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Gallery Sofie Van de Velde
Victor Servranckx (Diegem 1897-1965 Vilvoorde) Opus 20, (Calm Blocks Fallen from an Obscure Disaster), 1927 Oil on canvas 146 x 81 cm Signed and dated lower left Provenance: Félix Carlier, Watermael-Boisfort (purchased from Galerie Le Centaure, Brussels, 1929); Galerie J.-P. Alaerts, Brussels; London, Christie’s, 16 October 1990, lot n° 61 (ill.); Lokeren, De Vuyst, 6 October 2001, lot n° 489; private collection, Brussels; Galerie Ronny Van de Velde, Antwerp Literature: La Nation belge (Brussels), 12th year, n° 48, 17 February 1929, ill. p. 3; Le Peuple (Brussels), 5th year, n° 48, 17 February 1929, ill. p. 1 Exhibitions: Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, 1929 (no catalogue); Brussels, Galerie Le Centaure, Exhibition De Boeck, Flouquet, Gailliard, Servranckx, 1929, n° 33; Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, 1947, n° 45 '146 x 92 cm'; Brussels, Musée d’Ixelles/Museum van Elsene, Retrospective Le Centaure. Homage to Walter Schwarzenberg, 1963, n° 117; Brussels, Musée d’Ixelles/Museum van Elsene, 1965, n° 107; Hasselt, Provinciaal Begijnhof, 1970, n° 57 (ill.) Thanks to a photograph showing the artist during his solo exhibition at the Palais des Beaux-Arts (Brussels) in January 1929, we know that the painting was exhibited there. Félix Carlier acquired the work at the group exhibition (featuring works by De Boeck, Flouquet, Gailliard, and Servranckx) at Galerie Le Centaure in Brussels in 1929. As one of the leading pioneers of the abstract movement in Flanders, Servranckx explored the new possibilities of modern art with extraordinary intensity. Opus 20, (Calm Blocks Fallen from an Obscure Disaster), dating from 1927, can rightly be regarded as a pivotal work in his oeuvre. It represents a remarkable synthesis of geometric abstraction and the artist’s lyrical imagination, while also anticipating the emergence of Surrealism. Jacques Lipchitz (Lithuania, Druskininkai 1891-1973 Capri) Sitting figure, 1915 Bronze H 87 cm Signed 'JLipchitz' and numbered 2/7 (on base) Provenance: the estate of the artist; acquired from the above mentioned in 1989 by current owner Exhibition: Musée des Années 30, 'Lipchitz, Les Années Françaises de 1910 à 1940', 2005-2006, n° 10, pp. 16-17, ill. in colour
Galerie la Ménagerie
Georges Collard (Antwerp, 1881-1961) Scimitar Oryx, 1926 Bronze with dark brown patina and gold rims H 31 x W 54 x D 21 cm Signed and dated 'Georges Collard 1926' on the base Foundry stamp 'Batardy Bruxelles cire perdue' Model created and cast circa 1926 This sculpture of two antelopes is a fine example of the work of Georges Collard. The artist was the brother-in-law of Josuë Dupon, the renowned animal sculptor and one of the founding members of the Antwerp Artists and Sculptors Circle. This reclining scene is the result of careful observation, drawing us into an intimate moment between the two animals. It is a beautiful expression of stylized, highly expressive realism. This bronze was created in 1926, based on a pair of scimitar-horned oryx that lived at Antwerp Zoo and originally came from the Sahara Desert. These antelopes are now extinct in the wild. Thanks to the artist's talent and this exceptional casting by Batardy, Brussels, their presence has been immortalized in bronze.
