French police seize Liechtenstein Cranach
March 4 2016
Picture: TAN
Vincent Noce in The Art Newspaper reports on the extraordinary news that police in France have seized a painting by Cranach (above, detail) belonging to the Prince of Liechtenstein, after doubts have apparently been raised over its authenticity and provenance. From TAN:
The work came on to the market in 2012 and was sold in good faith to the Prince in 2013 by Colnaghi Gallery in London. According to information provided to The Art Newspaper, the gallery bought the painting from the manager of an American investment fund for €3.2m and sold it to the Prince for €7m.
The gallery says the painting was discovered “in a Belgian collection, wh ere it had been held since the middle of the 19th century”. The gallery could not provide any further details about this collection and would not comment on the seizure. The authorities are now investigating this provenance, reviving doubts doubts over the work’s authenticity that were raised when the panel first appeared on the market. According to documents, the work had been offered for sale to Christie’s, Sotheby’s and other galleries, and was declined.
Colnaghi says that three leading specialists—Werner Schade, Bodo Brinkmann and Dieter Koepplin—have attributed the painting to Cranach. However other experts have expressed reservations over the condition of the paint, the signature and the winged dragon from Cranach’s family seal next to it, as well as the state of the wooden panel.
A laboratory report, commissioned by Christie’s in advance of its 2012 Old Master auction found six “concerns” that required “further research”. The first of these is the “rather coarse nature” of azurite pigment in the pearls Venus wears in the painting, mixed with titanium white, which was not available until the 20th century. This anomaly could be explained by later restorations, however, the author of the report said. Other concerns include “the manner in which the surface paint is cracked and delaminating from the panel, the nature of the panel itself and the blackish appearance within these cracks”.
The Liechtenstein collection have no doubts as to the painting's authenticity:
The director of the Prince’s collection, Johann Kräftner, says: “We still believe in the authenticity of the painting and are not willing to respond to anonymous gossip.”
You can see the picture in detail on the Colnaghi website here. I am no Cranach expert, and I have not seen the painting in the flesh, so cannot reliably comment on the attribution.
But the point is, would the French police seize a painting that was just thought to be an optimistic attribution, say a picture that was really 'Workshop of Cranach' being upgraded to 'Cranach', especially not if the owner was happy about it? Since when id the French police ever care so deeply about art history? It seems to me, though the article in TAN doesn't make it explicit, that the French police might only be involved in this if there was some suggestion the picture was an out and out modern fake. And they must have some more substantive evidence, one would imagine, before making this bold move to seize the Prince's picture. Is it connected to the existing German police investigation into a claimed forger of Cranach (as covered on AHN here)?
I have, I must say, been aware of some rumours about this painting (and others) for a while. But the art world thrives on this sort of chatter, so it was hard to know whether to take it seriously, and to be honest in this case I didn't. I hadn't heard about Christie's and others rejecting the Colnaghi picture, and nor about the existence of any scientific report. I did hear a tale that some allegedly questionable paintings all came from the same source. But I don't know who that person was, with whom they were dealing, or what pictures they were involved with. Certainly, I have never heard anything about an American fund manager, as mentioned above. So I'm puzzled by this, and at first sight find it hard to believe that there's anything really serious going on.
But all I can say is that if some clever faker really is making fakes of the quality perhaps alleged, then they are the best faker there has ever been. Regular readers will know that on a few occasions I have raised an eyebrow, shall we say, about some new 'discoveries' that have been publicly offered at auction. But if the Liechtenstein Cranach is proved to be a wrong 'un (a massive 'if' at this stage) then we're talking about a whole different level. Of course, if the French Police's investigation widens and develops, then it could end up rocking the very foundations of the art world. Brace yourselves...
Update - Le Figaro reports that the investigation was begun after an anonymous complaint to police about the attribution. I cannot possibly think of any reason why the French police would get involved in a simple case of Old Master attribution. Only two scenarios spring to mind. First, as I suggested above, there is something more sinister going on, and the French police think it might be a case of fakery. Or is it possibly something to do with the curious system in French law whereby a vendor can unravel a sale if they sold something that was misdescribed? Ie, someone sold it as not a Cranach, for a relative trifle, and now wants a greater slice of the action. Maybe Belgian law is similar to French law in this area?
