Previous Posts: June 2025
Lecture in Renaissance Art History at Birkbeck
June 18 2025
Picture: jobs.ac.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Birkbeck, a part of the University of London, are hiring a Lecturer in Renaissance Art History.
According to the job description:
As Lecturer, you will convene and deliver the Autumn term lectures for the team-taught Level 4 module, ‘The Artwork in History’, and contribute lectures to the team-taught Level 5 module, ‘Art and Devotion in the Middle Ages and Renaissance’.
You will also convene the L6 dissertation module and deliver 2 to 3 lectures as part of the Level 7 module, ‘Frameworks: Histories and Theories of Art, Architecture, Photography’. In addition, you will be required to supervise both BA and MA Dissertations, and other student research projects and provide pastoral support as student tutor. You will also be encouraged to become involved in the Murray Seminar on Medieval and Renaissance Art series.
The job comes with a salary £43,636 rising to £60,018 per annum and applications must be in by 1st July 2025.
Good luck if you're applying!
Update - Bendor adds: it's interesting and a bit depressing to see how the salary for this position corresponds to the museum sector. Unfortunately, UK museum salaries are known to be too low, especially by international standards. But this highlights that they're too low even by domestic standards. An equivalent position, say senior curator, in a major London museum would be paid barely over £40k, with no flexibility to go higher (as we saw recently for example at Tate Britain, for their curator of British art). What can be done?
Catharina Ykens Still Lifes acquired by Nivaagaard Collection
June 18 2025
Picture: Nivaagaard Collection
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
CODART (the international network of curators of Dutch and Flemish art) have announced news that the Nivaagaard Collection in Denmark have acquired two floral still lifes by Catharina Ykens II. This acquisition marks the first female artist to enter the museum's Dutch Baroque Collections.
Bristol Council announce Bid to Buy Turner from Sotheby's Sale
June 18 2025
Picture: BBC
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The BBC have published news that Bristol Council have announced their plans to fundraise £300,000 in two weeks to bid for JMW Turner's The Rising Squall, Hot Wells, from St Vincent's Rock, Bristol from the upcoming Sotheby's London Evening Sale.
According to the article:
The upcoming auction, he [Philip Walker - the Head of the Culture for the City] said, was a "once in a generation opportunity to purchase a significant work of art by such a significant great master artist", adding that while the plan was for the council to actually make the transaction - should it bid successfully - the cost would be covered through fundraising.
Councillor John Goulandris described the bid as a "once in a lifetime opportunity", but pointed out there was only a "narrow window" to raise funds at a time when the council's finances were "extraordinarily tight".
In response to Mr Goulandris' requests for assurance that costs would not fall to the local authority, Mr Walker said the "intention" was to raise enough money to pay for the painting.
Teylers Museum acquire Drawing
June 18 2025
Picture: Teylers Museum via Facebook
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Teylers Museum in Haarlem have announced their acquisition of 'Two women fighting for a man's attention' by an anonymous 16th Netherlandish draughtsman. The work on paper, which was acquired with support of donor Matthijs de Clercq and the Vereniging Rembrandt, was presented to the museum on the occasion of de Clercq's 95th birthday.
Temporary Export Ban on £8.4m Rubens Sketch
June 18 2025
Picture: gov.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The UK Government has placed a temporary export ban on Rubens' sketch of Cimon Falling in love with Efigenia.
According to the press release above:
Mark Hallett, Committee Member said:
This is a picture that gives us the opportunity to appreciate a great artist’s creative process in full flow. Produced on panel as the primary sketch for a monumental oil painting that now hangs in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Cimon falling in Love with Efigenia is entirely the product of Rubens’s own hand, rather than one that – as is the case with the final picture – contains the contributions of his studio assistants. In the sketch, we see Rubens exploring the artistic possibilities of an ethically and erotically charged scene from early Renaissance literature, and experimenting with the established pictorial conventions of the female nude. The longer one looks at and thinks about this picture, the more complex and challenging it becomes: the mark of all truly significant works of art. For these reasons, Cimon falling in Love with Efigenia demands to be found a permanent home in the UK, where it can be enjoyed and reflected upon for decades to come.
Interested parties have until 15th September 2025 to find £8,440,000 to keep the work in the country.
Apologies...
June 18 2025
Picture: AB
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Apologies for the slow service, I was off enthusing about the paintings in the collection of Waddesdon Manor yesterday for the Master's Degree students of the Sotheby's Institute of Art. Fortunately, the rich collection there speaks for itself mostly, and the greatest challenge was balancing out the decorative arts treasures (the specialism and love of my fellow colleagues and the the kind curators who joined us). It seems there might be some more paintings news coming from Waddesdon Manor in the near future too, which I'm sure AHN will cover in due course.
