The Art Loss Register is Hiring!
June 5 2024
Picture: artloss.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Art Loss Register is hiring a Researcher.
According to the job description:
We are currently looking for a permanent staff member to join our Restitution team in London. The role includes research into the provenance of artworks predating 1946 as well as servicing our global client base. The candidate must be a fluent German speaker and have a strong interest in history and the art world, in particular research and restitution issues relating to cultural property. They should have experience of and enjoy working in a fast-paced, commercial environment where analysing and assessing risks goes hand in hand with making decisions independently under time pressure. While a background in art and/or (German) history is useful for this role, we are looking for candidates with risk management/risk assessment skills. This experience does not necessarily need to have been gained in the art world.
No salary is indicated and applications must be in by 30th June 2024.
Good luck if you're applying!
The Louvre Conserve Arcimboldo Seasons
June 5 2024
Picture: Louvre
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Louvre in Paris have shared news that they have conserved their set of Giuseppe Arcimboldo's celebrated Seasons. The project undertaken by conservator Roberto Merlo had included the removal of floral garlands which had decorated the margins of these portraits (which can be seen here), as they were deemed to have been added in the eighteenth century. Another very interesting conservation project undertaken by this traditionally cautious museum - let's see what will be cleaned next...
The restored paintings are on view from today onwards, so do go and see them if you happen to be in Paris!
Flora Yukhnovich at the Wallace Collection
June 5 2024
Picture: wallacecollection.org
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A new contemporary art installation opens at the Wallace Collection in London today. Following in the footsteps of Damian Hirst, Tom Ellis and shoes extraordinaire Manolo Blahník, the museum's latest contemporary artist collaboration is with Flora Yukhnovich, an artist who has made her fame with deconstructed Rococo canvases. A few snaps of the preview from last night posted on social media show that some of the gallery's large paintings by Boucher etc. have been replaced with Yukhnovich's, which will make for an interesting experiment indeed.
The free displays will run until 3rd November 2024.
Court Case over Egon Schiele's Wife
June 4 2024
Picture: democratandchronicle.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A court case surrounding the ownership and potential restitution of Egon Schiele's Portrait of the Artist's Wife has just ended with closing statements in Rochester, NY. The story is a long and winding one, but there are claims from the heirs of Heinrich Rieger (Schiele's dentist) and the heirs of the Jewish art collector and textile merchant Karl Mayländer over the war-time ownership of the work. The work is currently owned by The Robert Owen Lehman Foundation who had planned to sell it at Christie's, until questions about earlier provenance were raised. The article above has the full story, along with some rather interesting court room photographs of various attorneys standing with various books and easels.
Donatello's Judith and Holofernes Conserved
June 4 2024
Picture: ansa.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that Donatello's bronze of Judith and Holofernes has been conserved and redisplayed to the public. The sculpture, in the collections of Palazzo Vecchio, has just completed a ten-month conservation project which was funded in part by the Friends of Florence Foundation. Click on the link to see images of the newly restored work.
Art Exhibition for the G7 Summit in Puglia
June 4 2024
Picture: ansa.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A special exhibition has been organised in the Mesagne Castle, Puglia, to coincide with Italy's hosting of the upcoming 2024 G7 summit. Dedicated to Seven Centuries of Italian Art, artists represented include Luca Signorelli, Andrea del Verrocchio, Raphael, Titian, Leonardo, Artemisia Gentileschi, Guido Reni, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Antonio Canova and Bernardo Bellotto.
The show will run from 13th June 2024 until 30th November 2024, let's hope the attendees of the summit (or their minions) find time to go and have a look.
Géricault's Horses
June 3 2024
Picture: museevieromantique.paris.fr
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
This remarkably fine poster is promoting an exhibition which recently opened at the Le Musée de la Vie romantique in Paris. Les Chevaux de Géricault [or Géricault's Horses] brings together one hundred works, featuring an impressive list of antique horses, English horses, military horses, horse races, portraits of heads, rumps and equestrian portraits.
The exhibition will run until 15th September 2024.
François Lemoyne Frescos Being Restored
June 3 2024
Video: Coupe-File Art
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from France of the ongoing restoration of François Lemoyne's frescos completed for the la chapelle de la Vierge in the l’église Saint-Sulpice, Paris. The vast project, which covers 373 m² of frescos, will be revealed to the public later in July.
Sotheby's Paris Sale
June 3 2024
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's Paris have uploaded their upcoming Tableaux et Dessins 1400–1900 auction online. This sale will take place on 19th June 2024.
