Two George Minne for Chicago

1. George Minne (1866-1941)
Saturn, 1910
Pencil - 50.5 x 44.5 cm
Chicago, The Art Institute
Photo: Galerie Ambroise Duchemin

See the image in its page

21/7/23 - Acquisitions - Chicago, The Art Institute - It was undoubtedly one of the most striking sheets on offer at the last Salon du Dessin (see article): on the stand of the young gallery owner Ambroise Duchemin sat a large drawing (ill. 1) by George Minne, which was quickly snapped up by the shrewd emissaries of one of North America’s most important museums. It was the Art Institute of Chicago that snapped up this fascinating Saturn, signed and dated 1910: the famous sculptor was also a prolific draughtsman, but this sheet does not appear to be a preparatory study. Its size would almost suggest that it is an autonomous work, as there is no sculpture illustrating the theme, even though the composition can be found on another drawing by the artist, which was sold in New York in March 2002. The blackness of the antique subject was bound to attract the Symbolist artist, and later the Parisian gallery owner, who had little interest in cheerful subjects, and who emphasised in his notes the links between this Saturn and classical sculpture, particularly Bernini’s The Abduction of Proserpine by Pluto! The architecture of the composition, the superimposition and balance of the protagonists could only stimulate George Minne, who was fascinated by bodies in tension. At first glance, this powerful drawing certainly evokes a male anatomy, with a nude model posed seated on a pedestal or a stool covered with a drapery. But it’s when you look upwards that you realise that this is a mythological episode, the terrible anthropophagy of the King of the Titans, who devoured his children lest they overthrow him. While George Minne’s drawings are not exactly rare on the market, this one easily stands out as one of the most spectacular, so its acquisition by the major North American museum comes as no real…