This section will be available this Autumn.
De Wit Fine Tapestries
victor vasarely
Victor Vasarely (Hungary 1906-1997 Paris) WA-4, circa 1970 Wool 156 x 156 cm Signed lower right corner Aubusson, atelier Pinton (Monogram lower left corner) Edition 1/6 The WA-4 tapestry consists of a large square divided into four squares, on top of which a fifth square is placed, itself divided into four squares. The inside of each of these squares is filled with rhombuses whose colour change from dark blue to purple and then to light beige. These rhombi are arranged on backgrounds of varying colours, ranging from charcoal grey to purple and pink, then from aqua green to pale pink and dark green. The different colour areas are clearly distinct from one another when viewed up close on the tapestry's very fine fabric. But when you step back and view the tapestry from a distance, the planes and shapes seem to interact with each other, and the colours appear to move. The optical effects are particularly striking here. Our gaze is captured by the illusion of movement created by the brain. Vasarely experimented with this fascinating relationship between vision and perception in his paintings, which he then transposed into various media, including glass, ceramics, metal, goldsmithing and tapestry. Vasarely relied on science, because he believed it was the only common language available to humanity. He developed a pictorial system based on the logic of algorithms and binary codes, a square background, coloured and filled with simple geometric shapes. A champion of geometric abstraction, he is best known as the inventor of op-kinetic art (the adjective kinetic derives from the Greek word κίνησις (kinesis), meaning “movement”). Op art or optical art was revealed to the general public by the sensational exhibition ‘Le Mouvement’ (1955), which Vasarely initiated at the Denise René gallery in Paris. In this exhibition he brought together younger artists such as Bury, Jacobsen, Soto and Tinguely alongside the leading figures of Marcel Duchamp and Alexander Calder. Alongside his work as a painter, Vasarely devoted a significant portion of his activity to transposing his art into other media. He promoted the reproduction of his works as tapestries, as he saw this as an opportunity for recreation, in contrast to the concept of a unique work. He envisioned a concept of art for all, based on a new aesthetic, leading to ‘the polychrome city of happiness’. He thought of his tapestries as prototypes, hand-woven in limited numbers and displayed in the comfortable homes of art lovers. He painted around a hundred tapestry cartoons, woven in various workshops. Furthermore, he played a pioneering role by inviting other artists to try their hand at this art form, including Léger, Jean Arp, Agam, Atlan, Dewasne and Josef Albers. This textile experimentation was the result of Vasarely's encounter with François Tabard, an Aubusson tapestry entrepreneur, and Denise René, an avant-garde gallery owner. According to the artist, kinetic art, often described as cold, is compatible with tapestry insofar as it results from a "technique that allows for flat areas to retain warmth. There is none of the monotony of flat areas applied with a brush to a surface." With Tabard, Vasarely developed a systematic method of creating cartoons, allowing infinite chromatic combinations to be obtained. Denise René was the publisher of these tapestries (1952-1970). From 1966 onwards, the national tapestry manufacturers of the Gobelins and Beauvais wove Vasarely's designs. Shortly afterwards, another industrialist from Aubusson, Olivier Pinton, began weaving Vasarely's designs. More than thirty cartoons were finely woven, including WA-4, created around 1970.
