Guido Reni acquired by Palazzo Spinola, Genoa
February 10 2026
Picture: finestresullarte.info
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Palazzo Spinola in Genoa will be unveiling their recently acquired Lucretia by Guido Reni to the public tomorrow evening. The work, dated to c. 1638, has been identified in the collections of the Balbi family in the 17th century and descended with them until coming into the possession of 'its previous owner'.
AI on Van Eyck
February 10 2026
Picture: The Guardian
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
There was another curious 'AI authentication' story from The Guardian a few days ago, featuring the usual suspects, this time about two compositions related to Van Eyck.
To quote part of the story:
Scientific tests involving artificial intelligence on the paintings conducted by Art Recognition, a Swiss company that collaborates on research with Tilburg University in the Netherlands, has been unable to detect any of Van Eyck’s brushstrokes. It has concluded that the Philadelphia picture was “91% negative” and that the Turin version was “86% negative”.
Till-Holger Borchert, one of the leading Van Eyck scholars and director of the Suermondt-Ludwig-Museum in Aachen, said the Van Eyck findings supported scholars who had suggested that both versions were studio paintings – produced in the artist’s workshop but not necessarily by him.
Click on the link above to read the full story.
Burlington Scholarship to Study 18th Century French Fine and Decorative Arts
February 10 2026
Picture: Burlington
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Burlington Magazine are inviting applications for their 2026 scholarship for the study of French 18th-century fine and decorative art.
According to their website:
The Burlington Magazine is pleased to announce its ninth annual scholarship to provide funding over a 12-month period to those engaged in the study of French 18th-century fine and decorative art, enabling them to develop new ideas and research that will contribute to this field of art historical study. [...]
Applicants must be studying, or intending to study, for an MA, PhD, post-doctoral or independent research in the field of French 18th-century fine and decorative arts within the 12-month period the funding is given (i.e. September 2026 – August 2027). [...]
£12,000 is awarded to one recipient per year and applies to a 12-month period.
Applications must be in by 31st March 2026. Click on the link above for the full terms and conditions.
The Goltzius Family at the Limburgs Museum
February 9 2026
Picture: Limburgs Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Limburgs Museum in Venlo, the Netherlands, have just opened a new exhibition on the Goltzius family of painters.
According to the museum's website:
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the Goltzius family, originally from Venlo, grew into one of Europe’s most well-known families of artists. Their innovative and much-loved work can be found everywhere: from living rooms to royal palaces.
In The Goltzius Family – Masters from Venlo, the Limburgs Museum brings together the full story of the family for the first time. See how generations of the Goltzius family inspired each other, how they worked together and how their talent spread across Europe. Their prints show not only great craftsmanship, but also a close family bond that manages to bridge time and distance.
Artemisia acquired by NGA
February 9 2026
Picture: nga.gov
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. announced their acquisition of Artemisia Gentileschi's Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy last week.
According to the gallery's website:
Featured in numerous publications and exhibitions since its rediscovery in 2011, Mary Magdalene in Ecstasy is widely considered by art historians to be one of Gentileschi’s greatest works, making it one of the most prominent recent additions to the nation’s art collection. Before its acquisition by the National Gallery, the painting spent centuries in a private collection and disappeared from the public record. It resurfaced in the south of France in 2011 and was acquired by a private collection during a Sotheby’s auction in 2014 [where it made €865,000].
Antonello da Messina acquired by Italian State?
February 9 2026
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Italian art press are drawing attention to a Facebook post from the Fondazione Federico Zeri which claims that the Italian state have acquired Antonello da Messina's Ecce Homo. The picture was withdrawn from last week's sale at Sotheby's New York. Several other social media posts from Italian cultural figures, some of which have been subsequently deleted, also seem to support this notion. An official announcement is still lacking. More news as and when it appears.
Update - Sotheby's have released an update that the painting was indeed acquired by the Italian state for $14.9m (which presumably includes commission).
Turner and the invention of modern art
February 6 2026
Video: ZCZ/YouTube
Posted by Bendor Grosvenor
Here's an episode of the Waldy & Bendy's Adventures in Art podcast I made about Turner's painting, 'The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, October 16 1834.'
