Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669), Saskia in Bed. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Raphael (1483-1520), Self Portrait. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Leonardo da Vinci (1467-1519),A Maiden with a Unicorn. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Lucas van Leyden (1489/94-1533), St Jerome. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Thomas Gainsborough (1727-1788), Study of a Woman, Seen from the Back. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Ignace-Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904), A Woman Sewing. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

James Mallord William Turner (1775-1851) The Transept of Tintern Abbey. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Raphael (1483-1520), Studies of Two Apostles for the Transfiguration. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Walter Sickert (1860-1942), Noctes Ambrosianae. Pastel. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Gwen John (1876-1939), A Seated Girl. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), View of the Cembra Valley. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), Head of a Boy facing Right. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (1746-1828). Two Men Fighting. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

John Everett Millais (1829-1896), The Race Meeting. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

William Blake (1757-1827), Beatrice and Dante in Gemini, Amid the Spheres of Flame. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564),Ideal Head. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum 

Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840), Landscape with an Obelisk. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum 

Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, known as Guercino (1591-1666), The Mystic Marriage of St Catherine. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

François Boucher (1703-1770), The Invention of Drawing. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum 

John Robert Cozens (1752-1797), Entrance to the Valley of the Grande Chartreuse in Dauphiné. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640), A Nude Man seen partly from behind. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Giambattista Piazzetta (1682-1754), Head of a Youth. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1525/30-1569), The Temptation of St Anthony. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum 

John Ruskin (1819-1900), Study of a Kingfisher. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Samuel Palmer (1805-1881), Self-portrait. Photograph: Ashmolean Museum

Lot 118. Extremely Rare 18th Century English Pagoda Automaton Musical Clock For Chinese Qing Imperial Court. Price Realized: $825,000.00. Courtesy Fontaine's auction.

PITTSFIELD, MASS.- An exceedingly rare 18th century English-made pagoda form automaton musical clock, produced for the Chinese Qing Imperial Court, fell just shy of the $1 million mark when it sold for $998,250 (including buyer’s premium) at Fontaine’s Auction Gallery’s Antiques and Fine Art Auction, held January 21st in the firm’s gallery at 1485 West Housatonic Street. 

The clock was magnificent: 50 inches tall (raised, on a large black wood block base). It weighed 100 pounds and had an engraved chessboard pattern brass top, with 5-inch painted metal dials on the front and both sides, and Roman hour numerals. The time movement triggered the automaton mechanism once every two hours, and the heavy bronze case had elegant color paste set jewels.  

As beautiful as the clock was physically, it was equally enchanting musically. It played two different tunes on a nest of eight bells, including the old Chinese folk song Mo Li Hau, which has been popular since the 17th century, in China and elsewhere. The pagoda animated every two hours, corresponding to the 12-hour Chinese time system, and the music played every two hours. 

The case form was based on the Pagoda of Nanjing (or the Temple of Repaid Gratitude), built in the 15th century, during the Chinese Ming dynasty. The structure was mostly destroyed in the 19th century, during the Taiping Rebellion, but with nine stories and a staircase in the middle, it was one of the tallest buildings in China and called one of the Seven Wonders of the World.  

The clock was the expected top lot in a sale that featured over 450 items, including a fine clock collection, watches, music boxes, 19th and 20th century lighting, period furniture, oil paintings, bronzes, estate jewelry, silver and accessories. Internet bidding was provided by the platforms Invaluable.com and LiveAuctioneers.com, as well as Fontaine’s website, FontainesAuction.com. 

The auction grossed just over $1.64 million. Following are additional highlight from the sale. All prices quoted include a 21 percent buyer’s premium.  

E. Howard & Co. (Boston) clocks, popular with collectors, are a staple at most Fontaine’s clock auctions, and this sale had several, to include a floor standing regulator, signed and dated 1891, with gravity escapement by H. Conant, that sold for $24,200. Also, a Joseph Jennens oak 9-tube grandfather clock, 106 inches tall, with carved oak case attributed to R. J. Horner, hit $25,410. 