COLNAGHI
Robert Mapplethorpe (New York 1946-1989 Boston) Female torso, 1978 Silver gelatin photograph 50.8 x 40.6 cm Made in 1978, the photograph belongs to a life-long dialogue in Mapplethorpe’s work between photography and sculpture. The subject would later serve as the opening image of his 1989 volume Some Women, where its classical reference establishes a point of comparison for the contemporary women portrayed in the book. The photograph was produced in an edition of ten. Impressions of the image are held in major public collections, including the J. Paul Getty Museum and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The documented provenance of this impression begins with the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation in New York, from which it passed into a private collection in Belgium.
Galerie Haesaerts-le Grelle
Gustave Serrurier-Bovy (Liège 1858-1910 Antwerp) Pair of armchairs ('ouvrier' series), circa 1904 Oak, black-painted iron and woven straw H 93 x W 50 x D 50 cm Produced by 'Serrurier et Cie' Literature: F. Bigot du Mesnil du Buisson & E. du Mesnil du Buisson, Serrurier-Bovy 'un créateur précurseur' 1858-1910, Paris, Faton, 2008 p. 150; Jacques-Grégoire Watelet, Serrurier-Bovy, Ateliers Vokaer, Bruxelles, 1986, pp. 88-89 A true manifesto of Gustave Serrurier-Bovy’s principles, this pair of armchairs, illustrated in Art Décoratif in 1904, embodies the foundations of the artist’s thinking. Functionality, clarity, simplicity of materials and lines - the use of oak and a backrest secured with simple iron screws, initially functional and subsequently decorative, together with a rush seat - are all characteristic of his approach. His commitment to serial production, allowing his work to reach a wider audience, further demonstrates his progressive vision. Together, these elements place Gustave Serrurier-Bovy at the forefront of modernity.
Guy Pieters Gallery
Pierre Alechinsky (Brussels, 1927) Paysage impressionné, 1959 Oil on canvas 205 x 289 cm Pierre Alechinsky’s ‘Paysage impressionné’, executed in 1959, is a large oil painting from an important early period in the artist’s career. Painted after the CoBrA movement had dissolved, it reflects his interest in spontaneous, expressive forms, a vivid sense of movement and the freedom of the brush. The lively brushwork and interplay of colours give the painting a sense of movement, while the broad composition feels balanced and harmonious. This combination of energy and control makes the work especially engaging.
Galerie des Modernes
Geer Van Velde (Lisse 1898-1977 Cachan) Composition, circa 1950 Oil on canvas 80 x 85 cm Signed lower right with the artist’s initials Certificate of authenticity by Pierre-François Moget To be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the works of Geer van Velde currently in preparation by Pierre-François Moget Provenance: the artist’s studio, Cachan; private collection, The Netherlands; private collection, France
Floris van Wanroij Fine Art
Jacob Grimmer (Antwerp, 1525/6-1590) A landscape with travellers near a castle or an ALlegory of Spring Oil on panel 27.3 x 37 cm Signed lower left GRIMMER FECIT The present picture is recorded at the RKD in The Hague under n° 102433 as by Jacob Grimmer Provenance: René Gilbert collection, Geneva; thence by descent until znonymous sale (the property of a Lady), Sotheby’s, London, 14 December 2000, lot 3 (179.500 GBP); private collection, United Kingdom; anonymous sale, Sotheby’s | London, Old Masters evening sale, 5 July 2017, lot 49; private collection, The Netherlands Literature: Mander, K. van (1603/4). Schilder-boeck. Haarlem, Vol. II, fol. 256V; Bertier de Sauvigny, R. (1991). Jacob et Abel Grimmer. Brussels, p. 68, fig. 13; p. 81, fig. 28
La Galerie URBAN
