Previous Posts: October 2025
Perceptions of Rembrandt in 18th Century France
October 31 2025
Picture: Museum of Fine Arts of Draguignan
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Museum of Fine Arts of Draguignan in France will be opening a very interesting exhibition next month entitled Le phare Rembrandt. The show will examine the perception of Rembrandt's paintings in 18th century France. It will contain no fewer than 50 works by the artist and 18th century French painters who collected his artworks and came under the Dutch master's spell
The show will run from 15th November 2025 until 15th March 2026.
Reynolds at LAPADA
October 31 2025
Picture: Winsor Birch
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Instagram has alerted me to the fact that dealers Winsor Birch are currently offering this rather nice portrait of 'The Yellow Boy' Lord George Seymour Conway by Sir Joshua Reynolds at LAPADA (The Association of Art & Antiques Dealers fair in Berkley Square which runs until 2nd November 2025). The painting, if it is the same one which I have seen, had been on loan to the Ashmolean for a while. Curiously, the painting had been acquired by H.M. King Carol of Romania in 1938 and eventually bequeathed it to a mistress.
Prado Finds Mengs but Owners Say No to Loan
October 31 2025
Picture: abc.es
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Regular readers may remember an appeal the Prado put out a few months ago for an untraced painting by Anton Raphael Mengs. Well, the appeal worked and the painting was found in a private collection in Rome. However, it appears the owners do not want to lend it, due to questions about the impact of applying for an export permit. Readers of ABC can access the full article providing latest developments here (spotted via @Boro_RR).
Chamber of Cupid and Psyche at the Palazzo Te Restored
October 31 2025
Picture: ansa.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that the recently conserved Chamber of Cupid and Psyche at the Palazzo Te in Mantua has been unveiled to the public. Painted by Giulio Romano and his workshop between 1526-8, the recent campaign of restoration was supported by the Giulio and Giovanna Sacchetti Onlus Foundation.
€3.5 - 6m Pieter Brueghel the Younger coming up at Sotheby's London
October 31 2025
Picture: @meet_the_specialists_belgium
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Sotheby's Brussels that one of the upcoming highlights of the Sotheby's London Old Master Paintings evening sale in December will be Pieter Brueghel the Younger's The Census at Bethlehem. The post linked above provides an estimate in euros of €3.5 - 6m.
According to the post:
A copy by Pieter Brueghel the Younger of a work by his father executed in 1566 (now in the collection of the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium), this version of The Census at Bethlehem dates from the very beginning of the 17th century and is exceptionally large (170 x 120 cm) for a work by the artist. It has remained in a private collection
for over forty years and has never been exhibited since then. Only three versions of The Census at Bethlehem by the artist are currently in private hands, and none of them have appeared on the market since 1980, making the upcoming sale an exceptional moment for Brueghel collectors.
Art Forgery Ring Raided in Germany
October 30 2025
Video: ardmediathek.de
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
An art forgery ring was raided in Germany earlier this week. The alleged forger, who is a 77 year old man from Bavaria working with several accomplices, was apparently producing fakes imitating the hands of Rembrandt van Rijn, Peter Paul Rubens, Pablo Picasso, Frida Kahlo.
From an Old Master perspective, the images circulating online don't look terribly impressive...
Upcoming: Kids! Between Representation and Reality
October 30 2025
Picture: Bucerius Kunst Forum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Bucerius Kunst Forum in Hamburg will be opening a new exhibition next month entitled Kids! Between Representation and Reality (spotted via CODART).
According to their website:
Hardly any other topic reflects the values and norms of a society and its changes as clearly as the portrayal of children. At the same time, these depictions bear witness to the appreciation of children and the changing understanding of what it means to be a child over the centuries. The exhibition Kids! Between Representation and Reality is dedicated to the depiction of children in pictures from the 16th to the 21st century. Various chapters approach the subject from different perspectives and draw on photographs and sculptures as well as paintings.
The show will run from 28th November 2025 until 6th April 2026.
Sleeper Alert!
