Room 90 at the BM

Maggi Hambling – Touch: works on paper, Room 90, The British Museum, until 29th January 2017

French portrait drawings from Clouet to Courbet, Room 90, The British Museum, until 29^th January 2017

Rosie, the stuffed rhinoceros in Ipswich Museum, 1963.
Ink 48.3 x 34.9 cm,
Maggi Hambling © The Trustees of the British Museum

The British Museum’s Room 90 plays host to two very good exhibitions of drawings. The first Touch features forty works by that great British contemporary artist Maggi Hambling who although proficient in all media – painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture – regards drawing as the heart of her working practice.

The show’s title ‘Touch’ reflects Hambling’s belief that there is a deep connection between artist and subject. She explains: : ‘I believe the subject chooses the artist, not vice versa, and that subject must then be in charge during the act of drawing in order for the truth to be found. Eye and hand attempt to discover and produce those precise marks which will recreate what the heart feels. The challenge is to touch the subject, with all the desire of a lover.’

Father painting 16/1/94 (4), 1994.
Ink on paper. 61 x 49 cm
© Maggi Hambling; photo: Douglas Atfield

The show also marks the gift of fifteen works by the artist to the British Museum and follows on from the idea, originated by Francis Towne in 1816, of artists giving some of their works to the Museum.

Portrait of Jean-Baptiste de Champaigne and his wife Geneviève , Nicolas de Plattemontage, 1677,
260.00 x208.00 mm, Black chalk with red and white chalk on paper
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Nearby is French portrait drawings from Clouet to Courbet a wonderful selection that highlights the Museum’s notable holdings of French portrait drawings. There is something intimate about a drawing – as Maggi Hambling suggests – and so no wonder artists used it to depict family and friends. It is also a good medium to try out new ideas of portraiture. As well as these ravishing drawings there are examples in other media including enamels, medals and an onyx cameo.

Leopold Mozart and his two children, Wolfgang Amadeus and Marie Anne, 1777,
320 x 200 mm. Watercolour and bodycolour, on contemporary gold, black and green wash mount
© The Trustees of the British Museum

britishmuseum.org

Gustave Courbet, Self Portrait ,
570.00 x 450.00 mm, 1852,
Black chalk and charcoal on paper
© The Trustees of the British Museum

Queen Victoria in Paris

Nov19

Queen Victoria in Paris: Watercolours from the Royal Collection, Compton Verney, Warwickshire, CV35 9HZ, until 11th December 2016

Antoine Léon Morel-Fatio (1810-71)
Royal visit to Napoleon III: Queen Victoria landing at Boulogne, 18 August 1855
Watercolour
© Royal Collection Trust 2016

This special exhibition commemorates the State Visit of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (with their two eldest children) to Paris in August 1855 and followed a State Visit to Windsor in April of that year by the Emperor Napoleon III and his consort the Empress Eugénie. It was part of cementing the alliance between Britain and France in the Crimean War. The forty-four watercolours, generously loaned by Her Majesty the Queen, depict the major events of the nine day visit from their arrival at Boulogne aboard the Royal Yacht onwards.

Eugène-Charles-François Guérard (1821-66)
Royal visit to Napoleon III: Queen Victoria’s entry into Paris, 18 August 1855
Watercolour
© Royal Collection Trust 2016

The watercolours, half of which are being publicly shown for the first time, were either presented to or commissioned by Queen Victoria and became one of her ‘Souvenir Albums’ that recorded events in her marriage to Prince Albert. I find them all of great interest but am specially drawn to those of her apartments in the Palais de Saint Cloud.

Jean-Baptiste-Fortuné De Fournier (1798-1864)
Royal visit to Napoleon III: Queen Victoria’s dressing-room at St Cloud
Watercolour
© Royal Collection Trust 2016

The significance of the Queen’s visit is summed up by Rosie Razzall, Curator of Prints and Drawings, Royal Collection Trust: “This was a pivotal period in British and French history. After centuries of enmity, France and Britain were never again to fight on opposing sides. A visiting head of state was not received with such popular fervour in France until the Kennedys in 1961, and has been unmatched since.”