Galerie Patrice Trigano
césar
César, alias César Baldaccini (Marseille 1921-1998 Paris) Hommage à Eiffel, 1989 Welded bronze Bocquel foundry 280 x 200 x 55 cm Signed and numbered Provenance: acquired from the artist in 1990 Literature: P. Restany, César, éd. De la Différence, Paris, 1988, p. 65 and p. 328 (Monumental version of Cartier Foundation, photography in progress); B.-H. Lévy, César, les bronzes, Éditons de la Différence, Galerie Baubourg, Paris, 1991, p. 24; César, Oeuvres de 1947 à 1993, Musée de Marseille, Réunion des Musées Nationaux, Marseille, 1993, p. 159; César, Galerie Enrico Navarra, Paris, 1996, pp. 76-77; César, Museu Brasileiro da Escultura Marilisa Rathsam, São Paulo, 1999, p. 212; Paris, Centre Georges Pompidou, César la rétrospective, December 2017- March 2018, p. 173; Archives Denyse Durand-Ruel, n° 4499 Exhibitions: Marseille, centre de la Vieille Charité, César, oeuvres de 1947 à 1993, July-September 1993, p. 159; Monte-Carlo, César à Monte-Carlo, May-September 1993, (unnumbered); Luxembourg, Dexia Banque Internationale, Hommage à César, October-December 2000, p. 70; Cannes, La Malmaison, César, l’oeuvre de bronze, July-October 2002, p. 86; Travelling exhibition: Cannes, parvis du palais des Festivals, July-September 2002; Geneviève, Galerie Artrium, September-December 2002; Rabat, Musée Mohammed VI d’Art Moderne et Contemporain, César, une histoire méditerranéenne, December 2015-March 2016, reproduced in colour p. 68 and p. 70
Desmet Fine Arts
Pietra dura table top Coloured marble, alabaster and onyx Roman workshop, circa 1565-1600 H 6 x W 104.5 x D 83 cm Accompanied by Art Loss Register certificate: S00253658 Provenance: private collection, Lombardy (Italy) The pietra dura tabletop represents a symbiosis that evokes the rediscovery of the ancient world. The colored marbles used all originate from ancient Roman marble, brought to Rome from across the Roman Empire as early as the 3rd century BCE. In late 16th-century Rome, artists repurposed columns and all manner of these ancient Roman artifacts, reshaping them into sumptuous tabletops to decorate the grand palazzi. This work visualizes how 16th-century Rome sought to reclaim the identity and power of the great Roman Empire, and it must be fully understood within the context of the decoration of St. Peter’s Basilica, when Rome was once again regarded as the center of the world. The patterns are architecturally and geometrically designed to showcase the rarest marbles to their fullest effect. In this specific example, around 1800, the edge underwent restoration, during which the finest artists of the time added a black decorative band. Their aim was to frame what was already spectacular with a dignified restoration. Although created in the late 16th century, this piece radiates two millennia of superiority—politically, socially, artistically, and art historically.
Desmet Fine Arts
giovanni & giacomo zoffoli
Giacomo (Italy, 1731-1785) & Giovanni Zoffoli (Italy, 1745-1805) Capitoline Flora, late 18th century Bronze H 34 x W 10 x D 7 cm Signed 'G.Z.F' (base) After the antique model (Capitoline Musea, Rome) Accompanied by Art Loss Register certificate: S00247973 Other versions: Victoria & Albert: Museum inv. n° A.14-1974; Saltram, National Trust, 871621.4; Philadelphia Museum of Art, Acc # 1978-70-139; Oxford, Ashmolean Museum: Acc # WA1899.CDEF.B449
Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery
Bram Bogart (Delft 1921-2012 Sint Truiden) Hooigang, September 1964 Mixed media on canvas, mounted on wooden panel 106 x 124 cm Signed, dated and titled on reverse Provenance: D & R Hughes, London, 1989; private collection, Belgium Literature: Bram Bogart, The early years, 1951-1965, D & R Hughes, 1989, ill. n° 49
Galerie Hadjer
fernand léger
Fernand Léger (Argantan 1881-1955 Gif-sur-Yevette) (after) & Yvette Cauquil-Prince (Belgium, Dampremy 1928-2005 Tresques, France) La parade sur fond rouge Created in 1975 Wool 280 x 400 cm Woven by Yvette Cauquil-Prince in Paris (pictogram lower right) Tapestry number 1/1 - Unique Piece Provenance: Yvette Cauquil-Prince; Paul Haim collection; private collection, USA Literature: Masters of the 20th century, KunstHausWien Exhibition: KunstHausWien, 10 February-14 May 2000, Vienna
