète the 79-year-old French artist, a founding member of the Supports/Surfaces group, looks back on his complex career and a philosophy that endlessly questions painting and its future.
Redon and Soulages: A Marriage for the Better
Two artists and prophets of their time, one was collected by Louis-Charles Libaude (1896-1922), the other appeared with an unexpected bronze, an alliance formed and took flight.
The 20th Edition of Quartier Art Drouot Spotlights Drawing
On June 16, galleries in the 9th arrondissement of Paris will join forces for the 20th Biennial “Quartier Art Drouot.”
Marie Cuttoli and Joan Miro: The Renewal of Tapestry
This looks almost like a painting with its frame and stretcher, but it is actually a tapestry. Based on a design by Joan Miró, it was hand-woven in three copies.
The Auction Market’s Phoney Crisis
Despite the pandemic, the auction market has not collapsed, and the first quarter of 2021 even broke records: a euphoria now confirmed by the traditional May sales in New York. And a revolution is probably taking shape at the same time…
Giorgio Morandi: The Magnani-Rocca Collection
The Musée de Grenoble in France has brought together all the Italian artist’s works owned by the Magnani-Rocca Foundation, near Parma. Delicate paintings in muted tones that move the viewer through their mysterious silence.
Visualizing Empire Shines Light on the Visual Culture of French Colonialism
A new edited volume from Getty Publications examines a unique archive of visual material and ephemera related to the French colonial project.
The Bourse de Commerce: From the “Queen’s Mansion” to a Contemporary Art Museum
Initially scheduled for January 23, the opening of the Pinault collection’s new flagship museum in the former Paris Bourse de Commerce building had been delayed by the lockdown. We examined the architecture of this structure rooted in history.
The Sismann Gallery Spotlights the Renaissance in Paris
Around 30 works attributed to some of the 16th century’s most illustrious artists immerse us in the Renaissance, from Normandy to Sicily, France’s primary art centers and the Italian peninsula.
Jean Dubuffet: “Brutal Beauty”
Curated by Eleanor Nairne, “Jean Dubuffet: Brutal Beauty” harmoniously compliments the site of the Barbican Gallery, in London. Brutalist architecture and Dubuffet’s Art Brut go hand in hand, creating a world of materiality and delight for the audience to enjoy.
Supports/Surfaces: Painting Above All
In 1970, when the contemporary art scene was obsessed with the “death of painting”, a dozen of young artists declared their love for the venerable medium and formed the group Supports/Surfaces. Stripped from the non-essential, painting was to be rejuvenated, not sentenced to death.
Pavel Ovchinnikov’s Tea Box for a Tsar
Russian goldsmith Pavel Ovchinnikov stood out alongside glassmaker René Lalique.
Nicolas Sageot: The Use of Tortoiseshell in the Age of Louis XIV
Several pieces with rich Louis-Quatorze decoration featured in this Caen auction, led by two lots attributed to Nicolas Sageot.
Art Market Overview: New York on Top
The just-ended week of sales in New York was an extraordinary one, with Picasso’s Woman Sitting by the Window fetching $103.4 M at Christie’s and Basquiat’s In this Case $93 M at Sotheby’s.
Ernst Haeckel, the Zoologist Who Inspired 20th-Century Art
The 19th-century German scientist, who coined the word “ecology,” is one of the heroes of Laura Bossi’s exhibition “Origins of the World” at the Musée D’Orsay in Paris, awaiting its reopening since December. We look at the role his Art Forms in Nature plays in the decorative arts, from Art Nouveau to design today.
Ernst Haeckel, the Zoologist Who Inspired 20th-Century Art
The 19th-century German scientist, who coined the word “ecology,” is one of the heroes of Laura Bossi’s exhibition “Origins of the World” at the Musée D’Orsay in Paris, awaiting its reopening since December. We look at the role his Art Forms in Nature plays in the decorative arts, from Art Nouveau to design today.
Did Leonardo da Vinci Paint Salvator Mundi? The Louvre Has an Answer.
La Gazette has obtained a copy of the Louvre’s scientific paper confirming Salvator Mundi’s attribution to the Florentine painter.
Art Market Overview: Rising Prices for Paintings by American Artist Robert Colescott
Twelve years after his death, the price index for works by the American New Figuration painter Robert Colescott (1925-2009) are soaring.
Durjoy Rahman, Activist Bangladeshi Collector
The founder of the Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation, collector Durjoy Rahman puts all his energy into promoting artists from his country and South Asia
Menart Art Fair Makes the Middle East Shine
The Middle East and North Africa now have their own international fair. Laure d’Hauteville, founder and director of the Beirut Art Fair, has just launched Menart Art Fair, with “MENA” as an acronym for these regions.
Art Market Overview: a New Record for Chu Teh-Chun
Chu Teh-Chun is now seventh in the Artprice 2021 rankings, just behind his fellow citizen Zao Wou-Ki.
The Walters Art Museum Confronts Its Founders’ Confederate Legacy
The origins of the Walters Art Museum date back to 1931, when Henry Walters bequeathed to the city of Baltimore an extensive art collection started by his father, William T. Walters. Today, the museum is reckoning with its founders’ white-supremacist legacy.
Mary Cassatt: The Artist, her Sister and Impressionism…
Mary Cassatt’s impressionist technique and her distinctive approach to portraiture are demonstrated in this work, Étude pour la tasse de thé (Study for a Cup of Tea), the subject of which is her sister Lydia.
Corot, the Light of Italy
The painting by the inventor of outrenoir might take center stage, but this luminous landscape by Camille Corot is sure to spark a great bidding war.
