A very rare small famille verte'eggshell' wine cup, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Estimate $12,000 - $18,000. Price Realized $22,500 . Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

The cup is very thinly potted with steep sides and is painted around the exterior with a continuous scene of birds and butterflies amidst peony and magnolia growing around rocks, all on a pale green ground. The rim of the cup is encircled by narrow bands of yellow and purple enamel, and a diaper ground interrupted by reserved panels containing bamboo. 2 3/16 in. (5.5 cm.) high, wood stand carved by Lai Loy

Provenance: Property from the Lai Family Collection.

Christie's. THE LAI FAMILY COLLECTION OF FINE CHINESE FURNITURE AND WORKS OF ART, 17 September 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

An iron-red and gilt-decorated rouleau vase, Kangxi period (1662-1722). Estimate $15,000 - $18,000. Price Realized $12,500. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

The vase is well potted and decorated with variously shaped reserved panels containing birds and flowers set amidst a chrysanthemum scroll ground, with floral reserved against a diaper ground on the shoulder. The neck is decorated with butterflies beneath decorative borders repeated on the everted rim. There is an underglaze blue double circle on the base. 16 ¼ in. (41.3 cm.) high

Provenance: Property from the Lai Family Collection.

Christie's. THE LAI FAMILY COLLECTION OF FINE CHINESE FURNITURE AND WORKS OF ART, 17 September 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

Unique Pair of 10.50 carats Colombian Emerald and 9.45 carats Diamond Earclips, Cartier. Estimate 8,500,000 — 10,500,000 HKD (996,176 - 1,230,570 EUR). Photo Sotheby's

Of cluster design, each centring on a step-cut emerald and an emerald-cut diamond weighing 10.50 and 9.45 carats respectively, surrounded by pear-shaped diamonds and emeralds altogether weighing approximately 8.50 and 4.50 carats respectively, mounted in platinum and 18 karat yellow gold, signed Cartier and numbered 863070, with pendant hook fittings.

Accompanied by AGL and SSEF reports numbered CS 66657 and 80855, dated 9 June and 29 June 2015 respectively, stating that the 10.50 carat emerald is natural, of Colombian origin, with no indication of clarity modification. SSEF further states that the emerald 'exhibits a vivid green colour, combined with an outstanding purity and a well-proportioned cutting style...its attractive vivid green colour is due to a combination of well-balanced trace elements in the stone, typical and characteristic for the finest emeralds of Colombia.' Also accompanied by GIA report numbered 2175062768, dated 17 March 2015, stating that the 9.45 carat diamond is G colour, VS2 clarity. Further accompanied by a signed box.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels & Jadeite, Hong Kong, 07 oct. 2015, 02:00 PM

A fine and very rare famille rose bowl and cover, Daoguang six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1821-1850). Estimate $40,000 - $60,000. Price Realized $100,000. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

The bowl is finely enameled with three bands of overlapping lotus petals between the green band encircling the foot in imitation of the lotus stem and a band of stamens at the rim. The domed cover is painted en suite with petals overlapping leaves below a seed pod surmounted by a gilded finial. 4 ¼ in. (10.8 cm.) diam., box

Provenance: Property from the Lai Family Collection.

Notes: Compare the very similar bowl and cover, but with Guangxu mark, illustrated in Imperial Porcelain of Late Qing from the Kwan Collection, Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 13 August - 25 September 1983, p. 131, no. 137. 

Christie's. THE LAI FAMILY COLLECTION OF FINE CHINESE FURNITURE AND WORKS OF ART, 17 September 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza 

Important Art Deco Jadeite, Enamel, Gem-Set and Diamond Brooch, Cartier, Circa 1927. Estimate 7,000,000 — 8,000,000 HKD (820,380 - 937,577 EUR). Photo Sotheby's

Of modified quatrefoil shape, centring on a finely carved jadeite plaque of translucent apple green colour, carved with a garden scene on both sides measuring approximately 32.05 x 25.51 x 3.57mm, quartered by clusters of step-cut sapphires, a cabochon sapphire and a step-cut emerald, within a frame of palmette design set with baguette, old European- and single-cut diamonds and outlined by red enamel, completed by terminals set with two shield-shaped carved rock crystal, embellished by jadeite beads, the sapphires and diamonds together weighing approximately 6.90 and 3.05 carats respectively, mounted in platinum, signed Cartier and numbered 2716472. 

Accompanied by a Cartier Certificate of Authenticity and a signed box. 

EXOTICISM AT ITS BEST

Many would be surprised to learn that during the reign of Louis XIV of France, it was considered highly fashionable to attend masquerades where Chinese instruments were played and guests were dressed in delicate silk costumes. This China-frenzy in the 17th century, which also impacted artistic styles in decoration, architecture and fashion, was just an overture to this ballad of East and West. Centuries have passed before the highest note was hit in the 1920s, the period better known as Art Deco.

In the beginning of 20th century, far-off destinations such as Egypt, India, Persia and the Far East were becoming increasingly accessible, so was their wealth of arts, exotic materials and captivating palette. Among the jewellers who were inspired by these new elements was the Cartier family, who had already earned its reputation as the ‘jeweler to the kings’ by that time. The Cartier brothers were extremely well-read in history and were avid collectors of art. Aside from frequenting antique shops in France, they often travelled around the world with a focus on ancient civilizations. This acumen in foreign cultures and aesthetics was transformed into extensive archives and libraries, which they shared with their colleagues early on, and from which designers for generations took inspiration and strived to put out innovative creations.

Many of Cartier’s Art Deco designs were delicate combinations of oriental motifs and fragments of artifact, juxtaposed with precious stones within geometrical lines and expressed by a flamboyant mix of colours. A good example was the collection of Egyptian revival jewelleries that were sold in Sotheby’s New York in 2013. One of the brooches used a faience as its centrepiece, with a lapis lazuli background bordered by monochromatic diamonds and onyx.

A magnificent and rare Egyptian-revival faience and jeweled brooch by Cartier London sold for US$1,025,000 in Sotheby’s New York in December 2013. 

This attempt at mixing materials and bold colours was even more significant in the maison’s Tutti Frutti pieces, which marked Cartier’s first foray into carved gemstones. These bright and colourful creations always encompass carved rubies, emeralds and sapphires, which are very likely to have been brought back by Jacques Cartier from his voyage in India. Though the colours red, blue and green might seem to clash violently at first glance, they were ingeniously organized such that the result was always an opulent explosion of colours . This has since then became a Cartier signature and was patented in 1989. The penannular brooch (Lot 1850) offered here is exemplary of this style, also employing high polish black onyx which was distinctive of Cartier’s designs during that period. This form of jewel was worn on belts, sashes, one’s shoulder, or pinned onto cloche hats for both decorative and functional purposes.

