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Gallery Sofie Van de Velde
Victor Servranckx (Diegem 1897-1965 Vilvoorde) Opus 20, (Calm Blocks Fallen from an Obscure Disaster), 1927 Oil on canvas 146 x 81 cm Signed and dated lower left Provenance: Félix Carlier, Watermael-Boisfort (purchased from Galerie Le Centaure, Brussels, 1929); Galerie J.-P. Alaerts, Brussels; London, Christie’s, 16 October 1990, lot n° 61 (ill.); Lokeren, De Vuyst, 6 October 2001, lot n° 489; private collection, Brussels; Galerie Ronny Van de Velde, Antwerp Literature: La Nation belge (Brussels), 12th year, n° 48, 17 February 1929, ill. p. 3; Le Peuple (Brussels), 5th year, n° 48, 17 February 1929, ill. p. 1 Exhibitions: Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, 1929 (no catalogue); Brussels, Galerie Le Centaure, Exhibition De Boeck, Flouquet, Gailliard, Servranckx, 1929, n° 33; Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, 1947, n° 45 '146 x 92 cm'; Brussels, Musée d’Ixelles/Museum van Elsene, Retrospective Le Centaure. Homage to Walter Schwarzenberg, 1963, n° 117; Brussels, Musée d’Ixelles/Museum van Elsene, 1965, n° 107; Hasselt, Provinciaal Begijnhof, 1970, n° 57 (ill.) Thanks to a photograph showing the artist during his solo exhibition at the Palais des Beaux-Arts (Brussels) in January 1929, we know that the painting was exhibited there. Félix Carlier acquired the work at the group exhibition (featuring works by De Boeck, Flouquet, Gailliard, and Servranckx) at Galerie Le Centaure in Brussels in 1929. As one of the leading pioneers of the abstract movement in Flanders, Servranckx explored the new possibilities of modern art with extraordinary intensity. Opus 20, (Calm Blocks Fallen from an Obscure Disaster), dating from 1927, can rightly be regarded as a pivotal work in his oeuvre. It represents a remarkable synthesis of geometric abstraction and the artist’s lyrical imagination, while also anticipating the emergence of Surrealism. Jacques Lipchitz (Lithuania, Druskininkai 1891-1973 Capri) Sitting figure, 1915 Bronze H 87 cm Signed 'JLipchitz' and numbered 2/7 (on base) Provenance: the estate of the artist; acquired from the above mentioned in 1989 by current owner Exhibition: Musée des Années 30, 'Lipchitz, Les Années Françaises de 1910 à 1940', 2005-2006, n° 10, pp. 16-17, ill. in colour
Galerie Raf Van Severen
Elena Laverón (Spain, Ceuta, 1938) Pareja Sentada (Seating Couple), 1975 Cast bronze with dark patina H 170 x W 193 x D 116 cm Edition of 3 + 2 AP Literature: Antonio Abad, 'Elena Laverón, The flight of forms', 1987, p. 168; Juan Ibáñez Plaza (com.), 'de Elena Laverón', Roquetas de Mar (Almería), Ayuntamiento de Roquetas de Mar, 2008, p. 115; Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Telmo de Málaga, Anuario 2016 (n° 16), Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Telmo, 2016, p. 389; Tania Fernández de Toledo, Raya Fayad, Sotheby's France, 'UNESCO: La collection d'art', 2017, p. 431 Reference: in 1993, Pareja Sentada was installed at UNESCO's Bonvin building In 1936, the French-language premiere of Arnold Schoenberg’s monodrama Erwartung was staged at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, with Jean Brusselmans commissioned to design the sets. 'Decor for Erwartung' is a study for the fourth scene of the drama. In this scene, the female protagonist, desperately searching for her lover, comes across a road in the middle of a forest. To her horror, she discovers his lifeless body lying beside a lonely house. Brusselmans’ distinctive painting style, characterised by its return to simplicity and its deliberately alienated figures, makes it remarkably easy to imagine what the stage sets must have looked like during the actual performance. The work offers the viewer an endless source of imagination. Combined with the fascinating history behind its creation, these qualities make 'Decor for Erwartung' an absolute masterpiece.
