In 2024, on May 31, the Vésoulian ( city of Vesoul ) painter Jean-Léon Gérôme celebrated his bicentennial. One of his paintings, which had been hidden in a private collection, for 420,000 euros (excluding taxes) sold at the Daguerre auction, with the proceeds going to the Institut Pasteur. The modernism of this picture, "The Wreck," is startling, even though Gerome is known for being an academic painter. Time in Paris: 3:12p.m. In the auction chamber, the bids start to soar. Daguerre's Romain Nouel, an auctioneer, will never forget this extremely memorable sale. One of the "stars" of one of the seven sales honoring the treasures of an unidentified collector is lot number 52. It's a canvas measuring 70.4 by 106.3 cm, which is neither subtle nor intimidating. JL Gerome is signed lower left on it. The picture was eventually sold for 420,000 euros (+30% taxes), with an estimate of between 80 and 120,000 euros. "Awarded to Madame, left at the bottom." Most of the auctions were held indoors. It had been stipulated beforehand that the Ministry of Culture's Château de Compiègne may use its pre-emption privilege. Among the most well-known French painters of his era was Jean-Léon Gérôme. Throughout his lengthy career, he faced criticism and polemics, especially for standing up for the standards of an academic painting against the realist and impressionist movements. Quotes from the Artprice website show that in July 2023, a landscape with comparable size sold for 292,581 euros. In October 2022, Bathsheba, another, sold for about 325,000 euros (tax excluded). Other paintings that showed animals in their natural habitats brought in less than 50,000 euros. The circumstances surrounding its accidental rediscovery add to the painting's mystique. In a video posted on Instagram, auctioneer Romain Nouel does a great job of telling the tale. It started off as "a banal estate inventory meeting" in a posh Parisian area. Uninteresting yet fascinating, the expert is unaware of this collector's past. just the fact that he had once been an antiques trader. When the auctioneer opens the flat door, he finds 20,000 papers (drawings, prints, and photos) and about 800 paintings, among other treasures. Almost nothing is known about this unmapped collection, and the primary specialists are unaware of this collector. This accumulation reveals the traits of a reclusive guy who is passionate about art history and an unwavering supporter of artists, regardless of their medium: painting, drawing, sculpture, or photography. This outstanding collection will be distributed over the course of seven auctions. The Pasteur Institute will receive a donation from the earnings. The skill of this Gérôme painting came from a different painting by Stephane Pinta of the Turquin company. It has a pedigree, but more importantly, it is autographed. "A Wreck" debuted at the 1901 Cercle de l'Union Artistique show. It is stated clearly that the painter owns the painting. The artist's catalog raisonné will not include the work's identity because the display is so private. A press report dated February 4, 1901, also makes reference to this painting. "We can contrast the navy with a landscape, as demonstrated by Mr. Gérôme with a shipwrecked boat. There are some similarities between the subject matter and the highly emotional Delacroix masterpiece at the Louvre Museum, but there are also differences, mainly with regard to the canvas." Yes, those on board are shipwrecked individuals aboard a boat. a traditional theme in art history, but one that is especially current. The framing selected for this story is the most unexpected aspect about it. The framing's nearly abstract appearance is created by the extremely high water and the composition that the horizon line tightly shares. With the long, stretched-out clouds or the waves' parallel lines, he emphasizes this effect. The tiny boat with its sloping mast in the lower corner is the only thing that detracts from the vastness of the oil sea. Here is where the drama unfolds since Gérôme never forgets his role as a historical painter. seen in Francetvinfo
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