Wen Zhengming (Chinese, 1470-1559), The First Poem on the Red Cliff, 1558. Ink on paper. Image: 55 3/8 x 13 in. (140.7 x 33.0 cm) overall scroll including hanging fabric and bottom roller: 95 5/8 x 23 1/4 in. (242.9 x 59.1 cm). Founders Society Purchase, Robert H. Tannahill Foundation Fund, 76.3. Photo ©2017, Detroit Institute of Arts

Nicolaes Pietersz. Berchem and studio, Jupiter disguised as Diana seducing the nymph Callisto. Estimate £30,000–40,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

LONDON.- Across the centuries, art has always been intrinsically linked to expressions of passion and sensuality. ‘Erotic: Passion & Desire’ will encompass representations of love and sex from antiquity to the present day, exploring themes from the beauty of desire to representations of the male nude, to the carnal act itself, stripped of metaphor. Featuring over 100 extraordinary works comprising 19th-century furniture, design, fine art, photography and contemporary sculpture, the exhibition will open at Sotheby’s New Bond Street Galleries on 11 February 2017 ahead of the auction on 16 February 2017. 

The catalogue introduction has been written by Rowan Pelling, who first achieved note as the editor of monthly literary erotic magazine, the Erotic Review, and has since written countless columns devoted to discussions around sex. 

“Art has always existed to tell a human story, and sex has always been a part of that story – whether it is there to compel, to shock or to seduce. Indeed, Eroticism in art has appeared in whatever form art has taken, and our exhibition will take the viewer on a journey through the centuries. This sale creates a stage on which we are able to bring together a fascinating array of artworks and objects across many disciplines – charting a history whilst also presenting stunning works by artists as eclectic as Picasso, Man Ray, Ettore Sottsass and Marc Quinn.” --Constantine Frangos, Head of Sale.

WORKS ON PAPER 

Pablo Picasso, Nu couché, 1972. Estimate £60,000–80,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

The Nude is a constant theme spanning every era and medium explored by Pablo Picasso, and this example demonstrates emblematic motifs of exaggeration of female attributes and his adoration of his numerous muses. The freedom and spontaneity of Picasso’s extraordinary drawings are testament to his natural flair as a draughtsman. This drawing was executed in 1972 when, aged 91, Picasso’s own physical stamina had inevitably waned, yet his focus on erotic subjects in his paintings and drawings only intensified. 

Egon Schiele was working in the context of the final years of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, where an atmosphere of respect for sex was being furnished by the research of Sigmund Freud and the sensual dream-like paintings of Gustav Klimt. Schiele is noted for his highly original vision and fearless depictions of the naked figure, which along with his technical virtuosity distinguish his nudes as being among his most significant contributions to modern art – never losing their devilish power to provoke, disturb or shock. 

Executed in 1917, Akt (Nude) is a prime example of the artist’s late work when he returned to Vienna following his military service during the First World War. In a clear departure from his early nudes, Schiele no longer crops the figure radically nor does the drawing carry any overtly erotic connections. Rather, the body is portrayed intact with greater realism. Most of his effort is now directed towards capturing the plasticity of the human form, the density of the flesh and the solidity of the muscle. The artist sets the figure on the page with unflinching confidence, allowing her to be without support or visible context.  

Gustav Klimt, Liegender Halbakt Nach Rechts (Half-nude reclining to the right), 1914-15. Estimate £120,000–150,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

Gustav Klimt once stated that ‘all art is erotic’. This powerful and arresting image of a female nude, in which the woman’s pose is unambiguously erotic, is presented without any assigned narrative - transforming the model into an object of the viewer’s desire. The sitter's unknowing expression, which suggests an innocence or even vulnerability, reflects the importance of the gaze of the artist and sharpness of his eye. 

SCULPTURE 

Jacques Loysel, La Grande Névrose, white marble, circa 1896. Estimate 120,000–180,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

The work of Loysel won the admiration of his contemporaries as the sublime representation of feminine grace and classical beauty canons. La Grande Névrose – considered until the end of his career as his absolute masterpiece – remained in the sculptor’s atelier until his death in 1925. 

The fascinating ambiguity of Loysel’s masterpiece lies in the oscillation between carnal ecstasy and painful exaltation. Loysel was ostensibly depicting the theme of hysteria, as this was an unparalleled opportunity to represent a human body in total tension, yet its manifestation is of an eminently sensual character. In the Second Empire France, neurosis - a multifaceted affection of the nerves - was a widely spread condition. Its clinical manifestations, of which hysteria is the ultimate expression, were fascinating, frightening and obsessive, and were considered as the formidable consequence of the excesses of the decadent society of an excessive period. Throughout his work about the contemporary society’s critical analysis, the most prominent French writer of his day Émile Zola approached the manifestations of neurosis. Loysel acknowledged the influence of the works of Zola on this sculpture, stating that it represented the fatale and sublime outcome of hysteria in the heroine of his novel La Faute de l’Abbe Mouret. La Grande Névrose was also inspired by baroque interpretations of hysteria, stemming from Saint Teresa of Avila’s account of the painful pleasure of her mystical visions.

Marble sculptures depicting human couples engaged in lovemaking appear rarely in Roman art, and this work is one of only four known examples. 

A Roman Marble Torso of Pan, circa 2nd Century A.D. Estimate £40,000–60,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

The ithyphallic sculpture of goat-legged shepherd deity Pan with his hands bound alludes to a mythological episode in which the Nymphs unite to punish him for his unwanted advances. Of two other known Roman marble replicas of this type, one is on loan to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

CONTEMPORARY 

Marc Quinn, Maquette for Siren, 2008. Estimate £70,000–90,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

“It’s called Siren, because in a sense it represents everything that lures people to wreck themselves on the rocks: money, perfection, unattainable images – all these things." 

Marc Quinn’s depiction of supermodel Kate Moss is of the definitive contemporary Venus - the epitome of luxury and desirability elevated to the status of a goddess from antiquity. The series is one of the most recognisable examples of contemporary British sculpture, and is emblematic of the status of celebrities and supermodels. 

Antony Gormley, Pole II, 2012. Estimate £280,000–450,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

Gormley is one of the best known and most critically acclaimed artists working in Britain today. His sculptures focus on the dynamic relationship between the human body and the space it inhabits, probing wider concerns about our place within nature and the universe. In the complex interrelation between the blocks that comprise Pole II, the artist also turns the gaze inwards, exploring and exposing the body as a ‘place’ within its own right: the site for the self. Throughout his wide-ranging career, Gormley has worked from casts of his own body – literalising the concept of a body as a habitat, a ‘case’ for a human being. 

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, First, 2003. Estimate £60,000–80,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

Lynette Yiadom-Boakye was born in London in 1977 and in recent years has been gained increasing recognition in the art world – shortlisted for the Turner prize in 2013 and celebrated with an exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery in 2015. Using sources that are distinctly non-contemporary, her works are entrenched in the history of painting and devices of traditional portraiture - influenced by the likes of Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas and Walter Sickert. Yet where racial Otherness in the history of western art is largely silent or typecast, Yiadom-Boakye creates a pantheon of entirely fictional and imagined black characters. There is no backstory to her characters, the people in her paintings are all composites made up from different sources such as scrapbooks and drawings – leaving the narratives open-ended. This semi-nude smoulders with vivid red tones, and as with the remainder of her oeuvre the protagonist is unambiguously empowered. 

Lucian Freud, Blond Girl, 1985. Estimate £40,000–60,000. Lucian Freud, Man Posing 11,27, 1985. Estimate £15,000–20,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

Lucian Freud’s highly expressive works were noted for their fullness of form and exacting honesty – exemplifying his contribution to the grand tradition of the nude. 

