A new Bastien-Lepage preempted by Orsay

4/6/25 - Acquisition - Paris, Musée d’Orsay - The effigy is well known and was one of the masterpieces of the retrospective exhibition devoted to Jules Bastien-Lepage at the Musée d’Orsay in 2007 (see article). The Communicant at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Tournai concluded the career of a figure whose monochrome style, hieraticism and frontal approach were fascinating, as we wrote at the time. Nearly twenty years later, the Parisian institution is expanding its collection of the artist’s works, which already includes several portraits and the famous Foins from the 1878 Salon, as well as an autographed replica of the Belgian effigy. It was preempted for €97,500 at the Ader auction on 27 May at the Hôtel Drouot. This is a commendable acquisition, but it cannot hide the museum’s absence…