Advancing Women Artists (AWA) to Close
December 9 2020
Picture: AWA
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Wall Street Journal has reported on the sad news that the not-for-profit organisation Advancing Women Artists is set to close.
The project was begun in 2009 after receiving a sizeable donation by philanthropist Jane Fortune. Its purpose was to fund research into and restoration projects for the works of female artists from history. It seems that despite the best efforts of the organisation they have been unable to find a donor to secure their future.
This news is rather surprising and sad, particularly as our own age is currently relishing in the opportunity to readdress the lives and works of formerly underappreciated women artists. The popularity of the Artemisia exhibition in London is a fine example of that.
Jordaens Uncovered in Brussels District Hall
December 9 2020
Video: Royal Museum of Fine Arts Belgium
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A district hall in Brussels has discovered a genuine painting by Jacob Jordaens in their collections. The Holy Family, of which several autograph versions are known, was discovered after an inventory was commissioned by the Royal Institute of Cultural Heritage. The painting will be redisplayed in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels next year.
Note - The above video is available with English subtitles by clicking through the menu.
Scrubbed or Unfinished (?)
December 8 2020
Picture: Bernaerts Auctions
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Here's a detail of a sixteenth century painting that was posted by @AuctionRadar on his Twitter account. The anonymous group portrait sold for €7,000 over its €1,500 estimate at Bernaerts Auction in Antwerp today.
You'll notice that the condition of this picture is rather mystifying. Was it simply that the painting was left unfinished and in a sketchy state? Or was it scrubbed down by some overzealous conservator at some point in the last few centuries? There are some loose brush strokes evident to suggest the former, but others to suggest the latter.
Or was it for some other reason? I thought this might be a fun opportunity to share one of my favourite anecdotes about Sir Joshua Reynolds who was obsessed with the techniques and materials of earlier masters. His quest for greater understanding took him to some rather dark places at times. James Northcote, his pupil, later wrote this about him:
In his [Reynolds's] investigations also into the secrets used by the old masters, he was indefatigable. I remember once, in particular, a fine Parmegiano, that I bought by his order at a sale, which he rubbed and scoured down to the very panel on which it had been painted, so that at last nothing remained of the picture.
I've wondered if he learnt anything from this destructive experience?
Stolen Vermeer Spotted (?)
December 8 2020
Picture: BBC
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A reader has been in touch with exciting news about the potential whereabouts of the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum's stolen Vermeer.
The Concert was nabbed from the Boston Museum in a notable heist in 1990. Despite several leads, the whereabouts of this picture has never been established. In a twist of fate, it seems to have reappeared in the home of Carlo Boreal, villain of the BBC's drama series His Dark Materials (pictured). Let's hope someone in the television company kept his contact details for the Art Crime Investigation Squad.
John Trevor Hayes (1929-2005) Archive Online
December 8 2020
Picture: NPG
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Paul Mellon Centre has announced that it has catalogued the archive of the late John Trevor Hayes (1929-2005). Hayes was Director of the National Portrait Gallery between the years 1974-1994 and was a leading scholar on the work of Thomas Gainsborough. His archival collection of correspondence, notes, images and text drafts will be of great interest to anyone concerned with Gainsborough but also the likes artists such as Graham Sutherland.
The archive has been catalogued and uploaded to their website where you can search through the lists of documents with ease.
Crisis in Dutch Restitutions Commission
December 8 2020
Picture: ArtDaily.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
ArtDaily.com have reported on the ongoing crisis within the Dutch Restitutions Committee in the Netherlands.
Two members of the panel of seven have resigned after the publishing of a report claiming that the commission is moving in the wrong direction. Much of the problems revolve around the interpretation of policy regarding the commission's principle of being able to 'balance interests'. Some have claimed that several rulings in the past eight years have been weighted towards Museums rather than the heirs of claimants.
Lawyer Jacob Kohnstamm is quoted in the article as saying:
If it’s looted art and there’s an heir, the interests of the museum shouldn’t be taken into account... We’re trying to strive for justice.
The remaining members of the panel have welcomed the constructive criticisms in the report.