PHOTOGRAPHS 
The origins of erotic photography stem from 1839 when the first practical process of photography was presented to the Académie des sciences. Adopted as a new way to depict the nude form, these photographs initially followed the styles and traditions of the art form as at the time the prevailing moral climate meant that the only officially sanctioned photography of the body was for the production of artist's studies. The plethora of photographs in the auction present the progression and range of erotic photography since then, from Araki’s explorations of the power dynamic between photographer and subject and Newton’s towering goddesses.  

Helmut Newton, ‘Domestic Nude III: In the Laundry Room at the Château Marmont Hollywood’, 1992. Estimate £40,000–60,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

Arguably one of the world’s most influential photographers, Helmut Newton revolutionised fashion photography through his inimitable erotic and provocative poses. Newton’s compositions are classically and subtly constructed in black and white, with a playful and voyeuristic style. He surrounded himself with gorgeous, stylish women, and his arresting images of them demonstrate their strength and potency. While they are often depicted nude or physically restrained, they have an unparalleled dominance. These women are confident, stimulating and in control of their sexuality. Newton may have been behind the camera but these women are in charge. 

Wim Delvoye, Pipe 1, 2000 (est. £6,000-8,000) 

Nobuyoshi Araki, ‘Untitled, (Hotel Rooms)’, 1993-4 (est. £6,000-8,000) 

Robert Mapplethorpe, ‘Bow and Arrow’ (Lisa Lyon), 1981. Estimate £6,000–8,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

Bow and Arrow by Robert Mapplethorpe, one of the great masters of art photography, is a highly stylised black and white nude that condenses Mapplethorpe’s search for aesthetic perfection. 

FURNITURE & DESIGN 

An exceptional carved mahogany bed, second half 19th-century. Estimate £500,000–800,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

Like no other country in Europe, France had a ripe tradition of magnificent courtesans of varied backgrounds – ladies belonging to a demi-monde where they were able to use their lovers’ funds to transform themselves into impeccable hostesses of the capital’s finest salons. The precise history of this unique commission remains shrouded in history, yet it has traditionally been associated with the legendary Hôtel de la Païva, the ChampsElysée love nest of Esther Lachmann - the richest and most notorious demimondaine of the Second Empire. 

The matchless bateau-lit found its way into ‘La Fleur Blanche’ notorious and celebrated brothel at 6 Rue des Moulins. Frequented by international high society, it was most notably the maison de close in which artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec famously set up his easel - in whose biography the bed is described in detail. Following the closure of all brothels after the Second World War, the contents of La Fleur Blanche were dispersed at auction in 1946. 

Made in Cuban Mahogany, the bed stands apart for the true uniqueness of its bold fluidity, as it anticipates the modern and graceful lines of Art Nouveau. 

Breaking with the minimalist aesthetic that characterised furniture design in the 1970s, Ettore Sottsass and the Milan-based Memphis group revolutionised cutting-edge design, introducing fun, humour and strikingly bold colour combinations. This cutting-edge design with no limits and no boundaries resulted in countless irreverent designs such as the Shiva vase – named after one of the principal deities of Hinduism. 

OLD MASTERS 

Nicolaes Pietersz. Berchem and studio, Jupiter disguised as Diana seducing the nymph Callisto. Estimate £30,000–40,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

This elegant scene of seduction is inspired by an episode recounted by the poet Ovid in Metamorphoses. It depicts the bare-breasted nymph Callisto, Diana’s favourite, embraced by the god Jupiter in the guise of the goddess herself. The son of renowned still-life painter Pieter Claesz., Nicolaes Berchem was an important and influential figure of the Dutch Golden Age. 

Ovid’s Metamorphoses, with its vivid descriptions of the lives and loves of the gods, enjoyed considerable popularity. The appeal of this particular episode for its intended audience lies as much in the ambiguity of gender roles as it does in any moralising content about adulterous adventures or easy seduction. Indeed, the subject inspired a number of artworks by artists including Rubens, Boucher and Fragonard. 

THE SILK ROAD 

Japanese Erotic (Shunga) handscroll, Edo Period, late 17th-century. Estimate £30,000–40,000.  Photo: Sotheby's.

Free from any Christian identification of sex with sin, Japanese Shunga art was explicit about sex creating a luxurious ‘utopia of pleasure’. 

A couple making acrobatic love on a lake, Mewar, North India, 18th-century. Estimate £2,000–3,000.  Photo: Sotheby's.

The treatment of love in Indian art is as diverse as the literature on the subject, whose topics range from the secrets of love, to the light of love, the garland of love, the sprout of love or of course the well-known Kama Sutra. 

A Green Glass Fertility Talisman, Persian, 10th-Century. Estimate £4,000–6,000.  Photo: Sotheby's.

Of characteristic phallic form, this talisman draws on an ancient cult tradition centring on fertility, whose potency endured in the Islamic period. 

RUSSIAN ART 

Pavel Tchelitchew, Bathers, 1938. Estimate £300,000–500,000. Photo: Sotheby's.

Pavel Tchelitchew was born in Russia at the end of the 19th-century but fled following the Revolution of 1918. He eventually found his way to Paris where he lived in the artistic neighbourhood of Montparnasse and moved in intellectual circles that included Edith Sitwell and Gertrude Stein, his most significant patrons. Bathers depicts the artist’s partner, the writer and publisher Charles Henri Ford – recognisable on the left wearing his incongruous pink hat –and centre stage, the aggressively foreshortened figure of the New York City Ballet dancer Nicholas Magallanes. The painting once hung on the bedroom wall of one of the 20th-century’s most famous grands horizontals and a first-hand account recollects that it was occasionally hung upside down or upon the ceiling.

Porcelain Stand, China, Six character mark of Wanli and of the period (1573-1620). Ø:22 cm H: 8 cm.Vanderven Oriental Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

This robustly potted circular stand comprises a ring, supported on five cloud-lappet feet, on a ring base. It is decorated in underglaze blue, except the top of the wide rim, which has been left unglazed. The outside edge of the rim, is decorated with meandering garlands with lingzhi fungus heads, interrupted by a large cartouche bearing the six-character mark of Emperor Wanli. Below this is a band with the Buddhist emblems. The double lobed apron and feet have fruiting peach trees , with birds perched on the branches. The base-ring has a band of waves dotted with blossoms and an inner rim, which is embellished with sprays of blossoms between each aperture. The underside of the stand is also left unglazed.
Peaches, as well as the lingzhi fungus, are symbols of longevity. In China, wood from fruit trees was known as wood of the immortals (xianmu) and the wood of a peach tree in particular, had been used to make charms (taofu) against evil since ancient times. Blossoming peach trees were used as decoration in the new year; these trees would be planted in the nicest and oldest porcelain vase in the family, for it was believed the older the vase, the longer the flowers would bloom.
What exactly this object was used for is unknown, but appears to have supported another object, such as a vase, dish or instrument of some kind. A stand with a matching dish from the later Qianlong Period (1736-1796), is in the Museum of Fine Art in Boston (Acc. Nr. 2013.463); this illustrates what such a stand could have been used for. A similar Ming stand is in the collection of The Museum of Fine Art Boston (Acc. Nr. 50.1352) and the Songde Tang Collection, Hong Kong.

Provenance: Private Collection, UK

Stem Cups, China, Wanli period (1573 - 1620). H: 10 cm ø12 cm. Vanderven Oriental Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

This distinctive shape is known as a stemcup (gao zu bei), but is also known as ba bei or as a ‘çup used on horseback’ (ma shang bei). It comprises a shallow bowl, flaring slightly at the rim, decorated on the inside and outside in underglaze blue. The outside of the bowl, shows a celebratory procession of four figures: two holding banners - one beating a drum the other blowing a horn – followed by a man carrying a canopy and lastly an official on horseback. The bottom of the bowl has a double edged roundel, encircling a flowering lotus; the side a scene of fish amongst water plants. The tall, slightly flared and hollow foot, has a band of decoration depicting flying horses amongst clouds and waves. These type of cups, extensively produced in the porcelain kilns in Jingdezhen, became particularly popular from the Yuan Dynasty onwards and were used domestically for serving wine or fruit, as well as in official rituals.

