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Galerie Boulakia
Joan Miró (Barcelona 1893-1983 Palma) Untitled, 1946 Pen and India ink, coloured pencils, and pencil on paper 30 x 24 cm Signed, dated and inscribed 'Miró. 23-7-1946 à mon cher Joan Gomis, le jour de son anniversaire' (to my dear Jean Gomis on the day of his birthday) Provenance: Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York; Joaquim Gomis i Serdañons, Barcelone Literature: Jacques Dupin, Ariane Lelong-Mainaud, Joan Miro : catalogue raisonné, Volume II, 1931-1941, Editions Maeght-Lelong, Paris, 2000, n° 1. 1078, ill. p. 144
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.
Galerie Oscar De Vos
frits van den berghe
Frits Van den Berghe (Ghent, 1883-1939) Ooidonk alley, 1923 Oil on canvas 48.5 x 55 cm Signed lower right: FVBerghe Provenance: Galerie Campo, Antwerp Literature: Boyens, P., Frits Van den Berghe 1883-1939 (1999), 396, n° 309 (ill.); Servaes, W., V. Van Doorne & R. Van Lerberghe, 1924 Honderd jaar later, exh. cat. (2024), 56-57 (ill. & cover) Exhibition: 2024, Sint-Martens-Latem, Latemse Kunstkring/ Gemeentehuis, 1924 Honderd jaar later, s.n. Ooidonk Alley belongs to the key works of Van den Berghe’s short but decisive stay in Bachte-Maria-Leerne (1922–1923). He lived there at the entrance of the quadruple beech-lined avenue leading directly to Ooidonk Castle. That place was an actual re-grounding – a breakthrough towards a new way of painting that no longer records, but constructs. Here, the Lys landscape is no longer seen ‘from the outside’, but becomes an inner building site. The trunks become cylindrical volumes, the soft bend of the road becomes a carrier of rhythm. The colour language definitively abandons the sombre earth tones of his Ostend years: a new clarity emerges, a ‘new spring’, in which light assumes a plastic role. Ooidonk Alley is thus a document of the moment in which Van den Berghe finds his modernity: pure form, condensed space, a landscape as architecture. This work shows how, at the end of 1922–1923, Van den Berghe redefined the Lys region: as an ordered space of line, colour and spirit – rather than a piece of nature.
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.
Galerie Flak
Yup'ik shaman mask Coastal Yup’ik - Eskimo, St Michael or Yukon river Delta, Alaska, 19th century Carved wood, pigments H 19.5 cm Provenance: Karin & Leo (1937-1987) Van Oosterom collection, The Hague, acquired in 1980 Yup’ik shamanic masks (from the Indigenous culture of the Arctic region of Alaska) bear witness to a spirituality and artistic power of remarkable depth. Exceptionally rare today - as most were destroyed or discarded after their ceremonial use - these works are imbued with mystery and poetry. Their evocative force and symbolism of metamorphosis deeply inspired Surrealist masters such as Max Ernst and Leonora Carrington, who discovered in them a new visual language of the unconscious. This striking mask represents a tunghak spirit - a powerful celestial being linked to the moon, the sun, and the balance between humans and nature.