An 'Tutti Frutti' Bracelet by Cartier sold for US$1,445,000 in Sotheby’s New York in April 2013.

An Art Deco jadeite, diamond and multi-gem ‘Tutti Frutti’ Bracelet by Cartier. Private Collection

Aside from Egypt and India, the curiosity and fascination extended itself to the Far East, where sources of inspiration were drawn from Chinese and Japanese culture and various forms of art. While retaining the original flavour of Chinese artworks such as jadeite carvings and belt buckles, Cartier incorporated such elements into creations adjusted to meet European aesthetic tastes. This one-of-a-kind brooch (Lot 1851) perfectly illustrates the maison’s elevated skills in blending colours, textures and periods. By outlining the green jadeite by red enamel which evokes the 19th century cinnabar lacquer from Imperial China, and completing the ‘tutti frutti’ colour with careful arrangement of sapphires, emerald and jadeite beads, the maison stayed true to its audacity and subtle elegance. In addition, judging from the very fine pictorial carving on both sides of the jadeite plaque, it is likely to date from Qing dynasty. The Indo-Persian palmette motifs on the brooch are also stylised interpretation of an oriental decorative element seen in Persian rugs and classical mouldings. These naturalistic lines were then neatly contoured by the shield-shaped rock crystal frame. 

These two Art Deco brooches are not only representative of Cartier’s imaginative faculty, it also attests to the fruitful encounter of East and West almost a century ago, culminating in originality, integration and lasting elegance. 

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels & Jadeite, Hong Kong, 07 oct. 2015, 02:00 PM 

A doucai bowl, Daoguang six-character seal mark in underglaze blue and of the period (1821-1850). Estimate $15,000 - $20,000. Price Realized $32,500. Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2015

The bowl is potted with steep sides, and is decorated on the exterior with a continuous design of bats and stylized shou characters between decorative bands of interlocked leafy scroll. 5 in. (12.7 cm.) diam.

Provenance: Property from the Lai Family Collection. 

Christie's. THE LAI FAMILY COLLECTION OF FINE CHINESE FURNITURE AND WORKS OF ART, 17 September 2015, New York, Rockefeller Plaza

The Dowager Viscountess Harcourt Diamond Necklace. Important Diamond Necklace, Circa 1900. Estimate 10,000,000 — 15,000,000 HKD (1,171,972 - 1,757,957 EUR). Photo Sotheby's

Made in part from diamonds from the great comb à pampilles of the French Crown Jewels, set with twenty-eight graduated old mine-cut diamonds together weighing approximately 65.00 carats, each surmounted by pair of small collet-set diamonds on a wire mounting, suspending from a necklace of scalloped links set with similarly-cut diamonds, mounted in silver-topped gold, length approximately 410mm and 480mm. 

Provenance: The French Crown Jewels
Junius S. Morgan
The Dowager Viscountess Harcourt
Sotheby's New York, Magnificent Jewelry from a Private Collection, 25 October 1995, Lot 98

Accompanied by a binder containing a series of letters and bills of sale documenting the history of the twenty-eight diamonds that compose the fringe of the necklace.

Notes: France has been a major power in Europe since the 14th century, ruled by monarchs that possessed great wealth. After the Third Republic of France was formed, the French Ministry of Finance decided to sell the once exclusive property of French Kings and Queens, in a public auction in 1887.

Although previously exhibited in the Louvre in 1878 and 1884, the display of these French Crown treasures was reminiscent and reflective of the sheer of opulence of the Versailles era. Much to rid itself of such memories of decadence in its new republic perspective and perhaps also to convert these ‘reminiscence and representation’ into cash, the sale was deemed to be necessary and to use a contemporary jargon ‘politically correct’ in spite of protests from some quarters.

The collection became public record and the auction took place over nine sessions from May 12th to 23rd in 1887. Jewellers from world over flocked to Paris to attend this landmark sale – Europe, Russia, countries of Northern Africa, and the United States. Famous jewellers, both local French and foreign, as well as Royals and American Aristocrats were some of the many successful participants. Tiffany, the famed American jeweller of that time was said to have walked away about a substantial amount from the sale, rumored to have been about a third of the collection. 

Tiffany had sold on, just over a week later, 28 diamonds, from the diamond chains from the Great Comb à Pampilles to Junius S Morgan, patriarch of the famous banking family in England. They were later passed on to Morgan’s granddaughter, Mary Ethel Burns, referred to in a letter dated June 1888, to be held in trust for her by her father Walter H. Burns (Fig.3). The diamonds in the chains were subsequently remounted in the present necklace by Mary Harcourt, née Burns, to whom the stones were originally bequeathed.

The Dowager Viscountess Harcourt, born Mary Ethel Burns (Fig.2), was the daughter of Walter H. Burns and Mary Morgan, sister of banker J. Pierpont Morgan. She married Lewis, 1st Viscount Harcount in 1899, and the necklace easily dates from around 1900, turn of the century.

This lot is accompanied by the original bill of sale from the French Ministry of Finance, dated 23 May 1887 (Fig.1) as well as the receipt of sale from Tiffany to J.S. Morgan, 2 June 1887. 

Diamonds from this famed ‘1887 French Crown Jewels Auction’ rarely come up for sale at auction. Over the past twenty-five years, only several pieces were offered for resale at auction. In addition, there was the famous Thurn and Taxis Pearl and Diamond Tiara, sold by Sotheby’s in 1992 to the Louvre Museum, and the Magnificent Empress Eugénie Brooch also sold to the Louvre Museum, by private treaty.

Sotheby's. Magnificent Jewels & Jadeite, Hong Kong, 07 oct. 2015, 02:00 PM

A sensational Fancy Vivid Blue diamond, 13.02 carats, Internally Flawless. Est. US$ 35-55 million. Photo: Courtesy of the Gemological Institute of America.

GENEVA (AFP).- A blue diamond weighing 12.03 carats and described by experts as internally flawless could sell for a record $55 million (47 million euros) when it goes up for auction in November, Sotheby's said Thursday.  

The Blue Moon diamond, discovered in South Africa in January last year, will be exhibited in Hong Kong, London and New York before its likely purchase at auction in Geneva on November 11.  

