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Eternal bonds in the eternal city

In the 19^th century, when it came to seeking the centre of art and European civilisation there was one place that was at top of every traveller’s list – Rome.  The eternal city captivated countless writers and artists, and in the early 19^th century this included a group of German painters who, shaped by their homeland's romantic notions of friendship, loyalty, and artistic exchange, formed a group of artists who made up what we now know as the Nazarenes. Inspired by the eternal city, they aimed to return to the medieval spirit in art. Reacting particularly against 18th-century Neoclassicism, the brotherhood was the first effective anti-academic movement in European painting.

The group became a great source of inspiration for many Dutch artists who came to the city, often welcomed by Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844), who had lived in Rome since 1797 and who was president of the German Ponte-Molle Society from 1813. Its purpose, among other things, was to receive newly arrived artists from Northern Europe and initiate them into the artistic community through a series of cheerful and informal ceremonies. Chaired by Bertel Thovaldsen, "De Danskes Bogsamling i Rom", as the society was known, met in a library and at the local Café Greco which served as a cultural embassy for the Danish artists staying in Rome. This was united with the Swedish and Norwegian equivalents in 1860 as Skandinavisk Forening (Circolo Scandinavo per Artisti e Scienziati). The artists drew and exchanged self-portraits and portraits of each other. These Freundschaftsbilder (Friendship portraits) were a testimony to the special camaraderie that arose between the artists. Skandinavisk Forening's remarkable collection of friendship portraits include familiar names of the Danish Golden Age, like Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), Johan Thomas Lundbye (1818-1848), Ernst Meyer (1797-1861) and Lorenz Frølich (1820-1908). A selection of Friendship from Circolo Scandinavo will be offered at Bruun Rasmussen this June

Sale: Circolo Scandinavo's Collection of Friendship Portraits from Rome, Denmark, 17 June

Enquiries: Julie Arendse Voss, +45 8818 1123, jav@bruun-rasmussen.dk

Blue in Barcelona

Picasso’s blue period is considered to be one of the most highly regarded of his career. Said to have begun in 1901, when Picasso’s great friend Carles Casagemas took his own life in a Paris café, the period saw Picasso’s works express an inner turmoil through the extensive use of one colour: blue. It was a phase that would last three years. But there are suggestions that Picasso may have previously had a tendency towards the colour. A work, El Campanar de l'esglesia del Pi, which is predominately blue, was painted when Picasso was only 20 years old, and depicts a view of his beloved Barcelona. It was gifted by the artist to his friend and fellow artist, Jaume Sabartés.

Sale: Impressionist and Modern Art, Paris, 5 June

Enquiries: Emilie Millon, +33 1 42 61 10 10, emilie.millon@bonhams.com

Grandest tourist

The Grand Tour was the ultimate pursuit for artists and produced a whole host of works of art and souvenirs. John Robert Cozens made his first trip to Italy in 1776-1779. It was on this journey that he painted the watercolour The Lake and Town of Nemi, Italy which is in the Old Master Paintings sale at New Bond Street this July. Though not a household name, Cozens was an important figure among the 18th-century Grand Tour watercolourists and was also a huge influence on Turner. Cozens accentuated the remarkable topography of the volcanic landscape of Nemi with the unusual viewpoint he chose for this composition. The lake was known as the Speculum Dianae, the Mirror of Diana, because of its perfectly circular form and it was the focal point of the cult of Diana, to whom a temple had been dedicated in ancient times near the shore below the town. Cozens's vantage point is set well below the horizon line and beneath the town of Nemi which is perched on the curving outcrop of rock in the middle distance. With no suggestion of what the artist is standing on, the viewer gets a sense of falling into the landscape. This is nature seen in all its awe-inspiring grandeur, an embodiment of Edmund Burke's theory of the 'terrifying sublime'.

