£65m of Objects Accepted in Lieu of Tax
December 21 2020
Picture: North Hertfordshire Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Antiques Trade Gazette have published an article on the bumper year for art entering public collections as part of the acceptance in lieu scheme. In 2020 £65m worth of objects were accepted settling £40m in tax. This includes works by the likes of William Blake, Marc Chagall, Frank Auerbach and Spencer Gore (pictured).
The Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp is Hiring!
December 21 2020
Picture: via. earchitect.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Antwerp is looking to hire an Artistic Director.
The role will work closely alongside the museum's General Director in developing an artistic approach to exhibitions, research, publications and public relations. You'll need at least a Master's Degree, relevant work experience, and language skills in Flemish, Dutch, English and French. No salary is indicated.
Applications must be in by 17th January 2021. Good luck if you're applying!
New Rules for Saving UK Cultural Treasures
December 21 2020
Picture: The Guardian
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The UK Government has announced new rules to help save cultural treasures for UK Museums.
Owners of culturally significant objects, which are subject to a temporary export ban, will now be subject to a legally binding clause to accept an offer from an institution who matches the sale price. Surprisingly, this was previously only covered by a 'gentleman's agreement' which meant owners could pull out at the last minute if they so desired.
The aborted bid by the National Gallery to save the above portrait by Pontormo in 2017 is quoted as one of the examples where the previous system had failed.
The National Gallery's director Gabriele Finaldi is quoted as saying:
I welcome the new rules that remove the ambiguities that have led to major works of art being lost to the nation. The clarity will be beneficial to museums and vendors alike.
We'll wait and see what consequences these new rules have for future bids.
Courtauld Gallery Receives £10m for Refurbishment
December 17 2020
Picture: The Art Newspaper
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Art Newspaper has reported on news that the Courtauld Institute of Art has received a £10m donation from the Ukrainian magnate Leonard Blavatnik. The donation will go towards the refurbishment of the institute's Great Room in Somerset House which is currently undergoing an extensive refurbishment. This newly decorated space will house Samuel Courtauld's famous collection of Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist masterpieces (the image above is an architect's rendering).
The refurbished galleries should reopen later in 2021.
National Museum of Wales Acquires Two French Pictures
December 17 2020
Picture: National Museum of Wales
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National Museum of Wales in Cardiff is having a bumper year for acquisitions so it seems. They recently acquired two important nineteenth century French pictures as part of the lieu in tax scheme. The first is the above landscape by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot of La Route aux Boucherons, Arleux-du-Nord. The second is a Portrait of Monsieur Jules Dejouy by Edouard Manet dating to 1879.
Andrew Renton, Keeper of Art at Amgueddfa Cymru, is quoted as saying:
It’s well known that Amgueddfa Cymru houses one of the world’s great collections of 19th- and early 20th-century French art, thanks to the generous bequests of the sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, so Manet’s portrait of Jules Dejouy will be very much at home here. l’m sure visitors to the Museum will be thrilled to see it, and I’m really looking forward to it hanging on the wall next to other paintings by Manet and his contemporaries.
Murillo Attribution Dispute
December 15 2020
Picture: artnews.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Artnews.com have reported on a public dispute that is unfolding in Seville, Spain, over the attribution of a painting found in the city's San Vicente Mártir parish Church.
The above Immaculate Conception underwent a large conservation project in 2019 where experts were consulted in regards to who might have painted it. Ignacio Cano, curator of the Museum of Fine Arts in Seville, had claimed that the work was in fact by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and dating from 1640-45. However, Enrique Valdivieso, Professor of art history at the Hispalense University and Murillo expert, has disagreed.
The article goes on to quote Valdivieso:
“It doesn’t seem to me that this Immaculate Conception belongs to Murillo. It lacks the characteristics that are present in youthful works by Murillo.” He also claimed not to have noticed the “inescapable influence” of Murillo’s early teacher, Juan del Castillo, in the work.
Here is a story from July of this year about another contested work by Murillo.
Sotheby's vs. Christie's
December 15 2020
Picture: prnewswire.co.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Artmarket.com, via. prsnewswire.co.uk, have presented an interesting report on the comparison between Sotheby's and Christie's as of this year. According to their graphs it shows that Sotheby's has opened up a large lead against their rivals in 2020. Albeit, this year was quite an unusual one for both companies as the graph also shows.
The article quotes Thierry Ehrmann, President and Founder of Artmarket.com, who says:
The global supremacy of Sotheby's and Christie's on the international art market should not make us forget that the two houses only handle 6% of the fine art lots offered at auction. The two houses have however acquired a virtual monopoly on results above $20 million in the West. Their rivalry is historic and has been reflected in the closely correlated development of their respective revenues over the past 30 years.
Dorotheum Sleeper!