Amongst the highlights are a Mourning Virgin and Christ Crowned with Thorns by the Studio of Albrecht Bouts, a pair of Capricci by Panini, a Venetian scene by Marieschi (pictured), a classical scene by Sébastien Bourdon, and a very beautiful portrait of the sculptor Antoine-Denis Chaudet by Jean-Baptiste Frédéric Desmarais.
Upcoming Release: Glorious Lessons John Trumbull, Painter of the American Revolution
May 31 2024
Picture: Yale University Press
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Yale University Press will be releasing a new book in July focusing on the paintings of John Trumbull, the artist who created many famous pictures during the American Wars of Independence. The publication has been written by Richard Brookhiser.
According to the publisher's website:
John Trumbull (1756–1843) experienced the American Revolution firsthand—he served as aid to George Washington and Horatio Gates, was shot at, and was jailed as a spy. He made it his mission to record the war, giving visual form to what most citizens of the new United States thought: that they had brought into the world a great and unprecedented political experiment. His purpose, he wrote, was “to preserve and diffuse the memory of the noblest series of actions which have ever presented themselves in the history of man.” Although Trumbull’s contemporaries viewed him as a painter, Trumbull thought of himself as a historian.
The book will be released on 23rd July 2024.
Fra Angelico at the Palazzo Strozzi
May 31 2024
Picture: palazzostrozzi.org
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Palazzo Strozzi in Florence have released details regarding a major exhibition they are planning in 2025. The show, dedicated to Fra Angelico, promises to be an unmissable event.
According to their website:
The occasion of the exhibition will see the restoration of extraordinary masterpieces and the re-assembly for the first time ever of several of Angelico’s great altarpieces that have been dispersed in museums throughout Europe and North America. This will allow an unparalleled journey, with loans from the most important museums and institutions in the world such as the Louvre in Paris, the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, Windsor Castle, the Vatican Museums, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Angelico allows an exploration of the production, development, and influence of Fra Angelico’s art in dialogue with painters like Lorenzo Monaco, Masaccio, Filippo Lippi, Jan van Eyck, and Lorenzo Monaco, as well as sculptors such as Lorenzo Ghiberti, Michelozzo, and Luca della Robbia.
The exhibition will be opening in September 2025!
Conserving Kauffman at Petworth
May 31 2024
Picture: nationaltrust.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A new display will be opening at Petworth House on 10th June dedicated to the recent conservation of Angelica Kauffman's Diomed and Cressida (1788).
According to The National Trust's website:
Conserving Kauffman will include a short film that documents the conservation of the painting and its frame, interwoven with fascinating historical details about Kauffman, the Shakespeare Gallery where the painting was originally exhibited, and the history of Petworth House itself.
“It’s so exciting to see this spectacular painting returning to Petworth. Previously hidden details have been painstakingly restored and vibrant colours have been revealed. We can’t wait to unveil it to visitors and shine a light on the fantastic work of our conservators in bringing it back to life”. - Dr Emily Knight, Property Curator.
The display will run until 24th November 2024 and access is included within the Petworth House entry ticket.
Musée Jacquemart- André Reopening on 6th September 2024
May 31 2024
Picture: Musée Jacquemart- André
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Musée Jacquemart- André in Paris will be reopening on 6th September 2024 after a one year long renovation project. In celebration of its reopening, the museum will be hosting a special exhibition of Masterpieces from the Borghese Gallery in Rome.
According to the museum's website:
Thanks to the partnership between the Musée Jacquemart-André and the Borghese Gallery—in the context of a campaign of renovation work on the museum in Rome in the autumn of 2024—, this exhibition will present a selection of exceptional works from this art collection, which is unique in the world. The public will, in particular, be able to (re)discover works by the masters of Italian art from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries (Raphael, Antonello da Messina, Parmesan, Lorenzo Lotto, Titian, Veronese, Caravaggio, Bernini, etc.) and Nordic painters who stayed in Italy (Rubens, Gerrit van Honthorst, etc.). The exhibition will also pay tribute to painters with whom the general public are less familiar, such as Annibale Carracci, Guido Reni, Cavaliere D’Arpino, and Jacopo Bassano. The presentation of the works in the exhibition will shed light both on the history of the collection and the meaning of the major themes explored by the artists. The exhibition will be complemented by a catalogue, a reference work in French about the collection of ‘modern’ paintings in the Borghese Gallery.
The exhibition will run until 5th January 2025.
The National Galleries of Scotland are Hiring!
May 31 2024
Picture: nationalgalleries.org
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National Galleries of Scotland are hiring a Director of Collection and Research.
