TEFAF Highlights Incoming
March 6 2026
Picture: Agnew's
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
This is the exciting time of year when dealers begin revealing their top pictures for the upcoming art fair TEFAF (The European Fine Art Foundation) in Maastricht.
News from Agnew's today that they'll be bringing the De Ganay Salvator Mundi, given to the Studio of Leonardo Da Vinci, which according to their press release has 'been considered the best of the versions known, and by some to be the prototype [of the famous 2017 Christie's picture].'
Meanwhile, Colnaghi will be offering a rediscovered signed double portrait by Lavinia Fontana, which appeared as a sleeper back in 2024 and was featured on this blog.
As their website explains:
Another highlight is a recently rediscovered signed portrait by Lavinia Fontana, one of the earliest professional female painters in Europe. Trained in Bologna by her father Prospero Fontana, she established herself by the late 1570s as one of the city’s leading portraitists, supporting a large family through her practice before relocating to Rome at the invitation of Pope Clement VIII. The sitter, Isabella Ruini Angelelli, a Bolognese noblewoman known for her beauty and intellect, sat for Fontana on at least three other occasions, including Venus and Cupid (1592, Musée des Beaux-Arts de Rouen) and Portrait of Isabella Ruini Angelelli (1593, Palazzo Pitti, Florence). The present work expands the oeuvre of one of the most significant women painters of the late sixteenth century and further illuminates Fontana’s elite Bolognese clientele and her role within the city’s aristocratic circles.
I hope to feature some more highlights in the run up to the fair.
Michelange-eerrrr-no...rediscovered?
March 6 2026
Picture: lesoir.be
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Michelangelo rediscoveries are coming in thick and fast these days. Social media has been awash with news from Belgium that a Michelangelo, which is clearly not a Michelangelo, has been 'rediscovered' in the country. The work was purchased by a collector in an Italian auction who has since discovered 'monogram' potentially by the artist. The attribution was purportedly revealed to the press by Michel Draguet, former director and CEO of The Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium.
Picture Research at The National Gallery?
March 6 2026
Picture: The National Gallery, London
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The National Gallery in London are hiring a Senior Picture Researcher.*
Despite what it sounds like, here is the job description:
We are seeking a highly experienced and enthusiastic Senior Picture Researcher to work in our small, dedicated Publishing team overseeing picture research for National Gallery Global’s publications and merchandise. This unique role will also involve liaison with key National Gallery departments including Communications, Exhibitions and Digital, to facilitate clearance of exhibition loan images where required.
Reporting to the Publisher, the successful candidate will have extensive experience in picture research, ideally in a museum or gallery context, a high level of commercial focus, excellent negotiating skills and good knowledge of copyright law. Educated to degree level or equivalent, you will also have a keen interest in European art and excellent communication and IT skills.
The job comes with a salary of £40,000 per annum and applications must be in by 18th March 2026.
__________
* - It seems that 'Picture Researcher' has a special meaning in the National Gallery Global Ltd team.
The Klesch Collection Scholarship 2026-2027
March 5 2026
Picture: The Klesch Collection
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Klesch Collection are inviting applications for their latest round of The Klesch Collection Scholarship for graduate studies in Baroque and Renaissance painting.
According to their website:
These Scholarships have supported the studies of graduate students in MA, MPhil and PhD programmes across the globe, with the aim of contributing to their academic and professional development. The Scholarship recipient will also be awarded a paid internship at The Klesch Collection lasting a minimum of 6 weeks, allowing them to gain experience in the daily operations of a private art collection. Candidates will be selected based on merit and the overall quality of the application.
Who can apply?
Applicants must have been accepted into a full-time Art History MA or PhD course of study worldwide, beginning the next academic year, and preference will be given to applicants who have completed their undergraduate degree in Art History. PhD students are welcome to apply for any year in their programme. Applications will be considered only from students who will focus/are focusing their studies on European and British painting of the Renaissance and Baroque periods (c. 1400–1700) and who intend to write their thesis or dissertation in this area.
Applications must be in by 20th June 2026.
Good luck if you're applying!
Symposium: New Directions in Rembrandt Research
March 5 2026
Picture: Rijksmuseum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam are holding a Symposium on 24th March 2026 on New Directions in Rembrandt Research.
According to the museum's website:
For many decades, technical research into Rembrandt’s paintings has provided invaluable insights into his materials, techniques, and creative process. Through the combined efforts of art historians, conservators, and scientists, a steadily growing body of knowledge has transformed our understanding of his practice. Recent advances in imaging technologies and material analysis have further deepened this perspective, revealing new facets of Rembrandt’s working methods and shedding fresh light on his artistic innovations. Through fascinating case studies and in-depth investigations, the symposium will reflect on the interaction between art historians, conservators and scientists, highlighting the research methodologies employed to unravel complex art historical and scientific questions.
