At Art Basel Paris, a Rubens Painting Causes A Stir

The Gagosian Gallery is exhibiting a painting by the great 17th-century painter at its stand. And replaying the battle between the old masters and their contemporaries.

It's hard to imagine the world's most important gallery exhibiting a Rubens painting at a major contemporary art fair without having something up its sleeve. Art Basel Paris hadn't even opened its doors on Monday, October 20, when the whole art world was already talking about it. This is also a sign of Larry Gagosian's effective communication skills.

The Virgin and Child with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist was painted by Peter Paul Rubens around 1611-1614. A similar version is kept in the collection of the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid. Suffice it to say that among the vast number of works by the Antwerp artist, this painting is particularly prestigious. It sold for $7 million at Sotheby's in New York in 2020.

It is now on display at the Grand Palais in Paris among the works of the 206 other galleries participating in Art Basel Paris. Like everything else, the painting is for sale, at a price that is currently confidential, as is its current owner, an American collector who wishes to remain anonymous. The highlight of the Gagosian stand, The Holy Family is surrounded by works by contemporary artists that the dealer has brought together with the Flemish master's masterpiece: a bronze version of Rodin's The Kiss, a nude by Picasso, John Currin's Supermoon, which explicitly references Rubens' Three Graces, plus paintings by Baselitz, Cy Twombly, and Ellen Gallagher.

But why does this painting raise questions? First, because it compromises the temporal limits imposed by the Art Basel committee on exhibitors. While they are allowed to show older works—last year Hauser & Wirth presented a Suprematist painting by Malevich from 1915 at the same venue—pieces dating from before the 20th century are generally prohibited. However, the fair can be flexible. This openness has allowed the Parisian gallery Pavec, for example, to exhibit Impressionist works by Marie Bracquemond from the late 19th century this year. By allowing the Rubens to be exhibited, the fair is demonstrating its extreme flexibility. The gallery owner recalls his great passion for Rubens, which led him, 30 years ago, to organize the same kind of confrontation in his New York space.

Secondly, because through this painting, Gagosian is sending a provocative signal—in his usual style—to a completely depressed contemporary art market. This would confirm the triumphant return of old master paintings to the hearts of collectors looking for exceptional pieces, even those painted four centuries ago. From there, it's easy to imagine Art Basel generalizing this type of leap in time... The precedent is likely to cause some grumbling in Maastricht, where Tefaf, the major art fair that exhibits works from all periods—from prehistory to the present day—and in all fields, is held every year with some success. But in this case, we could say that it's a case of tit for tat.