Previous Posts: November 2025
Winston Churchill at the Wallace Collection in 2026
November 27 2025
Picture: The Wallace Collection
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Wallace Collection in London will be holding an exhibition of Winston Churchill's paintings in 2026.
According to their press release:
In this major retrospective and first exhibition of Churchill’s creative oeuvre in the UK since his death, the Wallace Collection will bring together more than 50 paintings that represent the very best of the former Prime Minister’s output.
Half of the loans are coming from private collections and have rarely, if ever, been seen before in public. The exhibition will also showcase a large group of works from Chartwell, a major lender to the exhibition, which was Churchill’s family home for over 40 years of his life and is now managed by the National Trust.
Following a chronological approach, Winston Churchill: The Painter will span his activity as an artist from his first attempts during the First World War (1914-18) through to the 1960s, shortly before his death. Churchill’s own paintings will be complemented by a small group of loans of works by his artistic mentors and friends, such as Sir John Lavery (1856-1941) and Sir William Nicholson (1872-1949), which will help visitors to explore his artistic development.
The show will run from 23rd May until 29th November 2026.
The Pattle Sisters at The Watts Gallery
November 27 2025
Picture: The Watts Gallery
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Watts Gallery in Surrey are opening a new exhibition today dedicated to the Pattle sisters.
According to the gallery's website:
This exhibition brings to life the legacy of seven extraordinary Anglo-Indian sisters whose influence rippled through the worlds of art, literature, photography, and society.
Nicknamed “Pattledom” by the writer William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863), the sisters’ world was one of rich cross-cultural exchange, where Anglo-Indian heritage, European influence, and artistic experimentation converged in a vibrant social sphere that defied Victorian convention.
Whilst the photographer Julia Margaret Cameron (1815–1879) is today the most celebrated of the seven Pattle sisters, this exhibition uncovers their collective impact through artistic experimentation, intellectual exchange, and the creation of an extraordinary cultural salon at Little Holland House in Kensington. Here, artists, writers, scientists, musicians, and politicians gathered each week, drawn into the orbit of the dynamic Pattle women and the visionary painter G F Watts, who lived and worked amongst them.
The show will run until 3rd May 2026.
Hubert Robert Drawing acquired by MET
November 27 2025
Picture: @curatornadine
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm slow to news that the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York have acquired Hubert Robert's Self-Portrait in Saint-Lazare Prison, 1793 (spotted via @gazette_Inter).
According to curator Nadine Orenstein's post on Instagram:
Robert was imprisoned during the Terror. Here, he depicts himself, easily recognizable by his dark eyebrows and receding hairline, in his cell at the Saint-Lazare prison. His correspondence and inkwell sit on his desk. The large drawing or engraving tacked to the wall is related to one of his best-known paintings, the portfolio of drawings leaning against the table is inscribed, “Robert a St Lazare,”.
Bartolomeo Cesi in Bologna
November 27 2025
Picture: Museo Civico Medievale
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Museo Civico Medievale in Bologna opened a new exhibition dedicated to Bartolomeo Cesi (1556-1629) a few days ago. The show contains over 30 works by the artist and is the very first monographic exhibition dedicated to the painter.
It will run until 26th February 2026.
Adélaïde Labille-Guiard Self Portrait coming up at Tajan
November 26 2025
Picture: Tajan
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from the auction house Tajan that their upcoming sale on 17th December 2025 will feature Adélaïde Labille-Guiard's Self Portrait (spotted via @neiljeffares on 'X'). Undertaken in pastel, and dated 1782, it was exhibited at the Salon de la Correspondance that very year just before she was elected to the Academy. The work will be offered carrying an estimate of €300,000 - €500,000.
Campaigns of Conservation on Display at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando
November 26 2025
Picture: realacademiabellasartessanfernando.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Spain are opening an exhibition on 5th December to showcase their recent painting conservation projects. The recent campaigns have been undertaken in collaboration with Fundación Callia and includes works by the likes of Giovanni Bellini (pictured), Willem Claesz Heda, Jan Brueguel the Elder, Juan de Juanes, Francisco Herrera the Elder and Guido Reni. The display will last until 18th January 2026.
Paolo da San Leocadio at the Museu de Belles Arts de Castelló
November 26 2025
Picture: Museu de Belles Arts de Castelló
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Museu de Belles Arts de Castelló in Spain have just opened a new exhibition focusing on the technique and techical aspects of the artist Paolo da San Leocadio (1447–1520). The show will run until 15th March 2026.
Bachelier Pre-empted by Musée de Picardie
November 26 2025
Picture: artcurial
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from journalist Alexandre Lafore on 'X' that the Musée de Picardie pre-empted the following Descent from the Cross by Jean-Jacques Bachelier from yesterday's sale at Artcurial in Paris.
Russian Pictures Soar
November 26 2025
Picture: Sotheby's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
One of the corners of the market that is performing consistently well these days are Russian pictures and decorative arts. The Sotheby's London Fabergé, Imperial & Revolutionary Art sale realised £14,164,231 (all prices inc. commission) yesterday. This is actually more than several of the Old Master Evening sales in London over the past few years. The six fully-attributed works by Ivan Aivazovsky, the master of the marine genre, soared past their combined high estimate of £5.05m to achieve £6.16m in total. These pictures were sourced from European private collections including those from Italy and Sweden (according to the catalogue notes).