A French industrial animated clock with a gilt brass case in the form of a vertical steam boiler, with moving parts animated by a spring-driven mechanism, mounted on a rouge marble base, brought $20,570; while a French figural mystery two-chain swinger clock with a standing cast metal figure of a woman wearing a floral crown and holding a bouquet of flowers, made $5,142.  

A three-color Pairpoint Puffy Rose table lamp with 10-inch diameter reverse painted puffy shade with colorful roses on a green leafy background, on a molded spelter base with pyramidal poppy form, lit up the room for $9,377. Also, a large, room-size palace rug designed in four panels with birds and filigree, 159 inches by 255 inches, with no wear or repairs, changed hands for $6,352. 

A pure white marble sculpture depiction of the mythological figure Diana, by Rafaello Battelli (It., 19th century), shown standing amongst a crescent moon and stars, 34 inches tall and signed, breezed to $19,360; and a large brown sculpture of two hounds (“Pompier” and Caron”), tied to a tree trunk, by Auguste Nicolas Cain (Fr., 1822-1894), 25 inches tall, signed, finished at $7,865. 

Rounding out just some of the day’s top lots, a Gothic pierced bronze center coffee table with a gilt bronze octagonal base with Gothic arches, finials and wavy pierced decorated panels, rose to $5,142; and a large figural walnut carved elk head with antlers, mounted with natural elk horns on a self-framed filigree carved back panel, carved by “H. Leach,” 56 inches tall, fetched $6,050. 

Fontaine’s Auction Gallery has several big Antiques & Fine Art Auctions planned for the first half of 2017, on March 25th, April 22nd , May 2nd and June 17th, all in the Pittsfield gallery with start times of 11 am Eastern time. These will feature fine clocks, watches, music boxes, 19th and 20th century lighting, exceptional furniture, paintings, bronzes, jewelry, silver and accessories. 

Fontaine’s Auction Gallery is actively seeking quality items, to include furniture, lighting, clocks and watches, paintings, porcelains, bronze and marble statuary, Asian items, art glass and cameo glass, Russian objects, silver, musical, coin-op, advertising, toys, banks, gaming and carousel items for future sales. Consignments are currently being accepted for all the upcoming auctions. 

The firm will buy outright or accept on consignment fine antiques, collections or entire estates. Call (413) 448-8922 and ask to speak with John Fontaine.

Gérard Edelinck (1640–1707), The Battle of Anghiari, after a sketch by Peter Paul Rubens, after the lost fresco by Leonardo da Vinci, etching, 50 x 64 cm, © Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen / Photo: Karen Blindow.

BREMEN.- This exhibition presents outstanding French prints from 1650 to 1715, an era in which the magnificence of Absolutism reached its climax. During the reign of Louis XIV, a principal task of the fine arts was to spread the glory and splendour of the Sun King as a statesman, general and patron far beyond the borders of his own country. Prints were especially suited to this purpose. They were easy to transport; they could be produced in great numbers; they were sold individually or sumptuously bound together, and they could unequivocally serve political aspriations. Engravings after paintings in the King’s collections, views of his palaces, and images of his military victories advanced them to highly respected prestige objects. 

In 1660, Louis XIV freed engravers from the restrictions of the guild system and elevated them to the rank of free artists. In 1663 they were allowed to enter the Royal Academy, which provided standardized training and thereby ensured an extraodinarily high level of technical skills. The precision and inventiveness of engravers such as Gérard Edelinck, Robert Nanteuil, Pierre Drevet and Jean Audran, who used subtle graduated tonality, sophisticated lighting, and eleborately worked surfaces, contributed significantly to forming a French style that set the standard for later printmaking.  

The engraver Anton Würth (*1957), who has explored the aesthetic quality of 17th century French engravings in depth, has been invited to make a guest contribution. 

