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Willow Gallery
Sam Francis (San Mateo 1923-1994 Santa Monica) Untitled (SF90-491), 1990 Acrylic on paper 63 x 56 cm 81 x 74 cm (framed) Signed and dated 'Sam Francis 1990' (on the reverse) Provenance: Phillip Kirkeby Collection, California (a gift from the artist); private collection, Spain (acquired from the above); private collection, (acquired from the above) Literature: D. Burchett-Lere (ed.), Sam Francis: Unique Works on Paper and Expanded Version of Canvas and Panel Paintings from the online Catalogue Raisonné Project, n° SF90-491 (ill.) Exhibition: California, San Rafael, Smith Anderson North, Sam Francis: The Spirit of the Shadow: Paintings and Etchings, 25 June-29 July 2009
Arte-Fact Fine Art
chen yanning
Chen Yanning (Guangzhou, 1945) Portrait of two cheerful girls, 1994 Oil on canvas 81 x 65 cm Provenance: commissioned via Portraits Inc., Park Avenue, New York; private collection, USA; private collection, Belgium Chen Yanning is internationally celebrated; his works have been shown at the Guggenheim, the Paris Salon and beyond. In 1999, he painted Queen Elizabeth II, a portrait so well-received that it was later chosen for a postage stamp to mark the Queen’s Golden Jubilee in 2002. This tender and joyful portrait of two young sisters, commissioned in New York, is rendered with sparkling realism and warmth. The painting illustrates Yanning’s extraordinary international career and ability to infuse his portraits with life: a Chinese-born artist building a global reputation, bringing his distinctive sensitivity to subjects across cultures.
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.
Galerie Alexis Pentcheff
pierre bonnard
Pierre Bonnard (Fontenay-aux-Roses 1867-1947 Le Cannet) Promenade à Paris, circa 1911 Oil on canvas 40 x 60 cm Estate stamp lower left Provenance: collection of Pierre and Marie-Françoise Vernon Literature: Dauberville Jean et Henry, Bonnard, Vol. IV, Paris, Bernheim-Jeune, 1974, repr. p. 312 under n° 01992 Exhibitions: Pierre Bonnard, A. Tooth & Sons, London, 17 June-12 July 1969, repr. in exh. cat. n° 8; Matisse e Bonnard. Viva la pittura!, Rome, 2006, repr. in exh. cat. (ed. Skira) p. 340 under n° 125; Bonnard, Le Cannet, une évidence, Musée Bonnard, Le Cannet, 2020, repr. in exh. cat. p. 42 The creation of this work by Pierre Bonnard reminds us that the artist was also a photographer, experimenting with daring compositions. Though his painting captures the fleeting moment, it shares little with the tentative realism of early photography. Made entirely of color and sensation, it constructs a fragile world of subtle harmony. Just before embracing the South - before letting the Mediterranean light burst into color across his canvases - Bonnard explored a quieter, more muted sensuality in the early 1910s, while working in a studio in Paris, not far from the avenue depicted here. The “very Japanese Nabi,” as his friends from the group of his youth liked to call him, knew how to let color whisper on the canvas, how to conjure the intimacy of a letter. On one side of the painting, cool tones — blues and violets placed side by side - contrast with the russet hues of this autumnal Parisian avenue, bringing to the foreground, beneath a hat bathed in light like a reinvented halo, the lowered face of a woman reading. Her eyes are hidden, absorbed in the text. Though she has removed her gloves, she surely no longer feels the sharp chill of that November afternoon… Elegant silhouettes glide through the landscape; yet they endure — along with this hat-wearing heroine - on our retinas and in our memories, as companions to a shared intimacy, lasting only the time it takes to read a love letter. Unseen on the art market since the 1960s, this painting has been shown in several museum exhibitions, the most recent in 2020 at the Musée du Cannet, dedicated to the artist.
