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.
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.
Galerie Hurtebize
pierre-auguste renoir
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Limoges 1841-1919 Cagnes-sur-Mer) Composition, Paysages et Fleurs, circa 1910 Oil on canvas 15 x 25.5 cm Initial R bottom left Certificate of authenticity from the Wildenstein Institute n°24.05.29/21585 dated 12 June 2024 Provenance: private collection, France
Galerie Mathivet
claudius linossier
Claudius Linossier (Lyon, 1893-1953) Vase, circa 1930 Copper dinanderie on a fire-patinated ground with red tones in the central section and black shading at the top and bottom, decorated with an inlaid silver frieze and silver triangles H 18 cm - ∅ 18 cm Signed 'Linossier'
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.
Edouard Simoens Gallery
raoul de keyser
Raoul De Keyser (Deinze, 1930-2012) Untitled, 1967 Oil on canvas 120 x 150 cm Provenance: acquired from the artist; private collection Literature: 'Raoul De Keyser: early works. Catalogue of paintings 1964-1980', Publ. Walther König, Keulen 2024, n° RDK-67 ill. Exhibition: Beervelde 20 km: Roger Raveel, Lucassen, Raoul De Keyser, Elias Kaleidoskoop, Gent 1967; 'Raoul De Keyser', Gal. M.A.S., Deinze 1967
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
De Jonckheere
lucas van valckenborch
Lucas van Valckenborch (Leuven 1535/6-1597 Frankfurt am Main) The Kermesse of St. George, 1595 Oil on panel 22.5 x 38.5 cm Signed and dated 1595 LVV on the fountain Provenance: collection of Charles Theodore of Bavaria (1724-1799), Elector of the Palatinate and Bavaria, Munich, inv. n° 138 (according to a label in brown ink on the back dating from 1799, n° 138); collection of Maximilian de Beauharnais, Duke of Leuchtenberg (1835-1852) (fragmentary label); Almas Gallery, Munich, 1941; private collection, South Germany Literature: Pantheon, September 1941, supplement V, repr.; Bernt, Walter, Die niederländischen Maler des 17. Jahrhunderts, Munich, 1948, n° 865 (1960 edition, n° 1216, repr.); Wied, Alexander, Lucas und Marten van Valckenborch. Das Gesamtwerk mit kritischem Oeuvrekatalog, Freren, Luca Verlag, 1990, pp. 176-77, n° 81, repr. Lucas van Valckenborch was undoubtedly introduced to painting by his father Laureys van Valckenborch, before being accepted as a master of the Mechelen painters' guild in 1564. Following the religious persecution inflicted by the Duke of Alba's troops on supporters of the Reformation, he fled the city in 1567 to take refuge in Liège, then in Aachen from 1570 to 1573, where he was reunited with his brother Marten and Hans Vredeman de Vries (1527-1609). He settled temporarily in Antwerp from 1575 to 1577. He was then employed in Brussels by Matthias, the then Governor-General of the Netherlands. In 1581, he accompanied the latter to Austria, staying in Vienna and Prague, as well as in Linz and Nuremberg. As of 1593, he shared his workshop in Frankfurt am Main with his brother Marten; he was granted citizenship on 10 January, 1594, encouraged by Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553-1595). He worked actively in the family workshop until his death in 1597. Considered one of the greatest landscape painters of the 16th century, Lucas van Valckenborch's concept of landscape was derived from Joachim Patinir and Pieter Bruegel the Elder. His very detailed portrayals of the seasons, village kermesses, romantic scenes and townscapes, stand out owing to the meticulous care employed in their execution and the precise structure of the planes leading to the horizon. His panoramic landscapes are a careful observation of the Meuse valley; his anecdotal scenes are painted with the delicacy of a miniaturist, while his landscapes are presented with topographical accuracy. At the end of his life, his deep landscapes with their luminous, refined nuances, bear witness to a creative approach that sought to go beyond the Bruegelian concept, which was never surpassed by his contemporaries.