Gérard Audran, Der Einzug Alexanders des Großen in Babylon, 1675, aus der vierteiligen Folge "Die Schlachten Alexanders des Großen", 1672–1678, nach einem Gemälde von Charles Le Brun. Radierung, Kupferstich, 74,4 x 93,7 cm© Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen, Foto: Die Kulturgutscanner-Rosenau.

Only a few minutes’ walk away from Bremen’s central market square, the Kunsthalle Bremen’s building has stood in the Wall gardens for over 150 years. The gallery’s private owner is to this day is the Kunstverein in Bremen (the Bremen Art Association) founded by the citizens of Bremen in 1823, making it one of the oldest art associations in Germany. With more than 9,000 members, it counts today one of the strongest memberships in the Federal Republic of Germany. As the city’s most distinguished art and cultural institution, its impact extends far beyond the region. 

Generous endowments, private donations, bequests by friends of the arts and allocations from the City of Bremen municipality form the basis for the gallery’s successful pursuit of its historic activity. 

Over the centuries, a rich and diverse collection has been assembled, containing outstanding paintings and sculptures as well as precious holdings of graphic art.

Antoine Masson, Christus in Emmaus, nach einem Gemälde von Tizian, um 1530. Radierung, Kupferstich, 46,4 x 60,4 cm © Kunsthalle Bremen – Der Kunstverein in Bremen, Foto: Die Kulturgutscanner-Rosenau.

“Aucun art n'est aussi peu spontané que le mien. Ce que je fais est le résultat de la réflexion et de l'étude des grands maîtres.” (Edgar Degas in G. Moore, The Painter of Modern Life in Magazine of Art, no. 13, 1890, p. 423).

Paris– Le 23 mars prochain, le département Art Impressionniste et Moderne est heureux de présenter une vente dédiée à Edgar Degas dans le cadre des Journées du Dessin chez Christie’s. Composée de 55 dessins, cette collection provient des héritiers du frère de l’artiste, René de Gas. Ces feuilles de qualité, datées entre 1855 et 1865, illustrent le début de carrière de l’artiste. Ces études du corps humain inspirées de l’Antiquité et des maîtres Anciens démontrent déjà les grandes ambitions artistiques du jeune artiste. Les amateurs pourront ainsi découvrir de nombreuses feuilles faisant référence à Léonard de Vinci à Rembrandt ou encore à Ingres.

La vacation du 23 mars se divise en six parties distinctes, regroupant tour à tour des dessins inspirés des maîtres Anciens, de l’Antiquité, des portraits de famille, des dessins préparatoires, et des études académiques. L’estimation globale de cette vente est d’environ €1M.

Anika Guntrum, Directrice Internationale du département : «C’est un grand honneur pour notre département d’offrir aux collectionneurs et amateurs internationaux présents à Paris, des oeuvres de jeunesse d’Edgar Degas. Ces feuilles inédites nous permettent de suivre les pas de l’artiste, ses ambitions artistiques et ses pérégrinations entre Paris et l’Italie. C’est une grande chance pour les collectionneurs de pouvoir acquérir ces oeuvres rares qui annonçaient déjà la brillante carrière d’Edgar Degas».

LES MAÎTRES ANCIENS

En 1853, alors étudiant en droit pour satisfaire les ambitions de son père, Degas commence à fréquenter le Cabinet des estampes de la Bibliothèque nationale où il copie Dürer, Rembrandt, Véronèse ou encore Goya et passe ses journées au Musée du Louvre. Une encre sur papier inspirée de Rembrandt et intitulée Femmes au Lavoir sera présentée lors de la vacation (estimation : €15.000-20.000). On reconnaît ici son admiration pour la technique du maître hollandais dans le traitement des lignes et du clair-obscur. Dans cette oeuvre, nous apercevons un homme de dos, l’artiste-voyeur déjà, épiant discrètement des blanchisseuses au travail. Dans les années 1860, son thème favori est celui des femmes en société, et particulièrement celles qui gagnent leur vie : blanchisseuses, boutiquières ou encore chanteuses de café-concert. Puis, du milieu des années 1870 à la fin de sa carrière, ses sujets privilégiés glisseront vers des scènes intimes de femmes se lavant, observées comme à travers le trou d’une serrure.

