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.
Collectors Gallery
ettore sottsass
Ettore Sottsass (Austria, Innsbruck 1917-2007 Milan, Italy) 18ct gold ring, 1984-1986 Ring with a long rectangular table featuring a black onyx disc and diamonds Designed by Sottsass for Cleto Munari, Milan Produced in an edition of 9 Provenance: private collection, London Literature: Radice 1987, p. 78; Vezzosi 1990, p. 105
Chambre professionnelle belge de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne (CLAM)
Unique binding of incredible modernity, produced circa 1925 by the great architect and designer Josef Hoffmann (Pirnitz 1870-1956 Vienna), one of the founding members of the Wiener Werkstätte and the creator of the fabulous Palais Stoclet in Brussels. Large quarto, full fawn morocco on wooden boards with undulating decor, dark fuchsia silk doublure and endpapers, interior gilt signature Wiener Werkstätte with, above, Hoffmann's small gilt monogrammed mark. On: Henny Bauer & Wilhelm Kienzl, Sanctissimum (1924), first edition of the score for voice and piano. Signed by Josef Hoffmann Literature: Isabella Croÿ-Frick, Bookbinding and Leather in Christian Witt-Dörring & Janis Staggs, Wiener Werkstätte 1903-1932, The Luxury of Beauty, (2017), pp. 192-211; MAK Wien: Archiv der Wiener Werkstätte, Entwurfszeichnungen, Bucheinband, inventarnummer WWE 24-9; Yves Peyré, Histoire de la reliure de création, (2005), p. 138, p. 140; Ruperta Pichler, Wiener Werkstätte. Lederobjekte aus den Sammlungen des Österreichischen Museums für angewandte Kunst, (1992), pp. 77-92; Werner J. Schweiger, Wiener Werkstätte, art et artisanat, 1903-1932, (1982), p. 183 Pierre Coumans, Antiquarian bookseller
Galerie Florence de Voldère
frederik bouttats l'ancien
Frédérik Bouttats the Elder (Antwerp, 1590-1661) Earthly paradise Oil on canvas 55.5 x 83 cm A painter of landscapes, paradises, and animals, he was also an engraver. He joined the Antwerp Guild as early as 1612. He had two pupils, as well as his sons Frédérik the Younger and Jacob. Founder of a famous family of artists, he contributed, along with his followers, to the influence and richness of Flemish painting through brilliant works under the influence of Velvet Brueghel, Jan van Kessel, and Roelandt Savery. To the great delight of naturalists and humanist scholars, the Breughels and their painter friends such as the Bouttats multiplied the themes of the Earthly Paradise, celebrating the beauty and diversity of creation. Like the Bird Traps, these paradises met with great success, and different versions can now be seen in the world’s greatest museums.
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.
Pauline's Jewellery Box
Art Deco emerald & diamond ring, circa 1920-1930 Platinum, emerald and diamond Provenance: New York collection An Art Deco emerald & diamond ring, set with a step cut Colombian emerald weighing 10.87 carats flanked by baguette shaped & old mine cut diamonds. The emerald has a deep colour and is minor oil. Estimated total diamond weight is approximately 1.55 carats. Estimated colour E-G on average. Estimated clarity VVS-VS on average. The diamonds are bright & lively. Mounted in platinum. Accompanied by a SSEF certificate for the emerald.
COLNAGHI
Gillis Neyts (Ghent 1623-1687 Antwerp) A winter cityscape of Antwerp, 1666 Oil on panel 54 x 86 cm Signed and dated lower left: g. nyts. f. / 1666 Provenance: sale Fievez, Brussels (16 June 1931), lot 113; sale of the F. Stuyck collection, Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts (7-8 December 1960), lot 91; Galerie P. de Boer, Amsterdam (1961) n° 54; Laboratoria Tupens, Sint-Niklaas (?); with Rafael Valls, London; with De Jonckheere, from whom acquired by the present owner Literature: P. Gustot, Gillis Neyts. Un paysagiste brabançon en vallée mosane au XVIIe siècle, Namur, 2008, p. 69, n° P13, repr. Exhibition: Brussels, Musées Royaux des Beaux-Arts de Belgique, Le siècle de Rubens, 15 October-12 December 1965, n° 157, repr.
