Surprising Records Set At New York’s Old Master Sales

Deaccessioned by the Met and listed in the auction catalogue as by a “Follower of Peter Paul Rubens”, Portrait of a Young Girl, Possibly Clara Serena Rubens (1611-1623), the Artist's Daughter, sold for $626,500 (est $20,000-$30,000) (click photo for larger image)

“Christie’s dominated the January Old Master week in New York with a fistful of record-setting paintings and drawings.”

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Works by both Fra Bartolommeo and Botticelli brought in millions, among other works. It’s good to see these guys doing well (meaning the Old Masters)!

Michelangelo Sculpture Heads to Jail

“La Pietà Rondanini is to be temporarily installed in a Milanese prison”Michelangelo Buonarroti - Pietà Rondanini (DETAIL) - 1552-64 (click photo for larger image)

Michelangelo Buonarroti - Pietà Rondanini (unfinished) - 1552-64 - Marble, height 195 cm - Castello Sforzesco, Milan (click photo for larger image)“Michelangelo’s great unfinished sculpture, La Pietà Rondanini, which the artist worked on from around 1552 until his death in 1564, is being temporarily relocated to the Carcere di San Vittore, a Milanese jail.”

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Needless to say, art historians are NOT happy about this development. The Pietà Rondanini is one of my very favorite sculptures by this extraordinary artist. It’s pathos and expressiveness are deeply moving--and are as modern as any modern artist could produce. It has always been described as “unfinished” since Michelangelo was working on it at the end of his life. In my opinion, however, it IS finished--and it’s perfect, just as it is.

Opening the Gates of Paradise

One of the panels on the gilded doors of Lorenzo Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise, a Florentine Renaissance masterpiece (click photo for larger image)A restorer working the Gates of Paradise in Florence (click photo for larger image)A question recently posed by “The Art Newspaper” is, “Why it has taken 34 years to conserve Florence's Ghiberti masterpieces?” The writer go on to announce that, “[a]fter 12 years of planning and a further 22 years of conservation work, all ten panels from the Gates of Paradise, a Florentine Renaissance masterpiece by Lorenzo Ghiberti, have been restored to their former glory by a team from the Opificio delle Pietre Dure—one of the foremost conservation institutes in the world.” These remarkable panels, dubbed “The Gates of Paradise” by Michelangelo--are one of the Early Renaissance era’s most remarkable achievements. The Baptistry where these panels once adorned the doors is located in the Piazza del Duomo, was built between 1059 and 1128, making it one of the oldest buildings in Florence. The doors were constructed between 1425 and 1452. Ghiberti won a competition set up to find the right  artist for the commission. One of the artists who also competed was the amazing Filippo Brunelleschi, who was the architect of the famous Dome of the Cathedral of Florence. Had he won the competition for the doors--Brunelleschi wouldn’t have been able to work on the dome. Every cloud has a silver lining! With respect to the doors, the restoration of them is stunning.

Guiseppe Arcimboldo - Fantastic (and pretty weird)

Guiseppe Arcimboldo, The Librarian, 1566, oil on canvas, 97 × 71 cm (38.2 × 28 in), Skokloster Castle, Sweden

It’s always fun to come across works of art from the distant past that could easily be mistaken for modern art. Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1527-1593) created just such works. He was an Italian painter best known for creating imaginative portrait heads made entirely of such objects as fruits, vegetables, flowers, fish, and books. His truly fantastic works were very popular during his day--but interest in him waned after his death. Of course, the emergence of Surrealism revitalized interest in Arcimboldo – a truly unique and highly imaginative artist. Arcimboldo's influence can also be seen in the contemporary art world and popular culture--from record album covers to film to fiction!

 Guiseppe Arcimboldo, The Jurist (L’Avvocato), 1566, oil on canvas, Nationalmuseum, Sweden

Did You Know?

During Renaissance and particularly in 1500s artistic painting was not considered a suitable occupation for a gentleman. Since painting involved working with hands, artists were considered craftsmen and were given the same social standing as tailors or shoemakers. The last thing you parents wanted to hear was that you’d decided to become an artist. Well...I suppose that hasn’t changed much!