The old master trade will be gathering for Paris Tableau, the only exclusively Old Master fair in the world, which was launched three years ago with an exhibition of Old Masters collected by the contemporary artist Jeff Koons. This year, British dealers will be ,unveiling a number of rarities and recent discoveries, which will make the fair all the more interesting.
The fair had the the idea of inviting one of the world’s most successful contemporary artists, Jeff Koons, to lend works from his Old Master collection, back in 20011. Not only did the display make a fashion statement, but also suggested that Old Masters were a good investment. Koons is a former Wall Street trader, and sells his work for far more than the majority of Old Master paintings. In fact, the three masterpieces that the controversial artist lent cost about as much as one painting from Koons’ studio.
Paris Tableau specialises in paintings by European Old Masters from the Middle Ages to the 1870s. This is the 4th edition and will bring together 26 galleries from Paris, Rome, New-York, London, Zurich, Amsterdam and Vienna at the Palais Brongniart where they will be presenting some of their most exquisite art works. The fair is located in the heart of the Parisian art scene, Paris Tableau will host a number of cultural events including an exhibition and a symposium.
Thomas Agnew & Sons, run by former Christie’s specialist Anthony Crichton-Stuart, has uncovered an equine subject by Romantic painter Baron Gérard. This particular work has been in the artist’s family since it was painted in 1829, and are pricing it at £195,000. There is also rare van Dyck portrait on copper, being priced at £470,000, and a Venetian scene, Ascension Day, c.1780 by Francesco Guardi, which has been off the market and out of Italy for 50 years, and currently belongs to Charles Beddington, who will ask £4.5 million for it.