This section will be available this Autumn.
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
Vagabond Antiques
Pair of Roman console tables Roman Neoclassical period, circa 1770 Veneer, Sienna marble, Breccia Africana marble H 90 x W 112 x D 56 cm Provenance: previously in the collection of Cardinal Vincenzo Vannutelli (1836-1930), Dean of the College of Cardinals; thence by descent; collection of the fashion designer Stefano Gabbana Each with a rectangular top butterfly veneer in richly figured Siena marble, edged in a contrasting band of Breccia Africana marble. The frieze is crisply carved with classical laurel swags, centres by rosettes and anthemion motifs and set against a punched ground to catch the light. The square corner blocks are decorated with stylised sunflowers. The tapering fluted legs are carved in three sections, with boldly gadrooned collars and stiff-leaf details above toupie feet. The carving is of sharp quality throughout, with well-preserved original gilding enhancing the architectural lines of the design.
Stern Pissarro Gallery
maurice estève
Maurice Estève (Culan, 1904-2001) Untitled, circa 1953-1955 Gouache, watercolour and charcoal on paper 52.6 x 69.3 cm Signed lower left 'Estève' This work is registered in the archives of Mrs Monique Prudhomme-Estève under n° A.78 Provenance: private collection, UK This vibrant work by Maurice Estève dates from a pivotal moment in his career, when he was refining the style that would come to define his mature practice. A master of watercolor, this medium allowed him to develop a visual language characterized by subtle transparencies and rich chromatic nuances. The work features the bold colors and interlocking geometric forms that have made his oeuvre renowned, and its appealing format and quality make it a particularly attractive choice.
Galerie de la Présidence
geer van velde
Geer van Velde (The Netherlands, Lisse 1898-1977 Cachan, France) Composition - atelier, circa 1951 Oil on canvas 134 x 148 cm Signed lower right with initials This work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of Geer van Velde - Painted Work, currently in preparation by Pierre François Moget, son of Piet Moget Provenance: Galerie Hautefeuille, Paris; private collection, Brussels
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.
Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery
Hans Hartung (Leipzig 1904-1989 Antibes) P1971-20, 1971 Crayon and acrylic on baryta board 50 x 73 cm Signed and dated lower right This work is registered in The Hans Hartung and Anna-Eva Bergman Foundation archive with number P1971-20 and will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of Hans Hartung Provenance: Galerie Ludorff, Germany; Sotheby's London, July 2020; private Collection, Brussels; acquired from the above by the present owner
Galerie Taménaga
marie laurencin
Marie Laurencin (Paris, 1883-1956) Deux fillettes et chien, 1942 Oil on canvas 46 x 55 cm Signed and dated lower left 'Marie Laurencin 1942' Provenance: private collection Literature: Beaux-Arts, Paris, 24-30 July 1952; Daniel Marchesseau, Marie Laurencin, Catalogue raisonné de l'œuvre peint, Tokyo: Marie Laurencin Museum, 1986, vol. I, n° 804, repr. p. 327
De Wit Fine Tapestries
After David Teniers II The Fish Quay–Return of Fishermen Brussels, 1725-1750 Wool and silk 264 x 390 cm Celebrated for their lively depictions of rural life, sets of tapestries inspired by the famous peasant scenes of David Teniers II (1610–1690) formed some of the most popular tapestry series in late 17th- and early 18th-centuries. Their extraordinary appeal is reflected in the sheer number of workshops that produced them. In Brussels alone, seven ateliers wove this distinctly Flemish genre, while so-called Teniers tapestries were also produced in other European centres such as Amsterdam, Aubusson, Beauvais, Lille, London, Madrid, and Oudenaarde. Owing to this widespread production and the enduring commercial success of the genre, attributing individual designs can often be challenging. The present example, however, belongs to a distinguished series that laid the foundation for the genre and was designed by David Teniers II himself. Description The tapestry depicts a bustling quay where fishermen unload and sort their catch. On the left, a boat carrying five men arrives, still hauling in its nets, while one fisherman on the bow hands a line to a man standing at the end of the quay. In the foreground, a fisherman empties a barrel of fish and shellfish, while three men nearby appear to be negotiating. Further along the quay, another sorts his catch, two men converse, and a man leans casually on a donkey. Behind them, a figure with his back turned adds a touch of unvarnished realism. In the background, a bay stretches out, framed by a wooded coast to the left and a fortified structure to the right, complete with patrolling figures and a tall, three-tiered tower. Through the central passageway, two additional boats are visible. One hauling in its nets, the other lowering its mast. Attribution The Fish Quay was executed in the Brussels workshop of Hieronymus Le Clerc (1643-1722) or that of his associate Gaspar van der Borcht (1675-1742). Several editions of the scene are known, some bearing the signature of one of these associated tapissiers: Le Clerc or Van der Borcht’s Latinized form, A Castro. A now-lost edition formerly in Dresden bore Van der Borcht’s signature along with an extensive inscription identifying David Teniers II – the court painter to Archduke Leopold Wilhelm of Austria (1614-1662) and Don John Joseph of Austria (1629-1679), governors of the Southern Netherlands from 1648 to 1656 and 1656 to 1658 respectively – as the designer. Teniers is also cited as the designer in a 1701 archival document recording that Le Clerc and Van der Borcht sold a six-part edition of the series, including a tapestry described as “un port de mer, où l’on pesche le poisson” (a seaport, where fish are caught). Dating the collaborative production of this particular example is difficult. The earliest known editions of the series were likely produced in the 1680s, with production continuing until Le Clerc’s death in 1722. The Fish Quay lacks the usual outer border, suggesting it was intended for mounting on wainscoting.
