25 JANUARY 1 FEBRUARY 2026

BRUSSELS EXPO | HEYSEL

Artworks

This section will be available this Autumn.

Galerijen
Galerijen Galerie AB - Agnès Aittouarès Franck Anelli Fine Art Ars Antiqua d'Arschot & Cie Art et Patrimoine - Laurence Lenne Arte-Fact Fine Art Artimo Fine Arts Galerie Ary Jan Galerie BA - Berthet Aittouarès HELENE BAILLY MARCILHAC Véronique Bamps Barbara Bassi Beck & Eggeling International Fine Art Galerie de la Béraudière Galerie Berès Bernier/Eliades Galeria Bessa Pereira Galerie BG Arts Boon Gallery Galerie Alexis Bordes Bernard Bouisset Galerie Boulakia Galerie Nicolas Bourriaud Brame & Lorenceau Cabinet of Curiosities - Honourable Silver Objects Galerie Capazza Giammarco Cappuzzo Fine Art Carlucci Gallery Galerie Jean-François Cazeau Galerie Cento Anni Chambre professionnelle belge de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne (CLAM) Citadelles & Mazenod CKS Gallery Claes Gallery Collectors Gallery COLNAGHI Costermans Dalton Somaré De Brock De Jonckheere Galerie Bernard De Leye Galerie Oscar De Vos De Wit Fine Tapestries De Zutter Art Gallery Dei Bardi Art Thomas Deprez Fine Arts Patrick Derom Gallery Desmet Fine Arts Virginie Devillez Fine Art DIE GALERIE Douwes Fine Art b.v. Epoque Fine Jewels Finch & Co Galerie Flak A&R Fleury Galerie La Forest Divonne Galerie Christophe Gaillard Galerie des Modernes Gilden's Art Gallery Grusenmeyer-Woliner Galerie Hadjer Galerie Haesaerts-le Grelle Philippe Heim Heutink Ikonen Galerie Hioco Hoffmans Antiques Huberty & Breyne Galerie Hurtebize rodolphe janssen Francis Janssens van der Maelen Kunsthaus Kende Harold t’Kint de Roodenbeke Florian Kolhammer Hartford Fine Art - Lampronti Gallery Alexis Lartigue Lemaire Galerie Lowet de Wotrenge Francis Maere Fine Arts Maison D'Art Maisonjaune Studio Martins&Montero Martos Gallery MARUANI MERCIER MassModernDesign Galerie Mathivet Mearini Fine Art Galerie Greta Meert Meessen Galerie la Ménagerie Mulier Mulier Gallery Jan Muller Antiques Klaas Muller NARDI VENEZIA Nosbaum Reding Dr. Nöth kunsthandel Galerie Nathalie Obadia, Paris/Brussels Objects With Narratives Galeria Jordi Pascual Galerie La Patinoire Royale Bach Pauline's Jewellery Box Pelgrims de Bigard Galerie Alexis Pentcheff Christophe Perlès Galerie Perrin Guy Pieters Gallery Gallery de Potter d’Indoye Galerie de la Présidence Pron Van Pruissen Asian Art QG Gallery Maison Rapin Almine Rech Stéphane Renard Fine Art Repetto Gallery robertaebasta Romigioli Antichità Laurent Schaubroeck Serge Schoffel - Art Premier Segoura Fine Art Edouard Simoens Gallery Herwig Simons Fine Arts Stern Pissarro Gallery Stone Gallery Galerie Taménaga TASCHEN TEMPLON The old Treasury Galerie Patrice Trigano unforget Decorative Arts Univers du Bronze Vagabond Antiques Gallery Sofie Van de Velde Van Herck-Eykelberg Galerie Raf Van Severen Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery Maurice Verbaet Gallery Galerie von Vertes Axel Vervoordt Galerie Dina Vierny VKD Jewels Galerie Florence de Voldère N. Vrouyr Floris van Wanroij Fine Art Galerie Watteeu by Edouard & Andrea de Caters Victor Werner WHITFORD Willow Gallery
 