Victor Werner
carl johan bonnesen
Carl Johan Bonnesen (Aalborg 1868-1933 Copenhagen) African elephant, 1924 Bronze with green patina H 54 x W 78 x D 34 cm Signed and dated CARL J. BONNESEN 1924 Provenance: Professor Karl Meyer, board member of Villadsens Fabrikker; donated Nov. 9th, 1932, to the company director Christian Villadsen and his wife Ingeborg (as inscribed on the base); gifted by Christian Villadsen’s grandson to the previous owner
Galerie Alexis Bordes
jacques-emile blanche
Jacques-Emile Blanche (Paris 1861-1942 Offranville) View of a longère at the end of a tree-lined path, near Offranville Oil on canvas 38.3 x 46.2 cm Signed lower right: J E Blanche Certificate of authenticity by Mrs. Jane Roberts, a specialist on the artist Provenance: private collection, France Literature: Jane Roberts, Jacques-Émile Blanche, Paris: Gourcuff-Gradenigo, 2012; Mireille Bialek, Michel Ciry, Félicien Cacan, Jacques-Émile Blanche à Offranville: peintre-écrivain, Offranville: Mairie d’Offranville, 2006
Gallery de Potter d’Indoye
georges jacob
Pair of bergères 'à la Reine' Georges Jacob (Cheny 1739-1814 Paris) France, Louis XVI period Carved and gilded wood H 100 x W 69 x D 61 cm Stamped Georges Jacob Provenance: Jacques Perrin, Paris, 1997 Pair of carved and gilded wood Bergères with rounded backs, decorated with acanthus leaves and an interlacing frieze. Tapered and caned legs with gadroons. The arched crest surmounts padded armrests, the frames carved with guilloche patterns and foliage, resting on turned fluted legs, stamped G. Jacob. Georges Jacob, received as master on the July 5th, 1765, is the most famous of all the 18th-century French menuisiers. Unlike his colleagues, Jacob founded his company from scratch in 1765 and moved his workshops to Rue Meslée in 1775. This is where the most brilliant period of his career took place and where the major royal commissions were produced. From 1773 he was solicited by the Garde-Meuble de la Couronne, for which he continued to work until the Revolution. In addition to the Queen and, to a lesser extent, the King, his clientele included the main members of the royal family and its entourage. As ordinary carpenter to Monsieur, Count of Provence and brother of the King, the future Louis XVIII, he furnished most of his homes. He also worked for the Count of Artois, another brother of the King and future Charles X, Madame Élisabeth, sister of Louis XVI, the Prince of Condé, the Duke of Penthièvre, the Duke of Bavaria and Deux-Ponts Charles-Théodore, etc.
Galerie Nicolas Bourriaud
emile gilioli
Emile Gilioli (Paris, 1911-1977) Obélisque, circa 1960 Marble sculpture H 88 x W 25.5 x D 24 cm Signed 'Gilioli' Unique piece Provenance: the artist's studio Literature: Pierre Descarges, La logique de Gilioli, XXe siècle, Juin 1970, n° 34, p. 70; Ionel Jianou, Hélène Lasalle, Gilioli, Paris, 1971
Galerie Capazza
georges jeanclos
Georges Jeanclos (Paris, 1933-1997) Kamakura, 1991 Terracotta H 30 x W 45 x D 40 cm Provenance: the artist's studio Exhibition: Georges Jeanclos, Élévation, Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud, 25 November 2023-4 March 2024 The Kamakura series was inspired by Georges Jeanclos' trip to Japan, which took him to the country's ancient medieval capital, home to the oldest Japanese Zen gardens. Jeanclos was deeply moved by the beauty and serenity that emanated from these meditative and contemplative landscapes. Upon his return to Paris, these characters were born, sculptures of resilience, ‘monks in meditation, spectators of their inner gardens’ (Tzvetan Todorov). Georges Jeanclos (1933–1997) was one of the great French sculptors of the 20th century. His work was inspired by the traumatic events of the Second World War. To escape the roundups threatening Jews in France, his family had to hide in the woods; he himself, aged around ten, learned to live with the danger of death. In the aftermath of the Liberation, he saw the bodies of former collaborators hanging from