Previous Posts: March 2021
Marinus van Reymerswaele Opens in Madrid
March 9 2021
Video: Prado Madrid
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Prado in Madrid have released the following video to celebrate the opening of their latest exhibition Marinus: Painter from Reymerswale. Five works were conserved as part of the preparations required for the show, which features ten works by this enigmatic artist in total.
The exhibition will run until 13th June 2021.
Do you want to Reimagine the British Museum?
March 8 2021
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Well, here's your chance it seems. The British Museum in London are hiring a Lead Curator - Reimagining the British Museum Project.
As the job description explains:
The British Museum is seeking an innovative and critical thinker to lead curatorial and research teams in the delivery of an exciting and complex new project to place global collaboration at the heart of the Museum’s new masterplan. The Reimagining the British Museum project will develop new curatorial approaches to interpreting the collection and developing the narratives that will underpin a comprehensive redisplay of the galleries.
In this role you will manage a dedicated curatorial team who will work with curators and other specialists across the organisation as well as individuals and groups around the world to develop curatorial briefs for new suites of permanent galleries. You will deliver pilot projects such as displays, and digital or other public programmes to test and evaluate different collaborative methods and narrative approaches, producing a clear plan and framework for how the Museum will collaborate globally in the development and delivery of its masterplan. Working beyond your own area of expertise or scholarly discipline, you will provide the right environment to stimulate new thinking and debate while balancing the need to meet challenging deadlines.
The salary on offer is £48,169 per annum and applications must be in by 19th March 2021.
Good luck if you're applying!
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As a side note, it is intriguing that despite the general shedding of staff experienced in the museums sector at the moment, there are an increasing number of jobs appearing such as the one above. Is this a sign perhaps that object based study and expertise is on the way out? Curators who can harness ideas with 'new thinking and debate' are clearly in demand, but will this 'reimagining' of museums make them any better?
Painting Auctioneer Described as "Ugly and Damaged" makes €14k
March 8 2021
Picture: Stanislas Machoïr
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I was amused by this article which has been published on the news website connexionfrance.com. It describes the unexpected fate of the painting above which appeared at auction in France last week catalogued as 'Mexican School 19th Century'. Despite being described by the auctioneer Stanislas Machoïr as "ugly and torn", the painting soared past its €30 - €50 estimate to make €14,600 (inc. fees).
The auctioneer gave the following statement:
The buyer is a British person who fought with an American as though it was a very famous painting. But it’s probably just a painting done by an amateur, such as we find all over France, sometimes in churches.
It seems that [such works] are rare in South America, where it will be sent. But honestly, after expert assessment, it is worth nowhere near this sum. It is however possible, according to this buyer, that he may still be able to make a profit.
This is surprising but, according to him, there is a strong demand [for such works] in these countries. That's new to me. I've sold hundreds of paintings, but this one, let's face it, is ugly - and on top of that it's damaged, and very torn up. It’s a very strange case.
Mythological Passions Opens in Madrid
March 8 2021
Video: Prado Madrid
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Prado in Madrid have recently opened their latest exhibition Mythological Passions. The highlight will of course be Titian's mythological works which will be reunited in Spain for the first time since the sixteenth century. Other artists featured in the show include Veronese, Allori, Rubens, Ribera, Poussin, Van Dyck and Velázquez.
The photographs of the displays look spectacular and rather intimate, which is quite a surprise considering the times in which we live.
The exhibition will run till 4th July 2021.
Update - A reader has written in with the following question:
Does the Mythological Passions at the Prado have the first loan from the Wallace Collection ? (Perseus & Andromeda).
Unless a more obscure work of art has already gone out on loan already, I suppose this might be true (?) Any reader is welcome to correct me on this!
Marquis de Lagoy's Rubens Drawing up for Sale
March 8 2021
Picture: Drouotdigital
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
An intriguing drawing by Peter Paul Rubens is coming up from sale in Paris later this month. The work is being sold from the collection of the Marquis de Lagoy. It depicts a frontispiece designed by Rubens for the mathematician Franciscus Aguilonius's book l'Opticorum Libri Sex (c.1613). It depicts an allegorical scene of scholar, burdened by a heavy armillary sphere, being assisted by a group of putti.
The drawing will be sold on 26th March 2021 carrying an estimate of €200,000 - €300,000.
