Top Stories: Yan Walther, Fine Art Expert Institute

78
AMA NEWSLETTER
16 november 2012
Islamic arts, between tradition and modernity?
Top stories Over 25 years after the opening of the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris, the new
Page 4 department of Islamic arts of the Louvre was inaugurated on 22 September 2012, turning
the project announced by President Jacques Chirac nine years ago into reality. This
Interview initiative was born from a desire to establish the universal vocation of the greatest
Yan Walther, Fine museum in the world, but also to pay tribute to the contribution of the Islamic civilisation
Art Expert Institute throughout the centuries and the continents, in a context of exacerbated religious tension.
Page 6 Indeed, far more than a mere extension of the Louvre collections, this eighth department
stands as a symbol of opening: the diffusion of Islam has always sought to transcend a
purely dogmatic vocation in order to create a common way of thinking and living: the
Data
Islamic civilisation. The various cultures marked by Islam then developed their own
Robert Doisneau
aesthetics, in the plural — we speak of “Islamic arts” — applied to the religious field as
Page 10
well as to the secular world.
The example of the Musée du Louvre therefore invites us to reflect on these arts come
Museums
from the Fertile Crescent, and extended from Spain to India, from the 7th to the 19th
Page 13
century: how do they find their own place between tradition and the realities of the
market? To what extend can we speak of freedom of creation and expression for Muslim
Interview artists, on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea? (more next page…)
Douglas Walla,
Kent Fine Art
Page 16
Galleries
Page 18
Artists
Page 22
Interview
Damien Leclere,
auctionneer
Page 23
Auctions
Page 24
Fairs
Page 27
Ahmed Mater, Magnetism I, 2011, digital print, 62 × 81 cm ©Ahmed Mater et EOA Projects
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AMA NEWSLETTER 78 2 16 NOVEMBER 2012
(…more) Islamic arts and tradition: aesthetic issues intended to be shown when created; the place given
Firstly, Islamic arts raise a historical question: the to sculpture is smaller for it was considered
question of their recognition in the current artistic suspicious; however, calligraphy is recognised as
and aesthetic panorama. Indeed, in spite of their the most prestigious art, for it used to serve the
long-time presence in the collective imagination Quran; arts of metal and ceramic, eventually, were
(thanks to the incredible Moorish architecture of greatly valued in the Arabic Islamic world, while we
cities such as Cordoba, Seville and Granada), it is as Westerners are accustomed to consider them
late as 1893 that the Musée du Louvre created the secondary arts, merely decorative. All this invites to more
first “section of Muslim arts”, evidencing the prudence when it comes to exhibiting Islamic artworks.
importance of the notion of “Islamic art”. In
1946 only did this large research field
establish the precise denominations “Islam”
and “Islamic art”. Indeed, Arabic, Persian and
Turkish manuscripts, illuminations, paintings,
ceramics, arms, iron work, jewellery and other
decorative objects show the abundance and
great creativeness of Arabic artists for
centuries. It is precisely this richness the
cultural players chose to exhibit and highlight in
so many museums throughout the world: the
Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the
British Museum; the Victoria and Albert Museum,
the Islamic Museum in Cairo and the National
Museum of Qatar, among others.
The eighth department of the Musée du
Louvre, for instance, displays 18,000 objects
covering a 1,200-year history of Islamic Reem Al-Faisal, Sans titre, 2012, tirage numérique, 60 x 80 cm
civilisation, over three continents: the collections ©Reem Al-Faisal
show the aesthetic unity emblematic of the Arabic

