Joseph Ducreux (1735-1802)

The Stockholm-based museum preempted Presumed Portrait of Mrs. Catherine Massea a pastel by French artist Quentin de La Tour (1704-1788) for €60,536. The portrait enters the department of the 18th-century art, which contains numerous  pastels, by artists like Joseph Ducreux, Jean-Baptiste Perronneau and Suzanne Roslin.

Claude-François Julliot (1727-1794) probably commissioned these two pieces of furniture stamped Joseph, which were in the Comte de Merle’s collection. They are beautiful examples of the resurgence of copper and tortoiseshell "Boulle" marquetry early in the Louis XVI period.

Known as a member of the Grand Jeu Group, Joseph Sima (1891-1971) sought a form of unity in representation in all of his work. A prime example of his landscapes of light, Ombres portées I (Cast Shadows I), is by an artist at the height of his powers.

In Perros-Guirec, the award this summer went to the original work of the Breton cabinetmaker and sculptor, who achieved a record, rivaling François Méheut and Édouard-Marcel Sandoz.

The marble from Madame Récamier's bedroom, which sold for €918,720 on Dec. 4 in Fontainebleau, is finally joining the Louvre "thanks to the gesture of the collector, who accepted the proposal to buy the statue on behalf of the museum". It will join the torchère that was preempted by the museum.

This iconic leporello by the New York artist opens a window on American Surrealism.

According to the Turquin firm, the painting's "sumptuous" state of preservation and the chromatic softness of its orange sky, propelled this fishing scene by Claude Joseph Vernet, painted in Rome in 1746, to more than double its high estimate. It was offered today at Drouot, by Audap.

Fascinated by Greek mythology, the Bohemia-born painter tackled the eventful life of Theseus, while Guillaumin preferred the landscapes of the Creuse and Lacroix de Marseille preferred those of the Mediterranean coast.

This red chalk drawing by Charles-Joseph Natoire (1700-1777), a renowned Rococo painter and the teacher of Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1725-1805), displays all his talent as a draftsman.

Neither the city of Düsseldorf nor the state of North Rhine-Westphalia will attempt to purchase the home, which is being offered by German property firm Engel & Völkers on the centennial of Beuys’ birth. The influential multi-disciplinary artist lived there with his wife from 1961 until his death in 1986. (ARTnews)