Lots has been happening, so I better get going!
Research the Collections of the Henry Moore Foundation
June 16 2025
Picture: Henry Moore Foundation
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Henry Moore Foundation are hiring a Collections Researcher.
According to the job description:
The Collections Researcher will support the Senior Curator of Collections & Research with the delivery of the Foundation’s research activities. Your duties will include researching artworks for the catalogue raisonné, in tandem with handling our research and review enquiry services; supporting the Foundation’s programme of scholarly events; contributing content to our digital platforms and other outlets; preparing information for publications; coordinating archive research visits and offering research support.
The job comes with an annual salary of £28,000 and applications must be in by 7th July 2025.
Good luck if you're applying!
Canaletto in Japan
June 16 2025
Picture: Tokyo Beat
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm very late to news that the Yamaguchi Prefectural Art Museum in Yamaguchi, Japan, opened an exhibition earlier in April dedicated to Canaletto and the Splendour of Venice. The show seems to focus on a Canaletto on loan from the Bowes Museum and a Monet borrowed from the National Gallery of Wales. Visitors have until the 22nd June 2025 to see the exhibition!
John Constable's earliest dated picture offered without reserve
June 16 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's London will be offered John Constable's earliest dated painting in their upcoming Old Masters, 19th Century Paintings and Drawings from a Private Collection: Selling without Reserve sale on 2nd July 2025. As you'll see from the Literature list, Moonlight landscape, with Hadleigh Church in the distance is a rather important and iconic picture in Constable's oeuvre due to its early dating and reliance on Rubens' Landscape by Moonlight (now in the Courtauld Institute, but formerly owned by Sir Joshua Reynolds).
The picture will carry an estimate of £30,000 - £50,000, but, as it is being sold 'without reserve' - you might be able to pick it up for a song!
Sotheby's Drawings Sale
June 16 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's London have uploaded their upcoming Master Works on Paper from Five Centuries online. The auction will take place on 2nd July 2025.
Just to point out (and keep balance) that Christie's London now offer their Old Master & British drawings within their Day Sale.
Recent Release: How Images Mean - Iconography and Meta-Iconography
June 13 2025
Picture: Paul Holberton
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Warburg Scholar Paul Taylor has a new book out this month entitled How Images Mean: Iconography and Meta-Iconography. The volume has been published by Paul Holberton.
According to the book's blurb:
This groundbreaking study interrogates a rich and diverse repertoire of images from all over the world to answer the fundamental question: how are the meanings of images assigned, conveyed and recognized?
Combining art history, anthropology, philosophy and linguistics, the book expands the field of traditional iconography, which explains what images mean, by introducing new, useful categories that enable us to understand how images mean (meta-iconography). In his study of iconography from a century ago Erwin Panofsky famously discussed what an “Australian bushman” might make of Leonardo’s Last Supper: though unaware of the religious story, the Aboriginal viewer would have known it was a picture of humans eating a meal together. Paul Taylor’s book argues that this gets the question the wrong way round. We only know the painting depicts people at supper if we know it represents a supper. It is through knowing the cultural context that we can interpret the contents of an image. Universal in scope and profoundly topical at a time when artificial intelligence is redefining our visual horizon, this book represents a resource for scholars in a variety of fields and a thought-provoking read for all those interested in art.
Gilbert Spencer Online Catalogue
June 13 2025
Picture: gilbertspencercatalogue.org
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Exciting news that Gilbert Spencer R.A. (1892-1979), the brother of Stanley Spencer, has been treated to a new online catalogue (which is completely free to access too, I might add!). It features 654 artworks at present and will be updated reguarly with new additions.
Here's who is behind project:
This online catalogue is the first attempt to bring together all known oil paintings by Gilbert Spencer, as well as a large selection of his works on paper. It has been created in conjunction with the acquisition of the Gilbert Spencer archive by Arts University Bournemouth, and the subsequent publication of the first monograph on Gilbert Spencer by Professor Paul Gough (with contributions by Sacha Llewellyn and Amanda Bradley Petitgas), Gilbert Spencer: The Life and Work of a Very English Artist (Yale University Press, 2024). The project has been directed by Professor Paul Gough, with content by Dr Amy Lim and website design and build by Rich Tarr. It has been generously funded by a grant from the Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee at Arts University Bournemouth.
As is the custom on AHN, this project wins the organisers a place within the much coveted 'Heroes of Art History' section of this blog.
