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Almine Rech
tom wesselmann
Tom Wesselmann (USA, Ohio 1931-2004 New York) 'Smoker Study (For Smoker #11)', 1972 Oil on canvas 29.2 x 29.2 cm 46.4 x 46.4 x 3.8 cm (framed) Examined by the WPI's Wesselmann committee on 13 December 2023, for inclusion in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné Provenance: estate of the artist Courtesy of the Estate of Tom Wesselmann and Almine Rech / Photo: Thomas Barratt Smoker Study (For Smoker #11), 1972 belongs to Tom Wesselmann’s Smoker series, which the artist began in 1967. Born out of a desire to isolate and further investigate the representation of lips and the act of smoking, the Smoker series also found its origin in advertising, and stands as testament to the major role Wesselmann occupied in the birth and development of the Pop aesthetic. Today, Wesselmann’s Smoker paintings are among his most renowned works. The series began with Smoker, 1 (Mouth, 12), 1967, which is now held in the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Wesselmann found photography to be a useful medium to capture his models in poses he would later translate to larger scale works. On one occasion, his friend Peggy Sarno lit a cigarette during a modeling session. Wesselmann took some photographs of her as she inhaled, still posing in a reclined position. This moment inspired the Smoker series, which is characterised by the presence of vivid red lips juxtaposed with curling white smoke. Smoker Study (For Smoker #11) is both bold and intimate, capturing a single moment of pleasure in a complex and ambitious composition indicative of the artist’s experimentation with subject, form, and color. In mid-century America, cigarette advertisements were incredibly elaborate, among the most sophisticated forms of marketing. As well as standing as an example of Wesselmann’s fascination with popular culture and the female body, Smoker Study (For Smoker #11) also demonstrates the artist’s mastery of oil paint, attention to detail, and sophisticated compositional style. In the 1960s, Wesselmann had been developing his Great American Nudes series when he was inspired to focus on specific details of female figures. In an almost fetishistic act, he started isolating elements of the female figure, creating smaller preparatory pieces as well as larger scale works depicting hands, breasts, and lips. Out of this approach his Mouth paintings and Smoker Series, works such as Smoker Study (For Smoker #11) were born. Tom Wesselmann (1931–2004) was one of the leading American Pop artists of the mid-20th Century. Departing from Abstract Expressionism, he explored classical representations of the nude, still life, and landscape, while incorporating everyday objects and advertising ephemera. Wesselmann was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on February 23, 1931. He attended Hiram College in Ohio from 1949 to 1951 before entering the University of Cincinnati. In 1953, his studies were interrupted by a two-year enlistment in the army, during which time he began drawing cartoons. He returned to the university in 1954 and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1956. During this time, he decided to pursue a career in cartooning and enrolled at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. After graduation he moved to New York City, where he was accepted into the Cooper Union and where his focus shifted dramatically to fine art.
Kunsthaus Kende
Pair of George I Britannia silver tea caddies John Farnell, London, 1720 Engraved sterling silver H 12.5 cm 240.3 g and 237.4 g Provenance: private collection, North America The smooth, octagonal body merging into the correspondingly smooth shoulder. The lid finished with a twisted baluster. The base, which can be pulled out for filling, is only marked with a maker’s mark, the lid is unmarked. The bodies are hallmarked on the underside of the back. The contemporary coat of arms engraved on the front commemorates the marriage of a gentleman of the Dove family (who were based in East Burgholt in the county of Suffolk) and a lady of the Pierse family (whose family was based in Alston in the county of Warwickshire). An attractively preserved, early Britannia silver pair of tea caddies with a beautifully preserved, original surface.