Gilden's Art Gallery

Gino Severini (Italy, Cortona 1883-1966 Paris, France) The dancer, 1959 Tempera painting on wove paper 39.5 x 28.5 cm Signed lower right 'G. Severini' and dedicated in pencil ‘al caro vecchio amico Raffaele Carrieri, affectuoso riccordi di Gino Severini’ [to a dear old friend Raffaelle Carrieri, with affectionate memories, Gino Severini] in the lower right corner The work comes with a photo-certificate of authenticity by Romana Severini Brunori dated 13 May 2025 Provenance: the celebrated poet Raffaele Carrieri (1905-1984); private collection, Milan

 

Segoura Fine Art

charles-alexandre debacq

Charles-Alexandre Debacq (Paris, 1804-1850) The Temptation of Saint Anthony, 1831 Oil on canvas 106 x 79 cm Signed lower left Exhibition: Paris, Salon of 1831

 

Bernier/Eliades

martina quesada

Martina Quesada (Argentina, Buenos Aires 1987) The verge was always there, 2025 Linen and wood 143 x 215 cm

 

Boon Gallery

kwang young chun

Chun Kwang Young (South Korea, Hongcheon 1944) Aggregation, 2007 Mixed media with Korean mulberry paper 163 x 131 cm Signed and dated on reverse

 

Citadelles & Mazenod

L'art du dessin A synthesis and a dive into an essential part of the history of art, retracing the genesis of artworks from sketches to final projects H 31.5 x W 25 cm Published by Citadelles & Mazenod in 2025

 

Galerie Lowet de Wotrenge

frans pourbus the elder (bruges 1545/46 - 1581 antwerp)

Frans Pourbus the Elder (Bruges 1545-1581 Antwerp) Portrait of Peeter van Panhuys, alderman and treasurer of Antwerp, 1562 Oil on oak panel 105 x 75 cm Dated upper left 'A°. 1562' and inscribed below the date ‘Aetat: 34’ Provenance: private collection, Belgium Literature: R. Willmott, Antwerp and the Golden Age: Culture, Conflict and Commerce, Unicorn, 2025 (ill.) In an era when wealth and power increasingly resided not in hereditary titles but in commerce and banking, Frans I Pourbus captured the self-assured gaze of the new elite. This striking portrait depicts Peeter van Panhuys - merchant, banker's agent, and future treasurer of Antwerp - at a pivotal moment in his rise through one of Europe's most dynamic commercial centers. The work's contemporary resonance is unmistakable. Van Panhuys embodies the entrepreneurial spirit that still defines global finance, yet his story also reflects our modern anxieties: barely two decades after this portrait was painted, religious conflict forced him to flee Antwerp as a refugee, abandoning everything he had built. His biography encapsulates the precariousness of prosperity in times of social upheaval - a theme that speaks powerfully to today's world of political instability and forced migration. Pourbus renders his subject with remarkable psychological acuity. The prominent gold chain and exquisitely detailed black doublet announce van Panhuys' status, while the crisp white ruff - painted with virtuosic precision - frames a face of penetrating intelligence. In his left hand, he holds a pair of gloves, a refined accessory that signals his gentlemanly aspirations and membership in Antwerp's sophisticated mercantile elite. Recently rediscovered from a Belgian private collection, the sitter's identity is confirmed through his appearance in Maerten de Vos's monumental family portrait at the Mauritshuis, where van Panhuys stands among the interconnected dynasties that dominated Antwerp's Golden Age. This painting invites us to reconsider the origins of our modern world - built not by kings and generals, but by ambitious merchants whose portraits demanded the same dignity once reserved for nobility.