Guido Reni Rediscovery soars to €10.1m
November 25 2025
Picture: Artcurial
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The aforementioned rediscovered Guido Reni of David and Goliath soared to €10,100,000 (hammer) over its €2m - €4m estimate at Artcurial in Paris this afternoon. More news when it appears.
Update - The price including commission was €12,386,600.
Yale Center for British Art Fellowships
November 25 2025
Picture: britishart.yale.edu
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Yale Center for British Art are invititing applications for their 2026 Research Fellowships.
According to their website:
The Yale Center for British Art (YCBA) offers short-term fellowships to support research projects that engage substantively with the museum’s collections. These awards are open to academics, curators, doctoral candidates, and independent scholars seeking funding for up to four weeks of on-site research. [...]
Fellowships provide US $5,000 for a four-week research period, with funding prorated for stays of two to four weeks. This stipend is intended to cover all associated costs, including travel, lodging, and daily expenses.
Applications must be in by 20th January 2026.
Good luck if you're applying!
Princess of Monaco exhibition at the Château de Chantilly
November 25 2025
Video: Scribe Accroupi
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The YouTube account Scribe Accroupi have published the following private tour of the Château de Chantilly's recently opened exhibition dedicated to Marie Catherine de Brignole-Sale, Princess of Monaco and later Princess of Condé (1739–1813). The tour is hosted by curator and director Mathieu Deldicque and the show will run until 6th January 2026.
Gaspar de Crayer acquired by Museo de Bellas Artes Valencia
November 25 2025
Picture: levante-emv.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Spain that the Museo de Bellas Artes Valencia have acquired a full-length portrait of an unknown lady by Gaspar de Crayer. The work was acquired at the Ansorena auction house, as part of the State's right for first-refusal, for €40,000. The picture is the first by the artist in the museum's collection and had been in several Spanish aristocratic collections during its long life. Here's the write up from La Tribune de l'Art.
Orazio Gentileschi in Turin
November 25 2025
Picture: museireali.beniculturali.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Musei Reali di Torino have just opened a new exhibition on the painter Orazio Gentileschi. Containing 40 works by the master, the route is organised into sections relating to his various travels across Europe including from Rome to Fabriano, from Genoa to Turin, Paris and London.
The show will run until 3rd May 2026.
Michelangelo's Foot at Christie's New York in 2026
November 24 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's New York have shared news that they will be auctioning off the recently rediscovered study of a foot by Michelangelo which appears in the Sistine Chapel frescos.
According to their press release:
Very rarely new drawings have been rediscovered and added to Michelangelo’s graphic corpus over the decades. Almost all of Michelangelo’s known studies, excluding architectural drawings and the sketches of marble blocks Michelangelo used to send to his quarry masters, are now in public collections. Only about ten sheets, including this newly discovered drawing, are in private hands. Furthermore, no recorded study for the Sistine Chapel has ever come to auction — until now. [...]
Unknown until now, the sheet belongs to an important group of red-chalk figure studies that Michelangelo made from live models in preparation for the frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican. These drawings are widely considered Michelangelo’s finest achievements in the medium.
The drawing will be offered on 5th February 2026 carrying an estimate of $1,500,000-2,000,000.
Birds & Beasts at Rafael Valls
November 23 2025
Picture: Rafael Valls
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
As we are coming up to the December London sale season, lots of the trade are putting on excellent and interesting selling exhibitions which are worth looking out for.*
Dealers Rafael Valls Ltd are putting on a special hang entitled Birds & Beasts this year, which will open to the public next Thursday (27th Nov). Click on the link above to see the selected works featured within.
* - I'll be posting more in the upcoming days. Please do get in touch if there are any I shouldn't miss!
New Release: John Vanbrugh - The Drama of Architecture
November 21 2025
Video: Wigmore Hall
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The publishers Lund Humphries released Charles Saumarez Smith's new book John Vanbrugh - The Drama of Architecture yesterday. Here's a recent presentation given by the author at the Wigmore Hall in London on the book's contents.
Musée Bonnat-Helleu to reopen after 14-year Renovation Project
November 21 2025
Video: Amis du Musée Bonnat-Helleu - SAMBH
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Musée Bonnat-Helleu will be reopening to the public on the 27th November 2025 after a 14-year renovation project. It seems that the regional museum, which is home to a very fine selection of old masters, will contain no fewer than 1,300 works on display in their newly refurbished galleries.
The Woman Question 1550–2025 in Warsaw
November 21 2025
Picture: artmuseum.pl
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw are opening a new exhibition today entitled The Woman Question 1550-2025.
According to their website:
Organized by curator and art historian Alison M. Gingeras, this exhibition challenges the notion that women were largely absent from art before the late 1800s. The nine-part visual narrative is a testament to the enduring and dynamic creativity of women artists over the last 500 years. The result is a collection of nearly 200 works, including paintings by Renaissance, Baroque and 19th-century women artists through more contemporary works, offering a centuries-long visual history of women’s “emancipation.”
The show will run until 3rd May 2026.
Portland Art Museum Reopens Today
November 20 2025
Video: KPTV FOX 12
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Portland Art Museum in Oregon reopens today after a $116m expansion and renovation. Click here to look at their European Paintings collection online.