Willow Gallery
henri le sidaner
la neige
Henri Le Sidaner (Mauritius, Port Louis 1862-1939 Versailles) La Neige, 1899 Oil on canvas 66 x 75 cm Signed, dated and inscribed ‘Le Sidaner Bruges 1899’ Provenance: James Fulton, Paisley; Paisley Art Institute, Paisley, a bequest from the above in 1933 Literature: W. Philip Mayes, Illustrated Catalogue of Paintings, Drawings, Sculpture in the Collections of Paisley Corporation and Paisley Art Institute, Paisley, 1948, n° A189au., p. 49 (titled 'The Red House'); Y. Farinaux-le Sidaner, Le Sidaner: L'oeuvre peint et gravé, Milan, 1989, ill. p. 70, n° 86
Galerie AB - Agnès Aittouarès
Sam Francis (California, 1923-1994) SF63-046, 1963 Acrylic on paper 90 x 63 cm Signed, dated and located Los Angeles on reverse Listed in the online catalogue raisonné of the artist under n° SF63-046 Provenance: Jean Fournier collection; private collection, Paris Exhibition: Paris, Galerie Jean Fournier, Sam Francis de 1947 à 1988 sur papier, October-November 1988
Galerie Capazza
Goudji (Georgia, Bordjomi 1941) Oryx à la robe diaprée, 2025 Silver 1st title, serpentine, pyrite, crystal, Armour stone H 49 x W 38 x D 10 cm Provenance: the artist's studio Exhibition: Goudji, L'or du temps, 5 July-28 September 2025, Galerie Capazza (France) This oryx, with its serpentine goatee and crystal-adorned tail, is an African antelope. It sports horns and a coat draped in Armour stone, and wears a silver bell around its pyrite neck, ready to ring. 'When viewing Goudji's works, one is overcome by a disturbing feeling, that of being faced with original, powerful, dazzling masterpieces that delicately resonate with so many symbols that shape our visual culture and our common heritage, from Persia to Athens, from Babylon to Rome, from the Tigris to the Danube, winged griffins of malachite and lapis lazuli, birds with bold and daring beaks, reassuring ex-votos, kantharoi and cups worthy of banquets of the gods. Modest, always secretive, born into goldsmithing because he ardently wanted to be, constantly devoted to his craft, constantly exploring forms, constantly telling stories, Goudji has definitely entered into history.' by Olivier Gabet, 2025 (General Curator of Heritage and Art Historian - Director of the Department of Decorative Arts at the Louvre Museum)
Collectors Gallery
ettore sottsass
Ettore Sottsass (Austria, Innsbruck 1917-2007 Milan, Italy) 18ct gold ring, 1984-1986 Ring with a long rectangular table featuring a black onyx disc and diamonds Designed by Sottsass for Cleto Munari, Milan Produced in an edition of 9 Provenance: private collection, London Literature: Radice 1987, p. 78; Vezzosi 1990, p. 105
Stone Gallery
Quartz crystal cluster Weight: 350 kg 87 x 135 x 75 cm Origin: quarries of Mount Ida, Arkansas, USA, discovered in 1993 Provenance: Paul Membrini collection until 2023 Rock crystal is the crystallised, colourless variety of quartz, also known as clear quartz. All the crystals with their countless facets are 100% natural. With its transparent and colourless appearance, it is revered for its purity and clarity. This giant group of quartz crystals weighs approximately 350kg and is 87 x 135 x 75 cm. It displays remarkably perfect and water-clear crystals on all sides. Discovered in one of the famous crystal quarries of Mount Ida, Arkansas, USA, in 1993. The piece was once part of the Membrini Collection from Switzerland, a phenomenal museum-quality crystal collection, meticulously assembled over the years by Membrini Kristall, a firm based in Chur, Switzerland. Founder Paul Membrini was a renowned “strahler,” a professional crystal hunter who explored the Alps. Stone Gallery acquired the Membrini Collection in early 2023. Martin Garrix Stone Gallery proudly announces that the larger sibling of this piece, a great cluster weighing an impressive 4500 lbs, is now on display at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in Leiden, in part thanks to Dutch DJ Martin Garrix.