Galerie Berès
Henri Hayden (Warschau 1883-1970 Paris) Le banjo, circa 1920 Gouache on paper 28 x 36.7 cm Signed lower left 'Hayden' Certificate of authenticity by Pierre Célice dated 15 April 2012 This work will be included in the forthcoming Henri Hayden catalogue raisonné currently in preparation Literature: Henri Hayden (1883-1970), Bibliothèque Polonaise de Paris, 12 June-12 July 2013, pp. 28 Exhibition: Henri Hayden, Soixante ans de peinture 1908-1968, Musée National d'Art Moderne de Paris, 3 May-2 June 1968
Argento Gallery
Master of the portrait of the Van Collen family Portrait of a family in a wood, circa 1660 Oil on canvas 95 x 108 cm Provenance: sale of the Dr F. Koser collection, Keller & Reiner, Berlin, 6-7 March 1906, lot 87; private collection, Stockholm, 1938; sale, Bukowskis, Stockholm, 19 April 1961, lot 136, ill. as Ferdinand Bol, signed and dated 1666; private collection Literature: Bukowskis, 100 Years, 1870-1970, Stockholm, 1970, pp. 36-37, ill. as Ferdinand Bol; Albert Blankert, Ferdinand Bol (1616-1680): Rembrandt’s Pupil, 1982, pp. 191-192, n° R276 (attribution to Bol rejected) Attributed to the unidentified artist known as the Master of the portrait of the Van Collen family, who also painted the portrait of Jeremias van Collen, Susanna van Uffelen and their children in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. Probably painted around 1660, the present work shows the influence of Jan Mijtens in its arrangement of the family within a wooded landscape.
Galerie Jean-François Cazeau
Victor Vasarely (Pecs 1908-1997 Paris) EG-2, 1965 Acrylic on canvas 160 x 160 cm Signed in the centre Countersigned, titled and dated on the reverse Certificate of authenticity issued by Pierre Vasarely dated 26 July 2020 Provenance: the artist’s studio; Galerie Denise René, Paris; private collection, France
Univers du Bronze
Auguste Rodin (Paris 1840-1917 Meudon) Saint John the Baptist preaching, cast in 1899 Bronze, richly dark brown patina H 19.6 x W 12.5 x D 5.3 cm Reduction n° 3 (1/10 of original size) Signed Rodin and marked 'Thiebaut frères, Fumière et Gavignot Successeurs' Edition of 4 (in this size) Provenance: Knoedler and Co collection; sale Sotheby’s New York (6 October 1989) Lifetime cast signed 'Rodin', old cast and edition by Thiébaut with the engraved mark 'Thiebaut frères, Fumière et Gavignot Successeurs' (purchase of the funds and Thiébaut rights by Fumière et Gavignot in 1898). This example is probably the first, maybe the second of an edition of 4 cast in 1899 (prime account from 4 February to 9 December 1899), stamped '200' under the base (sale price 200 frs?) and engraved '4' (number of casts?) Rodin began work on his Saint John the Baptist in 1878, while conceiving La Porte de l’Enfer, the monumental project from which some of his most celebrated sculptures would emerge, including Le Penseur, Le Baiser and Ugolino. The inspiration came from his encounter with an Italian model, César Pignatelli, known as Bevilacqua, whose powerful physique and expressive features immediately struck the sculptor. Rodin recognised in him the image of Saint John the Baptist: a man of nature, a visionary and a prophet. This encounter marked the beginning of a collaboration lasting over twenty years, during which Pignatelli became one of Rodin’s favourite models. The original plaster was conceived larger than life, exceeding two metres in height, and exhibited at the Salon in 1880. The following year, the bronze version was presented and subsequently acquired by the French State. In 1898, Rodin signed an edition contract with Fumières et Cie, leading to the production of three reduced versions measuring 80, 50 and 20 cm. The present Saint John the Baptist belongs to the rarest, third-scale version, of which only four examples were produced: two in 1899 and two in 1903. Its simple engraved foundry inscription, rather than a stamp, suggests that it may be the earliest cast. Through the exceptional finesse of its modelling and chiselling, the sculpture recalls the splendour of Renaissance bronzes. Depicted nude and stripped of his traditional attributes, Saint John embodies the prophet’s asceticism. His raised finger evokes his preaching in the desert, while Rodin’s powerful interpretation and striking musculature give the figure an unprecedented expressive force. A seminal work of modern sculpture, Saint John the Baptist profoundly influenced later generations of artists, notably Alberto Giacometti, whose studio contained numerous books, postcards and photographs documenting his fascination with Rodin’s masterpiece.
Galerie Tiago
Rectangular lacquered wooden suzuribako (writing box) Japan, Edo period (1603-1868) Wood, lacquer, silver, gold, hiramaki-e, takamaki-e, kirigane, gyōbu-nashiji, tsumemaki nashiji H 4.7 x W 27 x D 23.5 cm Decorated in gold lacquer with a continuous design depicting a pavilion set in a karst landscape dotted with pine and maple trees. Complete with an inkstone, a silver water dropper, a blade and a set of brushes.