Ghent Altarpiece Returned this Month
March 8 2021
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Jan Van Eyck's Ghent Altarpiece will be returning to St Bavo Cathedral on 25th March 2021. This famous fifteenth century treasure has recently completed a ten-year restoration project. The cathedral will be closed for two weeks in preparation for its unveiling.
Women Artists in Early Modern Bologna
March 8 2021
Picture: Penn State University Press
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A new book entitled Women Artists, Their Patrons, and Their Publics in Early Modern Bologna is being published by Penn State University Press this month. It is written by Bette Bohn, Professor of Art History and Affiliate Faculty in Women and Gender Studies at Texas Christian University.
As the book's blurb explains:
This groundbreaking book seeks to explain why women artists were far more numerous, diverse, and successful in early modern Bologna than elsewhere in Italy. They worked as painters, sculptors, printmakers, and embroiderers; many obtained public commissions and expanded beyond the portrait subjects to which women were traditionally confined. Babette Bohn asks why that was the case in this particular place and at this particular time.
Drawing on extensive archival research, Bohn investigates an astonishing sixty-eight women artists, including Elisabetta Sirani and Lavinia Fontana. The book identifies and explores the factors that facilitated their success, including local biographers who celebrated women artists in new ways, an unusually diverse system of artistic patronage that included citizens from all classes, the impact of Bologna’s venerable university, an abundance of women writers, and the frequency of self-portraits and signed paintings by many women artists. In tracing the evolution of Bologna’s female artists from nun-painters to working professionals, Bohn proposes new attributions and interpretations of their works, some of which are reproduced here for the first time.
Amon Carter Museum of American Art Acquire Moran Watercolour
March 5 2021
Picture: Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Amon Carter Museum of American Art in Fort Worth, Texas, has acquired a watercolour by the Hudson River School painter Thomas Moran (1837-1926). Mount Superior, as viewed from Alta, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, 1879 had previously been in the collection of John Ruskin until his death and reappeared on the art market in 2018.
According to the museum's director Andrew J. Walker:
[The work] serves as a key touchstone within the museum’s American Pre-Raphaelite holdings. The acquisition of Moran’s 'Mount Superior' perfectly complements the Carter’s collection of the artist’s etchings and watercolors and exemplifies our commitment to preserving American masterworks and the stories they tell.
ArtUK Sculpture Symposium
March 5 2021
Picture: ArtUK
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
ArtUK are hosting a special symposium later this month to celebrate the completion of four years work to digitise the nation's sculpture collection. The symposium entitled 'Rediscovering our Sculpture' will feature papers and panel discussions by members of staff and renowned experts and curators.
The symposium is absolutely free to join and will be broadcast on 11th and 12th of March 2021.
Is this Medici Marble a Nineteenth Century Imitation?
March 5 2021
Picture: Burlington Magazine
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Jeremy Warren's recent article in the Burlington Magazine definitely makes a strong case for it!
Warren's recent piece on the nineteenth century imitator Giovanni Bastianini (1830-1868), whose reproductions fooled many collectors of sixteenth century Italian art, has been made free to read online for a very short while.
The article provides a fantastic overview of Bastianini's work and collaboration with dealers who were often less honest that the sculptor was himself. In particular, Warren points out a set of the sculptor's marble renaissance busts that were sold in the Florentine dealer Giovanni Freppa (d.1870) estate sale during the end of the century. Most of these are accounted for. However, the Museum of Fine Arts in San Francisco's marble bust of Cosimo de' Medici (pictured), after a famous Cellini in Florence, comes from exactly the same source. It was purchased by the museum in 1957 and is still being catalogued a sixteenth century original. Is it time for the museum to face the facts that their prized marble is a nineteenth century copy?
Click on the link above to read the article while you can!
Palazzo Vendramin Grimani Reopens for Visitors
March 5 2021
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Palazzo Vendramin Grimani in Venice is being reopened for visitors in May 2021. Press reports suggest that this is the first time that visitors have been able to book on private tours to see the interiors of this historic building. The Palazzo has been restored and run by Fondazione dell'Albero d'Oro, a private foundation who have taken enormous care in the presentation of the site for the public. In particular, great attention has been given to tell the story of the largely dispersed Grimani collection that used to be kept within the Palazzo, including works by the city's most famous artists.