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
Guy Pieters Gallery
karel appel
Karel Appel (Amsterdam 1921-2006 Zurich) Polderkoe, 1952 Oil on canvas 82 x 116 cm This work is registered in the archives of the Karel Appel estate Provenance: Martha Jackson Gallery, New York; private collection, Belgium; Galerie Krikhaar, Amsterdam; private collection, Brussels
Galerie BG Arts
Georges Clairin (Paris 1843-1919 Clohars-Carnoët) Portrait of Suzanne Lalique Oil on canvas 140 x 80 cm Signed 'Á Suzanne Lalique son ami G. Clairin' Provenance: property of Suzanne Lalique-Haviland; private collection, France Literature: Maritch-Haviland, N. de Léobardy, C., Lalique-Haviland-Burty Family Portraits, Limoges, 2009, p. 29, ill. in a group photograph, taken at Cours-la-Reine in Paris, showing Suzanne Lalique wearing this same dress for a costume ball to mark her birthday in about 1913 Georges Clairin is best remembered as an orientialist and portrait artist. He was a close friend and advisor to René Lalique. They regularly had dinner together and shared an interest in oriental objects, as well as travelling together to Venice. Clairin belonged to the bohemian world and painted Sarah Bernhardt, the celebrated actress of the day, in her different roles on numerous occasions. He also introduced her to Lalique, and she became one of Lalique’s most significant patrons for whom he designed jewellery. For both men, women were a constant theme of their work. As a family friend it is not surprising that Clairin should have painted Suzanne, René Lalique’s daughter, in costume for her birthday ball in 1913.
Galerie des Modernes
jean dubuffet
Jean Dubuffet (Le Havre 1901-1985 Paris) Terrain au Cheval 1, 1952 Indian ink (calame) on paper 30 x 22.5 cm Signed and dated lower right 'J. Dubuffet 52' Provenance: Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, USA; Acquavella Modern Art, Reno, USA; Andrew and Christine Hall collection, Connecticut, USA; private collection, France; private collection, Belgium Literature: Max Loreau, Catalogue des Travaux de Jean Dubuffet, fascicule VII, Tables paysagées, paysages du mental, pierres philosophiques, Les Éditions de Minuit, Lausanne 1979, descr. and repr. on p. 109, n° 169 Exhibitions: Miro: early drawings collages 1919-1949 - Dubuffet: early drawings collages 1943-1959, Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, November-December 1981; Dubuffet-Miro: selections from the Acquavella collection, Nevada Museum of Art, Reno, July-September 1997
Brame & Lorenceau
marie laurencin
Marie Laurencin (Paris, 1883-1956) Jeune fille au bouquet de fleurs, circa 1935-1940 Oil on canvas 61 x 50 cm Signed upper left Provenance: private collection Literature: Daniel Marchesseau, 'Marie Laurencin, Catalogue raisonné de l’Œuvre Peint', 1986, Éditions du Musée Marie Laurencin, Japan, 1986, n° 1150, repr. B&W
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
Douwes Fine Art b.v.
henri fantin-latour
Henri Fantin-Latour (Grenoble 1836-1904 Buré) Vase de Pivoines, 1902 Oil on canvas 41 x 37 cm Signed lower left 'Fantin' The authenticity of this work has been confirmed by Sylvie Brame Provenance: Tempelaere, Paris; Tavernier, Paris; Colnaghi, London; Galerie Brame, Paris, 1978; Sotheby's London, 1978, lot 205; private collection, Europe; Sotheby’s London, 1989, lot 2; private collection, Europe; Sotheby’s London, 1996, lot 24; Noortman Master Paintings, Maastricht, bought at TEFAF 2004; private collection, Belgium; Douwes Fine Art, Amsterdam Literature: Mme Fantin-Latour, Catalogue de l'oeuvre complet de Fantin-Latour, Paris, 1911, n° 1937, p. 206
Galerie Raf Van Severen
théo van rysselberghe
Théo Van Rysselberghe (Belgium, Ghent 1862-1926 Le Lavandou, France) Ile du Levant, circa 1904 Oil on panel 30 x 41.4 cm Signed with monogram bottom left Provenance: Foundation Catherine Gide; private collection, Brussels Literature: Feltkamp, 2003, réf. 1924-034, p. 441; Catalogue de l'exposition, Bruxelles, La Haye, 2006, p. 258; Théo Van Rysselberghe, l'instant sublimé, Museé de Lodève, 2012, p. 99; Théo Van Rysselberghe, Intime, 2005, p.65; Théo Van Rysselberghe, Bozar Books by Fonds Mercator & Palais Des Beaux-Arts, Belgian Art Research Institute, 2005, p. 229 Exhibitions: 2005, TVR, Intime, Espace Culturel, Le Lavandou, n° 37; 2006, Brussels, La Haye, without number, p. 229
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.