taste for geometrical harmony and the sense of lines Islam, market and contemporary art: socioeconomic
successively generating one another. Flowery issues
decoration itself often escapes naturalism and T h i s p r u d e n ce , b eyo n d t h o s e a e s t h e t i c a n d
stylises into arabesque. A revelatory event is the museographic issues, addresses socioeconomic
appointment of Sabiha Al Khemir, founder of the dimensions of Islamic arts. Indeed, those issues are
Doha Islamic Museum (Qatar), as Senior Adviser of linked with fantasies generated by the current political
Islamic art at the Dallas Museum of Art. She will have context — and notably by Muslim fundamentalism —
the charge of developing the Islamic collection by as well as censorship and market logics.
organising exhibitions and doing promotional work First of all, the increased presence of Islamic arts in
both inside and outside the institution. Western countries seems to evidence a will for social
These various initiatives indeed show that Islamic peace, in an extremely tense post-11 September
arts perpetually raise museographic questions: one context. For instance, Sophie Makariou, director of
of the most burning issues being the difficult the new department of Islamic arts of the Musée du
presentation of the artworks, the public being lost Louvre, explains to Le Figaro, in an article titled
and confused before this vast and unknown space. “Islam in art” that this recent inauguration might help
The notion of reception is on debate as well: it is “clearing up incomprehension and give back to the
now necessary to reconsider our Western aesthetic Islamic world its original greatness. The mere
judgment of Islamic works of art; indeed the presence of Islamic artworks in a museum as
miniatures now displayed in museums, were never emb l e m a t i c a s t h e L o u v re (more next page…)
(…more) evidences the fact that beyond political and is sponsored by Mohamed Abdul Latif Jameel, who
religious conflicts, connections have been made, got the idea after funding the renovation of the
there have been mutual influences between both Islamic art room in the Victoria & Albert Museum
cultures, until a very recent date: artists such as (the Jameel Gallery of Islamic art), which opened to
Delacroix in the 19th century and Matisse, who went the public on July 2006. Rachid Koraïchi was chosen
to Morocco in 1913, were very much inspired by among ten artists as the winner of the last edition of
Islamic arts”. There is indeed a will to fight clichés the Jameel Prize.
and ease the debate. However, a real problem is being raised when it
The point is also to answer the recent and comes to admitting the market and sponsors into
passionate enthusiasm of the market for Islamic contemporary creation: if there are few Zaha Hadid,
arts: indeed, the great auction houses (mainly it is also because freedom of creation and
Sotheby’s, Christie’s and Bonhams) have specific expression are often broken. This explains a visible
departments offering very expensive pieces on sale. aggiornamento in contemporary Islamic artistic
For instance, the Indian and Islamic art auction held production. Printemps des Arts Fair, an artistic event
at Bonhams on 24 April 2012 recorded very held in Tunis in June 2012, witnessed a series of
interesting results: a Zangid carved marble basin riots and attacks provoked by Salafi activists, joined
(the Zangids were a Turkish people reigning on by numerous rioting demonstrators. Indeed, many
Damascus and a part of today’s Syria between 1127 artists exhibited at Printemps des Arts Fair conveyed
and 1250) was sold for £193,250 (€236,300). This through their works their comments on the
enthusiasm is not only turned towards ancient art: evolution of societies after the Arabic Spring:
the players of contemporary art are not passive, women rights, the status of artistic creation and the
considering Qatar’s real offensive on the art market. place of religion, among other topics. The Toulouse
Moreover the Louvre-Abu Dhabi will be opened by Festival of contemporary creation and the artist
2014, the success of Abu Dhabi Art Fair is ever Mounir Fatmi decided to stop presenting one of his
growing, and artists inspired by Islamic traditions works (the video installation Technologia), because
are being more and more supported. Indeed, of protests aroused by the visitors’ walking on verses
numerous prizes and residency programmes are from the Quran projected on the floor. The very future
being offered: the Jameel Prize, for instance, is an of contemporary Islamic art seems to be at stake.
international prize that has been rewarding artists The destiny of Islamic arts is strange indeed. Their
and designers inspired by Islamic arts in the fields presence is definitely integrated in mentalities and
of art, crafts and design since 2009. It aims at ancient and contemporary history, and exhibiting
exploring the dialogue between traditional Islamic them seems as necessary as it is fascinating. But these
arts and contemporary artistic practice, in order to same psychological and subjective dimensions restrict
widen the debate on Islamic culture. This initiative the limits when it comes to contemporary art.
A M A P RO F E S S I O NA L N E W S L E T T E R A M A P RO F E S S I O NA L N E W S L E T T E R A M A P RO F E S S I O NA L N E W S L E T T E R
Top stories…
Art crafts at the Grand Palais
Les Échos, in a recent article, reported the Ateliers d’Art de France project of organising a new event in September 2013 at the
Grand Palais: “Revelations Paris 21st Century”.
The Ateliers d’Art de France (AAF) already own the International Heritage Show, opened on 8 November 2012 at the Carrousel du
Louvre. As emphasised Les Échos, though it represents a €7 billion turnover and provides employment to 55,000 persons, the field
of the art crafts is seeking “visibility”. The end of 2012 and the year 2013 might indeed be a turning point in the crafts history, for
it is currently intensively evolving. “Revelations Paris 21st Century” to be held in September 2013, alternately with the Biennale
des Antiquaires, shows this will to conquer the artistic scene.
The AAF president said to Les Échos journalist Martine Robert this unique event would “highlight art crafts serving creation and
luxury”, whereas the International Heritage Show is more interested towards restoration. With the public’s growing interest for art,
design and luxury, crafts are reviving. The newspaper mentions media coverage and the Fondation Bettencourt prizes as an
evidence of the keen and growing interest in this field.
It was about time, for within the last ten years the art crafts professions lost 17,000 jobs — the field was affected by production’s
industrialisation. A will to unify those fields aroused — in June 2012 the National Union of art crafts was created— alongside a
will to innovate, notably by creating concept stores like Colette.
ONLINE… ARCHAEOLOGY…
Google Art Project: More Art Works to discover online Discovery: tomb of Egyptian princess Shert Nebti
Last April the Google Art Project had announced an extension of Artdaily reports a recent announcement made by
the website and since then, 15 million visitors have consulted the the Minister of Egyptian Antiquities: archaeologists
paintings, the sculptures and the pictures of the collection. Added have discovered in the South of Cairo the tomb of
to this, 3,000,000 have already created their own galleries. Today, Princess Shert Nebti.
the Project includes image collections of the Phillips Collection, The tomb was revealed during the excavations started
the Palazzo Vecchio Museum, the Modern Art Museum of Istanbul this October. This discovery in Abu Sir, South of Cairo,
and even of the Clyfford Still Museum; it boasts 35,000 artworks is a turning point in the history of local sepulchres. It
and contains images from about 180 partners. belongs to the fifth dynasty (about 2,500 B.C.) and
The new launching of the Project includes a collection of costumes of archaeologists first excavated four limestone pillars,
the National Ballet of Canada as well as pre-Columbian objects coming bearing the name and titles of the princess: “the
from Peru. A new plus of the project, it now has a new feature that daughter of the king Men Salbo and his lover
allows viewers to compare either two works by an artist side-by-side or venerated before God the all-powerful”.
two different works at the same time. It is quite a tool for art lovers. Considering it is for now the only tomb discovered in
the sepulchre, archaeologists wonder if other tombs
DALÍ… are still to be found in the days to come. Indeed, few
Institut national de l’audiovisuel (Ina) releases biographic film information is known about Shert Nebti’s father King
about Salvador Dalí Men Salbo and her mother.
The French Institut national de l’audiovisuel (Ina), in co-production This discovery takes place only a few weeks after the
with the Centre Pompidou and AVRO, as well as with the Egyptian government reopened a pyramid and a
participation of France 5 and Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation, sepulchral complex closed for ten years, due to restoration
releases a film titled Divine Dalí based on the biography of the work. Archaeological relics are the very soul of the
Spanish artist (1904-1989), to be on sale from 4 December 2012. Egyptian tourism, so essential for the country’s economy.
François Lévy-Kuentz — author of Dalí, génie tragi-comique (Dalí,
tragicomic genius) as well as other artists’ portraits diffused in France Frescoes of an abandoned chapel attributed to the
on the France Télévisions and Arte channels; and Stephan Lévy-Kuentz, father of Italian Renaissance Giotto?
based on the exploration of Dalí’s personality and the myth The Guardian announced restorers have discovered
surrounding his life. The film includes exceptional images issued from frescoes possibly realised by Medieval artist and father
the apparitions of the artist on French television. These images witness of Italian Renaissance Giotto, in an abandoned chapel
unknown or unreleased happenings to be found in the INA’s records. of Assisi, in the centre of Italy. He notably created the
The movie tackles Savador Dalí’s genius, the media imposture and world-famous vividly coloured frescoes (with the
the surrealist painter’s true identity, one of the most extravagant famous Giotto blue) covering the walls of the Arena, or
and famous artists of the 20th Century. the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua.
Although experts maintain it is from the hand of Giotto’s
Monumental painting by Salvador Dali reappears disciples, the restorers question that theory, based on
A monumental painting by Spanish Surrealist painter Salvador Dali, the fact the initials of the master (GB, for Giotto di
which served as curtain for Tristan Fou, ballet of the New York
Bondone) were found on one of the frescoes. Those
Metroplitan Opera, unseen since 1944, suddenly reappeared. It is
frescoes were discovered two years after the renovation
part of a private European collection and has been shown to the
of the Saint Nicholas Chapel (the lower part of the Saint
public on 5 November 2012 in Montreal.
The painting, 9m × 15m, restored in Switzerland in 2009, is a Francis basilica) started. This renovation was ordered
Surrealist representation of Tristan and Iseult, the story that after an earthquake damaged the building in 1997.
inspired the ballet Tristan Fou. Salvador Dali chose to represent on The frescoes were commissioned by a cardinal on the
the canvas the moment when Iseult finds Tristan dying. occasion of the funeral of his brother, deacon Gian
The painting, a pure Dali, continues its initial task as a stage Gaetano Orsini. Restorer-in-chief Sergio Fusetti said “it
decoration for the show La Verità by Daniele Finzi Pasqua in is one of the first works of Giotto’s artistic career, and
Montreal. The painting’s owner wished to remain anonymous. this discovery enables us to reconstruct the chronology
Nevertheless, Finzi Pasqua declared the foundation that lent him the of his work and studio”. Besides, restorations also
painting wished it to remain in the world of theatre, and not to be allowed to unveil “the face of a devil looking from a
exhibited in a museum. La Verità will be performed from 17 January cloud” on another fresco by Giotto, depicting the death
to 3 February 2013 at the Théâtre Maisonneuve. of Saint Francis, in another part of the basilica.
SANDY… AWARDS…
AXA Art estimates Chelsea’s art galleries loss Cuauhtémoc Medina receives the Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial
from hurricane Sandy at $40m Achievement 2012
French insurance company AXA Art has just Josef Helfenstein, director of the Menil Collection, announced the name of
released its estimations for the damage caused the sixth winner of the Walter Hopps Award for Curatorial Achievement,
by hurricane Sandy among its 300 gallery owner rewarding young and mid-career curators and this year’s laureate is the
clients in Chelsea and Lower Manhattan. Loss independent curator Cuauhtémoc Medina.
was thus estimated $40m — an amount which The Walter Hopps Award was created in 2001, as a tribute to Walter Hopps
does not seem to worry AXA Art, since President
(1932-2005), former director of the Menil Foundation. The prize also grants
and CEO Christiane Fischer has deemed the
$15,000 to a young or mid-career curator whose work has been important
situation “completely manageable” according to
the company’s press release. for the contemporary art world.
One can only imagine how high the total loss Medina is famous for his contribution to introducing Mexican contemporary
mounts up to, when considering all the art to the international artistic scene. In 2012, he was curator-in-chief of
collateral damage (such as plumbing issues, the biennial Manifesta 9 in Belgium.
broken computers…) that is not included in In the press release, Josef Helfenstein expresses his admiration for Medina:
AXA’s estimation. Some of the galleries in the “Whether working in an institutional setting, as he did with notable success
severely flooded areas were not insured at Tate Modern, or collaborating with artists with whom he has developed
against flood damage at all. longstanding relationships, such as Francis Alÿs, Cuauhtémoc Medina has
AXA Art was relieved to notice the efficiency with consistently and innovatively advanced our understanding of a broad
which many of the galleries had taken preventative spectrum of contemporary art.”
action before the hurricane began storming. The An art critic, curator and historian, Cuauhtémoc Medina has dedicated himself
loss caused by hurricane Sandy therefore to research at the Instituto de Investigaciones Estéticas at the National
represents less than half of the $1 billion total Autonomous University of Mexico since 1992. Between 2002 and 2008 he was
value of local galleries insured by AXA Art.
the first Associate Curator of Art, Latin American Collections, at Tate Modern in
London. Since 2000 he has redacted a column of art critic for the Reforma
TRAFFIC… newspaper in Mexico City. He holds a Ph.D. in History and Theory of Art from
Stolen artworks of the Pretoria Art Museum the University of Essex in Britain and a BA in History from the National
have been found Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). He curated many exhibitions
Artdaily reports $2m worth of art have been throughout the world, notably at the South London Gallery in 2002, the Venice
robbed at the Pretoria Art Museum, Biennial in 2009, and the Contemporary Art Project in Murcia, Spain.
Johannesburg, on Sunday 11 November 2012.
It seems the robbers were disguised as art Danh Vo, winner of the Hugo Boss Award 2012
students with their teacher. After paying Contemporary Danish Vietnamese artist Danh Vo has won the Hugo Boss Award
normally the entrance, they asked the curator to
2012. He was chosen by a board of judges composed of critics, academics and
show them specific paintings from the
museum’s collection. They would then have museum directors. In addition to receiving a $100,000 grant, Danh Vo will also
pulled out pistols, threatened the employees of be able to organise an exhibition at the Guggenheim Foundation.
the museum and taken hold of the paintings. Innovation and creativity eventually proved the decisive criteria to decide
Artdaily adds then that the robbers favoured oil between the nominees of this ninth edition of the Hugo Boss Award. Danh Vo
painting, by grabbing a 1931 painting by South- and his “wide ideas repertory” produced with “relevance and strength”,
African artist Irma Stern. Among the other works appeared the most convincing to the detriment of the Americans Trisha
robbed we might recall a gouache drawing by Donnelly and Rashid Johnson, the Polish Monika Sosnowska, the Chinese Qiu
J.H. Pierneef, paintings by Gerard Sekoto and Zhijie, and the British Tris Vonna-Michell.
Hugo Naude and the picture of a cat near a Although it was created only sixteen years ago, the Hugo Boss Award managed
petunia bouquet by Maggie Laubser. to establish itself as one of the most prestigious awards of contemporary art.
After this event, the museum closed and Every two years, one artist of the contemporary artistic scene is rewarded for
removed its most valuable remaining his/her work. Le Journal des Arts recalls in 2010 German artist Hans-Peter
possessions for safekeeping. Authorities have
Feldmann, the winner of the eighth edition, exhibited the total amount of his
already planned to reinforce security systems.
grant in $1 banknotes on the walls of the Guggenheim Foundation.
Some artworks stolen have been recovered
with no evidence of damage. The names of the
artworks are: Cat and Petunias by Maggie Spanish photographer wins the Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2012
Laubser, Hugo Naude’s Hottentot Chief, Eland The Spanish photographer, Jordi Ruiz Cirera won the Wessing Photographic
and Bird by J.H. Pierneef, Gerard Sekoto’s Street Portrait Prize for which he received a £12,000 award in the night of Monday
Scene and Fishing Boats by Irma Stern. The 5 November 2012. The portrait, a photograph of a Mennonite woman of
artworks had been left in a small private Bolivia — Margarita Teichroeb — sitting at a kitchen table, was exhibited at
graveyard in Sunridge Park and were found the National Portrait Gallery of London until Thursday 8 November 2012. An
around 1:30am by a dog unit. exhibition of the 60 portraits chosen from a total of 5,340 will be
Forensic experts have undertaken proper displayed at the National Portrait Gallery of London From 8 November 2012
verifications and it would seem the works to 17 February 2013. Entrance: £2.
found correspond to the stolen pieces. This Ruiz Cirera used for the portrait a 35mm Canon 5D mkll using only the
means a big relief for the country’s art industry available light in the room. Margarita, the woman posing for the picture,
since the artworks could have even been
belongs to the Mennonite Community of Bolivia, a community that forbids
destroyed. However there is still one painting
photography. This would be the reason of her timid expression.
missing: Gerald Sekoto’s Street Scene (1939),
worth about R7m ($787). The other artits that won in the following places were Jennifer Pattison — on
The museum will reopen 20 November and will the second place — winning £3.000; Spencer Murphy — on the third place —
take necessary precaution, until the police winning £2.000 and Alma Haser — on the fourth place — winning £1.000.
investigation is completed, by removing other The John Kobal new work award, a new prize given to a photographer under
valuable pieces. Likewise, the city will 30 selected for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition, was
reinforce the security of the museum. granted to Matthew Niederhauser for his portrait of the artist Ai Weiwei.
Interview…
INTERVIEW WITH YAN WALTHER, DIRECTOR OF THE FINE ARTS EXPERT INSTITUTE
The Fine Arts Expert Institute (FAEI) is a private and independent institute specialised in the scientific expertise of artworks.
Its laboratory set in Geneva’s free ports, Switzerland, is equipped with top range systems, showing an interest in new
technologies. Art Media Agency met with director Yan Walther to find out more about this innovative undertaking.
First of all, could you introduce us to the services you offer and tell us counterfeiting or for confirming the credit of a
about the scientific expertise of artworks? piece; the mere stylistic arguments or the study of
First of all, let me tell you we prefer the term “study” or the provenance being insufficient nowadays.
“examination” rather than “expertise”, to stress the scientific and Technologies had already expanded, but were for
objective dimension of our approach. FAEI offers its clients to the most part inaccessible for the players of the art
authenticate, to date, to assess the artwork’s condition and to market (by that I mean collectors, auction houses,
enhance the works thanks to scientific imagery methods and to sellers, and so on). Until recently, the only way to
physical-chemical analyses of the latest generation. access these tools was to have connections in the
already well-equipped institutions.
When did you create FAEI, and how does it work? Our project belongs to a market logic, to answer a
We created the business in September 2009 and we made our first true demand in the art market field, regarding the
analysis in April 2010. We had to do a lot of construction work — the explosion of fakes (let us bear in mind the
X-ray room, for instance, took four months to complete, including Beltracchi or Knoedler cases revealed in 2001; but
obtaining the necessary authorisations —, we had to select the also the fake Bosshard case in Lausanne), but more
equipment and most of all hire the different team members. generally regarding a need for security and
In order to optimise the investment-efficiency rate, but also transparency, since works of great worth are
because we believe it to be a future trend for the scientific study of currently being sold on the art market.
artworks, we decided to focus our know-how in non-invasive As for our geographic position, we soon realised
analyses (that require no sampling). When we do need to work with how strategic the Geneva free ports were; this
samples, we work with carefully selected external laboratories. We structure features typically Swiss know-how and
have therefore established partnerships with about ten renowned houses thousands of artworks every year. We never
institutes and universities in Europe that we are familiar with et regretted our choice.
who accepted to work for us as subcontractors. 90% of our activity
focuses on the scientific study of paintings, but we also examine How did the development and the acquisition of the
marble, bronze, wood or ivory sculptures, Chinese ceramics, technologies you use go?
furniture, archaeological objects or even money coins, for example. The creation of a private institute was enabled by
the recent democratisation of technologies and
science in the art field. Museums reached certain
standards and methods that were developed, and
at a high enough level so that a laboratory such as
ours could acquire them; the tools are mass-
produced and even though they are produced in
limited numbers, they remain a safe investment.
We do not need to develop them ourselves, and
therefore are able to cut costs.
The beginning of systematically applying scientific
methods to the analysis of paintings goes back as far
as the 1960s (such as the use of X-rays). These
methods saw the day in universities and museums
which have developed specific tools to study
materials, pigments, etc. At the beginning the aim
was mostly to address conservation issues: by
studying how the works age (through their
a multidisciplinary approach - a scientist, a historian of art and a components and materials), it is easier to know how
restorer: each brings knowledge and his skills to restore and preserve them for future generations.
This research, mostly intended to museum
collections, allowed for us to understand how these
How was the idea of creating the Fine Arts Expert Institute (FAEI) born? analyses could help develop more in-depth
Our project was the result of an assessment: scientific analyses have authentication and subsequently realise how many
become an essential part of artwork expertise, be it for detecting fakes were in circulation! (more next page…)
Interview…
(…more) What is your career path and that of your team? after the piece was created); ultraviolet fluorescence (to reveal
At FAEI, we have achieved a strong collaboration within one the restorations and retouches made over the varnish); infrared
single team, between players who usually do not get along reflectography (to reveal underlying drawings); high-resolution
well in institutions. There are scientists, historians of art, art digital X-rays or even X-ray microfluorescence (to identify non-
restorers… Not even mentioning the administration organic pigments without sampling), etc.
members! I had a chance of attending discussions between The process changes according to the type of client, to the
these different players in museums, and things rarely request, the budget and the amount of time. An expert seller, for
happen in such a harmonious fashion: the visions and instance, might only request the infrared picture of an artwork
objectives to reach are so very different. to determine underlying drawings (this would be charged
Conversely, our multidisciplinary team has achieved around €800), that he could then interpret on his own. On the
managing these differences and creating an efficient other hand, if our team works for a longer period of time, and if
collaboration model: each of the actors offers his or her own clients need an in-depth interpretation, the expertise can take
knowledge on one case. Our laboratory director, Kilian from two weeks to three months (such an expertise would cost
Anheuser, is an Oxford Doctor of Chemistry who has also between €3,000 and €14,000). We only offer flat-rate prices.
studied history of art. He has been studying artworks of all
kinds with scientific methods for twenty years now. Before
then, he was head of the Geneva Musée d’Art et d’Histoire
laboratory; today he also is responsible for the conservation
of the collections of the Geneva Musée d’ethnographie.
Jacqueline Couvert is our second Senior Scientist, she is a
chemist and a historian of art; in parallel she teaches at the
university of Louvain-la-Neuve in Belgium and is
responsible for the University and Louvain-la-Neuve
museum laboratory. Two bright young women complete the
team: Valeria Ciocan, a specialist in the scientific imagery of
artworks, who was educated at the University of Perugia;
and Snadra Mottaz, curator-restorer who graduated from the
Haute Ecole in Berne.
As for me, I hold a master’s degree in Russian, Philosophy
and English, but I’ve always had a passion for science. I first
worked for exhibition projects and in the cultural
administration in Russia and in Switzerland before I was
lucky enough to take part in the launch of FAEI. I was
passionate about this project, for it mixed history of art and
science. I actually followed all the trainings on all of the
tools (infrared cameras, X-rays, etc.). Although I do not
exactly take part in the examination of the artworks, I make
sure that the procedure is properly followed, I supervise the
The stereomicroscope - an indispensable
quality of the work, go over the reviews, work on the
instrument for the study of the surface, the
commercial, strategic and administrative levels. craquelure and the signature
Moreover, I devote a lot of time to make our business known:
I take part in fairs, organise tours of our laboratory, explain
our work in order to put sellers and collectors at ease, etc. What is your clients’ profile?
The diversity of the works we analyse, added to the ones our
How does the examination of an artwork go? clients bring us, makes our job most exciting. Indeed, we usually
When a client comes to us, the most difficult task is to get him work with all players in the art market. Collectors, auction
to phrase his request in a clear fashion: many of them come to houses and sellers usually need a scientific authentication
us and simply say “I want an expertise”. But we need to clarify before buying or selling a piece of art; or else a presentation
the aim of our research, that is to say, do we wish to dossier to highlight a work prior to a sale; insurers or
authenticate the artwork in question? Date it? Confirm its credit transportation and storage businesses contact us for
to a specific assumed author? Certificate its signature? etc. documenting an artwork’s condition (if it was damaged, for
The methods we use are of two different types: stereo instance) or for advice on the conservation of the works;
microscopy (to study the surface or the signature; for investment funds need to apply due diligence to works prior
instance, it is possible to see if the signature was applied to purchasing them, etc. (more next page…)
Interview…
(…more) We offer what we call “artwork passports” in What do you find most exciting in this project?
order to insure identification and a scientific standard trail What is truly exciting is inquiring into artworks: we are
of the works. Since every work is different, a data document b e t we e n S h e r l o c k H o l m e s a n d “ C S I : C r i m e S ce n e
was created to serve as a support for the realisation of each Investigation”! For each painting we organise a brainstorming
personalised passport. We believe it is very important that in order to explore all possible tracks. Everyone brings his
the methodology remain the same and the results be of knowledge and skills, and that makes sparks fly.
similar quality, despite our adapting to each particular There is indeed a great satisfaction when we are certain to
request, in order to achieve high-quality standards. have found the truth, when we consider the case is resolved,
whether we have a decisive argument for authentication (for
Is your approach well accepted by experts? instance a subjacent drawing or a hidden signature) or on the
I think some of them are clever people, and they realise contrary an anachronism is cancelling the previous
the time of naked-eye expertise is over. They understand attribution. And then there is the satisfaction of sharing our
we are allies, rather than competitors. The important thing discoveries with our clients (even more when they are
is we cannot replace a painter’s expertise and a committee: favourable). Obviously it is less fun when results are negative,
we establish no credit to a specific author, and we produce but in this case we at least have the satisfaction of
no certificate. Our reports provide a thorough description thoroughly completing our research and doing our job.
of materials and techniques used in the artworks, they Moreover, it is a real pleasure to be able to behold high-
compare the painters’ practice and try to see if there is a quality works from all periods. As I said, we are lucky
complete or partial coincidence, or none at all. We then enough to be in touch with all the players of the art market,
offer elements of an explanation. Some experts are afraid and this relationship is not damaged by commercial interest:
of our transparency, they fear we might unveil their as scientists, we charge the same price for a Van Gogh or a
potential mistakes, but we confide the acceptance of our €100,000 piece.
work, which is already good. Time is everything.
Does this scientific approach suit contemporary art?

Until today, we have studied works spanning to Rothko.
Contemporary art raises conservation problems rather than
authenticity issues (for the artists are alive), but there again
scientific analysis is essential. Insurances fund projects of
scientific research on contemporary art conservation: AXA
art for instance funded a study on the ageing of acrylic
paint. We also give advice on storage conditions (necessary
precautions), identification or passport creation.
Are you planning other projects?