Max Berthelin (1811-77)
Royal visit to Napoleon III: illuminations at the Hôtel de Ville, 23 August 1855
Watercolour
© Royal Collection Trust 2016

After Compton Verney this touring exhibition goes on to the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter; The Wilson: Cheltenham Museum and Art Gallery; and the Bowes Museum, County Durham.

Eugène Louis Lami (1800-90)
Royal visit to Napoleon III: the supper in the Salle de Spectacle, Versailles, 25 August 1855
Watercolour
© Royal Collection Trust 2016

http://www.comptonverney.org.uk

BOOK REVIEW: Going Once

Oct19

Going Once: 250 Years of Culture, Taste and Collecting at Christie’s

ISBN: 978 0 7148 7202 5

Phaidon

£39.95

What better way to celebrate two hundred and fifty years as a leading art business than through the two hundred and fifty objects selected for this book. It is a wonderful survey of these remarkable sales and the high prices achieved whether for a 3,000-year-old Assyrian frieze or Dorothy’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz. Paintings, furniture, gold and silver, sculpture, wine, even a London Routemaster bus are included. One feature I like is that as well as giving the original sale price they also give today’s equivalent value.

This is a great book to dip into time and time again as there is much to learn and enjoy from it.

phaidon.com

From Freud to Van Dyck

Aug8

Painters’ Paintings – From Feud to Van Dyck, Sainsbury Wing, National Gallery, London, until 4^th September 2016

Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot
Italian Woman, or Woman with Yellow Sleeve (L’Italienne)
about 1870
Oil on canvas
73 x 59 cm
© The National Gallery, London

It really should not come as a surprise that painters may actually collect paintings to both live with and be inspired by whether they are contemporary or not. The lynch-pin painting in this show is the strong depiction of an Italian Woman by Corot which belonged to the late, great Lucian Freud and which he left to the Nation on his death in 2011. One can certainly understand why this powerful work would have appealed to Freud.

This exciting and informative exhibition also looks at works that were owned by Matisse, Degas, Frederic, Lord Leighton, Watts, Sir Thomas Lawrence, Sir Joshua Reynolds and Sir Anthony van Dyck and they in many ways expand our knowledge of the owners.

Titian
The Vendramin Family, venerating a Relic of the True Cross
Begun about 1540-3, completed about 1550-60
Oil on canvas
206.1 x 288.5 cm
© The National Gallery, London

George Frederic Watts
Self Portrait in a Red Robe, about 1853
Oil on canvas
154.9 × 74.9 cm
Frame: 179 × 100.5 × 9.5 cm
© Watts Gallery (COMWG2014.10)

Jacopo Tinteretto
Jupiter and Semele
about 1545
Oil on spruce
22.7 x 65.4 cm
© The National Gallery, London

The more than eighty works on show combine examples of the artists’ own work with the ones they acquired whether purchased by the artists themselves, received as gifts or bought as investments or status symbols. This is perhaps best summed up by Sir Joshua Reynolds who said – “Works of art are models you are to imitate, and at the same time rivals you are to combat”

This is an enlightening show of the painter as collector and one that really has to be seen for its message to be fully appreciated.

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
Angelica saved by Ruggiero
1819-39
Oil on canvas
47.6 x 39.4 cm
© The National Gallery, London

Raphael
An Allegory (‘Vision of a Knight’)
about 1504
Oil on poplar
17.1 x 17.3 cm
© The National Gallery, London

Paul Gauguin
Young Man with a Flower behind his Ear, 1891
Oil on canvas
45.7 × 33.3 cm
Property from a distinguished Private Collection, courtesy of Christie’s
Photo © Christie’s Images / Bridgeman Images

http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk

Rembrandt
Lamentation over the Dead Christ, about 1634-1635
Pen and brown ink and brown wash, with red and perhaps some black chalk, reworked in oils ‘en grisaille’; framing lines in thin black oil paint; on paper
21.6 × 25.4 cm
© The British Museum, London (Oo,9.103)

BOOK REVIEW: From Chanel to Reves

Jul27

From Chanel to Reves

La Pausa and Its Collections at the Dallas Museum of Art

Olivier Meslay and Martha MacLeod

Published by GILES in association with the Dallas Museum of Art

PRICE — UK£9.95 / US$15.00

ISBN — 978-1-90780-72-4

I always find books that tell the story of a house fascinating and such is certainly the case with this appealing book which relates the story of the house that Chanel had built for herself and which she furnished with some help from Bendor Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster. It provides a real glimpse into Chanel’s taste and way of life.