 

Maisonjaune Studio

Gabriella Crespi (Saronno 1922-2017 Milan) Daybed (house and garden collection), 1977 Wood, rattan and brass H 210 x W 140 x D 215 cm Signed Certificate of authenticity signed by the artist's daughter

 

Pron

fausto melotti

Fausto Melotti (Rovereto 1901-1986 Milan) Il meridiano delle campane, 1979 Brass H 97.5 x W 74 x D 38 cm Literature: Milan, Galleria Stendhal, Cascella Consagra Melotti, 1980; Padua, Stevenson Arte Contemporanea, Fausto Melotti. Sculture, tecniche miste e incisioni, 1982; Intra, Galleria Corsini, Fausto Melotti. Sculture e Acquarelli. Un'opera d'arte è un'oasi, 1982; Busto Arsizio, Galleria Il Punto Sette, Fausto Melotti, 1984; Parma, Galleria La Sanseverina, Fausto Melotti, 1986, pp. 29, 47, n° 29, ill. Exhibitions: Gianni Cavazzini, Poetiche sosprese di Fausto Melotti, in Gazzetta di Parma, May 23rd, 1986, ill.; Germano Celant, Melotti, Catalogo generale, Tomo secondo, Sculture 1973-1986 e Bassorilievi, Milan 1996, p. 512, 1979 n° 21, ill.

 

Brame & Lorenceau

marie laurencin

Marie Laurencin (Paris, 1883-1956) Jeune fille au bouquet de fleurs, circa 1935-1940 Oil on canvas 61 x 50 cm Signed upper left Provenance: private collection Literature: Daniel Marchesseau, 'Marie Laurencin, Catalogue raisonné de l’Œuvre Peint', 1986, Éditions du Musée Marie Laurencin, Japan, 1986, n° 1150, repr. B&W

 

A&R Fleury

Pierre Alechinsky (Brussels, 1927) Traité des excitants modernes, 1990 Acrylic and ink on paper mounted on canvas 136 x 75 cm Signed and dated 'Alechinsky 90' lower right

 

Galerie Alexis Pentcheff

maurice utrillo

Maurice Utrillo (Paris 1883-1955 Dax) Belle Gabrielle, Montmartre, circa 1912-1914 Oil and gesso on cardboard mounted on panel, signed lower right 41 x 55.5 cm Provenance: London, Christie’s sale, 23 June 2004, lot n° 267; European private collection; Galerie Alexis Pentcheff; private collection, France Literature: Jean Fabris and Cédric Paillier, L’œuvre complet de Maurice Utrillo, Paris, 2009, repr. n° 332, p. 396; Maurice Utrillo, exhibition catalogue, Tokyo, Seiji Togo Memorial Sompo Japan Museum of Art, 2010, n° 1, p. 142 (ill. in colour in the section 'Works reproduced as archives') Exhibitions: Centenary of the Birth of Maurice Utrillo, Musée Jacquemart-André, Paris, May-August 1983, n° 13 (travelling exhibition to Liège, Musée Saint-Georges, and to Lille, Fondation Septentrion in Marcq-en-Barœul, until 15 January 1984); Maurice Utrillo, Tokyo, then Osaka, Kyoto, and Yamaguchi, Japan, 1 November 1985-5 May 1986, n° 17 (ill. cat. in colour); Maurice Utrillo: Solitude Urbaine, Galerie Alexis Pentcheff, Marseille, 22 September-4 November 2017, n° 3 (ill. cat. in colour)

 

Galerie Patrice Trigano

mel ramos

Mel Ramos (California, 1935) Tammy Time, 1997 Watercolour on paper 76 x 48 cm

 

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.

 

Galerie de la Présidence

andré lanskoy

André Lanskoy (Moscow 1903-1976 Paris) Composition, 1947 Charcoal on paper 108 x 74 cm Signed lower right Provenance: Galerie Louis Carré & Cie, Paris; Galerie Renou & Poyet, Paris; private collection, The Netherlands

 