The scenes around the outside, are of the celebratory procession of the Zhuangyuan. This was the name given to the top scholar of the third and final level of the imperial examinations, which were presided over by the Emperor himself. The two placards show the characters for Zhuangyuan (狀元) and Jidi (及第), meaning selected in the examinations. Four fish swimming amongst lotus and weeds can also stand for the four character phrase qingbai lijie, meaning unsullied and incorruptible - the Confucian ideal of a gentleman scholar. The depiction of the ideal scholar Zhuangyuan can be found on many different materials, and in combination with the water plants and fish emblems, could indicate that these cups were given as gifts to an exam candidate. 

Provenance: Private Collection, The Netherlands

Pomegranate Ewers, China, Wanli period (1573-1620), c. 1575-1610. H: 16 cm. Vanderven Oriental Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

These underglaze blue ewers, are reminiscent of a kendi (cat. nr. 6) as they have no handles, but are much more detailed and finely potted. They have elongated curved spouts, attached high on the waist, with applied leafy branches which spread out over the body. The high neck, ends in a distinctive star-shaped mouth-rim. The globular body is divided into panels following the moulded form. The flower decoration in each panel is divided by a thin double line. The panel under the spout, has an ornamental lappet with bows. The shoulder has a distinctive large key-fret pattern and the long narrow neck, is adorned with a bird on rocks.

The shape of these ewers and their star shaped mouths are associated with the pomegranate fruit, which is why these type of vessels are sometimes referred to as pomegranate ewers. In Chinese symbolism, these fruits with their many seeds (zi) symbolize the wish for many sons (zi), both words having the same sound in Chinese.

This type of porcelain was made at the kilns in Jingdezhen in a period when court patronage declined. This was mainly due to political instability, in the lead up to the downfall of the Ming Dynasty. These ewers would have been made for export, as is attested by the items recovered from the ship wreck of the San Diego - a Spanish war ship sunk by the Dutch off the coast of the Philippines. Similar ewers are now in the collections of The Princessenhof Museum, Leeuwarden (Inv. Nr. NO860), Victoria & Albert Museum, London (c.90-1956), Ashmoleum Museum, Oxford (inv. Nr. 1978.1935) and the Lady Lever Gallery, Liverpool (Acc. nr. LL6437).

Provenance: H.O. collection, United Kingdom (2014)
With Sotheby's (2006)

Pheasant Meiping, China, Wanli period (1573-1620), High Transitional Style 1634-43. H: 44 cm.  Vanderven Oriental Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

This sturdily potted mei ping vase, has a slightly tapering body and is decorated with underglaze blue decoration in horizontal bands. The décor, shine of the glaze and the structure, date it firmly to the late Wanli period. The main scene, is of long tailed pheasants and rocks in an abundant flower garden. Around the bottom is a band depicting frolicking winged animals, amongst clouds and waves. The high shoulder has lotus scrolls reserved on white, on a washed blue ground; its short neck a band of stiff plantain leaves. The mouth has a rougher partially unglazed edge. The recessed base has an unglazed thickly potted foot ring, to which ample kiln sand has adhered. 

This typically shaped vessel, is known as a mei ping - or plum vase - as it was suited to display a bough of plum blossom. A late Ming book on vases especially recommends this form as ‘.. the mouth of the vase should be small and the foot thick. Choose these. They stand firm and do not emit vapours…’. This Wanli period meiping, has straighter sides than those from earlier periods; this could indicate that this shape is the possible pre-curser to the later Rolwagen vases, with similar straight sides but a wider opening at the mouth.

To the Chinese pheasants were very auspicious animals, representing beauty and good fortune. Marco Polo spoke with wonder of the Chinese pheasants, which were he describes to be about as large as peacocks. During the Ming Dynasty, the golden pheasant with its two long straight feathers, was the symbol for civil servants of the second rank. 

The flying animals around the bottom band, could have been inspired by the Classic of the Mountain and Seas, - Shanhai jing - a mythological classic written in the late Zhou or Western Han Period (3rd-1st century BC), which included over 200 descriptions of mythical figures and animals. The book was rediscovered, with much other ancient literature, in the Ming Dynasty, Chenghua Period (1465-1487), and re-printed in many different versions. These relative affordable woodblock prints, would have been circulated widely, forming a source of inspiration for designs on porcelain, particularly under Emperor Jiajing (1522-1566). The use of this imagery would have continued into the later Ming period as well.

A vase of a similar shape, but with differing decoration is in the collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (nr. AK-MAK 1164).

Provenance: Private Collection, Italy

Literature: • Butler 2008
Michael Butler, Late Ming: Chinese Porcelains from the Butler Collections, Exhibition Catalogue Musée National d’Histoire et dÁrt Luxembourg, Luxemburg, 2008, p.6 nr. 6
• Harrison-Hall 2001
Jessica Harrison-Hall, Ming Ceramics in the British Museum, The Brtitish Museum, London 2001, p.290 nr 11.32
• Hobson 1923
R.L. Hobson, The Wares of the Ming Dynasty, London 1923, p.22
• Jörg & van Campen 1997
Christiaan J.A. Jörg & Jan van Campen, Chinese Ceramics in the Collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Amsterdam / London 1997, p. 42 nr..20
• Joseph 1971
Adrian Joseph, Ming Porcelains: The Origins and Development, London 1971, p.57, nr 52
• Little 1983
Stephen Little, Chinese Ceramics of the Transitional Period 1620-1683, China Institute of America, New York, 1983, p.38 nr 2
• Wang 2002
Wang Qingzheng, A Dictionary of Chinese Ceramics, Singapore, 2002, p.51 & 112
• Welch 2008
Patricia Welch, Chinese Art: A Guide to Motifs and Visual Imagery, North Clarendon, 2008, p.80

Kendi, China, Early 17th Century. H: 18 cm. Vanderven Oriental Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

This round bodied vessel, with an elongated bulbous spout, is decorated in dark underglaze blue with darker outlines. The neck - decorated with lotus scrolls - flares out into a flat disc under the rim. Around the shoulder it has a band of lappets with a border of squares underneath. The main body has three lobbed cartouches with bold flower decoration, interspersed with stylized clouds. It stands on a low foot rim with a double blue line, the underside also has a double blue ring marked in the center with a stylized rabbit. 

This type of vessel - known as a kendi - was used in Asia for drinking wine or water. They were filled through the neck and imbibed or poured from the spout.The term is actually a Malayan word, thought to derive from the Sanskrit name for a waterpot, kundika. This was a type of ewer used in Buddhist ceremonies for sprinkling purification water. The form, which probably originated in India spreading throughout South East Asia, appears to have been produced in many variations. 

Even though the Chinese themselves never actually used them, kendi were a very popular and mass produced at the kilns in Jingdezhen. From here they were exported throughout Asia and the Middle East. From the 17th Century kendi came to Europe via the Portuguese traders; not for use but as curiosities and decorative items. Substantial quantities of these ewers were found in the Ming cargos of the Witte Leeuw (1613) and the Hatcher Cargo (1643).

The shape and size of these ewers vary greatly, some have animal forms such as elephants or frogs. The decoration was mainly Chinese in style and treatment, often floral as Muslim countries excluded living beings from their decorative motifs. When the habit of smoking was introduced in the Middle East, kendi also formed part of the Turkish water pipe set. A similar kendi to this one, can be found in the collection of the Topkapi Saray (Istanbul), a museum famous for its large collection of Chinese porcelain with Islamic shapes and decoration.

