[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$ewMdchgDF1":3},{"single":4,"locales":156,"slices":158},{"id":5,"uid":6,"url":7,"type":8,"href":9,"tags":10,"first_publication_date":12,"last_publication_date":13,"slugs":14,"linked_documents":19,"lang":20,"alternate_languages":21,"data":22},"ZA8MXBAAACgAyr6g","curtis-dowling-art-forgery-fakes",null,"podcast","https:\u002F\u002Fartexplorer-prod.cdn.prismic.io\u002Fapi\u002Fv2\u002Fdocuments\u002Fsearch?ref=aCb60BIAACEA00zN&q=%5B%5B%3Ad+%3D+at%28document.id%2C+%22ZA8MXBAAACgAyr6g%22%29+%5D%5D",[11],"Conservation ","2023-03-13T11:44:46+0000","2023-08-31T21:34:49+0000",[15,16,17,18],"curtis-dowling-fakes-and-forgeries-in-art","curtis-dowling-on-fakes-and-forgeries-in-art","the-genuine-article-fakes-and-forgeries-in-art","does-the-art-world-rely-on-technology-too-much-to-spot-forged-paintings",[],"en-gb",[],{"title":23,"subtitle":7,"color":24,"source":25,"published_at":7,"duration":33,"cover":34,"copyright_cover":7,"description":43,"narrator_copyright":48,"music_copyright":7,"mixing_copyright":7,"deezer_external":49,"spotify_external":51,"apple_podcast_external":55,"slices":56,"meta_title":96,"meta_description":97,"og_image":98,"slices2":106},"Curtis Dowling: Fakes and forgeries in art","#7f9669",{"link_type":26,"key":27,"kind":28,"id":29,"url":30,"name":31,"size":32},"Media","7413d12d-9ed1-4049-b1c2-f5f120e631bd","file","ZKbdQhEAACQAWnTz","https:\u002F\u002Fartexplorer-prod.cdn.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002F539e36ae-482f-4acf-8411-95762d46ca44_230616_ARTEXPLORED_AUDIOCAST_CURTIS_DOWLING.m4a","230616_ARTEXPLORED_AUDIOCAST_CURTIS_DOWLING.m4a","10707159",336,{"dimensions":35,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":37,"id":38,"edit":39},{"width":36,"height":36},2160,"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002Fa5ceef6b-814d-42f1-926e-a94b26a92c3e_carr%C3%A9-2.jpg?auto=compress,format","ZK_u3hIAACIAafCq",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":42},0,1,"#fff",[44],{"type":45,"text":46,"spans":47},"paragraph","ArtExplored talks to Curtis Dowling, who claims to have never been wrong as an art authenticator in a career spanning 30 years, about the many forgeries plaguing the art market.",[],"George Nelson, Curtis Dowling",{"link_type":50},"Any",{"link_type":52,"key":53,"url":54},"Web","b8ed693f-b5c0-473b-8c49-b9e3dd72d82b","https:\u002F\u002Fopen.spotify.com\u002Fepisode\u002F228190XEW35l2CIRwPYPVY",{"link_type":50},[57],{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":60,"primary":93,"id":94,"slice_type":95,"slice_label":7},"default-slice","sktwi1xtmkfgx8626",[61,67,80,88],{"speaker":62,"content":63},"GN",[64],{"type":45,"text":65,"spans":66},"Hi Curtis, you say never been wrong as an art authenticator in a career spanning three decades but there must have been at least a couple of occasions when you severely questioned your own judgement... ",[],{"speaker":68,"content":69},"CD",[70],{"type":45,"text":71,"spans":72},"Well, yeah. It’s an arrogant statement to make but I haven’t been, so it would be foolish of me to say anything other than I haven’t been wrong and I think we’re all good at something, aren’t we? Nobody’s been left out, and this just happens to be the one thing I am good at. And I’ve been very lucky that I’ve been able to make a career out of it for 34-35 years. But yeah, along the way, there are always pieces of art that are testing. For a lot of reasons. You’ll find with paintings, especially Old Masters, that they are never in the state that they were when they were first painted. They’ve been cleaned, they’ve been mended, they’ve been moved around, they’ve had all sorts of handprints on them and cigarette smoke, and you know … you name it, it’s kind of been around. So, when you come across a piece, even if you might know it’s genuine or not, you have to be able to document that and prove it beyond reasonable doubt. So, when things have been, for example, cleaned – and you know the Victorians were notoriously bad at cleaning – they might very well have used modern chemicals that stick to the paint. We had a painting the last twelve months that we knew was genuine, but every technical test proved it wasn’t and the truth was it had been messed around with so much – or cleaned, the list goes on – that all the tests were coming back that it had modern paint, modern chemicals on it, the wood didn’t quite match up. So, what you’re doing with all pictures is you’re trying to get in the mind of the artist to start with, but with some of the things you work on, you’ve got seven or eight hundred years of history to try and fill in, so there’s always going to be times when you sit down at the end of the day and think, ‘I just can't see how we can prove, one way or the other, our initial impressions,’ but after a while there’s always a way. There’s always something that comes up, that tips the balance, and turns a maybe into a definite. Whether that’s a definite genuine or a definite forgery, so yes, we get tested all the time. ",[73,77],{"start":74,"end":75,"type":76},1939,1944,"em",{"start":78,"end":79,"type":76},1952,1960,{"speaker":62,"content":81},[82,85],{"type":45,"text":83,"spans":84},"Do you think the art world relies too much on technology to spot fakes? ",[],{"type":45,"text":86,"spans":87}," ",[],{"speaker":68,"content":89},[90],{"type":45,"text":91,"spans":92},"Of course, it helps in some ways. What you do have to remember is any technical test or any technology that’s being used to authenticate items these days, is also owned by all the best forgers. Only bad forgers ever get caught. And of course, technology will pick up bad forgeries but then so will an experienced art dealer. So, it will pick up bad forgeries, it will pick up the wrong wood, the wrong paint, the wrong canvas, the wrong brush strokes. AI is probably a few decades away from being able to genuinely spot a forgery. But obviously, they’re working on it. Technical testing, we have to be sceptical about because we don’t just authenticate work, we forge items as well. And we forge it first of all for our own learning abilities but also from a presentation point of view. We were only in London a few days ago doing exactly that. And we can get around all these tests. So, all these tests you’ll pay £25,000 – all these big companies – I can show you with a shopping trip to Tesco’s, to get all the bits you need, how to get around them all. So yes they are useful, in a small way, they’re certainly of no use if you’re dealing with a forger that knows what he’s doing. As for AI, it will continue to become more useful as the years go on. Currently, again, it will catch out bad forgers, it won’t catch out the good ones and it’s the good ones that we’re trying to stop.",[],{},"text_interview$ba0cda50-eebb-4f2e-8f76-4bc367ba81b9","text_interview","The genuine article: Fakes and forgeries in art","Curtis Dowling is an art authenticator who talks about the many forgeries plaguing the art market.",{"dimensions":99,"alt":102,"copyright":7,"url":103,"id":104,"edit":105},{"width":100,"height":101},2400,1200,"Art Explored audiocast with prominent art authenticator Curtis 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","julia-nagle-how-is-science-improving-art-conservation-techniques","2023-03-16T16:45:51+0000","2023-08-31T21:35:17+0000","conservator-julia-nagal-discusses-how-restoring-paintings","c2d2e16e-380b-426d-b484-afd3ee4be1c6",{"slides_per_view":142,"max_slides_count":7,"tag":143,"type":8,"title":144,"paralax":7},3,{"link_type":118},"Listen to more audiocasts","carousel$4924dcef-e296-4e84-9bd4-8613f80a2096","carousel",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":148,"primary":151,"id":155,"slice_type":146,"slice_label":7},[149],{"post":150},{"link_type":118},{"slides_per_view":7,"max_slides_count":7,"tag":152,"type":153,"title":154,"paralax":7},{"link_type":118},"article","Read 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Fraquelli & Annette King: Modigliani's enduring appeal and spotting his fakes!","#ffd9a5",{"link_type":26,"key":176,"kind":28,"id":177,"url":178,"name":179,"size":180},"d2f1f272-6e23-4347-8c9c-d21241d8bd8e","ZJQkvhEAACkAFt8n","https:\u002F\u002Fartexplorer-prod.cdn.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002Fa63fe7fc-00bf-448e-b33f-17349a947691_230616_ARTEXPLORED_AUDIOCAST_SIMONETTA_FRAQUELLI.mp3","230616_ARTEXPLORED_AUDIOCAST_SIMONETTA_FRAQUELLI.mp3","9859499",600,{"dimensions":183,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":184,"id":185,"edit":186},{"width":36,"height":36},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002F7e5f9781-4dfb-4dcc-9c8c-93373690ccd5_carr%C3%A9-1.jpg?auto=compress,format","ZK_u3hIAACEAafCo",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":42},[188],{"type":45,"text":189,"spans":190},"ArtExplored's North American art writer Will Corwin discusses why Modigliani's work continues to be so popular, his use of colour, and his subjects' mysterious eyes with Simonetta Fraquelli and Annette King, the co-curators of Modigliani Up Close, the artist's retrospective at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia. ",[],"George Nelson, William Corwin, Simonetta Fraquelli, and Annette King",{"link_type":50},{"link_type":52,"key":194,"url":195},"065fe0cf-3f8b-4b1f-9970-5ad1b36c14a2","https:\u002F\u002Fopen.spotify.com\u002Fepisode\u002F3hgiJBJvW5wc5Xtl7Jsz5f",{"link_type":50},[198],{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":199,"primary":271,"id":272,"slice_type":95,"slice_label":7},[200,206,212,217,225,231,236,241,246,251,256,261,266],{"speaker":201,"content":202},"WC",[203],{"type":45,"text":204,"spans":205},"Hi Simonetta and Annette, can you start by telling us why now is the right time for a Modigliani exhibition at the Barnes Foundation?",[],{"speaker":207,"content":208},"SF",[209],{"type":45,"text":210,"spans":211},"Annette and I both contributed and worked on an exhibition that was held at the Tate in 2017, a major Modigliani retrospective. And when we were working on that together with our colleague Nancy Ireson, we started looking at the technical conservation aspects of all the paintings, and we convinced the lenders to that exhibition to also look at their works. And from there came a series of articles that were published in the Burlington and further studies. And when the opportunity came at the Barnes to do a show, we felt that given that they had such a great collection of Modiglianis which had hitherto not been studied and which could benefit from being in a way catalogued and looked at carefully, also from a conservator’s point of view, we thought this was kind of a unique opportunity to build on what we had already done with the previous show and the previous research and to bring together a new group of paintings and to kind of further this work on the artist, which does open new kinds of avenues of research and understanding and really to be able to move forward with the artist in a way that had hitherto not be done, at least prior to the Tate show.",[],{"speaker":201,"content":213},[214],{"type":45,"text":215,"spans":216},"So, what is it about Modigliani’s work that gives him such enduring appeal?",[],{"speaker":218,"content":219},"AK",[220,223],{"type":45,"text":221,"spans":222},"He's an amazing colourist, so the colours really appeal and he seems to capture the essence of the subject without being too realistic or too representational but also there's a real elegance of form and because he was a classically trained artist, the more we looked at these paintings, the more we realised that he was bringing that to the paintings so they have a very pleasing harmony which may not first be evident. So, I think there's a lot about his paintings that really do appeal. And the sculptures.  ",[],{"type":45,"text":86,"spans":224},[],{"speaker":226,"content":227},"SM",[228],{"type":45,"text":229,"spans":230},"If I can also add to that in terms of his appeal, I mean, he's an artist who since the early 1920s and shortly after his death became a favourite both with collectors and with the public. And that has endured, as Annette says, all the way through. He was always a little bit outside of any specific group. I mean, he wasn't connected with the Futurists or the Surrealists or the Cubists, and he forged his own path, which I think has been one that the general viewer has been able to connect with in a way that perhaps other artists have not been so accessible. His art is in many ways, even though I think it seems very on the surface, simple and direct, is actually, as our conservation studies have shown, much more sophisticated and much more worked out than maybe one would immediately think.",[],{"speaker":201,"content":232},[233],{"type":45,"text":234,"spans":235},"As curators, how did you strike a balance between the formal assessment of his artworks and the technical scientific viewpoints, which have such a strong focus in the show?",[],{"speaker":218,"content":237},[238],{"type":45,"text":239,"spans":240},"So, as we mentioned, the Tate exhibition was the beginning of this project and close looking has always been an important part of the conservator’s role, but also an art historian's role. And as we discussed the paintings, we were looking at very different aspects of the paintings, but bringing them together gave us a much more rounded view of each work and then connecting with all the other conservators and curators from the lending institutions we realised that we could then extend the story of each painting into a much more rounded view of his development, his career. And it just made sense for us all to share our findings and look for patterns of material use techniques that emerged throughout his career, creating a bigger picture of how he was working and how his working methods changed, and for example, you bring up the canvas project. It was called the Thread Count Automation Project run by Don Johnson in Texas. He developed software that could sort of look at digital X-rays and match canvas weave anomalies, placing paintings on the same role of canvas, which is fascinating in itself, but it gave us an insight into the materials he was using. So, we realised there were practically no matches before 1917 and then after Zborowski began supporting him, there was much more consistency. So, it seems that the supplies are coming through to the Zborowski, he's buying them and supplying Modigliani. Also, he favoured certain formats, the marine format. It also gave us an insight into colour makers and how they were producing these canvases. So, producing different sizes and formats on each role to get the maximum number of canvases from each role and there are lots of intricacies within those findings that we were still trying to work out, but it was a fascinating insight into his use of canvases and where they were coming from. And in terms of the balance, it was quite difficult, and it took a lot of discussion between us. So, I'll hand over Sim now.",[],{"speaker":207,"content":242},[243],{"type":45,"text":244,"spans":245},"I think that both Nancy and I were very keen that we wanted to work with Annette and with Barbara and have them, as conservators, be part of the curatorial team. But we were also very concerned – not concerned – it’s not the right word. conscious of the fact that when you present an exhibition, you have to do it in such a way to engage the viewer. And I think I could speak for Nancy as well. We wanted the conservation material to be accessible and to be present in the presentation, but we also wanted the show to work visually as an exhibition. And we wanted to draw out certain kinds of visual connections between the individual, for example, between the sculptures and the paintings, or between the group of nudes in a way that allowed the conservation material to be present, but at the same time didn't detract from the paintings themselves. Because one of the problems sometimes with exhibitions where they do have a lot of conservation material is that you find that the viewers end up looking just at the conservation material, not at the paintings themselves. So, I think we were very conscious, all four of us, of creating kind of a visual balance within the exhibition that still allowed you to appreciate the works, but then had this other layer of conservation information available to you. Of course, the catalogue has much more than the exhibition does, and perhaps one could find in other exhibitions or other projects ways of including more technical information through digital ways or whatever into the exhibition itself, but very keen that the paintings and the sculptures would stand in their own right as well.",[],{"speaker":201,"content":247},[248],{"type":45,"text":249,"spans":250},"And my penultimate question, why have there been so many forgeries of his work?",[],{"speaker":207,"content":252},[253],{"type":45,"text":254,"spans":255},"I think that when you have an artist who has a market, inevitably there are forgeries. And his market has been very strong since almost after the day he died. And he wasn't super prolific. He painted a number of paintings, but nowhere near like Picasso’s output. But, where there's a great market, I think there are always forgeries, and unfortunately, his market has always been very strong, and consequently, there have been many forgeries over the decades.",[],{"speaker":201,"content":257},[258],{"type":45,"text":259,"spans":260},"And finally, why are the eyes in Modigliani's paintings so mysterious?",[],{"speaker":207,"content":262},[263],{"type":45,"text":264,"spans":265},"This is a question that practically every single person that comes to the Modigliani exhibition asks. So, obviously it does strike a chord. I mean, personally, I think it has to do with his looking at perhaps African masks or sculptures, he does write about looking into the inside person through the eye and sometimes you have an eye that’s open and another one that’s crosshatched. Sometimes you have very ordinary eyes. So, I think there’s a great variety. But I think that the relationship with African artefacts may well be the key to this, but I haven’t really come across really a satisfactory answer to it over the years even though it’s a question that comes up all the time.",[],{"speaker":218,"content":267},[268],{"type":45,"text":269,"spans":270},"And frustratingly he never expressed that in writing or in interviews so we don’t know, but if you do look at the sculptures and panitings you can see a similarity in the eyes of the sculptures and as Simonetta said they were influenced by African art. So, yes, it’s a long-lasting mystery really.",[],{},"text_interview$7a8ae707-b642-460b-b0b5-6e939d3a68f4","Modigliani's enduring appeal and spotting his fakes!","Co-curators of Modigliani Up Close – the artist's retrospective at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia – Simonetta Fraquelli and Anette King talk to ArtExplored.",{"dimensions":276,"alt":277,"copyright":7,"url":278,"id":279,"edit":280},{"width":100,"height":101},"ArtExplored audiocast with the co-curators of Modigliani Up Close Simonetta Fraquelli and Annette King","https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002F74b29019-9ccc-4141-bd26-8eb960af3714_Audiocast+Opengraph+Modigliani%27s+enduring+appeal+and+spotting+his+fakes%21.jpg?auto=compress,format","ZK_XhhIAACMAaY5H",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":42},[282,300],{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":283,"primary":296,"id":299,"slice_type":146,"slice_label":7},[284,288,292],{"post":285},{"id":133,"type":8,"tags":286,"lang":20,"slug":136,"first_publication_date":137,"last_publication_date":138,"uid":139,"link_type":118,"key":287,"isBroken":120},[135],"2ccaa58d-cf30-4087-a5b9-523a59fe7947",{"post":289},{"id":5,"type":8,"tags":290,"lang":20,"slug":15,"first_publication_date":12,"last_publication_date":13,"uid":6,"link_type":118,"key":291,"isBroken":120},[11],"73898f46-b56c-46bf-b523-9581bcb156a0",{"post":293},{"id":123,"type":8,"tags":294,"lang":20,"slug":126,"first_publication_date":127,"last_publication_date":128,"uid":129,"link_type":118,"key":295,"isBroken":120},[11,125],"37802345-fa48-418c-a374-f16ed0d63ff2",{"slides_per_view":142,"max_slides_count":7,"tag":297,"type":8,"title":298,"paralax":7},{"link_type":118},"More Audiocast","carousel$18625f0d-cea1-4b21-98e1-454e17a02310",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":301,"primary":304,"id":315,"slice_type":146,"slice_label":7},[302],{"post":303},{"link_type":118},{"slides_per_view":305,"max_slides_count":7,"tag":306,"type":153,"title":314,"paralax":7},4,{"id":307,"type":308,"tags":309,"lang":20,"slug":310,"first_publication_date":311,"last_publication_date":312,"uid":310,"link_type":118,"key":313,"isBroken":120},"ZA9CHxAAAKdKyyuy","tag",[113],"amedeo-modigliani","2023-03-13T15:44:44+0000","2023-03-20T16:55:09+0000","931e27a4-09e8-465a-8d5f-ec4195d58cdd","Related Articles","carousel$5a8cbd87-eb7f-4250-8101-f425a76ddcac",{"id":123,"uid":129,"url":7,"type":8,"href":317,"tags":318,"first_publication_date":127,"last_publication_date":128,"slugs":319,"linked_documents":321,"lang":20,"alternate_languages":322,"data":323},"https:\u002F\u002Fartexplorer-prod.cdn.prismic.io\u002Fapi\u002Fv2\u002Fdocuments\u002Fsearch?ref=aCb60BIAACEA00zN&q=%5B%5B%3Ad+%3D+at%28document.id%2C+%22ZB3OZRAAACIAzkAv%22%29+%5D%5D",[11,125],[126,320,129],"a-phenomenological-take-on-paul-cezanne",[],[],{"title":324,"subtitle":7,"color":325,"source":326,"published_at":7,"duration":332,"cover":333,"copyright_cover":7,"description":338,"narrator_copyright":342,"music_copyright":7,"mixing_copyright":7,"deezer_external":343,"spotify_external":344,"apple_podcast_external":347,"slices":348,"meta_title":404,"meta_description":7,"og_image":405,"slices2":411},"Jorella Andrews: A phenomenological take on Paul Cezanne","#ffc289",{"link_type":26,"key":327,"kind":28,"id":328,"url":329,"name":330,"size":331},"8e044f35-5a45-49d3-9e58-fae55965546c","ZJQhMBEAACcAFs4R","https:\u002F\u002Fartexplorer-prod.cdn.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002F3f657253-cbc5-4c92-b2aa-c463ccb83c9e_230617_ARTEXPLORED_AUDIOCAST_JORELLA_ANDREWS.mp3","230617_ARTEXPLORED_AUDIOCAST_JORELLA_ANDREWS.mp3","13166323",550,{"dimensions":334,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":335,"id":336,"edit":337},{"width":36,"height":36},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002Faeafb334-6a1d-40b8-ad91-e36a2325aa13_carr%C3%A9-3.jpg?auto=compress,format","ZK_u3hIAACIAafCm",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":42},[339],{"type":45,"text":340,"spans":341},"ArtExplored talks to Jorella Andrews, a senior lecturer in the Visual Cultures department at Goldsmiths, University of London about viewing the French post-Impressionist painter through the lens of French philosopher and phenomenologist Maurice Merleau-Ponty. ",[],"George Nelson, Jorella Andrews",{"link_type":50},{"link_type":52,"key":345,"url":346},"718c4e7b-5320-44fd-b9f2-27c9103e14b8","https:\u002F\u002Fopen.spotify.com\u002Fepisode\u002F02rM3eRCPWBm2DMcAYK3T0",{"link_type":50},[349],{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":350,"primary":402,"id":403,"slice_type":95,"slice_label":7},[351,356,362,367,372,377,382,387,392,397],{"speaker":62,"content":352},[353],{"type":45,"text":354,"spans":355},"Hi Jorella, to start things off, can you quickly explain how you came to study Merleau-Ponty?",[],{"speaker":357,"content":358},"JA",[359],{"type":45,"text":360,"spans":361},"I really came to the study of art theory through art practice, so I originally studied fine art and then I actually worked in the world of media, so I worked in video production. And then I returned to art theory with a massive interest in ambiguity as a thematic. And it was that interest in ambiguity that brought me to the work of Merleau-Ponty. ",[],{"speaker":62,"content":363},[364],{"type":45,"text":365,"spans":366},"I’m sure many people will never have heard of phenomenology. Would you mind just explaining what it is exactly?",[],{"speaker":357,"content":368},[369],{"type":45,"text":370,"spans":371},"Phenomenology is a branch of philosophy that focuses on the world of the experience and particularly the world as it reveals itself to consciousness. And so, for some phenomenologists, they were still thinking in quite an idealistic way in the sense that consciousness is something that is quite rarefied, it’s very much linked with a disembodied idea of