De Wit Fine Tapestries

victor vasarely

Victor Vasarely (Hungary 1906-1997 Paris) WA-4, circa 1970 Wool 156 x 156 cm Signed lower right corner Aubusson, atelier Pinton (Monogram lower left corner) Edition 1/6 The WA-4 tapestry consists of a large square divided into four squares, on top of which a fifth square is placed, itself divided into four squares. The inside of each of these squares is filled with rhombuses whose colour change from dark blue to purple and then to light beige. These rhombi are arranged on backgrounds of varying colours, ranging from charcoal grey to purple and pink, then from aqua green to pale pink and dark green. The different colour areas are clearly distinct from one another when viewed up close on the tapestry's very fine fabric. But when you step back and view the tapestry from a distance, the planes and shapes seem to interact with each other, and the colours appear to move. The optical effects are particularly striking here. Our gaze is captured by the illusion of movement created by the brain. Vasarely experimented with this fascinating relationship between vision and perception in his paintings, which he then transposed into various media, including glass, ceramics, metal, goldsmithing and tapestry. Vasarely relied on science, because he believed it was the only common language available to humanity. He developed a pictorial system based on the logic of algorithms and binary codes, a square background, coloured and filled with simple geometric shapes. A champion of geometric abstraction, he is best known as the inventor of op-kinetic art (the adjective kinetic derives from the Greek word κίνησις (kinesis), meaning “movement”). Op art or optical art was revealed to the general public by the sensational exhibition ‘Le Mouvement’ (1955), which Vasarely initiated at the Denise René gallery in Paris. In this exhibition he brought together younger artists such as Bury, Jacobsen, Soto and Tinguely alongside the leading figures of Marcel Duchamp and Alexander Calder.  Alongside his work as a painter, Vasarely devoted a significant portion of his activity to transposing his art into other media. He promoted the reproduction of his works as tapestries, as he saw this as an opportunity for recreation, in contrast to the concept of a unique work. He envisioned a concept of art for all, based on a new aesthetic, leading to ‘the polychrome city of happiness’. He thought of his tapestries as prototypes, hand-woven in limited numbers and displayed in the comfortable homes of art lovers. He painted around a hundred tapestry cartoons, woven in various workshops. Furthermore, he played a pioneering role by inviting other artists to try their hand at this art form, including Léger, Jean Arp, Agam, Atlan, Dewasne and Josef Albers. This textile experimentation was the result of Vasarely's encounter with François Tabard, an Aubusson tapestry entrepreneur, and Denise René, an avant-garde gallery owner. According to the artist, kinetic art, often described as cold, is compatible with tapestry insofar as it results from a "technique that allows for flat areas to retain warmth. There is none of the monotony of flat areas applied with a brush to a surface." With Tabard, Vasarely developed a systematic method of creating cartoons, allowing infinite chromatic combinations to be obtained. Denise René was the publisher of these tapestries (1952-1970). From 1966 onwards, the national tapestry manufacturers of the Gobelins and Beauvais wove Vasarely's designs. Shortly afterwards, another industrialist from Aubusson, Olivier Pinton, began weaving Vasarely's designs. More than thirty cartoons were finely woven, including WA-4, created around 1970.

 

Bernard Bouisset

Van Cleef & Arpels 'Mermoz' necklace Pendant necklace convertible into a long chain and brooch Diamonds and gold Circa 1975

 

Van Herck-Eykelberg

Yayoi Kusama (Japan, Matsumoto 1929) Nets 61, 1998 Acrylic on canvas 38 x 45 cm Certificate of authenticity from the Yayoi Kusama Foundation

 

Galerie Raf Van Severen

philippe vandenberg

Philippe Vandenberg (Ghent 1952-2009 Brussels) Composition, 1987 Oil on canvas 160 x 210 cm Signed and dated at the back Certificate of authenticity signed by the artist Provenance: private collection, Antwerp

 