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
Edouard Simoens Gallery
walter leblanc
Walter Leblanc (Antwerp 1932-1986 Silly) Torsions, 1977-1978 Black and white enamelled steel sculpture 200 x 130 cm Provenance: Walter & Nicole Leblanc Foundation; private collection; André Simoens Collection Literature: Linea Catalogue raisonné, 1997, Ludion, Brussels, CR 1271, p. 282 Exhibitions: Brussels, Tecno, Walter Leblanc Integratie, 1983; Gent, Floraliapaleis, Linea ’83, 1983
Heutink Ikonen
Christ, the fiery eye Russia, Moscow Early 16th century 32 x 25.5 cm The name 'Christ, the fiery eye' is based on a text from Mark: 'He looked at them angrily, but also deeply saddened by their stubbornness.' Whether you, as a viewer, think that this Christ really looks grim is not only dependent on what the painter wanted to emphasise in the icon. It also has to do with the viewer's relationship to the person of Christ. There are several explanations for the origin of this iconography, for example that a mosaic from the Chora Church in Constantinople (Istanbul) served as its source.
Art et Patrimoine - Laurence Lenne
Potpourri vase in polychrome porcelain Tournai porcelain, second period, 1763-1775 H 36.5 cm Rare potpourri vase in soft-paste, polychrome Tournai porcelain. At its base, it depicts a gallant offering grapes to his lady Provenance: former du Bois de Roest collection Literature: a similar piece is published in Lucien Delplace, Considérations sur les porcelaines de Tournai, p. 25, plate 3; and in Soil de Moriamé & Delplace, La Manufacture Impériale et Royale de Porcelaine de Tournay, 1937, p. 341, n° 645, plate 79
Galerie Lowet de Wotrenge
david vinckboons (mechelen 1576 - 1629 amsterdam)
David Vinckboons (Mechelen 1576-1629 Amsterdam) The Triumph of Bacchus Pen and brown ink and grey wash over black chalk, within brown ink framing lines on laid paper 68 x 114 mm Provenance: Dr. Einar Perman (1893-1976), Stockholm; by descent to the previous owners; sale, New York, Sotheby's, 31 January 2024, lot 104 Literature: Laren, Singer Museum, Oude Tekeningen uit de Nederlanden. Verzameling Prof. E. Perman, Stockholm, 1962, cat. n° 121 (as Adriaen van de Venne)
Claes Gallery
Dan 'deangle' Mask Ivory Coast, Dan people Presumed early 20th century Wood and pigment H 25 cm Provenance: Hubert Goldet (1945–2000), Paris, until 1972; Lucien Van de Velde (1933-), Antwerp, from 1972 to 1975; René (1901-1998) & Odette (1925–2012) Delenne, Brussels Literature: Arts d’Afrique Noire 34, 1988, p. 49; Utotombo, Kunst uit Zwart-Afrika in Belgisch privé-bezit, de Heusch, Brussels, 1988, p. 148, fig. 59; A ‘Harley Mask’ at the Cleveland Museum of Art: More on Masks among the Mano and Dan Peoples, Petridis, African Arts, Vol. 45, n° 1, 2012, p. 31, fig. 8; Trésors de Côte d’Ivoire, Neyt, Fonds Mercator, Brussels, 2014, p. 44-45, fig. 18 (indication: H. 26 cm); The Language of Beauty in African Art, Petridis, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2022, p. 207, fig. 164 Exhibitions: Utotombo. Kunst uit Zwart-Afrika in Belgisch privé-bezit, Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, 25 March-5 June 1988; The Language of Beauty in African Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 20 January 2022-27 March 2023 Originating from the northwest of Côte d’Ivoire, near the borders of Liberia and Guinea, the Dan are an agricultural people who primarily cultivate rice and cassava. Their way of life, complemented by hunting, fishing, and gathering, is rooted in a patrilineal society without a central authority, structured around clans led by chiefs chosen for their prestige, bravery, or agricultural success. Relations between clans, often marked by rivalries, gave rise to a rigorous social organization: young warriors ensured the group’s defense, while chiefs reinforced their influence