Tracing Time with Trois Crayons
June 5 2025
Picture: Trois Crayons
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
One of the most memorable selling exhibitions during last year's summer season was the works on paper show put on by Trois Crayons. Thankfully, this year it is back and bigger than before having apparently doubled in size and attracted quite a few new galleries to participate in this works on paper extravaganza.
According to their website:
Tracing Time is the second annual exhibition hosted by Trois Crayons, an innovative platform which aims to increase the awareness, accessibility and visibility of drawings in all their forms. The exhibition will present the finest drawings and masterpieces on paper from renowned galleries and dealers which span the 15th century until the present day. Tracing Time will showcase works by artists such as Hans Rottenhammer, Giovanni Domenico Tiepolo, J.M.W. Turner, Auguste Rodin, Gustav Klimt, Jean Cocteau and Françoise Gilot, and present rare-to-market works.
Latest Burlington Edition
June 4 2025
Picture: burlington.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
June's edition of The Burlington Magazine is filled with quite a few interesting discoveries this month.
Here's a list of the main article contained within:
Art and diplomacy: the embassy of Edward Montagu, 1st Earl of Sandwich, to Spain and Portugal (1666–68) - By Angela Delaforce
Ribera’s philosophers from the Alcalá collection - By Florent de Vernejoul
Two royal portraits by Reynolds rediscovered in Kassel - By Justus Lange,Martin Spies
A rediscovered painting by Sofonisba Anguissola - By Michael Cole
An unpublished letter by Sir Joshua Reynolds - By Giovanna Perini Folesani
Guardi and the English tourist: a postscript - By Francis Russell
A newly discovered early photograph of Camille Claudel - By Sue Bucklow
Howard Burns (1939–2025)
Watteau Drawings at The British Museum
June 4 2025
Picture: The British Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm slow to news that The British Museum opened a new free temporary exhibition of drawings by Watteau last month entitled Colour and line: Watteau drawings.
According to their website:
Watteau won particular renown for the thousands of drawings he produced during his life. Drawing, as contemporaries realised, was his favourite creative outlet, bringing him 'much more pleasure than his finished pictures'. He drew incessantly, and developed ideas about the value of drawing that were every bit as original as his paintings. Instead of making figure studies for a picture as academic practice dictated, Watteau drew speculatively, conceiving ideas that might be slotted into a picture months or even years later. The sheets he produced were to be enjoyed in their own right as the first, freshest iterations of ideas that he thought were dulled when translated into paint.
Nowhere were these qualities more appreciated than in Britain, and over the past two centuries British collectors have endowed the British Museum with one of the finest collections of Watteau drawings in the world. Featuring almost every autograph work in the collection, this display is the first exhibition of the Museum's Watteau holdings to be held since 1980. Its varied contents demonstrate Watteau's extraordinary talent as a draughtsman, his sophisticated, novel approach to drawing, and the prestige that his graphic works enjoyed among Europe's connoisseurs.
The display will run until 14th September 2025.
New Release: Charles-Paul Landon
June 4 2025
Picture: mare et martin
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from the French publishers mare et martin that a new volume on the painter and art critic Charles-Paul Landon (1760-1826) has just been released (spotted via @mweilc). The publication, written by Katell Martineau, appears to focus on both his painterly and written works.
Funded PhDs to Study Classical Architecture at Cambridge
June 4 2025
Picture: cam.ac.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The University of Cambridge are inviting applications for two fully funded doctoral studentships to study Classical Architecture at the Ax:son Johnson Centre for the Study of Classical Architecture (CSCA).
According to their website:
The award(s) will be held in either the Department of History of Art or the Department of Architecture, which jointly form the Faculty of Architecture and History of Art. The projects will be supervised by one of: Dr Frank Salmon (CSCA Director); Assistant Director Dr Elizabeth Deans (CSCA Assistant Director); and Professor James Campbell.
The successful candidate(s) will have defined their own topics and questions, appropriate to the primary research material available and to the research interests, broadly defined, of one of the three specified supervisors (who should be named in the application), as well as to the CSCA mission statement.
Given the international range of classical architecture of the past 600 years, visual and archival research may involve travel and time spent abroad, for which official permission from the University to Work Away would be needed, in addition to the agreement of the Centre’s Director.
Applications must be in by 20th June 2025.
Good luck if you're applying!