Finch & Co

Ivory crucifix figure of Christ South Netherlandish, circa 1690-1700 Rosewood cross, carved ivory, silver halo, giltwood Small chips to fabric of hanging Perizonium, old smooth creamy patina H 109 x W 41.5 x D 22 cm (cross) H 40 x W 24 x D 6 cm (Christ) Belgium CITES: 2025/BE00989/CE Provenance: Finch and Co, circa 2005; English private collection; Irish collection Comparative reference: a similar example in the collections of the Victoria and Albert Museum inv. n° A.73-1920 A finely carved ivory figure of Christ mounted on a rosewood cross, adorned with a silver halo and a sacred motto. The cross is embellished with giltwood details and set on its original scallop-shaped rosewood base. At Christ’s feet rests an ivory skull and crossbones, symbolising Golgotha. His legs remain uncrossed, with hands and feet affixed by iron nails. In this image of the Passion, Christ is shown alive, his eyes open looking upwards to his right, his teeth visible with his mouth open in his call to God. Imagery based on the Passion of Christ became increasingly popular from the 13th century. The mix of emotions which well up in the devout upon looking at such a human image, a blend of guilt and gratitude, sorrow and sympathy, is a very powerful combination. The Carthusian monk, Ludolph of Saxony (died 1378) expressed this attraction, without seeking to explain it, in his ‘Life of Christ’: ‘I know not for sure…. how it is that you are sweeter in the heart of one who loves you in the form of flesh than as the word…. It is sweeter to view you as dying before the Jews on the tree, than as holding sway over the angels in Heaven, to see you as a man bearing every aspect of human nature to the end, than as God manifesting divine nature, to see you as the dying Redeemer than as the invisible Creator.’

 

Chambre professionnelle belge de la Librairie Ancienne et Moderne (CLAM)

Hieronymus Bosch ('s-Hertogenbosch, circa 1450-1516) Parable of the two blind men, circa 1540-1570 Engraving by Pieter van der Heyden (circa 1530-1572) Published by Hieronymus Cock (Antwerp, 1518-1570) 22.2 x 22.5 cm References: New Hollstein Dutch 20 1(5), first state Lex Antiqua, Antiquarian printseller

 

Galerie Taménaga

Maurice Denis (Granville 1870-1943 Paris) Les Bergers, à la chèvre noire, circa 1918 Oil on canvas 45.2 x 62.2 cm Signed lower left 'Maurice Denis' Provenance: Lang; Galerie Druet; Hirschler; private collection Literature: Paris, Galerie Druet, Exposition Maurice Denis, 1918, n° 27; Ploëzal, Château de la Roche-Jagu, Maurice Denis et la Bretagne. Les étés de Silencio, 2009, n° 59, repr. p. 157

 

rodolphe janssen

sanam khatibi

Sanam Khatibi (Iran, 1979) Outgoing call, 2025 Oil on panel 13.2 x 21.5 cm 22.2 x 30.5 cm (framed)

 

Harold t’Kint de Roodenbeke

Englebert Van Anderlecht (Brussels, 1918-1961) Rome 1, 1960 Oil on canvas 150 x 122 cm Signed, dated and titled on the reverse Inventory number 664 on the reverse Provenance: private collection, Brussels Literature: Serge Goyens de Heusch, Englebert Van Anderlecht, Mercator, 1998, ill. p. 207; Englebert Van Anderlecht, exhibition catalogue, MRBAB, Brussels, 1990, ill. n° 79 Exhibitions: Galerij M.A.S. Astene, march-april 1969; Museum van Deinze, Englebert Van Anderlecht, March-May 1990; MRBAB, Englebert Van Anderlecht, Brussels, 1990 In the shadow of war and its aftermath, Englebert Van Anderlecht began his career as an artist in the early 1940s, right in the midst of the global conflict. After this tragedy, the “young Belgian painting” movement brought together a group of artists in a state of euphoria. Their style was colorful and optimistic - a form of rebirth, a way to forget and move toward new horizons. By the late 1940s, there was a desire to recreate new rules - or rather, to affirm that there were no longer any rules. Creativity alone mattered and had to prevail over any form of academicism. Thus, Englebert Van Anderlecht turned toward abstraction at the end of the 1940s and definitively embraced it by the mid-1950s. His palette grew stronger, his tones deeper, and he adhered to a form of abstract expressionism. This style of painting reflected a worldwide desire for rupture and emancipation. In the United States, the tone was set by Jackson Pollock and Franz Kline, from gestural to abstract expressionism. In France, a new generation emerged with Nicolas de Staël, Pierre Soulages, Simon Hantaï, and Judith Reigl. Belgium was no exception, with Antoine Mortier and Englebert Van Anderlecht, the latter being the most committed to the path of free or abstract expressionism. “I believe it is essential that there be men who do not accept established rules, who do not believe that truth is forever what a few moral leaders have decided it to be, who see that life is not merely the sum of all discoveries made so far. In this, I see a promise of freedom. We believe that everything remains to be done, that our earth is young, that we are not old men sunk into routine, and that the marvelous still awaits us tomorrow.” - Text by Englebert Van Anderlecht, 1960 Within this context, the large and striking canvas, Rome I, belongs to the period of maturity and recognition of this artist, who died prematurely in 1961 at the age of 43. The brush or paintbrush seems to whirl across the canvas like a ballet. The tones are deep, intense, applied with palpable strength and energy, while the final result bursts forth across the space. The work then takes on its full dimension, filling the surface with unmatched power - one of the finest works by this essential figure of Belgian painting.

