NEWSFLASH: auction
Upcoming auction highlights
Anto-Carte, Karel Appel, Anna Boch, Fernando Botero, Jean Brusselmans, Lynn Chadwick, Christo, Emile Claus, Jan Cobbaert, Georges Collignon, Robert Combas, Wessel Couzijn, Salvador Dali, César De Cock, Raoul De Keyser, Wim Delvoye, Anna De Weert, Christian Dotremont, Raoul Dufy, Henri Evenepoel, Jan Fabre, Leonor Fini, Jean-Michel Folon, George Grard, Keith Haring, Floris Jespers, Oscar Jespers, Asger Jorn, Yves Klein, Kobe, Jannis Kounellis, Eugène Laermans, Eugène Leroy, René Magritte, Tony Matelli, Marc Mendelson, Henri Michaux, George Morren, Nam June Paik, Panamarenko, Constant Permeke, Rik Poot, Arne Quinze, Roger Raveel, Victor Servranckx, Léon Spilliaert, Walasse Ting, Luc Tuymans, Edgard Tytgat, Eugeen Van Mieghem, Jef Verheyen, Andy Warhol, Henri-Victor Wolvens, Rik Wouters, Ossip Zadkine
Offer
On Saturday, March 2, De Vuyst Gallery presents a high-end selection of fine art, from old masters to contemporary items. Over 600 paintings, sculptures, prints and more will go under the hammer, with a keen focus on masterpieces by international artists. The full range will be exhibited from February 21 to 28, a week in which art lovers can come and marvel in our galleries.
Highlights
One of the eye-catchers is the painting “Roll over mouse” (1983) from Andy Warhol’s Toy Paintings series, an item screaming Pop Art vibe. Equally iconic is “Pop Shop III” by Keith Haring. The complete suite of four screenprints from this edition is a rarity at auction. Nam June Paik, video art pioneer, showcases “Bogie and Ingrid” (1990), a large artwork in acrylic and ink with 3 Sony Watchman TVs. There is also an original piece by Christo from the series “Wrapped trees” (1969).
Lot 436. Andy Warhol - Roll over mouse (1983) - Est. € 130.000-180.000
Ceci n’est pas une souris
Andy Warhol is almost synonymous with pop art, the iconic art movement that emerged in the 1960s as a reaction to the mass consumption that society indulged in. Comics, TV, advertising and industry determine the subjects and design of aesthetic motifs. The act of reproducing, endlessly repeating the same image, is essential. It’s the key element for Warhol in bringing his art to a large audience and at the same time turning mass-produced items into art.
The Toy Paintings series reflects perfectly Warhol's vision of consumerism and iconography derived from animation. Bold colors attract the eye, shapes are flat, objects are easily recognizable and seem to move thanks to simple guide lines. The canvas of “Roll Over Mouse” bursts with energy, its depiction being – literally – as excited as the zeitgeist it represents.
The “Roll Over Mouse” is based on a wind-up toy mouse manufactured in Japan. The packaging consisted of a simple cardboard box, rectangular with an enticing illustration of the toy in action – ready to tempt every child's eye on the store shelves. Warhol completely revisits the subject, intensifies the colors and adds artsy graphics and animations. The image is cropped, so the composition looks too small to contain the vibrating dynamism of the mouse, which shoots off in all directions as it rolls and turns.
The observant viewer notices that “Roll Over Mouse” is actually a representation of the box containing the toy, rather than the object itself. The canvas refers to the promise of the content that the box suggests. Warhol hints that his composition holds much more than just an image, just as the packaging suggests that there is an actual toy inside. The artist creates a metaphor with space for fun and dreams. The depiction shows all physical elements of a toy mouse: but it does not stop at mere representation. It take a step further and manages to evoke the anticipation of childlike joy.
Fauvism / Expressionism
Brabant Fauvism marks this auction with some beautiful artworks by Edgard Tytgat. Among them is the oil painting “School is out” (1921), which was exhibited in the legendary Le Centaure gallery, and the watercolor work “Diane et les trois chasseresses” (1950), previously part of the collection of art writer and critic Luc Haesaerts. “Matin en Banlieue – L'usine à Auderghem” (1914) is an early work in a strikingly colorful palette by Jean Brusselmans. And not to forget is the beautiful painting “Paysage aux oliviers” (1922-1926) in oil on canvas by the French master Raoul Dufy.
Lot 162. Raoul Dufy - Paysage aux oliviers (1922-1923) - Est. € 70.000-100.000
Mediterranean Paradise
The French painter Raoul Dufy has his roots in Le Havre, Normandy, yet it’s mainly the south of Europe that takes center stage in his artworks. While Dufy's earlier experiments à la Cézanne showed a somewhat stiffer design, the freedom of his compositions began to blossom from around 1920. He traveled to places like Sicily, where the vistas of olive trees enchanted him. The paradisiacal landscape series he created here are characterized by a baroque whimsicality and deep jewel-like colors in which the sunlight sparkles.
The present painting “Paysage aux oliviers” depicts a lush vegetation of olive trees in a spectrum of greens under an azure sky. The sun isn’t visible, but radiates over the landscape from the right outside the composition. The light and the artist's elegant style make the colors dance. In this rich palette, Dufy masterfully employs black as a contrast to accentuate the intensity of the Mediterranean sun.
The composition of “Paysage aux oliviers” appears effortless and easy. Dufy juggles with colors and shapes as if it were nothing. But just like a juggler, balance and precision are essential to achieve an elegance. While the elements in the foreground are rather detailed, they become more sketchy towards the distance, fading into a blurry mountain range. Dufy's brushstroke is swift and dynamic and shows how confident his technique is. Freed from contours, colors seem to choose their own path. Our gaze glides through the different shades of green and brown towards the horizon, guided by the bend in the road. Above the erratic trees, the serenity of the empty sky extends.