The ‘New Directions in Rembrandt Research’ symposium, which will consist of a full day of lectures from art historians, conservators and scientists, has been conceived and curated by Petria Noble. Recently retired from the Rijksmuseum, her contributions to Rembrandt studies, together with those of colleagues she has worked with over the years, have helped shape new directions in the field.
Tickets for this in-person event cost €100 and click on the link above for the full programme.
Bust Reattributed to Michelangelo by Archival Researcher
March 5 2026
Video: TG2000
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that a bust of Christ the Saviour, kept in the Basilica of Sant’Agnese in Rome, has been reattributed by independent researcher Valentina Salerno to Michelangelo. Although considered the work of the master in the early nineteenth century, the attribution had fallen out of favour in subsequent centuries. Salerno's work has focused on archival materials relating to what happened to the artist's works after his death, and how the bust may have ended up in the Basilica (we will await more precise details).
Margate sent to Turner's House in April
March 4 2026
Picture: The National Gallery, London
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Tuner's House near Richmond will be opening their latest exhibition next month focusing on the mystery of this painting which is believed to depict Margate from the sea.
According to their press release:
This year's exhibition at Turner's House in St. Margarets, near Richmond, London, “Unfinished Business: The Mystery of Margate and Turner’s Bequest” will give visitors the opportunity to see an extraordinary sea painting by one of Britain's greatest maritime artists, displayed within the house he designed and had built in Twickenham by 1813. Sandycombe Lodge, as he called it, was his country retreat from the rigors of the London art world. On loan from the National Gallery, London, Margate (?), from the Sea, one of his later works from circa 1835-1840, will be the focus of an exhibition that uncovers the complex and fascinating story of the Turner Bequest, and reveal how attitudes to Turner's work changed across the centuries. [...]
The Turner Bequest included a large group of paintings that Turner had never exhibited and were deemed unfinished. This included Margate (?), from the Sea. Those paintings were judged during the 19th century as unfit for display. Along with many other works of a similar nature, it was left uncatalogued, without a title and remained hidden away for over 50 years. It wasn't until 1905 that the picture was reassessed and accessioned into the national collection. A.J. Finberg provided the name, when inventorying the Turner Bequest and Martin Davies, later Director of the National Gallery (1968-73), added the question mark, calling the identification of the subject matter into question.
Latest Burlington Magazine Issue
March 3 2026
Picture: burlington.org.uk
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Here's a list of the main articles featured within the March issue of The Burlington Magazine:
Raphael’s fireplace fresco for Pope Julius II rediscovered - By Carmen C. Bambach
A Du Cerceau album at Harvard - By Dario Donetti
The possible origins of Velázquez’s ‘Christ after the Flagellation contemplated by the Christian soul’ - By Kevin Ingram
Pre-Raphaelites beyond England:the work of Gustave-Max Stevens - By Laura Fanti
René Lalique: the artist as curator - By Vera Mariz
Rijksmuseum reveal Rediscovered Rembrandt
March 3 2026
Picture: Rijksmuseum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Researchers at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam have revealed a rediscovered painting by Rembrandt which was brought in from a member of the public for further investigations. The work, Vision of Zacharias in the Temple, had been included in an exhibition as Rembrandt in-full back in 1898 but by 1960 had been demoted in publications. Click on the link above to read the technical analysis which was undertaken to help prove this painting to be an early work by the master.
The painting will be on public display in the museum from 4th March (tomorrow) onwards.
Curatorial Assistant Job at the Holburne Museum
March 3 2026
Picture: Holburne Museum via ArtUK
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Holburne Museum in Bath are hiring a Curatorial Assistant.
According to the job description:
We are looking to recruit a Curatorial Assistant who will work alongside the Director, Exhibitions Manager and the Assistant Curators in planning, managing and delivering our vibrant and engaging collections and exhibition programme.
The job comes with a salary of £25,000 per annum and applications must be in by 30th March 2025.
Good luck if you're applying!
_______________
If you happen to get the job, and want an interesting side-project, here's an interesting miscatalogued portrait by Angelika Kauffmann hiding in the museum's stores (which I know other scholars have pointed out in the past). I'm sure there's more to be found out about it...
Research Provenance at the Art Institute of Chicago
March 3 2026
Picture: The Art Institute of Chicago
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Art Institute of Chicago are currently looking to hire an Ambassador Nicolas M. Salgo Fund Research Associate.
According to the job description:
The Research Associate will support an initiative to investigate the provenance of objects associated with the Austro-Hungarian Empire and its successor states.
Under the guidance of the Executive Director of Provenance Research and Senior Research Associate, the Research Associate will review all collecting areas to identify relevant objects, and will locate any existing provenance documentation in the museum’s database, curatorial files, and archival records.
