Previous Posts: September 2025
Recently Opened: Squalor City: William Hogarth's London
September 30 2025
Picture: Pruzan Art Center
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Pruzan Art Center at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, have just opened a temporary exhibition entitled Squalor City: William Hogarth's London (spotted via enfilade18thc.com).
According to their website:
A peerless storyteller with great satirical flourish, William Hogarth (1697–1764) brings spectators into the raucous streets and parlors of Georgian London, at once the center of a mighty empire and, in the artist’s view, a den of grifters, social climbers, cynics, and fools. Though his images teem with references to actual personalities and places of 18th-century London, Hogarth’s concerns were more universal than specific. With a balance of humor and sincerity, his art contends with the quandaries of how to hew to a moral path within a competitive, market-driven society; how to build social institutions that serve their communities faithfully; and fundamentally, what kind of society the people of a given time and place ought to build—all questions that demand our attention in the present. This exhibition draws from the Davison Art Collection’s deep holdings of Hogarth’s prints.
The show will run until 13th December 2025.
Trois Crayons Talks Online
September 30 2025
Picture: Trois Crayons via YouTube
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
For those who weren't able to attend the series of talks organised by the drawings collective Trois Crayons during the London sales this summer, nearly all of the talks have been uploaded for free onto their YouTube channel. Click on the link above to browse through the recordings.
Klaus Hegewisch Collection at Christie's London
September 30 2025
Picture: Christie's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Christie's London have uploaded their upcoming Spellbound: The Hegewisch Collection, Part I auction online. The sale contains an extensive collection of Prints & Drawings amassed by the late Klaus Hegewisch (d. 2014) and will take place on 16th October 2025.
Digital Reconstruction of Emma Hamilton's Face
September 30 2025
Picture: The Guardian
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News broke over the weekend of the latest efforts of French specialists to digitally reconstruct the face of Lady Emma Hamilton from the skull which is purported to have been hers. The remains, which were originally placed in the churchyard of St Pierre’s in Calais, formed the basis of a digital reconstruction allowing us to compare her features to those found in countless paintings by the likes of George Romney, Joshua Reynolds, Hugh Douglas Hamilton, Thomas Lawrence, Vigée Le Brun and others. Click on the link above to see the image for yourself.
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The result? Personally, I would trust (perhaps rather foolishly) the brush of the artists listed above, who truly captured the spirit of Emma a thousand times more convincingly than the odd B&W image produced here...
National Gallery of Ireland acquire Jan Miense Molenaer
September 29 2025
Picture: TEFAF via Facebook
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
TEFAF (The European Fine Art Foundation) have announced that the National Gallery of Ireland have acquired the following Self-portrait of the Artist in his Studio by Jan Miense Molenaer. The picture was acquired from the Koetser Gallery who exhibited the work at the 2025 edition of TEFAF.
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Interestingly, the title of the picture doesn't make it clear that the painter has actually depicted himself being propositioned by a mature lady for many golden coins. A rather fun inversion of the popular 'unequal lovers' theme, which many artists usually present between an older gent and a younger lady.
Simone Martini's St. Louis of Toulouse to be Restored
September 29 2025
Picture: Museum and Real Bosco di Capodimonte
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte have announced the upcoming conservation of Simone Martini's monumental St. Louis of Toulouse. Dated to around 1317, the painting was last restored in 1966. The new campaign of work will be undertaken by the company Opificio delle Pietre Dure and will last approximately 6 months.
Antonio de Saliba St Sebastian acquired by Museo regionale Accascina Messina
September 29 2025
Picture: ansa.it
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that the Museo regionale Accascina Messina have acquired a St Sebastian by Antonio de Saliba. The work was pre-empted by the Italian state for 100,000 EUR.
Paul Troubetzkoy at the Musée d'Orsay
September 29 2025
Video: Musée d'Orsay
Posted by Adam Busiakeiwicz:
The Musée d'Orsay will be opening an exhibition tomorrow dedicated to the sculptor Paul Troubetzkoy (1866 -1938).