Art et Patrimoine - Laurence Lenne
Reliquary 'in the form of a sarcophagus with a hinged roof' Limoges, mid-13th century Gilt copper plates, champlevé enamels H 11.8 x W 27.5 x D 9.5 cm Literature: Inventaire général des monuments et des richesses artistiques de la France. Emaux limousins du Moyen Age. Correze/Creuse/Haute-Vienne, under the direction of Paul-Édouard Robinne, Éditions de l’Inventaire, Images du Patrimoine, 1995; Emaux de Limoges XIIè-XIXè siècle, under the direction of Jacques Toussaint, Museum of Ancient Arts of Namur, 1996; Valérie & Thomas Becket, De l'influence des princes Plantagenêt dans l'Oeuvre de Limoges, Municipal Museum of the Bishop’s Palace-Museum of Enamel, Limoges, 1999 A reliquary, without a wooden core, taking the shape of a sarcophagus with a hinged roof. It is made of gilt copper plates and decorated with champlevé enamels depicting sixteen half-length angels emerging from clouds against a white enamel background. The decoration consists of two superimposed registers of three engraved gilt angels set within round medallions. The medallions stand out against a blue enamel ground adorned with gilded Gothic foliage and interlace patterns. This reliquary belongs to a series of standardised reliquaries known from the Limousin region, all dating from the 13th century. Its dimensions make it one of the largest examples of this 'sarcophagus with movable roof' type. It is closely related to the exceptional large reliquary of Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche, classified as part of the Treasure of the French Historic Monuments.
Pelgrims de Bigard
joachim beuckelaer
Joachim Beuckelaer (Antwerp, circa 1533-1574/75) and studio A young female seller at a fish market Oil on panel 103 x 76 cm Certificate of authenticity by Dr. Fred Meijer Provenance: possibly Christie’s sale London, 25 November 1966, lot 12; sale London, Bonhams Knightsbridge, 31 October 1996, lot 354; private collection, Spain, until 2023
Desmet Fine Arts
Two fragments of a wooden sarcophagus corner post of the Priest Horudja re-united after 50 years Wood Egypt, late Dynastic period, 26th Dynasty, circa 664-525 BC H 92 x W 15 x D 5.5 cm Accompanied by Art Loss Register certificates: S00238635 & S00238636 Provenance: Fragment A: Chakib Slatine, Paris (acquired 1975); private collection, Paris (acquired 1977). Fragment B: Chakib Slatine, Paris (acquired 1975); private collection, Paris (acquired 1977); Ede Gallery, London (of which acquired in 2020)
Victor Werner
carl johan bonnesen
Carl Johan Bonnesen (Aalborg 1868-1933 Copenhagen) African elephant, 1924 Bronze with green patina H 54 x W 78 x D 34 cm Signed and dated CARL J. BONNESEN 1924 Provenance: Professor Karl Meyer, board member of Villadsens Fabrikker; donated Nov. 9th, 1932, to the company director Christian Villadsen and his wife Ingeborg (as inscribed on the base); gifted by Christian Villadsen’s grandson to the previous owner
Galeria Bessa Pereira
Carlo Hauner (Brescia 1927-1996 Salina) & Martin Eisler (Vienna 1913-1977 São Paulo) Coffee table, 1960s Jacarandá wood and glass H 46 cm - Ø 89 cm Origin: Brasil Provenance: private collection, Rio de Janeiro; Galeria Bessa Pereira collection, 2025 Literature: Vicente, A., & Vasconcellos, M. (Comps.), Móvel moderno brasileiro (1st edition), São Paulo: Olhares, 2017, p. 231
Heutink Ikonen
Week Icon (Sedmitsa) Russia, Palekh Late 18th century 44.5 x 36 cm This icon depicts a rare iconography showing the seven days of the week. Each feast represents a day of the week, starting with Sunday. In order: the Anastasis, Synaxis of the Archangel Michael, the Beheading of John, the Annunciation, the Last Supper and the Crucifixion of Christ. The large image at the bottom is All Saints' Day. The icon's refined details, bright colour palette and complex composition make it a very fine example of Palekh icon painting.