Sotheby's Old Masters sent to Dubai
December 8 2020
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Thenationalnews.com has published an interesting story that Sotheby's will be sending their top-ticket Old Master Paintings to Dubai for one day. On the 16th December 2020 interested parties will be able to see the $80m Botticelli and the $20-30m Rembrandt that are coming up in their New York sales. The paintings will be on display in the auction house's premises in the DIFC area of the city (pictured).
After having been told how much it costs to send such works to such temporary exhibitions, it is quite amazing to consider the extravagance of such a short trip! I suppose the ongoing COVID crisis has played its part, but it also highlights how important these new markets are for these significant old masters.
Velázquez in the Burlington Magazine
December 8 2020
Picture: The Burlington Magazine
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Readers of The Burlington Magazine are in for a treat this month. The most recent edition of the publication includes an article on a newly discovered painting of the Immaculate Conception by Diego Velázquez. The work's reappraisal was decided after the painting was cleaned. The image above shows the painting before and after treatment. Peter Cherry's article also includes details regarding another picture of the Education of the Virgin catalogued 'Attributed to Velázquez' in the collection of Yale Art Gallery.
Sleeper Alert!
December 4 2020
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The above painting of Saint Paul catalogued as 'Studio of Rubens' made €201,600 over its €20k - €30k estimate yesterday at Sotheby's Paris.
The cataloguing gives a very interesting account of the thought process behind the attribution. The matter is complicated further by the fact that the original central panel had been added to in the past, which was the fate of many head studies by Rubens and Van Dyck. Despite its rejection by the current Rubens authorities, I personally find it a very compelling image indeed.
A brief aside...
December 3 2020
Picture: Hampel Fine Art Auction
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
As I've just contributed my 500th post for AHN, I wanted to thank you all for sticking with this blog. My special thanks for those of you who have been in touch with suggestions for stories, comments and messages of encouragement.
I do hope AHN continues to be of interest and provides some sort of refuge during these awfully strange times we're living in. I for one cannot wait to get back to visiting some Old Master previews and in front of some paintings again.
As ever, do get in touch if you have a story, piece of research or project that is worth highlighting. The contributions of readers keeps this blog alive as much as anything else!
Formerly Confiscated Sorolla Turns up at Sotheby's (?)
December 3 2020
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
In October I posted a story regarding a large painting by Joaquín Sorolla that had been confiscated by the Spanish authorities in Brussels. Antes de la corrida (Before the Bullfight) was painted in c.1900 and is a rare example of the artist's interest in the genre. The reports back in October suggested that it was seized due to an insolvency crime. It now looks as if the Spanish authorities have handed the picture back to its owner, as it is featured the upcoming Sotheby's European Art Sale carrying an estimate of £650,000 - £850,000.
Hiscox Online Art Trade Rerpot (pt.2)
December 3 2020
Picture: Hiscox
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The insurance company Hiscox have published the second part of their 2020 Online Trade Report. The report is absolutely free to read.
Some of the most interesting facts contained within:
- A majority of millennial and new buyers have expressed increased confidence in buying art online since the COVID crisis.
- Eight out of ten new buyers have purchased art works online between March and September 2020.
- More than 55% of buyers have purchased art through online auctions, compared with 37% last year.
- Over two-thirds of respondents expressed that Instagram was their social media platform of choice for art.
Georges de La Tour at Lempertz
December 3 2020
Video: Lempertz
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The German auction house Lempertz has released the following video highlighting a work by Georges de La Tour in an upcoming sale. A Girl Blowing on a Brazier will be featured in their Bischoff Collection sale on 8th December 2020 and will carry an estimate of €3m - €4m. Works by de La Tour rarely come onto the market, so we'll see how much this painting fetches! It's quite astounding that this painting last made £17,850 when it last came up for sale at Christie's in 1975.
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As a side note, and speaking as someone who is particularly sensitive to music, I wonder why on earth they picked Handel's Zadok the Priest to accompany this mysterious chiaroscuro scene? Considering how much wonderfully haunting and beautiful seventeenth century music there is out there, I find this very eighteenth century piece rather jarring.
Update - The painting made €3,600,000 (hammer price).
