Les Oeuvres Choisies – An Exhibition Not to Be Missed

Each quarter, the unique character of the Hôtel Drouot is foregrounded by a collegial exhibition of some of the most exciting works of art to come up for sale . The exhibition is a collective effort of the specialized ‘commisaires-priseurs’ that propel the historic institution. The Hôtel Drouot is defined by a balance between the independence and collaboration of its associated experts, a balance well evident in the current exhibition "Oeuvres Choisies", on view through Monday 21 September. Oeuvres Choisies or "Selected Works" offers a birds-eye view of those specialists who are the beating heart of Drouot. Keeping up with each quarterly exhibition offers a useful means of familiarizing oneself with those gallerists and auctioneers as well as the range of sales over which they preside. Lacking any declared focus, a collaborative exhibition mirrors the heteroclite nature of the pre-sale shows organized each day at the Hôtel. This fall European painting takes pride of place in "Oeuvres Choisies". A luminous village scene by Pieter Bruegel the Younger (1564-1638) demonstrates the continued popularity of his father’s rural subjects as well as his own loving treatment of foliage. A pair of retable panels by Giovanni Capassini (1510-1579), who finished his days in the French Midi, features an Annunciation scene with verso images of Saint Gudule as well as the Archangel Michael slaying a classicized…