In 1953 she sold the Villa La Pausa to Wendy and Emery Reves and included many of the Villa’s furnishings and books and so these were combined with the wide-ranging art collection of the Reves which has an emphasis on Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works. One figure which crosses into both halves of the story is Sir Winston Churchill who knew the Duke and had met Coco Chanel but was also a regular guest of the Reves at La Pausa and indeed there are four works by him as well as other souvenirs.

Even if you cannot get to Dallas to see this collection I heartily recommend this elegant tome that tells the story so well and so enticingly.

http://www.gilesltd.com

http://www.dma.org

Masterpiece London 2016 – Preview

Jun29

Masterpiece London 2016, The Bull Ring Gate Entrance, South Grounds, The Royal Hospital Chelsea, London SW3, 30^thJune – 6^th July 2016

Nazy Vassegh, CEO of Masterpiece with J.F. Courville, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at the RBC Wealth Management
2015
Courtesy Masterpiece London

Now in its 7^th edition one can easily understand why Masterpiece has become a magnet for collectors and museum curators from around the world. There is a great emphasis on quality and connoisseurship and the pieces on show reflect more than five thousand years of art history – and yes they are for sale.

Vetting during Masterpiece London 2015
Courtesy Masterpiece London

Masterpiece’s chief executive Nazy Vassegh says: ‘I am delighted to announce so many exciting additions to this year’s fair. Masterpiece 2016 will have unrivalled depth and quality, and I am pleased that Masterpiece continues to strengthen every edition. We are looking forward to another great year.’

It truly is a must visit fair and allow yourself plenty of time because there are so many exciting things to see and tempt. Like me you may well want visit more than once.

Vetting during Masterpiece London 2015
Courtesy Masterpiece London

Over the coming days I will post varied selections of what is on show.

http://www.masterpiecefair.com

London Art Week starts in four days time

Jun27

London Art Week, Mayfair and St James’s, London, 1^st – 8^th July 2016

MAURIZIO NOBILE
Jacopo Amigoni (1682-1752)
Jupiter and Callisto

This is a really special gallery-led festival of art dating from antiquity to the 20^th century. There is a combination of nearly fifty dealers and three major auction houses who are bringing a tempting mix of subjects ranging from Greek coins, arms and armour, stained glass, sculpture and fine art in all its disciplines.

Specialist exhibitions include:

Vanitas / Memento Mori and The Crucifixion by Paolo Uccello at Agnew’s

Art & Adornment: Treasures of Combat at Ariadne Galleries

Early European Sculpture at Arcadia Cerri Fine Art

ARCADIA CERRI
Exhibition: Early European Sculpture
Head of a man frowning
Champagne, Reims
Second third 13th century
fossiliferous limestone
13 x 13 x 13 cm

Inter-War Paris: Works on Paper at Aktis Gallery

AKTIS GALLERY
Exhibition: Inter-War Paris: Works on Paper
Leonard Tsuguharu Foujita (1886-1968)
Tulips, 1920
Watercolour and ink on paper
Signed and dated lower left
Countersigned in Japanese lower left

European Master Drawings (1545-2015) at Didier Aaron Ltd.

Deities & Daily Life at Charles Ede

Gilded Light; 16th-century stained glass roundels from the collection of Sir Thomas Neave and other private collections at Sam Fogg

SAM FOGG
Exhibition: Gilded Light: 16th Century Stained Glass Roundels from the collection of Sir Thomas Neave and other private collections
Circle of Lambert Van Noort (c.1520-1571)
Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a tree that must be felled

Flint Marble Bronze from the Mediterranean and Beyond at Oliver Forge & Brendan Lynch Ltd.