The combination of the hard black and strong blue-green tones with soft tones and rhythmic wavy movement is a feast for the eyes. The repetition of dashes, brushstrokes and keys indicate the cadence. Like no other, Dufy had the gift of portraying music and fun on canvas. He did not pretend to create an illusion of reality, with precise rendering of perspective or volume, but “Paysage aux oliviers” is a magical, immaterial landscape that is closer to poetry.
Surrealism
René Magritte brings dreamy visions to reality in his oeuvre. The auction includes two drawings in ballpoint pen, both previously from the collection of Emile and Stephy Langui: “Le seize septembre” (1956) and “Composition with apple and pipe” (1966). “Sphinges” (1972) is a mysterious oil painting by Leonor Fini. Victor Servranckx is one of the few Belgian artists to venture into abstract surrealism. He creates a compelling composition in “Opus 2 (Sensual complex or Large Backwash (1936).
Lot 215. Victor Servranckx - Opus 2 (Sensual complex or Large Backwash) (1936) - Est. € 40.000-60.000
Surreal structures by Servranckx
Swirling, spinning, swaying. An explosion and an implosion. Something arises, fades away, transforms. Victor Servranckx depicts a primal force – and his imagination is a boundless burst of energy. He depicts life, earth, space and everything that is cyclically interconnected. Servranckx renders biomorphic scenes in which he represents structures and matter, forming a synergistic whole into a flowing, rhythmic dynamic.
The painting “Opus 2 –Sensual complex or Large Backwash” (1936) is a whirlpool of structures and motifs reminiscent of the physical characteristics of minerals or fossils. Elements that emerge from the depths of our earth and embody a history that precedes humanity. The composition of “Opus 2” is stormy, but surprisingly balanced. Movement and color transform. Full, dark blue and brown tones come from the far outreaches of the ocean or space.
As a prominent member of the Brussels avant-garde, Victor Servranckx was one of the most international artists of his time. He interacted with colleagues such as Fernand Léger and Marcel Duchamp. Already at the Brussels academy, where he enrolled in 1913, he proved to be a talented student. Later he would collaborate intensively with fellow students like Karel Maes, Pierre-Louis Flouquet and René Magritte.
“This first generation of ‘abstracteurs’ lost confidence and dropped out. Only the art of Servranckx gains volume and becomes a crucial affirmation of Flemish and European painting.” (Paul Haesaerts in “Histoire de la peinture moderne en Flandre” 1960)
In the 1930s, Servranckx's style drifted more and more towards abstract surrealism, away from geometric abstraction. Not surrealism like René Magritte’s, with theatrical, dreamlike visions, but rather strange scenes depicting organic motifs reminiscent of Max Ernst or Wassily Kandinsky, revealing an eye for the psychology and inner pulses of man and the lurking troubles of society on the eve of World War II.
Modernist expressions
Oscar Jespers sculpts a beautiful “Head of a woman (Blanche Charlet)”. His tendency towards Art Deco shows in the garçonne hairstyle and the emphasis on the lines of the face and hairstyle. Jean Brusselmans' visual vocabulary stands out immediately. The auction includes an extraordinary flower arrangement “The lilacs” (1939). Ossip Zadkine constantly seeks new forms to sculpt classical-inspired figures. The bronze sculpture “Arlequin couché” (1941-1944) also expresses Zadkine's inner struggle during his exile in New York.
Lot 428. Raoul De Keyser - Zeven voor Jeanne 2 (1980) - Est. € 30.000-40.000
Seven for Jeanne
In 1980, seven works by Raoul De Keyser were exhibited in Jeanne Buytaert's gallery, located on the Jan Van Rijswijcklaan in Antwerp. Evidently, the exhibition was called “Seven for Jeanne”, and simultaneously this became the title for each of the seven new paintings that made the exhibition.
De Keyser's artistic vocabulary changes around 1980. His style becomes less rigid. He tackles new topics in his research into the pictorial and compositional possibilities of canvas, color and line. During this period he made several series, including “Seven for Jeanne”. They all share the same square size of 52 x 52 x 3 cm, but the motifs depicted on these paintings are always different, just like the way in which the composition is applied to the canvas.
In this series, De Keyser explores new elements and methods that he will further develop in following years. The present painting shows the triangular shape that repeatedly appears in De Keyser's oeuvre. Here, its representation is a clearly defined silhouette, with smooth color areas. Other paintings from the series, on the other hand, exhibit a more expressive brushstroke, a monochromatic plane, or a repetitive pattern. The series is a sample of the artistic experiment that De Keyser embarks upon in those years.
Belgian Art
Anyone looking to expand their collection with contemporary Belgian artists will certainly find his treasure at this auction, such as the intriguing painting by Luc Tuymans titled “Grafiek” (1987). A minimalist landscape reduced to color and line, that is the trademark of Raoul De Keyser as well as the essence of the painting “Zeven voor Jeanne 2” (1980). Two large “Water Lilies” from the series Les jardins by Arne Quinze will also be brought at auction. One of the most significant lots in this catalog is the narrative installation by Rinus Van de Velde, “Where clouds become sculptures and a dog talks philosophy” (2015), the subject of the Tim Van Laere exhibition in 2015.
Lot 569. Rinus Van de Velde - Where clouds become sculptures and a dog talks philosophy (2015) - Est. € 10.000-15.000