Edgar Degas, Femmes au Lavoir (inspirée de Rembrandt), 1853, encre sur papier. Estimation : €15.000-20.000© Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Le 4 avril 1853, il est reçu comme copiste au Musée du Louvre et continue àétudier les grands maîtres italiens, hollandais et français. À travers cette démarche, l’artiste apporte à ses propres oeuvres la beauté intemporelle que l’on retrouve dans les peintures anciennes. Les amateurs pourront ainsi découvrir une magnifique étude du Saint Jean Baptiste de Léonard de Vinci. Estimée entre 50.000 et 70.000 euros, cette feuille fut exécutée en 1853-54 lorsque l’artiste était alors âgé d’à peine 20 ans.

Edgar Degas, Etude du Saint Jean Baptiste de Léonard de Vinci, 1853-1854. Estimation : €50.000-70.000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

D’APRÈS L’ANTIQUITÉ

En 1855, Degas commence à suivre des cours à l’École des Beaux-Arts de Paris tout en continuant ses nombreuses visites au Louvre. Les oeuvres antiques l’inspirent considérablement. Ses différentes études annoncent ses premiers grands travaux, à l’instar d’ambitieux projets tels que Les petites filles spartiates provoquant les garçons ou encore Scène de guerre au moyen âge. Plusieurs de ces dessins sont présents dans la vente comme une étude d’après le Gladiateur Borghèse réalisée vers 1855 et estimée 25.000 à 30.000 euros.

Edgar Degas, Etude d’après le Gladiateur Borghèse, vers 1855. Estimation : €25.000-30.000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

LES ÉTUDES ACADÉMIQUES

“Faites des lignes, beaucoup de lignes, et vous deviendrez un bon artiste” (Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres à Edgar Degas in A. Alexandre, Degas, nouveaux aperçus in L’Art et les Artistes, no. 29, 1935, p. 146).

Entre 1856 et 1865, Degas entreprend plusieurs voyages en Italie pour étudier les maîtres de la renaissance et approfondit ses connaissances à l’Académie de France de la Villa Médicis, où il participe à des cours ouverts au public les dimanches soir. Notre section de dessins académiques illustre l’étude rigoureuse du corps humain et de la musculature envisagée par l’artiste et fait partie de ses oeuvres de jeunesse les plus remarquables. Parmi ces feuilles, les collectionneurs pourront découvrir un Nu assis réaliséà la sanguine sur papier vergé. Exécutée vers 1854-56, cette étude est estimée entre 50.000 et 70.000 euros.

Edgar Degas, Nu assis, sanguine sur papier vergé, 1854-53. Estimation : €50.000-70.000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

PORTRAITS DE FAMILLE

De retour à Paris, Edgar Degas prend un atelier rue de Laval et choisit de peindre les membres de sa famille. Les nombreux dessins et études exécutés dans les années 1860 représentent souvent son frère René ou sa soeur Thérèse. Quand Degas suivait des cours à l’École des Beaux-Arts de Paris, il rendait visite à Ingres pour lui présenter ses dessins. À cette époque, Degas choisit alors comme principal sujet les portraits de ses proches, dans lesquels il choisit d’exprimer son traditionalisme ainsi que l’admiration qu’il portait à la peinture néo-classique et à Ingres. Le dessin illustréà gauche, présente sa soeur dans une composition Ingresque dont le réalisme fait écho à Gustave Courbet. Nous retrouvons à travers cette feuille, toute l’expressivité et la vulnérabilité du modèle (estimation : €50.000-70.000).