Peregrine Tyam reidentified in Claydon House Portrait
June 13 2025
Picture: Claydon House via. britishartstudies.ac.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Paul Mellon Centre's latest online edition of British Art Studies features this rather fascinating extended article by Hannah Lee entitled “Your Most Obedient and Faithful Servant”: Peregrine Tyam and the Representation of Black Sitters in Early Modern British Portraiture. In particular, the piece examines a painting at Claydon House, owned by the Verney family, which research has revealed not only depicts Mary Lawley but also Peregrine Tyam, a black boy who has been reidentified thanks to some rather interesting archival research. Click on the link to read the full story.
Treasure House Fair 2025
June 13 2025
Picture: Stern Pissaro Gallery
Posted by Adam Busiakeiwicz:
The 26th June 2025 will see the return of The Treasure House Fair. Hosted by the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London, this year's edition will feature no fewer than 73 exhibitors across all spheres of the fine and decorative arts. Click on the link above for further details about tickets etc.
Sculpture & Dec Arts Sales
June 13 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Both Christie's (1) (2) and Sotheby's (1) (2) have uploaded their upcoming London Decorative Arts, Sculpture and Antiquities sales online.
Amongst the interesting lots is this rather fun teracotta model by Anne Seymour Damer (1748-1828) (pictured), which relates to a marble by her in the MET, New York. It carries an estimate of £200,000 - £300,000.
Teach Islamic Art at University of Cambridge
June 13 2025
Picture: University of Cambridge
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The University of Cambridge are hiring an Assistant Professor in Islamic Art (ca. 1500-ca. 1700) of the Safavid and/or Mughal Empires.
According to their website:
The Department of History of Art at the University of Cambridge seeks to appoint a permanent Assistant Professor in Islamic Art (ca. 1500-ca.1700) of the Safavid and/or Mughal Empires. The Department welcomes applications from specialists in all mediums of art, including painting and the book arts, metalwork, ceramics, sculpture, and architecture. The successful candidate will be expected to take up appointment on or close to 1 October 2025. [...]
The successful applicant will have a unique opportunity to help shape the Department's future. The postholder will contribute significantly to the new MPhil in the Global History of Art and Architecture, launching in 2026-27. To support this programme, the Department is recruiting for permanent posts in Late Imperial Chinese Art and African and Caribbean Modern and Contemporary Art. The successful applicant will be required to teach and examine undergraduates, and to supervise and examine postgraduate work for the MPhil and PhD. It is anticipated that there will be opportunities to collaborate with colleagues across the University, including at the Fitzwilliam Museum (in which Islamic art is well represented) and the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies.
The job comes with a salary between £46,735-£59,139 and applications must be in by 29th June 2025.
Good luck if you're applying!
Sotheby's London Day Sale
June 12 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's London have published their upcoming Old Master Paintings, Old Master Works on Paper, and 19th Century Paintings Day Auction online. The sale will take place on 3rd July 2025.
As usual with these sales, I won't spoil the fun of pointing out what may or may not be interesting.
Sotheby's London Evening Sale
June 11 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Sotheby's London have published their upcoming Old Master & 19th Century Paintings Evening Auction online. The sale will take place on 2nd July 2025.
Amongst the highlights are Lorenzo di Credi's Saint Quirinus estimated at £2m - £3m (pictured), the aforementioned Clara Peeters presumed Self Portrait at £1.2m - £1.8m, a David and Goliath by Artemisia Gentileschi at £1m - £2m, a Pieter Brueghel the Younger Wedding Dance at £800k - £1.2m and a rediscovered early Turner which has been in the press a lot recently (1) (2) estimated at £200k - £300k.
Dresden celebrates Teamwork in Antwerp
June 11 2025
Picture: Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden will be opening their latest exhibition on Saturday entitled TEAMWORK in Antwerp! Pieter Bruegel, Hendrick van Balen and Others.
According to their website:
The rich collection of Flemish cabinet paintings in the Old Masters Picture Gallery offers a particularly fitting foundation for a special exhibition dedicated to the Brueg(h)el, Van Balen, and Francken dynasties and their artistic collaborations. Key works and high-quality pieces from their workshops are brought together in the exhibition to form a 'school of seeing', placed in dialogue with one another. The exhibition aims to shed light on how these workshops—often active over several generations and involving numerous collaborators—interacted and operated.
The show will run until 5th November 2025.
Dorotheum June Sale
June 11 2025
Picture: Dorotheum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Dorotheum's mid-season Old Master Paintings sale has been published online. The auction will take place on 25th June 2025.