Provenance: Private Collection, The Netherlands

Literature: • Jörg & van Campen 1997
Christiaan J.A. Jörg & Jan van Campen, Chinese Ceramics in the Collection of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, Amsterdam / London 1997, p.67 nr.54
• Kerr & Mengoni 2011
Rose Kerr & Luisa Mengoni, Chinese Export Ceramics, London, 2011, p.21
• Krahl & Ayres 1986
Regina Krahl, & John Ayers, Chinese Ceramics in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul; A complete catalogue, part II: Yuan & Ming Dynasty Porcelains, London, 1986, p.665 nr. 1044
• Pinto de Matos 2011
Maria Pinto de Matos, The RA Collection of Chinese Ceramic : A Collector’s Vision, London, 2011, nr 50
• Pijl-Ketel 1982
C.L. van der Pijl-Ketel, The Ceramic Load of the Witte Leeuw (1613), Exhibition Catalogue The Rjksmuseum Amsterdam, 1982, p.130
• Rinaldi 1989
Maura Rinaldi, Kraal Porcelain: A Moment in the History of Trade, London, 1989, p.174-176
• Stöber 2013
• Eva Ströber, Ming: Porcelain for a Globalized Trade, Leeuwarden/ Stuttgart, 2013, p. 184-187 & 216

Ewer with Handle, China, Chongzhen Period (1628-1644), c. 1634-1643. H: 38 cm.  Vanderven Oriental Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

This bottle-shaped ewer, with a tall slender neck, lip-spout and long handle, is decorated in a good blue in the high transitional style. The main body of the ewer, is decorated with a continuous narrative scene of soldiers approaching a single soldier holding a flag under a large willow tree. Such large stylized willow trees, are typical of the transitional decoration of this period. Between the figures there are copious v-shaped ticks representing grass, in a style is often seen on porcelain between 1634-1643. On the shoulder there is a scrolling border of flowers and leaves The neck, has a vertical décor of a formal tulip, indicating this piece was intended for the Dutch market. The high curved handle is decorated with clouds. 
Politically, the late Ming dynasty was a period of decline. It was a watershed period between the final downfall of the Ming empire and the definitive installation of the Qing empire. But despite this unrest, it was a period of great social and economic advancement. The Ming era saw immense progress in the porcelain production in terms of volume and techniques; the main production centre being Jingdezhen. Towards the end of the Ming Dynasty, when orders for imperial wares declined, there was still a considerable demand for goods for the domestic, as well as foreign markets. Porcelain was produced by official kilns (guanyao), as well as privately owned ones (minyao). When the imperial kilns closed in 1608, many of the best artisans could now be employed by the minyao, ensuring a steady stream of high quality porcelain for the elite and rich merchant class outside the court. This is why such high quality potting and painting can be seen in this so-called transitional period.
A similar shaped ewer, with differing décor, is in the Lady Lever Gallery collection, Liverpool (Acc.nr. LL 27) and the Frits van der Lugt Collection, Fondation Custodia) Paris (inv nr 6577).

Provenance: Lai collection, Hong Kong 2013
Baltzer – Bohm collection, Germany 2011
With Vanderven Oriental Art 1990-‘s 

 Kraak Bowl, China, c. 1635-50. H: 16 cm Ø: 32 cm.  Vanderven Oriental Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

 This large and robustly potted bowl, is decorated inside and out in intense underglaze blue with a violet tinge. It is in the typical so-called ‘Kraak’ style, with characteristics of the later Ming Dynasty. The bowl has high straight sides with a lightly foliated rim. It rests on a V–shaped foot rim, with a triple blue line running around the outside, with a rough unglazed edge. The glazed underside is slightly convex, with no further marks or decoration. 

The decoration - both inside and out - is divided into six wide and six narrow bordered panels, alternately adorned with stylized flowers and narrative scenes. Each of the larger panels is framed by a straight-edged scroll border with a stylized flower along the top edge. The narrow panels are each filled with upright sprays of tulips or other flowers. The central medallion on the inside of the bowl, is loosely decorated with houses by a waterside, a decorative theme thought to be influenced by European designs entering China at this time. 

Such bowls are characteristic of the Kraak wares produced for export in this period. Similar bowls are also known with slightly varying decoration in the central panel, such as of a lady spooling silk or of large figures in a garden. A very similar bowl to this one is in the collection of The Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (inv. Nr AK-RAK 1991-21) and Institut Néerlandais - Fondation Custodia, Paris (inv. 6967).

Provenance: Private Collection, UK 
with Vanderven Oriental Art (1997)

Vanderven Oriental Art. Chinese early ceramics from the Han & Tang Periods, Ming & Qing porcelains & works of art including Jades, Bronzes, hardstones and wood. Japanese porcelains, 20th century lacquer & bronzes. Nachtegaalslaantje 1, 5211 LE s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.

Johannes Vermeer, La Laitière , vers 1657-1658. Huile sur toile. 45,5 x 41 cm. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum© Amsterdam, The Rijksmuseum.

PARIS - C’est une exposition-événement que le musée du Louvre, en collaboration avec la National Gallery of Ireland et la National Gallery of Art de Washington, organise autour de la figure aujourd’hui si célèbre de Vermeer.

Réunissant pour la première fois à Paris depuis 1966 douze tableaux de Vermeer (soit un tiers de l’œuvre connu du maître de Delft), l’exposition explore le réseau fascinant des relations qu’il a entretenues avec les autres grands peintres du Siècle d’or hollandais. 

Les prêts exceptionnels consentis par les plus grandes institutions américaines, britanniques, allemandes et bien sûr néerlandaises, permettent de montrer Vermeer comme jamais auparavant. 

La légende d’un artiste isolé dans son monde inaccessible et silencieux s’efface, sans pour autant que Vermeer tende à n’être plus qu’un peintre parmi d’autres. En réalité, mis au contact de celui des autres, son tempérament d’artiste, au contraire, se précise, s’individualise. Plus qu’un lanceur de styles, Vermeer apparaît comme un peintre de la métamorphose.

Johannes Vermeer, Jeune femme à la balance , vers 1664. Huile sur toile. 40,3 x 35,6 cm. Washington, National Gallery of Art, Widener Collection © Washington, National Gallery of Art.

Vermeer, c’est le « Sphinx de Delft ». Cette expression fameuse, due au Français Théophile Thoré-Bürger lorsqu’il révéla le peintre au monde à la fin du XIX^e siècle, a largement figé la personnalité artistique de Vermeer dans une pose énigmatique. Le mythe du génie solitaire a fait le reste. Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675) n’est cependant pas parvenu à son degré de maîtrise et de créativité en restant coupé de l’art de son temps. 

Cette exposition cherche à démontrer, au moyen de rapprochements avec les œuvres d’autres artistes majeurs du Siècle d’or à l’image de Gérard Dou, Gerard ter Borch, Jan Steen, Pieter de Hooch, Gabriel Metsu, Caspar Netscher ou encore Frans van Mieris, l’insertion de Vermeer dans un réseau de peintres, spécialisés dans la représentation de scènes élégantes et raffinées – cette représentation faussement anodine du quotidien, vraie niche à l’intérieur même du monde de la peinture de genre. Ces artistes s’admiraient, s’inspiraient mutuellement et rivalisaient les uns avec les autres. 

Pieter de Hooch, La Peseuse d’or, vers 1664. Huile sur toile. 61 x 53 cm. Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Gemäldegalerie / Property of Kaiser Friedrich Museumsverein © BPK, Berlin, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Jörg P.Ander. 

Le troisième quart du XVII^e siècle marque l’apogée de la puissance économique mondiale des Provinces-Unies. Les membres de l’élite hollandaise, qui se font gloire de leur statut social, exigent un art qui reflète cette image. La « nouvelle vague » de la peinture de genre voit ainsi le jour au début des années 1650 : les artistes commencent alors à se concentrer sur des scènes idéalisées et superbement réalisées de vie privée mise en scène, avec des hommes et des femmes installant une civilité orchestrée.  

Bien que ces artistes aient peint dans différentes villes de la République des Provinces-Unies des Pays-Bas, leurs œuvres présentent de fortes similitudes sur le plan du style, des sujets, de la composition et de la technique. Cette rivalité artistique dynamique a contribuéà la qualité exceptionnelle de leurs œuvres respectives.

