Previous Posts: June 2025
Watteau Drawings at The British Museum
June 4 2025
Picture: The British Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm slow to news that The British Museum opened a new free temporary exhibition of drawings by Watteau last month entitled Colour and line: Watteau drawings.
According to their website:
Watteau won particular renown for the thousands of drawings he produced during his life. Drawing, as contemporaries realised, was his favourite creative outlet, bringing him 'much more pleasure than his finished pictures'. He drew incessantly, and developed ideas about the value of drawing that were every bit as original as his paintings. Instead of making figure studies for a picture as academic practice dictated, Watteau drew speculatively, conceiving ideas that might be slotted into a picture months or even years later. The sheets he produced were to be enjoyed in their own right as the first, freshest iterations of ideas that he thought were dulled when translated into paint.
Nowhere were these qualities more appreciated than in Britain, and over the past two centuries British collectors have endowed the British Museum with one of the finest collections of Watteau drawings in the world. Featuring almost every autograph work in the collection, this display is the first exhibition of the Museum's Watteau holdings to be held since 1980. Its varied contents demonstrate Watteau's extraordinary talent as a draughtsman, his sophisticated, novel approach to drawing, and the prestige that his graphic works enjoyed among Europe's connoisseurs.
The display will run until 14th September 2025.
New Release: Charles-Paul Landon
June 4 2025
Picture: mare et martin
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from the French publishers mare et martin that a new volume on the painter and art critic Charles-Paul Landon (1760-1826) has just been released (spotted via @mweilc). The publication, written by Katell Martineau, appears to focus on both his painterly and written works.
Funded PhDs to Study Classical Architecture at Cambridge
June 4 2025
Picture: cam.ac.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The University of Cambridge are inviting applications for two fully funded doctoral studentships to study Classical Architecture at the Ax:son Johnson Centre for the Study of Classical Architecture (CSCA).
According to their website:
The award(s) will be held in either the Department of History of Art or the Department of Architecture, which jointly form the Faculty of Architecture and History of Art. The projects will be supervised by one of: Dr Frank Salmon (CSCA Director); Assistant Director Dr Elizabeth Deans (CSCA Assistant Director); and Professor James Campbell.
The successful candidate(s) will have defined their own topics and questions, appropriate to the primary research material available and to the research interests, broadly defined, of one of the three specified supervisors (who should be named in the application), as well as to the CSCA mission statement.
Given the international range of classical architecture of the past 600 years, visual and archival research may involve travel and time spent abroad, for which official permission from the University to Work Away would be needed, in addition to the agreement of the Centre’s Director.
Applications must be in by 20th June 2025.
Good luck if you're applying!
Ducal Apartments in Urbino Reopened
June 3 2025
Video: Tele2000
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that the famous apartments of the Dukes of Urbino in the Ducal Palace have reopened after a 7-month research and restoration project. The campaign had included the redisplay of paintings in the Studiolo del Duca, of which 14 'high tech reproductions' were commissioned from the originals which are in the Louvre.
Brueghel & Van Balen at the Musée de Flandre
June 3 2025
Picture: Musée de Flandre
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Musée de Flandre in Cassel, France, opened their latest exhibition dedicated to Brueghel & Van Balen earlier in May. As expected, the display will investigate the relationship and collaborations between both artists, drawing on loans from major museums across Europe.
The show will run until 28th September 2025.
Museo de Arte de Ponce Artworks in Dallas
June 3 2025
Video: Fox4
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm slow to news that the Meadows Museum in Dallas Texas opened a new loan exhibition earlier this year entitled The Sense of Beauty: Six Centuries of Painting from Museo de Arte de Ponce. The show will continue until 22nd June 2025.
Wallace Collection Transformation Ahead
June 3 2025
Picture: The Wallace Collection
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Wallace Collection in London have announced their appointment of Selldorf Architects 'to lead transformational masterplan' of Hertford House.
According to their press release:
This ambitious project will reimagine and revitalise the museum’s spaces for the 21st century, preserving the charm and unique character of the building while improving access, sustainability and visitor experience. The masterplan marks a significant investment in the long-term future of the museum and its ability to connect diverse audiences with one of the world’s most remarkable art collections. [...]
The masterplan will address a wide range of priorities: from improving visitor welcome and circulation to enhancing gallery spaces, creating a new Learning Centre, upgrading environmental conditions and improving accessibility throughout the historic site. There is also potential to reimagine the museum’s dedicated temporary exhibition space, restaurant and event facilities, and for critical improvements to be made to staff and back-of-house areas – all designed with sensitivity to the listed building and its distinctive character.
Update - Bendor adds, 'uh oh'.
Clara Peeters Self Portrait coming up at Sotheby's London
June 2 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
More news regarding the upcoming London Old Master Paintings highlights this evening, as Sotheby's have announced they will be offering what might be the only known Self Portrait by Clara Peeters. The picture was last sold in 1994, when it was presumably with London dealers Rafael Valls (according to the RKD), and will now be offered in July carrying an estimate of £1.2m - £1.8m.
Dobson Self Portrait acquired by Tate and NPG
June 1 2025
Picture: Bonhams
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Waldemar Januszczak in The Sunday Times that William Dobson's earliest Self Portrait has been jointly acquired by Tate and the National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London for £2,367,405. The picture had realised £1,106,500 over its £200k - £300k estimate at Bonhams in 2016 where it was acquired for a private collection.
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Fans of the period will know that another Self Portrait by the artist is owned by the Earl of Jersey and is currently on permanent loan to Osterley Park, run by The National Trust. On balance, I'm sure many would agree that the Jersey picture is more interesting and desirable for historical and aesthetic reasons (not to mention its obvious connection to the ex-Jersey collection Van Dyck Self portrait acquired by the NPG in 2014). Might this new acquisition suggest that neither institution might be willing step in to help acquire the Jersey picture, if it indeed ever came up on the market in the future?