As you can see, speculation in such cases is pretty pointless; though of course we all do it.
Picassos in the National Gallery
March 2 2016
Picture: NG
Martin Bailey in The Art Newspaper has an interview with Dr Gabriele Finaldi, in which the new director sets out his thinking about how best to display works in the National Gallery. Up for discussion is the current, predominantly 'national' hang. And also the question of when the Gallery stops exhibiting works. At the moment it is 1900, which means that Picasso is out, even though the Gallery owns a Picasso already (above, it's on loan to Tate). It all sounds encouraging and positive.
Renaissance Shoes!
March 2 2016
Picture: Marc Allum
Hot on the heels (pun intended) of their "Hogarth" range, Dr Marten now has a range featuring the work of Renaissance artist Biagio D'Antonio.
Antiques Roadshow expert Marc Allum has bought a pair, above. Of course, I'm disappointed the Great Waldemar wasn't wearing them in his new Renaissance Unchained series. Maybe someone can buy him a pair for Christmas.
Who will save Nonsuch Palace?
March 2 2016
Picture: DCMS
The best known depiction of Nonsuch Palace, one Henry VIII's most extravagant creations, is at risk of leaving the UK. The Culture Minister Ed Vaizey has placed a temporary export bar on the drawing, in the hope that a UK institution will step in to save the work. The amount needed is £1m.
This is an extremely important picture, and I hope we can keep it here. It is not just a rare and beautiful object (painted by Joris Hoefnagel in 1568) but an important record of Tudor architecture at its best. The palace was demolished in the late 17th Century, after it was sold to pay the debts of Barbara Villiers, Charles II's mistress.
The picture was last seen at auction in 2010, where it went unsold (to my surprise) against an estimate of £800,000 - £1.2m.
Update - a reader writes:
The press releases don't mention that there is an almost identical watercolour in the British Museum.
It would be difficult for an institution to justify buying the other version!
Met Breuer opens
March 2 2016
Video: The Met
The Met's new Breuer building has been opened, with an exhibition of unfinished paintings. It looks fascinating, but then I've always loved unfinished pictures. They let us feel as if we're at the moment of artistic creation.
The Met has leased the Breuer building from the Whitney museum for eight years. More here.
'The Renaissance Unchained' (ctd.)
February 29 2016
Video: BBC
Part 3 of the Great Waldemar's new series is on BBC4 tonight, at 9pm. Above is a clip. Well worth watching.
Henry Wyndham to leave Sotheby's
February 29 2016
Video: Creative Choices
I learn from Georgina Adam on Twitter that Henry Wyndham is to leave Sotheby's. For auction lovers this is sad news indeed, for he was the best auctioneer in the business. Although any succesful auction is usually thought to be down to whether things like the estimates or attributions were right, the actual performance of the auctioneer on the night is a large, and underrated, aspect of the whole operation. Wyndham's sales were always conducted with the perfect blend of humour (with Sotheby's George Wachter often playing Ernie Wise to Wyndham's Eric Morecambe), deadly earnestness in focussing on bidders (with a sharp 'are you bidding?' directed at anyone wavering), and just the right amount of bluff (auctions are all about bluff, especially when the bidders are thin). Despite his many skills, however, there was never a sense of 'look at me' with Wyndham on the rostrum, as there can be with other auctioneers.
Though I've only met him once or twice, I must have been to dozens of his sales, often just to see how he did it. A key technique was to focus on the pace of a sale. In a Wyndham auction there was rarely a moment's silence, for he would rattle off bids like a racing commentator with Tourette's. Other auctioneers sometimes let the room go too quiet when they're looking for bids, which immediately signals that something's about to 'buy-in' - in which case people sit on their hands. In a Wyndham auction one always had the sense that someone else was about to bid, so you felt you'd better get your hand up quickly.
In the video above, he talks about his career at Sotheby's, and how he got started. I wonder who'll replace him?
Update - and of course the more significant questions are; why is he going, and is he going anywhere else?
