Ernest Guérin (1887-1952)

During its plenary conference, the Académie des Beaux-Ars in Paris elected Ernest Pignon-Ernest to the seventh seat of its painting section. Born in 1942 in Nice, he has been a pioneer in urban art, using the streets as the setting and object of his politically engaging works.

This sculpture brings together Symbolism, polychromy and the idealized female body, all of which were hallmarks of late 19th-century art and burgeoning Art Nouveau.

One of the most famous miniaturists of the 19th century was a portrait painter (Napoleon and Josephine) from Strasbourg. These two acquisitions - a self-portrait and a portrait of François-Georges Levrault - have joined the collection of the Cabinet des Dessins, which already includes ten of his works.

The Portrait of Julia Scheller-Erni (1910) by the Swiss painter Ernest Biéler (1863-1948), which was exhibited last year in "Modernités suisses" which had been in a private collection, is joining the museum, along with a Grand Bois by Auguste Morisot, an important figure in Lyon painting scene.

Once in the Marcel Guérin collection, this drawing belongs to a group the sculptor made between 1906 and 1908 on the theme of female Cambodian dancers.

Given by the artist to his model, Ernest Blasini, this portrait is a rare early work by Fernand Léger. A mark of friendship, reflecting Cézanne's influence.

The institution has acquired La Grand-mère (The Grandmother, 1774), an old woman in a white kerchief by Lépicié. This work echoes the portrait La Coiffe blanche, also by Lépicé, already on display at the museum, which has a fine collection of 18th-century works collected by Ernest Cognacq, founder of the Samaritaine.

An oil painting by Ernest Holden of the Grade II listed Rock Hall in Farnworth had been missing since the 1930s when it was found on eBay by campaigners trying to renovate the building. The painting was listed by Derian House Children’s Hospice, who gifted it to the Rock Hall campaigners. (BBC)

A leading Norwegian painter, he made his career outside his homeland at the end of the 19th century. This painting illustrates the technical sophistication and refinement of his brushwork.

The Austin, Texas museum will be the first major U.S. museum with a dedicated outdoor space for sound sculpture. Donors Ernest and Sarah Butler have given $5 M - for the development, which is part of a larger $35 million plan to rework the spaces around the museum, led by the design firm Snøhetta. (austin360)