 

Galerie Jean-François Cazeau

martial raysse

Martial Raysse (Nice, 1936) Green on green, 1964 Spray paint, xerography, collage, oil and cardboard mounted on canvas 33 x 22 x 7 cm Signed Martial Raysse, dated 64 and titled Green on green (on the reverse) This work is registered in the inventory 'l'Oeuvre de Martial Raysse' under n° IMR-0193 Provenance: William Copley collection, USA; Christie's, New York, Contemporary Art - Including property from the collection of William Copley, 8 November 1993, lot 8; private collection, Paris; acquired from the above by the present owner Exhibition: New York, Galerie Luxembourg & Dayan, Martial Raysse: 1960-1974, 11 May-13 July 2013

 

Gallery de Potter d’Indoye

Mantel clock depicting the fall of Phaeton Ormoulu bronze France, Consulat period, circa 1800 H 80 x W 53 x D 19 cm Provenance: collection of Robert de Balkany, Paris Literature: Hans Ottomeyer and Peter Pröschel, Vergoldete Bronzen, Munich, 1986, pp. 354-355, n° 5.9.4.; Marie-France Dupuis-Baylet, L’Heure, le Feu, la Lumière, les Bronzes du Mobilier National 1800-1870, 2010, Ed. Faton, p. 26 n° 1; Marie-France Dupuy-Baylet, Napoléon 1er et les Arts décoratifs. Trésors des palais impériaux, exh. cat. 2013, Macao, Museum of Art, n° 1, pp. 34-35; Thierry Sarmant, Palais disparus de Napoléon : Tuileries, Saint-Cloud, Meudon [exhibition, Paris, Galerie des Gobelins, 15 September 2021 to 15 January 2022], Paris : In fine, 2021; Adrien Goetz, Ambroise Tézenas, Résidences présidentielles, Paris : Flammarion, 2021, p.173 The subject of this clock illustrates the episode in which Jupiter strikes Phaeton with a thunderbolt. Phaeton wanted proof that he was the son of the Sun, (Helios). Phaeton then asked his father to let him drive his chariot. Terrified by the height and the sky, Phaeton veered off course and descended so low that he scorched the Earth. The maddened stars complained to Jupiter, who struck the chariot and Phaeton. 'The terrified horses leap in a large circular movement with pin-wheel escapement mounted on the backplate, the pendulum crutch with fine-screw beat adjustment, and outside countwheel strike on a bell, the canthmechanism showing seconds with original hands'. The bronzier Pierre-Etienne Romain (1765- after 1821) deposited the drawing of a Clock representing the same subject in the cabinet of drawings of the National Library in March 1800. Related works: The Mobilier National keeps three clocks representing this subject: one found at the Tuileries Palace in 1809, another at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the third at the Palace of Saint Cloud in 1818, then at the Elysée Palace.