"The Blue Moon diamond is a simply sensational stone of perfect colour and purity," David Bennett, who heads Sotheby's international jewellery division, said in a statement.   

He added that the immense hype which followed the stone's discovery "has now been proven to have been totally justified."  

The Gemological Institute of America previously declared the Blue Moon to be "internally flawless". 

Categorised as a fancy vivid blue diamond, the Blue Moon is the largest cushion-shaped stone in that category to ever appear at auction.  

Sotheby's put its estimated sale price between $35-$55 million which, at the higher end, would mark a record for any diamond sale.  

In November 2010, a 24.78 carats pink diamond -- known as the Graff Pink -- sold in Geneva for just over $46 million.  

The record sale for a blue diamond so far came in November last year, when a 9.75 carats fetched $32.6 million at an auction in New York.   © 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse

The 13.02 carats Fancy Vivid Blue Moon Diamond. Photo by Tino Hammid. Copyright: Cora International.

Adriaen Coorte, Still Life with a Bundle of Asparagus, Red Cherries and a Butterfly, c. 1693 – 1695. Oil on paper on wood, 25.6 x 19.8 cm. Private collection.

ZURICH.- The Kunsthaus Zürich announces that the 50 17th-century Dutch and Flemish paintings on display in the exhibition ‘A Golden Age’ are coming to the Kunsthaus on long-term loan for a number of decades. The exhibition is extended until 10 January 2016. 

Under an agreement with the Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, collectors Ferdinand and Karin Knecht from Zurich are to lend 50, mostly small-format cabinet pieces by Jan Brueghel the Elder, Hendrick Avercamp, Adriaen Coorte, Jan van Goyen, Aert van der Neer, David Teniers and many others to the Kunsthaus for more than 20 years. This long-term loan of 46 paintings and four prints will enhance the Kunsthaus’s already exceptional holdings of Dutch and Flemish painting from the prestigious Koetser and Ruzicka foundations. The compositions – cheerful genre scenes, magnificent still lifes and masterfully composed landscapes – are of exquisite quality and remarkable in their wealth of detail, conveying the magic of an era in which Dutch art broke new ground. Thanks to the Knecht Collection, the Golden Age – a major epoch in European art history – will be a highlight of the Kunsthaus collection for decades to come. The current exhibition, which is extended until 10 January 2016, offers a brief opportunity to experience the entire private collection in context with works from the Kunsthaus. 

It is noteworthy that Swiss collectors did not discover the Old Masters until late on. At the start of the 20th century, they were still unable to compete with the prices being paid by British and American enthusiasts. Major collections were brought to Switzerland by foreigners. In the publication accompanying the exhibition Lukas Gloor, Director of the Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection, describes the various types of Old Master collectors, while an introductory text by the lender brings things up to date. Is he a collector of the modern type? He politely declines to be named; but he allows the public to share the personal motivations for his collecting. The catalogue, which is available in German for CHF 49 at the Kunsthaus shop, contains a description of each individual work and places it in its art historical context. Each is also illustrated, along with numerous detail images to enhance appreciation of the works on display. The exhibition is an opportunity to experience parts of the private collection in context with works from the Kunsthaus, thereby offering an in-depth insight into the works and revealing synergies among some central artists, including Jan Brueghel the Elder and Jan van Goyen. Establishing a close relationship between artist, collector, museum and viewer creates added value for the audience, once again highlighting the benefits of interweaving private and museum holdings. 

Jan Brueghel the Elder, Village Entrance with Windmill, 1603-1605. Oil on copper, 18 x 25.4 cm. Private collection.

Maschera, Cultura Chimù-Lambayeque, 1300 d.C. Maschera funebre in rame ricoperto da lamina d’oro. Altezza 26 cm. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

FLORENCE.- At the dawn of the 16th century Europe was shaken by the epoch-making discovery: the ”Indies” – “the world that wasn’t there”. This event completely upset the traditional cultural view based on the Ancient Rome-Greece-Orient axis. According to the anthropologist Claude Lévi-Strauss, the encounter with the new continent “was arguably the most important event in the history of humanity”.

Personaggiomaschile seduto. Cultura Veracruz, Remojadas, Costa del Golfo, Messico. Classico, 600-900 d. C. Ceramica bruna e materia bituminosa nera. Altezza: 40 cm. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

The spectacular exhibition on “The world that wasn’t there” and the many, diverse Pre Columbian civilisations that flourished for thousands of years on the American continent are staged in the Museo Archeologico Nazionale, Florence from 19 September 2015 to 6 March 2016. The assembled masterpieces – almost all never previously exhibited – are manifestations of the great civilisations of socalled Mesoamerica (most of Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and part of Honduras and El Salvador) and the Andes (from Panama to Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia and as far as Chile and Argentina). From the Olmecs to the Maya and Aztecs, the cultures of Chavín, Tiahuanaco and Moche, up to the Incas. 

Cane seduto, Cultura Colima, Messico occidentale Preclassico recente, 100 a. C.-250 d. C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

Moreover, it was a Florentine, Amerigo Vespucci, who first realised that the lands discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492 were not Indian islands off the coast of Cipango (Japan) or even the greatly sought-after Gates of Eden, but a Mundus Novus, a new continent, which a few years later some geographers working at Saint-Dié-des Vosges called “America” in his honour. And the signori of Florence, the Medici, were the first European rulers to preserve in their collections some of the fascinating, often enigmatic artefacts that had arrived from the “Indies”. They included objects from peoples such as the Taino (the natives encountered by Columbus), which the conquistadors brought back to Europe. Albert Dürer was among the first to consider these objects as works of art. 

Venere, Cultura Chupìcuaro, Stato di Guanajuato, Messico occidentale, Preclassico recente, 400-100 a.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

When visiting the Brussels in 1520, he admired Montezuma’s gifts to Cortés: “wonderful objects more worth seeing than prodigies… In my lifetime I have never seen anything that filled my heart with such joy as these things.” Promoted by the Ligabue Study and Research Centre, Venice, and the Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici della Toscana-Museo Archeologico Nazionale, and principally sponsored by Ligabue SpA under the patronage of the Regione Toscana and the Comune di Firenze, the exhibition displays exceptional unique items once in the Medici Collections together with precious objects from the Musée du quai Branly, Paris, and major international collections. The core of the exhibition is a vast selection of works from ancient American cultures – never previously shown – from the Ligabue collection.