We are considering opening new laboratories in other free
ports and cities. Opening various branches would enable us
to share costs (by placing the most expensive machines in a
few specialised centres) on one hand; and on the other hand
as we are willing to create a kind of standard, it comes
rather naturally. We wish to be able to answer all the needs
of the art market, by offering service adapting to the
different players and their specific needs. We seek for
innovation and creative new technologies. For instance, we
are currently studying the artworks marking techniques. We
have discovered fascinating technologies that have not
been used in that direction yet. Eventually, we are planning Observation and documentation with the
to move next year to a greater lab, still in Geneva’s free port. stereomicroscope
Interview with Yan Walther, director of The Fine Arts Expert Institute
Robert Doisneau… Art Analytics

On occasion of Paris Photo, Art Analytics decided to look into one of the most popular French photographers: Robert
Doisneau (1912-1994). Born in Paris, he studied Graphic arts and graduated in 1929. He very soon began working as an
advertising photographer, and in 1934 Renault hired him as an industrial photographer. Just before World War II he was
dismissed, and he then decided to work by himself and become an independent photographer. As such, he entered the
Rapho Photo Agency at the end of the war. He then worked for famous magazines in France and abroad, and his
photographic reports were widely praised. Recognised by the public as well as by professionals, Robert Doisneau won
various awards, such as the Niepce Prize in 1956, the Grand Prix National de la Photographie in 1983 and the Balzac Prize
in 1986. Two years later he died in 1994, the Rencontres d’Arles Festival paid him a tribute.
Today, the Atelier Robert Doisneau controls all printing and authentication of the artist’s photographs. Indeed, photography
is not spared by the issue of fakes and counterfeiting. As for Robert Doisneau’s market, and more generally the market of
ancient and modern photography, many prints are improperly
presented as “vintage” or “original”, and these are precisely the
medium
criteria that lead the market.
…by lots …by turnover It is consequently no surprise that Robert Doisneau’s market should
be entirely dominated by photography. His original prints cost
$3,000 on average, and auction rooms record about 2,000 operations
for a $3.6m total turnover. The world record for a Robert Doisneau
photograph rises to €194,900. Auctioned by Artcurial and purchased
by a Swiss, it is the original print of one of the most famous pictures
in the history of photography, Kiss by the Town Hall (Le Baiser de
l’Hôtel de Ville), now reproduced in thousands of specimens. The
99,84 % 99,99 % rarity of the print was due to its being the original offered by
Doisneau to Françoise Bonnet, the young woman in the photograph.
When it comes to the geographic distribution of the sales, the French
Photographs Prints artist is best represented in his homeland; however he sells best in
the United States. Indeed, France represents 52% of operations in
countries auction houses…

…by lots …by turnover …by lots …by turnover
17 % 12 % 12%

23 %
31 % 10%
9 % 16 %
52% 5 % 49%
74% 26%
22% 40%
France United-States Christie's Sotheby's

United-kingdom Others Yann le Mouel Others
terms of lots, but only 31% in terms of value, whereas the United States represent 22% of operations in terms of lots, but
40% in terms of value. Doisneau then exports well beyond the Atlantic, but also in the United Kingdom, which represents 9%
of the lots for 16% of the value.
As for the players of the market, the greatest auction houses are doing quite well: Christie’s holds 12% of the lots (222
lots) and 23% of the turnover (about $800,000) and Sotheby’s presents 10% of the lots for 26% of the turnover. The
unsold rate is relatively high — 35% — and might evidence the part of photographs of dubious or controversial origin.
unsold ratio Turnover and number of lots in relation to year of creation
1.5 M$ 500
35%
65% 0.75 M$ 250
0 0
1930 1941 1949 1957 1965 1973
Sold
Unsold Turnover Lots
Robert Doisneau… Art Analytics
Turnover evolution
0.6 M$ 300 100 %
0.4 M$ 200
0.2 M$ 100
0 0%
1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010
Turnover Number of lots Sold Unsold
The graph titled “turnover and number of lots in relation to year of creation” clearly shows the importance of the 1950 work —
Kiss by the Town Hall — for the photographer’s market. This picture, famous throughout the world, sells very well. At auctions, it
represents alone about 20% of the artist’s global market: almost a $1m turnover.
As for the evolution of the turnover, we can see it has
known a significant increase since the mid-1990s, after the Articles by language exhibitions by countries
death of the artist. It is also notable that the increase of
operations and turnover also provokes an increase of the
unsold rate, which has been stagnating at 50% since 2011. 8%
The number of lots put on sale is linked to the evolution of 11 % 29%
the turnover, except for year 2012, where the number of 45% 41 %
lots put on sale was approximately similar, but the turnover
12 %
dropped by a hundred thousand dollars.
Media coverage of the artist is mainly in French (45%), 20% 22%
English (20%), Italian (12%), Spanish (11%) and German
(8%), other countries sharing the remaining 5%. Over
3,000 articles have been written about Robert Doisneau,
and the number of articles each year strikingly increased French English United-States France
Italian Spanish Germany Others
since the mid-2000s. The number of exhibitions dedicated
German Others
to the artist has been increasing since 2005.
Among the countries that most represented Doisneau,
France ranks first with 29% of the exhibitions. The United
States come next with 22%, then Germany and other Exhibition annual progression
countries. Altogether, over 110 exhibitions have been 15
organised. Most of these events were collective exhibitions
(about 80). New York and Paris welcomed most events
linked with Robert Doisneau. Paris comes ahead with two
exhibitions at the Centre Pompidou, and at the Fondation 8
Henri Cartier-Bresson and the Centre National de la
Photographie. On the other hand, the Museum of Modern
Art in New York, with four exhibitions, is the public
institution that most represented the French photographer. 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010
The first event took place in 1951; titled “Five French Solo group
Photographers” and curated by Edward Steichen, it
presented Doisneau alongside Serge Brassaï, Henri Cartier-
Bresson, Willy Ronis and Izis.
Annual and monthly publicity progression
600 700
Corriere della Sera

Le Progrès 300 350
Ouest France
0
1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012
Top publications Monthly Annual
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Museums…
ARTICLE OF THE WEEK…
Media Space — new art space is to be inaugurated
Media Space is a new space devoted to art, of a 1,800-sqm surface, to be inaugurated in June 2013 on the second floor of
the Science Museum. The project worth £4m will offer a 500-sqm exhibition space, a 290-sqm studio for installations and
events, as well as café/bar.
The funding of the space was made possible thanks to the support of enterprises, private donations as well as organised
fundraising. The main sponsor, after which the studio will be named, is Virgin Media.
This new space will allow to present the National Photography Collection from the National Media Museum. It will serve to
exhibit and create a dialogue around contemporary artists, of all disciplines. Media Space’s first exhibition will gather
contemporary answers to scientific photography from 1850-1920 under the title “Revelations: Experiments in Photography”.
The event will put on show about 80 works from the National Media Museum and the Science Museum. It is about exploring
the psychological and emotional dimension of scientific photography. Indeed, this prints reveal the world in a unique and
surprising way. In time, the ways of taking a photograph as well as its status and approach towards the world evolved. Some
pictures were taken with the use of microscope, telescope or even from a plane. Works by William Henry Fox Talbot, Jorris
Jansen, Harold Edgerton and Sarah Pickering will be presented among others.
OPENING… ANNIVERSARY…
Jewish Museum opened in Russia The Matisse Museum celebrates its 10th anniversary
The Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center is the The Matisse Museum in Cateau-Cambrésis (North of France) is celebrating
name of the new Museum in Moscow. It was its 10th anniversary, and assessing its performing. It has been very
constructed with one-month salary — around prosperous, welcoming 770,000 visitors on occasion of 32 exhibitions.
$50m — of Russia’s president Vladimir V. Putin. The museum yearly welcomes 80,000 visitors on average, which enables
The museum is, in terms of scale, one of the it to rank 10th of the most-visited museums of the region.
largest museums about Jewish History in the The museum was originally created in 1952 by Matisse himself in his
whole world. It has high technology installations birth place. “My fellow-citizens, whom I left so early to follow my
that enable the visitors to interact with videos, destiny, have wished to honour my life of work by creating this
sound and even fuse their body images with real museum.” Matisse therefore gives through this museum the testimony of
images of a 19th century garb blacksmith or even a a life dedicated to painting.
representative of the intelligentsia. Since its creation, the museum has benefited from various donations,
The goal of the museum is not only to evoke from Auguste Herbin in 1956, and more recently from Alice Tériade in
feelings of tolerance aiming to recede anti- 2007, who donated to the museum 27 artists’ books as well as works by
Semitism, but also to transmit a message to Jews Giacometti, Laurens, Chagall, Picasso, Rouault, Miró and Léger.
whose ancestors fled Russia throughout the 70 Besides, the museum has appointed a new director, Carrie Pilto —
years of Communism. replacing Dominique Szymusiak who retires — willing to create a
One of the museum’s donors, the billionaire documentation centre on Matisse’s work, as well as an artistic workshop.
Viktor Vekselberg expressed how much he hoped
this museum would become an echo throughout
the world carrying the idea of a Jewish “good LOUVRE-LENS…
health” under the Putin-era. Recurrent incidents disrupt Louvre-Lens construction site
Daily paper 20minutes informs that a new incident has disrupted
Louvre-Lens construction site. Works were suspended last week and
The Hermitage Museum extends to Barcelona since the opening of the museum is scheduled for 4 December 2012,
The president of the Generalitat of Catalonia numerous questions arise.
Artur Mas recently announced the forthcoming Construction works were interrupted due to a firm’s infringement of
opening of a branch of the Hermitage Museum in security rules by entering a strictly forbidden sector used to stock the
Saint Petersburg, one of the most famous works to be put on display. No work was damaged, although rumour had
museums in the world. it that one of the showpieces had been damaged while being moved.
Indeed an agreement of collaboration has been Director of Louvre-Lens, Xavier Dectot, believes the time has come to
signed between Artur Mas and the Russian Vice- gather and discuss security rules with the businesses involved, since
Minister of Culture, Alla Manilova, in order to none of them have actually gone by the security rules. It seems that
enhance the economic, touristic and cultural “everyone is in a hurry” bearing in mind that this symbolic construction
capitals of Barcelona and Catalonia. Mas added the
would mean an economic rebirth of the region.
presence of this branch of the Hermitage Museum
Yet, this is not the first failure. In fact, according to archicool.com, since
would “complete the museum and cultural offer of
the beginning, the construction site was has faced many problems. As
the Catalan capital”. He also said that today over
far as the contest is concerned, Japanese architects Sejima Kazuyo and
65% of Russian tourists going to Spain this year
have chosen Catalonia as their main destination, Ryue Nishizawa were chosen to the detriment of Rudy Ricciotti. Such a
which justifies this decision. According to La choice resulted in a number of problems, since none of the French
Vanguardia, 7,400 sqm have been invested for this businesses involved are accustomed to this kind of projects.
project, next to the marina “Port Vell”, within three The “white contemporary Japanese” construction, “like a cloud nested in
historical industrial buildings of the 19th century. celestial heaven”, was reconsidered many times — the glass elements
The Hermitage Museum will celebrate its 250th were too long to fit the Saint-Gobain machines, for example — so that
anniversary in December 2014. Considered one of the museum could finally see the day.
the greatest museums of the world, with the Louvre Nevertheless, problems seem to be raging on, since even the transportation
and the Prado, it hosts works by Leonardo da Vinci, of artworks appears to be problematic. Will they all arrive on time in good
Picasso, Goya, Raphael, Velazquez, Michelangelo, condition? The choice of the works is a difficult task, for according to La
Manet, Matisse and Rodin, among others. Tribune de l’Art the Parisian Louvre is slowly turning into a “holey cheese”.
WHAT’S ON…
Apo-calypse exhibition in Switzerland Wolfgang Tillmans at the Museo de Arte del Banco de la
From 16 November to 21 December 2012, an República in Bogotá
international contemporary art exhibition will Until 28 January, the Museo de Arte del Banco de la
be held in the ancient factory Béard argenterie República de Bogotá (Colombia) is hosting an
(1,200 sqm) in Clarens/Montreux, Switzerland. The exhibition of works by photographer Wolfgang Tillmans. Hans Ulrich
reception day will be 16 November 2012 at 5:30pm. Obrist, Julia Peyton-Jones and Sophie O’Brien from the Serpentine
The exhibition, through the collective of Einzweidrei, Gallery in London are the curators of this retrospective.
gathers 28 artists under the theme of the Apocalypse.
During the last twenty years, Tillmans did his best to redefine
Some of the artists that will be present are Ai Weiwei,
photography and the forms in which it is presented. In this
Erwin Wurm, Hans Op de Beeck, Jonathan Monk, Shilpa
Gupta, Gianni Motti, Rebecca Maeder among others. The exhibition, he explores the complexity of creating photographic
exhibition will also be animated by lectures, shows and images: indeed, his numerous photographs reflect his devotion to
a tribute to John Cage by the ensemBle baBel at the what he describes as “abstraction based on reality”. Tillmans was
Théâtre l’Oriental Vevey. acknowledged in the late 1980s for his apparently insignificant
There will be a performance by Nicoel Murmann (24 prints, nevertheless witnesses of the contemporary world. By
November), several films projected by Cinema/LUFF and intelligently rearranging ideas regarding photographic reportage
specially chosen for the exhibition such as The and rendering identity issues that were debated at the time, those
Exterminating Angel by Luis Buñuel or After the works were able to capture the fragility of human life and the
Apocalypse by Yasuaki Nakajima. intrinsic beauty of everyday objects. This initial work expanded to
It is not a mere coincidence that the exhibition ends 21 show deeper commitment to different genres such as portrait,
December 2012. We can however question the landscape, still life and abstraction. Experience and the unknown
symbolic horror that this date represents. were always crucial in Tillmans’s practice.
Since 1957, the Museo de Arte del Banco de la República has
Works by Chuck Close displayed at the
begun gathering a collection of Colombian, Latin-American and
Monterrey Museum of Art
The Monterrey Museum of Art in California European contemporary art, which comprises over 3,500 works ;
(MAA) is currently presenting works on the institution is currently displaying works in various places of
paper by American painter and the Colombian capital.
photographer, Chuck Close, that span from 1975 to
2012. The collection is rich since most works, coming Martín Rico exhibits at the Museo Nacional del Prado
from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and his The Museo del Prado in Madrid currently hosts
Family Foundation, are being exhibited from the first through 10 February 2013 a solo exhibition of painter
time. The exhibition began in 27 October and will last Martín Rico (1833-1908).
until 17 February 2013. The artist was a pioneer of realist landscape in Spain. His
The widely collected artist is devoted to portrait painting particular way of capturing light and reflecting the uniqueness of
and its art has is own brand. Most of his paintings are cities to which he travelled made him one of the most famous
made of thousand of brilliant and colorful images that painters of the period, notably in the United States, where he was
together make up another image, the portrait. exhibited numerous times in various museums and private
The Monterrey Museum has celebrated local artists and
collections. During over forty years, until his death, he worked in
photographers and features exhibitions embracing the
19th and the 20th centuries. It presents approximately Paris and Valencia where he tried to emphasise urban beauty
20 exhibitions annually, as well as major travelling surrounding himself with European and international artists as
exhibitions from other institutions. Camille Pissarro, one of the first impressionists, or Daubigny,
French landscape painter from Barbizon school. His cosmopolitan
“Essential”: new exhibition at the Fondation profile made his works a sensational success abroad, which
Maeght explains why until now, he was rarely exhibited in Spain.
The Fondation Maeght, located in Saint-Paul- The Museo del Prado is one of the biggest and important
de-Vence, South of France, is displaying museums in the world. It mainly exhibits European paintings
through 6 January 2013 an exhibition titled (Flemish, Spanish, French, Italian and German) from the 14 th
“Essential”, an exclusive presentation of Homeopathic century to beginning of the 19th century, collected by the
Paintings by French contemporary artist Fabrice Hyber. Habsburgs and the Bourbons.
Visitors will be able to discover twenty works, some of
which are of huge dimensions (10 to 15 meters) among The Institut du Monde Arabe celebrates its 25th
thirty realised by the artist until now. An ensemble of
anniversary
Men from Bessines — born from a public commission of
The IMA (Institut du Monde Arabe) in Paris, is currently
Bessines, in Poitou-Charentes in 1989 — has been
installed as well in the pools of the Foundation’s celebrating its 25 th anniversary that will last until 3
gardens, in order to establish a dialogue with the works February 2013. The celebration will include an exhibition
of great masters such as Miró, Calder, Giacometti, titled “25 years of Arabic Creativity ”, of about 40 Arab artists
Dietman and Caro. The title “Essential” enables Fabrice whose pieces will be displayed in the IMA spaces and at the
Hyber and Olivier Kaeppelin (chairman of the Mobile art — spaceship-like building signed by Zaha Hadid — as
foundation) to underline the influence of senses in the well. The curator of the exhibition is the Egyptian Ihab El Laban.
theme of the Homeopathic Paintings. This exhibition is Some of the young contemporary artists that will be exhibiting
also an opportunity to rediscover free and are: Youssef Nabil, Arwa Abouon and Diana Al-Hadid.
contradictory syntheses that are the very heart of The purpose of the exhibition, beyond celebrating the 25 th
Hyber’s imagination and artistic research. anniversary, is to elaborate a complete panorama through which
The Fondation Marguerite et Aimé Maeght is a unique
the latest trends and researches of Arabic creation can be
example of private foundation in Europe. Inaugurated
on 28 July 1964 by French writer André Malraux, who p e rce i ve d . Pa i n t i n g , s c u l p t u re , p h o t og ra p h y , v i d e o a n d
was then the Minister of Cultural Affairs, this installation are all the mediums that will be present in this
architecture ensemble was entirely designed and exhibition of a plurality of styles.
funded by Aimé and Marguerite Maeght to present A catalogue as well as roundtables and conferences will make part
modern and contemporary art in all possible forms. of the event program.
COMING SOON…
“War Is Over! (if you want it): Yoko Ono” at the Museum of 2013 programming at the Musée
Contemporary Art Australia Jacquemart-André
Within the framework of the Sydney International Art The Musée Jacquemart-André (Paris)
Series to be held in 2013-2014, the Museum of announced its programming for 2013
Contemporary Art Australia (MCA) and Destination NSW announce through a press release.
Sydney will be the only city lucky enough to host the exhibition From 22 March to 22 July 2013, the Musée
“War Is Over! (If you want it): Yoko Ono”, especially designed for Jacquemart-André will host a retrospective of French
the MCA by curator Rachel Kent. painter Eugène Boudin. The exhibition “Eugène Boudin
This major event will recall five artistic decades by presenting Through His Travels”, the first of the artist since 1899,
various mediums. The exhibition’s title is a reference to a text will gather paintings, pastels and watercolours. This
written by Ono and John Lennon, that appeared in 1969. Yoko Ono unique event was made possible thanks to various
said in the press release: “I am very excited and honoured to have loans of major American museums. Indeed, in spite of
my first solo exhibition in Sydney in November 2013. It is an the quality of his works, this painter, considered the
incredible new show I’ve designed just for you. There will be many father of Impressionism, was never exhibited in Europe
fantastic installation and participation works from different times and France since the 1860s and 1880s. This exhibition,
that I know you are going to love.” curated by Laurent Manœuvre — a prominent
Yoko Ono is a Japanese experimental artist, musician, singer, specialist of Boudin — is therefore an exceptional
composer, writer, actor and film-maker: she is able to talk through opportunity. Monet himself used to say: “I owe
all mediums. Though part of her fame is due to her being John everything to Boudin”. Fascinated by light, and a
Lennon’s partner since 1968, she is an artist in her own right, and precursor of the “series” concept — subsequently
remains for everyone the muse of the Beatles’ leader. illustrated by Monet — Eugène Boudin indeed appears
as a remarkable yet forgotten painter.
The Kunsthaus Zürich to present “Chagall. Master of After showing French painting, the Musée Jacquemart-
Modernity” André will feature Victorian painting (1860-1914)
The Kunsthaus Zürich is about to present the exhibition through the exhibition titled “Desire and Sensuality in
“Chagall, Master of Modernity” from 8 February to 12 the Victorian Era”, to be held from September 2013 to
May 2013. Over 90 paintings and works on paper by Marc January 2014. This collective exhibition will gather
Chagall (1887-1985) will be displayed. major painters such as Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema, Sir
Chagall is one of the most famous and beloved artists of the 20 th Frederic Leighton, John Strudwick, John William
century. His paintings, showing the everyday life in Russian villages, Waterhouse and Albert Moore. Most of them were part
figures floating on the air and flying cows and hens are famous all of the Royal Academy. The museum thus allows to
over the world. Through this exhibition, the Kunsthaus Zürich aims at discover Victorian painting, usually on display in British
correcting some clichés at the origin of his late fame, highlighting on museums exclusively. The artist of that era “sought to
the contrary avant-gardist elements, focusing on the years break with the triviality of contemporary everyday life
1911-1922, which were really a turning point in his artistic career. It
and pay tribute to a golden age, an imaginary and
is then Chagall became a true master of Modernity. Unlike his
idealised world drawing primarily on ancient Greece
contemporaries, he built aesthetics that fully expressed his Jewish
and Rome.” That is why their works convey sensual
and Russian identity while opening a dialogue with Modern pictorial
aesthetics, nurtured by the medieval world, Arthurian
l a n g u a g e s : f ro m Fa u v i s m t o Cu b i s m a n d O r p h i s m , f ro m
legends and Shakespeare’s theatre, which provide the
Expressionism to Suprematism.
painters with inspiration and a setting.
The Kunsthaus Zürich is currently — until 2017 — being extended.
However, far from slowing down its activity and in parallel to the
Becoming Picasso: Paris 1901 at the
Chagall exhibition, the museum is making an asset of these
renovation works, by displaying through 6 January 2013 an Courtauld Gallery
exhibition titled “The New Kunsthaus, Great Art and Architecture”, “Becoming Picasso: Paris 1901″, on show
featuring over a 1,300-sqm space all the forthcoming changes from 14 February to 26 May 2013 at the
allowed by the extension, designed by David Chipperfield Courtauld Gallery in London, tells the tale of how
Architects, from 2017 onwards. young Pablo became one of the most talented and
influential twentieth century painters in breakthrough
One Thousand and One Nights at the Institut du monde year 1901 — the year his reputation in Paris was
arabe established. Pieces from international, public or
From 27 November 2012 to 28 April 2013 the Institut du private collections are to be gathered on occasion of
Monde Arabe in Paris will host an exhibition dedicated to this unique display of Picasso’s early works.
One Thousand and One Nights, one of the most extraordinary Picasso (1881-1973) was 19 years old in 1901. The
collections of stories of universal literature. previous year, he had already spent some time in the
The exhibition will recall this vehicle of mythology and beliefs of city, then capital of the arts, and met art dealer
the East represented by the popular book. Indeed, it generated Ambroise Vollard, an essential figure of the time. As he
many images and clichés of the East — expressing reality as well as was planning his trip to Paris in the year 1901 in order
fantasy — shaped by the West, composing a kind of “thesaurus” to take part in a show hosted by Ambroise Vollard,
which nurtured the imagination of generations of artists and Picasso’s best friend committed suicide outside of a
creators, who enriched it as well. Parisian restaurant. This event would have a profound
About 300 works will enable the visitor to meet the famous characters impact on Picasso’s life and works.
of the One Thousand and One Nights: Harun Al-Rachid, Shahryâr, Sinbad, As he arrived in Paris, Picasso had not produced nearly
Aladdin and the glamourous Scheherazade. Some of the most antique enough works for the Vollard exhibition. He therefore
manuscripts will be shown on the occasion and the visitor will be able had to put a lot of effort into completing more works
to follow the book from its genesis and Indo-Persian origins to Antoine as the opening of the exhibition approached — sixty,
Galland, author of the first European translation, including Arabian overall — unleashing passionate creativity that would
tales of the 10th Century. If the text of the One Thousand and One Nights spark off his genius. The Vollard exhibition was a
obviously comes from the East, the iconography of an infinite variety success. Picasso then took his art in new directions,
has its origins in Europe and the West. among which the anticipation of his “blue period”.
Interview…
AFTER THE STORM, INTERVIEW WITH DOUGLAS WALLA,
FOUNDER OF KENT FINE ART
After hurricane Sandy passed through New York City, Art Media Agency interviewed Douglas Walla, founder of the
Kent Fine Art Gallery, located in Chelsea, the devastated artistic district. He shares his views on the current state
of New York artistic scene and the art market after the catastrophe.
Could you introduce yourself, as well as your gallery?

