Pierre-Auguste Renoir | The Bay of Naples, 1881

The corner of the balcony visible at lower left in this composition indicates Renoir’s vantage point overlooking the bay of Naples.

His position afforded an iconic view of the harbor with the volcano Mount Vesuvius in the background, wafting smoke into the sky.

Inspired by the southern Italian light, Renoir painted another version of this vista at a different time of day (The Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Mass.).

James Duncan, a wealthy sugar refiner, purchased the present work in 1883, making it the first Impressionist picture acquired by a Scottish collector.

Pierre-Auguste Renoir | The Bay of Naples, 1881 | Metropolitan Museum of Art

Jack Vettriano | The Singing Butler / Il maggiordomo cantante

The Singing Butler by Jack Vettriano is one such image which is now one of the most famous paintings of the last decade.

Few would not recognise the elegant sweep of limbs and the romantic theme of lovers dancing the night away in each other’s arms and this picture more than any other contemporary painting has captured the hearts and imagination of the public.

Amedeo Modigliani | Portrait of Paulette Jourdain, 1919

One of the last paintings created by Modigliani, the Portrait of Paulette Jourdain is an outstanding example of the artist’s work. Pauline "Paulette" Jourdain was the housemaid and later the lover of Modigliani’s dealer Léopold Zborowski.

She is painted on one of the largest canvases used by the artist in a completely frontal, stately manner that directly engages the viewer.

She is presented with great dignity and presence, commanding our attention and respect.

The rich colors, transcendent light and dynamic surface further transform this painting into a masterwork.

The painting demonstrates well how the artist assimilated a broad range of influences from African art to Old Master paintings to create his own unique, sophisticated vision.

William Bouguereau | La magliaia, 1873

Subito dopo che Adolphe William Bouguereau (1825-1905) completò Tricoteuse, nel 1874, Goupil trasferì il dipinto nella loro galleria all'Aia e lo vendette alla famiglia Poortman.

Il Tricoteuse è rimasto nei Paesi Bassi da allora e con la stessa famiglia per quasi un secolo.

Senza dubbio con l'aiuto del suo potente commerciante, Goupil, Bouguereau era stato acquisito da molti collezionisti nei Paesi Bassi in quel momento.

Il Tricoteuse avrebbe sicuramente contribuito alla reputazione di Bouguereau ai massimi livelli della società olandese.

L'immagine di una contadina in costume italiano, è uno dei primi esempi sul tema della maglieria, a cui ritorna per tutta la sua carriera.

Man Ray | A l'Heure de l'Observatoire - Les Amoureux, 1970

"A l'Heure de l'Observatoire - Les Amoureux" is considered to be one of Man Ray’s most iconic images.

The lips featured in the composition are those of Man Ray’s photography assistant and lover, Lee Miller.

Her lips appear as a motif in a range of Man Ray’s work from throughout his lifetime, from a photograph in MoMA’s collection from 1929, to a major series of paintings in 1936, and even a cast-gold version.

They have gone on to inspire a number of images in pop culture, most famously the iconic lips from the movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Vilhelm Hammershøi | La poesia del silenzio

Vilhelm Hammershøi (1864-1916) è stato un pittore Danese, noto per i suoi ritratti ed interni poetici e sommessi.

Vita

Vilhelm Hammershøi nacque a Copenhagen, in Danimarca. Figlio di un mercante benestante, Christian Hammershøi, comincia a studiare disegno all'età di otto anni con Niels Christian Kierkegaard e Holger Grønvold, oltre a dipingere con Vilhelm Kyhn.

Più grande, segue i corsi di Frederik Vermehren presso la Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts.

Dal 1883-1885 studia con Peder Severin Krøyer debuttando alla "Mostra primaverile di Charlottenborg", nel 1885, con "Ritratto di una giovane ragazza" (che mostra sua sorella Anna).

Vilhelm Hammershøi | Ritratto di una giovane ragazza. La sorella dell'artista, Anna Hammershøi

Louis Béroud | Les copistes au Louvre, 1909

Per i studenti del diciannovesimo secolo, il Louvre custodiva l'intera storia dell'arte sulle sue affollate pareti ed offriva una generosa scelta di studio; a differenza della maggior parte delle Accademie e degli atelier, tuttavia, l'accesso era aperto ad uomini e donne.

Vedere e copiare i capolavori del museo era una parte importante della formazione di un artista ed una pratica che Louis Béroud apprezzava es, abilmente ed in modo alquanto unico, usava come soggetto di almeno ventisei delle sue composizioni.

William Bouguereau | Breton Knitter / La magliaia bretone, 1871

Curiosi di conoscere la lingua, la religione e le tradizioni conservate in modo univoco degli antenati celtici della Bretagna del VI secolo, folle di turisti culturali si sono recati in questa provincia nel nord-ovest della Francia alla fine del diciannovesimo secolo.

William Bouguereau fece il suo primo viaggio con la sua famiglia nell'estate del 1866 e si ritrovò profondamente commosso dal paesaggio costiero della regione e dalle persone distintive, portandolo a tornare ogni estate fino al 1870, spesso in vacanza nella cittadina di Douarnenez.

A luglio, la loro ultima visita è stata interrotta dalla guerra franco-prussiana che ha spinto Bouguereau a tornare a Parigi a luglio per arruolarsi nella Guardia Nazionale, interrompendo la sua carriera artistica.

Paul Gauguin | Nature Morte Aux Mangos, 1891-93

The present work was probably executed in Tahiti during Gauguin's first trip to the Island in 1891-93, although Georges Wildenstein suggests that it may date to his second visit to the South Seas, circa 1896.

Inspired by the lush environment that surrounded him, "Nature morte aux mangos" epitomises the artist’s life-long search for the primitive and displays the same vividness and sensuous atmosphere and the bright, warm palette that characterised his celebrated Tahitian landscapes and figure paintings. | © Sotheby's

Guillaume Seignac | A beauty of nature, 1900

Guillaume Seignac’s graceful model reflects the Academic ideals that earned his fame in the nineteenth century, and those of his teacher at the Académie Julien, William Bouguereau.

Embracing the classical subject matter and technical mastery of the Renaissance, the nineteenth century production of allegorical scenes of beautiful women in classical dress found critical success at the Paris Salons, and Seignac’s work earned a place in the great private collections of Europe and America.

Guillaume Seignac | A beauty of nature, 1900 | Sotheby's

Pablo Picasso | Watercolors

In the spring of 1932, Picasso had retired to the Château de Boisgeloup, his studio-retreat in Normandy, in the company of his new mistress and principal muse, Marie-Thérèse Walter. It was his time spent at Boisgeloup that provided the inspiration for the present work.

In "Nature morte à la tête classique et au bouquet de fleurs", Picasso has subverted the traditional embodied interaction of artist and model - a theme that came to symbolize his own life and work most evocatively - and replaced these lead roles with sculpted avatars.

In place of the artist is a large, bearded neoclassical head, while the model is substituted by a bas-relief sculpture affixed to the wall above a bouquet of flowers, echoing the graceful profile of Marie-Thérèse Walter.

Haunted by the absence of his mistress who had remained in Paris, Picasso re-created her image from memory.

Pablo Picasso | Nature morte à la tête classique et au bouquet de fleurs, 1933 | Sothebys