Edgar Degas, Thérèse Degas, la soeur du peintre. Estimation : €50.000-70.000 © Christie's Images Ltd 2017

Vente : Le Jeudi 23 mars 2017 à 15h.
Exposition : Du jeudi 16 au mercredi 22 mars de 10h à 18h, le dimanche 19 de 14h à 18h et le jeudi 23 de 10h à 12h30
Christie’s : 9 avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris

Ettore Sottsass, Kachina 05, 2009-11, CIRVA. © Ph Jean BERNARD 

LE STANZE DEL VETRO will celebrate the 100^th anniversary of the birth of Italian architect Ettore Sottsass with an exhibition entirely dedicated to his glass and crystal production; more than 200 works will be on display - mostly from the Ernest Mourmans collection - many of which on show for the first time.

For the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ettore Sottsass (1917 – 2007) LE STANZE DEL VETRO will celebrate his glass production with the exhibition Ettore Sottsass: The Glass, curated by Luca Massimo Barbero, Director of the Institute of Art History of Fondazione Giorgio Cini. The exhibition will run on the Island of San Giorgio Maggiore in Venice from 10^th April to 30^th July 2017, featuring more than 200 works, many of which on show for the first time, with an innovative exhibition set-up design by Annabelle Selldorf Studio. It will be the first exhibition ever entirely dedicated to the glass and crystal production of the Italian designer. The exhibition will be accompanied by the first Catalogue raisonné of the complete glass production by Sottsass, published by Skira. 

Ettore Sottsass, Kachina 10, 2009-11, Vetro soffiato e Corian® © Ph Jean BERNARD 

Ettore Sottsass was inclined towards painting but his father convinced him to study Architecture. In 1946 he moved to Milan, where he collaborated with the Triennale, overseeing the set-up of the handcrafts sections.

On this occasion he experimented with glass for the first time (his first glass object is dated 1947). He continued to use glass throughtout his artistic life, collaborating with some of the most important glassworks of the time, such as: Vistosi, Toso Vetri d’Arte, Cenedese, Venini – to mention just a few. The exhibition Ettore Sottsass: The Glass recounts the various phases of these collaborations, featuring more than 200 worksand designs, dating between1947 and 2007. 

Ettore Sottsass, Kachina 16, 2009-11, CIRVA © Ph Jean BERNARD  

 “Glass is an incredible medium, very mysterious, transparent and fragile at the same time” – Sottsass stated on occasion of one of his last public appearances. – “Needless to say that beyond glass one finds a whole universe of centuries-old traditions. For one of the first Triennale exhibitions, after the war, I was asked to design a glass object. I remember that at the time we used to design balls with a scottish pattern, with interwoven clear and dark stripes. It was my first experience of the kind.”– Sottsass was fascinated with the almost “magical” aspects of glass making: – “Glass, as well as ceramics, has a very peculiar trait: one does not really know what it is that goes into the furnace. Then all of a sudden a pure object breaks out, burnt by fire, an object of sheer purity, and physical intangibility. It is like a vision. One is deeply involved when making glass. Glass is spectacular.”–  

Though Sottsass had contacts with the Island of Murano since the 1940s, it was only in the 1970s that Sottsass fully experimented with the potential of glass with the first series he produced for the Vistosi glassworks. Subsequently, after the foundation of the Memphis group (1981), he designed unique glass sculptures with the collaboration of the craftsmen of the Toso glassworks: glass objects with outstanding traits, highlighting the shades and transparency of the medium, no longer mere containers. On this occasion he introduced the use of chemical glue, challenging the centuries-old tradition of Murano glass. He also worked for Venini, designing magnificent lamps as well as decorative objects with no real practical use, showing sophisticated color combinations by superposing different layers of glass.

Ritratto di Ettore Sottsass, © Ph Bruno Gecchelin  

 “Sottsass’s glass works are complex bodies, designed as human characters.” – explains Luca Massimo Barbero, the curator of the exhibition – “The artist-architect breaks through the technical boundaries of the objects using materials such as glass, plastic and Corian and brings them to life. They are compound materials in some ways similar to glass, a pure and mysterious medium, which stems from an alchemy between natural elements transformed by fire. Ettore Sottsass: The Glass is an exhibition that brings Murano glass into the present with a vitality that projects it into the future.”  