Dei Bardi Art
Kneeling donor figure South Netherlandish, second half of the 16th century Limestone 67 x 22 x 37 cm Provenance: ancient collector's label on the reverse This rare limestone portrait of a Renaissance donor, kneeling in prayer and remarkably well preserved. Carved in the Southern Netherlands in the second half of the 16th century, the figure combines exceptional quality of execution with a richly detailed costume. The woman wears a huik, the characteristic outer garment of the women of the Low Countries, over a ruff with figure-of-eight pleats. This combination places the work in the last decades of the 16th century, c. 1560-1590. Beneath, a bodice with a central busk and cuffs incised with fine ornament complete an ensemble rendered with great precision. Familiar from painted portraits, such dress is only rarely preserved in such detail in sculpture. The face, with its heavy eyelids and marked features, favours a faithful likeness over an idealized type and lends the figure a quiet gravity and a strong sense of individual presence. The sculptor worked the piece fully in the round, and the crispness of the ruff, the incised cuffs, the hands and the drapery points to an important private commission, most likely from a family of considerable means and standing. The figure bears witness to those families who, in the Renaissance, could commission skilled sculptors to perpetuate their memory. Such images also conveyed the power of their patrons. This secular tradition, so different in spirit from religious sculpture, helped shape the stylistic evolution of Renaissance art. An old collector’s label on the reverse attests to the figure’s long history in collections.
Galerie Capazza
Goudji (Georgia, Borjomi, 1941) Coupe ovale à l'oiseau bleu à la crinière verte, 2025 Sterling silver 925 (1,976 gr), sodalite, aventurine, serpentine, porphyry H 12 x W 70 x D 28 cm Total weight 2,980 gr Bears the master's mark Provenance: the artist's studio Exhibition: exhibited at galerie Capazza
Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery
Pierre Alechinsky (Brussels, 1927) L’Or du Rien, 1967-1968 Acrylic on paper mounted on canvas, and border in China ink on paper mounted on wood 210 x 295 cm Signed and dated lower right Signed, dated and titled on the reverse Provenance: Stéphane Janssen collection, Beverly Hills, USA; Sotheby’s London, Contemporary Art Part I, 1996; private collection, Brussels; Sotheby’s Paris, 2011; Galerie Lelong, Paris, France; private collection, Brussels Exhibitions: Bruges, Stadshallen, Triennale voor Plastiche Kunsten in Belgie, 1968, n° 6; Charleroi, Palace of Fine Arts, Prix de la critique, 1968-1969, n° 29; Brême, Ausstellung Kunsthalle Bremen, Pierre Alechinsky, Gemälde, 1958-1968, 1969; Brussels, Palace of Fine Arts, Pierre Alechinsky, 1969; Humlebaek, Louisiana Museum & Düsseldorf, Kunstverein (travelling exhibition); Antwerp, ICC-Internationaal Cultureel Centrum, Prijs van de Kritiek, 1969-1970; Cagnes-sur-Mer, IIème Festival International de la Peinture, 1970; Prix du Lauréat 1970, Deuxième Palette d’Or; Venise, Biennale Internazionale d’Arte di Venezia, Pavillon Belge, 1972; Darmstadt, Mathildenhöhe Darmstadt, Pierre Alechinsky, 1974; Rotterdam, Museum Boymans van Beuningen, Alechinsky 1965-1974, 1974-1975; Paris, Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, 1975 (travelling exhibition); Zurich, Kunsthalle, 1975; Pittsburgh, Carnegie Museum of Art, International Series, Alechinsky, Paintings and writings, 1977-78; Toronto, Art Gallery of Ontario, 1978 (travelling exhibition); Scottsdale, Scottsdale Center for the Arts, A Museum in the Making: Alechinsky and Alquin From the Janssen Collection of Fine Art, 1996; Dunkerque, LAAC (Musée de Dunkerque), October 2012-March 2013
Heutink Ikonen
‘Weep not for Me, Mother’ Russia, mid 17th century Egg tempera on gesso on linen-covered wood 31 x 26 cm Provenance: private collection, Belgium; Morsink Ikonen, Amsterdam Among the most moving images of Orthodox art is the icon known as ‘Weep Not for Me, Mother’. Its title is drawn from the liturgy of Holy Saturday, where Christ addresses his grieving mother from the tomb: 'Weep not for Me, O Mother... for I shall arise and be glorified…' The icon depicts a moment between the crucifixion and the Resurrection: the profound silence of Holy Saturday. Christ stands or rises from the tomb, whilst the Mother of God tenderly embraces him and mourns for him. The intensity of their encounter lends the image an extraordinary emotional power. Although the scene may remind Western viewers of the Pietà, its spiritual focus is different. Whilst the Pietà centres on the grief of the Blessed Virgin, ‘Weep Not for Me, Mother’ looks forward to Easter and the promise that death does not have the final say.
