Paris Tableau 2015, a sensual option for the lateral art collector

A naked young man in perfect shape (Bacchus) stares at a glowing almost naked woman whose head is expressing a polite refusal, but in fact speaks of the sweetest “please come to me” with her body. No need to say that in this context Ariadne stands for painting, the subject matter of the fair, while Bacchus is the collector whose desire is to make her alive. That hint of irony Guido Reni gave around 1620 to his Bacchus and Ariadne currently in the collection of the Los Angeles County Museum is effectively the only guide you may need to enjoy a small and sophisticated art fair such as Paris Tableau, of which this painting has been chosen as a guide image for the current edition (open to the public until next Sunday).

 

Yes, but which kind of Bacchus are those who buy their objects of beauty at Paris Tableau? Dealers attending the fair agree that this is not the place for the expensive masterpieces that you may find at the Tefaf or, better, at auction. Among the pieces currently exhibited at Palais Brongniart none exceeds 2 million euro and only a few are over 1 million.

 

On the contrary, Paris Tableau is definitely among the recommended places for those wise art collectors who are able to spot quality but want to pay it a fair price. That is to say a price not inflated by over-communication, insane buyers, too expensive booths, or dinners, or even currency. Here the feeling is that of “what you see is what you get”.

 

This is the case, for example, of the unfinished painting by Massimo Stanzione presented by Maurizio Canesso, where the beautiful oriental lady helping Bathsheba at the bath, and the dark figure beside her, turns what would have been a traditional painting (if had been finished) into a fascinating ancestor of Picasso and Boldini, just to name a few among those artists who, in the modern era, have disclosed the expressive and conceptual power of an image left unfinished. And Paul Cezanne himself was probably aware of it too, as proved by the effective Paysage d’hivier presented by Cuéllar-Nathan, an oil and pastel painting executed around 1885 also Birgit Schwarz mentioned in the catalogue of her exhibition “Cézanne: Finished – Unfinished” (Hatje Cantz, 2000).

 

Among the pearls to be discovered at the 5th edition of Paris Tableau, we would also recommend the “Three heads of children”, celebrating St John the Baptist, executed by Giulio Cesare Procaccini around 1620 (at Rob Smeets). The painting is a small one – only 26,4 x 35 cm – but it’s extraordinarily well executed and in perfect conditions.

 

These three crucial characteristics are also to be found in the portrait of Henry II, likely painted by the studio of Francois Clouet, and originally in the collection Comte de Beaupré in Nancy. Even if executed neither by the hands of Clouet himself, and unfortunately nor by his mosre famous father François, the piece deserves to be taken into account for its excellent quality and perfect state of preservation, which is always easier to be found in oil painting of this format.

 

The last work we would like to mention in our selection is by “Guido Reni”, which represents two monumental “Bacchantes” on display at Moretti Fine Arts, which is taking part to the fair for the first time proving that staying light and being focused on a single medium – painting in this case – is a smart way to challenge big events such as Tefaf and Frieze Masters. And if the artist’s version of Bacchus and Ariadne is a perfect guide image for a fair such as Paris Tableau, the two vigorous male dancing figures at Moretti Fine Arts, with their happy faces and positive melodies, would be a perfect metaphor to represent what happened at auctions during the last two weeks. Therefore: be confident and carpe diem!

November 25, 2020