Beck & Eggeling International Fine Art
max ernst
Max Ernst (Brühl 1891-1976 Paris) Un Caprice de Neptune, 1959 Oil on canvas 27 x 35 cm Signed lower right 'max ernst' Provenance: Paolo Marinotti; Lawrence Rubin Greenberg Van Doren Fine Art, New York; private collection, Germany Literature: W. Spies, S. and G. Metgen: Max Ernst. Oeuvre-Katalog, Werke 1954-1963, Cologne, 1998, p. 194, n° 3425 (ill.) Exhibitions: 1961, June-July, Paris, Max Ernst sculptés, Galerie au Pont des Art Weill; 1966, 17 June-2 October, Venice, Max Ernst, Oltre la pittura, Palazzo Grassi, cat. n° 7 (ill.); 1979, Munich, Max Ernst, Retrospektiv, Haus der Kunst, cat. n° 296, ill. III (colour ill. n° 30, ill. 331)
Franck Anelli Fine Art
claude corneille de lyon
Claude Corneille de Lyon (The Netherlands, The Hague 1500-1575 Lyon, France) Portrait of a wealthy merchant wearing a fur-lined coat and gold chain, circa 1560 Oil on panel 15 x 18 cm Certificate from Dr. Alexandra Zvereva This painting will be included in the supplement to the artist's forthcoming Catalogue Raisonné This unpublished small portrait fits naturally into the later works of one of the most illustrious portraitists of the French Renaissance. Referred to in contemporary documents by the name of his hometown, La Haye, he later became known simply as 'Corneille' until André Félibien, who believed him to be from the banks of the Rhône, added the name 'Lyon' in the index of his Entretiens. Born and trained in the Netherlands, probably in Flanders, the artist settled in Lyon as early as 1533. There, he succeeded Jean Perréal, the portraitist of Charles VIII and Louis XII, renowned for his intimate portraits with coloured backgrounds. By the mid-1530s, Corneille had gained such fame that he found himself painting the courtiers accompanying the king to Lyon, as well as the Sons and Daughters of France. However, unlike Perréal, his career was not that of a royal artist following the court. He never left Lyon, and his titles of "painter to the Dauphin" and later "painter and ordinary valet to the king" were purely honorary, primarily granting him the privileges of royal officers. The prominent citizens of Lyon, wealthy French and foreign merchants, high-ranking royal officers, well-to-do bourgeois, and magistrates made up the bulk of his clientele. Corneille created small-scale portraits for them, painted in just a few sitting sessions directly onto panels. Intended for family and close associates, these works had no official circulation and existed in only one unique copy, unlike portraits of the nobility, of which Corneille often made replicas that were widely circulated. The subject of this portrait is not a nobleman, despite his evident wealth. His attire is simple, a dark brown-black without any ornamentation, slashing, or jewels. The white ruff of his shirt is not starched. His high cap, fashionable in the 1550s-1560s, lacks a plume, a privilege reserved for the nobility, as it was associated with the feathers adorning knights' helmets. However, the man does possess a certain fortune, as evidenced by his fur-lined cloak of marten with wide lapels and a large gold chain with three rows of links, favoured by the Flemish. The medallion on the chain is cropped by the frame. This is almost certainly a prosperous merchant, eager to demonstrate his success and preserve the memory of his features for his family. The absence of any inscription on the reverse, giving the name of the subject, makes identification impossible, since no replica or engraving exists. Despite previous restorations, particularly to the face and background, the distinctive characteristics of Corneille’s art are clearly visible here, such as the rough sketching of the ear, the sloping shoulders that make the head appear slightly disproportionate to the torso, the treatment of the hair with individual strands, the brilliant irises crossed by an oblique ray of light, and the broader brushstrokes in the clothing.