Italian Police Seize Paintings Stolen 20 Years Ago
March 5 2021
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Italian authorities have seized several eighteenth century paintings that were stolen from the Castle of Moretta in Cuneo, Italy. The five canvases, which were stolen in 1998, are by the Lombard artist Francesco Antoniani. Their value back then was estimated at 160 million lire. Their seizure was made possible when the works appeared at a provincial auction house and questions were asked about their provenance.
Alice Ravenel Huger Smith Exhibition
March 5 2021
Picture: Middleton Place National Historic Landmark and the Edmondston-Alston House
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News has reached me from the US of a special exhibitions celebrating the American artist Alice Ravenel Huger Smith (1876-1958). These exhibitions opened on 1st March 2021 and will be held at Middleton Place National Historic Landmark and the Edmondston-Alston House in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. The show has been accompanied by the publishing of a new book on Alice's art entitled Alice Ravenel Huger Smith, Charleston Renaissance Artist.
Giacomo Farelli (1629-1706) Catalogue Raisonné
March 4 2021
Picture: Il Giornale dell'Arte
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that the Neapolitan painter Giacomo Farelli (1629-1706) has been treated to his first ever catalogue raisonné. The new publication Vita ed opere di Giacomo Farelli (1629-1706). Artista e gentiluomo nell’Italia Barocca has been penned by the art historians Riccardo Lattuada and Laura Raucci.
As is the custom on AHN, Lattuada and Raucci will now both inhabit the highly coveted 'Heroes of art history' section of this blog.
Compton Verney Gifted 70 Miniatures
March 4 2021
Picture: Compton Verney
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Warwickshire art gallery Compton Verney have been gifted 70 miniatures from the estate of the late Dowager Lady Grantchester (d.2019). The gift includes works by the likes of Isaac Oliver (1560/5-1617), John Hoskins (c.1595-1664), Richard Cosway (1742-1821), Thomas Day (c.1732-c.1807), George Engleheart (1750-1829) and John Smart (1742-1811). The gift was negotiated through Christie's with the assistance of expert Emma Rutherford. This wide ranging collection will displayed in due course and are in storage at Christie's for the time being.
Burlington Magazine - Current Issue
March 4 2021
Picture: albanyinstitute.org
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
This month's issue of the Burlington Magazine is as usual filled with interesting articles, including pieces on the likes of Velázquez, Hubert Robert, Giovanni Bastianini and Horace Walpole. The magazine also includes an article on the recently rediscovered Study of Saint Jerome by the young Van Dyck (pictured). This piece is by the scholar Susan J Barnes, one of authors of the 2004 catalogue raisonné. This study had appeared at auction and made a mere $600 before being authenticated by Barnes.
Noordbrabants Museum is Hiring!
March 4 2021
Picture: CODART
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Noordbrabants Museum in the Netherlands is looking for a Head of Collections, Exhibitions and Education.
The salary on offer is a maximum of €5,913 per month and applications must be in by 14th March 2021.
Good luck if you're applying!
New Edition of Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art
March 4 2021
Picture: Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Journal of Historians of Netherlandish Art have published their latest edition online. Included within is a very interesting technical study of Rubens's The Conversion of Saint Paul in the Courtauld Collection. Also included are some articles on Joannes Fyt and Paulus Potter. It's wonderful to see that this series is free and available to read online.
The National Art Library at Risk ?
March 4 2021
Picture: vam.co.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A petition has been started to encourage management of the V&A in London to rethink new proposals that will affect The National Art Library (NAL). The petition claims that proposals have been put forward to cut two thirds of staff who work in the library, amounting to the loss of around 20 jobs. Furthermore, it claims the proposals also include a plan to shut the NAL for twelve months for it to be replaced with an interim online service.
If these proposals are serious, one can imagine the enormous impact this will have on arts researchers. The NAL has an unrivalled collection of specialist books, not to mention their important archive holdings.
These drastic proposals have appeared alongside news that the museum will be making drastic cuts to its curatorial and research departments.
Update - Dr Christina Faraday has written a column for The Telegraph today about director Tristram Hunt's planned changes. It's behind a paywall alas, but I'm sure it's interesting.
MET: A New Look at Old Masters
March 3 2021
Video: MET
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have released this video describing their newly revamped European galleries plus giving a tour of some of the highlights.
