Recently published books aim to bring a deeper understanding of the canon, from the work of LGBTQ+ photographers to the pioneers who paved the way for later generations
An exclusive extract from a new book by Bianca Bosker that lifts the lid on the secret life of the art world
An American almost bought the painting for London’s National Gallery in 1924—but it sold to a French buyer and is now coming to the UK on loan
All you ever wanted to know about Brâncuși, from a landmark catalogue to a comic retelling of his run-in with US Customs—selected by the Centre Pompidou curator Ariane Coulondre
Overall auction results are strong—largely thanks to rise of second hand car purchases—but sales of fine art and antiques have fallen significantly from last year
Unveiling marks milestone in reconstruction of ravaged cathedral
We speak to the curators of the South London Gallery’s latest show and to our founding editor about the legacy one of the UK’s leading philanthropists. We also discuss Robert Ryman’s work Adelphi on show at the Musée de l’Orangerie
We’ve compiled a list of exhibitions of events whose impact on foregrounding women artists is likely to live on beyond one calendar day
Launching on International Women’s Day, ‘Being Visible’ focuses on five historical women whose achievements have been glaringly overlooked
Petit Palais presents “Théodore Rousseau: The voice of the forest”
From March 5 through July 7, 2024, the Petit Palais is presenting the first major exhibition devoted to the painter Théodore Rousseau (1812-1867), who made nature his religion his religion, his world and his refuge.
Source: Petit Palais · Image: Théodore Rousseau, “Groupe de chênes à Apremont”, 1850-1875, oil on canvas, Musée du Louvre, Paris
Rousseau can be considered a veritable proto-ecologist. Early in his career, he became the leader of the colony of artists who frequented the village of Barbizon and the forest of Fontainebleau. He spent long, solitary hours in the forest, sketching on the spot before producing his final works in his studio. His love of nature soon turned into a battle: together with other artists and writers, Rousseau took a new look at the forest of Fontainebleau, which led to the protection of part of it under the name of the famous “artistic reserves” (1853), a world first in the midst of industrialisation.
Both a romantic and a realist, Rousseau aspired to capture the harmony of the world, by mixing it with his soul. He blurred the boundaries between painting and drawing, between sketch and finished work. He experimented, adding matter, tirelessly retouching his canvases, going so far as to overload them to bring out the life of the forests. As Baudelaire wrote, he was a “naturalist constantly drawn towards the ideal”, and played a fundamental role in establishing a new French school of landscape painting in the mid-nineteenth century, paving the way for Impressionism.