Pron
fausto melotti
Fausto Melotti (Rovereto 1901-1986 Milan) Il meridiano delle campane, 1979 Brass H 97.5 x W 74 x D 38 cm Literature: Milan, Galleria Stendhal, Cascella Consagra Melotti, 1980; Padua, Stevenson Arte Contemporanea, Fausto Melotti. Sculture, tecniche miste e incisioni, 1982; Intra, Galleria Corsini, Fausto Melotti. Sculture e Acquarelli. Un'opera d'arte è un'oasi, 1982; Busto Arsizio, Galleria Il Punto Sette, Fausto Melotti, 1984; Parma, Galleria La Sanseverina, Fausto Melotti, 1986, pp. 29, 47, n° 29, ill. Exhibitions: Gianni Cavazzini, Poetiche sosprese di Fausto Melotti, in Gazzetta di Parma, May 23rd, 1986, ill.; Germano Celant, Melotti, Catalogo generale, Tomo secondo, Sculture 1973-1986 e Bassorilievi, Milan 1996, p. 512, 1979 n° 21, ill.
Serge Schoffel - Art Premier
Sitting male figure Timoto-Cuica, 900-1300 AD Trujillo State, Venezuela Terracotta, pigments H 29 x W 23 x D 17.5 cm Datation: TL test n° 481z12 by the Research Laboratory for Archaeology, Oxford University, United Kingdom, on 7 May 1991 Provenance: Galerie Ferrero, Geneva, 1968; collection Barbier-Mueller, Geneva, Inv. n° 530-2; Sotheby's auction, Paris, collection Barbier-Mueller-Art Précolombien, on 22 and 23 March 2013, n° 265 Literature: Paz, Octavio, Butor, Michel, Barbier, Jean-Paul, Stierlin, Henri, Lavallée, Danièle, Conceição G., Corrêa, Barry, Iris, 1992, Art millénaire des Amériques : de la découverte à l'admiration, 1492-1992, Arthaud, fig. 130, p. 178 & 179; Conceição G., Corrêa, Barry, Iris, 2002, Amazonie précolombienne, Museo Barbier-Mueller de Arte Precolombino, Barcelona, 5 Continents, fig. 4, p. 17; Benson, Elizabeth P., 2003, Trésors de la céramique précolombienne du Museo Barbier-Mueller de Arte Precolombino de Barcelona, Musée Barbier-Mueller et Somogy éditions d’art, fig. 44, p. 52
Hoffmans Antiques
A Gustavian console table Stockholm, circa 1790 Gilt wood, Carrara marble H 83.5 x W 110 x D 54 cm This console table belongs to a small yet exclusive group of furniture of the highest class, preserved mainly within the royal collections. The model relates to drawings by Louis Masreliez (Paris 1748-1810 Sweden). The table was likely made by his brother, Jean-Baptiste (Stockholm, 1753-1801), or possibly by Pehr Ljung (Stockholm, 1743-1819). The decoration is masterfully carved in wood with exceptional precision. A vine motif runs along the apron, while the frieze above the front legs is adorned with palmette leaves and volutes. The table rests on six tapering, fluted legs and is crowned with a Carrara marble top.
Maisonjaune Studio
Piero Palange (Italy, 1931-1975) Werther Toffoloni (Udine 1930-2017) Pair of '536' armchairs Rattan, foam, mohair velvet H 70 cm - Ø 95 cm Palange studied industrial design at the University of the Arts in Milan and worked with several leading Italian design firms (Motina, Gervasoni, Germa). Toffoloni trained in architecture at the Univeristy of Rome, specialised in industrial design with a focus on ergonomics and functionality. These two Italian designers played an important role in shaping postwar industrial design.