Maschera antropomorfa, Cultura pre-Teotihuacan, Stato di Guerrero, Messico Preclassico recente, 400-100 a.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

Only a few months after his death, this exhibition is a homage to Giancarlo Ligabue (1931- 2015) by his son Inti, who continues the commitment to cultural and scientific research and popularisation through the Study Centre founded forty years ago by his father, a palaeontologist, scholar of archaeology and anthropology, explorer, enlightened entrepreneur and passionate collector. In addition to having organised over 120 expeditions on all the continents and having personally taken part in excavations and explorations that yielded memorable finds (now in museum collections worldwide), Giancarlo Ligabue assembled an important collection of art objects from very many cultures. 

Statuetta antropomorfa, Cultura Mezcala, Stato di Guerrero, Messico Preclassico recente, 300-100 a.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

A part of this collection is the heart of the exhibition, curated by Jacques Blazy, a specialist in Pre-Hispanic arts in Mesoamerica and South America, with a scientific committee including André Delpuech, Chief Keeper of the Heritage and Head of the Americas Collections at the Musée quai Branly, and the Peruvian archaeologist Federico Kauffmann Doig. The extraordinary exhibition of over 230 works of arts enables visitors to explore the societies, myths, deities, games, writing and craft and artistic skills of these peoples. Among the highlights are several stone masks from Teotihucan, the largest city of Mesoamerica, and some very precious Maya pottery from the Classic period, whose decorations and inscriptions are invaluable sources of information about Maya civilisation and writing.

Statuetta femminile seduta, Cultura Xochipala, stile Xalitla, Stato di Guerrero, Messico Preclassico medio, 900-600 a.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

The fascinating journey to the heart of Mesoamerican civilisations begins with items from the Tlatilco and Olmec cultures (c. 1200-400 BC), with exemplar of hollow ceramic anthropomorphic figurines found in necropolises, mainly depicting female figures with a striking cranial deformation, elaborate headdress and barely outlined body. 

Personaggio seduto, Cultura olmeca Las Bocas, Stato di Puebla, Messico Preclassico medio,1200-900 a.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

These works exercised a great fascination over painters such as Diego Rivera, his wife Frida Kahlo and several Surrealists. The Olmec culture spread throughout Mesoamerica as far as Costa Rica, including the region of Guerrero (Xochipala), celebrated for its realistically modelled figurines of female nudes, ballgame players, couples or dancers and its stone sculpture production in general (500 BC-AD 500), which was to develop into the so-called Mezcala sculpture. 

Scultura antropomorfa, Cultura Quimbaya,regione del Cauca III secolo d.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

This enigmatic simple art of mysterious origins had a great influence over André Breton, Paul Éluard and the sculptor Henry Moore, who all became collectors of the stone figurines. 

Quipu, Cultura Inca periodo Tardo 1400 – 1500 d.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

From 300 BC to AD 250, the Occidente (West Mexico) is characterised by shaft tombs constructed beneath dwellings. The quite exceptional funerary goods in the tombs – consisting of ceramics in the form of crabs, dogs, armadillos and toads – provide vital information about daily life and religion. Among the various cultures associated with this region is the Chupicuaro culture (its apogee was around AD 400-100), well-known for its hollow polychrome ceramic figurines. A considerable number of these figurines are on show, such as the Large Venus with her hands joined on her abdomen, a deformed head and wide-open almond-shaped eyes, once owned by Guy Joussemet and now in the Ligabue Collection. 

Vaso o tazza votiva, Cultura Nazca - Perù I-II secolo d.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

Next is Teotihuacan: the first real city in central Mexico, literally “the birthplace of the gods”, where emblematic buildings were constructed, such as the Pyramids of the Sun and the Moon and the Pyramid of the Feathered Serpent. The Teotihuacan stone carvers were celebrated for the legendary skill. Their art is highly stylised, even geometric, and produced monumental works as well as the famous, unusual Teotihuacan masks. Conceived according to a standard model with the face in the form of an upside-down triangle, a wide forehead and nose, and thick lips and accentuated eyebrows, the exemplars on show (including some from the former collections of André Breton and Paul Matisse) may have been used as funerary masks. 

Tessuto e copricapo, Cultura Nazca 200. A. C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

One of them, a mask made of green onyx, now in the Museo degli Argenti, came from the Medici Collection and is a truly striking example of that production. 

Pendente, Cultura Tairona, 800 - 1300 d.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

Two awls made of jaguar bone are particularly interesting in terms of the technical skills required for their copious decoration, rich in information. The jaguar was an emblematic animal in the Mesoamerican world, associated with the highest political and sacred functions. From Michoacan, but with an iconography typical of Teotihuacan, with glyphs and images of feline heads and flames, the two instruments were probably for ritual purposes, used in self-sacrifice or practices involving piercing the flesh; one of them has an image of the divine addressee who was offered blood by a “penitent”. 

Bottiglia con raffigurazione antropomorfa di sciamano, Cultura Chavin-Cupisnique 1000 a.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

The Zapotec culture spread in central Mexico and the region of Oaxaca from 500 BC to AD 700 from the city of Monte Albán. Phase II of this culture (200 BC-AD 200) is characterised by famous funerary urns, also on show in the exhibition. Found in burials, they are often anthropomorphic effigies depicting seated figures with crossed legs and hands on knees, probably Cocijo, the Zapotec god of rain, thunder and lightning; their function has still not been explained. 

Bottiglia ittiomorfa, Cultura Chavin- Cupisnique 400 a.C.-200 d.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

The exhibition also includes some strikingly realistic ceramic figurines, decorated with bitumen after firing, from the Classic culture of the Gulf coast (or Veracruz culture) as well as replicas of stone accessories for the ceremonial ballgame and statues representing smiling or laughing human figures. 

Vaso con volto di felino, Cultura Chavin de Huantar, fase “Rocas” - Perù 1200 - 400 a.c. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

They are truly exceptional in Mesoamerican art, in which the human figures are usually impersonal or inexpressive. 

Scultura, Cultura Jama-Coaque 400 a.C. – 400 d.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

We are introduced to Maya culture and society by priests, deities and domestic animals (such as turkeys), and nobles dressed in richly adorned clothes and stunning jewellery, depicted on plates, sculptures or stelae (a spectacular Maya jade necklace is on show). The particularly beautiful and lavishly decorated Maya pottery from the Classic period provides information about the society and the writing system. The Maya pottery in the exhibition features underworld deities, ballgame players, deer-nobles or vulture-nobles, the celestial dragon, the god K’awiil and young nobles wearing feathered headdresses. 