Maurice Denis (Granville 1870-1943 Saint-Germain-en-Laye) Bucolique d’Automne or L’Heureux Verger Pouldu, 1906 Oil on canvas 82 x 117 cm Signed and dated lower left 'MAVRICE DENIS 1906' This work is listed in the artist’s catalogue raisonné under n° 906.0016 Provenance: Baron Eberhard von Bodenhausen, Berlin (acquired from the artist, 1906-1908); Bernheim-Jeune, Paris (1908-1919); Miss Edwards (1919); Brooklyn Museum, New York (1927); Galerie Philippe Reichenbach, Paris; Walter P. Chrysler Jr., New York (1960); Stuart Pivar, New York (2004-2021); private collection, Switzerland; La Galerie URBAN, Paris Exhibitions: Salon de la Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts, Paris, Grand Palais, 15 April-30 June 1906, p. 19, n° 389 (ill.); Fünfzehnten Ausstellung der Berliner Secession, Berlin, spring 1908, n° 46; Internationale Kunstschau, Vienna, Gebäude der Secession, May-October 1909, n° 15; Nus, Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, 17-28 May 1910, n° 30; Ausstellung Französischer Kunst des 18., 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts, Leipzig, Leipziger Kunstverein, October-November 1910, n° 55; Internationale Kunstausstellung der Münchener Secession, Munich, Kgl. Kunstausstellungsgebäude am Königsplatz, 16 May-31 October 1911, n° 36; Exposition d'Art contemporain, Paris, Galerie Manzi-Joyant, 12-31 October 1912, n° 44; Ausstellung französischer Kunst, Zurich, Zürcher Kunsthaus, 16 February-26 March 1913, n° 93; A XIX. Szàzad nagy francia mesterei, Budapest, Ernst-Muzeum, September 1913, n° 78; Le Paysage du Midi, Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, 8-16 June 1914, n° 26; Exposition de peinture, série C, Paris, Galerie Bernheim-Jeune, 19-30 June 1916, n° 13; French Paintings 1789-1929 from the collection of Walter P. Chrysler Jr., Dayton Art Institute, 25 March-22 May 1960, p. 102, n° 94 (ill.) Painted in 1906, Bucolique d’Automne is one of the most eloquent expressions of Maurice Denis’s vision of a modern Golden Age. Set in an orchard at Le Pouldu, on the Breton coast so closely associated with the Nabis, the composition brings together a nursing mother, a reclining nude and a group of children gathering fallen apples beneath a laden tree. Beyond the foliage, a glimpse of the sea opens onto a landscape bathed in golden light. The painting belongs to Denis’s so-called ‘classical moment’, a period marked by increasingly rigorous compositions and a more luminous, vibrant palette, at times recalling the intensity of Matisse’s Fauvist colours. Here, ochres, vermilions and deep greens combine in a shimmering, almost mosaic-like interplay. The garden becomes an emblem of fertility and motherhood: the fruit-bearing tree echoes the nurturing female body, while the children reinforce the image of nature as a source of life and renewal. Modelled by Denis’s wife Marthe, the nude combines quiet sensuality with a vision of feminine beauty, lending the scene an atmosphere of serenity. First exhibited at the 1906 Salon de la Société nationale des Beaux-Arts in Paris, alongside Denis’s monumental Baigneuses au petit temple or Plage au bonnet rouge (Pouldu), now in Lausanne, Bucolique d’Automne subsequently featured in some of the most significant international exhibitions of its time: the 15th Exhibition of the Berlin Secession (1908), the Internationale Kunstschau in Vienna (1909), and the International Art Exhibition of the Munich Secession (1911). Its provenance is equally distinguished. Acquired directly from the artist in 1906 by Baron Eberhard von Bodenhausen, co-founder of the influential art journal PAN and a prominent collector of contemporary French painting, the work later passed through the galleries of Bernheim-Jeune and Philippe Reichenbach before entering the collection of Walter P. Chrysler Jr. A remarkable synthesis of Nabi modernity and classical idealism, Bucolique d’Automne marks a defining moment in Denis’s career, bringing together the decorative freedom of his early years and his enduring pursuit of compositional harmony and timeless beauty.