According to the job description:
This is an exciting leadership opportunity. The post-holder will inspire talented colleagues to do their best work and will ensure effective collaboration within the Directorate but also across the organisation, leading by example. The role will play a key part in driving the profile of the organisation’s curatorial and research activity with a particular focus on equality, diversity and inclusion, and work with colleagues to ensure an inspiring learning & education offering.
The post-holder is responsible for leading our dynamic public offer across our sites and beyond, and oversees the development of publications as part of the National Galleries of Scotland imprint. The role owns the delivery of the strategic leadership for the development, research and use of the NGS collection across all venues, national and international partnerships and online, and will champion our collection and the knowledge and creativity around it, internally and externally.
With responsibility at Leadership Team level for all aspects of curatorial activity and our artistic programme, the post-holder will ensure that activity is directly contributing to the aims, strategy, and brand of NGS and by working closely with stakeholders, ensuring that activity is aligned with our approach to audiences and audience development.
The job comes with a salary between £90,000 - £100,000 and applications must be in by 14th June 2024.
Good luck if you're applying!
Upcoming Release: Jean Nocret (1615-1672) Le peintre de Monsieur, frère du roi
May 31 2024
Picture: infine-editions.fr
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A new monography dedicated to Jean Nocret (1615-1672) will be released on the 3rd June 2024. The book, written by the Versailles curator Élodie Vaysse, is the first to be dedicated to the artist since 1886. Nocret's most celebrated work is the painting depicting Louis XIV and his Family, a picture which has only recently been cleaned.
As the publication includes a summary catalogue of the works of Jean Nocret, this has earned Élodie Vaysse a place in the much coveted 'Heroes of Art History' section of this blog.
Connoisseurship course at the Royal Academy
May 30 2024
Picture: RA
Posted by Bendor Grosvenor
Each year I teach a short course on connoisseurship at the Royal Academy in London, coinciding with the London Old Master sales. This year the RA have extended the course to a week, from 25-29 June inclusive, and we'll be visiting museums, auction houses, and archives, and hearing from a range a world leading experts. It would be great to see some AHN readers there! More details here#mce_temp_url#.
Looking for Leonardo: The Quest for a Renaissance Masterpiece
May 30 2024
Picture: dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Dulwich Picture Gallery will be opening a new display in July entitled Looking for Leonardo: The Quest for a Renaissance Masterpiece.
According to the gallery's website:
When the founders of Dulwich Picture Gallery began assembling the collection at the beginning of the 19th century, they were determined to find a masterpiece by the artist and inventor, Leonardo da Vinci. However, discovering a work by Leonardo proved difficult. Join the quest to find this Renaissance master and follow his trail through the Dulwich Picture Gallery collection — navigating fakes, mistakes and surprises along the way.
This free display will open on 23rd July 2024 and will run until 26th January 2025.
Musée Bossuet acquires a Nicolas Loir
May 30 2024
Picture: La Tribune de l'art
Generating AI Images of Old Masters
May 30 2024
Picture: ChatGPT4 via AB
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
As there is not one day that passes where some news story isn't claiming the brilliance of AI (artificial intelligence), I decided to make an experiment and download ChaptGPT. It transpires that the app is not yet capable of transcribing eighteenth century handwriting as some on 'X' had led me to believe, so I started playing around with the endlessly amusing 'AI Image Generator'.
Here is the image produced using the prompt 'Anthony Van Dyck and Peter Paul Rubens hugging in a Garden'. At least it got the century right!
Are there any moments from Art History that readers of AHN would like us to recreate? Velázquez's lost portrait of Charles I? An interior featuring Vermeer's close stool? What an age we live in.
Luca Giordano at Robert Simon
May 29 2024
Video: Robert Simon Fine Art
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The New York dealer Robert Simon will be opening an exhibition on the Neapolitan painter Luca Giordano in a few days' time. This selling exhibition, the first ever dedicated to the artist in New York, will draw from the gallery's stock alongside works lent from private collections.
According to the gallery's press release:
Robert Simon commented, “Giordano is beloved by me, and by many others, for his visceral appeal, for his varied style, and the vitality of his compositions. The idiosyncratic personality of the man is evident in every painting.”
The exhibition will be accompanied by an online catalogue with an introduction by Giordano scholar Giuseppe Scavizzi, viewable on the gallery’s website. Additionally, copies of Scavizzi’s English language monograph on the artist will be available for purchase during the exhibition. In addition to the more than a dozen works by Giordano, several works by his contemporaries will be on view.
The exhibition will be on display from 5th June until 28th June 2024.