According to their website:
The exhibition traces the life of this artist, born in Italy and a Parisian by adoption, who also had a brilliant career in the United States. A highly talented portraitist, he was much sought-after by a cosmopolitan elite, celebrities, the Parisian smart set and the first American film stars. His life was marked by decisive encounters and friendships with men of letters, such as Tolstoy in Russia and George Bernard Shaw in Paris, with whom he shared a vegetarian lifestyle, somewhat unusual for the era. In addition to the portraits that made his name, the exhibition also highlights his animal sculptures along with his work on behalf of animal rights, of which he was an ardent advocate well ahead of his time.
The show will run until 11th January 2026.
Caravaggio gets the AI Treatment
September 29 2025
Picture: The Guardian
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Guardian have run another AI story over the weekend regarding claims from Swiss Art Authentication Specialists 'Art Recognition' that a copy of Caravaggio's famous Lute Player is exactly 85.7% by the artist himself. The painting, which was sold at auction in 2001 as 'Circle of Caravaggio', is currently owned by British art historian and gallerist Clovis Whitfield who has decided to go down the AI route of connoisseurship.
To quote a section of the article:
Whitfield made his purchase with Alfred Bader, a collector who died in 2016, to whom [Keith] Christiansen [former European Paintings Curator at the MET in New York] wrote in 2007: “No one – certainly no modern scholar – has ever or ever would entertain the idea that your painting could be painted by Caravaggio.”
Whitfield said Christiansen and some Italian scholars were “a bit stuck in the traditional mud” in refusing to accept the attribution, even though other experts support it. “The AI result knocks Mr Christiansen off his perch,” he said.
Art Recognition’s analysis also concluded that the Wildenstein [which has a much better claim to be by Caravaggio, according to Christiansen] was “not an authentic work”. Popovici said: “Our AI returned a negative result.”
Well, there we have it.
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As it happens, I decided to test out the connoisseurship of 'Grok' the other week, the AI arm of the social media platform 'X' (formerly known as Twitter). I decided to feed it with an unattributed head study in the V&A, which I have a feeling may be by Henry Fuseli. Here's the thread if you want to read how that went.
Despite the best efforts of AI, it seems strange that it failed to spot any connection it may have to Fuseli's The Oath on the Grütli, which was my best guess having spent a good deal of time surfing through the relevant literature on the artist before hand (just to make sure I can still do it, just about...). It's a good job another AI Art APP called 'Bendor Grokvenor' also pipped in with their thoughts.
Royal Collection Clean Giulio Romano
September 29 2025
Video: Royal Collection Trust via Instagram
Posted by Adam Busiakeiwicz:
The Royal Collection Trust have published the following video showing the results of conservation on Giulio Romano's The Nurture of Jupiter. The painting is now on display at Windsor Castle, the first time it has been in 60 years apparently.
Sleeper Alert!
September 27 2025
Picture: JSFineArt
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Oxfordshire (via. @RohanGreyFA) that the following 'Italian old master. The Virgin Madonna and Child' realised £685,000 (hammer price) over its starting bid of £200 at JSFineArt auctioneers today.
Another reader also kindly got in touch separately regarding another picture in the sale catalogued as 'Flemish School, 'La Boine Denemarque', a portrait of a Tudor lady' which made £20,000 (hammer price) presumably also with a low starting bid. Might this painting relate to the Christian II in the Society of Antiquaries? More news as and when it appears...
Update - The picture has since been removed from the auction house website. The two names connected with the picture on social media accounts are Perugino and Lo Spagna.
Direct Collections and Research at the National Museum Wales
September 26 2025
Picture: National Museum Wales via ArtUK
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National Museum Wales (Amgueddfa Cymru) are hiring a Director of Collections and Research.
According to the job description:
The Director of Collections and Research will play a central role in this transformation, leading a division of around 200 colleagues across collections, research, exhibitions, and conservation. Reporting to the Chief Executive, and working as part of the Senior Leadership Team, the Director will provide intellectual, strategic, and compassionate leadership to ensure the care, accessibility, and interpretation of the national collections. They will shape and deliver an ambitious exhibitions strategy, champion research excellence, and act as a visible ambassador for Amgueddfa Cymru across Wales and internationally.
Applications must be in by 30th September 2025 and no salary has been indicated.
Good luck if you're applying!
Titian sent to Brianza
September 26 2025
Picture: Villa Cusani Confalonieri
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Villa Cusani Confalonieri in Brianza is borrowing the Borghese Gallery's Titian of Venus Blindfolding Love for a special exhibition that opens on 17th October 2025. The loan is supported by various Italian organisations and institutions with the goal of disseminating great art into galleries outside of the city centres.