thought but for someone like Maurice Merleau-Ponty who was active between the late 1930s and the early 1960s – he died in 1961 – he was really interested in this notion of consciousness being embodied. So, he’s moving away from that shift between disembodied mind and embodied… you know… the body. He’s seeing bodies as thinking entities and not only human bodies but other sorts of material assemblages as having a kind of thoughtfulness and he’s wanting to open that space up and encourage us to enter into that. So, with phenomenology, you’re not thinking about how the world could be or should be, you’re really trying to observe and enter into how the world is presenting itself to us now, and for that reason, the most important phenomenological method is description, which is often regarded quite dismissively as not actually accomplishing anything. But description is absolutely vital because as you describe, you are sort of entering into the world of the thing that you’re looking at and inevitably that process begins to kind of undo the expectations that you might have brought. And with that, you can see how applicable that is not just with becoming more intimate with a particular work of art but also with another person or a group of people, so you can see where kind of the political and social advantages of a practice like that, you know, where they might really come into play.",[],{"speaker":62,"content":373},[374],{"type":45,"text":375,"spans":376},"So, with this in mind how does Merleau-Ponty as a phenomenologist relate to Cezanne’s artistic practice?",[],{"speaker":357,"content":378},[379],{"type":45,"text":380,"spans":381},"If you read the essay for which he is very well known – Cezanne’s Doubt – he would argue what he wanted to do was uncouple the appearance of Cezanne’s work including his self-portraits from a kind of autobiographical reading where the painting is a symptom of the artist’s sort of inner sense of self. And what he wants to do is think very much about doubt or insecurity or whatever it might be, thinking about that much more as having to do with the painterly quest that Cezanne was on because when he was painting, whether it was painting himself or painting a landscape, he was very interested in, I would say, a way of painting that allows paint, and colour, and line, and those sorts of forms to take the lead and out of those forms of mark making which you could, at first sight, appear to be very unstructured, very unclear, allowing something to emerge from that and that is quite an insecure way of working. You’re not plotting and kind of demarcating figures and objects. You’re working in a way that will eventually allow those sorts of objects, faces, and figures to take form in the process of painting. So, it’s a way of working that carries a lot of uncertainty with it and that’s what Merleau-Ponty was interested in. You know, he was seeing Cezanne’s quest very much a kind of philosophical one but as philosophical, in a very materialised way. ",[],{"speaker":62,"content":383},[384],{"type":45,"text":385,"spans":386},"Does Merleau-Ponty approach Cezanne’s work and outlook from a specific angle in his essay and does he focus on any particular material?",[],{"speaker":357,"content":388},[389],{"type":45,"text":390,"spans":391},"The essay starts off with him criticising biographical readings that position Cezanne as mentally deranged and disturbed. And he positions the difficulties of Cezanne in terms of his quest, this painterly quest that he has, and he doesn’t know quite what it is. And what he does more is think about the kind of transitions in his work, the sense that he’s been looking at the works but he’s drawing a lot more on the sorts of things that Cezanne might have said himself about the process and he’s also doing some comparative work. Looking at the way in which Cezanne’s work was kind of departing from some of the other conventions and what he’s also doing is, you know, referring to and he’s in conversation with some books on Cezanne that would have been published at the time. You know, looking at sort of Cezanne’s use of space and things like that. So, he’s very much positioning himself between a whole range of materials. ",[],{"speaker":62,"content":393},[394],{"type":45,"text":395,"spans":396},"And finally, Jorella, what does Merleau-Ponty write about Cezanne’s stylistic development over the course of his career?",[],{"speaker":357,"content":398},[399],{"type":45,"text":400,"spans":401},"So Merleau-Ponty, a lot of the time is less interested in paintings per se, he’s not an art historian but he’s interested in what Cezanne had to say about the processes of looking and making. So, often that’s what he’s drawing on as a philosopher. And, when it comes to this he talks very interestingly about the stylistic development in Cezanne’s work and he talks about it very much in material terms like he, for instance, talks about this moment after Cezanne has been working, connected with the Impressionists, and that’s been really important for him. Particularly working very closely with Pissarro. But then, increasingly what you see in Cezanne’s use of paint and his mark marking, and what you also see in his writing, is that Impressionism isn’t doing it for him because Cezanne has this abiding interest in structure, underlying structure, and there’s that kind of expression really, this idea that what – Merleau-Ponty – what Cezanne is trying to do, is to almost refine the object underneath the kind of impression. That the Impressionists are so interested in. So, yeah, and one of the things that Merleau-Ponty does is he looks at the way in which Cezanne uses colour. He looks at his colour palette and the way in which that is so very different from what the Impressionists were using and it’s that sense of you know, what makes the difference for Cezanne quite often is the materiality, the application, out of which a different sense of the world then emerges in the work itself. ",[],{},"text_interview$97a8f3ac-b004-4056-8e73-bb8306d367b4","A phenomenological take on Paul Cezanne",{"dimensions":406,"alt":407,"copyright":7,"url":408,"id":409,"edit":410},{"width":100,"height":101},"Art Explored audiocast with Jorella Andrews, professor of Visual Cultures at Goldsmiths, University of London","https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002Ff7a41ec3-0f55-4612-8ec8-3dc879c5f67c_Audiocast+Opengraph+A+phenomenological+take+on+Paul+C%C3%A9zanne.jpg?auto=compress,format","ZK_XghIAACMAaY4z",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":42},[412,429],{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":413,"primary":426,"id":428,"slice_type":146,"slice_label":7},[414,418,422],{"post":415},{"id":133,"type":8,"tags":416,"lang":20,"slug":136,"first_publication_date":137,"last_publication_date":138,"uid":139,"link_type":118,"key":417,"isBroken":120},[135],"c6ce92cf-89c8-49d1-b06e-d2c2f84f21f3",{"post":419},{"id":111,"type":8,"tags":420,"lang":20,"slug":114,"first_publication_date":115,"last_publication_date":116,"uid":117,"link_type":118,"key":421,"isBroken":120},[113],"9ce5f6fa-f8e5-4827-bd1f-4f60efbee348",{"post":423},{"id":5,"type":8,"tags":424,"lang":20,"slug":15,"first_publication_date":12,"last_publication_date":13,"uid":6,"link_type":118,"key":425,"isBroken":120},[11],"003aeb44-ba12-41b6-a2d7-71fae7f36067",{"slides_per_view":142,"max_slides_count":7,"tag":427,"type":8,"title":298,"paralax":7},{"link_type":118},"carousel$bf4d33a6-0203-4c15-bc1c-97daf45a5b16",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":430,"primary":433,"id":436,"slice_type":146,"slice_label":7},[431],{"post":432},{"link_type":118},{"slides_per_view":305,"max_slides_count":142,"tag":434,"type":153,"title":435,"paralax":7},{"link_type":118},"Explore","carousel$612a5242-0b6e-4756-a92e-0d6bafec1862",{"id":133,"uid":139,"url":7,"type":8,"href":438,"tags":439,"first_publication_date":137,"last_publication_date":138,"slugs":440,"linked_documents":445,"lang":20,"alternate_languages":446,"data":447},"https:\u002F\u002Fartexplorer-prod.cdn.prismic.io\u002Fapi\u002Fv2\u002Fdocuments\u002Fsearch?ref=aCb60BIAACEA00zN&q=%5B%5B%3Ad+%3D+at%28document.id%2C+%22ZBGaLhAAACgAzxTK%22%29+%5D%5D",[135],[136,441,442,443,444],"how-is-science-improving-art-conservation-techniques","how-is-science-improving-art-restoration-techniques","how-has-the-art-restoration-industry-changed-over-the-last-couple-of-decades","how-restoring-paintings-has-changed-over-the-last-couple-of-decades",[],[],{"title":448,"subtitle":7,"color":7,"source":449,"published_at":455,"duration":456,"cover":457,"copyright_cover":7,"description":462,"narrator_copyright":466,"music_copyright":7,"mixing_copyright":7,"deezer_external":467,"spotify_external":468,"apple_podcast_external":471,"slices":472,"meta_title":530,"meta_description":531,"og_image":532,"slices2":538},"Julia Nagle: How is science improving art conservation techniques?",{"link_type":26,"key":450,"kind":28,"id":451,"url":452,"name":453,"size":454},"6e4590f0-93e2-43bb-a7b0-719a62a028c3","ZJL5khEAACkAEYIk","https:\u002F\u002Fartexplorer-prod.cdn.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002F20903495-2838-423f-86f5-5007e709f134_230616_ARTEXPLORED_AUDIOCAST_JULIA_NAGEL.mp3","230616_ARTEXPLORED_AUDIOCAST_JULIA_NAGEL.mp3","8512043","2023-08-10",713,{"dimensions":458,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":459,"id":460,"edit":461},{"width":36,"height":36},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002Ff5376d69-fccc-487a-bbe5-8e4c2e0e37eb_carr%C3%A9.jpg?auto=compress,format","ZK_u3hIAACMAafCn",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":42},[463],{"type":45,"text":464,"spans":465},"Julia Nagle set up her own studio in 2009 (Julia Nagle Conservation) and it is now the official conservator for Frieze Masters and Frieze London art fairs, while it also works with private collectors, insurers, commercial galleries, and public institutions worldwide. Julia explains how restoration and conservation techniques have advanced over the years.",[],"George Nelson, Julia Nagle",{"link_type":50},{"link_type":52,"key":469,"url":470},"348ac814-9f68-44f1-a0b7-430734acdcec","https:\u002F\u002Fopen.spotify.com\u002Fepisode\u002F6m3DK4JetPQ5UJnx0GVG0x",{"link_type":50},[473],{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":474,"primary":528,"id":529,"slice_type":95,"slice_label":7},[475,481,487,492,498,503,508,513,518,523],{"speaker":476,"content":477},"GN ",[478],{"type":45,"text":479,"spans":480},"Hi Julia, thanks for talking to me today. Before we start, just to avoid any confusion, could you please explain the difference between a conservator and a restorer? ",[],{"speaker":482,"content":483},"JN ",[484],{"type":45,"text":485,"spans":486},"A conservator is just a bit more of a modern term, but we also say restorer as well because people often don’t know what you mean. So, it’s just a more modern term because what we’re trying to do is really preserve things and sort of protect them as opposed to actually take them back in time to some previous state, so we sort of acknowledge the fact that ageing happens for example, by calling ourselves conservators a bit more than restorers.  ",[],{"speaker":62,"content":488},[489],{"type":45,"text":490,"spans":491},"How quickly is conservation developing and have there been any scientific or technological breakthroughs in the last few years, few decades, that have been real game changers for the industry? ",[],{"speaker":493,"content":494},"JN",[495],{"type":45,"text":496,"spans":497},"Technical art history is a discipline that has grown over the last 20 years, 30 years possibly and we’ve got all sorts of methods of analysing paint films without destroying the painting itself and imaging and things like using X-rays, all sorts of different technologies to understand what’s actually in a painting in the first place. And also to see when we’ve cleaned a surface, for example, you can look at it with a scanning electron microscope and you can see on a massively enlarged image, quite what you’ve actually done to the surface of the painting that might not be visible to the naked eye. So, you can really fine-tune your own techniques to ensure that what you’ve done hasn’t sort of leached a paint film or scratched it microscopically or anything like that. So, I think, possibly, for me anyway, I would say, the kind of analysis and the imaging and the understanding of what you’re actually doing on a much finer level than what the eye can just see is just huge. I mean there have been really important breakthroughs on how to clean acrylic paints because they’re fairly new, they’ve really been in use since about the 1950s and they do respond very differently to water compared to oil paints, for example. So, there’s been a huge amount of research there. A lot of it was EU-funded so I don’t know how that will carry on now, but there’ve been some interesting breakthroughs in nanotechnology and introducing gels for using water in a safe way, not as a liquid, but you can take dirt off of very complex surfaces using gels rather than using liquid water, so yeah, just even sort of technologies on how to safely use water and how to adjust, very finely tune the PH of water so that you can safely clean a film that you might not be able to clean otherwise and so really sort of fine adjustments with our own materials.  ",[],{"speaker":62,"content":499},[500],{"type":45,"text":501,"spans":502},"Do you have a preference regarding a particular period or movement when it comes to conservation?  ",[],{"speaker":493,"content":504},[505],{"type":45,"text":506,"spans":507},"I really loved working with older paintings, I really, really enjoyed my time doing that. I did it for about 10 years so it’s not that I dislike it, but it’s just fascinating working with modern artists and contemporary artists, and I think as a female, there are fantastic older ladies working… it’s a much less sort of a sexist world I think nowadays, and you know there are many, many more artists from different backgrounds and a lot, lot more women artists now who are recognised and that’s been fantastic working with them. I find a lot of the older women really, really inspiring. So, we’ve worked with Faith Ringgold at the Serpentine and Caroline Kunsman we worked with recently, and I think it’s really interesting the messages that people have got. I mean they are, the art there is, it's expressing our modern culture and expressing kind of issues of the day, and so as I really enjoy that side of it as well and understanding what messages people are trying to put forward and helping them to do that where we can. Also, there’s a lot of research that has to go into understanding what the artist’s intention was. Which is all really interesting and fun to do but it’s also great when you can just ask the artist and they’re there as well. I think it’s a really nice collaboration and I think one thing that I found which I think would surprise quite a lot of people is how much contemporary artists are really interested in their materials and interested in their techniques. And I really want to support artists, that’s what we are trying to do. We’re trying to get the art out there, trying to support artists and having their work exhibited in the way they want it to be seen and there are some really important messages to be understood from it.",[],{"speaker":62,"content":509},[510],{"type":45,"text":511,"spans":512},"You mentioned to me before we started speaking, Julia, that you once worked on a painting that had been vandalised by someone’s lover in a jealous fit of rage, like a very intense lovers’ tiff I think. Can you just explain a bit more about that story? ",[],{"speaker":493,"content":514},[515],{"type":45,"text":516,"spans":517},"A lovers’ tiff..... the person took bathroom paint, red bathroom paint and painted in big letters, big angry letters all over a painting, so that took a huge amount of time to remove the paint from the original painting but we did manage to do that. But yes, when someone’s angry as well they really press the paint in. So, we ended up using a porcupine spine to pick out tiny bits of paint from bubbles in the paint film where it kind of got pressed into these little crevasses in the paint film so we used a porcupine spine under the microscope to pick out all these little spots of paint to clean it. ",[],{"speaker":62,"content":519},[520],{"type":45,"text":521,"spans":522},"Do you have a favourite painting that you’ve ever restored or conserved and if so, why, why is it that painting? ",[],{"speaker":493,"content":524},[525],{"type":45,"text":526,"spans":527},"It’s very hard to say because you because it’s very hard to have a favourite and to pick out a favourite. It’s a great privilege to be able to touch what we can’t afford and to spend that one-on-one time, intimate time with great artists. So, you know, sitting in front of a Picasso, I had to clean off fly spots, fly faeces basically for a whole day but you’re sitting with a wonderful painting and so it’s always a privilege to work with wonderful art, and to have that one-on-one relationship, even if it’s for a temporary period.  ",[],{},"text_interview$78ced8c2-13ce-4812-b9d5-51bfdc9511f9","How is science improving art restoration techniques?","Conservator Julia Nagle discusses how restoring paintings has changed over the the last couple of decades.",{"dimensions":533,"alt":534,"copyright":7,"url":535,"id":536,"edit":537},{"width":100,"height":101},"ArtExplored audiocast with art conservator Julia Nagle","https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002F3f6680c6-48db-447c-93da-63b1e3a18f2d_Audiocast+Opengraph+How+is+science+improving+art+restoration+techniques_.jpg?auto=compress,format","ZK_XhhIAACAAaY5G",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":42},[539,566],{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":540,"primary":563,"id":565,"slice_type":146,"slice_label":7},[541,551,555,559],{"post":542},{"id":543,"type":8,"tags":544,"lang":20,"slug":546,"first_publication_date":547,"last_publication_date":548,"uid":549,"link_type":118,"key":550,"isBroken":120},"ZHc1QRAAACUAkmFm",[545],"Art Investment","ludovic-subran-is-art-a-good-hedge-against-inflation","2023-05-31T11:53:41+0000","2023-08-31T21:34:18+0000","is-investing-in-art-a-good-hedge-against-inflation","677c7a21-a099-4a59-aa20-42294a0a235d",{"post":552},{"id":5,"type":8,"tags":553,"lang":20,"slug":15,"first_publication_date":12,"last_publication_date":13,"uid":6,"link_type":118,"key":554,"isBroken":120},[11],"18b8ee29-e01a-4ef2-8abf-d6334bbc1fea",{"post":556},{"id":123,"type":8,"tags":557,"lang":20,"slug":126,"first_publication_date":127,"last_publication_date":128,"uid":129,"link_type":118,"key":558,"isBroken":120},[11,125],"97ebca9a-6a91-4d33-a666-9cc58e1a31f0",{"post":560},{"id":111,"type":8,"tags":561,"lang":20,"slug":114,"first_publication_date":115,"last_publication_date":116,"uid":117,"link_type":118,"key":562,"isBroken":120},[113],"4b95352a-3a49-4eb2-9bdd-8a5115cbd895",{"slides_per_view":305,"max_slides_count":305,"tag":564,"type":8,"title":298,"paralax":7},{"link_type":118},"carousel$a3497cfe-0f72-49d4-871f-4d5b7a083b9d",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":567,"primary":570,"id":572,"slice_type":146,"slice_label":7},[568],{"post":569},{"link_type":118},{"slides_per_view":305,"max_slides_count":142,"tag":571,"type":153,"title":435,"paralax":7},{"link_type":118},"carousel$37958bb9-5f44-4ea6-8ace-820083cac27c",{"slice":147,"payload":574},[575,977,1216,1381],{"id":576,"uid":577,"url":7,"type":153,"href":578,"tags":579,"first_publication_date":581,"last_publication_date":582,"slugs":583,"linked_documents":585,"lang":20,"alternate_languages":586,"data":587},"ZqOmgxAAACEAyGP7","hidden-gem-at-the-nationalmusee-um-feschmaart","https:\u002F\u002Fartexplorer-prod.cdn.prismic.io\u002Fapi\u002Fv2\u002Fdocuments\u002Fsearch?ref=aCb60BIAACEA00zN&q=%5B%5B%3Ad+%3D+at%28document.id%2C+%22ZqOmgxAAACEAyGP7%22%29+%5D%5D",[580],"Gustav Klimt","2024-07-26T13:48:30+0000","2024-07-31T15:55:16+0000",[584],"a-mysterious-portrait",[],[],{"title":588,"subtitle":589,"author":590,"copyright_cover":7,"cover_desktop":638,"cover_mobile":645,"thumbnail":651,"published_at":654,"slices":655,"meta_title":876,"meta_description":877,"og_image":878,"slices2":883},"Klimt, Matsch, and a Ghanaian Prince in turn-of-the-century Vienna","Twin portraits illuminate the friendship and break-up between the painters",{"id":591,"type":592,"tags":593,"lang":20,"slug":594,"first_publication_date":595,"last_publication_date":596,"uid":594,"data":597,"link_type":118,"key":637,"isBroken":120},"ZBBz5xAAAKdKzSXy","author",[],"lea-nedwed","2023-03-14T13:17:30+0000","2024-07-10T17:09:39+0000",{"description":598,"short_description":613,"job":617,"thumbnail":618,"cover":627,"uid":594,"title":622,"og_image":630,"meta_description":633,"meta_title":622},[599,603,605,608,610],{"type":45,"text":600,"spans":601,"direction":602},"Léa is a managing editor at ArtExplored, where she produces in-depth art market reports and educational content. ",[],"ltr",{"type":45,"text":86,"spans":604,"direction":602},[],{"type":45,"text":606,"spans":607,"direction":602},"Her prior experience includes working with an art advisory service in London and Hong Kong, focusing on Post-War and Contemporary art. There, she gained extensive knowledge of the global art market. She managed daily operations and ensured the smooth running of high-profile exhibitions held annually alongside significant fairs in London, Hong Kong, and Seoul. Léa also contributed to a Paris-based non-profit that fundraised for cultural institutions by working closely with globally renowned art collectors. ",[],{"type":45,"text":86,"spans":609,"direction":602},[],{"type":45,"text":611,"spans":612,"direction":602},"She holds degrees in Law from the Sorbonne, Art Appraisal and Trade from IESA, and an MBA in the Business of Art from ICART.",[],[614],{"type":45,"text":615,"spans":616,"direction":602},"Lea is a managing editor and content producer at ArtExplored. ",[],"Managing Editor",{"dimensions":619,"alt":622,"copyright":7,"url":623,"id":624,"edit":625},{"width":620,"height":621},533,800,"Léa Nedwed","https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002F6d191cd1-efb6-4857-ae83-8d44a38fb195_LC%E2%95%A0%C2%BAa+NEDWED+%28Art+Cataloguer%29+%28BW%29.png?auto=compress,format","ZHYDyhAAACYAMRXl",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},"transparent",{"dimensions":628,"alt":622,"copyright":7,"url":623,"id":624,"edit":629},{"width":620,"height":621},{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},{"dimensions":631,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":623,"id":624,"edit":632},{"width":620,"height":621},{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},[634],{"type":45,"text":635,"spans":636},"Léa Nedwed is a senior writer at ArtExplored",[],"7f3c28df-4a80-461e-9221-e92408c7f454",{"dimensions":639,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":642,"id":643,"edit":644},{"width":640,"height":641},16000,9000,"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZqOfcB5LeNNTxhmF_Landscape_16.9_Web_Header_HiddenGems_V6_.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZqOfcB5LeNNTxhmF",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},{"dimensions":646,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":648,"id":649,"edit":650},{"width":647,"height":640},10667,"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZqOgAB5LeNNTxhmY_Portrait_3.2_Web_Thumbnail_HiddenGems4.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZqOgAB5LeNNTxhmY",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},{"dimensions":652,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":648,"id":649,"edit":653},{"width":647,"height":640},{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},"2024-07-29",[656,671,686,704,721,746,755,767,789,798,815,827,854,863],{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":657,"primary":658,"id":669,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":659,"content":660},[],[661,664,666],{"type":45,"text":662,"spans":663,"direction":602},"Pablo Picasso, Giorgio de Chirico, Pierre Soulages, Richard Serra—these illustrious names in the history of art draw visitors to Luxembourg's Nationalmusée um Fëschmaart. Yet, alongside these masters, the museum also showcases long-forgotten artists who are equally deserving of our attention.",[],{"type":45,"text":86,"spans":665,"direction":602},[],{"type":45,"text":667,"spans":668,"direction":602},"Ruud Priem, the museum's Head of Department and Curator of Fine Arts, recently oversaw the acquisition of a striking portrait. With a decade at Amsterdam's Rijksmuseum and collaborations worldwide, Priem has engaged deeply with celebrated masterpieces while demonstrating a discerning eye for overlooked treasures.",[],"text$ed331b5a-ad55-419e-9cc4-6ef4d8537b08","text",{"variation":672,"version":59,"items":673,"primary":674,"id":684,"slice_type":685,"slice_label":7},"centered-slice",[],{"image1":675,"label":7,"copyright":680},{"dimensions":676,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":677,"id":678,"edit":679},{"width":36,"height":36},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZqOhCx5LeNNTxhnR_FranzvonMatsch-Square.