To exemplify the strength, the curiosity and the creative originality of Sottsass’s experimentation with glass, one of the galleries of the exhibition will be dedicated to an innovative series of sculptures, designed by Sottsass in 1999 at the request of the Sheik of Qatar, Saud Al Thani, for his ‘Millenium House’: 21 glass sculptures, of different dimensions, some over a meter tall, produced at the Cenedese glassworks in Murano, on display for the first time. 

Ettore Sottsass, Allodola, 2003, VETRERIA ETRUSCA © Ph Riccardo Bianchi  

At the end of the 1980s, Sottsass also began to experiment with other techniques not in use in Murano and produced glass pieces together with industrial companies such as Alessi, Baccarat, Egizia, Fontana Arte, Serafino Zani and Swarovski, where he encountered both the precision of industrial glass and the centuries-old tradition of crystal glass. 

The exhibition will also feature 200 works, among which those produced in collaboration with the research center Cirva in Marseille, where as of 2004 Sottsass designed the Kachinas series, inspired by the Pueblo votive dolls by the same name.  

The exhibition Ettore Sottsass: The Glass will be complemented by a catalogue, published by Skira, with contributions by Luca Massimo Barbero, Cristina Beltrami, Françoise Guichon and Marino Barovier and a broad iconographic apparatus including many drawings and images recounting 50 years of glass production. 

Ettore Sottsass, Upupa, 2003, VETRERIA ETRUSCA © Ph Riccardo Bianchi 

Vincent Bizien, Autoconstruction, 2016. Acrylique sur toile, 100 x 81 cm. Courtesy de l'artiste et Galerie Maïa Muller

[…] Je ne souhaite pas raconter quelque chose au sens d’une histoire qui aurait un début et une fin, ni même faire du dessin un outil de revendication ou d’indignation. Il s’agit d’avantage d’aller fouiller dans la complexité des relations entre les humains, des humains avec l’animalité, des humains avec la mort, des humains avec les choses, et les questions de pouvoir induites par ces relations. Quand mon imaginaire vient se cogner au réel, je ne fais pas des dessins pour dire à ceux qui les regardent « regardez comme le monde va mal ! », ils peuvent s’en rendre compte quotidiennement par eux mêmes. C’est la densité du vivant qui m’intéresse et la tension dans les relations qu’elle sous-tend et englobe dans sa diversité. De cette friction avec le réel, on peut voir poindre l’ombre d’un doute, et ça, c’est une dimension beaucoup plus jouissive. Cela peut produire un dialogue hermétique, mes dessins le sont parfois, mais témoignent de ce qu’il y a de fécond dans cette inévitable friction. Étrangement, quand on lit la poésie, on ne se demande pas pourquoi ce qu’on lit est poétique. C’est souvent sur soi-même que l’on bute devant une image, peut-être parce que l’on pense à tort que le travail est fait. Or, un effort est encore nécessaire devant ce qui achoppe. C’est la raison pour laquelle je n’aime pas les images définitives qui imposeraient d’emblée un sens acceptable par confort.  Je préférerais toujours celles qui font vaciller quelque chose en moi du fait de leur incomplétude en ouvrant sur ce qui ne se résout pas.
Entretien avec Philippe Ancelin
Extrait du catalogue de l’exposition Disparates, Villa Saint Cyr, Juillet 2016

Vincent Bizien, Enfant rose, 2016. Acrylique sur toile, 49 x 38 cm. Courtesy de l'artiste et Galerie Maïa Muller

L’exposition « Œuvres récentes »à la galerie Maïa Muller dévoile les dernières peintures de Vincent Bizien. Des tableaux à l’huile, à la gouache ou à l’aquarelle, sur toile ou sur papier, qui se nourrissent de la complexité de l’humain et du réel.