Dutch Flower Pieces 1607-1814 and Aspects of British Impressionism at Richard Green Fine Paintings

RICHARD GREEN GALLERY
Exhibition: Aspects of British Impressionism
Sir Alfred Munnings (1878-1959)
September Afternoon
Oil on canvas
Signed lower left: AJ. Munnings

17th Century Still Life and Song Yu at Johnny Van Haeften Ltd.

Horses, Rulers, and Victory in the Art of Ancient Greek Coinage at Kallos Gallery

KALLOS GALLERY
Exhibition: Horses, Rulers and Victory in the Art of Ancient Greek Coinage
Gold Drachm of Syracuse (Sicily), c.317-310BC
Minted under Agathocles (317-289BC)

Of Gods and Men at Daniel Katz Gallery

Antonio Joli (1700 – 1777): Views of Italy at Lampronti Gallery

Classicism Reimagined: Master Paintings and Sculpture 1700-1900 at Lullo•Pampoulides

LULLO∙PAMPOULIDES
Exhibition: Classicism Reimagined: Master paintings & sculpture 1700-1900
Camille Claudel (1864 –1943)
Torso of a Crouching Woman,1887
Bronze, 35 cm. high

Material X at M&L Fine Art

Traveller-artists in the Far East: Views in India, China and Indonesia at Martyn Gregory

Bronze Animal Sculptures by Rembrandt Bugatti at The Sladmore Gallery

Drawing Inspiration: Sketches and Sketchbook Pages from the 19th and 20th Century at Stephen Ongpin Fine Art

STEPHEN ONGPIN FINE ART
Exhibition: Drawing Inspiration: Sketches and Sketchbooks from the 19th and 20th Centuries
Eugene Delacroix (1798-1863)
A Standing Moroccan Man
Watercolour and pencil

Antique Inspiration at Tomasso Brothers Fine Art

From Wax to Bronze – Themes and Materials in Sculpture at Trinity Fine Art Ltd.

TRINITY FINE ART
Exhibition: From Wax to Bronze – Themes and Materials of Sculpture
Attributed to the Master of the Unruly Children (16th century Florence)
Bacchus
Terracotta
95/8 x 111/4 x 8 ¼ in. (24.5 x28.5 x 21cm)

Object in Focus: An Archaic Greek Bronze Griffin Protome at Rupert Wace Ancient Art

Cornelius Johnson: Painter to King and Country at The Weiss Gallery

THE WEISS GALLERY
Exhibition: Cornelius Johnson
Cornelius Johnson (1593 – 1661)
Sir William Campion of Combwell (1585–1640)
Oil on panel
Indistinctly signed, centre right: ‘C.J….’

OPENING TIMES:

Galleries:

Preview -Thursday: 3pm to 8pm
Friday 1st July – Friday 8th July: 10am to 6pm
Weekends: 12 noon to 5pm

STOPPENBACH & DELESTRE
Henry Moret (1856-1913)
La baie de Lampaul, Île de Ouessant
Oil on canvas

Auction houses:

Friday 1st July – Friday 8th July: 9am to 5pm
Saturday 2nd July: 12 noon to 5pm
Sunday 3rd July: 11 noon to 5pm

http://www.londonartweek.co.uk.

Olympia Summer Fair 2016

Jun26

The Art & Antiques Fair, Olympia London, Hammersmith Road, London W14, 27^th June – 3^rd July 2016

Opening Day, June 2015

This Fair certainly has staying power as it is in its 44^th year and continues to draw visitors in from home and abroad to see what the hundred and sixty participating dealers have to offer for their collections and homes.

Wakelin & Linfield
An unusually large late 19th century two plank Spanish table in walnut with carved decoration to the legs and original ironwork supports to the base.
L144” x W39” x H30.25”
In the region of £25000
Provenance: Orson Welles

The Fair’s Director, Mary Claire Boyd sums it up: “The Art & Antiques Fair, Olympia is London’s original, quintessential art and antiques fair. Over four decades since the event was founded, we continue to pride ourselves on offering a wider choice of high quality, vetted art, antiques, furniture and collectibles than any other event in the capital.”

