Thibault Stockmann
International Specialist, Modern & Post War Art
"Art has always been about experiences for me. From the museums in Belgium (my homeland) where I was confronted early on with works by Rogier van der Weyden—to me one of the greatest painters ever and a turning point in Western Art, along with Jan Van Eyck or James Ensor, a great free spirit and harsh critic of society—to more contemporary venues like the Venice Biennale, where I admired great works by Lynette Yiadom-Boakye in the Ghana pavilion last year. Museum Insel Hombroich in Neuss, Germany, is another fantastic place where art, architecture and nature meet, packed with works by Giacometti, Arp, Calder, Klein, Graubner and many more masters from the 20th Century.
Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Leave A Brick Under The Maple, 2015.
Books have always been around me as an important source of inspiration for artists and crucial in understanding their work. I selected here A Rebours by Huysmans, one of the best 19th Century texts. It tells the story of a man who secludes himself from modern life and retreats in a house surrounded only by beautiful objects and books. This book became a reference for the Symbolist movement at the end of the 19th Century and a masterpiece of French literature."
Pablo Picasso, Portrait de femme endormie. III, 1946.
Thibault Stockmann's Self Portrait, top left to right: "A Rebours" by Joris-Karl Huysmans. Pablo Picasso, Portrait de femme endormie. III, 1946. Rogier van der Weyden, Portrait of Antoine, 'Grand Bâtard' of Burgundy, circa 1460. Lynette Yiadom-Boakye, Leave A Brick Under The Maple, 2015. Cy Twombly, Tree Peony, 1980. © Fondazione Nicola Del Roscio. Patek Philippe, Ref. 570, an extremely rare and large pink gold wristwatch with two-tone pink dial and indirect center seconds, 1946. James Ensor, Les bains à Ostende, 1890. Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent.
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Nathalie Zaquin-Boulakia
International Specialist, 20th Century & Contemporary Art
"I was very lucky to grow up in Paris, a city of art and beauty. I strongly believe you can find art in fashion or in architecture, as in a painting. I admire the simplicity and elegance of Hubert de Givenchy's designs for Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's"—they're almost like a sculpture. I see these same perfect lines and proportions in a desk by Printz, a designer I first discovered because of a beautiful piece of furniture in my office when I was 25 years old.
Eugène Printz, Desk, circa 1932.
I always love traveling, and my real first love for a painting was during a trip to Firenze, Italy, when I admired Filippo Lippi’s masterwork Madonna with Child; feminnity and spirituality merged in a work of art. Since then, I have always nourished an interest for the artists who anchor themselves between tradition and modernity. Picasso is certainly the perfect illustration of this process. In the extraordinary prints La Minotauromachie, the mythical Minotaur becomes the physical embodiment of Picasso and by extension the underlying animal instinct that begets lust and violence. Flexible by Jean-Michel Basquiat expresses the wild part of my personality, echoing the Minotaur. Basquiat was the rising star when I was 20 years old. His art was strong, colorful, and looking at his painting was galvanizing. For me, Basquiat was the incarnation of contemporary art.
Pablo Picasso, La Minotauromachie, 1935.
The sculpture Nu allongé I (Aurore) by Matisse first appeared in my life when I was giving a lecture about the collection of Gertrude Stein; I didn’t know that 15 years later I would have the chance to discover one of the non-located editions of this beautiful sculpture by Matisse. It has a very special place in my heart and could be my lucky charm in art if I had to choose one. Finally, a book that has opened my heart to a group of people I choose to work with: The Invisible Collection by Stefan Sweig. It is a beautiful short story about an old collector, the joy his collection brings to him and the Art of Illusion."
Henri Matisse, Nu allongé I (Aurore), cast circa 1908.
Nathalie Zaquin-Boulakia's Self Portrait, top left to right: Audrey Hepburn in "Breakfast at Tiffany's". Pablo Picasso, La Minotauromachie, 1935. The Invisible Collection by Stefan Sweig. Jean-Michel Basquiat, Flexible, 1984. Eugène Printz, Desk, circa 1932. Henri Matisse, Nu allongé I (Aurore), cast circa 1908. Filippo Lippi, Madonna with Child, 1450–1465.
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Takako Nagasawa
International Specialist, 20th Century & Contemporary Art
"The Japanese can seem paradoxical: on the outside we can look super traditional but we are also obsessed with anything new or foreign—duality is everywhere. Maybe that is why Surrealism is so popular despite it having no precedent in our culture. Van Gogh is another favorite in Japan, not just because we have one of the five Sun Flowers painted by the artist, but because we know the feeling was mutual: Van Gogh was fascinated with Japan and Ukiyo-e. Perhaps it is also how his paintings could have darkness and suffering and bright colors co-exist.
Yoshitomo Nara, Little Thinker, 2000.
Then there is the 'kawaii (cute)' culture—a true nationwide obsession. We use kawaii to describe everything, from your child to your tea pot. You can see obsession is a theme for our artists too. Kusama with her pumpkin and dots, Nara with the big eyed girls with hidden agendas—or even further back—with Foujita? Both obsession and kawaii co-exist, so you can tell why I like Wayne Thiebaud works too!"
Wayne Thiebaud, Candies, 1965-66.
Takako Nagasawa's Self Portrait, top left to right: Vincent Van Gough, Sunflowers, 1888. Courtesy of Seiji Togo Memorial Sompo Japan Museum of Art, Tokyo. Matthew Wong, Mood Room, 2018. Ambrosius Bosschaert, Bouquet of Flowers on a Ledge, 1619. Courtesy of Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Yoshitomo Nara, Little Thinker, 2000. René Magritte, Empire of Light, 1953–54. © 2018 C. Herscovici, London/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York. Wayne Thiebaud, Candies, 1965-66.
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