https://youtu.be/N_50PZxHyoY There are successive stories of old masters on the art market and yet no two are quite alike. Absolute record The absolute record for an old masters work, 450 million dollars, was obtained by Christie’s in...
Rodin/Arp at the Fondation Beyeler: while awaiting to see one of Europe’s most beautiful exhibitions in person
https://youtu.be/Tl_lO_NHFMM Fondation Beyeler One of the most beautiful current exhibitions in Europe can be found at the Foundation Beyeler in Basel, which is showcasing an imaginary dialogue between Rodin and Arp. It opened in December 2020...
Balthus: 144 drawings and paintings by the great and controversial painter to be auctioned in Paris
Woman and muse The French politician Talleyrand is attributed with the saying: “Behind every great man there’s a woman.” In observing art history, we might add that behind numerous great artists there are many women. Sublime source of...
Altdorfer at the Louvre :The artists who are the best at marketing are the ones who make history
Biographers and trends No one should believe that art history presents a fair view of artistic creation. Artists’ legacies wax and wane according to the changing tastes of biographers and trends. Such is the case for the German artist Albrecht...
Lee Krasner at the Guggenheim Bilbao: the rediscovery of an extraordinary painter eclipsed by the creative power of her husband
https://youtu.be/giE0LqylYOA Heroes who die young In art history, posterity favours misfortune and heroes who die young. We love Van Gogh, who died at 37 without having sold a single artwork. We love Nicolas de Staël, who killed himself due to...
Matisse: the most anticipated exhibition in Paris is disappointing despite the sublime artworks
https://youtu.be/qeah722Q5Ew Genius Henri Matisse is, without doubt, a painter of genius and an endless source of visual surprises and delight. The exhibition at the Centre Pompidou celebrating the 150th anniversary of his birth was...
Palazzo Butera: one of the most beautiful palaces in Sicily is all about Art and … immigration
City of migration Palermo is a fascinating city, and one that’s sparked a lot of conversation in recent years. Firstly, this is due to its current international relevance as it’s one of the major sites of migration from Africa to Italy, where its mayor Leoluca...
Le Petit Palais in Paris: the far-reaching project of a private collection of French drawings
Drawing specialist Louis-Antoine Prat is a drawing specialist who happens to be very French. Firstly because the Parisian taught the subject of French drawings at the École du Louvre for no less than 40 years. And secondly because he decided...
Centre Pompidou: Why did Christo wrap things?
Thanks a to a hairdresser There are many smaller stories within the larger sweep of history. Christo, the Bulgarian-born artist who died on 31 May 2020, famous for his gigantic wrapping works at the scale of Paris’s Pont Neuf in 1985 and the...
The Palais du Facteur Cheval: an art brut marvel rediscovered by André Breton
https://youtu.be/Y73YWHsMoc8 Absolute masterpiece It’s a small museum that contains an absolute masterpiece. Located at Hauterives, in a commune of 2,000 inhabitants not far from Lyon, Saint Etienne and Valence, it is home to a complete...
The Old Masters market: why would artworks that have stood the test of time be affected by the coronavirus?
Established for many centuries When talking about the art market there’s a tendency to immediately think of 20th-century art, which attracts the most fans and the highest figures. However, at a time when values are being called into question,...
The world afterwards (4) Lee Ufan: “the coronavirus is sending us a message of hope”
In Japan The Korean artist Lee Ufan (born in 1936), has lived in Japan since he was 20 years old. He has been the subject of various major exhibitions, such as the Guggenheim in New York in 2011 and the park at the Château de Versailles in...