Vaso, Cultura Chorrera 1000 a.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

The inclusion in the exhibition of Aztec atlatls (dart- or spear-throwers) is also particularly significant. Once in the Medici Cabinet of Wonders and now in the Museo di Antropologia, Florence, these exemplars are among the few surviving instruments of this kind decorated with gold.

Scultura, Cultura Guangala, 400 a.C. – 500 d.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

The journey continues with objects and art works from South America: from the spectacular production of the first ceramics, such as the Ecuadorian Venuses of Valdivia or Inca objects and items from the world of ancient Chavin, Nazca textiles and vases, and the fascinating Moche culture. 

Uomo anziano, forse il dio Huehueteotl, “il vecchio dio” Cultura Azteca, Valle del Messico, Messico 1450-1521 d.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

But it was gold – such as the gold of the Tairona (either pure or a copper alloy called tumbaga) – that attracted the Spanish and other adventurers to the Andes in search of El Dorado, one of the great myths and a driving force in the Conquest. 

Pendente, Cultura Tolima 400-900 d.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue. 

America had amazed and fascinated Europe on account of its “strange” natives, its very different natural world and it marvellous art works, albeit soon only valued in terms of the tons of gold and silver that the galleons brought back to Europe. And while in Florence the Medici preserved items from the “world that wasn’t there” – the masterpieces on show include a Taino necklace (AD 1500-1600) – the Spanish melted everything made of precious metal to be used as coins. 

Maschera, Cultura Teotihuacan, Valle del Messico, Messico Classico, 450-650 d.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

Only a few decades after Columbus’s discovery (none of the objects he brought back has survived), the Aztec and Inca cultures were annihilated by weapons and slavery, while the Taino were wiped out: according to the historians, by 1530 there was not a single living Taino. Millions of Amerindians also died because of diseases that came from the Old World. 

Urna funeraria con effigie del dio Cocijo, Cultura zapoteca, Monte Albán, Oaxaca, Messico Classico, 450-650 d.C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

It took almost four centuries before Europe began to realise again the extent of the grandeur of the art of ancient America and even today many aspects of the Pre-Columbian cultures are still enigmatic, as is that part of humanity suddenly glimpsed on the horizon by navigators searching for the Indies in October 1492.

Figura femminile con funzione di sonaglio, Cultura maya, Isola di Jaina, Stato di Campeche, Messico Classico recente, 600-800 d. C. Venezia, Collezione Ligabue.

Paraleprodera stephanus fasciata

Paraleprodera mesophthalma

Paraleprodera diophthalma

Adesmus divus

Adesmus diana

Adesmus turrialba

© 2015 Wexner Center for the Arts, The Ohio State University.

COLUMBUS, OH.- This fall, the Wexner Center for the Arts presents After Picasso: 80 Contemporary Artists, an expansive show tracing Pablo Picasso’s potent legacy and persistent impact on a variety of international artists across multiple generations. On view September 19 through December 27, 2015, the exhibition features nearly 150 works from such artists as Art & Language, Walead Beshty, Marlene Dumas, Richard Hamilton, Rachel Harrison, Jasper Johns, Martin Kippenberger, Maria Lassnig, Louise Lawler, Roy Lichtenstein, Arnulf Rainer with Dieter Roth, Thomas Scheibitz, Andy Warhol, and Heimo Zobernig, among dozens of others. 

Dia Al-Azzawi, Sabra and Shatila Massacres, 1982-83. Polyptyque, technique mixte sur papier marouflé sur toile, 300 x 750 cm. Collection de la Tate Modern, Londres. © Dia Al-Azzawi.

Wexner Center Director Sherri Geldin says, “This ambitious exhibition is a perfect complement and bookend to our own 25th Anniversary Season, inaugurated last fall with Transfigurations: Modern Masters from the Wexner Family Collection. That show included 19 masterworks by Picasso spanning his entire career, with stellar examples of his boundless imagination and talent. The depth and diversity of works in After Picasso demonstrates just how seismic (and reverberating) a force the modern master remains.”

Roy Lichtenstein, Picasso Head, 1984. Oil and Magna on canvas, 64 x 70 in. (162.6 x 177.8 cm). Private collection© Estate of Roy Lichtenstein.

The exhibition, originally titled Picasso in Contemporary Art, was organized by the Deichtorhallen, a highly respected contemporary art institution in Hamburg on the occasion of its 25th anniversary and was curated by its general director, Dirk Luckow. Select American artists have been added to the Wexner Center presentation of the German-born exhibition. 

Louise Lawler, Big, 2002-2003. Cibachrome print mounted on museum box, 52 3/4 x 46 1/2 in. Collection of Dominique Levy. Courtesy of the artist and Metro Pictures.

Encompassing painting, sculpture, collage, photography, drawing and video, the exhibition also reveals how porous the “Picasso effect” has been—beginning with his peers in the first half of the 20th century and continuing to the present moment. After Picasso occupies the entirety of the Wexner Center galleries, and provides abundant amplification of a video produced last fall to accompany Transfigurations, featuring young, mid-career, and older artists reflecting on Picasso’s significance to their own practice and to culture more broadly. 

“'Marie-Antoinette' watch. Automatic (perpétuelle) minute-repeating watch." Complete automatic date, equation of time, power reserve, metallic thermometer, platinum oscillating weight, sapphire bearings and rollers, large independent seconds hand and small direct-drive seconds, gold case, enamel dial, rock crystaldial, gold and steel hands; diameter 2 1⁄2 in.(6.4 cm). Replica made by Montres Breguet S.A., 2005–2008. B1160. Collection Montres Breguet S.A.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco announce Breguet: Art and Innovation in Watchmaking, an exhibition that explores the history of the watch and clock maker, on view at the Legion of Honor beginning September 19, 2015. The company’s cutting-edge innovations transformed the nature of personal timekeeping, and the exhibition includes displays describing the technology that exemplify Abraham-Louis Breguet’s reputation as “the father of modern horology.”  

"Subscription watch." Silver case with gold fillets, back decorated with engine-turned decoration and monogram JB in center, enamel dial, ruby cylinder escapement; diameter 2 3⁄8 in. (6 cm). Sold November 26, 1798, to Mr. Bergeront for 600 francs. B383. Collection Montres Breguet S.A.

From its beginnings in Paris in 1775, Breguet advanced great technical developments such as the self-winding watch, the first wristwatch, the repeating mechanism and most notably, the tourbillon—a revolutionary movement that neutralizes the negative effects of gravity on pocket watches. Breguet played a key role in the history of watchmaking, elevating the craft to its zenith by producing finely made watches that were a pleasure to handle and use.  