Commissaires de l’exposition : Blaise Ducos, conservateur du Patrimoine, département des Peintures, musée du Louvre ; Adriaan E. Waiboer, conservateur, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin et Arthur K. Wheelock Jr., conservateur, National Gallery of Art, Washington. 

Gabriel Metsu, Jeune homme écrivant une lettre, 1664-1666. Huile sur panneau. 52 x 40,5 cm. Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland, Sir Alfred and Lady Beit, 1987 (Beit Collection) © Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland. 

Johannes Vermeer, La Lettre interrompue , vers 1665-1667. Huile sur panneau. 45 x 39,9 cm, Washington, National Gallery of Art, don de Harry Waldron Havemeyer et Horace Havemeyer, Jr., en mémoire de leur père, Horace Havemeyer © Washington, National Gallery of Art.

Gabriel Metsu, Jeune femme lisant une lettre, 1664-1666. Huile sur panneau. 52,5 x 40,2 cm, Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland, Sir Alfred and Lady Beit, 1987 (Beit Collection) © Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland.

Johannes Vermeer, La Lettre , vers 1670, Huile sur toile, 72,2 x 59,7 cm. Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland, Sir Alfred et Lady Beit, 1987 (Beit Collection) © Dublin, National Gallery of Ireland.

Gerard Ter Borch, Femme à son miroir , vers 1651-1652. Huile sur panneau. 34 x 26 cm. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum © Amsterdam, The Rijksmuseum. 

Frans van Mieris, Femme à son miroir , vers 1662, Huile sur panneau. 30 x 23 cm. Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Gemäldegalerie© BPK, Berlin, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Jörg P. Anders.

Johannes Vermeer, Jeune fille au collier de perles , 1663-1664, Huile sur toile. 51,2 x 45,1 cm. Berlin, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Gemäldegalerie© BPK, Berlin, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais Jörg P. Anders.

Caspar Netscher, Femme au perroquet , 1666. Huile sur panneau, 45,7 x 36,2 cm. Washington, National Gallery of Art© Washington, National Gallery of Art.

Frans Van Mieris, Le Duo , 1658, Huile sur panneau, 31,5x24,6cm, Schwerin, Ludwigslust, Güstrow, Staatliche Museen© BPK, Berlin, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / image Staatliches Museum Schwerin.

Johannes Vermeer, Jeune femme assise au virginal , vers 1671-1674. Huile sur toile. 51,5 x 45,5cm. Londres, The National Gallery © National Gallery, London.

Samuel Van Hoogstraten, Intérieur hollandais (« Les Pantoufles »), vers 1655-1662, Huile sur toile, 103 x 71cm, Paris, Musée du Louvre© RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Tony Querrec.

Jan Steen, Une femme à sa toilette, 1663. Huile sur bois, 64.7 x 53 cm, Royal Collection Trust© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2017.

Pieter de Hooch, La Nourrice, l’enfant et le chien, vers 1658-1660. Huile sur toile. 67,8 x 55,6 cm. San Francisco, Fine Arts Museums of San Fransisco, Palace of the Legion of Honor © Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.

Gerard Dou, L’Astronome à la chandelle , vers 1665. Huile sur panneau. 32 x 21,2 cm (cadre cintré). Los Angeles, The J. Paul Getty Museum© Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Museum.

Johannes Vermeer, L'astronome , 1668. Huile sur toile. 51,5 x 45,5 cm. Paris, Musée du Louvre, Département des peintures© RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Franck Raux.

Johannes Vermeer, Le Géographe , 1669. Huile sur toile. 51,6 x 45,4 cm. Francfort, Städelsches Kunstinstitut© Städel Museum - ARTOTHEK.

Gerard Dou, La Cuisinière hollandaise , années 1640, voire début des années 1650. Huile sur panneau. 36 x 27,4 cm. Paris, musée du Louvre, département des Peintures© RMN-Grand Palais (Musée du Louvre) / Tony Querrec.

Nicolas Maes, Jeune femme à sa couture , 1655. Huile sur panneau. 55,6 x 46,1 cm. Londres, Mansion House, The Harold Samuel Collection© Guildhall Art Gallery, City of London / Harold Samuel Collection / Bridgeman Images.

Johannes Vermeer, La Dentellière , vers 1669-1670. Huile sur toile marouflée sur panneau. 24,5 x 21 cm. Paris, musée du Louvre, département des Peintures© RMN-Grand Palais (musée du Louvre) / Gérard Blot.

Gerard Ter Borch, Conversation galante ("L'admonestation paternelle"), vers 1654. Huile sur toile. 71 x 73 cm. Amsterdam, Rijksmuseum © Amsterdam, The Rijksmuseum.

Johannes Vermeer, Allégorie de la Foi catholique , vers 1670-1672. Huile sur toile. 114,3 x 88,9 cm. New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Friedsam Collection, legs Friedsam, 1931 © The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / image of the MMA.

Round Cinnabar Red Lacquer Dish, China, early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). D. 14 cm. Vanderven Oriental Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

Cinnabar Red Lacquer Peach Box, China, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). W. 14 cm. Vanderven Oriental Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

Lacquer Libation Cup, China, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), early 16th century. H: 6,5 cm; L: 11,5 cm. Vanderven Oriental Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017.

Provenance: M. Doullens Collection, Belgium
With Galerie Delplace, Brussels, 1941.

Vanderven Oriental Art. Chinese early ceramics from the Han & Tang Periods, Ming & Qing porcelains & works of art including Jades, Bronzes, hardstones and wood. Japanese porcelains, 20th century lacquer & bronzes. Nachtegaalslaantje 1, 5211 LE s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.

Cloisonné Cup and Stand, China, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), mid-16th century. Ø: 14.4 H: 4 cm.Vanderven Oriental Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017. 

Provenance: Private Collection, The Netherlands 2014
With Spink & Son London, UK 1990 

Round Cloisonné Box, China, Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), mid-16th century. H: 3,8 cm; Ø: 20,5 cm. Vanderven Oriental Art at Brafa Art Fair, Brussels, 21-29 january 2017. 

Vanderven Oriental Art. Chinese early ceramics from the Han & Tang Periods, Ming & Qing porcelains & works of art including Jades, Bronzes, hardstones and wood. Japanese porcelains, 20th century lacquer & bronzes. Nachtegaalslaantje 1, 5211 LE s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.

Fancy Deep Brown Orange Diamond Ring 3.38 Carat. Price: $198,500. Courtesy M.S. Rau Antiques.

The sumptuous 3.38-carat fancy deep brown orange diamond in this eye-catching ring blazes with an impeccable, fiery orange hue. Referred to as "fire diamonds" by the famed gemologist Edwin Streeter, orange diamonds are among the most vibrant of all fancy colored diamonds. Typically found with hints of other hues such as yellow or brown, orange diamonds offer a stunning range of color, from sparkling citrus to sultry amber. This extraordinary stone is certified by the Gemological Institute of America as Natural Fancy Deep Brown Orange, meaning it possesses a highly saturated amber hue that is both vibrant and dramatic.

The rare jewel is flanked by two white diamonds totaling 0.90 carats in a platinum setting.

Fancy Deep Orange Diamond Ring 2.34 Carats. Price: $138,500. Courtesy M.S. Rau Antiques.

A rare 2.34-carat fancy deep yellowish-orange diamond displays a remarkable depth of color and brilliance in this extraordinary ring. Prized for both their beauty and rarity, yellowish-orange diamonds are among the most desirable and radiant of colored diamonds. This remarkable gemstone is certified by the Gemological Institute of America as being natural with a fancy deep grade, making it among the rarest colored diamonds on the market. Encircled by fine white diamonds, this remarkable gemstone positively glows in its classic 18k yellow gold setting.

