The Motais de Narbonne Collection at the Louvre
The Motais de Narbonne Collection: French and Italian Paintings of the 17th and 18th Centuries
Musée du Louvre, Paris, 25 March — 21 June 2010
Curated by Stéphane Loire
Joseph-Marie Vien (1716-1809), "Saint Jerome Praying," The Motais de Narbonne Collection (Photo: Musée du Louvre)
Since the early 1980s Héléna and Guy Motais de Narbonne, Paris art lovers closely connected to the Musée du Louvre, have been passionately committed to building up a remarkably unified collection. This exhibition offers the public an introduction in the form of forty French and Italian paintings of the 17th and 18th centuries, most of them portraying religious or mythological subjects. Some, never publicly exhibited before, are by artists already well represented at the Louvre, such as Bourdon, Le Brun, Tassel, Boucher, Subleyras, Vien, Creti, Giordano and Preti. Others are the work of painters hitherto absent from the museum. Thus the gift from the two collectors means the Louvre’s early painting collection will now be home to two pictures by Déruet and Viani. This presentation of works hitherto unknown to Louvre visitors provides proof that it is still possible today to build up a collection of real quality. At the same time it testifies to the spirit of a museum alert to the activity of private collectors, which it sees as complementing its own.
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Didier Rykner’s review of the exhibition from The Art Tribune (30 April 2010) can be found here»
Call for Papers: British Scholar Conference
British Scholar Annual Conference
University of Texas at Austin, 31 March — 2 April 2011
Proposals due by 12 July 2010
The conference will be held in Austin, Texas from Thursday, 31 March through Saturday, 2 April, 2011 at the Harry Ransom Center on the University of Texas at Austin campus. The conference, which is organized by The British Scholar Society and British Studies at the University of Texas, focuses on British history from 1688 to the present. The purpose of the British Scholar Conference is to highlight the importance of British history from varied perspectives. Established scholars, scholars at the beginning of their careers, and graduate students are welcome to apply and present at the conference. (more…)
Art and Antiques Fair in London This Week
Vincennes Porcelain Cup and Saucer, circa 1752, after François Boucher, with factory marks and the painter's marks for Mutel and Vielliard.
Art Antiques London
London, 9 — 16 June 2010
As noted at ArtInfo, the Art Antiques London fair held in Kensington Gardens wraps up today. Among the top five picks of Art + Auction executive editor Meghan Dailey is this cup and saucer from the dealer Adrian Sassoon, “an extremely rare, circa 1752 yellow-ground Vincennes cup and saucer decorated with scenes, in blue, of a boy copied from François Boucher engravings. Sassoon says it’s the first time in decades that he’s offered yellow-ground pieces, which he explains are uncommon and may have been influenced by the Chinese porcelain of the time. The pair is £38,000 ($55,260).”
For Dailey’s other picks, click here»
Alstublieft
From the Editor
My trip to the Netherlands was even better than I had hoped. The HNA Conference was outstanding, and the Attingham Program for the Study of Dutch Historic Houses exceeded my highest expectations (which is saying a lot). Over the course of nine days, the thirty-one participants visited some 26 houses: canal houses in Amsterdam, hofjes (almshouses) in Amsterdam and Haarlem, country houses in the provinces of Utrecht, Gelderland, and Overijssel, and even a few royal residences. While some of the houses are privately owned and only rarely open to visitors, many are accessible to the public, including the following:
- Geelvinck Hinlopen Huis in Amsterdam
Slot Zuylen on the River Vecht, Utrecht Province. The Enlightenment author Isabelle de Charrière, known in the Netherlands as Belle van Zuylen, was born here in 1740.
- Museum Willet-Holthuysen in Amsterdam
- Museum Van Loon in Amsterdam
- Working windmill at Loenen, ‘De Hoop’
- Slot Zuylen on the River Vecht
- The Teylers Museum in Haarlem
- St Hubertus Hunting Lodge
- Rosendael
- Paleis Het Loo
Many thanks to Annabel Westman and Jo Ballingal for leading the trip, to the Attingham Trust generally for its commitment to historic houses, and to the American Friends of Attingham for funding (I’m especially grateful to Dick Button whose financial support made the trip possible for me).
As terrific as the trip was, I know I’m not the only one doing exciting things this summer. Please don’t be shy or modest: fellow HECAA members would enjoy hearing what you’ve been up to! -Craig Hanson
Call for Papers: ‘Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture’ & CAA Panel
Dear HECAA Members,
I want to remind everyone that the deadline for submitting an article to Studies in Eighteenth-Century Culture is August 21, 2010. I urge our members to consider submitting. Details are available at the ASECS website under publications.
Also, in August I will be asked to recommend a “long” (2.5 hours) panel for the 2011 CAA. If you would like to propose a session, please send me the proposal by July 15. This will give the membership time to vote on the proposals. I hope you are all having a productive and enjoyable summer.
Best,
Julie-Anne Plax
HECAA President
jplax@email.arizona.edu
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