December 15 2020
Picture: Dorotheum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Imagine the shock of the staff at the Dorotheum auction house in Vienna today, after this painting catalogued as 'Follower of Govaert Flinck' made €320,500 (inc. commission) over its €8k - €12k estimate.
I remember trying to zoom into the faded signature on their website last week and wondering whether it was much better than the work of a follower. I do recommend zooming right into the details of the face and beard, which seem to be rather finely painted to me!
Christie's Results
December 15 2020
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
This evening's Old Master Paintings Evening Sale at Christie's London managed to achieve £22,816,750 (inc. commission) with 86.37% of lots sold. Three lots were withdrawn before the sale, including the highly estimated £3m - £5m Bernardino Luini.
The lots that did sell sold rather well. Here are a few of the highlights. By far the top lot was Domenico Ghirlandaio Salvator Mundi, which made £2,180,500 (inc. commission) over its £300k - £500k estimate. This lot really was always going to do well, and one waits to see if the new owner will have the very yellowed varnish carefully removed. It's also rather fortunate that the pre-war provenance that this blog highlighted didn't get in the way of it coming to sale.
The large De Heem still life was hammered down at £4.8m over its £4m - £6m estimate. A Rachel Ruysch floral still life made £412,500 (inc. commission) over its £100k - £150k estimate. A portrait of a Lady by Bartolome Gonzalez y Serrano made £237,500 (inc. commission) over its £50k - £80k estimate. Finally, the finely painted Frans van Mieris Drummer Boy made £1,450,000 (hammer price) over its £800k - £1.2m estimate. Two very nice pictures by John Constable also managed to break their top estimates after commission is factored in.
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It seems that Christie's managed to achieve no less than double the value of paintings sold by Sotheby's last week. Overall, it seems that Christie's may have had the more commercially attractive paintings this time.
This will all be forgot when the bumper January sales come up. How much exactly will the Sotheby's Botticelli and Rembrandt achieve? I'm sure the amounts will make headlines around the world as soon as they are sold.
Renaissance Toe Phenomenon in BMJ
December 14 2020
Picture: BMJ
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The prestigious BMJ (formerly known as the British Medical Journal) have published a curious article by François Sellal MD. on the so-called Babinski sign in Renaissance Paintings.
The 'Babinski' toe phenomenon is an officially recognised phenomenon in the medical profession that happens to new-borns whose pyramidal tract is not fully developed at birth. This can cause the toes of new-born babies to be raised upwards. It seems that this phenomenon has been observed in many Renaissance paintings.
Sellal's article concludes in his results that:
An unquestionable upgoing toe was apparent in 90 (30%) of the 302 paintings. The Babinski sign was present in more than 60% of Christ Child paintings by Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Memling, Martin Schongauer, and Matthias Grünewald. A bilateral Babinski sign was observed in three paintings. Stimulation of the sole was noted in 48/90 (53%) paintings and was always present in paintings by Andrea del Verrocchio, Leonardo da Vinci, and Giorgione. No association existed between the presence of the Babinski sign and the period during which the painter was active.
The article's author muses on whether this was an attempt by artists to bring greater realism to their infant figures, rather than simply idealising them. Or alternatively, and which corresponds to my own thoughts, was this simply a mannerist stylistic choice?
I suppose this is a rather fun piece for Christmas, especially for medical researchers who've had quite a lot on their plate this year. However, and as I often remind myself, paintings are not photographs. Thus, we must always exert some caution.
Accademia Carrara Acquires Fra Galgario Portrait
December 14 2020
Picture: Accademia Carrara
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A reader from Italy has been in touch to share news that The Accademia Carrara has acquired a rather fine portrait by Fra Galgario (1655-1743).
As the museum's press release explains:
The museum has thirty works by the great Bergamo-born master, who spent most of his life in the city, after studying in Venice. The painting has now found its ideal setting, alongside the other works by Galgario, expanding the series of portraits that show off society as it was at the time, with realistic insight and a superb mastery of ornamentation.
€280,000 Tanguy Saved from Bin
December 14 2020
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
This might rank within the top three most bizarre art stories of the year. A German Police Inspector (pictured) has managed to rediscover a €280,000 painting by surrealist Yves Tanguy in a recycling bin in Düsseldorf Airport. It seems the painting was forgotten by a passenger who was boarding a plane to Tel Aviv. The work was contained within a cardboard box and was seemingly disposed of in the recycling. One arriving in Israel, the owner made a desperate attempt to contact the German airport, where the painting was later rediscovered in the airport's bins.
The German Police are quoted:
"This was definitely one of our happiest stories this year," police spokesman Andre Hartwig told the Associated Press. "It was real detective work."