Michelangelo's Foot realises $23.1m Hammer
February 5 2026
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The aforementioned study of a foot by Michelangelo at Christie's New York soared past its $2m - $3m estimate this afternoon to realise a total of $23.1m (hammer), which is $27.2m including commission. An impressive work of art, and a now staggering price to go along with it, considering its size.
Sotheby's New York Results
February 5 2026
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Sotheby's New York Master Paintings & Works of Art Part I sale realised $27,896,650 (all prices include commission) with 85.42% of lots sold / 80.4% including withdrawn lots.*
The lots that soared past their estimates included Fragonard's head study (pictured) which realised $2,734,000 over its $600k - $800k estimate, a curious 'French or Flemish School' portrait which made an impressive $2,307,000 over its $200k - $300k estimate, a Renaissance portrait by Biagio d'Antonio which also made $2,307,000 over its $800k - $1.2m estimate, a Giovanni Bellini and Workshop Woman at her Toilette which went for $2,002,000 over its $600k - $800k estimate, and a pair of Paters which realised $1,079,500 over their $400k - $600k estimate.
The curious news of the sale was the withdrawal of Antonello da Messina's Ecce Homo, which was the top lot of the sale carrying an estimate of $10m - $15m. As the lot was both 'guaranteed' and carrying an irrevocable bid, we can only speculate as to why this may have been (or await a formal announcement for the reason in due course).
* - It appears 3 lots were withdrawn.
Christie's New York Results
February 4 2026
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Christie's New York Old Masters sale achieved $54,130,050 (all prices inc. commission) this afternoon with 82.23% of lots sold.*
The top lot, the English period Canaletto, achieved $30,535,000, which is (with commission) just about the $30m 'estimate on request' price that was expected. Many pictures soared past their estimates, the majority of them being portraits. This included Artemisia Gentileschi's Self Portrait which made $5,687,000 over its $2.5m - $3.5m estimate, a portrait by Adriaen Isenbrandt which achieved $863,600 over its $400k - $600k estimate, a rather damaged Willem Key portrait from the Hispanic Society which realised $355,600 over its $60k - $80k estimate, a portrait given to the Circle of Sofonisba Anguissola which made $355,600 over its $60k - $80k estimate, and a rare portrait by Jacometto Veneziano which went for $1,460,500 over its $500k - $700k estimate.
* - I couldn't spot any withdrawn lots, but, I'm sure someone will write in if I'm wrong on this point!
The National Gallery's Dürer is right, says new Taschen volume
February 4 2026
Picture: Taschen / The National Gallery, London
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A portrait in The National Gallery, which was featured in the gallery's 2024 German paintings catalogue as a copy of a lost original by Albrecht Dürer, has been upgraded to the artist in full in a new volume of the complete paintings published by Taschen (which was released back in November 2025). The lead author of the volume, Christof Metzger, chief curator of Albertina Vienna, has described the work 'Quite simply: it is of outstanding artistic and technical quality and bears no trace of being a copy'. Click on the link above to read the full story.
Gustave Caillebotte Self Portrait acquired by Musée d’Orsay
February 4 2026
Picture: Musée d’Orsay
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Musée d’Orsay have announced their acquisition of a Self Portrait by Gustave Caillebotte. Painted and exhibited in 1879, this is one of only five self portraits produced by the artist during his career. It will be on public display in the museum from 17th February onwards.
Sistine Chapel Last Judgement being Restored
February 4 2026
Video: Rome Reports in English
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Sistine Chapel's Last Judgement by Michelangelo, part of the tourist route in the Vatican which approximately 6.7m visitors see every year, is undergoing a three month 'restoration' project. Scaffolding has been erected, and a reproduction on cloth put in its stead, in order to remove 'a widespread whitish veil' from the fresco. Presumably, considering the relatively short time scale involved, conservators will be dusting!
Metamorphoses at the Rijksmuseum
February 4 2026
Picture: The Rijksmuseum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Rijksmuseum are opening their latest exhibition Metamorphoses on Friday.
According to their website:
This classic from antiquity has been read and reinterpreted by artists for centuries. In the major spring exhibition Metamorphoses, you dive into Ovid’s two-thousand-year-old poem about vengeful gods, ingenious heroes and high-minded mortals.