Finch & Co
Ivory crucifix figure of Christ South Netherlandish, circa 1690-1700 Rosewood cross, carved ivory, silver halo, giltwood Small chips to fabric of hanging Perizonium, old smooth creamy patina H 109 x W 41.5 x D 22 cm (cross) H 40 x W 24 x D 6 cm (Christ) Belgium CITES: 2025/BE00989/CE Provenance: Finch and Co, circa 2005; English private collection; Irish collection Comparative reference: a similar example in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum inv. n° A.73-1920 A finely carved ivory figure of Christ mounted on a rosewood cross, adorned with a silver halo and a sacred motto. The cross is embellished with giltwood details and set on its original scallop-shaped rosewood base. At Christ’s feet rests an ivory skull and crossbones, symbolising Golgotha. His legs remain uncrossed, with hands and feet affixed by iron nails. In this image of the Passion, Christ is shown alive, his eyes open looking upwards to his right, his teeth visible with his mouth open in his call to God. Imagery based on the Passion of Christ became increasingly popular from the 13th century. The mix of emotions which well up in the devout upon looking at such a human image, a blend of guilt and gratitude, sorrow and sympathy, is a very powerful combination. The Carthusian monk, Ludolph of Saxony (died 1378) expressed this attraction, without seeking to explain it, in his ‘Life of Christ’: ‘I know not for sure…. how it is that you are sweeter in the heart of one who loves you in the form of flesh than as the word…. It is sweeter to view you as dying before the Jews on the tree, than as holding sway over the angels in Heaven, to see you as a man bearing every aspect of human nature to the end, than as God manifesting divine nature, to see you as the dying Redeemer than as the invisible Creator.’
Virginie Devillez Fine Art
gustave de smet
Gustave De Smet (Ghent 1877-1943 Sint-Martens-Latem) Nu couché, 1928 Pencil, pastel and oil on paper 35 x 43 cm Signed lower right 'Gust. De Smet' Provenance: Walter Schwarzenberg, Brussels (Georges Giroux sale, Brussels, 1-2 February 1932, lot 43); Tony Herbert, Kortrijk; private collection, Belgium (by descent to the present owner) Literature: Piet Boyens, Gust. De Smet. Chronicle et Analysis of the Work, Antwerp, Fonds Mercator, 1989, CR 744 (p. 386); The Tony Herbert Collection, Deurle, Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, 2011, p. 39 (ill.) Exhibitions: Brussels, Galerie Le Centaure, Gust. De Smet, 1928, cat. n° 69; Brussels, Galerie George Giroux, Gust. De Smet, 1929, cat. n° 160; Luxembourg, Musée d’Art et d’Histoire; Tony Herbert Collection, 1963-1964, cat. n° 38
Florian Kolhammer
hans bolek
Hans Bolek (Vienna, 1890-1978) Jugendstil ensemble, Gentleman's study, 1913 Solid spruce wood, solid oak (armchair), swamp oak veneer Provenance: bought on 06.11.1913 by the minister of public works, Freiherr Ottokar Trnka von Laberon; private collection, Austria Literature: Interior from the winter exhibition 1913/14 at MAK; photograph of a room design by Hans Bolek, executed by August Ungethüm, Möbelfabrik August Ungethüm, MAK Inv.nr. KI 7905-13; 'Innendekoration: mein Heim mein Stolz', Heft 25, 1914, S. 110; 'Kunst & Handwerk', Vol. 12, 1913, p. 629; 'Deutsches Volksblatt' 11. November 1913, S. 6; 'Neues Wiener Tagblatt', 22. November 1913, p. 33 / yearly report 1913 Austrian Museum of Art and Industry (ÖMKI), p. 4 Designed in 1913 by Hans Bolek, a student of Josef Hoffmann, and executed by August Ungethüm, this study was presented at the 1913/1914 Winter Exhibition of the Austrian Museum of Art and Industry and acquired on November 6th, 1913, by Baron Ottokar Trnka von Laberon. This rare Jugenstil ensemble combines elegant geometry, floral elements, and exceptional craftsmanship. The study consists of a representative desk with elegant fittings and a matching armchair made of solid oak, an impressive cabinet display case, and a stylish table display case or humidor. All the pieces of furniture, except for the chair, are made of solid spruce wood and covered with high-quality swamp oak veneer.
