Christina, Queen of Sweden's Titian Coming up for Sale
April 5 2022
Picture: Dorotheum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Dorotheum auction house in Vienna have announced that they will be offering a rediscovered Titian later in May. The painting of The Penitent Magdalen, of which many versions are known, was in the collection of Christina (1626-1689), Queen of Sweden during the seventeenth century. The provenance of the work is rather intriguing, as it later passed into the collections of Pierre Crozat and later Philippe II Duke of Orleans. It finally arrived in Britain during the 1790s. The attribution has been supported by Professor Paul Joannides and the exact provenance was researched and established by Dr Carlo Corsato.
The painting will be offered for sale on 11th May 2022 carrying an estimate of €1m - €1.5m.
Oh, and a pair of Kauffmans too!
April 1 2022
Picture: gov.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
They are coming thick and fast these days! Apologies, I forgot to spot last week's announcement that a pair of group portraits by Angelica Kauffman have also been subject to a temporary export bar by the UK Government.
The pair of Group Portraits of Mr and Mrs Joseph May and their Children have been valued at £1.5m. They were sold several times during the nineteenth-century and have descended with various families during the twentieth.
According to Committee Member Professor Mark Hallett:
Angelica Kauffman was one of the most important painters working in late eighteenth-century Britain and this is an especially interesting example of her output. Though the artist is justly celebrated for her subject pictures, Kauffman’s portraits are equivalently complex and ambitious in character. This double portrait of the May family, in which Mary May is pictured with her daughters, and Joseph May with his sons, is extremely unusual in splitting up its male and female subjects in such a direct way. At the same time, Kauffman’s adept handling of composition ensures that the two pictures elegantly complement each other. As well as having a powerful aesthetic appeal, the paintings offer a sensitive pictorial meditation on parental and sibling relationships, and on the different stages of childhood. For all these reasons, they make a powerful contribution to our understanding of Georgian portraiture.
Any interested institutions will have until 24th July 2022 to find £1.5m to keep the works in the country.
Temporary Export Bar on £10m Courtauld Cézanne
April 1 2022
Picture: gov.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The UK Goverment has placed a temporary export bar on a £10m Cézanne. The painting of Ferme Normande, Été (Hattenville) (1882) was acquired by Samuel Courtauld in 1937 for £2,500 and was later bequeathed to Christabel McLaren, Lady Aberconway. It seems that the work had been on loan to the gallery since the 1990s.
According to Committee Member Christopher Baker:
“Paul Cézanne’s (1839-1906) status as a bridge between the traditions of 19th-century painting and modernism is unrivalled. In his delightful ‘Farm in Normandy, Summer (Hattenville)’ the artist employed intense, free brushstrokes to evoke the dappled light, shadows and myriad green hues of trees and a meadow, anticipating later, key developments in his artistic evolution, when the abstract structures underpinning nature were gradually given greater prominence. The picture is also significant in the context of the artist’s career, as the farm depicted was acquired in the year Cézanne painted it by Victor Chocquet (1821-1891), his first important patron and a key champion of impressionism.
In addition to these themes, it forms part of the very important story of British taste for international art in the 20th century. Cézanne’s landscape was purchased in 1937 by Samuel Courtauld (1876-1947), as the last of a remarkable group of twelve paintings by the artist Courtauld acquired: he played a seminal role in establishing an enthusiasm for impressionist and post-impressionist painting in Britain both through his own collecting and generous funding of major pictures secured for the National Gallery in the 1920s.
Because of its beauty, significance in the artist’s career, and role in the wider appreciation of such artistic achievements, it would be a profound misfortune if this beguiling work could not be retained in this country.”
Any interested institution will have until 31st July 2022 to find the £10m to keep it in the country.
Louvre swoops in to block Chardin Sale
April 1 2022
Picture: Artcurial
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The curious pre-emption system in France has once again swooped in to block the sale of a valuable work of art. The Art Newspaper has published news that the aforementioned €24.4m Chardin, purchased by New York dealer Adam Williams on behalf of an unknown client, has been blocked by a pre-emption from the Louvre. The French museum now has two and a half years to try and find the money to keep the painting in the country.
As it happens, the Louvre already has fourty paintings by the artist in its collection. A quick collections search shows that all of them, apart from four, are currently on public display. This is a most impressive statistic.
Rembrandt, not Flinck
April 1 2022
Picture: Gemäldegalerie
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Gemäldegalerie in Berlin have announced that their Landscape with Arched Bridge is by Rembrandt after all. A reassessment of the picture, instigated by a David Hockney exhibition it seems, has concluded that the work is by Rembrandt's own hand. The picture had been given to Govaert Flinck for many years until recent technical analysis has proven otherwise.
According to the article linked above:
X-rays showing changes and corrections that had been made to the work helped confirm Rembrandt as its creator. [Berlin curator Katja] Kleinert said experts were unanimous in their verdict.
Comparisons were made with a very similar composition by Rembrandt, called Landscape with Stone Bridge at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, which the Gemäldegalerie’s director, Dagmar Hirschfeld – herself a Rembrandt expert – said shared hallmarks typical for him.