De Zutter Art Gallery
corneille
Corneille (Liège 1922-2010 Auvers-sur-Oise) Le rouge itinéraire de l'été, 1964 Oil on canvas 73 x 92 cm Provenance: Galerie Delta, Rotterdam; kunsthandel Lambert Tegenbosch, Heusden; collection Dr. Johan B.W. Polak (1928-1992), Amsterdam; Christie's, Amsterdam, 10 December 1992, lot n° 325; private collection, Switzerland Literature: Catalogue Galerie Cimaise Bonaparte (Patrick d'Elme and Daniel Templon), 1967, Paris Exhibition: Galerie Cimaise Bonaparte (Patrick d'Elme and Daniel Templon), 1967, Paris
Galerie Alexis Pentcheff
Regency period frame France, 18th century Carved oak, gilded with gold leaf 112.5 x 146 cm (sight size) Provenance: Montanari collection Sand-textured background decorated with acanthus scrolls, small flowers, drops, shells, and padded cartouches. Openwork acanthus leaves overflowing with playful movement in the corners.
Vagabond Antiques
Monumental carved marble Sundial Portugal, Oporto region, mid-18th century H 357 x W 130 x D 62 cm Portugal has a rich tradition of country houses and manors indigenously known as solares or quintas. Some were modelled on the great 18th century gardens of Le Notre and other landscape architects in France. Under King João, himself a great patron of the arts, began the great 18th century period of Portuguese baroque. The previous austere architectural style, albeit heavily influenced by Renaissance Italy, was replaced with exuberance. With great profits from its colonies and especially gold and precious stones from Minas Gerais and the Sertão of São Paulo in Brazil, it was the golden era of Portuguese architecture and ornament. From it there emerged a new artistic language. Named the Joanine, in honour of the King, it was an architectural style that transformed quintas not only in Portugal but also in the nation’s Atlantic provinces and overseas colonies. This spectacular sundial, monumental in scale, incorporates many architectural elements synonymous with the baroque architecture of the mid-18th century. It was a highly creative Italian who created a form of this style of architecture perfectly suited to Northern Portugal. Born in 1691 and trained in Sienna, Nicolau Nasoni arrived in Oporto in 1725. Having established his reputation by modernising the city’s cathedral, he was commissioned by Jeronimo de Tavora e Noronha to build the Church of Clerigos, one of Oporto’s great 18th century churches. Commissions for other churches and quintas followed, the most famous of which being the grand solar de Mateus, known all over the world for the rose wine that bears its name. The architectural composition of this sundial probably owes more to the façade of the Cas dos Porto Carreiro. Similar works was commissioned by Antonio de Vasconcelos Carvalho e Menezes, a wealthy Portuguese noble who made part of his wealth in Brazil, it was constructed by a Spanish architect but heavily influenced by Nasoni’s work. The volute scrolls and the foliate elements as well as the stylised lambrequins all echo Nasoni’s designs for the gilt woodwork of Oporto churches.
Galeria Bessa Pereira
Abraham Palatnik (Brasil, Natal 1928-2020 Rio de Janeiro) Cupboard, 1950s Iron, wood and painted glass H 90 x W 150 x D 49 cm Origin: Brasil Provenance: private collection, Rio de Janeiro; Galeria Bessa Pereira collection Literature: Vicente, A., & Vasconcellos, M. (Comps.), Móvel moderno brasileiro (1st edition), São Paulo: Olhares, 2017, pp. 244-245; Vasconcellos, M., Móvel brasileiro moderno (1st edition), Rio de Janeiro: Aeroplano, 2012, p. 193
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.
Objects With Narratives
ben storms
Ben Storms (Ghent, 1983) Crushed room divider, 2024 H 195 x W 160 x D 45 cm Stainless steel, gold leaf Provenance: the artist's studio The purpose of this volume is deliberately ambiguous. The object is primarily sculptural, a monumental entity that redefines a space. Yet in doing so, it also reveals its potential function. In the way that the work structures a space, it turns out to be a divider that demarcates and defines compartments or areas. The starting point for this room divider and sculpture is essentially a provisional form. A composition of several sheets of metal welded together with air in between - think of Ben’s In Hale series, but in a different sense. The actual form is then created by subjecting this makeshift composition to external forces, crushing the surfaces until the volume finds its current state.