La Tribune de l'Art

French drawings from French private collections

Didier Rykner — 2026-07-19T21:59:00Z

An exhibition consists of a curatorial thesis, works of art, exhibition design, and a catalogue. For an exhibition to be truly successful, all these elements must be equally accomplished. The exhibition currently presented by the Musée de Picardie meets this requirement perfectly.

- Exhibitions / Amiens, Musée de Picardie, Claude François, called Frère Luc (1614-1685), Jean-Jacques Lagrenée (1739-1821), Edme Bouchardon (1698-1762), Guy François (c. 1578-1650), Simon Vouet (1590-1649), Jean-Marc Nattier (1685-1766), Louis Carrogis, dit Carmontelle (1717-1806), Jean-Baptiste Daniel (c. 1656-1720), Claude Gellée, called Claude (1600-1682), Philippe de Champaigne (1602-1674), Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), Jacques François Martin (1728-before 1790), Louis-Jean Desprez (1743-1804), Jean-Germain Drouais (1763-1788)

Marguerite Gérard and Fragonard at the Getty Museum

Alexandre Lafore — 2026-05-26T17:13:47Z

It is a magnificent painting by Marguerite Gérard and Jean-Honoré Fragonard that has recently taken its place on the walls of California, one of those collaborative works that enjoyed great commercial success at the end of the 18th century before subsequently tormenting the minds (and eyes) of art historians. Long thought lost, I Was Thinking of You was rediscovered by Carole Blumenfeld during her research on the two artists and made a notable reappearance in Ajaccio in the summer of 2007. Unveiled on the occasion of the exhibition “Cardinal Fesch and the Art of His Time” and benefiting from an entry in its catalogue

- News Items / Marguerite Gérard (1761-1837), Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), Los Angeles, J. Paul Getty Trust, Acquisitions

Hubert Robert & Fragonard. The Feeling of Nature

Alexandre Lafore — 2026-05-21T19:54:57Z

First, here is an exhibition that is a pleasure to walk through from room to room, following the fine artistic friendship born among the ruins of Rome, where young French artists sent by Natoire trained from nature from nature, and which one can almost recognise in one of the superb red-chalk drawings that have made the reputation of the Musée de Valence since the founding bequest of Julien Victor Veyrenc in 1835–1836. Nearly two centuries later, Valence still stands as another homeland for Hubert Robert

- Exhibitions / Hubert Robert (1733-1808), Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), Valence, Musée

Two auctions at Christie's

2026-03-23T20:50:00Z

Veil-Picard: the name is all the more mythical because the collection long remained inaccessible, as admirers and specialists of the eighteenth century indeed regretted (very ostentatiously), foremost among them Pierre Rosenberg. The latter lamented not being able to exhibit the two most wonderful Veil-Picard Fragonards in his 1987-1988 retrospective but no doubt found some consolation when one of them finally entered the Louvre in 2003, its pendant remaining in the hands of the descendants of Arthur Veil-Picard (1854-1944). It was therefore only natural to encounter the art historian in Christie's Paris salerooms, which have since Friday morning welcomed all those who had dreamed of finally contemplating these works - magical - hitherto

- News Items / Antoine Watteau (1684-1721), Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), Hubert Robert (1733-1808), Joseph Baumhauer (?-1772), Jean-Michel Moreau called Moreau le Jeune (1741-1814), Gabriel de Saint-Aubin (1724-1780), Annibale Carracci (1560-1609), François Boucher (1703-1770), Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson (1767-1824)

The eighteenth century in the spotlight at auction

Alexandre Lafore — 2025-12-11T21:53:55Z

We concluded yesterday the article devoted to the two sales organized by Christie's and Sotheby's by citing the two very fine French eighteenth-century paintings that are attracting all enthusiasts today at Hôtel Drouot. There is no need to return once more to the now-famous still life by Boucher offered at Pescheteau-Badin, whereas the charming landscape by Fragonard finally deserves to be reproduced before its sale at Collin du Bocage

- News Items / Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), Adélaïde Labille-Guiard (1749-1803), William Beechey (1753-1839), Bernard II van Riesenburgh (1700-1760), dit BVRBB, Bartolomeo Giuseppe Antonio Guarneri del Gesù (1698-1744), Jean-François Oeben (1721-1763)

A pair of pendant paintings by Marguerite Gérard acquired by Washington

Didier Rykner — 2025-10-13T15:57:11Z

The collaboration between Marguerite Gérard and her brother-in-law Jean-Honoré Fragonard is one of the most complex subjects in terms of connoissorship. Carole Blumenfeld's research would tend to demonstrate that their collaboration is not progressive (the former gradually contributing more and more to Fragonard's works), but that it begins when she is fully formed as a painter, based of an almost equal collaboration. In certain paintings that she describes as “collaboration by sections”, the two artists each paint clearly identified parts; in others — the “crossed collaborations” — their hands are so interwoven that it is difficult to attribute a given figure to one or the other.