Spanish Museum Returns Paintings to Poland
December 14 2020
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Ponteverda Museum in Galicia, Spain, has returned two paintings to Poland after it was proven they were stolen by the Nazis in 1944. The paintings, versions of Ecce Homo and Dolorosa by Dieric Bouts, had been part of the Czartoryski Collection before the war.
According to news reports:
The paintings were taken from Warsaw in 1944 and appeared on the art market in Madrid in 1973, where they were purchased by a patron of the museum, Fernando Lopez, for his personal collection. In 1994, the diptych was purchased by the museum for a price currently equivalent to EUR 23,000.
Spanish Art in Georgia
December 14 2020
Picture: Bob Jones University Museum & Gallery
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
It looks like the inhabitants of Athens, Georgia, are in for a treat with a new exhibition dedicated to Spanish Art. Power and Piety in 17th Century Spanish Art is opening within The University of Georgia's Museum of Art, and will include paintings by the likes of Francisco de Zurbarán, José Antolínez, Pedro Orrente, the workshop of Bartolomé Esteban Murillo and Francisco de Herrera the Elder. For those of you who can't make it, the museum are also putting on a few free Zoom talks to coincide with the exhibition.
Sleeper Alert!
December 14 2020
Picture: Burstow & Hewett Auctioneers
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Reader Luke Bodalbhai has been in touch regarding the above painting of a Man with a Bugle, catalogued as '18th Century' which realised £52,000 over its £200-£300 estimate last Friday at Burstow & Hewett. It has been tentatively suggested that the painting may by northern European and in fact date to the seventeenth century.
The MET is Hiring!
December 14 2020
Picture: @Metmuseum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York are looking for a Curator in Charge of European Paintings.
As the job statement explains:
The Curator in Charge is the intellectual and administrative leader of the Department of European Paintings, one of the world’s great collections of European painting from about 1250 to the last decades of the 19th century. Cultivating a spirit of strong collaboration and intellectual discourse together with an outstanding team, the Curator in Charge will have the opportunity to reinstall the entire Old Master section of the collection in 2022, and further rethink and improve the presentation of the 19th century galleries.
Candidates will have to have ten years of direct experience, a PhD and a good working knowledge of European languages.
Deadline for applications is 22nd January 2021. Good luck if you're applying!
Coincidentally, here is a page discussing the museum's ongoing European Paintings Skylighting Project and a new display entitled A New Look at Old Masters.
Sassoferrato Cleaned and Upgraded in Frankfurt
December 10 2020
Picture: Städel Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Städel Museum in Frankfurt have posted a blog about a recently upgraded Sassoferrato in their collection. The Maria Immaculata in the picture above had been languishing in the museum's storerooms for decades until it was decided that the painting should be cleaned. The blog contains lots of interesting details regarding the painter's studio process and examines other known versions of the picture.
Sotheby's Results
December 10 2020
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Tonight's Sotheby's December Old Master Paintings Evening Sale realised £10,634,700 (inc. commission) in total. 85.2% of lots sold, excluding four lots that were withdrawn from the sale.
Most of the top lots hammered down around their low estimates, including the Teniers that was hammered down at £3m over its £3m - £5m estimate. Their superb Ruisdael also hammered down at its low estimate of £800,000.
Lots that did particularly well include Hans Eworth's striking portrait of Joan Thornbury which made £983,000 (inc. commission) over its £400k - £600k estimate; a Frans Francken mythological scene made £277,200 (inc. commission) over its £60k - £80k estimate; a Jan Brueghel the Younger flower piece made £252,000 (inc. commission) over its 80k - 120k estimate; and a sturdy Jupiter by Heinrich Friedrich Fuger made £163,800 (inc. commission) over its £40k - £60k estimate.
It's quite clear that Sotheby's New York Old Masters sale will be the one to watch in January (!). Let's hope someone swoops in to save the Countess of Carnarvon with a post-sale offer.
Columbia University are Hiring!
December 9 2020
Picture: columbia.edu
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Columbia University in NY are looking to hire an Assistant Professor in Northern European Art History, ca. 1400-1700.
No details of salary are given,* although the job specs require a PhD. Applications must be in by 5th January 2021.
Good luck if you're applying!
* - This means you can demand your price, surely?!
Renaissance Watercolours at the V&A
December 9 2020
Picture: V&A
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm very much looking forward to visiting the recently opened Renaissance Watercolours exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. This free exhibition brings together a beautiful selection of works on paper and vellum ranging from manuscripts to miniatures and designs for armour to delicate studies of fruit.
Coincidentally, the V&A has also announced that it will be closing two days a week until early 2021. It will now only be possible to visit between Wednesdays and Sundays until further notice. The museum managed to attract 15% of its pre-covid visitor numbers in August and it hopes that by 2021-2022 it will be back to around 50%.