“You quite often get pairs of paintings, where you have the impression he is trying to do the same again, but in another style of painting or to optimise what he has already achieved,” she said. Analysis of the painting in Berlin, which the gallery acquired in 1924, showed how Rembrandt had made radical changes to the work during its creation, including shifting the position of a storm cloud, reducing the size of a hill and making changes to a group of trees. These processes in turn made the painting more compact and dense.
The landscape will be featured in the gallery's latest exhibition David Hockney – Landscapes in Dialogue.
The Art Newspaper is Hiring!
April 1 2022
Picture: TAN
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Art Newspaper's London office are looking for an Editorial Assistant.
According to the job advert:
The Art Newspaper looking for an Editorial Assistant who is full of ideas, energy and a passion for visual art to support our editorial teams in London and New York. They will work closely with the digital team to help source and publish daily news as well as assist with administrative tasks for the monthly print newspaper and additional supplements. Developing and publishing social media content will be a key task. Time management and organisational skills are essential to this busy role as is a basic understanding of both art history and the art industry.
Applications and CVs (accompanied by your own salary expectations) must be in by 6th April 2022.
Good luck if you're applying!
Religious Artworks Restored at the Museo de la Semana Santa de Cuenca
April 1 2022
Picture: Museo de la Semana Santa de Cuenca
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Museo de la Semana Santa de Cuenca (The Museum of Holy Week) in Spain have just opened an exhibition dedicated to a set of restored religious works of art. Jewels of the Passion features five works from various parishes that have been brought back to life through a vast conservation project.
Click here for an online catalogue (in Spanish) of the exhibition, which features quite a few interesting photos during the various stages of conservation.
The show will run from 31st March 2022 until 22nd May 2022.
I think this 'before and after' of a set of three anonymous sixteenth-century panels is rather striking! If only the revealed picture was of better quality:
Royal Albert Hall joins NFT bandwagon
April 1 2022
Picture: Royal Albert Hall
Posted by Bendor
The Royal Albert Hall has decided to enter the NFT market. The disturbing news was revealed on their website today:
“Think MySpace squared,” said the Hall’s chief executive, Craig O’Follipar. “We’re talking Yahoo! in five dimensions. Our ultimate goal is to build a framework of millennial policy hardware featuring synchronised matrix approaches, in collaboration with the world’s leading performers. We’ve already got two of G4 on board, and the other two are interested.
”The NFTs depict a dozen unforgettable moments in the venue’s storied history, including on-stage appearances from the likes of Queen Victoria, Adele and Matt Goss.
Problematic Dave, who has previously worked with brands like Iowa Special Meat and Iowa Dog Track, said the chance to collaborate with one of the world’s most renowned venues was a dream come true. “Yeah, it’s been alright,” he said.
More here.
Update - this was of course an April Fools. But just day's later, the actual Treasury here in the UK has said it really is getting in on the NFT craze. Crazy. More here.
Raphael at the National Gallery
March 30 2022
Video: The National Gallery, London
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National Gallery in London will be opening their long-awaited Raphael exhibition next week. Here's a short trailer which provides an idea of which masterpieces visitors will encounter.
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Speaking as someone who is rather sensitive to music, I'm surprised why no exquisite and dramatic sixteenth-century Italian polyphony was employed within this video (!)
The Prado are Asking for a Hand...
March 30 2022
Picture: @museodelprado
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
In case any readers have a little spare time on their hands, The Prado in Madrid are looking for some help in picking images for new posters that will decorate the entrances of the museum. Click through the link above to cast your vote.
Online Lecture: Big-Bellied Women: Portraying Pregnancy in 16th and 17th Century England
March 30 2022
Picture: The MET
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Agnes Etherington Art Centre in Kingston, Ontario Canada, will be hosting an interesting in-person and live-streamed lecture next month. Professor Karen Hearn will be presenting Queen's University's Isabel and Alfred Bader Lecture in European Art on the subject of Big-Bellied Women: Portraying Pregnancy in 16th and 17th-Century England.
According to the talk's blurb:
Join celebrated art historian and curator Karen Hearn for “Big-Bellied Women: Portraying Pregnancy in 16th and 17th-Century England,” an exploration of early modern depictions of pregnancy in British art. Hearn, a former curator at Tate Britain and honorary professor at University College London, argues many early modern works depicted pregnancy overtly, contrary to previous thought, for a variety of reasons and motivations.
This free talk will be streamed online on 14th April 2022 from 6pm - 8pm (EDT). Click on the link above for more details.
Magic of the Real: Bernardo Bellotto at the Saxon court
March 30 2022
Picture: gemaeldegalerie.skd.museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden will be opening an exhibition on Bellotto later in May. Magic of the Real: Bernardo Bellotto at the Saxon court will see the reunion of several large scale works by the painter made possible by several important international loans.
The show will run in Dresden from 21st May 2022 until 28th August 2022. It will then head across to the Royal Castle in Warsaw later in September.
Bonhams April Sale
March 30 2022
Picture: Bonhams
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Bonhams London have uploaded the online catalogue for their April Old Master Paintings sale. This live auction will take place on 12th April 2022.