 

DIE GALERIE

andré masson

André Masson (Balagny-sur-Thérain 1896-1987 Paris) La victime, 1942 Gouache and sand on wood 37.8 x 32.8 cm Monogrammed and dated lower left Provenance: the artist’s studio; Galleria Studio Due Ci, Rome Literature: Masson: Massaker, Metamorphosen, Mythologien. exh. cat. Kunstmuseum Bern, Bern 1996, p. 39; André Masson. Un Combat, exh. cat. Musées de la Cour d'Or, Metz 1999, p. 39, 181; André Masson. La mémoire du monde, exh. cat. DIE GALERIE, Frankfurt am Main 2025, p. 43. Exhibitions: Masson: Massaker, Metamorphosen, Mythologien. Kunstmuseum Bern, 1996; André Masson. Un Combat, Musées de la Cour d'Or, Metz, 1999; André Masson. Zwischen Welten – Entremondes, Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Chemnitz, 2019-2020; André Masson. La mémoire du monde, DIE GALERIE, Frankfurt am Main, 2024-2025

 

Van Pruissen Asian Art

nagai ikka

Nagai Ikka (Japan, 1869–1940) Pair of six-panel folding screens with crows, 1930s Ink on paper H 137 x W 268 cm (each) Signed in the bottom corner Provenance: private collection, Japan Nagai Ikka (also known by the art names Zuiunan and Hanpo) was born in 1869 in Suibara, Niigata Prefecture, during the early Meiji period. He trained under leading masters of the Maruyama and Shijō schools, including Suzuki Shōnen, Nakano Kimei, and Hirafuku Hoan, and later absorbed stylistic influences from Kawanabe Kyōsai. This grounding in careful observation and naturalistic rendering provided the foundation for a personal style that balanced precision with expressive freedom. He began painting crow paintings after helping Ernest Francisco Fenollosa create 'One Hundred Crows', a painting he had commissioned from Kyosai. The late Meiji and Taishō periods were marked by profound change in Japanese art, as artists navigated between traditional aesthetics and the growing influence of Western naturalism. Ikka embraced this dialogue, drawing on classical ink painting techniques whilst expanding his horizons abroad. From 1903 to 1908, he lived in the United States, exhibiting at international events such as the Portland Expo, where he won a silver medal, and later at the Italian Expo. His crow paintings, admired both in Japan and overseas, earned him the affectionate nickname 'Doctor of Crows' from statesman Ōkuma Shigenobu. The crow (karasu) has a long symbolic tradition in Japanese culture, appearing in classical poetry, Buddhist imagery, and Shintō cosmology, most famously as Yatagarasu, the mythical three-legged crow. Ikka revitalised this motif, transforming it from a minor decorative element into the central subject of bold, dynamic compositions. This pair of six-panel folding screens demonstrates his command of movement and atmosphere. Painted in ink with sparing touches of colour, the crows appear in varied postures—perched, in flight, or interacting—creating a rhythm that guides the viewer’s eye across the expansive surface. Bold, calligraphic brushstrokes define wings and feathers, while softer washes evoke wind, mist, and shifting light. The result is a scene that is both naturalistic and poetic, combining the restraint of traditional ink painting with a striking modern vitality. Ikka’s crows are not static symbols but living presences, conveying alertness, intelligence, and social energy. His lifelong study of corvid behavior, informed by travels across Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and the United States, gave his work an observational depth rare among his contemporaries. At the same time, his art reflects a broader ambition: to elevate the ordinary into the emblematic, merging natural accuracy with expressive force. Today, Ikka’s crow paintings are prized by collectors and studied as important examples of Meiji-period nihonga, where fidelity to nature combines with enduring Japanese aesthetic ideals. These folding screens stand as a testament to his originality and his ability to transform a humble subject into a powerful symbol of vitality and freedom.

 

Cabinet of Curiosities - Honourable Silver Objects

Cartier necklace 18-carat yellow gold, diamond and onyx France, 1970s Commissioned for a Belgian family Signed and numbered Provenance: private collection, Brussels

 

Dr. Nöth kunsthandel

henry martin

Henry Martin (Toulouse 1860-1943 Labastide-du-Vert) Street in Collioure, 1920 Oil on canvas 101 x 61 cm Signed lower left 'Henri Martin' Certificate of authenticity by Mme Marie-Anne Destrebecq-Martin Provenance: estate of Monsieur X, Paris, 6th arrondissement

 

Dalton Somaré

Female figure Baule, atelier of Essankro, Ivory Coast, late 19th century Wood 51 cm Provenance: private collection, Germany; private collection, Paris

 
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