Fancy Colored Diamonds Bypass Ring. Price: $36,500. Courtesy M.S. Rau Antiques.

This exquisite bypass ring beautifully showcases two exceptional fancy colored diamonds. A captivating fancy deep orange-yellow diamond weighing 0.92 carats dazzles with the radiance of the evening sun, making the perfect pair to a sumptuous fancy deep brownish orange diamond weighing 0.81 carats. Certified by the Gemological Institute of America as natural fancy deep colored diamonds, these eye-catching jewels are among the rarest colored diamonds on the market. Set amongst brilliant round diamonds totaling 2.05 carats, these remarkable gemstones positively glow in the delicate platinum setting.

Inkstand, Egypt, probably 1400's. Ivory, gilded copper, 4 1/4 x 2 7/8 in. diam. ( 10.80 x 7.29 cm). City of Detroit Purchase, 29.297. Photo © 2017, Detroit Institute of Arts

Bottle made for the Rasulid Sultan Hizabr Al-Din in Yemen, 1296-1321. Glass, gold, enamel, 14 3/4 x 7 3/4 in. diam. ( 37.47 x 19.70 cm). City of Detroit Purchase, 30.416. Photo © 2017, Detroit Institute of Arts

Qu'ran Folio, Turkish, 1450-1500. Ink, colors and gold on paper, 14 x 10 1/4 in. Founders Society Purchase with funds from Mrs. Charles C. Andrews, Charles F. and Lynn D. Clippert, Mr. and Mrs. Conrad J. Clippert, Mr. and Mrs. George H. Clippert, Carolyn C. Davison, Edith H. Dempsey, Carolyn M. Donald, Charles R. Moon and Jacqueline M. Flayer, Mrs. Gaylord W. Gillis, Jr., Erwin H. Haass, Frederick E. Haass, Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Hicks, Mr. and Mr. William H. Juchartz, Elizabeth F. Lyon, Mr. and Mrs. Lorne S. MacDonald, Mrs. George R. McMullen, Mr. and Mrs. W. James Moore, Helen Kirk Wright, the Ancient Art General Fund, and the Antiquaries, in memory of Hermine Clippert, 1994.97.A. Photo ©2017, Detroit Institute of Arts

Stationery Box, Korea, early 17th Century. Lacquer on wood with mother-of-pearl inlay, 5 1/8 x 17 1/8 x 11 3/4 in. (13.0 x 43.5 x 29.8 cm). Founders Society Purchase, donation from an anonymous donor, 82.33.A. Photo © 2017, Detroit Institute of Arts

Full Moon Jar, Korea, early 17th Century. Porcelain with glaze, 14 1/2 x 14 1/2 in. diam ( 36.8 x 36.8 cm). Founders Society Purchase, G. Albert Lyon Fund and L.A. Young Fund, with additional funds from Mrs. George Endicott and Mr. and Mrs. Charles M. Endicott, 1984.2. Photo © 2017, Detroit Institute of Arts

Noh Theater Robe, Karaori Type, Japan, 18th Century. Metallic and silk brocade, silk, 59 3/4 x 53 5/8 in. 151.8 x 136.0 cm Back skirt width: 27 1/8 in (68.9cm). Founders Society Purchase, Henry Ford II Fund, 1984.23. Photo © 2017, Detroit Institute of Arts

Provenance: Komparu Ryu No Masters, Nara Japan

Suzuki Kiitsu (Japanese, 1796-1858), Reeds and Cranes, 19th Century. Colors on gilded silk, 69 7/8 x 145 1/4 in. 177.5 x 369.0 cm. Photo © 2017, Detroit Institute of Arts

© Christie’s Images Limited 2017.

LONDON.- Two giants of Post-War American painting will be united in Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Auction on 7 March 2017 in London. Mark Rothko’s groundbreaking No. 1 (1949, estimate on request), is one of the artist’s earliest examples of his mature artistic vocabulary, dating from the pioneering year of his practice and was first shown in 1950 as part of his historic solo exhibition at New York’s Betty Parsons Gallery. Robert Rauschenberg’s Transom (1963, estimate on request) comes to auction alongside a major retrospective of his work at London’s Tate Modern, and demonstrates the radical new visual language that went on to lead a generation of American artists towards global domination. Together these two masters of 20th-Century painting will lead the field of American talent that will take centre stage during 20th Century at Christie’s, a series of sales that takes place from 28 February to 10 March 2017. Ahead of the auction the works will tour and be exhibited in Hong Kong (17-20 January), Shanghai (8 February), Beijing (11-13 February) and New York (24-26 February). 

Francis Outred, Chairman and Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art at Christies: “America is a profound force on the global stage and has been unstoppable in defining the contemporary culture of the last century. It is a privilege to present two seminal works that date from the beginning of this cultural dominance. Mark Rothko’s No.1 dates from 1949 and was one of his first works to incorporate the planes of colour as mood that defined his career. Robert Rauschenberg’s Transom is one of the breakthrough series of Silkscreen Paintings with which he not only sparred with Warhol but also became the very first American artist to win the Golden Lion at the 1964 Venice Biennale. Following the much-celebrated Abstract Expressionism exhibition at London’s Royal Academy and the major Robert Rauschenberg retrospective at Tate Modern we very much look forward to drawing a global audience to London in March.” 

Having never been previously offered at auction, Rothko’s No. 1 is one of the few works from the 1949 Betty Parsons Gallery show that remain in private hands and heralds the incandescent union of light and colour for which his work would come to be much celebrated. Of the suite of 12 paintings, nine are now held in major American museums including: The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles (No. 2), The Museum of Modern Art, New York (No. 3), Los Angeles County Museum of Art (No. 4), Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (No. 6), National Gallery of Art, Washington (No. 7, No. 8), Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington (No. 9), and Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, New York (No. 12). The importance of No. 1 to Rothko’s practice is underlined by the fact that he guarded the work and kept it in his possession until his untimely death. A glowing vision of rich orange and lemon-bright yellow, punctuated at its core by a dramatic zone of ochre strokes upon a bar of vaporous blue and teal, No.1 paved the way for the transformative painting as mood for which he is critically acclaimed. 

Mark Rothko (1903-1970), No. 1 (Painted in 1949). Oil on canvas, 78.3 x 39.7 in. (198.8 x 100.8 cm.) Estimate on Request. © Christie’s Images Limited 2017.

Robert Rauschenberg honed the visual language of his series of Silkscreen Paintings between 1962 and 1964, which went on to earn him the Grand Prize for painting at the 1964 Venice Biennale. A central focus of the current Tate Modern retrospective is a room dedicated to the Silkscreen Paintings, reflecting their centrality to his oeuvre and the profound contemporary relevance for artists working today. Amongst the first artists to use silkscreens in his practice, Rauschenberg commenced this series around the same time his friend Andy Warhol also started to employ the process. Transom demonstrates Rauschenberg’s unmatched skill for the technique: against a white ground, repeated rooftop water towers are silkscreened in black and blue, framing the composition right and left as if each edge is a horizon. Transom sees images of war, urbanisation and consumer culture jostle for attention with a paragon of art history: Velázquez’s Rokeby Venus. The iconic nude appears three times in the work - in a blaze of red and yellow in the centre of the canvas; in a slice of blue stretched along the upper edge; and at the lower edge her free-floating face peers out from her mirror below a red truck wheel. This vivid tableaux demonstrates Rauschenberg’s talent at its height, marking the dramatic shift of focus towards America as the dominant force in contemporary culture.

Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008), Transom (Painted in 1963). Oil and silkscreen ink on canvas, 56 x 50 in. (142 x 127 cm.). Estimate on Request. © Christie’s Images Limited 2017.