Galerie Alexis Pentcheff
pierre bonnard
Pierre Bonnard (Fontenay-aux-Roses 1867-1947 Le Cannet) Promenade à Paris, circa 1911 Oil on canvas 40 x 60 cm Estate stamp lower left Provenance: collection of Pierre and Marie-Françoise Vernon Literature: Dauberville Jean et Henry, Bonnard, Vol. IV, Paris, Bernheim-Jeune, 1974, repr. p. 312 under n° 01992 Exhibitions: Pierre Bonnard, A. Tooth & Sons, London, 17 June-12 July 1969, repr. in exh. cat. n° 8; Matisse e Bonnard. Viva la pittura!, Rome, 2006, repr. in exh. cat. (ed. Skira) p. 340 under n° 125; Bonnard, Le Cannet, une évidence, Musée Bonnard, Le Cannet, 2020, repr. in exh. cat. p. 42 The creation of this work by Pierre Bonnard reminds us that the artist was also a photographer, experimenting with daring compositions. Though his painting captures the fleeting moment, it shares little with the tentative realism of early photography. Made entirely of color and sensation, it constructs a fragile world of subtle harmony. Just before embracing the South - before letting the Mediterranean light burst into color across his canvases - Bonnard explored a quieter, more muted sensuality in the early 1910s, while working in a studio in Paris, not far from the avenue depicted here. The “very Japanese Nabi,” as his friends from the group of his youth liked to call him, knew how to let color whisper on the canvas, how to conjure the intimacy of a letter. On one side of the painting, cool tones — blues and violets placed side by side - contrast with the russet hues of this autumnal Parisian avenue, bringing to the foreground, beneath a hat bathed in light like a reinvented halo, the lowered face of a woman reading. Her eyes are hidden, absorbed in the text. Though she has removed her gloves, she surely no longer feels the sharp chill of that November afternoon… Elegant silhouettes glide through the landscape; yet they endure — along with this hat-wearing heroine - on our retinas and in our memories, as companions to a shared intimacy, lasting only the time it takes to read a love letter. Unseen on the art market since the 1960s, this painting has been shown in several museum exhibitions, the most recent in 2020 at the Musée du Cannet, dedicated to the artist.
Galerie Lowet de Wotrenge
frans pourbus the elder (bruges 1545/46 - 1581 antwerp)
Frans Pourbus the Elder (Bruges 1545-1581 Antwerp) Portrait of Peeter van Panhuys, alderman and treasurer of Antwerp, 1562 Oil on oak panel 105 x 75 cm Dated upper left 'A°. 1562' and inscribed below the date ‘Aetat: 34’ Provenance: private collection, Belgium Literature: R. Willmott, Antwerp and the Golden Age: Culture, Conflict and Commerce, Unicorn, 2025 (ill.) In an era when wealth and power increasingly resided not in hereditary titles but in commerce and banking, Frans I Pourbus captured the self-assured gaze of the new elite. This striking portrait depicts Peeter van Panhuys - merchant, banker's agent, and future treasurer of Antwerp - at a pivotal moment in his rise through one of Europe's most dynamic commercial centers. The work's contemporary resonance is unmistakable. Van Panhuys embodies the entrepreneurial spirit that still defines global finance, yet his story also reflects our modern anxieties: barely two decades after this portrait was painted, religious conflict forced him to flee Antwerp as a refugee, abandoning everything he had built. His biography encapsulates the precariousness of prosperity in times of social upheaval - a theme that speaks powerfully to today's world of political instability and forced migration. Pourbus renders his subject with remarkable psychological acuity. The prominent gold chain and exquisitely detailed black doublet announce van Panhuys' status, while the crisp white ruff - painted with virtuosic precision - frames a face of penetrating intelligence. In his left hand, he holds a pair of gloves, a refined accessory that signals his gentlemanly aspirations and membership in Antwerp's sophisticated mercantile elite. Recently rediscovered from a Belgian private collection, the sitter's identity is confirmed through his appearance in Maerten de Vos's monumental family portrait at the Mauritshuis, where van Panhuys stands among the interconnected dynasties that dominated Antwerp's Golden Age. This painting invites us to reconsider the origins of our modern world - built not by kings and generals, but by ambitious merchants whose portraits demanded the same dignity once reserved for nobility.