As part of the cataloguing process, the Research Associate will identify individual objects or groups of objects for further examination and will carry out targeted in-depth provenance research into these objects using relevant archival records in both North America and Europe.
The job comes with a salary of somewhere between $39,967 - $52,324 and no application deadline has been posted.
Good luck if you're applying!
Luigi Amidani Conserved in Parma
March 2 2026
Picture: finestresullarte.info
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that Luigi Amidani's Madonna and Child with Saints Francis of Assisi, Agnes and Genesius, in the collection of the Pilotta Monumental Complex in Parma, has been conserved. Painted in 1619, possibly for the Parma church of Santa Maria, the work was transferred to the Accademia in 1816 and later the National Gallery of Parma.
Francisco Herrera the Elder acquired by Foundation at Ansorena
March 2 2026
Picture: Ansorena via Arsmagazine
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Spanish Arsmagazine have pointed out in their roundup of the latest auction at Ansorena that the Masaveu Foundation in Madrid acquired Francisco Herrera the Elder's Saint Joseph and the Christ Child. The painting had sold for €160,000 (hammer). Click on the link above to read more.
Louvre acquires Alexander Pope bust and Linnell Landscape
March 2 2026
Picture: Louvre
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Spanish art account @Boro_RR has pointed out on 'X' that the Louvre website has uploaded two acquisitions from 2026. This includes a bust of Alexander Pope by Louis François Roubiliac and a landscape The Rise of the River by John Linnell. The bust had failed to find a bidder at Sotheby's in 2025, and the Linnell had previously been in the Berger collection before being sold in 2016 and purchased after the sale by Mr. Christopher Forbes who gifted it to the American Friends of the Louvre in 2020 (where it was subsequently deposited at the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Bordeaux in 2021).
Michelangelo's Last Judgement Up Close
March 2 2026
Video: @Vaticanmuseums
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Vatican Museums have published this rather pleasing video of the continuing conservation of Michelangelo's Last Judgement. The details, made possible by a scaffold, are quite spectacular to admire even in this short segment.
Calls for missing works by William Charles Piguenit by The Royal Society of Tasmania
February 27 2026
Picture: abc.net.au
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Australia that The Royal Society of Tasmania are trying to find lost works by colonial painter William Charles Piguenit (1836-1914). The artist is most widely known for his dramatic landscapes set in Tasmania. Click on the link above to read more about their efforts to locate his oils and works on paper.
The Nude in Dutch Art at Syracuse University Art Museum
February 27 2026
Picture: Syracuse University Art Museum
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The Syracuse University Art Museum will be opening their latest exhibition next month entitled Undressed: The Nude in Dutch Art, circa 1550-1800 (spotted via CODART).
According to their website:
This exhibition, encompassing twenty-one works in various media, surveys the portrayal of nudity and semi-nudity in a variety of subjects rendered by Dutch artists over several centuries. It will explore how the nude has been articulated, both artistically and contextually, to disrupt traditional ideas of nudity in art, which were primarily argued by Sir Kenneth Clark in The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form (1956).
In this influential text, Clark posited that the presence of the nude in art, existed above and beyond cultural circumstances, as a timeless, almost abstract ideal. He advanced a distinction between "naked" and "nude," with the latter explained as an idealization, or an evocation of timeless ideals. To the contrary, this exhibition presents nudity in art as a phenomenon that is time-bound and culturally determined.
The show will run from 17th March until 9th May 2026.
Donatello's Bronze Doors Restored
February 27 2026
Video: alanews
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
News from Italy that Donatello's bronze doors, part of the fixtures of the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Florence, have been restored. Commissioned by the Medici between 1440-42, the work was undertaken by Opificio delle Pietre Dure.
El Greco's Martyrdom of Saint Maurice to be Restored
February 27 2026
Video: El Debate
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Here's a video showing the transportation of El Greco's The Martyrdom of Saint Maurice from the Real Monasterio de San Lorenzo de El Escorial near Madrid to conservation studios ready for treatment. This latest campaign of restoration, undertaken by Rafael Alonso, is expected to take several months before its redisplay and eventual return to the monastery.
UK Parliament hiring Curator
February 27 2026
Picture: housesofparliament.tal.net
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
The UK Houses of Parliament are hiring a Curator.
According to the job description:
You’ll lead specialist research, oversee displays, guide the development of the collection and manage new commissions from contemporary artists. From cataloguing improvements to planning exhibitions and advising Members, this role offers remarkable variety. You’ll collaborate with colleagues across Heritage Collections and engage with external curators, artists, academics and stakeholders to support projects that preserve and interpret are unique collection of artworks.
This is an exceptional opportunity to bring academic art‑historical expertise into a real‑world environment where your work directly shapes public understanding of Parliament’s heritage.
The job comes with a salary between £43,614 - £50,374 per annum and applications must be in by 15th March 2026.
Good luck if you're applying!