I established the Kent Fine Art in 1985, after working as Vice-President
of the Marlborough Gallery. In the beginning the gallery was located on
Madison Avenue, but it is now in the Chelsea Art District in lower
Manhattan.
Did the Kent Fine Art Gallery specialise in one artistic field?
The Kent Fine Art Gallery displays works from various artistic
movements, from modern art to conceptual art, from Medardo Rosso to
John Heartfield, to Llyn Foulkes, and the visionary Paul Laffoley We’ve
enjoyed long term representation of contemporary artists, such as
Antoni Muntadas, Dennis Adams, Irving Petlin, Llyn Foulkes and
Dorothea Tanning. We also publish art books: we have already released
over fifty, and an additional 10 monographs online.
Hurricane Sandy recently passed through New York; did your gallery
suffer severe damage? Could you comment the situation of other
galleries?
We have been lucky, for the gallery — located in the second floor —
has not been damaged. No artwork has been lost during the hurricane.
Though we are still without the telephone, we feel like we won the
lottery with regard to the state of other galleries in the district. While
the first floor of our building was spared, the basement containing all
of the mechanical systems was flooded with 5 meters.
When I returned to Chelsea after the hurricane in order to see if the Douglas Walla, founder of Kent Fine Art
power was on, I could not believe what I saw! I saw artworks lying on
the floor, completely destroyed. Petrol generators were used as pumps that no one on the ground floors were spared. No one
in order to remove the water stagnating in the galleries. Bits of walls anticipated the hurricane would do such harm. Now,
and fragments were scattered on the pavement, and also books and we can see some galleries are trying to start from
other documents from the galleries. It was a disaster! I truly scratch, to reconstruct their walls destroyed by the
sympathise with those galleries, many with new exhibitions including hurricane. They are struggling to reopen as fast as
Pace, and Petzel, that suffered substantial physical damage. It appears possible. We are hoping by the end of November
Chelsea will come back to life.
Are there no insurances for such incidents?

The presence, or lack of, flood insurance is critical to
the recovery and that is precisely the problem for
those galleries. I know that the lack of flood coverage
will jeopardize any recovery of losses, and I’m not
certain how the lack of insurance will affect the fine
art policies. However, all these galleries are willing to
reopen as fast as possible, in order to organise
exhibitions. One of my colleagues had opened a
brand new space right before the hurricane, and
unfortunately it was badly damaged. It is quite
shocking.
Don’t you think after hurricane Sandy the market is