Sale: Old Master Paintings, London, 3 July

Enquiries: Lisa Greaves, +44 (0) 20 7468 8325, lisa.greaves@bonhams.com

Greek god

Eros, the God of love and sex, has been a source of inspiration for many artists, especially those who use their work to explore queer identities. Youth posing as Eros next to an English chair by Greek artist Yannis Tsarouchis mixes the mythical with the everyday in presenting Eros as both a young Greek man posing in his studio and as a God of a modern pantheon. Painted in the early 1960s, the work draws from the vast storehouse of cultural traditions from the Hellenic world – from ancient Greek vase painting to Romano-Egyptian portraiture, Pompeian murals and Byzantine icons. Tsarouchis uses the male subject as a statement on issues of national, cultural, and sexual identity. Sculpturesque and monumental, it conveys a sense of permanence, carrying on the classical male-centred ideal, while at the same time capturing the confident spirit and open-mindedness of contemporary life. The work will be offered at The Greek Sale at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr later this year.

Sale: The Greek Sale, Paris, 21 November

Enquiries: Julie Mathon, +33 1 89 20 04 53, julie.mathon@bonhams.com

Meeting of minds in Munich

In February Bonhams Munich held a panel discussion in partnership with The Art of Seeing Magazine and Rosewood Munich to explore the question ‘What is driving success in the art world?’ The panel included Sophie Neuendorf, Vice President at Artnet, Dr Eva Karcher, Art Advisor, Curator and Journalist, Johannes Sperling, Sperling, founder and gallery owner, and emerging artist Makiko Harris, in conversation with Anne Kaerst, Founder & Editor-in-Chief at The Art of Seeing Magazine and Bonhams Specialists, including Katharina Upmeyer, Acting Representative Bonhams Southern Germany & Austria.

Round the Benz

The Tom Scott Collection is among the impressive array being offered by  Bonhams|Cars this July. The collection comprises nine motor cars held for more than three decades in the same family and preserved to the highest standards. The focus of the collection is almost exclusively Mercedes, Benz, and Mercedes-Benz, showcasing Tom Scott’s passion. Highlighting this remarkable selection is the 1928 Mercedes-Benz 26/120/180 S-Type Tourer. A highlight of the Tom Scott Collection, this car also formed part of the legendary C. W. P. ‘Peter’ Hampton Collection for many years. Very much the definitive supercar of its day, the low-slung 6.8-litre straight-six S-Type, with its screaming ‘Kompressor’ (supercharger) engaged, is of the type that would propel the likes of factory team driver Rudolf Caracciola to many victories for Mercedes-Benz against the might of Alfa Romeo, Bentley, and Bugatti.  This example, chassis no. 35985, was delivered new to Cecil Harcourt-Smith, via British Mercedes-Benz Ltd., in December 1928. It was subsequently raced by the Duke of Grafton and ultimately acquired in 1960 by noted collector Peter Hampton.

 

Sale: Goodwood Festival of Speed, 12 July

Enquiries: Tim Schofield, +44 (0) 20 7468 5804, ts@bonhamscars.com

True terroir

Bonhams joined forces with The Gérard Basset Foundation for an exceptional Burgundy tasting with one of the most celebrated wine writers of the world, Jancis Robinson MW, and Pascaline Lepeltier, one of the greatest sommeliers at its Madison Avenue saleroom. More than 60 guests attended the tasting to hear about Bonhams Wine Department and support the foundation's mission dedicated to advancing global diversity, equity, and inclusion within the wine, spirits, and hospitality sectors.

Barking mad

Goodwoof Barkitecture was once again celebrated at Bonhams in a dog-filled event at New Bond Street in the company of The Duke of Richmond and Kevin McCloud, the presenter of Channel Four's beloved TV show Grand Designs. Many of the architects were in attendance to hear speeches on how architecture is not just for humans, it is also for our furry friends. A total of £30,000 was raised from the Bonhams Barkitecture Auction in aid of the Goodwoof charity partner, Jai Dog Rescue.