Des tableaux qui mêlent les images, les matières et les significations

Les peintures de Vincent Bizien apparaissent comme des assemblages d’éléments disparates dont le résultat appartient malgré tout à la figuration. Dans la toile intitulée Autoconstruction, une association de formes plus ou moins géométriques et de diverses couleurs forme une figure humaine difforme, dont la tête est posée à l’envers. L’œuvre Disparate demain gauche est une composition à l’encre et à la gouache sur papier où plusieurs mains gauches se mêlent à différents éléments (des têtes, un vase rempli de fleurs fanées…) dans un style cubiste.

Cette œuvre est représentative du travail de Vincent Bizien par la façon dont à la fois sa composition, les matériaux utilisés et son titre explorent les associations et télescopages d’images, de matière, de significations. Les créations de Vincent Bizien puisent leur matière dans le flux d’images que sont les médias, Internet, les photographies d’inconnus vendues sur les brocantes, les films ou encore la mémoire individuelle. Elles rendent compte d’un chaos visuel et sémantique dans lequel la démarche de l’artiste consiste à opérer un choix. Ce choix reflète alors un chaos intérieur et la collection de tableaux forme une constellation qui reconstitue l’histoire personnelle de l’artiste.

Vincent Bizien, Disparate demain gauche, 2016. Encre et gouache sur papier, 160 x 130 cm. Courtesy de l'artiste et Galerie Maïa Muller

Galerie Maia Mulle.  02.02.17 - 01.03.17. 19 Rue Chapon 75003 Paris

Vincent Bizien, Sans titre. série Cosmétique, 2016. Technique mixte sur papier, 40 x 30 cm. Courtesy de l'artiste et Galerie Maïa Muller

Medieval Episcopal Ring “Joye Sans Fyn”, British, 15th century. Gold. Bezel 9 x 9 x 2 mm.; circumference 63/64 mm.; weight 13.3 g.; US size 10 ½; UK size U ½. Griffin Collection, L.2015.72.22© 2000–2017 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Devotional Ring, British (?), 13th century. Gold and sapphire. Height 26.6 mm.; hoop inner diam. 20 mm.; hoop outer diam. 23.5 mm; bezel 10 x 13.4 mm.; weight 8.71 g. Griffin Collection, L.2015.72.10© 2000–2017 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Langobard Bishop's Ring, Italian, made in Lombardy, 7th–8th century. Gold and sliced garnet. Weight: 13.5 g.; circumference: 62.7 mm.; size US 10.25, UK U. Griffin Collection, L.2015.72.36© 2000–2017 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Cup Stand (Tuozhan) in the Form of a Lotus Blossom, China, Southern Song dynasty, 1127-1279. Black lacquer on wood core with banded metal rim and foot. Diameter: 6 3/8 in. (16.2 cm). Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Robert and Gwenna Blackmore (M.83.146.1). Photo © Museum Associates/LACMA

Pierre & Gilles, Yves, série « Les Garçons de Paris », 1983. Photo.Courtesy Emmanuel Renoird et Nicolas Libert

Mohamed Bourouissa, La main, série « Périphérique », 2007-2008. Photo couleur. Courtesy Emmanuel Renoird et Nicolas Libert

Skull Memento Mori Locket Ring, British, 17th century. Gold, enamel, diamonds, and ruby. Weight: 11.3 g.; circumference: 59.5 mm.; size: US 9, UK R ½. Griffin Collection, L.2015.72.33© 2000–2017 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Renaissance Memento Mori Signet, British, ca. 1600. Gold. Weight: 12.2 g.; circumference: 51.3 mm.; size: US 6.5, UK M ½. Griffin Collection, L.2015.72.34© 2000–2017 The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Bowl (Wan) in the Form of a Flower with Floral Scrolls, late Northern Song dynasty or Jin dynasty, about 1100-1234, China, Shaanxi Province, Tongchuan County, Yaozhou ware, molded stoneware with carved decoration and green glaze. Height: 1 1/8 in. (2.9 cm); Diameter: 4 in. (10.16 cm). Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. James E. Bentley in memory of Jack G. Kuhrts (M.75.109.1). Photo © Museum Associates/LACMA