even less healthy than before?
I did not think the market was in a bad state before
hurricane Sandy, so I can hardly tell if it has gone
worse now. Indeed, if the art market was so very bad
we would not see all these galleries enlarging their
operations and taking additional spaces. They have
Chelsea, the day after the hurricane not be e n har me d at all by (more next page…)
Interview…
AFTER THE STORM, INTERVIEW WITH DOUGLAS WALLA,
FOUNDER OF KENT FINE ART
(…more) this so-called crisis of the art market. Let us wait Could you tell us more about your current and forthcoming
Art Basel Miami — from 6 to 9 December — that will be an exhibitions?
indicator and reflect the state of the art market; before that From 7 November to 21 December 2012 we are presenting
it is not possible to make a statement. Actually, I think we the exhibition “STORMS: After Redon” by Irving Petlin. Born in
are witnessing a real change in the field of contemporary 1934 in Chicago, the artist is now 78 and lives between Paris
art. The modern versus contemporary market is facing many and New York. He is a master draughtsman with pastel on
problems: forgeries, authentication problems, and a great hand made paper, and aims at depicting a hostile
many other crimes have been reported this year. To pick up environment through flaming colours. It is very ironic we
only one of them, the case of the forger Wolgang Beltracchi should organise such an exhibition precisely now. Petlin’s
is a perfect example of this. I do think there is currently “storms” are indeed a direct echo to Hurricane Sandy. Given
some paranoia in the art world, which I think is contributing the fact that the closing date is the end of the Mayan
to the market for living artists. Auction houses convey this calendar, perhaps this show has particular significance.
From 4 January to 2 March 2013, Kent Fine Art will document
notion as well. As for me, I think the art market is strong,
Paul Laffoley’s “Boston Visionary Cell”, a visionary artist’s guild
and these are only jolts. The recent elections and the
he incorporated in 1971. Laffoley is a visionary artist, combining
hurricane have been mere distractions. The foundation in his work architecture, painting, mathematics and the classics
remains solid and the market is now a global phenomena. of philosophy. He created a new discipline, where science and
spirituality coexist. He also explores the way in which artists
Have you already reopened, or are you expecting for the address technology in their works. In 2009, he took part in the
situation to get better in Chelsea? collective exhibition “Chasing Napoleon” at the Palais de Tokyo,
We reopened on 7 November 2012. I do think it was curated by Marc-Olivier Wahler, alongside Dave Allen, Dora
necessary to help bringing the district back to life. Indeed, Winter, Robert Gober, among others. After exhibiting in our
we enjoyed many positive reactions to this reopening. gallery, he will go to London (Hayward Gallery) from 11 June
People appreciate our choice. As for me, I think it also to 1 st September 2013, and to Seattle at the Henry Art
enables to feel the district’s atmosphere, to understand Gallery from 4 April 2013 onwards. In addition, on the
things by oneself. It is good to get things start again, occasion of his recent show at the Hamburger Bahnhoff, there is
progressively. Indeed, I wish all activities might restart as a new book titled Secret Universe: Paul Laffoley Secret Universe
soon as possible. published by Verlag der Buchhandlung Walter Konig, Koln.
KENT FINE ART
Interview with Douglas Walla, founder of Kent Fine Art
Galleries…
The ADAA’s assistance to damaged galleries after hurricane Sandy
The Art Dealers Association of America (ADAA) announced on 9 November it would fund the renovation of several New York
galleries damaged by hurricane Sandy. The fund is called “Relief Fund Emergency Grants”. Precise selection criteria must be met:
the galleries that apply for the grants must have suffered catastrophic damage prohibiting gallery business, drastically impaired
cash flow, and demonstrated risk of a business’ permanent closure.
The grants are meant to bring financial support to galleries (member of the ADAA or not) located in the most devastated zones of
the city. They will allow gallery-owners to restore their galleries and go back to work as soon as possible.
The Wallspace Gallery, the Bortolami Gallery, the Derek Eller Gallery and the Printed Matter, Inc. have been the first to benefit
from the ADAA’s assistance. The selection is still going on for online applications.
NOMINATION… SANDY…
Constance Dumas appointed Head of the Paul Kasmin et Artspace.com raise funds for devastated galleries
Nathalie Obadia Gallery in Brussels Paul Kasmin and Artspace.com have joined forces to raise funds in order to
Constance Dumas has been appointed assist art galleries damaged by hurricane Sandy.
Head of the Nathalie Obadia Gallery in The gallery and the artworks website are co-releasing a limited-edition
Brussels. She will officially take office from print of Think Flag, by William N. Copley. This print is part of a 250-
30 November 2012 onwards. Her specimen ensemble. It will be on show for the first time on occasion of a
predecessor Sophie Hasaerts, will from party at the Hotel Americano in Chelsea, on 16 November.
now on work as an art adviser in Marie- The sale will benefit the Art Dealers Association of America. We may indeed
Christine Gennart’s Contemporary Art hope for $50,000 to be raised and offered to this association that supports
team, as reports Blouin Artinfo. the galleries’ reconstruction. Paul Kasmin and Artspace.com are thus hoping
Constance Dumas, only 30 years old, has to increase the supporting fund by 20%.
been acquainted with her new job from 31 Blouin Artinfo reminds that Artspace.com also created an online supporting
October. Her career so far is described as collection, including works by David Salle, Sara Greenberger Rafferty,
“impressive” and “faultless”. After studying Walton Ford, Deborah Kass and others.
at the Sorbonne University and the Institut
d’Etudes Supérieures des Arts, she worked The David Zwirner Gallery reopens with Diana Thater
for the White Cube Gallery London, and After hurricane Sandy, the David Zwirner Gallery reopens with the exhibition
Denise René, Suzanne Tarasieve and Bank “Chernobyl” by Diana Thater, from 9 November to 22 December 2012. The
galleries in Paris. opening took place on 9 November from 6pm to 8pm.
This video installation — realised in 2011 on the site of Chernobyl nuclear
In 2010 and 2011, she worked with Pierre
catastrophe (1986) — is willing to draw attention to the consequences of
Bergé and Chanel, and then led the artistic
human-caused catastrophes. Mankind is indeed responsible for many
direction of the new Vuitton store on place
changes disastrous for the world. The exhibition’s theme is a direct echo to
Vendôme. In 2012, before being hired by
hurricane Sandy and the damages caused in New York City — in Chelsea art
Nathalie Obadia, she was Head of
galleries especially — and beyond.
Communication and Marketing at the
Therefore, Chernobyl still runs within the deserted area, after the 1986 nuclear
Museum of Air and Space at le Bourget. explosion. Ever since, all form of life has left this place, eventually transformed
into a no man’s land. Everything remained frozen. Thater’s video begins with
CLOSING… Prypiat ghost-city, which was built in 1972 in order to shelter the employees of
Hotel Gallery in London to close down the power station. She looks at wild life that took over this place of earth
Art in America and GalleristNY inform forgotten by men: horses gallop freely, with no fear of being disturbed. Other
that Hotel Gallery based in London is animals have also reappeared since the inhabitants left.
”going into liquidation”. Diana Thater is currently one of the major video artists. Since the 1990s
Darren Flook and Christabel Stewart she has made various films, videos and installations. Her work enabled this
new medium, video, to be seen differently and to establish its position on
announced this definitive decision of
closing the gallery which they the global artistic scene.
established in 2003. On 18 November
2012 current exhibition of works by ANNIVERSARY…
Mike Bouchet will end and the gallery M.S. Rau celebrates its centenary with an Impressionist exhibition
shut down. America’s largest fine art and antique dealers, M.S. Rau Antiques is
“Financial difficulties” which arose, are celebrating its 100 th anniversary and for the occasion a specially curated
the reason for this decision. The gallery exhibition will be organised. Over 25 Impressionist paintings will be
promoted young creators by organising displayed showing all the masters that initiated and nourished this
their first exhibition or by offering a revolutionary movement, from 16 November 2012 to 4 January 2013 in the
space to help them achieve their artistic historic French Quarter of New Orleans.
projects, in general, it was renowned for The collection, remarkable by the artists and the quality of the paintings,
supporting emerging artists. includes Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vincent Van Gogh and Jean
Darren Flook is also, alongside Elizabeth Baptiste Camille Corot. All paintings come from both private and public
Dee, a cofounder of the Independent Art collections and from the M.S. Rau’s collection.
Fair and he decided to concentrate Some of the artworks that will be shown are Renoir’s Paysage, Arbres et Lande
m a i n l y o n t h i s b u s i n e ss a f t e r t h e au Fond, 1892; Vincent Van Gogh’s Still Life with Two Sacks and a Bottle, 1884
gallery’s closing down. and Corot’s L’Entrée de Chemin Creux, 1870-1875.
WHAT’S ON…
Cuban artists exhibiting abroad Marion Tampon-Lajarriette exhibits at the
Cuban art has found no rest with the latest exhibitions Galerie Dix9, Paris
taking place in Havana as well as in Europe and the On the occasion of Paris Photo Month,
United States. Three exhibitions are currently taking Marion Tampon-Lajarriette will present
place in the birthplace of Cuban artists; Alexis Esquivel is exhibiting her second exhibition at the Galerie Dix9, titled
at the La Lisa Arte Contemporaneo in Albacete Spain from 19 October
“L’Heure mystérieuse” (“Mysterious Hour”). It will
to 30 November and Abelardo Morell exhibits in New York at the
run from 17 November to 22 December 2012.
Bonnie Benrubi Gallery from 4 October to 22 December 2012.
In the National Library of José Martí, in Havana, a dozen of artists will Winner of the grant of the Geneva Fonds cantonal
be exploring the theme of “Art in Memory”, the exhibition will last d’art contemporain, Marion Tampon-Lajarriette will
until January 2013 and includes art pieces by Abel Barroso, Kcho and be offered a six-month stay in New York in 2013.
Ibrahim Miranda to name only a few. On 25October, the exhibition In “Mysterious Hour” she includes “her recent
“Muestra Colectiva de las vanguardias cubanas” opened at the video installations and photographs born from a
Galería La Acacia and on 26 October, the exhibition “3 Monos” by new approach towards problematics which are
René Peña at the Galería Servando. important to her”. It is the MoCLT series — an
On the other hand, Cuban artist Esquivel will be exhibiting “Los acronym for an “imaginary museum devoted to
próximos heroes” in Spain. His work relies on his painting and occultism and modern art” — where she reveals
drawings of the past two years, addressing issues such as religion, intriguing prints form a night visit to the Mamco,
nationalism and populism. The photographer Morell in New York will Geneva, in January 2012. She is interested in dark
present his latest works done with the aid of a camera obscura
spaces, “construction site” of the museum, leading
— darkroom — resulting in interesting plastic experimentations.
the visit as a ghost-guide. Equipped with three
Ricardo Rendón exhibits at Vicky David Gallery infrared cameras, she even makes comments on
Vicky David Gallery is to present an exhibition titled “Open the pieces exhibited.
Works” by Mexican artist Ricardo Rendón from 8 November Likewise, in the video series Erehwon, Marion
to 12 January 2013. Vernissage will take place on 8 Tampon-Lajarriette reveals her interest in already
November from 6pm to 8pm. existing pictures, movies or press. Here, she creates
Living and working in Mexico, Ricardo Rendón’s work can be qualified fantasy landscapes consisting of “montage of
as conceptual and minimal. With his unique visual language, he is an coastal landscape and 1960s fantasy movies’
“emblematic artist of Mexico’s young generation”. Since 2003, he has scenography”. She offers “a paradoxical exploration
been interested in the process of creation and artistic production. of places belonging to numerous imaginary worlds
Contrary to certain artists, he does not leave the production of his as well as nowhere”.
works to some other party, he wants to produce them himself, because As indicated in the gallery’s press release “Mysterious
“from the realisation process, new ideas emerge”. Hour”, through its different facets, takes a new step
A general commemoration, his creation process enables him to
further Marion Tampon-Lajarriette’s work”.
explore different materials which require “know-how”, such as
masonry or carpentry, etc. He uses different materials and pays
attention to stages of creation. What was created, the final result, is Tom Otterness at the Marlborough Gallery
not the only thing that counts. In fact, he seeks “a testimony of a Marlborough Gallery of Monaco
creation experience”. In this exhibition, Ricardo Rendón shows works presents through 30 November 2012 an
made mainly from felt, with which he has experimented since 2007. exhibition “inspired by modern and
He sculpts, perforates, makes confetti of felt and covers the floor with ancient legends”, by American scupltor Tom
it, therefore emphasising the creation process. He also produced big, Otterness.
mural installations alongside a guidebook to assist an eventual It is the second exhibition of the artist in Monaco
collector in the hanging of the work. and gathers over twenty works with Otterness’
favorite themes: class conflict, overconsumption,
Wangechi Mutu “is returning”
and “bestiary with its hominoid animals”.
Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects presents a new
exhibition of Kenyan artist Wangechi Mutu titled While producing his works, Tom Otterness finds
“Nitarudi Ninarudi I plan to return I am returning”, inspiration in the characters of modern
through 22 December 2012. iconography, fairytales and cartoons. For example,
For this fourth monography of the artist organised in the gallery, the work titled Bad Wolf features the Three Little
Wangechi Mutu prepared new works, including video installations, Pigs tale. Through this childlike, popular imagery,
collages and sculptures. Through her new creations she “continues to he denounces “the weakness of contemporary
address perceptions of conflicting cultural projections played out on world without shocking or offending his public”. In
the body through her contemplations on race and gender”. Her hybrid fact, he intelligently gives his public a lesson.
beings are fused and moulded from plants, animals, machines, porn Tom Otterness’ world is full of smiling bears, Guinea
imagery and medical illustrations. pigs driving a fire brigade’s truck, but also beetles
Yet, from this exhibition a particular topic is emerging, the experience covered with excrement kissing on a money bag —
of Diaspora. In fact, Wangechi Mutu works on the memory, the notion in his work titled Kissing Dung Beetles. Using
of exile and the notion of homeland. She goes back to her origins:
allegory, humour and optimism, he questions
Kenya. She merges Kenyan culture with bits of other cultures that she
encountered during her life. Her works explore the quest of human important aspects of contemporary society and
beings living far away from their native place, torn between desire and entices us into reflecting upon them. With The
the promise of return. It is clear that their life is not easy: split up Consumer, representing an obese man on the brink
between two identities, they have the impression of living in a space of bursting sitting on a money bag, Otterness
which does not belong to them, trying to transform it into a home. denounces overconsumption.
WHAT’S ON…
First U.S. exhibition of Joseph André Motte Artist and writer Harland Miller at the White Cube
The Demish Danant Gallery (New York) presents Born in Yorkshire and currently living in London,
an exhibition of Joseph André Motte, a major the writer and artist Harland Miller is exhibiting
figure of Post-War design, for the first time in his new paintings at the White Cube Hoxton
the United States. The event titled “Joseph André Motte: Square from 9 November 2012 to 22 December 2012.
The Art of Living” will run until 9 February 2013. Thirty The White Cube embraces Miller’s new series of works, that
works, the majority of which were never shown to the include the paintings based on the marble covers of vintage
public before, are to be displayed. Penguin poetry books and the group of new figurative
This show is the first of a series of retrospectives which paintings with a touch of nostalgia.
chronologically retrace Motte’s work and aims at showing Inspired by classic works by Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and
his early works, at a time when he favoured plywood and Edgar Allen Poe, Miller picks up their covers and titles and
rattan as materials. renders them in poster-like oils, giving them new titles that
Born in 1925, Joseph André Motte belongs to the are often satirical, ironic or emotive, and lead the way to
generation of Post-War designers, alongside Pierre reflections about life and literature. One can say that these
Guariche, Micher Mortier, René Jean Caillette, Alain Richard paintings are sculptural objects since they are made using
or Pierre Paulin, who cherished industrialisation and wished metallic paints on heavy smooth hazelnut panels.
Miller will also have a solo exhibition at Ingleby Gallery in
to design French interiors in a totally contemporary way. He
commissioned very important projects for the Roissy and Edinburgh until 26 January 2013. Other solo exhibitions include,
LAB in Beirut (2011), and Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art at
Orly airports, as well as for the Louvre Museum.
Gateshead (2009).
The Demish Danant Gallery, established in 2005,
specialises in 20th Century European design.
“Trash Color” at the Maëlle Galerie
Until 30 November 2012 the exhibition “Trash
Gérard Tordjman: Lélia Mordoch Gallery presents
Color” by Shuck One runs at the Maëlle Galerie, an
a Kerouac-style photographer
online contemporary art gallery. The event is held
The Lélia Mordoch Gallery, situated in Saint- in the showroom at the Village Suisse (across 14 rue
Germain-des-Prés disctrict in Paris, is presenting Alasseur 75015, Paris).
photographer Gérard Tordjman’s work in a show titled “Au Originally from Pointe-à-Pitre (Guadeloupe) Shuck One got
fil de la route — Karma Roads” through 8 December. interested in graffiti of the 1980s, a period when independence
Born in 1951 in Algeria, Gérard Tordjman has always lived claims covered the walls of the West Indies. Once in Paris, he
for and through photography. His numerous travels (in his entered the Hip-Hop environment and started taking over the
home country but also abroad, notably in Scandinavia) urban space of the French capital. He expressed himself using
lead him to devote himself to this medium at the age of 18 new supports such as the underground, the walls of abandoned
when he decided to master photographic technique before buildings, etc. and became a “key figure of international graffiti”.
owning a photography laboratory specialised in music. He The exhibition “Trash Color” gathers over twenty works which
dreamed of having a career as a reporter but coincidence reflect the unique world of Shuck One. The artist opens up in a
and encounters in his life decided otherwise. way and frees himself from all conventions. The paint spray,
Just like the people he meets, of whom he shoots photographic tool of street artist, becomes his subject. He works directly on
portraits, the road often is the central component of the it: “he deconstructs, redefines, twists and shatters.” Indeed,
pictures of landscapes he takes when traveling. “this industrial object which seems common is now put in the
Reminding texts by Jack Kerouac, the artist explains in the spotlight”. Far from being delicate, Shuck One unveils himself
press release: “We often look to the right or to the left, but and proves to be sensitive.
rarely at the road itself.” He references the numerous
routes which connect people to one another across Ed Ruscha at Gagosian Gallery in New York
continents. Many decades of traveling through Alaska, The Gagosian Gallery in New York (West 24th
India or even Patagonia are on show at the Saint-Germain- street) is to host an exhibition of Ed Rusha’s works
des-Prés photography festival, the second edition of from 17 November 2012 to 12 January 2013.
which will focus on Travels and Dreams. Ruscha is a hybrid and unclassifiable artist which used
photography as well as drawing and engraving. The exhibition
The Gallery Marta Cervera in Madrid exhibits was simply named after the artist’s name.
Nuria Fúster Known for his experience in materials, Ed Ruscha often mixes
Spanish artist Nuria Fúster will be exhibiting at styles and supports with unconventional elements, as for
the Galeria Marta Cervera in Madrid starting on example gun powder, coffee or fruit juice. Ruscha almost
Wednesday 7 November with the Opening Reception at obsessively “nourishes” his works with words and books.
7:30pm. Press release indicates one of Ruscha’s quotations:
The Spanish artist is devoted to an “objectual sculpture”, “Sometimes I wonder whether I am painting pictures of words
this means she creates sculptural pieces with found objects or whether I’m painting pictures with words.” In this exhibition
the artist considers a book as an object, a thing which
that she often recycles, giving them a new utility. Through
contains text and image, and questions the book as a physical
her assemblies, she is in a constant exploration of what she
object over the last 25 years. The exhibition comprises oils on
calls “the real in reality”. She explores the involvement of canvas, acrylic paintings, drawings on paper, watercolours on
the spectator with her pieces by the very act of observing
vellum, photographs and bookish elements.
the object and later, the act of the muscle to move towards Ed Ruscha was born in 1937. He studied painting, photography
it and reaching it. and design at the Chouinard Art Institute, which then became
Nuria Fúster has already done many exhibitions in this CalArts. His exhibition “Cotton Puffs, Q-Tips®, Smoke and
noteworthy gallery showing the precariousness of her Mirrors” traveled through various American museums in
sculptures. The Marta Certera Gallery has, on the other hand, 2004-2005. He had solo shows at the Musée du Jeu de Paume
shown art pieces from Sol LeWitt, Anselm Kieffer, Georg in 2006, at the Hayward Gallery in London in 2009, in Munich
Baselitz, and one of the latest ones, Andy Warhol among others. and Stockholm in 2010 and in Vienna in 2012.
COMING SOON …
Greg Miller at the Scream Gallery, Collective exhibition at the Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery
London The Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery in Paris presents new collective
From 25 November to 5 January exhibition titled “Seuls quelques fragments de nous toucheront
2013, the Scream Gallery presents quelques fragments d’autrui” (“Just bit of us will touch a bit of
works by Gerg Miller in the exhibition titled others”), from 30 November to 19 January 2013.
“Four Corners”. Through collages, fragmentations and montages, works exhibited cover
Throughout the pieces displayed the spectator twenty years of artistic practice, from the 1990′s to nowadays. The hanging
witnesses the “relationship with the space he of the works itself is thought of a collage in a way, where the mediums are
inhabits to communicate a particular urban juxtaposed in a specific space. This project is directly in the wake of
experience”. One can see the artist’s profound exhibitions such as “Infinite Gold” (2010) devoted to paper-folding, and
attachment to his origin, American “roots”, at the “Landscape” (2008) regarding the place of landscape in contemporary art.
same time a geographical and cultural interest. Timothée Chaillou, curator of the exhibition, describes a reality of each person
Greg Miller works with both paint and collage, as a collage, “made by whatever appeals to us and what is saved by our memory
exploring “the contradiction, ambiguity and — we compose with what appears to us in our fragmentary comprehension of
truth between urban streetscape and history”. the world.” Among the artists taking part in this event we can mention John M.
Armleder, Jesse Ash, Haris Epaminonda, Nathan Hylden or Catherine Sullivan.
His works directly relate to what surrounds us
daily, our everyday life which one can see on
Fabienne Verdier at the Art Plural Gallery in Singapore
the street. He wants to explore and aims at
Art Plural Gallery in Singapour has recently announced an
“making the most fleeting parts of American
inauguration of the event devoted to French artist Fabienne
culture tangible”. Sometimes nostalgic, his work Verdier, on 25 January 2013. The exhibition will run until 9 March
rouses us to “enjoy the momentary beauty 2013 and will present her latest drawings and large-size paintings.
found in the impermanent parts of our lives”. Fabienne Verdier gets inspiration from life and the fleeting nature of things and
His work is featured in numerous museums and beings. She quickly proved to be a major figure in traditional ink painting, inspired
private collections throughout the world. The first by her training in China. She does a lot of research on the depth of colour.
monograph on the artist was published in 2008 Born in Paris in 1962, she graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Toulouse
and a volume of his writing, painting and in 1983. The following year, she received a grant and went to the Szechuan
photography, The Get Go, was released in 2010. Fine Arts Institute, in Chongqing, China. For over ten years she studied
philosophy, painting and aesthetics. She published Passagère du silence : dix
Two new exhibitions at the David ans d’initiation en Chine (A Passenger of Silence: Ten Years of Inititation in China),
Bloch Gallery, Marrakech regarding this period of her life. Her works show evidence of the deep
The David Bloch Gallery in Marrakech influence the training in calligraphy and other traditional Chinese arts had on
is to present two major exhibitions her. Some of her works entered the permanent collections of the Cernuschi
this December. From 28 November to 13 museum and Centre Pompidou in Paris. She exhibited at numerous galleries
décember 2012, it will feature “Born Wild” by throughout the world and is currently working on a project in cooperation with
Richard Orlinski and then “Epiphysm” by French Jean Nouvel, for the National Museum of Modern Art in China.
artist based in Madrid — Remed, to be held from
15 December 2012 to 12 january 2013. James Clar at Carbon 12 Gallery
In “Born Wild”, Richard Orlinski — second best- The Carbon 12 Gallery is hosting an exhibition of American
selling French contemporary artist in France — multimedia artist James Clar titled “Iris was a Pupil”, through 8
captures the violence of Nature, knowing that December 2012.
“beauty can transform violence into a positive As the title indicates, new works by James Clar explore the sensation of
visual stimuli and tackle “a constant challenge of finding new points of view and
emotion”. Since his childhood he had a habit of
a desire to look from different perspectives”. That may be the reason why his
sculpting animals and imaginary machines,
installations, made from light, attract the attention so much. Crossing borders is a
expressing his creativity in order to establish his
recurring topic for this artist who lives and works both in Dubai and New York.
own art, in the wake of a generation of
“Beyond the redefinition of the limits and borders of mediums, he explores, on a
contemporary artists such as Jeff Koons, Takashi metaphysical level, subjects such as nationalism and globalisation of the era of
Murakami, Richard Prince, etc. Considering the two social technologies”. Here, he goes even further “blurring the lines which
dimensions of painting as a “limit”, Richard Orlinksi separate dream and reality, what is artificial and what is real”.
prefers to use real materials such as resin, Aesthetically, one could say that works by James Clar are close to
aluminium, as well as marble, stone and bronze. Minimalism or early Conceptualism. This exhibition presents works made
Remed will present his new works within the from raw materials and products. Consisting of light, graphs and other
exhibition “Epiphysm”, in collaboration with objects of all kinds, works by James Clar attempt to render a state of purity,
Moroccan artists. Famous for his murals, this the soul of multimedia art.
artist will offer this time works on paper and
canvas, and volumes. It will certainly be a unique First Exhibition of Ilene Vultaggio at the Tria Gallery
event, for Remed hardly ever appears in galleries. The Tria Gallery will present the first exhibition of American artist Ilene
The press release describes his work as “at the Vultaggio “Creator of Iconic Designs for AriZona, Beverage Company”
crossing of geometry and calligraphy, in a quest from 13 December 2012 — reception day from 6pm to 8pm —
for mathematic perfection combined with an through 5 January 2013. The reception day will be on Thursday 13 December.
organic gesture […], Remed seeks for truth The work consists of nudes realised by the artist throughout her career.
through simplicity and the creation of a universal This exhibition is considered the first of her career since she had never
language: that of shape and colour”. Throughout exhibited publicly before. Vultaggio is indeed considered the creator of the
his work —between abstraction and figuration — first eye-catching designs that would shape AriZona Beverage Company brand
Remed addresses classic themes and oppositions two decades ago. However the exhibition will display Vultaggio’s artistic
of human existence: life and death, good and production, that she had privately practiced along with her design-making. The
evil, etc. He creates his own philosophy, his own exhibition comprises 30 works that mainly represent male and female nudes in
world, and offers them to the spectator. diverse poses, with techniques such as paste and charcoal on paper.
Artists…
Sotheby’s Australia nominated exclusive agent of David Larwill’s work
Sotheby’s Australia has recently announced its nomination as the exclusive agent of Australian artist David Larwill
(1956-2011), supported by Fiona Larwill, the artist’s wife.
David Larwill was a major figure of Neo-Expressionism in Australian painting in the 1980′s. Larwill studied at Prahran
College of Advanced Education and Preston Institute of Technology before going to Europe and discovering work by Jean
Dubuffet and the CoBra movement. He found inspiration in the forms of European “art brut” and mixed it with his native
influences to create his own specific style.
One of the founders of Melbourne art collective, Roar Studios, Larwill was exhibited throughout the country. He also had a solo
exhibition at the Stephen Weiss studio in New York, David Larwill & The Western Desert Artists — Australia New York 2008.
The work of David Larwill is present in numerous Australian institutions (National Gallery of Australia in Canberra, National Gallery
of Victoria in Melbourne or Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney) as well as internationally (at the British Museum in London).
Fiona Larwill was quoted in the Sotheby’s Australia press release, and expressed her enthusiasm about Sotheby’s
Australia being appointed to manage the David Larwill collection. She emphasised the auction house’s in-depth
knowledge of his work and on their conservation and academic approach, which she finds particularly appropriate.
In the press release, Geoffrey Smith, President of Sotheby’s Australia, mentions Larwill’s sense of community and generosity of
spirit, which lead him to deal with social problems. These are the values which the auction house wishes to convey by
protecting the heritage of David Larwill, facilitating reproduction, supporting academic research and organising sales of his works.
FOCUS ON… YOUNG TALENT…