October 30 2025
Picture: Pandolfini
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The following painting of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, catalogued as 'French School 18th century', soared to €500,000 over its €20 - 30k estimate at Pandolfini in Florence yesterday (via @Mweilc). Laurent de La Hyre is the name ascribed to the painting by several accounts on social media.
Stolen Snuffboxes (including one from Royal Collection) Recovered after Fee Paid
October 30 2025
Picture: bfmtv.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Following the high-profile thefts from the Louvre the other week, more news has broken in France regarding the recovery of artworks stolen from the Musée Cognacq-Jay back in November 2024. It appears that burglars, who smashed their way into glasses cases to take 7 snuffboxes including those on loan from the Royal Collection, V&A and the Louvre, have been paid off by the insurers to return the stolen works. Two other objects remain missing. Click on the link above to read more.
Christie's Paris November Sale
October 29 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's Paris have uploaded their upcoming Maîtres Anciens : Peintures - Dessins - Sculptures sale online. Bidding for this online sale will close on 18th November 2025.
Contemporary 'Annunciation' at the Palazzo Strozzi
October 29 2025
Picture: palazzostrozzi.org
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The contemporary sculptor KAWS is the latest artist to have a go at reinventing an Old Master theme in dialogue with an exhibition. The Message, which has been placed in the courtyard of the Palazzo Strozzi in Florence to coincide with their Fra Angelico exhibition, shows two figures representing Kaws characters, Companion and Bff, in the guise of the Archangel Gabriel and Mary. Instead of looking at each other, the modern reinterpretation shows them instead looking at their phones.
Curate at the Courtauld Gallery!
October 29 2025
Picture: Courtauld Gallery
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Courtauld Gallery in London are hiring an Assistant Curator, Paintings.
According to the job description:
Key Responsibilities
Support the display, interpretation, and documentation of the permanent collection of paintings.
Contribute to the development and delivery of exhibitions and displays, including research, administration, and public engagement.
Liaise with internal teams and external partners to support loans, events, and scholarly access.
Manage interns and volunteers, and contribute to teaching and learning activities.
Maintain high standards of collections care, record-keeping, and public access.
Lead on curatorial production of displays in the Project Space and support digital content development
The job comes with an annual salary of £38,633 per annum and applications must be in by 18th November 2025.
Good luck if you're applying!
$30m Canaletto coming up at Christie's New York
October 28 2025
Picture: Christie's via @old_master_fletch
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Big news today that Christie's New York will be offering Canaletto's The Bucintoro At The Molo On Ascension Day in January 2026. Press reports suggest it is expected to sell for over $30m. It had made £11,432,000 over its £4 - 6m estimate at Christie's London back in 2005. The auction house appear to be on Canaletto streak presently, having sold a similar Venetian scene by the artist for £27.5m earlier in July.
According to the article linked above:
The oil on canvas was commissioned around 1754 by the King family (later Earls of Lovelace) and remained in their possession for almost 200 years, according to the auction house.
Artcurial November Sale
October 28 2025
Picture: Artcurial
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
As the November Paris sale season is soon upon us, Artcurial have uploaded their upcoming Maîtres anciens & du XIXe siècle , Tableaux & sculptures sale online. The auction will take place on 25th November 2025.
The top lots include the aforementioned €2 - 4m rediscovered Guido Reni, a €1 - 2m Jean-Francois de Troy, a €400 - 600k Osias Beert and a €300 - 500k Guercino.
Dürer in Tokyo
October 28 2025
Picture: National Museum of Western Art
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo opened a new exhibition of Albrecht Dürer prints last weekend. The show revolves around selections of works acquired by the museum between 1970 and 2022 and will run until 15th February 2026.
According to their website:
This exhibition presents all of the images from Dürer’s “Three Great Books” of 1511, namely the Latin reprint version of Apocalypse, the Great Passion, and the Life of the Virgin. These three books represent Dürer's use of the then-epoch-making movable type printing method. When the NMWA opened in 1959, its collections were largely modern art, a policy which was revised in 1968 by Yamada Chisaburō when he became the museum's second director. He expanded the museum range to include active collecting of Old Master Works and acquired Dürer's Great Passion in 1970 (with one sheet acquired in 1974). This was the important starting point for the creation of the NMWA Old Master print collection. Then some fifty years later, the museum acquired Apocalypse in fiscal 2020, and the Life of the Virgin in fiscal 2022, completing the NMWA's collection of Dürer's “Three Great Books” woodcuts.