Stéphane Renard Fine Art
Maerten de Vos (Antwerp, 1532-1603) The Four Elements: Air, Earth, Water and Fire, 1579 Pen and brown ink wash on laid paper 10 x 13.8 cm (each drawing) The drawings of Earth, Water and Fire are signed and dated 1579 Provenance: private collection, Lyon, France These four previously unpublished drawings were used around 1585 to produce the series of four engravings by Johannes Sadeler (Hollstein 529-532). The success of this publication led, a few years later, to the production of a second, smaller series by Raphael Sadeler, Johannes’s brother (Hollstein Dutch and Flemish, Maerten de Vos, XLIV-XLVI, 1360-1364).
Francis Janssens van der Maelen
Philippe Wolfers (Brussels, 1858-1929) Evocation, 1923 Granite H 39 cm Signed by engraving on the neck 'Ph. Wolfers.' Provenance: Wolfers family, created for the renowned Gioconda ensemble Art Deco bust of a woman with hair adorned with a diadem, sculpted in stone. Philippe Wolfers’ Evocation bust, created around 1923 in granite, was part of the emblematic Gioconda ensemble, designed for the 1925 International Exhibition of Decorative Arts in Paris. With this ensemble, Wolfers sought to create a true Gesamtkunstwerk - an integrated work of art in which sculpture, furniture, architecture, and silverware engage in dialogue around a unified aesthetic vision. Gioconda was awarded the prestigious Grand Prix at the exhibition.
CKS Gallery
Sam Francis (San Mateo 1923-1994 Santa Monica) Composition, 1990 Acrylic and paper collage on paper 57.2 x 81.3 cm Stamped on the reverse with Sam Francis Estate logo stamp This work is registered in the archives of the Sam Francis Foundation under identification n° SF90-5PRS Provenance: private collection, the Netherlands; private collection, USA Exhibitions: St. Paul de Vence, Guy Pieters Gallery, Sam Francis, July-August 2003 (ill. in colour); Amsterdam, Museum Jan Van Der Togt, Sam Francis Remembering, November 2004-January 2005, pp. 138-139 (ill. in colour)
Sceners Gallery
Pierre Legrain (Levallois-Perret 1888-1929 Paris) Rothschild chair, circa 1920 Painted linden wood and plywood H 76 x W 44.5 x D 54 cm Seating height: 39 cm Provenance: Pierre and Marie Legrain collection, Paris; private collection, France; acquired from the above by the present owner; private collection, France Literature: Laurence Salmon, Pierre Legrain: Reliures, meubles, cadres, Paris 2019, repr. as a sketch of the model p. 318
Univers du Bronze
Rembrandt Bugatti (Milan 1884-1916 Paris) Deux antilopes Goudou or 'Deux Amis', circa 1911 Bronze, dark brown patina H 23.1 x L 43.2 x D 11.9 cm Signed 'R. Bugatti' Original cast and edition by 'A.-A. Hébrard cire perdue Paris' (seal and inscribed in the wax 'Fondu en 1925'), engraved '(13)' Edition cast in 1925 The years 1910–1911 were the most creative in Rembrandt Bugatti’s career. His art was flourishing, with his first major exhibition in Antwerp in 1910, followed by one organised by the foundryman Hébrard, for which the artist presented a magnificent collection of one hundred sculptures. The 'Deux antilopes goudou' were probably created in 1911, following a group of Trois antilopes goudou that Bugatti presented for the first time at the Salon d’Automne in 1911. From this group of three, the sculptor chose to retain only a pair of animals, adopting an even more sensitive approach, full of great tenderness, which the artist’s Impressionist touch renders here even more vibrant. To emphasise this intimate and ‘friendly’ character, Bugatti positions the antelopes – also known as Les deux amis – in a face-to-face interaction, with the head of one resting trustingly on the other’s large ear. The two heads come together harmoniously at the centre of the composition. At the same time, the sculptor modelled another, complementary group featuring similar antelopes, this time muzzle to muzzle, which he named 'Deux antilopes Goudou' or 'Caresse'. This cast, listed in the sculptor’s catalogue raisonné, bears the number '13', denoting the thirteenth cast produced from this model, and the casting date 'Fondu en 1925' – an extremely rare detail in Bugatti’s Oeuvre. The production run of these beautiful African antelopes was a great success for Hébrard, who cast thirty-two bronzes based on this subject. This bronze, with its deep brown patina, stands out from other known casts due to the high quality of the mould, which perfectly showcases the master’s characteristic and original treatment of the material.