John Chamberlain’s sculptures at Fairchild’s Miami Top ten inspiring young photographers of Paris Photo, by
The Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden presents “Chamberlain at Blouin Artinfo
Fairchild” from 5 December 2012 to 30 April 2013. The garden Blouin Artinfo has recently published a list of the ten
will be exposing four sculptures of American artist John most inspiring young photographers exhibiting at Paris
Chamberlain (1927-2011), created between 2008 and 2010. Photo, held under the Grand Palais’ glass roof from 15
The sculptures had recently been displayed at the Park Avenue to 18 November 2012.
Plaza outside the Seagram building in New York City. Indeed, alongside the big names of photography,
Chamberlain’s sculptures are unique by their forms — looped, young creators present their works trying to find their
flexible-like, biomorphic — and their luminous materials that he place “among the greatest”. They “mix techniques,
frequently used such as silver, green or copper-coloured experiment, and are inspired by various disciplines to
industrial aluminium. By doing this, he attributed to them a make photography an art that goes far beyond the
dynamic appearance, that of a constant flux. mere camera”.
The Fairchild Garden was established in 1936 and opened to the Among the top ten promising photographers under the
public in 1938 and was designed by the landscape architect age of 35 selected by Blouin Artinfo we find Adam
William Lyman Phillips. The Garden is dedicated to the Jeppensen, born in 1978 and represented by the Peter
conservation and research of the world of tropical plants. The Lav Gallery. The Danish artist acted as an explorer and
garden is by the way considered the world’s greatest tropical went on an “expedition” during which he realised a
botanic garden in the world, it embraces both rare and beautiful striking series of 487 photographs. Only in 2009, he
plants, extending throughout a designed landscape. travelled Arctica, Antarctica and both Americas,
immortalising landscapes and places he discovered.
RETROSPECTIVE… W i t h Fa t l a n d s C a m p P r o j e c t , h e r e v e a l s t h e
Mariana Yampolsky retrospective at the Instituto Cultural de photographer’s solitude within vast landscapes.
México in Paris Korean artist Ina Jang, born in 1982, represented by
In partnership with the Centro de la Imagen in Mexico, the Instituto the Christophe Guye Gallery, is on the list as well.
Cultural de México in Paris is organising a retrospective of the artist Object is at the centre of her interest. According to
Mariana Yampolsky, born in 1925 in Chicago and who acquired the Blouin Artinfo, her prints mix “the organic with the
Mexican citizenship in 1958. The exhibition “Tepalcates”, curated by geometric, the evident with the surreal, to leave a
Gicela Arias Chavez, will start on 13 November with the preview space for various interpretations.” As for Taiyo and
from 7pm to 9pm, and run to 29 March 2013. Nico Krebs, both born in 1979, represented by
The exhibition is based on the notion of “house”, or according to the Feldbuschwiesner and Peter Lav, they decided to pick
title tepalcate: the house as observatory of the world. Tepalcate up the theme that inspired so many photographers
means, in Nahuatl language, a piece or fragment of a terra cotta before: the American roadtrip.
container. In addition to the exhibition, a lecture will be held by Matthew Brandt, born in Los Angeles, where he
curator Gicela Arias, with the participation of Arjen van der Sluis, currently lives and works, represented by the M+B
president of the Mariana Yampolsky Cultural Foundation. Gallery, applied an exceptional development process.
Yampolsky started her career as a photographer in 1948 and During Paris Photo he exhibits a “fascinating series”
organised her first exhibition as late as 1960. Subsequently she — Lakes and Reservoirs. he travelled from lake to lake
organised over fifty solo shows and about 150 collective to shoot them and later to dip the c-print in the
exhibitions. Her photographs are characterised by Mexican waters of the same lakes. This is how he achieved
landscapes, and more particularly Mexican rural life. Nowadays her unique prints in which colours and the mere aspect of
works are part of international public and private collections. the photograph have been altered.
AMA NEWSLETTER 78 23 16 NOVEMBRE 2012
Interview…
INTERVIEW WITH DAMIEN LECLERE, AUCTIONEER IN MARSEILLES
Art Media Agency had the opportunity of meeting Damien Leclere, auctioneer and associate of Leclere auction
house. He gracefully accepted to answer our questions, notably about the exceptional sale of a Fra Angelico.
Could you present Leclere

auction house?
Leclere auction house was
founded in 2006 in Marseille, in a
800-sqm former factory. Delphine
Orts and I created it.
You recently auctioned a Fra

