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Edouard Simoens Gallery
walter leblanc
Walter Leblanc (Antwerp 1932-1986 Silly) Torsions, 1977-1978 Black and white enamelled steel sculpture 200 x 130 cm Provenance: Walter & Nicole Leblanc Foundation; private collection; André Simoens Collection Literature: Linea Catalogue raisonné, 1997, Ludion, Brussels, CR 1271, p. 282 Exhibitions: Brussels, Tecno, Walter Leblanc Integratie, 1983; Gent, Floraliapaleis, Linea ’83, 1983
HELENE BAILLY MARCILHAC
raoul dufy
Raoul Dufy (Le Havre 1877-1953 Forcalquier) Le Pêcheur, 1907 Oil on canvas 46 x 55 cm Dedicated and signed lower right, to André Robert, Raoul Dufy Certificate of authenticity issued by Madame Fanny Guillon-Laffaille, dated December 17th, 2003 Provenance: private collection Literature: M. Laffaille, Raoul Dufy, Catalogue Raisonné de l'Oeuvre Peint, vol. I, Geneva, 1972, ill. n° 152, p. 136
De Jonckheere
pieter brueghel the younger
Pieter Brueghel the Younger (Brussels 1564-1638 Antwerp) The Payment of the Tithe or the Village Lawyer, 1622 Oil on panel 78.9 x 123.2 cm Signed and dated: P. BREVGHEL, 1622 Provenance: private collection, Belgium; Galerie Legenhoek, Paris, 1991; private collection, France Literature: Ertz, Klaus, Pieter Brueghel der Jüngere: Die Gemälde mit kritischem Oeuvrekatalog, Lingen, Luca Verlag, Vol. I, 2000, p. 513, cat. E 507, repr.; Curie, Christina, Allart, Dominique, The Brue[H]el Phenomenon, Brussels, Royal Institute for Cultural Heritage, vol. III, p. 1030-1031 This Payment of the Tithe, or The Village Lawyer, is marked by Pieter Brueghel the Younger’s verve, meticulous execution, and vibrant colours. The satirical subject mocks the profession of the lawyer responsible for collecting the heavy tax that the poorest peasants struggled to pay. The grotesque faces of the petitioners, as well as the lawyer’s prognathous jaw - associating him with the Spanish authorities then in power - fascinate through their caricatural force. This original composition by Pieter Brueghel the Younger stimulated the market of the time, generating strong demand. The success of this still-relevant satire has endured to the present day.
Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery
Bram Bogart (Delft 1921-2012 Sint Truiden) Hooigang, September 1964 Mixed media on canvas, mounted on wooden panel 106 x 124 cm Signed, dated and titled on reverse Provenance: D & R Hughes, London, 1989; private collection, Belgium Literature: Bram Bogart, The early years, 1951-1965, D & R Hughes, 1989, ill. n° 49
Galerie Bernard De Leye
Enamel basin 'Adam and Eve Mourning the Death of Abel' L 47.5x W 38.7 cm Provenance: sale Tajan 17 juin 1977, n° 127; former collection of Henry Kravis, New York; gallery 'à la Façon de Venise', Paris; former private collection, Switzerland Most Limoges enamel pieces were created over a very short period, between 1540 and 1580, marking the peak of Limoges enameling art. They reflect the French Renaissance and the Fontainebleau School. These secular objects were cherished by court dignitaries and the wealthy bourgeoisie. Too precious and fragile to be used, they adorned the sideboards of reception rooms or the cabinets’ display shelves. Comparative pieces: Musée du Louvre, Paris, eight plates from 1540/1560 by Jean Miette in Limoges enamel; Victoria & Albert Museum, London, a closed cup and two plates, circa 1560 by Jean Miette in Limoges enamel; British Museum, London, three plates, circa 1570 by Jean Miette in Limoges enamel; State Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersbourg, five plates, mid-16th century by Jean Miette in Limoges enamel
Samuel Vanhoegaerden Gallery