Update II - Melanie Girlis in The Art Newspaper reports that Wyndham, who was of course Chairman of Sotheby's Europe, will take a break for 'six months before deciding what to do next'.
Museums and the Trade (ctd.)
February 29 2016
Picture: National Gallery
I mentioned last year a planned conference at the National Gallery in London on the art trade and museums, and now the Gallery has published the programme. It's a two day event, on Friday 1st April and Saturday 2nd. The list of speakers looks good, though it seems to be quite museum-centric, and the topics for discussion skirt around many of today's real issues (such as; why do so many museums refuse to pass judgement on paintings that happen to belong to dealers, or even are just privately owned? Surely, as Sir Nicholas Penny says, 'the picture comes first').
Anyway, it looks like an interesting two days. Here's the blurb:
The National Gallery, in association with the University of Manchester, presents a two-day international conference on the interactions between art dealers and museums
An array of experienced professionals, established scholars, and emerging researchers explore the complex, complementary and conflicting associations between art dealers and museums.
The conference has its origins in the acquisition of the Thos. Agnew & Sons archive by the National Gallery. Although focused on the London and British art market in the late 19th century, papers are spread across a range of geographical areas and extend to the present time, establishing connections and contrasts between places and periods.
'Negotiating art' raises many fundamental topics, such as the relationship between consumption and culture; the creation, separation, and ethical remits of professional specialisms; the nature and role of art institutions; and the multifaceted roles of art collecting. Papers examine these topical questions by examining historical case studies as well as presenting broader analytical investigations, and are complemented by structured discussions and informal networking sessions.
Christie's Old Master charity run
February 29 2016
Picture: Christie's
The Old Master department at Christie's are doing a charity run to raise money for Cancer Research. But this is no ordinary charity run, for on 6th April London's St James' area will be awash with running Old Masters. There'l be Dutch still lifes, Italian gold grounds, and who knows, maybe even a Stubbs horse.
Sadly, the department has been affected by cancer in a number of ways this year, and you can support their cause here.
The picture above is a cleverly photoshopped version of Noel Halle’s Hippomenes and Atalanta. Spot the trainers.
Blenheim Palace virtual tour
February 28 2016
Picture: Blenheim Palace
Blenheim Palace has made a high-definition, 360 degree virtual tour of the great hall. Impressive.
Update - Google has digitised St Paul's cathedral. Even more impressive.
Orlando Rock - optimist
February 28 2016
Picture: Telegraph
There's an interesting interview with Orlando Rock, the Chairman of Christie's UK, in the Telegraph. Like me, he may be biased - but he sees grounds for optimism in the antique art market:
Rock believes that the younger generation will come around to art. “They have a passion for recycling and sharing. We see that with more people using Airbnb and buying vintage clothing. We’re searching for real value, and this mantra can be applied to art and antiques,” he says.
Obviously, AHN agrees.
"Loving Vincent"
February 28 2016
Video: via You Tube
There's a new animated film being made on Van Gogh's life. The Independent reports that the film is made up of 12 oil paintings per second, all done in Van Gogh's style:
Billed as ‘the first fully painted feature film in the world’, the truly staggering feat involves over 100 painters, all trained in van Gogh’s style.
The trailer above gives a glimpse of how the film will look. But the studio is still looking for artists. So if you think you can paint like Van Gogh, then why not sign up. I'm sure the Knoedler gallery knows a few people.
'Your Paintings' becomes 'Art UK'
February 28 2016
Picture: Art UK
The wonderful Public Catalogue Foundation (which has photographed every publicly owned oil painting in the UK) has a new website; Art UK. It takes over from the BBC's hosting of the PCF's data, which was called 'Your Paintings'. Personally, I'm sorry that the BBC is no longer as involved as it was. But the new site has much better functionality (though the image zoom function is not yet operational, I'm told it will be later this year).
The launch of the site saw, in The Times, some surprise expressed that the Royal Collection's paintings are not included in the site. This seems to be because the Royal Collection has refused to let the PCF in. The absence of the Royal Collection images highlights the curious status of what was formerly the Queen's personal collection. It is nowadays described as being 'held in trust for the nation', which isn't quite the same as saying the nation owns it, but gets around the tricky question of inheritance tax.