Rembrandt 'Steals' Dog from Adriaen van de Venne
September 26 2025
Video: Rijksmuseum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam have produced the following video examining a dog in Rembrandt's Night Watch which appears to have been derived from (stolen - in the museum's words) from an engraving after Adriaen van de Venne.
Pre-order Upcoming Nicolas Poussin Catalogue Raisonné
September 26 2025
Picture: Flammarion
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Société de l’Histoire de l’Art Français (SHAF) have shared news that Pierre Rosenberg's upcoming Catalogue Raisonné on the paintings of Nicolas Poussin is available for preorder from the publishers Flammarion (spotted via @MilovanCavor). The four volume tome, which is set to contain 1656 pages and 1765 illustrations, will be available for 290€ instead of 450€ if you preorder before 30th September 2025 (click on the link above for further details).
Assist with Andrew Wyeth Project in Cleveland
September 25 2025
Picture: Cleveland Museum of Art
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
A reader has kindly let me know that The Cleveland Museum of Art are hiring a part-time Research Assistant in Prints and Drawings.
According to the job description:
The Research Assistant in Prints and Drawings will work with Curator of Prints and Drawings on a project related to 20th-century American art and the watercolors of Andrew Wyeth. The fellowship is a part-time position, working 2 days per week for 60 weeks. This role will involve researching artworks through primary and secondary research, managing details on the exhibition checklist, assisting with didactic materials, and participating in public programming. The fellow will have the opportunity to learn about various aspects of exhibition and publication development by working closely with the curator on related tasks and may also assist with other projects related to modern and contemporary works on paper.
The pay range for the job is $17- $20 per hour and no application deadline has been published.
Theatre Picasso at Tate Modern
September 25 2025
Picture: Tate
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm slow to news that Tate Modern opened a new exhibition last week entitled Theatre Picasso.
According to the museum's website:
Marking the centenary of his famous painting The Three Dancers, this exhibition, staged by celebrated contemporary artist Wu Tsang and author and curator Enrique Fuenteblanca, sheds new light on Picasso’s work. They will transform the exhibition space into a theatre for displaying over 45 works by Picasso from Tate's collection, alongside key European loans. This includes paintings, sculpture, textile and works on paper, some never seen in the UK before.
The show will run until 12th April 2026.
Waldy & Bendy Adventures in Art - The Return
September 25 2025
Picture: @arthistorynews
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
I'm sure Bendor would like me to mention that his podcast with Waldemar Januszczak has returned with a new episode published yesterday and another scheduled for today. The recordings are available from all the usual podcast outlets.
Recent Release: Plaster Casts in the Life and Art of Seventeenth-Century Dutch Painters
September 25 2025
Picture: brill.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Earlier this summer Brill published Volume 18 of their Studies in Netherlandish Art and Cultural History dedicated to the subject of Plaster Casts in the Life and Art of Seventeenth-Century Dutch Painters. This volume was penned by Isabella Lores-Chavez.
According to the blurb:
In the early modern Dutch Republic, plaster casts offered artists a way to overcome limitations of space and time, and to define themselves. This book presents the first comprehensive account of the impact of plaster casts on the artistic practice, intellectual endeavors, and social status of seventeenth-century Dutch painters.
These modest objects were, in fact, real works of sculpture, incorporated into a variety of compositions where they signalled an artist’s ambitions and technical virtuosity. Marginalized in the history of Dutch art, plaster casts lie at the center of this study’s novel interpretations of paintings and drawings, paired with period sources.
Moving the Bayeux Tapestry
September 24 2025
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Earlier this summer it was announced during President Macron's State visit to the UK that The British Museum would be borrowing the famous Bayeux Tapestry for a special exhibition opening in September 2026. There have been growing concerns in both the French art press (1) (2) and some commentators in the UK (1) that the tapestry's unique conservation considerations have been overridden for political purposes and not been given adequate thought.
Yesterday the French Ministry of Culture's website published preliminary reports into the questions of how the UNESCO historical monument (as it is designated) will be moved, including outlines for a new study commissioned by the French state. In other words, there's a long way to go to establish how movement and vibrations will affect this ancient textile.
More news as and when it appears.