Bram Bogart (Delft 1921-2012 Sint Truiden) Topgroen, August 1963 Mixed media on canvas laid on wooden panel 161 x 201 cm Signed, dated and titled on reverse Provenance: private collection, London In August 1963, Bram Bogart created a powerful and iconic work: Topgroen (August 1963). The painting – executed with homemade paint on a board/canvas made by the artist himself – measures approximately 161 x 201 cm and testifies to Bogart's radically innovative approach to matter and colour. The work Topgroen is at the heart of Bogart's most highly regarded period, in which he experimented with imposing layers of paint, sculptural reliefs and a colour palette that transcends the surface and becomes almost tangible. In this work, he combines powerful fields of colour with monumental texture: an intense red surface is directly framed by thick, almost architecturally shaped green and yellow accents. The paint is hardly imagination anymore, but matter – as if the paint itself is the object. Topgroen marks a turning point in Bogart's oeuvre: colour and volume become one, the painting resists classical painting through an enormous physical presence of the matter. The work invites tactile viewing: the depth of the paint layers, the shadow effects between reliefs, and the tension between surface and volume make it a masterpiece of material painting. Bogart thus confirms his pioneering role in European post-war abstraction.
Galerie Greta Meert
carla accardi
Carla Accardi (Trapani 1924-2014 Rome) Frammenti, 1984 Acrylic on canvas 50 x 60 cm Frammenti, a work from 1984, ‘Fragments’; the work affirms Carla Accardi’s place as a voice of innovation in an Italian art scene dominated by male voices. In this 50 x 60 cm painting using only black paint on the untreated material of the canvas, the artist constructs a rhythmic interplay of signs animating recognition and illegibility, an evocation of a writing that dissolves into abstraction. The work embodies the tension that characterises her oeuvre: a subtle intertwining of classical painterly discipline and the radical openness of the avant-garde, resulting in a visual language that is as rigorous and experimental as it is personal.
Galerie Florence de Voldère
frederik bouttats l'ancien
Frédérik Bouttats the Elder (Antwerp, 1590-1661) Earthly paradise Oil on canvas 55.5 x 83 cm A painter of landscapes, paradises, and animals, he was also an engraver. He joined the Antwerp Guild as early as 1612. He had two pupils, as well as his sons Frédérik the Younger and Jacob. Founder of a famous family of artists, he contributed, along with his followers, to the influence and richness of Flemish painting through brilliant works under the influence of Velvet Brueghel, Jan van Kessel, and Roelandt Savery. To the great delight of naturalists and humanist scholars, the Breughels and their painter friends such as the Bouttats multiplied the themes of the Earthly Paradise, celebrating the beauty and diversity of creation. Like the Bird Traps, these paradises met with great success, and different versions can now be seen in the world’s greatest museums.
Costermans
Slant-front desk in European red and gilt lacquer, veneered with kingwood and marquetry of satinwood, stained maple and ebonised wood, enriched with finely chased and gilt bronze mounts, Louis XV period Stamped DELORME, the fall-front decorated with a stag-hunting scene. Provenance: L. Morton, Partridge Fine Arts – Recent Acquisitions, London, 1997, pp. 92–97, n° 38 (ill); T. Wolvesperges, Le meuble français en laque au XVIIIe siècle, Paris, 1999, p. 119, n° 71 (ill.)
Hoffmans Antiques
Pair of side cabinets Paris, circa 1800 Walnut, mahogany, and mahogany veneer with gilt-bronze mounts, grey Bardiglio marble tops H 88 x W 45 x D 44 cm In the manner of Luigi and Antonio Manfredini, Paris Provenance: private European collection This pair of neoclassical cabinets reflects the refined elegance of early 19th-century Parisian design. Each cabinet combines function with ornament, comprising drawers, a cupboard, and a concealed drawer. The gilt-bronze mounts feature central lion masks and Egyptian-inspired motifs, a reference to the vogue sparked by Napoleon’s Egyptian campaign. Topped with slabs of grey Bardiglio marble, the cabinets blend practicality and decorative sophistication.