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZqOhCx5LeNNTxhnR",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},[681],{"type":45,"text":682,"spans":683,"direction":602},"Franz von Matsch (1861-1942), Portrait of William Nii Nortey Dowuona, Prince of the Ga people from Osu in the Grand Accra region of Ghana, West Africa, 1897, oil on canvas, Collection MNAHA",[],"image$581a16cf-b400-443f-95ef-696551be2e71","image",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":687,"primary":688,"id":703,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":689,"content":694},[690],{"type":691,"text":692,"spans":693,"direction":602},"heading1","A mysterious portrait",[],[695,698,700],{"type":45,"text":696,"spans":697,"direction":602},"The newly acquired painting is presented in its (presumably) original, beautifully crafted bamboo frame. From the corners of the frame protrude four tubers–the roots of the bamboo–enhancing its exotic allure. Its quasi-photographic quality and frontal, naturalistic depiction of a black man in bust form make it challenging to date at first glance. The painting appears academic with its polished finish and the model’s classical pose, yet it diverges from tradition through its unconventional choice of subject.",[],{"type":45,"text":86,"spans":699,"direction":602},[],{"type":45,"text":701,"spans":702,"direction":602},"A black figure wears a piece of cloth in a toga-like fashion, draped over his left shoulder and leaving the right one bare. Set against a simple clay-green background, he lacks contextual markers. The museum acquired it at a 2021 Sotheby's auction, simply as “Portrait of an African Man”. Its author, Austrian painter Franz von Matsch (1861-1942), was active in Vienna from the late 19th to the mid-20th century. Reflecting an era when Black representation in European art expanded alongside migration from Africa and Haiti, such works broke away from prevailing stereotypes. However, the context in which this portrait was created unveils more complex realities. While interpreting the artist’s perspective solely through the painting proves challenging, it nevertheless offers profound insights into anthropology and social relations in modern Europe.",[],"text$b4cb4442-fba2-4a3d-9ed3-7f3a2a3ca55a",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":705,"primary":706,"id":720,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":707,"content":711},[708],{"type":691,"text":709,"spans":710,"direction":602},"Matsch and Klimt: partners in art",[],[712,715,717],{"type":45,"text":713,"spans":714,"direction":602},"In the 1870s, Franz von Matsch trained alongside Gustav Klimt and his brother Ernst at Vienna's School of Applied Arts, all steeped in conservative academic traditions. After their studies, in 1883, the trio collaborated on public commissions until Gustav Klimt distanced himself from the traditional painting style. Favouring artistic innovation, Klimt's art underwent a major shift in 1895, and two years later, he co-founded the Vienna Secession, one of the most avant-garde movements of the time.",[],{"type":45,"text":86,"spans":716,"direction":602},[],{"type":45,"text":718,"spans":719,"direction":602},"Despite their diverging paths, Klimt and Matsch appear to have maintained a close relationship, as evidenced by their joint portrayal of the man in a toga. This enigmatic sitter is also the subject of one of Klimt's paintings, which depicts him in three-quarter view. The portrait itself is shrouded in mystery, having last been seen in public at a 1928 retrospective marking the 10th anniversary of Klimt's death. A black-and-white photograph from a 1923 auction catalogue is the only visual trace of the painting that exists today.",[],"text$5f3b82d7-a73d-4039-9852-2a47bf8110de",{"variation":672,"version":59,"items":722,"primary":733,"id":745,"slice_type":685,"slice_label":7},[723],{"image":724,"title":731,"subtitle":732},{"dimensions":725,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":728,"id":729,"edit":730},{"width":726,"height":727},1920,2413,"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZqOjhB5LeNNTxhoK_Klimtpainting2.png?auto=format,compress","ZqOjhB5LeNNTxhoK",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},"Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)","Portrait of William Nii Nortey Dowuona, c. 1897",{"image1":734,"label":7,"copyright":741},{"dimensions":735,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":738,"id":739,"edit":740},{"width":736,"height":737},3840,2560,"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZqOqcR5LeNNTxhrQ_GustavKlimtlandscape3_2.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZqOqcR5LeNNTxhrQ",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},[742],{"type":45,"text":743,"spans":744,"direction":602},"Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), Portrait of William Nii Nortey Dowuona, c. 1897\n\n(Click to view the full image)",[],"image$d8c5583d-c0ef-4f3e-a78c-a493b58b6b37",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":747,"primary":748,"id":754,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":749,"content":750},[],[751],{"type":45,"text":752,"spans":753,"direction":602},"Priem highlights these portraits as testaments not only to artistic camaraderie but also to the rift that possibly fractured the painters’ bond—a bullet hole in Matsch's work mirrors a dagger gash in Klimt's. An eye for an eye...",[],"text$c4881e79-a305-4079-bf28-d01b6806f52b",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":756,"primary":757,"id":766,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":758,"content":762},[759],{"type":691,"text":760,"spans":761,"direction":602},"Investigating identity",[],[763],{"type":45,"text":764,"spans":765,"direction":602},"In a 2012 publication, art historian Tobias Natter questioned the dating and subject of Klimt’s portrait. Natter speculated that it might depict an African sculpture Klimt admired at Brussels’ Musée du Congo in 1914. Enter Alfred Weidinger, Vienna’s Belvedere Museum’s former vice-president, who established the link between Klimt’s and Matsch’s portraits to around 1897. This was not only the year when Klimt began incorporating flowers into the backgrounds of his works, but also the year a group of Ga people from Ghana were “hired” to “perform” in Vienna’s “Tiergarten” (German for “zoo”).",[],"text$4a43e929-6358-422a-bc1e-5fa06cd95e72",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":768,"primary":778,"id":788,"slice_type":685,"slice_label":7},[769],{"image":770,"title":777,"subtitle":7},{"dimensions":771,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":774,"id":775,"edit":776},{"width":772,"height":773},2634,1517,"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZqOk8h5LeNNTxhpX_printWienerTiergarten1897_SMK%5B31%5D2.png?auto=format,compress","ZqOk8h5LeNNTxhpX",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},"A group of Ga people from Ghana at Vienna’s Tiergarten circa 1897.",{"image1":779,"label":7,"copyright":784},{"dimensions":780,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":781,"id":782,"edit":783},{"width":736,"height":737},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZqOk6h5LeNNTxhpW_GapeopleLandscape3_2.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZqOk6h5LeNNTxhpW",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},[785],{"type":45,"text":786,"spans":787,"direction":602},"A group of Ga people from Ghana at Vienna’s Tiergarten circa 1897.\n\n(Click to view the full image.)",[],"image$f6b14082-d44d-4c8d-8b4b-a272c5c292e3",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":790,"primary":791,"id":797,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":792,"content":793},[],[794],{"type":45,"text":795,"spans":796,"direction":602},"During the late 19th century, “human zoos” sprang up across Europe, fuelling a fascination with the exotic at the height of colonial rule, explains Charline Zeitoun, science journalist and deputy editor-in-chief at CNRS. German wild animal importer Carl Hagenberg, known as the “King of the Zoos”, also popularised “ethnic shows”. Inuits, Nubians, Dahomeans, Amerindians, Koreans and other peoples were exhibited in reconstructed villages and asked to perform dances, wear imaginary costumes and even embody cannibalistic and brutal personas. This dehumanising industry aimed to attract an ever-growing audience while trying to legitimise the colonial and civilising enterprise. Such stagings were a resounding success with a Western public that could be described as voyeuristic, fascinated by the unusual and the exotic. “More than a billion visitors are said to have flocked to see this type of exhibition between 1870 and 1940” (“Plus d’un milliard de visiteurs se seraient pressés pour voir ce type d’exhibitions entre 1870 et 1940”), states Zeitoun.",[],"text$fef5c538-5ed3-48be-b23e-be746761f777",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":799,"primary":800,"id":814,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":801,"content":805},[802],{"type":691,"text":803,"spans":804,"direction":602},"Breaking with artistic conventions",[],[806,809,811],{"type":45,"text":807,"spans":808,"direction":602},"Returning to Weidinger, he, along with one of the Belvedere’s Curators Markus Fellinger, identified the figure in both portraits as William Nii Nortey Dowuona, the leader of the Ga people from Osu in Ghana. Dowuona came to Vienna’s “Tiergarten” to perform with a group of 70 warriors and about 50 women and children, all for a modest fee. At the time, the world of show business provided a fertile ground for artists seeking life models that were both affordable and challenged academic conventions. In the catalogue accompanying the 2019 exhibition “Le modèle noir, de Géricault à Matisse” at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, Estelle Béhué and Isolde Pludermacher note that for 19th-century artists, depicting a Black model marked a significant departure from the beauty standards of the time, which were anchored in the facial features and whiteness of Greek statues.",[],{"type":45,"text":86,"spans":810,"direction":602},[],{"type":45,"text":812,"spans":813,"direction":602},"Matsch’s portrayal sharply contrasts with long-prevailing depictions of young African men and women in orientalist attire or as domestic pages, emphasising the absolute domination and prosperity of their masters. Instead, the man here is neither a mere decorative motif nor a stereotype; he is presented in a dignified and attentive portrait. As the Orsay exhibition catalogue highlights, artists of this era played a key role in challenging racist and colonial ideologies.",[],"text$657902fd-4faf-4c2e-881d-e6527ceccc5d",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":816,"primary":817,"id":826,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":818,"content":822},[819],{"type":691,"text":820,"spans":821,"direction":602},"The Ghanaian Prince awaits his twin portrait",[],[823],{"type":45,"text":824,"spans":825,"direction":602},"While most black models from this period remain nameless, William Nii Nortey Dowuona’s identity is now memorialised at the Nationalmusée um Fëschmaart. He was Prince of the Ga people from Osu in the Grand Accra region of Ghana, West Africa. Priem hopes to one day reunite this portrait with Klimt’s missing piece, should it still exist and resurface. The twin portraits not only share the same subject but also the same palette, with “the two painters having used the exact same colours”, Priem further explains. Their reunion, if it ever happens, would certainly add an exciting chapter to this story and perhaps unveil further details.",[],"text$49b51a06-a118-446d-962b-15e468711c46",{"variation":828,"version":59,"items":829,"primary":842,"id":853,"slice_type":685,"slice_label":7},"double-slice",[830,835],{"image":831,"title":834,"subtitle":7},{"dimensions":832,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":648,"id":649,"edit":833},{"width":647,"height":640},{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},"Matsch",{"image":836,"title":841,"subtitle":7},{"dimensions":837,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":838,"id":839,"edit":840},{"width":737,"height":736},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZqOjRB5LeNNTxhoC_GustavKlimt-3_2portrait.