"Small (médaillon) subscription watch." Goldcase with engine-turned sunbeam decoration on back, gold dial with engine-turned sunbeam decoration, ruby cylinder escapement; diameter 1 1⁄2 in. (3.8 cm). Sold November 12, 1806, to PrinceGrassalkowics for 1,320 francs. B2008. Collection Montres Breguet S.A.

“I am enormously proud of the association between our prestigious institutions: Breguet and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. With our longstanding tradition of preserving arts and culture around the world, we are thrilled to bring this history-making exhibition to the city of San Francisco,” said Marc A. Hayek, president and CEO of Breguet. 

"Small (médaillon) touch (à tact) watch." Blue-enameled gold case, diamond-set pointer, touch studs of large round diamonds, silver dial, ruby cylinder escapement; diameter of case 1 9⁄16 in. (3.9 cm); diameter overall, with diamonds, 2 1⁄16 in. (5.2 cm). Sold February 18, 1800, to Mrs. Bonaparte, later Empress Josephine,for 3,000 francs. B611. Collection Montres Breguet S.A.

The company's reputation for ingenuity, as well as the reliability and portability of its watches, led to Breguet’s watches being considered objects of great prestige, worn by the powerful and elite in Europe, including Napoleon Bonaparte, Tsar Alexander I and Queen Victoria. The most famous Breguet timepiece linked to a European monarch is the world-renowned “Marie-Antoinette” pocket watch, No. 160. This extraordinary piece took 44 years to make and was the most complicated watch of its time.  

"Automatic (perpétuelle) quarter-repeating watch with dumb (à toc) repeater." Sixty-hour power reserve, gold case with engine-turned decoration, silver engine-turned dial with Roman numerals, seconds subdial at numeral VI, window for phases of moon and power reserve indicator, Breguet hands of blued steel, twin-barrel movement, lever escapement, compensating balance wheel, platinum oscillating weight; diameter 2 1⁄8 in. (5.4 cm). Sold March 14, 1794, to Count Journiac-Saint-Méard for 3,600 francs. B5 Collection Montres Breguet S.A.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to experience the elegant designs and technical refinement of Breguet watches from the firm’s beginnings in the late 18th century up to the 1930s,” said Martin Chapman, curator in charge of European decorative arts and sculpture at the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. 

"Half-quarter-repeating travel clock." With alarm; solid silver case, silver engine-turned dial, day and date indicator, platform lever escapement, compensating balance wheel; 4 3⁄8 × 3 3⁄8 × 2 1⁄2 in. (11.1 × 8.6 × 6.4 cm). Sold March 31, 1826, to Prince Serge Galitzin for 3,600 francs. B3358. Collection Montres Breguet S.A.

During the 19th century, Breguet expanded its business into countries beyond France, supplying elegant timepieces to customers in Europe, Russia and the United States. Today Breguet is a name known throughout the world.

"Marine chronometer." Twin barrels, mahogany outer case with brass hinges andhandles, brass clock case and Cardan suspension, silver-plated dial with subdial for hours/minutes above subdial for seconds, Earnshaw spring detent platform escapement (porte-échappement); 8 1⁄2 × 7 1⁄2 × 6 1⁄2 in. (21.6 × 19.1 × 16.5 cm). Sold January 14, 1822, to French Ministry of the Navy for 2,400 francs. B3196. Collection Montres Breguet S.A.

"Small gold ring-watch." Alarm function, winding and time-set crown on right, smaller alarm-set knob on left (alarm triggers small needle that pricks the wearer’s finger); gold dial with off-center chapter ring of Roman numerals, seconds subdial at numeral XII, Breguet hands of blued steel, ruby cylinder escapement; diameter 1 in. (2.5 cm). Sold October 18, 1836, to Count Paul Demidov for5,500 francs. B180. Collection Montres Breguet S.A.

"Precision clock." With patinated bronzes by Pierre-Philippe Thomire representing Genius and Experience on black marble base, enamel dial with Breguet numerals, twin-barrel movement, constant-force escapement visible above dial, and rotating disc for seconds; 24 3⁄4 × 13 3⁄8 × 8 1⁄4 in. (62.9 × 34 × 21 cm). Sold October 22, 1806, to Mr. de Pourtalès for 3,000 francs. B453. Collection Montres Breguet S.A.

"Gold pocket watch with tourbillon." Engraved gold case; gold dial with Roman numerals for hours; three subdials for running seconds (on left), for seconds on demand (on right), and for power reserve (below); gilt metal 24-lignes half-plate movement with inverted fusée; natural escapement fitted in two-armed carriage performing one turn every four minutes; diameter 2 1⁄2 in. (6.4 cm). Sold February 12, 1809, to Count Stanislas Potocki for 4,600 francs. B1176. Collection Montres Breguet S.A.

Kim Kyung Soo, The Full Moon Story, 2008. © Kim Kyung Soo

Après le vernissage hier de l'exposition "Korea Now!" au Musée des Arts Décoratifs, je n'ai pas pu m'empêcher de faire un post sur le reportage de Kim Kyoung Soo pour Vogue Corée en 2008.

Lorsque Vogue Corée lui demande de réaliser une série d’images pour remettre le Hanbok (habit traditionnel Coréen) au goût du jour, Kim Kyoung Soo, grand photographe de mode, saisit le défi et réalise une série d’images qu’il intitule The full moon story. Ses modèles sont élégamment habillés avec de somptueux Hanbok, leurs coupes de cheveux comme leur maquillage sont parfaitement cohérents et maîtrisés de sorte que la sérénité et la douceur qui se dégagent de ses images aux tons pastels sont saisissantes et plongent le spectateur dans un état contemplatif.

«Beaucoup de Coréens portent le Hanbok à l’occasion du Chuseok, qui représente la fête traditionnelle la plus importante en Corée. Je voulais montrer cette ambiance coréenne dans un style lyrique et moderne. Le décor devait être neutre, seules les ombres et les reflets importaient. Je voulais dégager des couleurs et accentuer les visages des modèles, à la fois légers et froids, surréels. » Kim Kyung Soo

Kim Kyung Soo, The Full Moon Story, 2008. © Kim Kyung Soo

Kim Kyung Soo, The Full Moon Story, 2008. © Kim Kyung Soo

Kim Kyung Soo, The Full Moon Story, 2008. © Kim Kyung Soo

Kim Kyung Soo, The Full Moon Story, 2008. © Kim Kyung Soo

Kim Kyung Soo, The Full Moon Story, 2008. © Kim Kyung Soo

Kim Kyung Soo, The Full Moon Story, 2008. © Kim Kyung Soo

Kim Kyung Soo, The Full Moon Story, 2008. © Kim Kyung Soo

Kim Kyung Soo, The Full Moon Story, 2008. © Kim Kyung Soo

Kim Kyung Soo, The Full Moon Story, 2008. © Kim Kyung Soo

Kim Kyung Soo, The Full Moon Story, 2008. © Kim Kyung Soo

Lapis lazuli bowl with gold mounts, Prague, c. 1608. Carving by the Miseroni workshop, mounts by Paulus van Vianen. Height: 17 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford.