Ducal Apartments in Urbino Reopened
June 3 2025
Video: Tele2000
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that the famous apartments of the Dukes of Urbino in the Ducal Palace have reopened after a 7-month research and restoration project. The campaign had included the redisplay of paintings in the Studiolo del Duca, of which 14 'high tech reproductions' were commissioned from the originals which are in the Louvre.
Brueghel & Van Balen at the Musée de Flandre
June 3 2025
Picture: Musée de Flandre
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Musée de Flandre in Cassel, France, opened their latest exhibition dedicated to Brueghel & Van Balen earlier in May. As expected, the display will investigate the relationship and collaborations between both artists, drawing on loans from major museums across Europe.
The show will run until 28th September 2025.
Museo de Arte de Ponce Artworks in Dallas
June 3 2025
Video: Fox4
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm slow to news that the Meadows Museum in Dallas Texas opened a new loan exhibition earlier this year entitled The Sense of Beauty: Six Centuries of Painting from Museo de Arte de Ponce. The show will continue until 22nd June 2025.
Wallace Collection Transformation Ahead
June 3 2025
Picture: The Wallace Collection
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Wallace Collection in London have announced their appointment of Selldorf Architects 'to lead transformational masterplan' of Hertford House.
According to their press release:
This ambitious project will reimagine and revitalise the museum’s spaces for the 21st century, preserving the charm and unique character of the building while improving access, sustainability and visitor experience. The masterplan marks a significant investment in the long-term future of the museum and its ability to connect diverse audiences with one of the world’s most remarkable art collections. [...]
The masterplan will address a wide range of priorities: from improving visitor welcome and circulation to enhancing gallery spaces, creating a new Learning Centre, upgrading environmental conditions and improving accessibility throughout the historic site. There is also potential to reimagine the museum’s dedicated temporary exhibition space, restaurant and event facilities, and for critical improvements to be made to staff and back-of-house areas – all designed with sensitivity to the listed building and its distinctive character.
Update - Bendor adds, 'uh oh'.
Clara Peeters Self Portrait coming up at Sotheby's London
June 2 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
More news regarding the upcoming London Old Master Paintings highlights this evening, as Sotheby's have announced they will be offering what might be the only known Self Portrait by Clara Peeters. The picture was last sold in 1994, when it was presumably with London dealers Rafael Valls (according to the RKD), and will now be offered in July carrying an estimate of £1.2m - £1.8m.
Dobson Self Portrait acquired by Tate and NPG
June 1 2025
Picture: Bonhams
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Waldemar Januszczak in The Sunday Times that William Dobson's earliest Self Portrait has been jointly acquired by Tate and the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London for £2,367,405. The picture had realised £1,106,500 over its £200k - £300k estimate at Bonhams in 2016 where it was acquired for a private collection.
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Fans of the period will know that another Self Portrait by the artist is owned by the Earl of Jersey and is currently on permanent loan to Osterley Park, run by The National Trust. On balance, I'm sure many would agree that the Jersey picture is more interesting and desirable for historical and aesthetic reasons (not to mention its obvious connection to the ex-Jersey collection Van Dyck Self portrait acquired by the NPG in 2014). Might this new acquisition suggest that neither institution might be willing step in to help acquire the Jersey picture, if it indeed ever came up on the market in the future?
Jacob Jordaens Self Portrait and others coming up in July
May 31 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
This is the time of year Old Master addicts like me start to hang around auction house landing pages waiting for glimpes of what is to come in the upcoming London July sales. Amongst the interesting previewed lots at Christie's is this Self Portrait by Jacob Jordaens, which will carry an estimate of £300,000 - £500,000. The entry for the picture on the RKD suggests it was last on the market in the 1960s and has been on permanent loan to Museumslandschaft Hessen Kassel in recent years.
The Sotheby's London landing page shows that they will be offering a signed and dated David and Goliath by Artemisia Gentileschi, presumably the one unveiled by conservator Simon Gillespie in 2020, alongside mentions of works by Clara Peeters (featuring a presumed self portrait), Dirck van Baburen, David de Haen, Vilhelm Hammershøi and Ivan Aivazovsky.
More news as and when it appears.
Getty acquires Giandomenico Tiepolo Head
May 30 2025
Picture: Getty Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm slow to the news that earlier the month the Getty Museum in Los Angeles announced their acquisition of Giandomenico Tiepolo's A bearded man wearing a turban. The work had sold at Christie's New York in January 2024 for $945,000 (inc. commission).