Galerie Flak
Yipwon hook figure Korewori river, Papua New Guinea, 19th century or earlier (C-14 test) Carved wood H 200 cm Provenance: Merrin Gallery, New York; Californian artist Tony Berlant collection; acquired from the above in the 1980s; Michael Hamson collection, USA; Dr. Jean-Philippe Beaulieu collection, France; acquired from the previous in 2022
Claes Gallery
Dan 'deangle' Mask Ivory Coast, Dan people Presumed early 20th century Wood and pigment H 25 cm Provenance: Hubert Goldet (1945–2000), Paris, until 1972; Lucien Van de Velde (1933-), Antwerp, from 1972 to 1975; René (1901-1998) & Odette (1925–2012) Delenne, Brussels Literature: Arts d’Afrique Noire 34, 1988, p. 49; Utotombo, Kunst uit Zwart-Afrika in Belgisch privé-bezit, de Heusch, Brussels, 1988, p. 148, fig. 59; A ‘Harley Mask’ at the Cleveland Museum of Art: More on Masks among the Mano and Dan Peoples, Petridis, African Arts, Vol. 45, n° 1, 2012, p. 31, fig. 8; Trésors de Côte d’Ivoire, Neyt, Fonds Mercator, Brussels, 2014, p. 44-45, fig. 18 (indication: H. 26 cm); The Language of Beauty in African Art, Petridis, The Art Institute of Chicago, 2022, p. 207, fig. 164 Exhibitions: Utotombo. Kunst uit Zwart-Afrika in Belgisch privé-bezit, Palais des Beaux Arts, Brussels, 25 March-5 June 1988; The Language of Beauty in African Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 20 January 2022-27 March 2023 Originating from the northwest of Côte d’Ivoire, near the borders of Liberia and Guinea, the Dan are an agricultural people who primarily cultivate rice and cassava. Their way of life, complemented by hunting, fishing, and gathering, is rooted in a patrilineal society without a central authority, structured around clans led by chiefs chosen for their prestige, bravery, or agricultural success. Relations between clans, often marked by rivalries, gave rise to a rigorous social organization: young warriors ensured the group’s defense, while chiefs reinforced their influence through feasts and gifts. Local power rested on a balance between the chief, the council of elders, and the male associations, which upheld discipline, guided the initiation of young men, and preserved community cohesion. The Dan distinguish between two worlds: that of the village - a humanized and social space - and that of the forest, the realm of spirits and natural forces. It is within this duality that their art takes root, renowned for its independence and for the diversity of its styles from one village to another. In their pursuit of formal perfection, Dan artists express through their works an ideal of beauty that is both spiritual and harmonious. A symbol of this aesthetic quest, the Dan 'deangle' mask is characterized by its regular oval shape, polished surface, narrow eyes, short nose, and full, slightly parted lips. The raised scarifications emphasize the geometry and graphic strength of the composition. Of an elegance imbued with softness and femininity, it embodies the Dan ideal of beauty. Used within the Leopard secret society (go), associated with the pacifying spirit zlan, this mask served as an intermediary between young initiates and the village community. First exhibited and published for the general public in 1988, this exceptional work was most recently presented (in 2022) at the Chicago Museum. The mask’s deep gaze, highlighted by a fine band across the eyes, captures the viewer’s attention. Its patina, with warm brown reflections, and its concave form lend it a presence that is both powerful and serene.
De Zutter Art Gallery
christo
Christo (Bulgaria 1935-2020 New York) and Jeanne-Claude (Casablanca 1935-2009 New York) The Umbrellas, 1990 Diptych Collage and mixed media on panel 78.2 x 67.2 cm and 78.2 x 31.2 cm Provenance: artist's studio; private collection Literature: S. Philippi, ed., Christo and Jeanne-Claude, The Umbrellas, Japan-USA, 1984-91, Cologne, 1998, pp. 694-695 (illustrated)