Galerie Taménaga
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Limoges 1841-1919 Cagnes-surMer) Paysage de Cagnes, 1900 Oil on canvas 24 x 54 cm Signed with initials lower left 'AR' This work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of the work of Pierre-Auguste Renoir currently in preparation by the Wildenstein Plattner Institute Provenance: Ambroise Vollard, Paris; private collection, Japan Literature: Ambroise Vollard, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Tableaux, pastels et dessins, Alan Wofsy Fine Arts, San Francisco, 1989, n° 612, 1185 and 1330, ill. pp. 155, 258 and 279
Galerie Uzal
Jean Delville (Louvain 1867-1953 Forest) La Libération, 1936 Oil on canvas 188.5 x 240.5 cm (framed) Signed and dated Exhibition: Brussels, Salon de la Société des Beaux-Arts-Salon de Printemps 1936 In a letter addressed to the former owner and dated 1 July 1947, Jean Delville described the work as follows: 'Man, in flight, frees himself and escapes towards broader horizons and spaces of freedom, while the forces of evil hold him back in the lower spheres of the world, where the inert mass of beings remains imprisoned by their prejudices, desires, passions and selfishness.'
Galerie Raf Van Severen
Jean Brusselmans (Brussels 1884-1953 Dilbeek) Decor for Erwartung, 1936 Mixed media on paper 60 x 90 cm Label at the back; Erwartung; Decor pour 'Erwartung', d’Arnold Schoenberg, 1936; Décor pour le 4e acte Literature: Paul Haesaerts, Jean Brusselmans, 1939, p. 67; Robert L. Delevoy, Jean Brusselmans: CR établi par Mme G. Brys-Schatan, 1972, 421.IV In 1936, the French-language premiere of the monodrama Erwartung by Arnold Schoenberg was organized in the Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels. And it was Jean Brusselmans who was commissioned with the design of the sets. In “Decor for Erwartung” we see the study for the 4th scene of the drama. During this scene the female protagonist, who is desperately on search for her lover, encounters a road in the middle of the forest. To her horror, she can only discover his lifeless body by the edge of a lonely house. Brusselmans’ typical painting style, where he grabs back to simplicity and clearly alienated figures, remarkably makes it easier to visualize how the sets must have looked during the actual play. It gives the viewer an endless source of imagination. Together with the history behind the work it makes an absolute masterpiece of “Decor for Erwartung’.
Herwig Simons Fine Arts
Memento Mori Europe, 17th century Carved stone representing a laurel-crowned skull and bones H 28 x D 18 cm Provenance: previously in the collection of Christian de Bruyn, former chairman of the Royal Belgian Chamber of Art and Antique Dealers, now ROCAD; private collection, Paris An evocative and finely carved Memento Mori sculpture depicting a human skull crowned with a laurel wreath and accompanied by crossed bones. Executed in stone, the sculpture displays a richly weathered surface and a beautiful time-worn patina.
Beck & Eggeling International Fine Art
Pablo Picasso (Málaga 1881-1973 Mougins) Femme au fauteuil I (Le manteau polonais), 1949 (16 January) Lithograph on Arches vellum 75.5 x 56.6 cm Signed lower right, numbered lower left, inscribed on the reverse '148, Pablo Picasso, Femme au Fauteuil I' Edition 45/50 (Mourlot, Paris) Provenance: Zürcher Kunstgesellschaft, Kunsthaus, Zurich; private collection, Switzerland (acquired 1954 during the exhibition 'Pablo Picasso im Kunsthaus Zürich', mentioned above); private collection (by descent); Germann Auktionen, Zurich, 25 June 2025, Lot 894; private collection, Berlin Literature: L.G. Buchheim, Pablo Picasso-aus dem graphischen Werk. Abbildungen nach Radierungen und Lithographien, Leipzig 1950, p. 42 (ill. full page b/w ill.); Fernand Mourlot, Picasso. Lithographie II, 1947-1949, Monte Carlo 1950, n° 134, p. 104, (ill. b/w p. 113); Pablo Picasso. Das graphische Werk, exhib. cat. Kunsthaus Zürich, Geneve 1954, n° 362 (not ill.); Fernand Mourlot, Picasso Lithograph, Éditions du livre, Paris 1970, n° 134, p. 109 (ill. b/w); Georges Bloch, Picasso. Catalogue de l'oeuvre gravé et lithographié 1904-1967, vol. I, Bern 1975, n° 586, p. 142 (b/w); Bernd Rau, Pablo Picasso. Die Lithographien, Stuttgart 1988, n° 386, p. 241 (ill. b/w); Ulrike Gauss (ed.), Pablo Picasso. Die Lithographie, Ostfldern-Ruit 2000, n° 413/134, p. 146 (ill. full page b/w)
Sceners Gallery
Marcel Kammerer (Vienna 1878-1959 Montreal) Set of one sofa, a pair of armchairs and a pedestal table, circa 1905 Stained beechwood, metal, and dyed winter cowhide Sofa: H 74 x W 165 x D 80 cm Armchairs: H 74 x W 88 x D 80 cm Pedestal table: H 77.5 x Ø 70 cm Signed Mundus For Gebrüder Thonet / Mundus