Largest Ever Company Paintings Exhibition Opens in New Delhi
May 30 2025
Video: NDTV
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm slow to news that the largest ever exhibition of East India Company Paintings, ever staged in India that is, has just opened at DAG (a commercial art gallery) in New Delhi.
According to their website:
If we look beyond outmoded prejudices and focus on the accomplishments of Company painting, we will note that this was the moment when Indian artists who had trained in courtly ateliers first moved outside the court to work for new patrons. The agendas of those patrons were not tied up with courtly or religious concerns. They were enthralled by India’s flora and fauna; by its architectural traditions; and by the costumes, customs and manners of its diverse peoples; and they looked to local artists to capture these details in images that would help them understand an environment that was new to them. Never mind that the patrons were foreigners, and their vision could be ill-informed. What should strike us now is how the artists responded to their demands with skill and passion, creating entirely new templates of Indian art. Company painting, while reflecting India’s past, also shows us a moment of modernity.
The show will run until 5th July 2025.
Holburne Museum seeking new Chair of the Board
May 30 2025
Picture: Holburne
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Holburne Museum in Bath is looking for a new Chair of the Board of the Trustee Company to succeed Edward Bayntun-Coward DL, whose term concludes in July 2026. Applicants must express their interest by 30th June 2025.
Flemish Festivities in Lille
May 30 2025
Video: MEDIACONNECT
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm a little slow to news that the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille opened a new exhibition dedicated to Flemish festivities Brueghel, Rubens, Jordaens last month. The show will run until 1st September 2025.
Louvre to hand back Rothchild Treasures
May 30 2025
Picture: artnews
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Curious news from France that the Louvre will be handing back 258 works from the bequest of collector Adèle de Rothschild (d.1922), after it was deemed that her wish for her 'cabinet of curiosities' to remain intact had been violated. Click on the link to read the full story.
Bilbao restores Pedro Berruguete
May 29 2025
Picture: Museum of Fine Arts in Bilbao
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Artnet that the Museum of Fine Arts in Bilbao have conserved Pedro Berruguete's Annunciation.
According to the article:
The restoration, which took place between September 2025 and March 2025, brought in two specialists, one to handle the paint layer and another to tackle the gilding. As X-ray, infrared, and ultraviolet analysis showed, cracks and depressions had appeared across the work, possibly from candle heat while it was a church altarpiece. Furthermore, a century of dirt and an oxidized varnish had dulled the painting (see above image). The restorer, Elisa Mora Sánchez, cleaned the work, removed the old varnish, and filled in the gaps with plaster, before reapplying a new varnish. For the gilding, Mayte Camino Martín toned down the previous restorations of the gold sections before carefully reintroducing them with gold watercolor.
“All these elements make this Annunciation a fine example of Berruguete’s art,” the museum said. “A painter who was able to create his own style with direct knowledge of the main schools of his time.”
New release: Beyond Adornment - Jewelry and Identity in Art
May 29 2025
Picture: yalebooks.co.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Yale Books and the J. Paul Getty Museum have this month released a new book on Beyond Adornment - Jewelry and Identity in Art. The volume was written by Yvonne J. Markowitz and Susanne Gänsicke.
Here's the blurb:
Artistic renderings of the human figure—in portraiture, sculpture, and other media—in a range of allegorical, historical, and religious images often showcase jewelry. The ornaments depicted in such designs offer an abundance of information that not only heightens our understanding of the subject but also provides insights into the imagination of the artist. Jewelry enhances our enjoyment of works of art because it is visually compelling, sensuous, and laden with an array of associations and symbolic meanings.
Bringing together spectacular and significant art objects depicting figures wearing sumptuous personal adornments that define who they are within the specific milieus in which they lived, this richly illustrated and accessible volume represents a novel, interdisciplinary approach to the ways in which jewelry can be studied and understood.
Florence and Europe. Arts of the Eighteenth Century at the Uffizi
May 29 2025
Video: Classicult
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Uffizi in Florence opened a new temporary exhibition yesterday under the title Florence and Europe. Arts of the Eighteenth Century at the Uffizi. As you'll see from the video above, amongst the exciting displays is a 'live' restoration of Pierre Subleyras's The Mystic Marriage of St Catherine de' Ricci, which was acquired from Filippo Benappi's stand at TEFAF in 2024.
The display will run until 28th November 2025. I wonder how far they'll get with the restoration of the picture by then...