Though it sounds like a fudge, it's always struck me that the Royal Collection's trust status is good compromise between public and private ownership; the Royal Family were never going to sell the pictures, so they weren't really privately owned in that sense, and the trust status means that the government doesn't own them either. And that means a future government can't one day sell anything. Furthermore, the Royal Collection goes to great lengths to make works publicly accessible, and its exhibition catalogues are the best you'll find these days.
Anyway, from the point of view of whether the Royal Collection should be on the Art UK site, then it is in one sense moot; the Royal Collection already has an excellent website.
Update - a reader writes:
I’m not sure I can agree with your sympathetic views towards the Royal Collection and their continued refusal to support Art UK’s digitisation work. The Royal Collection website is indeed excellent but so are the websites of so many other institutions - e.g. the Wallace Collection - and that does not stopped them from embracing the digitisation project. By my reckoning The Royal Collection website only includes records for c.4,700 paintings out of an estimated total of 7,000 so Art UK’s work would make the collection more accessible to the public and scholars. You will recall the discovery a few years ago of two Caravaggio paintings in The Royal Collection; what other riches could Art Detective help identify if the whole of the collection was available for scrutiny? I think the issue of whether the Royal Collection paintings are owned ‘by' the public or ‘for' the public is a red herring; the collections of the Oxford colleges are not publicly owned but the enlightened souls there take the view that the collection should be available for all to see. What logical reason is there for the Royal Collection to continue to obfuscate except for a bad case of ‘not invented here’?
Suing the Met (ctd.)
February 27 2016
Picture: The Met
Back in 2013 a group of people tried to sue the Metropolitan Museum over their admissions policy, saying that the museum didn't have the authority to charge an entrance fee, and had been over-charging visitors for decades. That lawsuit, rightly, didn't get anywhere.
But after much thinking, the Met has now changed its signage; instead of being asked to pay a 'recommended fee' of $25, visitors will now be asked to pay a 'suggested fee' of $25. I dread to think what the Met's legal bill has been over all this, and for such a pointless outcome.
More here in The Art Newspaper.
To New York!
February 25 2016
Picture: Frick/Palazzo Pitti
By the wonders of modern technology, I greet you from somewhere above Greenland. I'm heading to New York to see the Frick Collection's new exhibition on Van Dyck, which I shall be reviewing for the Financial Times. Expect 1100 words from me on Antoon some time next week.
Helpfully, the Frick have given me an advance copy of the catalogue. As The Great Brian said, a reviewer should always read an exhibition catalogue before he or she goes to the exhibition itself. I'm thumbing through it now as we bump our way through the jet stream. There's a strong headwind today, and the flight (from Edinburgh) will take 8 hours, longer than usual.
I've also read an enjoyable blog post from the Frick's chief curator, Xavier Salomon, about a highlight of the show; Van Dyck's Portrait of Cardinal Bentivoglio (above), on loan from the Palazzo Pitti in Florence. This picture is one of Van Dyck's masterpieces, and prompted the 18th Century English artist Jonathan Richardson to write:
“I never saw anything like it. I look’d upon it two Hours, and came back twenty times to look upon it again …the colouring is true flesh and blood, bright, and transparent.”
Alas, I won't have time to spend two hours in front of the picture, but I can't wait to see it. Apparently it has been cleaned for the exhibition.
All of which reminds me that I've been meaning to mention Neil Jeffares' review of the first reviews of the Liotard exhibition staged recently in London and before that in Edinburgh. By a careful analysis, Neil suspects that some critics might have reviewed the exhibition only from the catalogue, for they lavish praise on pictures that were not actually on display in Edinburgh.
Update - the excitement is almost uncontainable here in New York, AHNers; I've had a classic New York diner breakfast, and am now waiting to get into the Frick at 2pm. I see that the exhibition is 'the largest the Frick has ever mounted', and all on my artistic hero. Splendid.
