Alte Pinakothek Exhibits Painting by Johannes Vermeer as Part of Its 175th Anniversary

MUNICH.- The Alte Pinakothek welcomes a very special guest to its 175th anniversary: Johannes Vermeer’s “Woman Holding a Balance” from the National Gallery of Art in Washington. The exhibition is on display until June 16, 2011. In the early 19th century, this exquisite masterpiece once formed part of the exceptional private collection amassed by the first king of Bavaria, Max I Joseph (1756-1825). He focused almost exclusively on 17th-century Dutch masters, mostly landscapes and genre paintings. To these he added [...]

Sotheby’s to Sell Four Hundred Items from the Fabius Freres Gallery Collection

PARIS.- Sotheby’s announced today that, in partnership with the auction house PIASA, it will sell the Fabius Frères Gallery collection on the 18th and 19th October 2011 in Paris. The 400 sculptures, pieces of furniture, works of art, drawings and 19th century paintings, estimated to sell for € 9 – 14 million, will be on view at the Galerie Charpentier for five days prior to the sale. The Fabius Frères Gallery is known worldwide for the exceptional quality, condition and [...]

The Romanovs, Tsars and Art Collectors at the Pinacotheque de Paris

PARIS.- For the opening of its new rooms, the Pinacothèque de Paris has organised an exceptional exhibition around a major theme: the birth of a Museum. Through May 29 2011, the Pinacothèque de Paris displays the treasures of the Romanovs, a unique ensemble consisting of a hundred works from the Hermitage Museum in Saint-Petersburg. Assembled since the end of the 17th century, the Russian imperial collections have quickly become part of the largest European collections. As early as 1785, Count Ernst [...]

Caravaggio-Inspired Dutch Masterpiece Acquired for Fitzwilliam Museum

LONDON.- The Art Fund has helped the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge enrich its world-class collection with a Caravaggio-inspired Dutch oil on canvas. Young woman tuning a lute (1626-7) by Hendrik ter Brugghen, is now on public display within the Fitzwilliam’s fine collection of Dutch paintings. The Art Fund gave £225,000 to make the acquisition possible, alongside the MLA/V&A Purchase Grant Fund which gave £50,000. Hendrik ter Brugghen, Young woman tuning a lute (1626-7) This is the Museum’s first acquisition of a [...]

British Culture Minister Barrs Export of Murillo Painting

LONDON.- The Culture Minister has placed a temporary export bar on a painting by the Spanish artist Murillo. This will provide a last chance to raise the money to keep the painting of The Virgin and Child in the United Kingdom. The Minister’s ruling follows a recommendation by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest, administered by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA). The Committee recommended that the export decision be [...]

Reclusive Artist Alexander Aizenshtat Exhibits at Moscow Museum of Modern Art

MOSCOW.- The “Spectrum of life” exhibition by Alexander Aizenshtat will be on view in the Moscow Museum of Modern Art at Tverskoy Boulevard from January 15. His name is not widely known to the public, since the master deliberately avoids active exhibition activities. The renunciation of success and vanity is the artist’s policy. The wonderful phenomenon of the master lies in the unique “space of silence”, surrounding his whole oeuvre. Not only because the talent of Aizenshtat demands silence and [...]