As usual, there are quite a few intriguing and unrestored pictures to peruse through. I won't spoil the fun by pointing out any that may or may not be interesting.
New 'Restoration' Scandal in France
March 29 2022
Picture: france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News has been emerging from Chatonrupt-Sommermont in the Haute-Marne, North-Eastern France, of a rather curious restoration scandal. The story revolves around a town Mayor who commissioned a retired soldier called Patrick Quercy to 'restore' a set of nineteenth-century Stations of the Cross. These rather damaged paintings had recently been rediscovered in the bell tower of an old church. Quercy's work had been featured on a regional news programme where several commentators spotted that the work was far from satisfactory (see the comparisons above). Didier Rykner of La Tribune de l'Art used words such as 'vandalism' and a 'massacre' to describe this most misguided campaign of restoration. He has also drawn attention to the vulnerable position that so many religious artworks of 'no commercial value' are placed in.
Art Basel & UBS Art Market Report
March 29 2022
Picture: artbasel.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Art Basel and UBS have just published their 2022 Art Market Report (click on the link to read the free report in full). As to be expected, the report is full of rather interesting statistics.
Here are just a handful of noteworthy points I've picked out from the paper:
1. After a decline of 20% in 2020, aggregate sales in the dealer sector reached an estimated $34.7 billion in 2021, increasing by 18% year-on-year, but still below the level of 2019.
2. After a challenging year in 2020, the auction sector rebounded strongly in 2021, with high demand and strong sales both online and offline, particularly at the high end of the market, as well as an influx of new buyers. Sales at public auction of fine and decorative art and antiques reached an estimated $26.3 billion, an increase of 47% on 2020.
3. The largest international auction hubs remained the US, China, and the UK, with a dominant share of 78% of public auction sales by value. China was the largest market with a 33% share (down by 3% year-on-year), marginally ahead of the US (32%).
4. Just 6% of dealers had sold NFTs in 2021. A further 19% had not sold NFTs but were interested in doing so in the next one to two years, whereas just under half (46%) reported that they had not done so and had no interest in doing so in future. The remaining 29% were unsure whether they would sell NFTs in future or not.
Click here to read a full write-up from The Art Newspaper.
'Maddalena-il mistero e l'immagine' in Forlì
March 29 2022
Picture: teatrionline.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Visitors to Forlì, an Italian town close to Ravenna, will have the opportunity to visit a brand-new exhibition on representations of Saint Mary Magdalene. The show entitled Maddalena-il mistero e l'immagine, organised by the Musei di San Domenico, contains no fewer than 200 works featuring the saint. This includes works by the likes of Masaccio, Crivelli, Van der Weyden, Signorelli, Bellini, Perugino, Barocci, Savoldo, Mazzoni, Titian, Veronese, Tintoretto, Guercino, Vouet, Guido Reni, Lanfranco, Mengs, Canova, Hayez, Delacroix, Böcklin, Previati, Chagall and others.
The exhibition will run from 27th March 2022 until 10th July 2022.
New Release: Bernini and His World
March 29 2022
Picture: Lund Humphries
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Publisher Lund Humphries released this new book last week. Bernini and His World: Sculpture and Sculptors in Early Modern Rome is the new title written by Livio Pestilli, the former Director of Trinity College, Rome.
According to the book's blurb:
Bernini and His World is a unique exploration of Gian Lorenzo Bernini the sculptor, offering new insights and including discussions of the artist’s stylistic innovations and the ways in which he approached sculpture. Placing his life and work within a social, anthropological and historical context, Livio Pestilli gives a fascinating and in-depth account, from the Rome in which Bernini lived and its reception of foreign sculptors to the myth-making narrative of his biographers, and the judgements of his critics.
Beckford's Deathbed Portrait purchased by Tower Museum
March 24 2022
Picture: Beckford's Tower and Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Beckford's Tower and Museum on the edge of Bath have acquired its former owner's rather macabre Deathbed Portrait. The image of William Beckford (1760-1840), painted by Willes Maddox and dated to four years after his death, was purchased by the Bath Preservation Trust and will be put on display next month.
According to the accompanying press release:
The portrait, which has been in the same private collection for many years, is a gilt framed oval picture of William Beckford on his deathbed, surrounded by brass and giltwood decorations that match those used on his coffin. It was made for Beckford’s daughter, Susan, Duchess of Hamilton following her father’s death in May 1844.
Sotheby's April Sale
March 24 2022
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Many of you might have spotted that Sotheby's London have uploaded their upcoming mid-season sale. This online auction will be held between 31st March and 6th April 2022. Amongst the highlights are portraits descended with the Marquess of Downshire and a choice selection of English sporting pictures.
As usual with these very tempting mid-season sales, I won't spoil any fun by pointing out pictures that may or may not be interesting.
MET Actors Recreate Las Meninas
March 24 2022
Picture: @metoperaactors
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Re-creating historical paintings never goes out of fashion, it seems. The actors of the Metropolitan Opera in New York have recreated Diego Velázquez's Las Meninas to help promote their latest production of Verdi's Don Carlos. A good effort, I think!