And, to my astonishment, I've seen that AHN is actually quoted in the exhibition catalogue! I really must be more careful about what I write... It's in the catalogue entry for a contentious attribution - the Carmelite Monk sold as by Van Dyck at Sotheby's in 2011 - which at the time some (including me) thought was by Rubens. Now it's in the Frick show as a Van Dyck.
Might I have been wrong? Very possibly. I'm looking forward to seeing the picture again with fresh eyes soon...
Looted Pissarro returned
February 24 2016
Picture: AP/Yahoo
AP reports that the University of Oklahoma has agreed to return the above painting by Camille Pissarro to a Holocaust survivor:
Under the settlement, the title of impressionist Camille Pissarro's 1886 "Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep" will be transferred to Léone Meyer, a French Holocaust survivor whose father owned the painting when it was stolen, her New York attorney, Pierre Ciric, told The Associated Press. Going forward, the painting will split its time being displayed at the university's Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art in Norman and a museum in France.
University President David Boren said in a statement that the school is pleased the painting will still be accessible in Oklahoma and available for educational purposes. He said the agreement also recognizes "the good faith and generosity" of the Weitzenhoffer family, who bought the painting in 1956 from a New York gallery and donated it in 2000 to the university.
The University had at first tried to oppose returning the picture. Title will be passed to Mme. Meyer - but she has decided the picture must remain on public display, hence the rotation plan.
Bacon's last work revealed
February 24 2016
Picture: Guardian/Estate of Francis Bacon
Fascinating news in the Guardian about Francis Bacon's last painting, The Bull (above):
The art historian Martin Harrison on Tuesday revealed Bacon’s final completed painting – a work that has never been publicly seen, reproduced, discussed or written about. Residing in a “very private, private collection” in London, Study of a Bull. 1991, only came to light as Harrison worked on editing a catalogue of every work by Bacon, due to be published in April.
Finaldi's plans for the National Gallery
February 24 2016
Picture: National Gallery
In the New York Times, Farah Nayeri has a fascinating interview with both Gabriele Finaldi, the new National Gallery director, and Hannah Rothschild, the new head of the Trustees. Their plans to refresh and improve the National Gallery include a new website, and most excitingly of all renovation of the hotel behind the Gallery, in Orange Street.
Mr. Finaldi said he planned to revamp the museum’s website — Ms. Rothschild described it as “not good”; redevelop parts of the Trafalgar Square building, which dates to 1838; and put on three large exhibitions each year, instead of the current two. Among those planned, he said in the interview, are a show of Gauguin portraits in 2019. [...]
The next few years will also see some building work at the gallery. Sections of the East Wing, now used for storage and as a back-room area, will be redeveloped to provide more space for the staff, Mr. Finaldi said. Down the line, St. Vincent House, now occupied by staff, a hotel and other businesses, will be used to expand the gallery’s spaces, he added, noting that the museum has 50 percent more visitors than it did 20 years ago but the same floor space.
In terms of image resolution, the National Gallery's website is actually quite good; you can zoom into a high level. But navigation and overall presentation is pretty poor. There are many more things the site could do, in terms of videos and social media - both of which are vital if the Gallery wants to increase visitor numbers both online and in person. Of course, it's not just about how the site looks and works, but an ability to constantly put new and interesting material on it. The Gallery only has to look at The Met's website to see a good example of how these things should be done.
I'm particularly pleased to see that the hotel site is to be redeveloped. This has belonged to the Gallery for many years. But the Trustees have until now (sadly) always preferred to see it as revenue supply, by letting it out as offices and a hotel - even though a look at the accounts reveals that the site is so old and dilapidated that much of the rent goes on upkeep. The building needs to be pulled down and rebuilt. If Tate can do it, why not the National Gallery?
But first, something probably needs to be done about the small road (St Martin's Street) seperating the Gallery and the Sainsbury Wing from the hotel site. It's a rather useless little street and hardly used by traffic - can the government not just cede the land to the Gallery, and build over the entire site?
We also learn in the New York Times piece that Dr Finaldi has moved a piano into his office.
Apologies...
February 23 2016
Sorry for the lack of action lately - 'Fake or Fortune?' has been calling. Two programmes are now under way for our 5th series, which should go out in the summer.