Gilden's Art Gallery
pablo picasso
Pablo Picasso (Malaga 1881-1973 Mougins) Le bain de pieds, 1960 Brush and India ink drawing on wove paper 20.9 x 26.9 cm This ink drawing is dated 26.1.60.II in ink in the upper image. Picasso created this work on Tuesday 26 January 1960 Provenance: Forum Fine Art, Zurich; private collection, Switzerland; Christie's, London, 10 February 2005, lot 685 Literature: C. Zervos (1968), Pablo Picasso - Œuvres de 1959 à 1961, Paris, vol. 19, reference n° 137 (ill., pl. 32)
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Stern Pissarro Gallery
marc chagall
Marc Chagall (Belarus, Vitebsk 1887-1985 Saint-Paul de Vence, France) L'hiver procession de Nöel (Les quatre saisons), 1974 Gouache, tempera, pastel, ink, coloured crayon and graphite on paper 63 x 90 cm Signed lower right 'Marc Chagall' This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Comité Marc Chagall Provenance: Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, January 1975, acquired from the artist; private collection, Hawaii, 1984; The Hodge Companies, Thomas H. Wilson (Sausalito, California), 1987; private collection (Napa, California) by descent Exhibition: New York, Pierre Matisse Gallery, Marc Chagall, The Four Seasons, gouaches, paintings, 1974-1975, 1975, n° 16
Douwes Fine Art b.v.
rembrandt van rijn
Rembrandt van Rijn (Leiden 1606-1669 Amsterdam) Self-Portrait in a Cap, Wide-Eyed and Open-Mouthed, 1630 Etching and drypoint on laid paper 5.4 x 4.6 cm Signed in monogram and dated lower centre: RHL 1630 Plate not in existence – with Nowell-Usticke (1967): RRR – a very rare little plate Provenance: private collection, Germany; private collection, The Netherlands Literature: Bartsch 320; Hind 32; The New Hollstein Dutch n° 69: Second state (of II) This is a small masterpiece of Rembrandt's early etchings. The expression of this physiognomic study made by his etching needle could not be more livelike as the facial expression (perhaps "astonishment") is in perfect harmony with the round shape of the face. Rembrandt knows exactly how to hit every tonal gradation with fine, arching strokes. Of all the self-portraits in which Rembrandt depicts emotions, this one is probably the most engaging. He looks startled here, with pursed lips and wide-open eyes. You see him slightly from below, so that he seems to be recoiling. The etching is clearly executed and clever, with the contours of the shoulders and the cap fading into the edges. During his lifetime, Rembrandt's extraordinary skills as a printmaker were the main source of his international fame. Unlike his oil paintings, prints travelled light and were relatively cheap. For this reason, they soon became very popular with collectors not only within but also beyond the borders of the Netherlands. Rembrandt's etchings are remarkable for their high number of self-portraits (over 30 out of about 290). These are particularly collectible, perhaps due to the smaller number of states as well as the artist's compelling and powerful presence. Unlike his stately religious scenes, or regal, posed portraits of others, which exhibit his careful and calculating brilliance as an etcher, Rembrandt's self-portraits reveal him as an artist and a man. In them he assumes the role of the experimenting artist, approaching the most difficult of subjects - himself. These self-portraits are often described as ethereal and wistful for their notable contrasting areas of high and low etched space. A very fine impression of this famous small portrait in the second (final) state, printing clearly, just beginning to show a little wear on the tip of the nose, with narrow margins.