Spain Through American Eyes: A Pioneering Exhibition at the Chrysler Museum of Art
The exhibition “Americans in Spain: Painting and Travel, 1820-1920” examines the widespread and, until now, under-appreciated influence of Spanish art and culture on American painting.
The Paris Biennale and the Fatal Fakes
The Biennale de Paris [soon to be replaced by EX.Paris – Ed.] has ceased to exist without reaching its 50th anniversary.
Meissen Figurines Are Back in Vogue
Now that kitsch is back in style, these small, refined objects are increasingly in demand.
NFTs: What Are People Really Buying?
Prices for NFTs have skyrocketed in recent weeks, but huge misunderstandings remain about what people are actually buying. What is going on?
Léonard Gianadda, Creator of the Foundation in Martigny
In French-speaking Switzerland, Martigny, where Julius Caesar covered himself in glory, there lives another conqueror: Léonard Gianadda, who set up a foundation that hosts memorable exhibitions. The next one is “Caillebotte”, the tale of a remarkable adventure.
The Louvre: Intrigue at Court
The reappointment of Jean-Luc Martinez as head of the Louvre was dictated by a certain logic. With a determined spirit that gained him not a few enemies, he set about reconfiguring the landscape.
The Spirit of Modern Art: The Société Anonyme Collection
Hailed as the first museum of modern art in the U.S., the Société Anonyme was founded by artists Katherine S. Dreier, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray. Its collection offers a unique record of modernist innovation and experimentation.
Virtual Reality with Conor Harrington
Conor Harrington is fortunate to be able to express himself on walls around the world, but his work seldom goes under the hammer on this side of the Channel.
The Art Market by UBS and Art Basel: 2020 Could Have Been Worse
A big drop, it’s true, but not a collapse. The art market seems to have held up reasonably well in the face of Covid 19, according to The Art Market, the latest report by UBS and Art Basel.
Brett Gorvy, on Navigating New Realities as Gallerist
We talked to Brett Gorvy, the co-founder of Lévy Gorvy, former Christie’s Chairman, and Instagram sensation, about the changing horizons of today’s art market, the gallery’s forward-thinking approach with pop-ups, artists and new technologies, and his own collecting habits.
Frick Madison: Xavier F. Salomon Discusses the Transformation from Mansion to Bauhaus
After three years’ planning, the Frick Collection has just reopened in Marcel Breuer’s Brutalist 945 Madison Avenue, on lease from the Met while the historic East 70th Street mansion undergoes renovation. We talked to chief curator Xavier F. Salomon about this extraordinary marriage of Modernism and old masters.
Vincent Van Gogh in Paris: A Turning Point
In March 1886, the Dutch painter arrived in Paris, where he lived for two years. One hundred and thirty-five years later to the month, a key work from this seminal and productive period is back on the market.
The Rodin Museum and its Bronzes
Like all cultural institutions, the Rodin Museum in Paris is struggling with Covid-19’s repercussions. But the museum has a unique asset enabling it to weather the storm: its status as the rightful owner of Rodin’s works.
Kupka’s Legendary Brittany
Long hidden away in a Breton collection, this major painting by the Czech artist will soon change hands. A link between two periods, the enigmatic landscape recalls the intense spirituality that guided his search for form.
Women Painters at the Turn of the 19th Century: A Decisive Step Towards Recognition
After struggling to exist as artists, women painters of the turn of the 19th century have begun to set records. This is not revenge, but well-deserved recognition.
The Louvre and Cy Twombly: The Ceiling of Discord
The squabble between the Louvre and the Cy Twombly Foundation over the renovation of the Salle des Bronzes, whose ceiling the artist frescoed in 2010, might be a run-in whose full flavor is only relished by Parisians and New Yorkers.
French State Seizes Historic Saint Denis Windows Right Before Auction
The forced withdrawal from a January 27 Pierre Bergé sale at Drouot of two stained glass windows from the abbey church of Saint-Denis illustrates the Ministry of Culture’s high-handedness and betrays a certain amount of scorn for the history of our heritage.
“Œuvres Choisies”: An Imaginary Menagerie and More
You never know what awaits you in an “Œuvres Choisies” exhibition, the collectively organized shows of objects that most excite dealers in their upcoming sales. What immediately stands out in the current sampling, on view through March 4th, is its concentration of animal imagery.
Wols Between Myth and Reality
A fascinating figure of the post-war Parisian art scene, Wols was a genuine myth in the 1950s-1960s. Nicknamed the “French Pollock”, he was mostly praised for his abstract oil paintings.
A Collection of Furniture by Gabriel Viardot, Master of Japanism
A major figure in Japanism during the late 19th century, Gabriel Viardot designed to showcase and drawing-room furniture inhabited by dragons and bedecked with mother-of-pearl.
A Painting by Lee Ufan Makes its Debut at Auction
Over forty years after it was produced, a work typifying the Korean artist’s formal explorations is appearing on the market for the first time.
Russian Treasures
Icons, silverware and Imperial memorabilia… Russia enjoys a long tradition of excellence fostered by Imperial academies and manufactories.
Audemars-Piguet, Between Modernity and Tradition
The Audemars Piguet museum-workshop unveils its heritage collection in a new avant-garde building, boasting an image halfway between tradition and innovation, and a certain boldness.
The Guelph Treasure: Back to Square One
The Supreme Court of the United States has left the fate of the Guelph Treasure unresolved. On February 3, the justices dismissed the case brought by descendants of victims of Nazi spoliation, confirming that American courts are incompetent to rule on international human rights violations.