- News Items / Marguerite Gérard (1761-1837), Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), Washington, National Gallery of Art, Acquisitions

Exhibitions in Parisian galleries (3)

Alexandre Lafore — 2025-03-28T15:19:57Z

Located - sometimes temporarily - near the Palais Brongniart, four galleries offer a selection to all enthusiasts, the variety of which leads us to take a modest step back, even if the first dealer we will mention has chosen to present only drawings. The young gallery owner Louis Marteau, whom we met on the left bank, moved this year to rue de Louvois - to Michel Descours' premises - to offer

- Art Market / Meiffren Comte (c. 1630-1705), Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), Marguerite Gérard (1761-1837), Hans Bol (1534-1593), John Martin (1789-1864)

Donation of the Horvitz collection to Chicago

Didier Rykner — 2025-02-16T12:19:24Z

L'information n'est pas une complète surprise car la rumeur courait depuis quelque temps. L'Art Institute of Chicago vient de le confirmer : la collection Horvitz, soit quelques 2000 dessins, 200 peintures et une cinquantaine de sculptures, uniquement consacrée à l'art français du XVIIe au XIXe siècle, vient de lui être offerte. De l'importance pour les musées de bien traiter les potentiels donateurs ! Le Fogg Museum de Harvard, qui avait notamment reçu en 1999

- News Items / Acquisitions, Chicago, Art Institute, Pauline Auzou (1767-1838), Jean-Charles Nicaise Perrin (1754-1831), Jacques Louis David (1748-1825), Nicolas-André Monsiau (1754-1837), Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), Augustin Pajou (1730-1809), François-André Vincent (1746-1816), Antoine-François Callet (1741-1823), Jean-Jacques Le Barbier (1738-1826), Joseph Vernet (1714-1789), Hilaire Ledru (1769-1840), Etienne-Barthélémy Garnier (1759-1849), Nicolas-Bernard Lépicié (1735-1784), Jean Daret (1614-1668), Nicolas Prévost (1604-1670)

1600-2000. A collection ?

Didier Rykner — 2024-11-04T22:59:31Z

Some collections are made with very little money. But knowledge and taste can sometimes make up for this lack, and that's what we can see in this exhibition at the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Lyon. It is true that the collector is a former curator of paintings at the Louvre, and that in his day they knew how to buy.

- Exhibitions / Jean-Paul Laurens (1838-1921), Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Léon Bénouville (1821-1859), Alexandre Hesse (1806-1879), Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury (1797-1890), André Giroux (1801-1879), Pietro Faccini (1562 ?-1602), Johann Liss (vers 1595/1600-1631), Pierre Patel (1605-1676), Charles Le Brun (1619-1690), Michel Corneille le Jeune (1642-1708), Abraham Hondius (vers 1625/1630-après 1695), François-André Vincent (1746-1816), Pierre Peyron (1744-1814), Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), Charles-Paul Landon (1761-1826), Henri Lehmann (1814-1882), Eugène Devéria (1805-1865), François-Joseph Heim (1787-1875), Pierre Revoil (1776-1842), Merry-Joseph Blondel (1781-1853), Pierre-Auguste Vafflard (1777-1837), Jacques Dumont, called le Romain (1701-1781), Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761-1845), Pierre-Victor Galland (1822-1892), Gustave-Louis Jaulmes (1873-1959), Maurice Denis (1870-1943), Charles Herbsthoffer (1821-1876), Acquisitions, Lyon, Musée des Beaux-Arts

A dream Fragonard at Artcurial

Didier Rykner — 2023-11-18T16:10:28Z

Artcurial is offering another fine sale of paintings and sculptures (including a number of drawings) next week. One of the most talked-about paintings is sure to set bids alight, especially as it has been granted an export certificate. It is a sketch by Fragonard depicting an ancient sacrifice

- News Items / Jean-Honoré Fragonard (1732-1806), Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), Bernardo Strozzi (1581-1644), Louis Janmot (1814-1892), Charles Gleyre (1808-1874), Louise Moillon (1610-1696), Sebastiano Ricci (1659-1734), De Somme (active in the mid-17th century)