Victor Werner
thierry van ryswyck
Thierry Van Ryswyck (Antwerp 1911-1958 Vallauris, France) Walking panther, 1929 Patinated plaster H 53 x W 133.5 cm x D 23 cm Name and address of the mould maker inscribed on the underside of the base: A. Hoefnagels, mouleur, Quai Cockerill 19, Anvers Signed and dated Th. Van Ryswyck 1929 Provenance: private collection
Thomas Deprez Fine Arts
jean delville
Jean Delville (Leuven 1867-1953 Brussels) Aveugle, 1888 Oil on canvas 65 x 81 cm Signed and dated l.l.: 'Jean Delville / 1888' Relined, with a fair amount of retouching Provenance: private collection, Brussels, since three generations. Exhibitions: Salon de Gand, XXXIVe Exposition Triennale, Ghent, 1889, cat. n° 166, as: 'Aveugle'; L'Essor, XIIIe exposition annuelle, Brussels, 1889, cat. n° 4, as: 'Aveugle' PRESS F.N., 'Chronique Artistique', dans: Journal de Bruxelles, 24/03/1889, p. 5 (Supplément au Journal de Bruxelles du 24 mars 1889): 'L'Aveugle, la femme si visiblement plongée en des pensées lourdes et étroites, qui se chauffe [...]'
Brame & Lorenceau
julio gonzález
Julio González (Spain, Barcelona 1876-1942 Arcueil, France) Personnage au cornet, 1937 China ink and coloured pencil on paper 29 x 21 cm Signed and dated lower centre Provenance: private collection Literature: J. Gibert, Catalogue raisonné des dessins de Julio González, Projets pour sculptures personnages, Paris, 1975, vol. 9, p. 47 (ill.) Exhibition: New York, The Museum of Modern Art, Julio González, Drawings and Sculpture, February-April 1956, Minneapolis
Galerie Nicolas Bourriaud
marcelle delcour - guinard
Marcelle Delcour-Guinard (Switzerland, Meyrin 1896-1978 France) Bather, 1931 Marble sculpture H 172 x W 45.5 x D 46 cm Signed ‘M Delcour-Guinard’ and dated 1931 Unique piece Provenance: the artist's family collection Exhibition: Salon des Artistes Français, 1932, Baigneuse, statue de marbre, n° 3675 Born in Cointrain (Canton of Geneva), Marcelle Delcour trained at the Regional School of Fine Arts in Rennes and studied under the sculptors Laurent Marqueste (1848–1920) and Victor Ségoffin (1867–1925), the head of the sculpture studio for female students at the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts in Paris. In 1920, she married the painter Robert Raoul André Guinard (1896–1989), with whom she spent two years in Morocco in 1934. Upon returning to France in 1936, the couple settled in a small village called Crécey, in the commune of Saint-Pair-sur-Mer: he painted, she sculpted. Benefiting from the post–Second World War reconstruction projects, she received numerous commissions from Canon Pinel to restore works of art preserved in the churches of the Manche region. Anne Delcour-Guinard exhibited regularly at the Salon des Artistes Français from 1924 to 1932. In 1924, the committee of the Association des artistes peintres, sculpteurs, architectes, graveurs et dessinateurs (Fondation Taylor) awarded her the Prix Galimard-Jaubert on May 27. In 1925, she received an honourable mention, and in 1932, a bronze medal for La Baigneuse, a marble sculpture. The work was then displayed in a place of honour at the centre of the nave of the Grand Palais. The sculpture is indeed remarkable for its life-size proportions and its distinctive 1930s style, which, in the spirit of Art Deco, celebrates the female form - elongated, elegant, and liberated. She is embodied here as the garçonne: short-haired, athletic, and modern, asserting her nudity without false modesty, revealed through the graceful gesture of her folded arm and offered to the viewer’s gaze.
Heutink Ikonen
Christ, the fiery eye Russia, Moscow Early 16th century 32 x 25.5 cm The name 'Christ, the fiery eye' is based on a text from Mark: 'He looked at them angrily, but also deeply saddened by their stubbornness.' Whether you, as a viewer, think that this Christ really looks grim is not only dependent on what the painter wanted to emphasise in the icon. It also has to do with the viewer's relationship to the person of Christ. There are several explanations for the origin of this iconography, for example that a mosaic from the Chora Church in Constantinople (Istanbul) served as its source.