Art Ancient
Large piece of Roman glass work, reflecting the heights achieved in glassblowing in the 1st-2nd Centuries AD

Among new “features” is Showcase which highlights five specially chosen galleries and dealers – Simon Pirzada (ceramics), The Parker Gallery (Fine Art), Adam Gahlin Fine Art (Modern paintings, drawings and prints), Adam Bentley (Contemporary Art) and Store Street Gallery ((Contemporary Art).

Albermarle Gallery. SOFA LONDON
Rado Kirov
Monolith
mirrored stainless steel
227 x 30 x 110 cm (89 x 12 x 43 in)

The well-known SOFA CHICAGO – a Sculpture Objects Functional Art and Design Fair (SOFA) will have a European version at this Fair as Mary Claire Boyd, explains: “We are very excited to introduce SOFA LONDON as part of The Art & Antiques Fair, Olympia for the very first time this June. SOFA is widely known in the US for its international dealers selling one-of- a-kind masterpieces. Here in London we have an elite selection of dealers who will be showcasing original works from different artists and makers using a variety of mediums. For sale will be works of art including ceramics, metal work, photography, glass works, textiles, furniture and sculptures that appear more contemporary and cutting edge than other pieces in the fair, but yet will also stand the test of time. SOFA CHICAGO attracts over 35,000 people but for those who aren’t able to cross the pond to attend we’re delighted to offer this opportunity within the UK.”

Opening Day, June 2015

According to recent research there is a resurgence in the demand for antiques and again I will share Mary Claire Boyd’s observations on this: “The world of antiques can be intimidating at first glance but this research shows that there is a real thirst for antiques. They are appreciated for the qualities they can bring to people’s homes– particularly amongst the younger generation who are frustrated with spending money on furnishings that only last a few years.

Galerie Arabesque
Three-legged ottoman inlaid table.
Provenance: estate of Eduard Starke-Pascha, Berlin-Constantinople

“While people see great benefits of purchasing antiques often they don’t realise the options and scope available to them – and the affordability. Antiques are unique, often come with a fascinating story – and add individuality to your home. They can also be combined very effectively with contemporary art and furniture.”

Gilden’s Art Gallery
JOAN MIRÓ 1893-1983
Sun Eater | Mangeur de Soleil, 1955
Original Hand Signed and Numbered Lithograph in Colours on Arches Paper
Paper size: 76.2 x 56.5 cm. / 30 x 22.3 in.

Very true indeed as many leading interior decorators would no doubt concur.

Tribal Gathering London
Mende helmet mask ‘ Sowei’. Sande society. Sierra Leone

Manning Fine Art
“Keep Calm and Carry On” poster, printed in 1939

Kate Thurlow
Louis XIV upholstered oak armchair, circa 1700
Provenance: Formerly in the collection of Yves St Laurent.

Don Kelly Books, June 2015

http://www.olympia-art-antiques.com

Three Days

Jun16

Crossing the Bridge, Willow Gallery, 40-41 Duke Street, St James’s, London SW1, 17^th – 19^th June 2016

Montague Dawson FRSA, RSMA 1895 – 1973
“Cleaving along, the Gilchrist”
Canvas size: 20” by 30”
Frame size: 28” by 38”
Oil on canvas, signed

Although they are exhibiting at this year’s Olympia they are also holding this short show of European and British paintings from the 19^th and 20^th centuries which shows how painting evolved from the more academic traditions to Impressionism and onwards. A nice hors d’oeuvres.

http://www.willowgallery.com

BOOK REVIEW: A Home to Kings and Emperors

Jun12

A Day at Château de Fontainebleau

Guillaume Picon

Photography by Eric Sander

HC w/luxury slipcase, 224 pp., 170 illus.

ISBN: 978-2-08-020254-3

£25

61V2bfbJC7L

This attractive book takes us into the remarkable Château de Fontainebleau which has been the home of thirty-four French rulers. For many years it was a centre of hunting for French kings and it was the place where Napoleon I abdicated in 1814 before his exile to Elba. The fine interiors include those created for François I, Marie Antoinette, Napoleon, Josephine and Napoleon III. It provides a distinctive view of the various dynasties that have governed France and allows us to enjoy their story entwined with the history of this unique building.

editions.flammarion.com

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