Angelico panel. Could you tell us
a bit more about this work and
how the sale went on?
On occasion of the 27 October
2012 auction, organised by
Leclere auction house, a painting
produced by Italian painter Fra
Angelico (1400-1455) and his
atelier has been sold, a very rare
piece. It was the first time a work
by Fra Angelico was sold at
auctions in France. It had remained
in a French private collection since
it was last acquired in the 19th FRA ANGELICO and his atelier
century. In 2001, Michel Laclotte Thébaïde
— expert in 14th and 15th Century Tempera on pannel 27,5 × 38,5 cm
Italian painting — confirmed it was
€200,000 and €400,000. The sale exceeded those
indeed a Thebaid, probably realised between 1430 and 1435. A Thebaid
depicts monastic life, with reference to the life of the first Christians in estimations, and I can tell the result was thus expected
Thebes, a desert region of Southern Egypt. It appears this painting was as well as rational.
divided into six panels at the end of the 18th Century. Today, only one is Is Leclere auction house planning other important
still missing: the other four are displayed in museums. sales or projects?
The auction house is active in ten specialties, from
The other panels are displayed in museums. However, the piece was ancient art to African art, including among others
eventually auctioned to a French collector, how can you explain the photography, street art and design. Each department
museums did not show a willingness to get the panel? Do you think plans its own auction sales. The Civilisation
it will ever be possible to see Fra Angelico’s work reconstituted? department is therefore planning an auction on 17
Museums do not take part in auction sales, and they probably didn’t November 2012, the Design department on 8
succeed in gathering the necessary sum to acquire such a December 2012. An auction of ancient and modern
masterpiece. However, it is important the work was acquired by a paintings is expected on 15 December 2012, and an
French collector: this means it will not leave France, and it may be automobile sale on 16 December 2012, etc.
lent to museums in order to be involved in possible exhibitions. A
reconstitution of the panel, though incomplete, is then conceivable. What are you planning to do in days to come, do
you intend to fully dedicate yourself to Leclere
With regard to contemporary artworks, €552,000 seems a rather auction house?
derisory sum. Does this price suit the worth of such a piece, according I do. I am willing to go on developing the house and
to you? the various departments.
No comparison can be made between the various fields of the art
What is your view on the current art market?
market. One cannot compare — artistically speaking — an ancient
I think the current art market is pleasant. We manage to
painting with a contemporary artwork, and it is therefore useless to
sell works at prices recognised by the market, which is
compare the prices. We had estimated Fra Angelico’s panel between indeed very good. Therefore, a Rodin, sold at the same
time as the Fra Angelico, rose to €120,000. The current
Interview with Damien Leclere, auctioneer, cofounder of Leclere auction house
Auctions…
ARTCILE OF THE WEEK…
The ten most expensive Chinese paintings in the world
China, a country with one of the largest economies in the world, also represents the ideal of an Asiatic or even global hegemony in
terms of art sales. As a matter of fact, the last three years have been of extreme success due to the achievement of very big auctions.
This impulsion towards the art auction sector dates from the very first ones in the beginning of 2010, a year during which many
buyers acquired very expensive and valuable paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings and prints.
Actually, the most profitable art business centres of the world are Shanghai, with a turnover of $ 374m, Hangzhou and Jinan.
And this is applicable to all types of art, from antique pieces to contemporary ones. China is gradually taking more and more
force in the art business area and is willing to maintain its place as one of the first art business forces.
Here is a list of the ten most expensive Chinese paintings in the world:
• Eagle Standing in pine Tree by Qui Baishi. The painting sold for 425,5 million yuans (€53.75 m) in 2011.
• Zhi Chua moving to mountain by Wang Meng. The painter was considered to be the last painter of the “Four Masters” of the
end of the Yuan period. The painting was auctioned for $55,3m (€43.5m) in 2011.
• Cultivation on the peaceful land by Xu Beihong. The painter was famous for his horse paintings and this piece was auctioned
for €28.9m.
• Landscapes of the Four Seasons by Fu Baoshi. A short stay at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts in 1933 was enough for him to be
influenced by Japanese art in his paintings. The painting was sold for €22.48m.
• Landscape by Qi Baishi. One of the most desired in the art business, this series of eleven painted pieces was auctioned for
€21.1m.
• Landscape by Tan Yin. Inspired by Taoism, the painting was sold for €18.24m.
• Huafeng People’s Wishes to Emperor Yan by Ren Yi. Auctioned for €17.76m.
• Lotus and Mandarin Ducks by Zhang Daqian. Considered one of the most important Chinese painters of the 20th Century.
The painting was sold for €17.22m.
• Figure by Xu Beihong was auctioned for €16.23m.
RECORDS…
Sotheby’s contemporary art sale Christie’s: Historical record sale of post-war and contemporary art
mounts up to $375.1m record sum Christie’s 14 November press release has just announced it has achieved the highest
Sotheby’s contemporary art sale post-war and contemporary art sale total in history: $412.3 m. The auction highlighted
held on 13 November, starring works from Andy Warhol, Franz Kline, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Mark Rothko, Jeff Koons
Mark Rothko’s No. 1 (Royal red and and Roy Lichtenstein, among others.
blue) among others, unleashed Andy Warhol still stars as the most popular artist in contemporary art sales. The Warhol
unprecedented passion among
highlight of the sale was his 3-D Statue of Liberty, sold for $43,762,500. This work was
buyers.
part of the Death and Disaster series and is one of his most iconic pieces, alongside his
Rothko’s famous painting, dated
from 1954 was auctioned $75.1m Marilyn and Elvis portraits, or his famous representation of the soup cans and Coca-Cola
to a mysterious phone bidder bottles. His portrait of Marlon Brando, dated from 1966, was auctioned for $23,714,500.
whose call plunged the assembly Another major pop art figure on show was Roy Lichtenstein, whose Nude with Red Skirt
into a tense wait. Other than was sold twice its estimated price, achieving $28m when its estimate was of $12-18m.
Rothko, Sotheby’s sold an The press release indicates that eight new auction records were set. 11 works were sold
exceptional piece of drip painting for over $10m, 16 for over $5m, establishing spectacular sale rates altogether.
by Jackson Pollock titled Number 4, Jeff Koons was established as one of the world’s top-selling living artists. His
1951 for $40.4m. monumental sculpture Tulips was auctioned for $33,682,500.
The sale also offered pieces by Abstract Expressionist artist Franz Kline’s Untitled, dated 1957, achieved $40,4m,
Andy Warhol, including Suicide, setting a new world auction record for the artist.
which sold for twice its original Chairman and International Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art, Brett Gorvy,
estimated price of $6 to $8m,
expresses what Christie’s was aiming at: “We curated the sale around a rich variety of
therefore auctioned for $16.3 m.
Similarly, Francis Bacon’s Untitled the highest quality works and most coveted artists in order to serve our broad
(Pope) was sold for $29.7m, international base of collectors in their quest to find the next iconic work, whether it is
strongly exceeding its original Pop Art, Abstract Expressionism, or cutting-edge contemporary.”
estimate of $18m.
Gerhard Richter‘s work did not do Christie’s Geneva witnesses record year for jewellery auctions
that well compared to the other Christie’s Geneva has gone through a record year as far as jewellery auctions are
works. Rumour has it there were concerned, establishing a record total of SFr.183.9 m/ $195.2 m. The highlight of the year
too many works by the artist on was undoubtedly the Autumn Sale of Magnificent Jewels, totalling SFr.80.6 m / US$85 m.
offer at once, despite their value Among the pieces on auction at the autumn sale, the historical 76.02 carats cushion-
having gone significantly higher shaped “Archduke Joseph Diamond” was the key lot of them all, reaching US
ever since a recent retrospective $21,474,525 / SFr.20,355,000, thus setting a new world record at auction for a
seen at the Tate Modern in London,
colourless diamond.
the National Gallery in Berlin and
Christie’s can pride itself on selling some of the world’s finest diamonds, apparently
the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Last Tuesday’s sale therefore most sought after by buyers in recent years.
brought the highest total in The diamond’s former owner, Alfredo J. Molina, was quoted in Christie’s Geneva’s
Sotheby’s history, exceeding the press release: “I am thrilled but not surprised that the Archduke Joseph Diamond
2008 record of $362 m. should have fetched such a high price. It is considered the finest and largest perfect
Landscape inspired by Tang poems Golconda diamond ever to appear at auction, with a noble lineage and royal
by Wang Hui was sold for €13,74m. provenance which literally ‘Fit for a Queen.’”
RESULTS…
A Picasso makes $41,5m at Sotheby’s Judy Garland’s dress sold for $480,000 at Julien’s
Artdaily reports a work by Picasso — Still Life with Tulips — was sold for Auctions
$41.5m at Sotheby’s New York on occasion of the 8 November Julien’s Auctions, Beverly Hills, California, organised
Impressionist and Modern art auction. The auction’s total turnover rose a two-day auction titled “Icons & Idols — Hollywood”
to $163,009,000 — which however did not meet previous expectations which ended on 10 November 2012. The star piece
($169m to $245m). Only 30% of the lots remained unsold. of the auction was by no doubt the dress worn by
Still Life with Tulips, 1932, was indeed the star piece of the auction Judy Garland in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1939).
organised by Sotheby’s. The painting, representing the face of Marie- Estimated between $400,000 and $600,000, it was
Thérèse Walter — Picasso’s mistress and muse — alongside a flower
sold for $480,000. It is the only complete specimen
vase arranged in a suggestive and erotic way, had been estimated
of Dorothy’s dress.
between $135m and $150m. Another work by Picasso was sold during
In addition to the famous blue gingham dress, the
the auction: Woman at her Window, estimated between $15m and
auction house offered various pieces emblematic of
$20m. It was purchased for $17.2m. A drawing by the master, The Rape,
Hollywood glamour on sale, such as a pair of jeans, a
was sold for $13.5m, exceeding by far its initial estimation ($6m).
jacket and a jewel owned by Steve McQueen (the
Among others hits of this auction, we might recall Wheat Field by
Claude Monet, which rose far beyond initial estimation (between $5m jacket was sold for $50,000), a purple skirt worn by
and $7m), for it was sold for $12.1m. Naked Woman Standing, by Paul Marilyn Monroe in River of No Return, also sold for
Cézanne, rose to $5.3m, and Lady with a Dog by Kees Van Dongen to $50,000, and a dress worn by Julie Andrews in The
$2.3m. Sculptures by Henry Moore also found a purchaser: to pick up Sound of Music, sold for $38,400.
only one, Two Pieces reclining #1 rose to $4.7m.
However, a certain number of lots remained unsold. Among them will Sotheby’s Hong Kong presents unreleased collection
be found Tomato Plant by Picasso, estimated between $10m and of 19th century’s decorative arts
$15m, a Self-Portrait by Degas estimated between $1.2m and $1.8m, On 8 November, Sotheby’s Hong Kong presented a
and The House of Roses by Claude Money, estimated between $2.5m press preview of the exhibition titled “Age of elegance”
and $3.5m. which runs until 26 November and was organised on
occasion of the opening of Sotheby’s new gallery in
Christie’s: results of the auction of Emilie du Châtelet’s Hong Kong, which will put the exhibition’s “treasures”
scientific works on sale for the first time in China.
Christie’s Paris announced the results of the auction held on 29 The show is to open to the public on 16 November
October 2012, which put on sale Emilie du Châtelet’s scientific and present, amongst others, two masterpieces:
works. It was a big success, for the turnover reached €3.2m. 43 lots, firstly, an oil on canvas by John William Godward, An
out of 47 proposed on sale, were sold. Amateur (1915). Godward was one of the most
Collectors and lovers of period books and manuscripts paid tribute to popular British painters of the Victorian era. This
this great woman of science of the 18th century, as explained in the painting is particularly appreciated for its
auction house’s press release. The centrepiece of the auction, representation of feminine beauty contrasting with
Abridged Exposition of the System of the World according to Mr the classic style of his fellow artists. The second
Newton’s Principles, corrected by the Marquise du Châtelet, was sold highlight of the exhibition is a Louis XVI-style ebony
for €961,000 ($1,240,651), while it had been previously estimated and gilt bronze lacquer chest of drawers dated from
between €400,000 and €600,000. It was acquired by the Paris 1875, with the inscription “PAUL SORMANI 10, Rue
Museum of Letters and Manuscripts, where it will be on show from 15 Charlot PARIS” on the lock.
January 2013, at the disposal of researchers. We might mention as In spite of a sales drop in decorative arts, a field that
well The New Philosophy of Newton to Madame la Marquise du Châtelet, generally and interests fewer and fewer buyers,
by Voltaire, estimated between €50,000 and €70,000, but sold for Sotheby’s Hong Kong hopes to find a new market
€421,000 ($543,511), as well as Crosses of the Order of Saint George, opportunity in China for decorative arts.
along with military medals, sold for €301,000 ($388,591).
Other lots were sold very well, as for instance the Marquise’s geometry Results of the 6 November auction at Swann Galleries
lessons, sold for €121,000 (estimated between €40,000 and €60,000).
Swann Galleries New York announced the results of
the auction held on 6 November 2012, “Old Master
Results: ancient painting auction at Artcurial
Through Modern Prints; and Salvador Dalí: Prints,
Artcurial auction house has just announced the results of the
Drawings and Livres d’Artistes”. The sale managed to
Ancient Painting auction held on 7 November 2012. These are good
make a $2,063,542 turnover. 330 lots have been sold
results, for the auction rose to a €2m turnover. The department also
out of 494 put on sale.
shows a new increase of the turnover, reaching €7.5m in 2012,
thanks to the asset of its fine ancient paintings and drawings. Altogether, the 494 lots were estimated between
The star piece of the auction, a Holy Family by François Boucher, $3,085,500 and $4,635,000. Works by Rembrandt
achieved the highest price. Estimated between €200,000 and have been particularly appreciated during this
€300,000, the painting eventually rose to €447,500. Two paintings auction, for eight of his paintings are in the top-21.
by Nicolas-Jean-Baptiste Raguenet also sold well. They were Among the star pieces of the auction we might recall :
purchased for €236,500, each painting being previously estimated Man with a Pipe; Portrait of Dr Gachet by Van Gogh
between €60,000 and €80,000. (1890), sold for $84,000; Self-Portrait Leaning on a
Artcurial’s press release emphasises the interest of collectors for Stone Still (etching) by Rembrandt sold for $84,000;
Italian painting, with notably the sale of two panels by the “Master and Melancholia I by Dürer, sold for $66,000.
of San Martino a Mensola”, a 14th century Florentine master whose Among the works by Dalí, The Mythology, set of 16 dry
work has been recently rediscovered. They rose to €100,600. The points with aquatint on Japon nacré was sold for
other sales achieved that day reached very honourable prices. For $26,400; La Fierté du Cheval, pen, ink and watercolour
instance, Winter Landscape with Skaters by Carel Beschey, exceeded was sold for $20,400 and Faust by Goethe, complete
its initial estimation by reaching €73,300. portfolio with 21 colour dry points, achieved $19,200.
COMING SOON…
Bonhams to put the Paul Braga Collection on sale Ravenel’s upcoming sale of modern
Bonhams auction house is to organise on 24 November the and contemporary art
sale of the Paul Braga Collection of snuff bottles. This Ravenel International Art Group is to
collection “provides a window into old Hong Kong, a bygone organise a sale of modern and
age when snuff bottles were displayed in baskets in antique shops and contemporary art on 25 November in Hong Kong
could be bought for several dollars each”, informs Artdaily. and on 2 December in Taipei. Over 190 lots will
Paul Braga was a real expert in the field, even though there is little literature
be offered for the estimate of $34m. The auction
on the matter. In 1977, he organised the first exhibition of snuff bottles in
the Hong Kong Museum of Art. The collection consists of 170 snuff bottles w i l l p r e s e n t a r t wo r k s b y i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y
and “is remarkable for the diversity of its material, with rare examples of recognised artists, including a series by Chinese
semi-precious materials and obscure hardstones in addition to standard painter Zao Wou-Ki and pieces by Japanese artist
categories of jade, glass, porcelain and agate.” Yayoi Kusama.
The star of the collection is a famille-rose snuff bottle, produced at the Among the key lots to be put on sale in Hong-Kong
Imperial kilns, Jingdezhen — on the north of Jianxi province, China. It is and Taiwan, we might mention 05.06.53-
brilliantly enamelled with lotus and chrysanthemum flowers, and bears a Composition bistre, noire, by Zao Wou-Ki, made in
particularly rare four-character Qianlong seal mark suggesting it was 1953, estimated between $2m and $2.6m (HK$16m
commissioned by the Imperial court. It is estimated between $50,000 and HK$20m ), or Sans titre (Bateaux fond bleu), by
and $100,000 (between HK$400,000 and HK$800,000). the same artist, 1951, estimated between $1.9m
Among other important lots we notice: a Qing Dynasty (1780-1820) snuff and $2.6m (NT$55m and NT$75m); a painting of a
bottle representing the “Legend of the White Snake”. It is made in black captivating blue with a nebulous atmosphere.
and white double-overlayon turquoise, and estimated between $13,000
As for Yayoi Kusama, his canvas Pumpkin, realised
and $19,000 (HK$100,000 and HK$150,000). A rock-crystal snuff bottle
with the inside-painted illustration of Buddhist lion and dragon, estimated in 1990, is valued between $774,150 et
between $26,000 and $39,000 (HK$200,000-HK$300,000). It was made $1,000,000 (between HK$6m and HK$8m). As
in 1902 by the artist Ding Erzhong, expert in snuff bottles’ illustrating. usual, Kusama combined in his work childhood
memories with his own aesthetics. Since his
19th and 20th century literature at Swann Galleries childhood, he has coped with visual and hearing
On 20 November, Swann Auction Galleries, on 20 November is hallucinations due to his illness,which he faced
to organise a sale of 19th and 20th century literature. with lots of ingenuousness in Fruits, a painting
The auction house will offer the first publications and made in 2011, estimated between $309,650 and
limited editions of literary classics, as well as children’s $412,880 (between HK$2.4m and HK$3.2m).
literature and signed books, a selection of novels and detective stories. The auction will also offer works by Chu Teh-chun,
The key lot will undoubtedly be the first edition of the first book by including Lumière éternelle (diptych), estimated
Steinbeck Cup of Gold, estimated between $8,000 and $12,000.
between $2.3m and $3.1m (between HK$18m and
Amongst other pieces put on sale, we can find the first and last novel by
HK$24m) and a colour realisation composed of
English journalist Paul Cain, published under George Sims’ pen name,
titled Fast One, described as “the most difficult and violent gangster story three paintings by Liu Ye, titled Red, Yellow, Blue,
of all times”. The novel is valued between $5,000 and $7,500. The first 2002, which is valued between $1m and $1.2m
edition of the first publication of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, (between HK$8m and HK$9.5m).
estimated between $6,000 and $9,000 will also be put on sale.
The auction is actually to feature all kinds of books for Salem’s Lot of American Masters at Christie’s
Stephen King, valued between $600 and $900 will be put on sale alongside Christie’s announced its forthcoming
to Lady Chatterley’s Lover by David H. Lawrence, estimated between $6,000 contemporary art auction, to be held
and $9,000. Likewise, a copy of Capital by Karl Marx, valued between $500 on 28 November 2012. 19th and 20th
and $750 and Sherlock Holmes’ Adventures-Sherlock Holmes’ memories, century artworks will be put on sale. With 140
estimated between $2,000 and $3,000 are also to be offered. lots at auctions, a $33m turnover is expected.
The auction is led by a painting by Edward Hopper,
Pierre Berès at Christie’s
October on Cape Cod, estimated between $8m and
Christie’s Paris will put on sale the collection of Pierre Berès,
$12m. Realised in 1946, the painting represents “a
from 12 to 13 December 2012.
Announced by New York Times as the “king of libraries”, for view of a house and small barn from across a
over eighty years of career he acquired an incredible number of deserted road, permeated by profound silence and
books, exceptional manuscripts, as well as works of modern artists such stillness”. It is one of only a few of Hopper’s
as Fernand Léger or Alberto Giacometti. This assembling consists of over paintings that have remained in private hands.
600 pieces and is estimated between €3.8m and €5.6m. On occasion of this auction, Christie’s also
The collection offered at Christie’s reflects the library passion of the offers works by Georgia O’Keeffe from the Slick
owner. Press release describes it as a “Fine, cultivated, affable, Pierre Family Collection. Sun Water Maine, realised in
Berès, opens his heart to the most important intellectuals and artists he 1922, is “a fantastic and rare example of
appreciates, establishing around him an atmosphere of exchange and O’Keeffe’s early work that reinterprets the
emulation suitable for the creation.” tradition of the American landscape” reports
Among the works put on sale we can recall notably, Nature aux Pommes Artdaily. The painting is estimated between $1m
by Alberto Giacometti, offered to Berès by the artist himself. It is a
and 1.5m. Alongside, The Black Place III is at
tribute to Paul Cézanne, estimated between €150,000 and €250,000.
auctions as well, estimated between $1.5 and
Likewise, two drawings by Georges Seurat are offered, among which
Femme debout — estimated between €500,000 and €700,000. The $2.5. Seal on the Rocks, by Albert Bierstadt
drawing was exhibited only twice since its creation. (1872-1873), representing the Muir Bridge rock
As for the manuscripts, Christie’s highlights a letter wrote by Vincent Van on the coast of San Francisco, is estimated
Gogh and Paul Gauguin to their ”cher copain” — Émile Bernard. It is between $1m and $1.5.
valued between €350,000 and €500,000 and was written in Arles, in A portrait of General George Washington (1842)
November 1888, “in the famous yellow house where Van Gogh produced by Thomas Sully is also on sale. It has been
Les Tournesols (Sunflowers), in August of the same year.” estimated between $700,000 and $1m.
Fairs…
Eric Shiner, director of Andy Warhol Museum, appointed curator of Armory Focus
Eric Shiner, director of the Andy Warhol Museum, was appointed curator of Armory Focus: USA, for the Armory Show, to
be held from 7 to 10 March 2013. On the occasion of Armory Show, the 4 th edition of Armory Focus will at display
American contemporary art.
Armory Focus: USA is interested in American artistic heritage dated back to 1913, while the Armory Show aims at answering
questions about contemporary art — an integral part of artistic creation in the United States. The press release states that,
in order to reflect the country’s cultural diversity, galleries from the four corners of the USA were invited to participate in
the event. They will present their artists and artworks in order to make the fair a place for meetings and dialogue.
Eric Shiner shared his enthusiasm concerning his appointment as curator of the 2013 edition of Focus of Armory Show. It
will be an opportunity to “gauge the pulse of contemporary art production in America today”. Currently the director of
the Andy Warhol Museum, Eric Shiner already organised three major exhibitions since his investiture at the museum in
2011, including a retrospective of Deborah Kass titled “Deborah Kass: Before and Happily Ever After”. He also
contributed, as a writer and translator, to the ArtAsiaPacific magazine and worked as an art history professor at the
University of Pittsburgh. He earned a degree in philosophy, art history and Japanese culture and language, as well as a
master’s degree in art history from the University of Osaka and Yale.
TOP STORIES…
Art Stage Singapore launches its new international ad
campaign
Art Stage Singapore is the biggest contemporary art fair in
Asia. It gathers around 130 galleries and 600 artists each year
from all over the world. The upcoming third edition is to take
FOUNDHAUS-SIT
place from 24 to 27 January 2013. The slogan underlying the MODERN ARTS
art fair is “We are Asia”. The fair has made its intentions clear:
it wished to gather artists and art players from many different
countries and cultures in order to promote Asian art in a
globalised world. According to Director of the fair Lorenzo
Rudolf, “… the way the art world is moving forward is towards
a globalised, open art world with a lot of different centres, abstraction
farhi
different artists and different styles… We want to show
everyone how they can support Asian art”.
Relationships and connections seem to underlie this major
event. U.S. artist David Lachapelle himself claimed “The fair is
at once global and intimate. It isn’t just all about anonymous
selling; it’s about relationships and art.” — a statement which
corroborates the new campaign’s policy, which focuses on
exchange and dialogue values. Japanese, Indonesian, Chinese
and Singaporean artists and collectors give fresh impetus to
this new campaign and hope to stress the growing importance
of Singaporean arts on the world’s art stage.
WHAT’S ON…
Pool Art Fair: contemporary art in Martinique
Before its American edition, to be held in December in
Miami, Frère Independent, a non-profit organisation
aiming at participating actively in the development of
contemporary art in the West Indies, organised the Pool
Art Fair Martinique 2012, on 16,17 and 18 November Dimensions
Tirag
4
Dimensions
en cm. : 123 x 86 x 30
épreuves d’artiste
en cm. dedelaEA1 à EA4
base : 86 x 30
Size in inches: 48,5 x 34 x 12
4 artist
Size proofof
in inches from
theEA1 to34
base: EA4
x 12
2012. The fair will be held in the Hôtel Impératrice, in Annéee d’édition : 2005de 1 à 8,
: 8 exemplaires Year: 2005
Edition: 8 copies from 1 to 8,
Fort-de-France. Description : Porte ajourée avec chaîne
et cadenas, éclairage intérieur par tubes
Description: Openworked door with
chain and lock, interior lighting using
The fair is willing to be an event, unique of the kind, néons
Patine : Noir et brun
neons tubes
Patina: black and brown
where the public could actually meet and talk to the
artists, while collectors and main figures of the art world
could discover new works by emerging artists. The idea
of an art fair in Martinique was born in 2005, in New
York. It is about developing contemporary art in FOUNDHAUS-SIT MODERN ARTS
Martinique, French department. Today, Pool Art Fair is the 41 Avenue Hector Otto — MC 98.000 Monte-Carlo — Principauté de Monaco
(tel.) +377 93.50.20.05 — (fax) +377 93.50.20.07
only contemporary art fair in the Caribbean. WWW.FOUNDHAUS-SIT.COM