Alexis Lartigue
jean-paul riopelle
Jean-Paul Riopelle (Montreal 1923-2002 Saint-Antoine-de-l'Isle-aux-Grues) Untitled, 1955 Watercolour and ink on paper 64 x 49 cm Signed lower right 'Riopelle 55' Provenance: Claude Duthuit private collection Literature: Catalogue raisonné Jean Paul Riopelle, tome 2, 1954-1959, p. 368
Galerie Alexis Pentcheff
maurice utrillo
Maurice Utrillo (Paris 1883-1955 Dax) Belle Gabrielle, Montmartre, circa 1912-1914 Oil and gesso on cardboard mounted on panel, signed lower right 41 x 55.5 cm Provenance: London, Christie’s sale, 23 June 2004, lot n° 267; European private collection; Galerie Alexis Pentcheff; private collection, France Literature: Jean Fabris and Cédric Paillier, L’œuvre complet de Maurice Utrillo, Paris, 2009, repr. n° 332, p. 396; Maurice Utrillo, exhibition catalogue, Tokyo, Seiji Togo Memorial Sompo Japan Museum of Art, 2010, n° 1, p. 142 (ill. in colour in the section 'Works reproduced as archives') Exhibitions: Centenary of the Birth of Maurice Utrillo, Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris, May-August 1983, n° 13 (travelling exhibition to Liège, Musée Saint-Georges, and to Lille, Fondation Septentrion in Marcq-en-Barœul, until 15 January 1984); Maurice Utrillo, Tokyo, then Osaka, Kyoto, and Yamaguchi, Japan, 1 November 1985-5 May 1986, n° 17 (ill. cat. in colour); Maurice Utrillo: Solitude Urbaine, Galerie Alexis Pentcheff, Marseille, 22 September-4 November 2017, n° 3 (ill. cat. in colour)
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
Epoque Fine Jewels
rené lalique
René Lalique (Ay 1860-1945 Paris) Art Nouveau thistle necklace Paris, circa 1905 Gold, diamond, enamel and glass Signed: Lalique The piece is housed in its original case, marked ‘Lalique, Place Vendôme 24, Paris’ Provenance: private collection, France An impressive Art Nouveau gold, diamond, enamel and glass thistle flower necklace by René Lalique, consisting of six pentagonal plaques made from moulded amber-coloured glass, each adorned with two intertwined thistle flowers facing outward, topped by three yellow enamel rods. Flanking the plaques are long curved thorns, set with diamonds and accented with yellow and brown enamel. Between the thorns are small thistle flower motifs in moulded orange glass, enhanced with diamonds. This exceptional Art Nouveau choker necklace by René Lalique (circa 1905, Paris) exemplifies his revolutionary use of glass in fine jewelry. The piece features six molded amber glass plaques decorated with intertwined thistle flowers, enhanced by diamonds and yellow and brown enamel on gold. The thistle flower motif, emblem of Lorraine and the Dukes of Lorraine, symbolizes courage and protection, reflecting the regional heritage of Nancy, where the original owner was a notable social figure likely to have commissioned it directly from Lalique. Created during the period when Lalique moved his shop to 24 Place Vendôme, the necklace illustrates his transition from Art Nouveau to early Art Deco, blending naturalistic design with modern aesthetics. Its autumnal hues, sunlit enamel details, and radiant diamonds evoke both poetic beauty and symbolic depth. Lalique drew inspiration from wild flora rather than cultivated blooms, favoring authenticity and imperfection as expressions of nature’s truth. This necklace, long preserved in a French private collection and once known only through drawings (including one published by Sigrid Barten), is a rare surviving example of Lalique’s innovation. It demonstrates his mastery in merging craftsmanship, symbolism, and modernity, affirming his reputation as the “inventor of modern jewelry.”
Francis Janssens van der Maelen
Saint Cosmas bust in gold, rock crystal, skull Flamboyant Gothic, in the style of Viollet-le-Duc, circa 1845–1870 H. 27 × W. 20 × D. 8 cm Weight: 1.468 g Provenance: private collection Solid gold reliquary bust in 22-carat yellow gold with a movable headdress opening onto a rock crystal cabochon magnifying glass covering fragments of cranial calvaria. Work in the Flamboyant Gothic style (Viollet-le-Duc), set with quartz and garnet cabochons. On the front, a cartouche bears a Latin inscription engraved on two lines: “Sanctus Cosmas Ora pro nobis” (“Saint Cosmas, pray for us”), surmounted by an oval rock crystal cabochon surrounded by eight alternating quartz and garnet cabochons. The piece is unhallmarked, which is not unusual for a reliquary. Beneath the base, an old label bears the handwritten inscription in ink: “No. 1”.