through feasts and gifts. Local power rested on a balance between the chief, the council of elders, and the male associations, which upheld discipline, guided the initiation of young men, and preserved community cohesion. The Dan distinguish between two worlds: that of the village - a humanized and social space - and that of the forest, the realm of spirits and natural forces. It is within this duality that their art takes root, renowned for its independence and for the diversity of its styles from one village to another. In their pursuit of formal perfection, Dan artists express through their works an ideal of beauty that is both spiritual and harmonious. A symbol of this aesthetic quest, the Dan 'deangle' mask is characterized by its regular oval shape, polished surface, narrow eyes, short nose, and full, slightly parted lips. The raised scarifications emphasize the geometry and graphic strength of the composition. Of an elegance imbued with softness and femininity, it embodies the Dan ideal of beauty. Used within the Leopard secret society (go), associated with the pacifying spirit zlan, this mask served as an intermediary between young initiates and the village community. First exhibited and published for the general public in 1988, this exceptional work was most recently presented (in 2022) at the Chicago Museum. The mask’s deep gaze, highlighted by a fine band across the eyes, captures the viewer’s attention. Its patina, with warm brown reflections, and its concave form lend it a presence that is both powerful and serene.
Collectors Gallery
Arman (Nice 1928-2005 New York) Capricorn brooch in gold Zodiac collection, 1994 Certificate of authenticity and copy of the artist’s original drawing on the letterhead of the Hôtel Lutetia, where the artist resided and designed the models for this collection Provenance: Galerie Pierre-Alain Challier, successor to Editions Artcurial
De Zutter Art Gallery
christo
Christo (Bulgaria 1935-2020 New York) and Jeanne-Claude (Casablanca 1935-2009 New York) The Umbrellas, 1990 Diptych Collage and mixed media on panel 78.2 x 67.2 cm and 78.2 x 31.2 cm Provenance: artist's studio; private collection Literature: S. Philippi, ed., Christo and Jeanne-Claude, The Umbrellas, Japan-USA, 1984-91, Cologne, 1998, pp. 694-695 (illustrated)
Romigioli Antichità
portrait of bona di savoia
Giovanni Cristoforo Ganti Detto Gian Cristoforo Romano (cerchia di) Roma ? 1460/5 – Loreto 1512 Portrait of a Lady (Bona di Savoia, Duchess of Milan?) 1490-5 White marble relief, diameter 50 cm Scientific profile by Alfredo Bellandi and Giancarlo Gentilini 2012 Published in A. Rinetti "The Duke's City, Ducal Portraits"
Galerie Alexis Bordes
léon spillaert
Léon Spilliaert (Ostend 1881-1946 Brussels) Mères et enfants sur le quai du port d’Ostende, 1910 Wax crayon and Conté crayon on paper 50.2 x 32.2 cm Signed lower right 'L. Spilliaert' This work will be included in the catalogue raisonné of Léon Spilliaert being prepared by Dr. Anne Adriaens-Pannier Provenance: Louis Sneyers collection, Brussels; Mr. and Mrs. Marcel Thomas, Brussels (by descent); Henriette Thomas-Bodart, Brussels (by descent); Galerie Ronny Van de Velde, 1997; Onzea-Govaerts collection, Belgium Exhibitions: Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, 41st Antiques Fair of Belgium, January-February 1996; Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, 42nd Antiques Fair of Belgium, January-February 1997
Galerie AB - Agnès Aittouarès
Sam Francis (California, 1923-1994) SF63-046, 1963 Acrylic on paper 90 x 63 cm Signed, dated and located Los Angeles on reverse Listed in the online catalogue raisonné of the artist under n° SF63-046 Provenance: Jean Fournier collection; private collection, Paris Exhibition: Paris, Galerie Jean Fournier, Sam Francis de 1947 à 1988 sur papier, October-November 1988
