« […] From this, on the surface of the innocent globe, arise the divergences and quarrels of the rebellious spirit. This spirit has procreated the vampiric revolt: this revolt is the war of insatiable rapacity […] » . So began the exhibition held in 1918 in the palace of Count Nicolas Potocki in Paris, which showed a … Continue reading « Boleslas Biegas »

Born in Switzerland, Palézieux had the opportunity to study in Florence between 1939 and 1943. He was trained at the source of the Italian Renaissance and acquired solid historical knowledge there. He frequented the Trovarelli brothers, custodians of all kinds of secret processes: he benefited from this experience and from the technical and aesthetic discussions … Continue reading « Gérard de Palézieux »

“Aucuns t’appelleront une caricature, Qui ne comprennent pas, amants ivres de chair, L’élégance sans nom de l’humaine armature. Tu réponds, grand squelette, à mon goût le plus cher !” Charles Baudelaire, « Danse Macabre » in Fleurs du Mal This is a wonderful piece of Georges Rouault’s series dedicated to the illustration of the Fleurs … Continue reading « Georges Rouault »

These two spectacular surrealist drawings, La Mort couvée and Mikli affectueux, belong to the most famous series by the French-Swiss artist Marguerite Burnat-Provins, called Ma Ville. « […] It was then that I felt hordes invade my soul; names, names, names by the hundred, squeezed together like people from who knows where. Overwhelmed by this flood, … Continue reading « Marguerite Burnat-Provins »

This very attractive still-life remains a mystery. It feels modern, and in the other hand it is dated of 1892; it looks like a corner of an artist studio, however the refine depiction of each object makes believe that the aim of the artist was elsewhere. Technically, this work testifies excellent draughtsman skills. Each texture … Continue reading « Unknown Scandinavian artist »

The present sheet is a stunning preliminary study related to Léon Bénouville ‘s master painting, Les Martyrs conduits au supplice; now at the Louvre (inv. 20042). The artist started this project when he was still at the Villa Medicis, in Rome, between 1846 and 1851. This portrait of a man is precisely one of the … Continue reading « Léon François Bénouville »

A most lovely portrait by Charles Clos Olsommer. This young woman seems immersed in a moment of melancholy, staring into space, and inspiring tranquillity. The absence of background and the black columns partitioning the space – bringing all the attention to her gaze – deprive the model from context and make her look like an … Continue reading « Charles-Clos Olsommer »

Jean Lurçat’s works are not that rare to find in public and private hands, but the present one is an exceptional gouache, and such a quality has not been seen on the market for many years. It is, moreover, in perfect freshness. This landscape reveals the form and message of the Lurçat’s surrealism in the … Continue reading « Jean Lurçat »

A delightful example of famous Gudin’s seascapes, combining an elegant and delicate palette with the contrast and drama of a stormy atmosphere. Gudin was one of the most talented marine’s painters of the 19th century. He studied with Ann-Louis Girodet and Antoine-Jean Gros, but very soon he grew fond of the romantic masters Delacroix and … Continue reading « Jean-Antoine Théodore Gudin »

A stunning example of synthetic landscapes by Maurice Denis, during his Nabis and Symbolist period from 1889 to 1898. This composition of the Brittany shore does display the quality of simplification that the precocious artist was able to reach, and that he partially inherited from Paul Gauguin. Denis had followed Gauguin’s path in Brittany since … Continue reading « Maurice Denis »

This is an exceptional bronze and representation of a typical Japanese woman by Emile-Louis Truffot, when he arrived at the peak of his career. The second half of the 19th century was scientific and marked by a growing interest in distant peoples and civilizations, no longer in a fanciful and imaginary relationship, but in the … Continue reading « Emile Louis Truffot »

This large and impressive Adolfo Wildt’s drawing was a preliminary drawing for a sarcophagus, which ultimately was not executed. The profile of the figure is dotted in order to “dust” it on the marble. The design is typical of the style of Wildt in the early years of 1910’s, and clearly related to the central … Continue reading « Adolfo Wildt »