Gallery Sofie Van de Velde
Georges Vantongerloo (Antwerp 1886-1965 Paris) Spiral with Certain Spots, 1946 Oil on masonite 73.8 x 58.8 cm Signed and dated 'Spirale avec certaines taches Paris 1946 G. Vantongerloo' (title/verso) Provenance: Georges Baines collection (acquired directly from the artist); Bernard Baines; private collection, Switzerland; Galerie Ronny Van de Velde, Antwerp Literature: Georges Vantongerloo, Paintings, Sculptures, Reflections, in Problems of Contemporary Art n° 5, New York, 1948, n° 176, Wittenborn, fig. 44; Georges Vantongerloo: A Traveling Retrospective Exhibition, Corcoran Gallery of Art / Dallas Museum of Fine Arts / Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Loiseau, Brussels 1980, p. 146; Jan Ceuleers, Ronny Van de Velde, Georges Vantongerloo 1886-1965, Antwerp, OCNO, 1996-1997, n° 176, ill. p. 157; Serge Lemoine, Georges Vantongerloo (1886-1965). A Pioneer of Modern Sculpture, Musée Matisse, 2007, ill. p. 148; Larkin Erdmann, Five Years, Zurich, 2019, pp. 83-84; Ostend, Mu.ZEE, Belgium-Argentina. Transatlantic Modernisms, 1910–1958, 2022 Exhibitions: Paris, Palais des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, 1st Salon des Réalités Nouvelles. Abstract Art, Concrete Art, Constructivism, Non-Figurative, July 1946; Zurich, Kunsthaus Zürich, Antoine Pevsner, Georges Vantongerloo, Max Bill, 15 October-13 November 1949, n° 78; Washington, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Georges Vantongerloo. A Traveling Retrospective Exhibition, 22 April-17 June 1980, n° 176 (later shown in Dallas and Los Angeles); Brussels, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, Georges Vantongerloo 1886-1965, 23 January-16 March 1981, n° 176; Zurich, Kunsthaus Zürich, Georges Vantongerloo, 3 April-17 May 1981, n° 176; Antwerp, Ronny Van de Velde, Georges Vantongerloo 1886-1965, 15 December 1996-31 March 1997, OCNO n° 176; Barcelona, MACBA-Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, Force Fields: Phases of the Kinetic, 19 April-18 June 2000, n° 232 (later at the Hayward Gallery); Le Cateau-Cambrésis, Musée Matisse, Georges Vantongerloo 1886-1965, A Pioneer of Modern Sculpture, 28 October 2007-2 March 2008 (later at Mu.ZEE); Madrid, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Georges Vantongerloo: A Longing for Eternity, 3 November 2009-22 February 2010
Stone Gallery
Woolly mammoth original skull Mammuthus primigenius Origin: Siberia 50 thousand years old H 173 x W 162 x D 193 cm Casted tusks of the world famous Jarkov Mammoth This is an original skull of the extinct woolly mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius), an extinct relative of the modern-day elephant. The skull fragment is exceptionally well preserved and of outstanding quality. The original skull was discovered in the permafrost of northern Yakutia, Russia. The tusks are casts taken from the world-renowned Jarkov Mammoth, discovered in Siberia. The geological age of the original skull and the original tusks of the Jarkov Mammoth dates to the Late Pleistocene, approximately 20,000 to 25,000 years ago. At the time of its death, this mammoth is estimated to have been approximately 53 years old (± 2 years).