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZqOjRB5LeNNTxhoC",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},"Klimt",{"image1":843,"image2":846,"label":7,"copyright":849},{"dimensions":844,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":648,"id":649,"edit":845},{"width":647,"height":640},{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},{"dimensions":847,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":838,"id":839,"edit":848},{"width":737,"height":736},{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},[850],{"type":45,"text":851,"spans":852,"direction":602},"Franz von Matsch’s and Gustav Klimt’s portraits of William Nii Nortey Dowuona circa 1897 (Matsch: left \u002F Klimt: right).\n\n(Click to view the full image)",[],"image$bd4ac8de-e7ea-4a73-b1b5-4ca49000c0b3",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":855,"primary":856,"id":862,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":857,"content":858},[],[859],{"type":45,"text":860,"spans":861,"direction":602},"Exceptionally, the travel diaries of these Ghanaian \"actors\" have survived and, along with the two portraits, will be the focus of an Austrian documentary set for release in 2025, states the Nationalmusée’s Curator. This might allow the model to shift from being an observed subject to becoming an observer, providing us with a most interesting testimony.",[],"text$d70576b5-f405-435e-8a30-2e6013de9b76",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":864,"primary":865,"id":875,"slice_type":685,"slice_label":7},[],{"image1":866,"label":7,"copyright":871},{"dimensions":867,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":868,"id":869,"edit":870},{"width":736,"height":737},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZqOmbx5LeNNTxhpv_Nationalmus%C3%A9eumF%C3%ABschmaart-landscape3_2.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZqOmbx5LeNNTxhpv",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},[872],{"type":45,"text":873,"spans":874,"direction":602},"Nationalmusée um Fëschmaart, Luxembourg © Sophie Whaley",[],"image$60e6c030-caa3-475e-9b8b-dc7f2ca2aff8","How Klimt and Matsch rendered a Ghanaian Prince in turn-of-the-century Vienna","At the Nationalmusée um Fëschmaart in Luxembourg, visitors can discover a mysterious portrait by Franz von Matsch. The Austrian painter, active in Vienna at the turn of the century, was once part of iconic artist Gustav Klimt's inner circle. Both painters seemingly sat side-by-side to portray this enigmatic sitter, recently identified as a Ghanaian Prince. He is also the subject of a long-lost painting by Gustav Klimt, unseen for a century. 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his career, German artist Gerhard Richter (b. 1932) continually pushed the boundaries of painting, skillfully transitioning between abstract forms and representational images to create a diverse body of work. The late 1980s and early 1990s marked a pivotal period for Richter, as he developed his signature squeegee technique and rose to international acclaim.",[1016,1026],{"start":1017,"end":1018,"type":1019,"data":1020},308,337,"hyperlink",{"id":1021,"type":1022,"tags":1023,"lang":20,"slug":1024,"first_publication_date":1025,"last_publication_date":1025,"link_type":118,"isBroken":120},"ZmxKyxIAACEAJeVC","definition",[],"signature-squeegee-technique","2024-06-14T13:51:09+0000",{"start":1017,"end":33,"type":1027},"strong",{"type":45,"text":1029,"spans":1030,"direction":602},"Consequently, paintings created between 1985 and 1994 are highly coveted in Richter's market, generating an impressive $2.1 billion from 295 lots sold between 2004 and 2023. This segment's value nearly doubles Van Gogh's auction market which stands at $1.3 billion from just 66 lots sold over the past two decades.",[],"text$70e5d07e-6002-443b-907d-2b4441f2272c",{"variation":672,"version":59,"items":1033,"primary":1045,"id":1055,"slice_type":685,"slice_label":7},[1034],{"image":1035,"title":7,"subtitle":7},{"dimensions":1036,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1039,"id":1040,"edit":1041},{"width":1037,"height":1038},2947,1992,"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZmwFMZm069VX1v1f_RichterVisualsforArticles-28.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=181%2C122%2C2585%2C1747&w=2947&h=1992","ZmwFMZm069VX1v1f",{"x":1042,"y":1043,"zoom":1044,"background":626},181,122,1.14,{"image1":1046,"label":7,"copyright":1054},{"dimensions":1047,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1048,"id":1049,"edit":1050},{"width":736,"height":737},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZmwFHJm069VX1v1d_VanGogh%27svsRichterlandscape3_2.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=384%2C256%2C3072%2C2048&w=3840&h=2560","ZmwFHJm069VX1v1d",{"x":1051,"y":1052,"zoom":1053,"background":626},384,256,1.25,[],"image$19a02077-12cb-4921-a909-1bdc1a62fbcb",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":1057,"primary":1058,"id":1067,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":1059,"content":1060},[],[1061],{"type":45,"text":1062,"spans":1063,"direction":602},"Richter's works from this period particularly captivated buyers between 2008 and 2012. Notably, Abstraktes Bild (809-4), a painting from 1994, made Richter the most expensive living artist in 2012. Having set several auction records for the artist, these works now occupy nine of his top ten sales.",[1064],{"start":1065,"end":1066,"type":76},96,119,"text$ee13476c-9a3e-4d89-88b8-8238b36170b0",{"variation":672,"version":59,"items":1069,"primary":1078,"id":1085,"slice_type":685,"slice_label":7},[1070],{"image":1071,"title":7,"subtitle":7},{"dimensions":1072,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1075,"id":1076,"edit":1077},{"width":1073,"height":1074},1822,2356,"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZmsJr5m069VX1uYh_RichterVisualsforArticles-21.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZmsJr5m069VX1uYh",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},{"image1":1079,"label":7,"copyright":1084},{"dimensions":1080,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1081,"id":1082,"edit":1083},{"width":737,"height":736},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZmsIppm069VX1uXx_Richter3_2.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZmsIppm069VX1uXx",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},[],"image$9218cfd6-ae59-45d9-9b61-646d8053d5d9",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":1087,"primary":1088,"id":1094,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":1089,"content":1090},[],[1091],{"type":45,"text":1092,"spans":1093,"direction":602},"The market for Richter’s 1985-1994 paintings has shown remarkable resilience, even during the pandemic downturn. In 2020, \"Abstraktes Bild (649-2),\" a 1987 painting, made Richter the most expensive Western artist at an Asian auction when it was acquired by the Pola Museum in Hakone, Japan. By 2021, annual sales in this segment reached their highest level in six years.",[],"text$7275b4de-13b5-4e81-bee5-3e0d41cfb077",{"variation":672,"version":59,"items":1096,"primary":1105,"id":1110,"slice_type":685,"slice_label":7},[1097],{"image":1098,"title":7,"subtitle":7},{"dimensions":1099,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1102,"id":1103,"edit":1104},{"width":1100,"height":1101},2320,1450,"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZoa42h5LeNNTwzGK_Richter_AnalysisArticle_Graph_V1.jpg?auto=format,compress","Zoa42h5LeNNTwzGK",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},{"image1":1106,"label":7,"copyright":1109},{"dimensions":1107,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1102,"id":1103,"edit":1108},{"width":1100,"height":1101},{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},[],"image$a61a6c61-9b4c-4c70-a5db-73eb386d5b0a",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":1112,"primary":1113,"id":1131,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":1114,"content":1115},[],[1116,1125],{"type":45,"text":1117,"spans":1118,"direction":602},"Richter's auction records in this category are consistently set by monumental \"Abstrakte Bilder\" (abstract paintings) measuring 200 cm or more. These works have solidified Richter’s status as a central figure in the art market since the 2010s. For more insights, ArtExplored's Focus Report, highlights the evolution of the market for these specific paintings over the last twenty years.",[1119],{"start":1120,"end":1121,"type":1019,"data":1122},263,289,{"link_type":52,"url":1123,"target":1124},"https:\u002F\u002Fartexplored.com\u002Farticle\u002Fartist-report-gerhard-richter","_self",{"type":45,"text":1126,"spans":1127,"direction":602},"In 2017, Richter announced his retirement from painting, concentrating instead on works on paper. He leaves behind an impressive oeuvre, comprising 3,819 paintings created over six decades, a quarter of them between 1985 and 1994. 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The first publicly listed Masterpiece on Artex Global Markets. Owned by Art Share 002. © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All right reserved, DACS 2024 \u002F Photo : Tom Lucas \u002F MNAHA",{"dimensions":1257,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1258,"id":1259,"edit":1260},{"width":736,"height":36},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZoZjCB5LeNNTwyJp_Slide16_9-5-.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZoZjCB5LeNNTwyJp",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},{"dimensions":1262,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1263,"id":1264,"edit":1265},{"width":36,"height":736},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZoamfR5LeNNTwy5c_9_16-2-.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZoamfR5LeNNTwy5c",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},{"dimensions":1267,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1263,"id":1264,"edit":1268},{"width":36,"height":736},{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},"2024-07-04",[1271,1291,1314,1336,1354],{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":1272,"primary":1273,"id":1290,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":1274,"content":1275},[],[1276,1279,1284,1287],{"type":45,"text":1277,"spans":1278,"direction":602},"“Three Studies for Portrait of George Dyer” (1963), a triptych by Francis Bacon (1909-1992), joined the MNAHA’s Nationalmusée um Fëschmaart’s extensive Modern and Contemporary art collection on 25th June 2024. On loan to the institution for the next two years, this is the only work by the British painter to be exhibited in Luxembourg.",[],{"type":45,"text":1280,"spans":1281,"direction":602},"Art connections reimagined",[1282],{"start":40,"end":1283,"type":76},26,{"type":45,"text":1285,"spans":1286,"direction":602},"After years of renovation, the museum’s Modern and Contemporary section reopened in March 2024 with a new thematic display entitled “Collections\u002FRevelations”. Instead of adhering to a typical chronological approach, curator Ruud Priem aimed to foster dialogue among artworks spanning different periods. Observant visitors will notice the connections between pieces that resonate with each other in one way or the other. For instance, juxtaposed bourgeois portraits from the late 19th century, highlighting a certain wealth and social status, face Aida Silvestri’s blurred photographs of Eritrean refugees who lost all their possessions and relationships when fleeing their homeland, explains Priem.",[],{"type":45,"text":1288,"spans":1289,"direction":602},"Together, works from the collection take on a new dimension and offer an overall narrative around five themes: Chaos, Nature, Forms and Shapes, Colour, and Faces.",[],"text$77aa420a-ca9c-439c-bfee-4c8e3fd8e774",{"variation":828,"version":59,"items":1292,"primary":1293,"id":1313,"slice_type":685,"slice_label":7},[],{"image1":1294,"image2":1301,"label":1308,"copyright":1309},{"dimensions":1295,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1298,"id":1299,"edit":1300},{"width":1296,"height":1297},4423,6463,"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZoZ6XR5LeNNTwyb6_2017-246-002a--.