Metamorphoses brings together over 80 masterpieces from museums and collections around the world. From Titian, Correggio, and Caravaggio to Rodin, Brancusi, Magritte, and Bourgeois. The exhibition features paintings, sculptures, goldsmith’s work, and ceramics, alongside contemporary photography and video art. It is a special collaboration with the Galleria Borghese in Rome.
The show will run from 6th February until 25th May 2026.
Tintoretto's Genesis at the Gallerie dell'Accademia
February 3 2026
Picture: Gallerie dell'Accademia
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice will be opening an exhibition focusing on the recently restored Genesis paintings by Tintoretto later this month (following on from the 2025 show in Cincinnati). The display will focus on learnings from the restoration project and new research undertaken on the works. It will run from 11th February until 7th June 2026.
Burlington: Latest Issue
February 3 2026
Picture: burlington.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Here are the main articles featured within this month's issue of The Burlington Magazine:
As far as the eye can perceive: overlooked notes on optics by Kandinsky - By Anne Grasselli
Chasing an altarpiece: two additions to the œuvre of Giuseppe Ghezzi - By Gaia Mazzacane
A ‘Virgin offering flowers to the Child’ by Gian Francesco Penni at Holkham - By Rebekka Segal & Paul Joannides
The enigmatic ‘Roma’ of Urban V (1362–70) in Avignon - By Claudia Bolgia
New documentation for Cardinal Ippolito II d’Este’s ‘Deeds and triumphs of Scipio’ - By Julia van Zandvoort
Pompeii’s new pasts - By Christine Gardner-Dseagu
In Bloom at the Ashmolean
February 3 2026
Picture: Ashmolean, Oxford
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Ashmolean Museum in Oxford will be opening their latest exhibition In Bloom later next month.
According to the museum's website:
This major new exhibition takes visitors on a journey from Oxford to the farthest corners of the world and back, uncovering the global stories behind some of Britain’s most beloved blooms – from roses and tulips to camellias and peonies.
Featuring over 100 artworks and objects, including drawings, paintings, rare prints, and ceramics, In Bloom explores our changing relationship with the natural world.
From the fascinating stories of curiosity and ingenuity of early plant explorers to the networks that shaped global trade, this exhibition reveals how the pursuit of exotic plants transformed landscapes, economies, and cultures, leaving a legacy that still shapes our world today.
Colantonio Restored
February 3 2026
Picture: capodimonte.cultura.gov.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Naples that Colantonio's St. Francis delivering the rule to the Franciscan orders has been restored. The picture, which is in the collection of the Museo di Capodimonte, has been conserved as part of commemorations of the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis. Click on the link above to see more details supplied by the museum.
The Sun King's Carpets at the Grand Palais
February 2 2026
Video: GrandPalais
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Grand Palais in Paris have just opened a rather magnificent looking exhibition featuring monumental carpets woven at the Savonnerie Manufactory for the Grand Gallery of the Louvre.
According to their website:
In 1668, as King Louis XIV prepared to make the Louvre his royal residence, he entrusted his First Painter, Charles Le Brun, with a bold and magnificent commission: the creation of 92 carpets, woven at the Savonnerie Manufactory, to adorn the floor of the palace’s most majestic gallery. Each carpet, nine meters wide, was meant to form a spectacular decorative ensemble, one of the most ambitious ever conceived for a royal palace.
Fate, however, took a different course. Never installed in the Louvre, these treasures crossed the centuries through revolutions, sales, and dispersals. Today, 41 original carpets remain in the collections of the National Manufactories, 33 of which are complete.
Brought together for the first time beneath the glass roof of the Grand Palais, alongside a carpet designed for the Galerie d’Apollon, they offer a display of rare magnificence. A unique and historic event, lasting just one week, inviting visitors to discover these jewels of French heritage in a setting worthy of their splendor.
The exhibition only runs for a week, so you have until the 8th February to catch it!
Musée des Augustins reopens after €25m renovation
February 2 2026
Video: Toulouse - Mairie et Métropole
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
La Gazette Drouot have reported on the recent reopening of the Musée des Augustins in Toulouse. The museum has been closed since 2019 and has undergone a renovation at the cost of €25m. It appears a lot of work has gone into a new reception pavilion alongside a new layout within the galleries.