OXFORD.- Michael Wellby bequeathed his extraordinary collection of Renaissance silver and exotica to the Ashmolean in 2012. Comprising over 500 pieces, it consists primarily of spectacular goldsmiths’ work made in Continental Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. 

The collection was inspired by the spectacular accumulations of virtuoso craftsmanship in precious and exotic materials assembled by princes on the Continent. Some of these materials, such as coconut shell and agate, were believed to have magical properties, including protecting against poison. 

Many of these objects could be used at table: the silver-gilt animals, for instance, have heads that can be removed and used as cups. However, the prime purpose of commissioning such fantastical objects was for display on a buffet, for the admiration and amusement of guests at a banquet. 

Michael Wellby’s collecting echoed such great royal accumulations as the Imperial Habsburg “Kunstkammer” (Art Cabinet) in Vienna or the one assembled by the Electors of Saxony, which is shown in the “Green Vault” in Dresden. This taste had been revived in the nineteenth century by wealthy private individuals such as the Rothschilds. 

His vision was of a “Little Green Vault in Oxford” and the eighteenth-century display in Dresden has been the inspiration for the present gallery. 

The Wellby Gallery has been made possible by generous grants from the DCMS Wolfson Fund, Arts Council England’s Designation Development Fund, the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, the Silver Society, and the Schroder Charity Trust.

Lapis lazuli cup with jewelled and enamelled silver gilt mounts. Stone from Milan, c.1560. Mounts French, Paris, c.1640. Height: 14 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford.

A group of German silver gilt cups of a stag by Elias Zorer (c.1605-10), Augsburg, an owl (c.1570), a ship model (c. 1620), a Dutch musketeer by Adriaen de Grebbe (c. 1600) and a bear (c. 1605-10). Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

A closer look at the deck of the ship. © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

From left: Ulrich Munt, Nautilus shell with silver gilt cagework mounts (circa 1620-1625); David Stechmesser, Nautilus shell with silver gilt mounts formed as a crane (1600); Nautilus shell with silver gilt mounts (circa 1580). Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Mounted nautilus shell, Ulrich Munt, probably (1610 - 1634), Augsburg, 1620 - 1625, nautilus-shell, parcel-gilt silver cagework mounts. Height 36.5 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Mounted nautilus shell, David Stechmesser (active 1571 - 1619), Nuremberg, c. 1580, nautilus-shell, silver-gilt mounts. Height to top of Neptune's head 30.5 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Mounted nautilus shell, c. 1580, nautilus-shell, silver-gilt mounts; painted. Height 32.8 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Three silver gilt cups from Germany, possibly Nuremberg (circa 1490). Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Silver gilt ewer with enamelled royal arms of Portugal. Portuguese, possibly from Lisbon, c.1510-15. Height: 47 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Coconut cup and cover, Northern Netherlands, c. 1540 - 1560, coconut, eagle-claw, silver-gilt. Height 27 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Cup and cover, Frans Arentsz Born, the Hague, 1574 - 1575, silver-gilt, enamel. Height 30 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Tankard, Abraham Lotter (1562 - 1613), Augsburg (silver), Hall-in-Tyrol (glass), c. 1565 - 1580, glass, silver-gilt; filigree. Height 20.5 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Cup and cover, Jerg Hainlin, probably (active 1602 - 1630), Augsburg, mounts, but also possible for the mother-of-pearl, 1610 - 1615, silver-gilt, mother-of-pearl. Height 18.5 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Pottery jug, Turkish, Iznik, 1607 - 1608 silver mounts; 1607 pottery, silver, pottery. Height: 25.5 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Flagon, Johannes Lenker (1570 - 1637), Augsburg, c. 1608 - 1615, parcel-gilt silver. Height: 44.5 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Ewer,  Adam van Vianen, possibly (1568/9 - 1627),  Christian van Vianen, possibly (1600/05 - 1667), Utrecht, c. 1620 - 1630,  silver. Height: 23.7 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Virgin and Child, Maria Faydherbe (1587 - 1643), Malines, c. 1630 - 1640, boxwood, silver-gilt; carved. Height including base 16 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Figure of a naked young woman, Georg Petel, formerly attributed to (1601/02 - 1634), c. 1600 - 1630, boxwood, wood; carved. Height including base 17.4 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Tankard, Andreas Berckmann (1651 - 1688), Nuremberg, c.1685, silver-gilt, ruby-glass. Height 20.3 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012. © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Sleeve, Matthias Loth, possibly (Weilheim 1675 - 1738 Munich),  Southern Germany, c. 1700, elephant-ivory; carved. Height  18.5 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012. © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Caster, David Willaume I (Metz 1658 - 1741), London, 1700 - 1701. Height 22.2 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012 © Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Beaker and cover, Johann Heinrich Köhler, possibly, mounts (b. 1669), Dresden, c. 1720; elephant-ivory, silver-gilt, diamonds; carved. Height 24 cm. Bequeathed by Michael Wellby, 2012© Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford

Hanbok designer Lee Hye-soon pose works with the materials in this file photo taken at her shop Damyeon in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul.  Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

A model wears a hanbok made by Lee Hye-soon. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

A model wears a hanbok made by Lee Hye-soon. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

A model wears a hanbok made by Lee Hye-soon. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon 

Lee Hye-soon. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

 Lee Hye-soon. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

 Lee Hye-soon. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

 A model wears a hanbok made by Lee Hye-soon. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

A model wears a hanbok made by Lee Hye-soon, 2012. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

Lee Hye-soon, 2012. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

Lee Hye-soon, 2012. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

Lee Hye-soon, 2012. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

Lee Hye-soon, 2012. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

Lee Hye-soon, 2012. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

Lee Hye-soon, 2012. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

Lee Hye-soon. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

Design by Damyeon yihyesun 담연 이혜순. model: Ballerina gimjuwon  발레리나 김주원. photo Baksejun 박세준. Thema: 'Compliance with denial' ‘순응과 거부’

Damyeon designed by Lee Hye-soon. Courtesy of Lee Hye-soon

Paysage sous un ciel mouvementé: A stunning landscape by Van Gogh from 1889, estimated at $50/70 Million. Photo: Sotheby's.

NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby’s New York Evening Sale of Impressionist & Modern Art on 5 November 2015 will feature an exquisite group of late- 19th and early-20th century masterworks assembled in the 1940s and ‘50s by Belgian collectors Louis and Evelyn Franck. The works are led by Vincent van Gogh’s Paysage sous un ciel mouvementé, a sweeping landscape view from Arles that is estimated to sell for $50/70 million. The collection also offers: Pablo Picasso’s Nu au jambes croisées, a large-scale, fullyworked pastel from his famed Blue Period (estimate $8/12 million); superb examples by Paul Cézanne, Kees van Dongen and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec; and the finest work by Belgian painter James Ensor ever to appear at auction. 

Together, the 10 works from the Franck Collection are estimated to achieve more than $80 million in the 5 November auction. Highlights will travel to San Francisco, Taipei, Hong Kong, Brussels and London this fall, before returning to New York for exhibition opening 31 October. 

Simon Shaw, Co-Head of Sotheby’s Worldwide Impressionist & Modern Art Department, said: “As such treasured collections become increasingly rare in the market, it is a privilege to present Louis and Evelyn Franck’s collection this fall. Collecting in the mid 20th century, their elegant, cultured taste is reflected throughout the selection of works by many of the most influential members of the European avant-garde. The Francks acquired the best possible examples from iconic periods of each artist’s oeuvre. This is a historic offering which will excite connoisseurs globally this season.” 

Born in 1907 in Belgium, Louis Franck was a passionate sailor, international banker and discriminating art collector, whose father was an important patron to Belgian artists including James Ensor. After marrying Evelyn Aeby, the couple moved to London in 1935, and it was during this time that they began to build their remarkable art collection. Louis and Evelyn went on to found the Old Broad Street Charity Trust and became major benefactors of the World Wildlife Fund, of which Louis served as Vice President and Treasurer from 1976 to 1985. The Francks’ superb collection has been on public view at the Fondation Gianadda in Martigny, Switzerland since 1997. 

Paysage sous un ciel mouvementé (detail): A stunning landscape by Van Gogh from 1889, estimated at $50/70 Million. Photo: Sotheby's.

Painted in April of 1889 at the height of the artist’s famed Arles period, Vincent van Gogh’s Paysage sous un ciel mouvementé is a testament to the most successful period of his career (estimate $50/70 million). Painted just one year before Van Gogh’s death, the dramatic landscape depicts the fields outside Arles in the south of France, where he lived from early 1888 through mid-1889. Its palette evokes the colors found in this new Southern climate, yet the turbulent skies foretell Van Gogh’s mental decline in the months following the work’s execution. 

Since 2014, only three works from Van Gogh’s mature period (1888–1890) have appeared at auction – all at Sotheby’s. Nature morte, Vase aux marguerites et coquelicots from 1890 sold in November 2014 for $61.8 million (estimate $30/50 million) to an Asian private collector. In February of 2014, an impressive 11 bidders spanning North America, South America, Europe and Asia competed for L'homme est en mer from 1889 at Sotheby’s London, driving the final price to $27.5 million (estimate $9.8/13 million). L'Allée des Alyscamps from 1888 sold in May 2014 to an Asian private collector for $66.3 million, marking the highest auction price for Van Gogh since 1998 and an auction record for any landscape by the artist. 

Pablo Picasso’s pastel Nu au jambes croisées was created in 1903, at the apotheosis of the artist’s Blue period (estimate $8/12 million). The work represents this fragile aspect in the young artist’s life, when sex, melancholy and vulnerability took root and would ultimately shape every successive period of his art for nearly a century. Large-scale, fully-worked pastels from Picasso’s Blue period rarely appear at auction, and the Franck work embodies this critical moment in the artist’s oeuvre. 

A unique feature of this collection is the group of three superb works by the great Belgian symbolist painter James Ensor. Louis Franck’s father, François, was a patron of Ensor’s and an important collector of the artist’s works. Louis inherited several of these great paintings, notably Ensor’s masterwork Christ’s Entry into Jerusalem, which Louis subsequently sold to the Getty Museum in 1981. Works by Ensor are tremendously rare at auction, and the three paintings on offer in the Evening Sale are truly exceptional examples from the artist’s finest period. Les Toits d’Ostende (estimate $1.5/2 million), Le Jardin d’Amour (estimate $2/3 million), and particularly Les Poissardes mélancoliques (estimate $3/5 million) each demonstrate the artist’s irreverent disregard for convention and his unique vision.  

The collection offers two important paintings by Paul Cézanne. Fleurs dans un pot d'olives (estimate $5/7 million), painted in 1880-82, displays the artist’s ability to imbue a still-life with all of the subtlety and emotional potency of portraiture. Still-lifes from the artist’s mature period, such as the present work, are considered the harbingers of 20th-century Modernism, providing inspiration for the Cubists. Portrait de Victor Chocquet (estimate $2.5/3.5 million) belongs to a rare group of works depicting the artist’s most important patron: Victor Chocquet. Painted circa 1880-85, the present portrait is presumed to have been modeled after a photograph found in Cézanne's archives by his son, in which the sitter is wearing the same jacket and tie illustrated in the work.

Sotheby’s is also offering Mystic Suprematism (Black Cross on Red Oval) (1920-22) by the Russian avant-garde artist Kazimir Malevich. This is the final work of five that were restituted to the artist’s heirs by the Stedelijk Museum in 2008 as part of a settlement agreement. “This is the most radical and economical of the five wh ere Malevich has pared the work down to this really simple and powerful form,” Shaw says. Two of the restituted works were sold privately, including one to the Art Institute of Chicago, while Sotheby’s set a public record for the artist with another, Suprematist composition (1916), which sold for $60m in 2008.

Kazimir Malevich’s radical masterpiece Mystic Suprematism (Black Cross on Red Oval), 1920-22. The last of a storied group restituted to the artist’s heirs, Estimated at $35/45 Million. Photo: Sotheby's.

Man in Korean Costume, about 1617, Peter Paul Rubens. The J. Paul Getty Museum

Men's Goryeo (918-1392) hanbok