Floris van Wanroij Fine Art
rombout ‘pauli’ pauwels
Rombout ‘Pauli’ Pauwels (Mechelen circa 1625-1692 Ghent) The Virgin and Child Terracotta, sculpted on full round (contains restorations) H 52.5 x W 24 x D 23.5 cm Provenance: the Hulshoff Pol collection, Wassenaar, The Netherlands Literature: Neeffs, E. (1879), Histoire de la peinture et de la sculpture à Malines, Ghent, Vol. II, pp. 193-200; Nieuwdorp, H. (1977), De beeldhouwkunst in de eeuw van Rubens in de Zuidelijke Nederlanden en het prinsbisdom Luik, Brussels: KMKG, pp. 325-327 nrs. 294-298, p. 140, n° 103; Jacobs, A. & Vézilier, S. (2011), Fascination baroque: la sculpture baroque flamande dans les collections publiques françaises, Paris, pp. 116-121
Galerie de la Béraudière
germaine richier
Germaine Richier (France, 1902-1959) Le Couple, 1956 Natural bronze Fonderie Susse, Paris Lost wax cast (except for the base and arms, sand casted) H 139 x W 74.5 x D 74.5 cm Signed and numbered on the terrasse: G. Richier, 3/6 Edition 3/6 out of 11 (1/6 - 6/6 + HC1-HC2-HC3 + EA + 0/6) Posthumous cast: 1963 Provenance: Galerie Creuzevault, Paris; private collection, France; Galerie Cazeau-Béraudière, Paris; private collection, France; private collection, Belgium Literature: Jean-Louis Prat et Françoise Guiter, Germaine Richier, Rétrospective, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Fondation Maeght, 1996, p. 172, ill. (another cast); Maîtres des XIXe et XXe siècles, Galerie H. Odermatt-Ph. Cazeau, Paris, 1989, repr. n° 46; Eddie Wolfram et William Packer, London, art and artist, Londres, juillet 1973, n° 8, pp. 46-49; Germaine Richier, Galerie Creuzevault, Paris, 1966 Exhibitions: 2022, Brussels, Galerie de la Béraudière, Germaine Richier et la couleur (this cast); 1996, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Maeght Fondation, Germaine Richier, Retrospective (another cast); 1957, Paris, Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, XIIIe Salon de Mai, n° 27, ill. (another cast); 1956, Paris, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Germaine Richier, n° 13, referred as 'Figures' (another cast); Jean Cassou, Richier, Editions du Temps, Paris, 1961; René de Solier, Germaine Richier, in Les Cahiers d'art, Paris, June 1953, n° 28, pp. 123-129 With Le Couple, Germaine Richier reached a point of fulfilment in her exploration of the human figure and its metamorphoses. The two figures, united by a skilful interplay of triangles and balances, seem caught in a silent movement where tension becomes harmony. The rigour of the construction is combined with an organic, almost primitive energy that animates the bronze with a vibrant presence. Le Couple embodies this rare alliance between construction and emotion, where the bronze material seems to be animated by a vital breath.
Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery
Bram Bogart (Delft 1921-2012 Sint Truiden) Topgroen, August 1963 Mixed media on canvas laid on wooden panel 161 x 201 cm Signed, dated and titled on reverse Provenance: private collection, London In August 1963, Bram Bogart created a powerful and iconic work: Topgroen (August 1963). The painting – executed with homemade paint on a board/canvas made by the artist himself – measures approximately 161 x 201 cm and testifies to Bogart's radically innovative approach to matter and colour. The work Topgroen is at the heart of Bogart's most highly regarded period, in which he experimented with imposing layers of paint, sculptural reliefs and a colour palette that transcends the surface and becomes almost tangible. In this work, he combines powerful fields of colour with monumental texture: an intense red surface is directly framed by thick, almost architecturally shaped green and yellow accents. The paint is hardly imagination anymore, but matter – as if the paint itself is the object. Topgroen marks a turning point in Bogart's oeuvre: colour and volume become one, the painting resists classical painting through an enormous physical presence of the matter. The work invites tactile viewing: the depth of the paint layers, the shadow effects between reliefs, and the tension between surface and volume make it a masterpiece of material painting. Bogart thus confirms his pioneering role in European post-war abstraction.