lampposts; shortly afterwards, he discovered the skeletal beings who had survived the camps. Decades later, Jeanclos would respond to this formative experience: not by withdrawing into his own experiences, but by opening himself up to the universal, listening to all suffering, past and present; not by depicting horror, but by finding within himself the strength to create beauty. Jeanclos transforms the earth he works with into thin sheets, which he uses to form figures with similar faces, both children and adults, men and women. They are sleepers lying under a sheet of earth; beings enclosed in urns stamped with Hebrew letters taken from prayers for the dead; figures loaded onto boats bound for the other world; kamakuras, meditating monks. Later, he would add Pietàs, Adam and Eve in love, couples brushing against or embracing each other. Jeanclos' images reveal both the insignificance of our person and the indomitable strength of our love; by their mere existence, they help us to live. Tzvetan Todorov
Ars Antiqua
viviano codazzi and jan miel
Viviano Codazzi (Italy, Bergamo 1604-1670 Rome) and Jan Miel (Belgium, Beveren 1599-1663 Turin, Italy) Architectural Capriccio with a View of Saint Peter's Basilica and Classical Antiquities First half of the 17th century Oil on canvas 149 x 200 cm Authenticated by Professor Alessandro Agresti
HELENE BAILLY MARCILHAC
raoul dufy
Raoul Dufy (Le Havre 1877-1953 Forcalquier) Le Pêcheur, 1907 Oil on canvas 46 x 55 cm Dedicated and signed lower right, to André Robert, Raoul Dufy Certificate of authenticity issued by Madame Fanny Guillon-Laffaille, dated December 17th, 2003 Provenance: private collection Literature: M. Laffaille, Raoul Dufy, Catalogue Raisonné de l'Oeuvre Peint, vol. I, Geneva, 1972, ill. n° 152, p. 136
Galerie Flak
Yipwon hook figure Korewori river, Papua New Guinea, 19th century or earlier (C-14 test) Carved wood H 200 cm Provenance: Merrin Gallery, New York; Californian artist Tony Berlant collection; acquired from the above in the 1980s; Michael Hamson collection, USA; Dr. Jean-Philippe Beaulieu collection, France; acquired from the previous in 2022
Douwes Fine Art b.v.
emanuel de witte
Emanuel de Witte (The Netherlands, Alkmaar circa 1616-1691/2 Amsterdam) Interior of the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam, the transept seen from the South Oil on canvas 64 x 71.5 cm Signed 'E. De. Witte' (c.r.) Provenance: Abraham Dijkman, Amsterdam; his deceased sale, Amsterdam, de Bosch/ Yver, 17-18 July 1794, lot 47; sale, London, Foster, 25 March 1931 (as 'unknown'); acquired at the above sale by Asscher & Welker, London; with D. Katz, Dieren; Dr. A. Welker, London, 1935; with J.D. Klaasen Jr., Rotterdam; P.M. Kerdel, Scheveningen, 1963; with Hans Cramer, The Hague by 1990; acquired by a Dutch Foundation, in 1998 Literature: Noach, 'Het Material tot de Geschiedenis der Oude kerk te Amsterdam', Amsterdam 1937, p. 81; E. Trautscholdt, in U. Thieme and F. Becker, 'Algemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler' Vol. 36, Leipzig, 1947, p. 125; I. Manke, 'Emanuel de Witte', Amsterdam, 1963, p. 92, n° 62 with ill. fig. 31; F. Duparc et al., 'Masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age', exhibition catalogue, Atlanta, 1985, p. 132-3, n° 60 with ill.; H.R. Leppien, 'In Blickfeld: Holländische Kirchenbilder', exhibition catalogue, Hamburg, 1995, pp. 56-7, 66-8, n° 20 Exhibitions: Rotterdam, Museum Boymans Van Beuningen, 'Vermeer, oorsprong en invloed Fabritius, de Hooch, de Witte, 9 July-9 October 1935, n° 116; Rotterdam, Museum Boymans Van Beuningen, Tentoonstelling van schilderijen, beeldhouwwerken en teekeningen uit particuliere verzamelingen in Nederland: onder auspiciën van de 'Stichting Museum Boymans' , December 1939-January 1940, n° 59; Atlanta, High Museum of Art, Masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age, 24 September-10 November 1985, n° 60, p. 132-3; Hamburg, Kunsthalle, In Blickfeld: Holländische Kirchenbilder, 1995/96, n° 20