INFO@FOUNDHAUS-SIT.COM
Pool Art Fair will host around fifty artists who will exhibit in
the luxurious setting of the Hôtel Impératrice. In thirty rooms
booked for the occasion, artists, collectors, art dealers and
visitors will meet, discuss and share their experience.
COMING SOON…
ARTAQ at the Espace Pierre Moscow World Fine Art Fair — 6th edition
Cardin From 13 to 18 December 2012, the 6 th edition of the Moscow World
From 20 to 27 November Fine Art Fair is to take place in Moscow. Subtitled “The world leaders
2012, the Espace Pierre in Fine Art, Design, Jewellery and Decorative Arts”, the fair was
Cardin will host ARTAQ, an event aiming created in 2004 to gather all experts and amateurs in fine arts design and
at promoting the most emblematic and jewellery, and is to particularly stress very sophisticated decorative arts. The
talented artists of Street Art and urban official website of the fair mentions the exceptional presence of craftsmen of
arts, helping them to develop their excellence for this year’s edition.
visibility and fame for the professionals The fair prides itself on attracting about 50,000 visitors each year who come to
of the art market, the press, collectors admire over 6,000 pieces — the total value of which exceeds €1billion. The
and the public. Russian market has experienced an exceptional growth over the last 15 years. Art
dealers from all over the world are bound to consider the unique potential this
Each year, ARTAQ rewards artists
fair will offer to capture a segment of the Russian population with a high buying
involved in the evolution of urban arts
power. Russian collectors, designers, architects, interior designers, jewellers, art
of all kinds (graffiti, stencil, wall
dealers and distributors are part of an elite that has undoubtedly developed its
painting, in situ performances, oil on
expertise and know-how in the most spectacular fashion ever since the collapse
canvas, digital art, …). Rich of its of the former USSR. Might Russia appear as the new sensation in the art market
success, ARTAQ returns to present the field, as did China a few years ago when it underwent a spectacular progression
new stars of the international urban that led it to rank first in the world on the art market?
scene: this show is intended as a Although its progression was impeded during Soviet times, the Russian art market
supplement to various initiatives such has a long history. The excellence of Russian art seems to have endured through
as the ARTAQ awards (composed of a history thanks to Russian art schools that seem to have cultivated the traditional,
First Prize and ten awards) and the strong education they were always renowned for.
ARTAQ Bookzines (publication of the Luring local collectors into buying artworks and developing their activities seem
works on show). to be the key for a specific country’s art market to take off. The fair was therefore
This new edition aims at reminding the conceived to attract Russians, and most of all Muscovites. The website of the fair
new challenge for all urban artists: to stresses the importance of the exchange between Russian art market players and
go successfully from the streets to the Russian public that is to flourish in this next edition of the fair.
galleries without losing their soul and However, the French are usually very much represented at the fair, as are the
spontaneity.. Germans, Brits, Americans and Australians.
The New York Metro Show “Salon des antiquaires et des arts du XXe siècle”: antiques and
The New York Metro Show fashion in Lausanne
will be held from 24 to 27 From 17 to 25 November 2012, Lausanne is to host the Salon des
January 2013 at the antiquaires et des arts du XXe siècle. This yearly meeting of antiques
Metropolitan Pavilion, in Chelsea. dealers aims at refuting the idea of antiques being “out of fashion”. 45
This fair is intended as a meeting place exhibitors will be involved in the event.
where collectors, amateurs and art The Salon is therefore willing to “reassure” collectors and art lovers, showing them
enthusiasts will be able to discover antiques still hold their place. On the contrary, to combine antiques and
contemporary art appears today as the “fashionable” thing to do.
“Americana” artworks, linked with the
On occasion of the 43th edition of the Salon, the Swiss Museum of Fashion joins
history of the United States, popular art
the event by displaying an exhibition titled “Patrimoine Glamour/Glamour
as well as design.
Heritage”. Jewellery, paintings, carpets and other items will be exhibited
The Art Fair Company — which already
alongside thirty pieces of clothing from the 19th century to 1990, by big names of
owns the Sculpture Objects & the fashion world such as Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Balmain, Cristobal Balenciaga,
Functional Art Fair and the Antiques etc. This exhibition evokes the transformation of fashion into a complex art.
Dealers League Spring Show NYC — is Studied by historians as well as anthropologists and economists, fashion reflects
the creator of the Metro Show. This “the dressing expression of a population, at one precise time of its history”.
year, the fair is gathering about forty Similarly, though very few women will have the chance of wearing haute couture
galleries selected for the top-quality of clothes once in their lives, they remain an inspiring and desirable dream.
works displayed and artists Famous French fashion designer Franck Sorbier created the exhibition’s
represented. They will put on show scenography and presents on the occasion some star pieces of his collections. He
contemporary art as well as popular art, will additionally give a lecture on 17 November 2012.
outsider art, ethnic art, traditional
furniture, decorative art, pre-Columbian
creations, design furniture and textile: AMA
it will therefore be an eclectic event. Art Media Agency (AMA) is published by the company A&F Market,
Among the exhibitors of the fair we Limited company with registered capital of €40,000, incorporated in
might notably mention the presence of the Company and Trade Register of Paris under the n° 523 512 788.
the Ames Gallery, specialised in 267 rue Lecourbe, F-75015 Paris, France.
“Americana” and hand-made popular www.artmediaagency.com is hosted by the company OVH, Simplified
creations, and the Carl Hammer Gallery. joint stock company with registered capital of € 10m incorporated in
As for the Gary Sullivan Gallery it is the Company and Trade Register of Roubaix-Tourcoing under the n°
specialised in American antique 424 761 419. 2 rue Kellermann, F-59100 Roubaix, France.
furniture.
Director of publication: Pierre Naquin
Chief editor: Antoine Cadeo de Iturbide

Top Stories: Yan Walther, Fine Art Expert Institute

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