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZoZ6XR5LeNNTwyb6",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},{"dimensions":1302,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1305,"id":1306,"edit":1307},{"width":1303,"height":1304},4380,6324,"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZoZ6Sh5LeNNTwyb4_2017-246-001a--.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZoZ6Sh5LeNNTwyb4",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},"From left to right",[1310],{"type":45,"text":1311,"spans":1312,"direction":602},"Aida Silvestri (b. 1978), Kidan. Eritrea to London on foot, by car, lorry, boat train and aeroplane, 2017 © Collection MNAHA, Photo: Tom Lucas; Aida Silvestri (b. 1978), Biniam. Eritrea to London by car, boat, lorry, train and aeroplane, 2017 © Collection MNAHA, Photo: Tom Lucas",[],"image$af33763b-bb06-4f72-8234-5c3a44222c01",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":1315,"primary":1316,"id":1335,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":1317,"content":1318},[],[1319,1324,1327,1332],{"type":45,"text":1320,"spans":1321,"direction":602},"A Francis Bacon in resonance",[1322],{"start":40,"end":1323,"type":76},28,{"type":45,"text":1325,"spans":1326,"direction":602},"In this latest chapter, one of the new faces is Francis Bacon’s muse and lover, George Dyer—portrayed three times over. This emotionally charged triptych goes beyond the model’s physical appearance to explore the complexities of his inner self. Severely contorted, the shifting faces have much to say about Dyer’s personality. He looks simultaneously strong, almost raging, yet also fragile and profoundly distressed. This painting is also a key element in the artist’s relationship with his muse. Bacon had met Dyer a few months prior, and this work marks the very first portrait he created of him. More reminiscent of muscle and tissue than skin, the painting’s raw, carnal quality aligns with Bacon’s general concerns about human mortality. Deviating from traditional representations, this troubling depiction is positioned near the “Chaos” section, resonating with its thematic surroundings.",[],{"type":45,"text":1328,"spans":1329,"direction":602},"Portraits in the post-war era",[1330],{"start":40,"end":1331,"type":76},29,{"type":45,"text":1333,"spans":1334,"direction":602},"Portraits were central to Bacon’s practice. However, after the Second World War, this age-old genre was not widespread among celebrated artists who mainly explored non-figurative tendencies. A self-taught painter, Francis Bacon managed to revive the art of portraiture, which, as well as being out of fashion, had been severely impacted by the growing accessibility of photography. Bacon’s disturbing imagery is among the most poignant portrayals of humankind and earned him widespread acclaim early in his career. Meanwhile, other artists who adopted a more traditional approach to portraiture found their works less popular and often overlooked, despite their inherent quality. Such is the case of Swedish painter Owe Zerge (1894-1983) whose outdated aesthetic of smooth, ultra-realistic painting failed to win him recognition. Today, one of Zerge’s well-dressed young boys sits next to Bacon's triptych portrait but appears too absorbed in introspection to even notice Dyer's recent arrival.",[],"text$aa285098-521e-418b-b095-04ce0110d44c",{"variation":672,"version":59,"items":1337,"primary":1338,"id":1353,"slice_type":685,"slice_label":7},[],{"image1":1339,"label":7,"copyright":1349},{"dimensions":1340,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1343,"id":1344,"edit":1345},{"width":1341,"height":1342},5315,4100,"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZoZ64h5LeNNTwycI__TOM7054.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&rect=1519%2C315%2C3796%2C2928&w=5315&h=4100","ZoZ64h5LeNNTwycI",{"x":1346,"y":1347,"zoom":1348,"background":626},1519,315,1.21,[1350],{"type":45,"text":1351,"spans":1352,"direction":602},"Francis Bacon (1909-1992), Three Studies for Portrait of George Dyer, 1963, oil on canvas, in three parts, 35.5 x 30.5 cm (each) © The Estate of Francis Bacon. All right reserved, DACS 2024 (left) and Owe Zerge (1894-1983), Portrait représentant Bertil (right). Photo : Tom Lucas \u002F MNAHA",[],"image$67cd7379-8d83-496e-a923-017578121246",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":1355,"primary":1356,"id":1372,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":1357,"content":1358},[],[1359,1364],{"type":45,"text":1360,"spans":1361,"direction":602},"An artwork loaned by the public",[1362],{"start":40,"end":1363,"type":76},31,{"type":45,"text":1365,"spans":1366,"direction":602},"On loan from Art Share 002, “Three Studies for Portrait of George Dyer” (1963) is the first publicly owned artwork, with its shares trading on a regulated exchange compliant with the European MiFID II legislative framework. A new initiative to democratise art and broaden access to investing in iconic masterpieces is now complemented by the physical artwork's accessibility to all. As visitors stroll through the galleries of the Nationalmusée um Fëschmaart, they can contemplate a public collection of art. For the first time, they also can appreciate a painting they can choose to co-own.",[1367],{"start":1368,"end":1369,"type":1019,"data":1370},224,240,{"link_type":52,"url":1371,"target":1124},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.artexgm.com","text$70395200-3677-4f7f-bc3b-bbed1b241602","Francis Bacon's portrait of George Dyer is the new face at Luxembourg's Nationalmusée um Fëschmaart","“Three Studies for Portrait of George Dyer” (1963), a triptych by Francis Bacon (1909-1992), joined the MNAHA’s Nationalmusée um Fëschmaart’s extensive Modern and Contemporary art collection on 25th June 2024. On loan to the institution for the next two years, this is the only work by the British painter to be exhibited in Luxembourg. On loan from Art Share 002, “Three Studies for Portrait of George Dyer” (1963) is the first publicly owned artwork, with its shares trading on ARTEX Global Markets, a regulated exchange. This new initiative to democratise art and broaden access to investing in iconic masterpieces is now complemented by the physical artwork's accessibility to all.",{"dimensions":1376,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1377,"id":1378,"edit":1379},{"width":100,"height":101},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZpTyAB5LeNNTxJwp_FrancisBaconnationalmus%C3%A9eImageOpengraph.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZpTyAB5LeNNTxJwp",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},[],{"id":1382,"uid":1383,"url":7,"type":153,"href":1384,"tags":1385,"first_publication_date":1389,"last_publication_date":1390,"slugs":1391,"linked_documents":1393,"lang":20,"alternate_languages":1394,"data":1395},"ZurRuhAAACEAByVL","are-rothko-rooms-facing-extinction","https:\u002F\u002Fartexplorer-prod.cdn.prismic.io\u002Fapi\u002Fv2\u002Fdocuments\u002Fsearch?ref=aCb60BIAACEA00zN&q=%5B%5B%3Ad+%3D+at%28document.id%2C+%22ZurRuhAAACEAByVL%22%29+%5D%5D",[1386,1387,1388],"Rothko","Mark Rothko","Rothko Rooms","2024-09-18T13:51:01+0000","2024-10-16T14:19:35+0000",[1392],"a-natural-disaster-strikes-the-rothko-chapel",[],[],{"title":1396,"subtitle":1397,"author":1398,"copyright_cover":7,"cover_desktop":1428,"cover_mobile":1434,"thumbnail":1439,"published_at":1442,"slices":1443,"meta_title":1583,"meta_description":1584,"og_image":1585,"slices2":1590},"Are Rothko Rooms facing extinction?","Rare ensembles by the American painter are especially prone to damage",{"id":591,"type":592,"tags":1399,"lang":20,"slug":594,"first_publication_date":595,"last_publication_date":596,"uid":594,"data":1400,"link_type":118,"key":1427,"isBroken":120},[],{"description":1401,"short_description":1412,"job":617,"thumbnail":1415,"cover":1418,"uid":594,"title":622,"og_image":1421,"meta_description":1424,"meta_title":622},[1402,1404,1406,1408,1410],{"type":45,"text":600,"spans":1403,"direction":602},[],{"type":45,"text":86,"spans":1405,"direction":602},[],{"type":45,"text":606,"spans":1407,"direction":602},[],{"type":45,"text":86,"spans":1409,"direction":602},[],{"type":45,"text":611,"spans":1411,"direction":602},[],[1413],{"type":45,"text":615,"spans":1414,"direction":602},[],{"dimensions":1416,"alt":622,"copyright":7,"url":623,"id":624,"edit":1417},{"width":620,"height":621},{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},{"dimensions":1419,"alt":622,"copyright":7,"url":623,"id":624,"edit":1420},{"width":620,"height":621},{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},{"dimensions":1422,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":623,"id":624,"edit":1423},{"width":620,"height":621},{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},[1425],{"type":45,"text":635,"spans":1426},[],"8dd0f5b6-73f2-4210-bf4f-b64c9bd9c3a3",{"dimensions":1429,"alt":1430,"copyright":7,"url":1431,"id":1432,"edit":1433},{"width":640,"height":641},"The Rothko Chapel, Houston (Texas) (left) and the Rothko Room at Japan’s Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art (right) © Sophie Whaley ","https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZurQu7VsGrYSvilj_Landscape_16.9_Web_Header_Rothko3.png?auto=format,compress","ZurQu7VsGrYSvilj",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},{"dimensions":1435,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1436,"id":1437,"edit":1438},{"width":647,"height":640},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZurii7VsGrYSvjb9_Thumbnail_Portrait_3.2_Rothko_V4.jpg?auto=format,compress","Zurii7VsGrYSvjb9",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},{"dimensions":1440,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1436,"id":1437,"edit":1441},{"width":647,"height":640},{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},"2024-10-05",[1444,1456,1468,1483,1495,1526,1541,1559],{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":1445,"primary":1446,"id":1455,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":1447,"content":1448},[],[1449,1452],{"type":45,"text":1450,"spans":1451,"direction":602},"In the mid-twentieth century, American painter Mark Rothko unveiled what would become his signature style: vertical stacks of rectangular shapes that seem to float mysteriously on a field of colour. The sublime, captured on canvas. With their velvety textures, diffused contours, and radiant inner light, Rothko’s paintings elude reproduction in photographs; they demand to be seen in person, up close. The artist originally intended for them to be displayed without frames or protective glass, encouraging viewers to stand as near as possible, to lose themselves in the work. This intimacy, however, comes at a cost, leaving the delicate surfaces especially prone to damage.",[],{"type":45,"text":1453,"spans":1454,"direction":602},"Compounding the issue, Rothko’s complex painting technique also defies conventional restoration methods. The artist was famously secretive about his process, layering multiple thin coats of paint that fused into one another, often employing a wide range of media. As a result, his work has been studied in greater detail by painting conservators, using increasingly sophisticated techniques over the years. Only through a deeper understanding of the artist’s methods can conservation efforts be both effective and successful.   ",[],"text$30b164fa-2695-45f9-bb94-fad49df69004",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":1457,"primary":1458,"id":1467,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":1459,"content":1463},[1460],{"type":691,"text":1461,"spans":1462,"direction":602},"A natural disaster strikes the Rothko Chapel",[],[1464],{"type":45,"text":1465,"spans":1466,"direction":602},"This summer, the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas, was critically impacted by a severe storm, which caused water to leak through the roof and damage three of the fourteen paintings housed within. Ironically, the skylight—designed to provide ideal lighting in keeping with Rothko’s vision—became the very entry point for the water that compromised the works it was intended to illuminate. ",[],"text$b918ede1-594c-4be7-a108-8053e6571783",{"variation":672,"version":59,"items":1469,"primary":1477,"id":1482,"slice_type":685,"slice_label":7},[1470],{"image":1471,"title":1476,"subtitle":7},{"dimensions":1472,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1473,"id":1474,"edit":1475},{"width":640,"height":647},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZurQ7rVsGrYSvimS_Visuals_Landscape_3.2_Rothko_.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZurQ7rVsGrYSvimS",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},"Interior of the Rothko Chapel, Houston (Texas) © Sophie Whaley",{"image1":1478,"label":1476,"copyright":1481},{"dimensions":1479,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1473,"id":1474,"edit":1480},{"width":640,"height":647},{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},[],"image$c974a3ca-921e-4225-8516-3bd5d9b96291",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":1484,"primary":1485,"id":1494,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":1486,"content":1487},[],[1488,1491],{"type":45,"text":1489,"spans":1490,"direction":602},"One of only a few ‘Rothko Rooms’ in the world, the chapel is a non-denominational sanctuary, open to all religions; a quiet space for reflection and spiritual growth. Commissioned in the 1960s by art patrons John and Dominique de Menil, Rothko himself oversaw every detail of its design, from the tiled floor to the skylight, and, of course, the paintings inside. Completed in 1971, a year after Rothko's death, the chapel now draws over 100,000 visitors annually. ",[],{"type":45,"text":1492,"spans":1493,"direction":602},"In preparation for its 50th anniversary, the Rothko Chapel underwent a complete renovation starting in 2019, ensuring it was ready for the 2021 jubilee. The $35 million project, which included a new glass roof to better protect the artworks, also saw the redevelopment of the chapel’s campus with the addition of new buildings due for completion in 2026. Despite these extensive efforts—and what executive director David Leslie described as “several measures (...) to address climate change” as reported in the Washington Post— the chapel could not withstand the recent storm. After all, the region has long been vulnerable to natural disasters. ",[],"text$9620b58d-0a95-4cbc-b315-df3effc9dfa6",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":1496,"primary":1497,"id":1525,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":1498,"content":1502},[1499],{"type":691,"text":1500,"spans":1501,"direction":602},"Water incident previously damaged Menil Rothko",[],[1503,1516],{"type":45,"text":1504,"spans":1505,"direction":602},"Before the Chapel's 50th anniversary, another Rothko painting from the Menil Collection was marred by water damage, leaving a drip mark across the two-meter-high canvas. The impact was intensified by Rothko’s choice not to use protective varnish, leaving the delicate paint layers exposed, coupled with his use of water-sensitive media to build his complex surfaces. Paintings Conservator Anne Schmid, then a Mellon Fellow in Painting Conservation at the Menil Collection, restored the artwork in 2020 after an extensive period of research, examination, and testing. In her observations for the American Institute of Conservation’s 50th Annual Meeting in 2022, she noted that each section of the painting—the fields of different colour and materiality—had responded differently to the damage, requiring a bespoke approach for each one. As a result, the painstaking process successfully returned the painting to a condition suitable for display.  ",[1506,1511],{"start":1507,"end":1508,"type":1019,"data":1509},46,87,{"link_type":52,"url":1510,"target":1124},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.menil.org\u002Fcollection\u002Fobjects\u002F7811-untitled",{"start":1512,"end":1513,"type":1019,"data":1514},567,659,{"link_type":52,"url":1515,"target":1124},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.culturalheritage.org\u002Fdocs\u002Fdefault-source\u002Fpublications\u002Fperiodicals\u002Fannual-meeting\u002F2022-program-and-abstract-book.pdf?sfvrsn=4f021720_16",{"type":45,"text":1517,"spans":1518,"direction":602},"While the full extent of the recent damage to the chapel's panels remains unclear, it is evident that the climate crisis is putting artworks at risk. According to  Ithaka S+R’s 2022 Art Museum Director Survey Report, which included about 180 U.S. participants, thirty-five percent said their museums had suffered damage due to climate change, while only half had taken steps to prepare for such risks.  ",[1519],{"start":1520,"end":1521,"type":1019,"data":1522},164,215,{"link_type":52,"url":1523,"target":1524},"https:\u002F\u002Farchive.is\u002Fo\u002FyKci6\u002Fhttps:\u002Fsr.ithaka.org\u002Fpublications\u002Fhow-have-art-museums-been-impacted-by-climate-change\u002F","_blank","text$49ad930f-dc02-4270-9675-88e0e88fd5c7",{"variation":672,"version":59,"items":1527,"primary":1535,"id":1540,"slice_type":685,"slice_label":7},[1528],{"image":1529,"title":1534,"subtitle":7},{"dimensions":1530,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1531,"id":1532,"edit":1533},{"width":640,"height":647},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZurUo7VsGrYSvi0K_Visuals_Landscape_3.2_Rothko_2.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZurUo7VsGrYSvi0K",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},"Rothko Room at Japan’s Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art © Sophie Whaley",{"image1":1536,"label":1534,"copyright":1539},{"dimensions":1537,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1531,"id":1532,"edit":1538},{"width":640,"height":647},{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},[],"image$d5d726cd-5921-47cd-8463-a1796e7e5de2",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":1542,"primary":1543,"id":1558,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":1544,"content":1548},[1545],{"type":691,"text":1546,"spans":1547,"direction":602},"Uncertain fate for Japan's Rothko Room",[],[1549],{"type":45,"text":1550,"spans":1551,"direction":602},"Only five public spaces in the world permanently house groups of Rothko paintings conceived as sets—and now, yet another of these spaces faces an uncertain future. Japan’s Kawamura Memorial DIC Museum of Art, home to part of Rothko’s Seagram Murals, recently announced it will temporarily close in January 2025. Its owner, DIC Global, is considering downsizing the collection or shuttering the museum altogether. Either scenario could result in the liquidation of assets, potentially jeopardising the paintings’ integrity as a group. The Seagram Murals, originally commissioned for the Four Seasons restaurant in New York’s Seagram Building, were once part of an even larger ensemble. Beyond the DIC Museum, they are now divided among the Tate, Washington’s National Gallery of Art, and Rothko’s heirs. Of these, only the Tate offers a permanent display, though it too faced significant challenges. ",[1552,1555],{"start":1553,"end":1554,"type":76},234,248,{"start":1556,"end":1557,"type":76},538,553,"text$24c83861-a478-4a64-bf16-d97804570695",{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":1560,"primary":1561,"id":1582,"slice_type":670,"slice_label":7},[],{"title":1562,"content":1566},[1563],{"type":691,"text":1564,"spans":1565,"direction":602},"From vandalism to digital revival: efforts in the UK and the US ",[],[1567,1570,1579],{"type":45,"text":1568,"spans":1569,"direction":602},"Over a decade ago, the British institution endured a severe act of vandalism when a painting was tagged with ink in its bottom right-hand corner, the ink seeping through to the canvas. It took nearly twenty months to “eradicate all visible evidence of the ink under normal gallery conditions.”  ",[],{"type":45,"text":1571,"spans":1572,"direction":602},"But more unconventional techniques were employed in an effort to restore—at least to some degree—the lost vibrancy of Rothko’s compromised paintings. The Harvard Murals, one of three ensembles commissioned to Rothko alongside the chapel and the Seagram Murals, had mysteriously shifted from red to blue. Hidden away in storage for nearly thirty years, the five panels were reintroduced to the public with a novel approach: projecting coloured light onto them. This digital reconstruction, painstakingly assembled pixel by pixel, aimed to create the illusion of the original. One might question how this differs from immersive art experiences that project paintings onto walls. Yet, it involves far more: it meticulously considers factors such as reflectance, ambient light blending with the projector’s beam, and various other variables. Meanwhile, the materiality of the paint persists, creating a compelling interplay between the physical and the digital.  ",[1573,1576],{"start":1574,"end":1575,"type":76},154,168,{"start":1577,"end":1578,"type":76},245,261,{"type":45,"text":1580,"spans":1581,"direction":602},"Regardless of the nature of the damage, Rothko rooms are particularly vulnerable. Designed as cohesive units, these ensembles are compromised the moment even a single canvas is affected. Conservators have gone to extraordinary lengths, sometimes employing groundbreaking techniques, to preserve these invaluable works and ensure the artist’s vision remains intact for the public. ",[],"text$6e69228b-5ffe-4a5e-8224-71cd3e92f45c","Are Rothko Rooms Facing Extinction?","Mark Rothko, one of the most influential painters of the post-war era, is celebrated globally, with his artworks held in major museums. Yet, there are only five Rothko rooms in public institutions worldwide—spaces that permanently display groups of his paintings conceived as cohesive sets. These ensembles, however, have been particularly vulnerable to damage over time. Conservators have spared no efforts, often employing innovative techniques, to preserve Rothko’s invaluable artworks and maintain the integrity of these iconic collections.",{"dimensions":1586,"alt":7,"copyright":7,"url":1587,"id":1588,"edit":1589},{"width":100,"height":101},"https:\u002F\u002Fimages.prismic.io\u002Fartexplorer-prod\u002FZurUBLVsGrYSvix-_ImageOpengraph-1-.jpg?auto=format,compress","ZurUBLVsGrYSvix-",{"x":40,"y":40,"zoom":41,"background":626},[1591],{"variation":58,"version":59,"items":1592,"primary":1609,"id":1611,"slice_type":146,"slice_label":7},[1593,1597,1601,1605],{"post":1594},{"id":576,"type":153,"tags":1595,"lang":20,"slug":584,"first_publication_date":581,"last_publication_date":582,"uid":577,"link_type":118,"key":1596,"isBroken":120},[580],"e9ad8576-618e-49ee-9dc0-b36a37c3a6db",{"post":1598},{"id":888,"type":153,"tags":1599,"lang":20,"slug":891,"first_publication_date":892,"last_publication_date":893,"uid":891,"link_type":118,"key":1600,"isBroken":120},[890],"7503c651-dc60-4f06-b422-e63cc4c194d0",{"post":1602},{"id":906,"type":153,"tags":1603,"lang":20,"slug":910,"first_publication_date":911,"last_publication_date":912,"uid":913,"link_type":118,"key":1604,"isBroken":120},[908,909],"75a79020-ea87-490b-b8fc-b71d52860a03",{"post":1606},{"id":917,"type":153,"tags":1607,"lang":20,"slug":920,"first_publication_date":921,"last_publication_date":922,"uid":923,"link_type":118,"key":1608,"isBroken":120},[545,919],"60333501-efaa-4c56-a228-1686de590792",{"slides_per_view":7,"max_slides_count":7,"tag":1610,"type":153,"title":7,"paralax":120},{"link_type":118},"carousel$313e3ddb-40c3-4c7f-8a0c-5dd8b3ae85a9"]