A lost Sher-Gil found, a forgotten Titian rediscovered

A SUMMARY OF THE MOST EXCITING ART NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

While we focus on Indian art, we can’t obviously function in a vacuum. It’s a small world and everything is connected, especially on the web. So, let’s train our spotlight across the world map to see what’s going on — from art trends to socio-political issues to everything that affects the great aesthetic global consciousness. Or, let’s just travel the world and have some fun!

A lost portrait by Amrita Sher-Gil

One of India’s most famous female artists — recognised as a ‘National Treasure’ by the government in 1976 — Amrita Sher-Gil’s works have been widely celebrated, so it’s relatively rare to come across a forgotten piece. But now, a rediscovered portrait is expected to fetch up to $2.8 million at a rare auction appearance. It depicts one of Sher-Gil’s friends, art critic Denyse Proutaux, in the ‘Portrait of Denyse’, and dates back to around 1932, when the artist was just 19. CNN Style gets more details.

When a Titian was hidden in plain sight

A yellowed painting of the Last Supper hung unnoticed on a church wall in the small town of Ledbury, western England for over a century. It was only when the St Michael and All Angels Church asked art historian and conservator Ronald Moore to restore the 19th-century Leonardo da Vinci copy that it was found to be rather special — emerging from the workshop of Titian, one of the most prominent artists of the 16th century. After studying the work for some 11,000 hours, a number of telling clues were found, including Titian’s signature and a virtuosic underdrawing of the artist himself. Smithsonian Magazine elaborates.

The Louvre recovers stolen armor

Stolen from The Louvre in Paris nearly four decades ago, two pieces of gold and silver encrusted armor — a helmet and upper back piece — have now reemerged under “mysterious circumstances”. French police were apparently contacted in January this year by a military antiquities expert who was appraising the pieces as part of estate planning in Bordeaux. Suspicious of their provenance, he got in touch with the authorities. The two stolen pieces are believed to have been made in a Milan between 1560 and 1580. Inlaid with gold and silver designs, the armor’s worth is valued at about €500,000. ART News has the scoop.