Claude Monet,  En Norvégienne, 1887. Huile sur toile, 97,5 x 130,5 cm, Musée d'Orsay, Paris, legs de Princesse Edmond de Polignac, 1947. Photo: © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski

BALE- En cette année de son 20e anniversaire, la Fondation Beyeler consacre une exposition à l’un des principaux artistes de sa collection permanente : Claude Monet. Cette présentation concentrée mettra l’accent sur certains aspects choisis de son œuvre. Ce regard sur les années de création situées entre 1880 et le début du XXe siècle avec une échappée sur l’œuvre tardive offre une approche nouvelle et souvent inattendue de ce magicien des images, qui continue d’influencer notre expérience (visuelle) de la nature et du paysage. Lumière, ombres et réflexions, et leur traitement constamment renouvelé dans l’art de cet artiste constituent le leitmotiv de « Monet ». Ses célèbres univers picturaux, ses paysages méditerranéens, les côtes sauvages de l’Atlantique, le cours de la Seine, les prairies en fleurs, les meules de foin, les nymphéas, la cathédrale et les ponts dans la brume sont au cœur de cette exposition.

Dans ces tableaux, l’artiste a exploré les jeux mouvants de la lumière et des couleurs au fil des heures de la journée et des saisons. À l’aide de réflexions et d’ombres, Monet a su créer des atmosphères ensorcelantes. Ce grand pionnier de l’art a trouvé la clé du jardin mystérieux de la peinture moderne et a ouvert les yeux de tous à une nouvelle vision du monde.

Cette exposition présente 62 toiles provenant des plus grands musées d’Europe, des États-Unis et du Japon, parmi lesquels le Musée d’Orsay de Paris, le Metropolitan Museum de New York, le Museum of Modern Art de New York, le Museum of Fine Art de Boston et la Tate de Londres. S’y ajoutent, chose exceptionnelle, 15 toiles appartenant à des particuliers qui ne sont présentées au public que très rarement et n’ont plus été montrées depuis longtemps dans le cadre d’une exposition consacrée à Monet.

Claude Monet, La terrasse à Vétheuil, 1881. Huile sur toile, 81 x 65 cm, Collection privée. Photo: Robert Bayer

Lumière, ombre et réflexion

Après la mort de sa femme en 1879, Monet s’engage dans une phase de réorientation. Sa période de pionnier de l’impressionnisme est achevée ; son importance artistique est certes encore loin d’être universellement reconnue, mais grâce à son marchand, il accède à une certaine indépendance économique dont témoignent ses nombreux voyages. Ceux-ci lui permettent notamment de s’intéresser pour la première fois à la lumière de la Méditerranée, et donnent de nouvelles impulsions à son œuvre. Son art se fait plus personnel et s’affranchit du style strictement « impressionniste ».

Mais surtout, ses œuvres semblent prendre pour thème de façon croissante la peinture elle-même. Sans doute faut-il interpréter en ce sens la réflexion qu’il fit à son futur beau-fils, Jean Hoschedé, selon laquelle c’était moins le motif qui l’intéressait que ce qui se passait entre le motif et lui. Les réflexions de Monet sur la peinture doivent être compris aux deux sens du terme. La répétition des motifs par le biais des réflexion, qui trouvent leur apogée et leur conclusion dans les toiles des bassins aux nymphéas, constitue en même temps une réflexion durable sur les possibilités de la peinture, réflexion dont témoignent la représentation et la répétition d’un motif dans le tableau. 

Monet se livre, à travers la représentation d’ombres, à une autre exploration des possibilités de la peinture. Les ombres sont à la fois reproduction et inversion du motif, et leur forme abstraite prête au tableau une structure qui semble remettre en question la simple illustration du motif. C’est ce qui a conduit Wassily Kandinsky, lors de sa célèbre découverte du tableau d’une meule de foin à contre-jour réalisé par Monet (Kunsthaus Zürich et dans la présente exposition), à ne même plus reconnaître le sujet en tant que tel : la peinture en soi avait pris une signification nettement supérieure à la représentation d’un motif traditionnel. 

Claude Monet, La cabane du douanier, 1882. Huile sur toile, 61 x 75 cm Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, donation Annie Swan Coburn, 1934. Photo: Imaging Department © President and Fellows of Harvard College

Les mondes picturaux de Monet 

Cette exposition est un voyage à travers les mondes picturaux de Monet. Elle est regroupée par thèmes. Elle se consacre d’abord, dans une grande salle, aux nombreuses et diverses représentations de la Seine. On remarquera tout particulièrement le portrait rarement exposé de la compagne et future épouse de Monet, Alice Hoschedé, assise dans le jardin de Vetheuil juste au bord de la Seine. 

Une salle suivante célèbre la représentation des arbres de Monet : un hommage cachéà Ernst Beyeler, qui avait consacré en 1998 toute une exposition au thème des arbres. Inspiré par des gravures sur bois colorées japonaises, Monet a inlassablement traité les arbres sous des éclairages différents, s’intéressant à leurs formes et à la projection de leurs ombres. Ses tableaux prennent ainsi souvent une structure géométrique, particulièrement visible dans les séries. 

Les couleurs éclatantes de la Méditerranée sont illustrées par un ensemble de toiles que Monet a peintes dans les années 1880. Il évoque dans une lettre de cette période la « lumière féerique » qu’il a découverte dans le Sud. 

En 1886, il écrit à Alice Hoschedé qu’il est littéralement fou de la mer. Une importante partie de l’exposition est consacrée au littoral normand et à Belle-Île ainsi qu’aux ambiances lumineuses constamment mouvantes de la mer. On ne peut qu’être fasciné par la succession de vues et d’éclairages changeants dont fait l’objet la cabane d’un douanier sur une falaise, tantôt présentée sous un soleil éblouissant, tantôt plongée dans l’ombre. Quand on l’observe de plus près, l’ombre paraît composée de myriades de couleurs. 

Claude Monet, Pointes de rocher à Port-Domois, 1886. Huile sur toile, 81,3 x 64,8 cm Cincinnati Art Museum, Fanny Bryce Lehmer Endowment and The Edwin and Virginia Irwin Memorial, 1985. Photo: Bridgeman Images

Un calme contemplatif émane des toiles qui présentent des atmosphères matinales au bord de la Seine : le motif peint est ici répété sous forme de reflet peint, de sorte que la ligne de séparation entre la réalité peinte et son reflet peint semble se fondre dans la brume qui se lève. Le motif est intégralement répété sous forme de reflet, ce qui empêche de définir clairement le haut et le bas du tableau. Autrement dit : la convention indiquant comment regarder un tableau est abrogée et laissée à la subjectivité du spectateur. On a l’impression que Monet s’approche ici du fondement même de la nature, du « panta rhéi » de la modification constante. En effet, il ne peint pas seulement le changement de lumière entre la nuit et le jour, il représente aussi l’opiniâtreté de la confluence de deux cours d’eau. 

Monet aimait Londres, une ville qui lui avait déjà servi d’asile pendant la guerre franco-allemande de 1870/1871. Devenu un peintre prospère et déjà très connu, il y retourna à la charnière des deux siècles et peignit des vues célèbres des ponts de Waterloo et de Charing Cross, ainsi que le parlement britannique sous des luminosités diverses, dans la brume surtout, qui rend toutes les formes plus floues et les met en scène comme des phénomènes atmosphériques. Un hommage au grand modèle de Monet, William Turner, mais aussi une révérence à la puissance mondiale de la Grande-Bretagne, qui reposait sur son parlement et sur son commerce, constructeur de ponts. 

L’œuvre tardive de Monet est presque exclusivement marquée par son intérêt pictural pour son jardin et pour le jeu des reflets dans ses bassins aux nymphéas. La Collection Beyeler en contient de remarquables exemples. La dernière salle de l’exposition offre une échappée sur les tableaux du jardin de Monet à Giverny. 

Claude Monet, Matinée sur la Seine, 1897. Huile sur toile, 89,9 x 92,7 cm The Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection, 1933. Photo: © The Art Institute of Chicago / Art Resource, NY / Scala, Florence.