Galerie Greta Meert
carla accardi
Carla Accardi (Trapani 1924-2014 Rome) Frammenti, 1984 Acrylic on canvas 50 x 60 cm Frammenti, a work from 1984, ‘Fragments’; the work affirms Carla Accardi’s place as a voice of innovation in an Italian art scene dominated by male voices. In this 50 x 60 cm painting using only black paint on the untreated material of the canvas, the artist constructs a rhythmic interplay of signs animating recognition and illegibility, an evocation of a writing that dissolves into abstraction. The work embodies the tension that characterises her oeuvre: a subtle intertwining of classical painterly discipline and the radical openness of the avant-garde, resulting in a visual language that is as rigorous and experimental as it is personal.
Galerie Boulakia
Joan Miró (Barcelona 1893-1983 Palma) Des figures devant la lune, 1942 Pastel, gouache, wash, brush, ink, and pencil on paper 64.5 x 48.5 cm Signed 'Joan Miró' (lower right) Dated 'X Barcelone, 18-12-1942' and titled on reverse Certificate of authenticity from ADOM dated 13 July 2018 Provenance: Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York; Galleria Narciso, Turin Exhibitions: Traveling exhibition Japan, 1984, reproduced cat. n° 17; Ferrara, Palais des Diamants, Joan Miró, 1985, n° 81; Cherasco, Palazzo Salmatoris, Chagall, Miró, Magritte : La Poesia del Sogno, September-December 2005; Paris, Exhibition Jean Louis Prat-Galerie Lelong, Grand Palais, September-October 2018; Mons, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Mons, Belgium, Exposition Joan Miro : L’essence des choses passées et présentes, October 2022-January 2023, repr. in cat. Literature: Jacques Dupin, Ariane Lelong-Mainaud, Joan Miro : catalogue raisonné, Volume II, 1931-1941, Editions Maeght-Lelong, Paris, 2000; Joan Miró exhibition catalogue, L'essence des choses passées et présentes, Editions BAM, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Mons, Belgium, 2022
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 Taménaga
Maurice Denis (Granville 1870-1943 Paris) Les Bergers, à la chèvre noire, circa 1918 Oil on canvas 45.2 x 62.2 cm Signed lower left 'Maurice Denis' Provenance: Lang; Galerie Druet; Hirschler; private collection Literature: Paris, Galerie Druet, Exposition Maurice Denis, 1918, n° 27; Ploëzal, Château de la Roche-Jagu, Maurice Denis et la Bretagne. Les étés de Silencio, 2009, n° 59, repr. p. 157
Costermans
Jacques Dubois (Pontoise 1694-1763 Paris) Slant-front desk in Chinese lacquer, Louis XV period Chinese lacquer and bronze-guilded mounts H 93 x W 85 x D 54.5 cm Stamped Jacques Dubois, Parisian cabinetmaker, received master in 1742 Literature: P. Kjellberg, Le Mobilier Français du XVIIIe siècle, Paris, 1989, ill. p. 269, fig. G
Martos Gallery
keith haring
Keith Haring (USA, Pennsylvania 1958-1990 New York) Untitled, May 23, 1981 Marker on plastic 53.3 x 57.3 cm Provenance: Ellen Meyer collection, acquired directly from the artist; New York; Christie’s Auction, 1 May 1991, lot 313; private collection, Italy; Martos Gallery, New York Exhibition: Keith Haring: Surface to Air, Martos Gallery, New York, 6 May–25 July 2025
Herwig Simons Fine Arts
Game box with chess and backgammon Eger, 17th century 48 x 48 x 11.5 cm Provenance: Lothar Schmid (1928-2013), German chess Grandmaster Literature: publications World of Art: Art chamber games by the Kunsthistoriches Museum in Vienna Double-sided game box : one side shows a bas-relief depicting the meeting of Aeneas and Dido, accompanied by a Putto. The other side features a chessboard in finely executed marquetry. The interior reveals an elegant backgammon board decorated with double-tailed dolphins. Eger, a Bohemian Free City (now Cheb, Czech Republic), was well known in the 17th century for a specialised type of woodworking, particularly for intarsia panels. This set belonged to Lothar Schmid, the German chess Grandmaster and collector of chess books, boards and pieces. He is best known as the chief arbiter of the World Championship of chess in 1972 between Bobby Fisher and Boris Spassky in Reykjavik.