Hispanic Society Museum sale realises $2.19m
October 28 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm late to news that the Hispanic Society Museum sale at Christie's New York realised $2,198,751 (all prices inc. commission) last week (spotted via. @ColeccionMMoret)
There were quite a few lots that soared past their estimates. This included the Portrait of Isabel de Borbón by the Circle of Rubens (pictured) which realised $330,200 over its $20k - 30k estimate, the Saint Dominic by the Workshop of El Greco which made $1,016,000 over its $100k - 150k estimate, the Portrait of Isabella of Portugal by a Follower of Titian which went for $215,900 over its $10k - 15k estimate and the Christ the Good Shepherd given to the Circle of Murillo which realised $40,460 over its $4k - 6k estimate.
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An impressive set of results that demonstrates copies of Old Masters sold in the right context can make serious sums (although, only the auction house will know how many buyers were may or may not have been existing philanthropic supporters of the museum).
Wright of Derby: From the Shadows
October 28 2025
Video: The National Gallery
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National gallery's new show Wright of Derby: From the Shadows will be opening next Friday (7th November 2025). Here's the video they've made to promote the exhibition.
Direct the Watts Gallery
October 27 2025
Picture: Peridot
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Watts Gallery in Surrey are looking for a new Director.
According to the job advert:
Working collaboratively with the board of trustees, staff and volunteers, the Director will provide clear and focused leadership to shape a bold, creative and resilient future for Watts Gallery.
With a focus on driving financial sustainability, accentuating our point of difference and developing current and new audiences, our next Director will be an enabling, proactive and sensitively progressive leader with a can-do and creative approach.
Who we are looking for
We are seeking an experienced leader, capable of driving empathetic modernisation and change, and who brings the vision, creative energy and commercial aptitude to safeguard the future of Watts Gallery Trust for generations to come.
The job comes with a salary of £75,000 - 85,000 per annum and applications must be in by 10th November 2025.
Good luck if you're applying!
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This news provides another opportunity to share my enthusiasm for the following videos produced by former Watts Gallery curator Richard Jefferies.
Modigliani Soars!
October 27 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
One of the several lots that soared in the recent Sotheby's Paris Modernités sale was the following Amedeo Modigliani entitled Elvire en buste. The work reached an impressive 26,982,500 EUR (inc. commission) over its 5.5 - 7.5m EUR estimate. The work was subject to an Irrevocable Bid and a House Guarantee (according to the auction house's website).
BMAG's Pre-Raphaelite Galleries Reopen
October 27 2025
Video: BMAG via Instagram
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery's (BMAG) galleries of Pre-Raphaelite paintings reopened last Saturday after a major refurbishment.
According to their website:
Display highlights include new acquisitions by female artists, including the first oil painting by a female Pre-Raphaelite to enter the city’s collection: Emma Sandys’s Young Woman with a Rose. Also on show is The Puritan Maiden Priscilla by Birmingham painter Kate Bunce, acquired this year and displayed in the Museum for the first time. There will also be the chance to see important pictures on long-term loan from private collections, including paintings by Joanna Boyce Wells, Burne-Jones and Arthur Hughes.
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As an aside, the museum is currently hiring a Senior Curatorial Fellow (Modern & Contemporary Art).
According to the job advert:
We are looking for an experienced socially-engaged practitioner to join Birmingham Museums Trust as Senior Curatorial Fellow of Modern and Contemporary Art.
This role will lead on initiatives to connect diverse communities with Birmingham’s significant collections of modern and contemporary art, as well as working closely with artists and arts organisations to support the city’s and region’s ambitions around contemporary art practice.
With a focus on collaboration, the postholder will contribute to collections research, development, acquisitions, and displays.
The position comes with a salary of £40,000 per annum and applications must be in by 9th November 2025.
Good luck if you're applying!