Louvre Acquires Tiepolo Ceiling Painting
December 2 2020
Picture: Louvre
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Louvre in Paris has announced that it has acquired a ceiling painting by Giambattista Tiepolo. Juno in the Midst of Clouds, dating to c.1735, was originally commissioned for the Sagredo Palace in Venice. It was dismantled from its original position in the late nineteenth century where it eventually made its way to Paris. The large scale oil on canvas was acquired from a private collection at a cost of €1.5m and plugs a gap in the museum's collection of Venetian painting. The purchase was made possible by a generous donation from the Amis du Louvre.
Client Confidentiality Overturned in London Court
December 2 2020
Picture: The Art Newspaper
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Art Newspaper has reported on a ruling by London's High Court to overturn client confidentiality in relation to a fraud case.
The story revolves around a painting by Paul Signac which passed through the hands of the convicted New York art dealer Timothy Sammons. Sammons had helped broker the sale of the $4.85m picture owned by collector Linda Hickox through the London dealer Simon Dickinson. Sammons failed to pay Hickox after the eventual sale, and so the collector has pursued Dickinson in the courts to find out who the painting was sold to. The court in London ruled in favour of Hickox and Dickinson has since handed over the information.
Although court's decision is this particular case seems entirely reasonable, client confidentiality is and has forever been one of the corner stones of the art market. We'll wait and see if this ruling has any long term implications on the trade.
Irina Antonova (1922-2020)
December 2 2020
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
There have been lots of extended articles in the press celebrating the life of the recently deceased Russian art historian and curator Irina Antonova (1922-2020). Antonova served as Director of the Pushkin Museum in Moscow between the years 1961-2013 (!) and staged several exhibitions of Western Art in the Soviet Union during the 1970s. Her insistence of bringing cubist and impressionist works out of the vaults of Russian museums proved a significant moment in the reappraisal of European art in the country.
Sixteenth Century Flemish Miniature Soars
December 2 2020
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Here's a work of art that has received a lot of worthy attention over the past few weeks. This exceptional miniature on vellum, given to the Flemish artist Simon Bening, achieved £1,467,000 (inc. commission) over its £150k - £250k estimate yesterday at Sotheby's. Such quality and condition of a work this age is rarely ever matched. The catalogue note is a must read.
As a side note, it would have been interesting to know exactly how the decision was made to include the work within a Music, Books and Manuscript sale rather than a traditional Old Master Paintings auction. One might imagine that the appeal of such an impressive work would stretch beyond the usually boundaries of manuscript collectors. Alternatively, might a such a delicate work have been lost in a full blown Old Masters sale?
Conserving the National Gallery's Oldest Painting
December 1 2020
Video: The National Gallery, London
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National Gallery in London has published the above video describing recent work undertaken by Kristina Mandy to conserve Margarito d'Arezzo's The Virgin and Child Enthroned, with Narrative Scenes. Dating to 1263-4 this painting is the oldest in the National Gallery's collection.
The Watercolours that Inspired Developments in Photography
December 1 2020
Picture: Watercolourworld.org
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Times has run an amusing story relating to the artistic jealousy of William Henry Fox Talbot (d.1877). It was while producing watercolours alongside his wife in the 1830s when Talbot decided that his efforts (pictured) were a "melancholic" mess and needed vast improvement.
It was this failure which is said to have inspired his experiments with early cameras. He eventually laid down ground-breaking work in the negative-positive process which became a key element of modern photography.
Lacock Abbey, now owned by the National Trust, have completed digitising over 1,000 watercolours from the Talbot family collection. The results of this brilliant work have been published on Watercolourworld.org, and really are worth having a look through.
Desmond Shawe-Taylor on Vermeer and Lotto
December 1 2020
Video: Royal Collection Trust
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Royal Collection Trust has posted another interesting video on some of the Queen's pictures that will feature in Masterpieces from Buckingham Palace. In this particular example we hear Desmond Shawe-Taylor, Surveyor of the Queen's Pictures, giving some thoughts on Realism, Use of Materials, Design and Expression in two works by Vermeer and Lorenzo Lotto.