Patrick Derom Gallery
jean arp
Jean Arp (Strasbourg 1887-1966 Basel) Untitled, circa 1930 pencil and gouache on paper 30 x 25.8 cm Signed lower right on the reverse Certificate of authenticity of the Arp Foundation, Clamart, dated 24 March 2009 Provenance: Marguerite Arp-Hagenbach, Meudon (widow of the artist); Hans Arp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp Foundation, Remagen-Rolandswerth, Germany (since 1977); Galerie Mitchell-Innes & Nash, New York; private collection Exhibitions: 1990, Moscow, Puschkin Museum, Hans Arp 1886-1966: Sculpture, Reliefs, Drawings, Collages; 1994, Munich, Haus der Kunst, Elan Vital oder Auge des Eros; 1996, Rolandseck, Stiftung Hans Arp und Sophie Taeuber-Arp, Hans Arp/Sophie Taeuber-Arp, cat. 41 1997-2000, Saint-Petersburg, Hermitage Museum, Thessaloniki, Altes Archäologisches Museum, Mantoue, Palazzo Te, Toyota, Municipal Museum of Art, Krakow, Galerie Bunkier Sztuki, Heino, Stichting Hannema-de Stuers, Hans Arp und Sophie Taeuber-Arp; 2003, Palma de Majorque, Fundacion Sa Nostra, Diverse Explorations: Hans Arp and Sophie Taeuber-Arp
Maison D'Art
Benvenuto Tisi called Il Garofalo (Ferrara, circa 1476–1559) The Nativity, circa 1525/1540 (Adoration of the Christ Child/Adoration of the Shepherds) Oil on wooden panel 38.1 x 33 cm Literature: A. Bliznukov, Ludovico Mazzolino: catalogo delle opere, Florence (forthcoming; as Garofalo, circa 1525/1540)
COLNAGHI
Attributed to the Menzies group Red-figure epichysis in terracotta with Hermaphroditos and a woman Greek, Apulian, circa 330-310 B.C. H 21 cm Provenance: Eugène Piot collection (1812-1890); his sale, 3 May 1870, lot n° 21; private collection, France; purchased from the above, 2022 Literature: F. Lenormand, Collection d’Antiquités Grecques recueillies dans la Grande-Grèce, l’Attique et l’Asie Mineure par M. Eug. P., Paris 1870, p. 16, n° 21 This epichysis is noteworthy for its provenance, as it was once part of the prestigious collection of Eugène Piot (1812–1890) - the French art critic, journalist, publisher, collector, and photographer - and it still bears his collection label. The present example also stands out for its above-average size and exceptional quality. It is in excellent condition and is typical of 4th-century BC Apulian Greek pottery. This vessel, characterized by its elegant neck surmounting a coiled body, was probably used to contain precious liquids intended for sparing use. Its delicate mouth seems ill-suited for serving wine, as has sometimes been suggested in the past, with some even describing such vases as “low-shaped oinochoai with flat bottoms.” Rather, they were most likely used for oil or perfume. The dropper-like mouth is flanked by two small, stylized masks in relief. The wide, disc-like shoulder of the vase has been decorated with particular attention to detail and form. The border is adorned with a frieze of eggs. A hermaphroditic Eros kneels and presents a mirror to a seated young woman, who also holds a mirror and a crown. On the reverse, an elegant arrangement of palmettes unfolds from the base of the handle and frames the central scene. The concave sides of the body are decorated with a vegetal frieze, overpainted in white and incised. Comparable examples are held at the Getty Museum in Malibu and the Musée Saint-Raymond in Toulouse; both have been attributed to the Menzies Group, active during the third quarter of the 4th century BC.
Harold t’Kint de Roodenbeke
pierre alechinsky
Pierre Alechinsky (Brussels, 1927) Le Nid, 1965 Oil on canvas 130 x 91 cm Signed lower right Signed and titled on reverse Certificate of authenticity by Pierre Alechinsky dated 14 March 1995 Provenance: Lefebre Gallery, New York; private collection, Monaco