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.
Galerie Perrin
walter sauer
Walter Sauer (Brussels 1889-1927 Algiers) Pensive woman, circa 1925 Mixed media 78.5 x 61.3 cm Signed upper left 'WS Walter Sauer' Provenance: private collection A unique, elegant style characterises the art of Walter Sauer, an artist who, in his short lifetime, lit up the Belgian art scene in the first twenty years of the twentieth century. Sauer's hand has a sensitivity to form that is characteristic of decorators; reality, in his eyes, is stripped of that which is superfluous, showing the noble essence of form. This essentiality, combined with an absolutely personal technique, makes Sauer's works instantly recognisable. The figure of the woman is the leitmotif of the artist, who combines his vision of the model with a series of cultural references ranging from Japanese art to Western tradition.
Galerie Nicolas Bourriaud
jacq orlande sinapi
Jacq Orlande Sinapi (Marseille, 1911-1989) Bison, circa 1940 Bronze with nuanced brown patina Cast by Leblanc-Barbedienne and bearing the foundry's stamp H 50 x W 57 x D 21 cm Signed ‘Jacq Orlande Sinapi’ Only two pieces known to date Provenance: private collection, France
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.
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.
Harold t’Kint de Roodenbeke
Englebert Van Anderlecht (Brussels, 1918-1961) Rome 1, 1960 Oil on canvas 150 x 122 cm Signed, dated and titled on the reverse Inventory number 664 on the reverse Provenance: private collection, Brussels Literature: Serge Goyens de Heusch, Englebert Van Anderlecht, Mercator, 1998, ill. p. 207; Englebert Van Anderlecht, exhibition catalogue, MRBAB, Brussels, 1990, ill. n° 79 Exhibitions: Galerij M.A.S. Astene, march-april 1969; Museum van Deinze, Englebert Van Anderlecht, March-May 1990; MRBAB, Englebert Van Anderlecht, Brussels, 1990 In the shadow of war and its aftermath, Englebert Van Anderlecht began his career as an artist in the early 1940s, right in the midst of the global conflict. After this tragedy, the “young Belgian painting” movement brought together a group of artists in a state of euphoria. Their style was colorful and optimistic - a form of rebirth, a way to forget and move toward new horizons. By the late 1940s, there was a desire to recreate new rules - or rather, to affirm that there were no longer any rules. Creativity alone mattered and had to prevail over any form of academicism. Thus, Englebert Van Anderlecht turned toward abstraction at the end of the 1940s and definitively embraced it by the mid-1950s. His palette grew stronger, his tones deeper, and he adhered to a form of abstract expressionism. This style of painting reflected a worldwide desire for rupture and emancipation. In the United States, the tone was set by Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline, from gestural to abstract expressionism. In France, a new generation emerged with Nicolas de Staël, Pierre Soulages, Simon Hantaï, and Judith Reigl. Belgium was no exception, with Antoine Mortier and Englebert Van Anderlecht, the latter being the most committed to the path of free or abstract expressionism. “I believe it is essential that there be men who do not accept established rules, who do not believe that truth is forever what a few moral leaders have decided it to be, who see that life is not merely the sum of all discoveries made so far. In this, I see a promise of freedom. We believe that everything remains to be done, that our earth is young, that we are not old men sunk into routine, and that the marvelous still awaits us tomorrow.” - Text by Englebert Van Anderlecht, 1960 Within this context, the large and striking canvas, Rome I, belongs to the period of maturity and recognition of this artist, who died prematurely in 1961 at the age of 43. The brush or paintbrush seems to whirl across the canvas like a ballet. The tones are deep, intense, applied with palpable strength and energy, while the final result bursts forth across the space. The work then takes on its full dimension, filling the surface with unmatched power - one of the finest works by this essential figure of Belgian painting.