BASEL - In the year of its 20th birthday, the Fondation Beyeler is devoting an exhibition to Claude Monet, one of the most important artists in its collection. Selected aspects of Monet’s oeuvre will be presented in a distilled overview. By concentrating on his work between 1880 and the beginning of the 20th century, with a forward gaze to his late paintings, the show will reveal a fresh and sometimes unexpected facet of the pictorial magician, who still influences our visual experiencing of nature and landscape today. The leitmotif of the “Monet” exhibition will be light, shadow, and reflection as well as the constantly evolving way in which Monet treated them. It will be a celebration of light and colors. Monet’s famed pictorial worlds - his Mediterranean landscapes, wild Atlantic coastal scenes, various locations places along the course of the River Seine, his flower meadows, haystacks, cathedrals and fog-shrouded bridges - are the exhibition’s focal points. 

In his paintings, Monet experimented with the changing play of light and colors in the course of the day and the seasons. He conjured up magical moods through reflections and shade. Claude Monet was a great pioneer in the field of art, finding the key to the secret garden of modern painting and opening everyone’s eyes to a new way of seeing the world. 

The exhibition will show 62 paintings from leading museums in Europe, the USA and Japan, including the Musée d’Orsay, Paris; the Metropolitan Museum, New York; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Museum of Fine Art, Boston and the Tate, London. 15 paintings from various private collections that are seen extremely rarely and that have not been shown in the context of a Monet exhibition for many years will be special highlights of the show.

Claude Monet, Jean-Pierre Hoschedé et Michel Monet au bord de l'Epte, vers 1897-1890. Huile sur toile, 76 x 96,5 cm National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, donation de la Saidye Bronfman Foundation, 1995. Photo: © National Gallery of Canada

Light, shadow, and reflection

Following the death of his wife in 1879, Monet embarked on a phase of reorientation. His time as a pioneer of Impressionism was over; while by no means generally acknowledged as an artist, he was beginning to become more independent financially thanks to the help of his dealer, as is documented by his frequent journeys. Through them, he was, for example, first able to concern himself with Mediterranean light, which provided new impulses for his paintings. His art became more personal, moving away from a strictly Impressionist style. 

Above all, however, Monet seems to have increasingly turned painting itself into the theme of his paintings. His comment, as passed down by his stepson Jean Hoschedé, that, for him, the motif was of secondary importance to what happened between him and the motif, should be seen in this light. Monet’s reflections on paintings should be interpreted in two ways. The repetition of his motifs through reflections, which reach their zenith and conclusion in his paintings of the reflections in his water-lily ponds, can also be seen as a continuous reflecting on the potential of painting, which is conveyed through the representation and repetition of a motif on a canvas. 

Monet’s representations of shade are another way in which he represented the potential of painting. They are both the imitation and the reverse side of the motif, and their abstract form gives the painting a structure that seems to question the mere copying of the motif. This led to the situation in which Wassily Kandinsky, on the occasion of his famous encounter with Monet’s painting of a haystack seen against the light (Kunsthaus Zurich and in the exhibition), did not recognize the subject for what it was: the painting itself had taken on far greater meaning that the representation of a traditional motif.

Claude Monet, Peupliers au bord de l'Epte, vers 1897-1890. Huile sur toile, 92,4 x 73,7 cm Tate, Presented by the Art Fund 1926. Photo: © Tate, London 2016

Monet’s Pictorial Worlds

The exhibition is a journey through Monet’s pictorial worlds. It is arranged according to different themes. The large first room in the exhibition is devoted to Monet’s numerous and diverse representations of the River Seine. One of the most notable exhibits is his rarely shown portrait of his partner and subsequent wife Alice Hoschedé, sitting in the garden in Vetheuil directly on the Seine. 

The next room celebrates Monet’s representation of trees: a subtle tribute to Ernst Beyeler, who devoted an entire exhibition to the theme of trees in 1998. Inspired by colored Japanese woodcuts, Monet repeatedly returned to the motif of trees in different lights, their form, and the shade they cast. Trees often give his paintings a geometric structure, as is particularly obvious in his series. 

The luminous colors of the Mediterranean are conveyed by a group of canvases Monet painted in the 1880s. In a letter written at that time, he spoke of the “fairytale light” he had discovered in the South. 

In 1886 Monet wrote to Alice Hoschedé that he was “crazy about the sea”. A large section of the exhibition is devoted to the coasts of Normandy and the island Belle-Île as well as to the ever-changing light by the sea. It includes a fascinating sequence of different views of a customs official’s cottage on a cliff that lies in brilliant sunlight at times and in the shade at others. On closer examination, the shade seems to have been created out of myriad colors. 

Claude Monet, Le Parlement, ciel orageux, 1904. Huile sur toile, 81 x 92 cm Palais des Beaux-Arts de Lille, legs de Maurice Masson, 1949. Photo: © RMN-Grand Palais / René-Gabriel Ojéda

Monet’s paintings of early-morning views of the Seine radiate contemplative peace: the painted motif is repeated as a painted reflection in such a way that the distinction between painted reality and its painted reflection seems to disappear in the rising mist. The entire motif is repeated as a reflection. There is no longer any clear-cut differentiation between the top and bottom parts of the painting, which could equally well be hung upside down. In other words, the convention about how paintings ought to be viewed is abandoned and viewers are left to make their own decision. It is as if Monet sought to convey the constant flux (panta rhei) that is such a fundamental characteristic of nature, capturing not only the way light changes from night to day but also the constant merging of two water courses.

Monet loved London. He sought refuge in the city during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71. As a successful and already well known painter, he went back there at the turn of the century, painting famous views of Waterloo and Charing Cross Bridge as well as of the Houses of Parliament in different lights, particularly in the fog, which turns all forms into mysterious silhouettes. A tribute not only Monet’s famous hero/forerunner William Turner, but also to the world power of Great Britain with its Parliament and the bridges it built through trade. 

Monet’s late work consists almost exclusively of paintings of his garden and the reflections in his waterlily ponds, of which the Beyeler Collection owns some outstanding examples. The exhibition’s last room contains a selection of paintings of Monet’s garden in Giverny.

Claude Monet, Les glaçons, Débâcle sur la Seine, 1880. Huile sur toile, 60 x 100 cm Paris, musée d'Orsay, donation de la baronne Eva Gebhard-Gourgaud, 1965. Foto: © RMN-Grand Palais (musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski.

Claude Monet, Prairie à Giverny, effet d'automne, 1886. Huile sur toile, 92,1 x 81,6 cm Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Juliana Cheney Edwards Collection. Photo: © 2017 Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Claude Monet, Près de Vernon, Ile aux orties, 1897. Huile sur toile, 73,3 x 92,7 cm The Metropolitan Museum of Art, donation de Monsieur et Madame Charles S. McVeigh, 1960. Photo: © bpk / The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Claude Monet, Nymphéas, 1916-1919. Huile sur toile, 200 x 180 cm, Fondation Beyeler, Riehen/Basel, Collection Beyeler. Photo: Robert Bayer

Claude Monet, Vue de Bordighera, 1894. Huile sur toile, 66 x 81,8 cm 
The Armand Hammer Collection, donation de Armand Hammer Foundation, Hammer Museum, Los Angeles. 

Claude Monet, Charing Cross Bridge, brouillard sur la Tamise, (Charing Cross Bridge: Fog on the Thames), 1903. Huile sur toile, 73,7 x 92,4 cm, Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, donation de Madame Henry Lyman, 1979. Photo: Imaging Department © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Claude Monet, Coucher de soleil sur la Seine, l'hiver, 1880. Huile sur toile, 60,6 x 81,1 cm, Pola Museum of Art, Pola Art Foundation. 

Theodore Robinson, Portrait of Monet, around 1888–90. Cyanotype, 24 x 16,8 cm Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago, donation de Monsieur Ira Spanierman, 1985. Photo: © Terra Foundation for American Art, Chicago / Art Ressource, NY.