Two sales of Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite and British Impressionist Art, and European & Orientalist Art, offered on 13 and 14 December
On 13 and 14 December, as part of Classic Week, two sales at Christie’s in London reflect the wide rage of work produced in Britain and on the continent in the 19th century.
The 13 December sale of Victorian, Pre-Raphaelite and British Impressionist Art features paintings and sculpture by John Atkinson Grimshaw, Sir Alfred James Munnings, Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, Edward Seago, Frederic, Lord Leighton and more.
Leading the 19th Century European & Orientalist Art sale on 14 December is Eugène Delacroix‘s Le 28 juillet – la liberté guidant le peuple (1830), the only known sketch in oil that fully outlines the final composition for the artist’s acclaimed masterpiece.
Fascinated with optical effects and strong colours, Delacroix reshaped the pictorial tradition. His innovations inspired the Impressionist movement and paved the way for new styles of painting. Delacroix’s greatest work, La liberté guidant le peuple (Liberty Leading the People), represents the pivotal moment in French history when public protests led to the abdication of King Charles X and his replacement by King Louis Philippe.
A vibrant and spontaneous oil sketch by Delacroix, Le 28 juillet — la liberté guidant le peuple is a vital document in the evolution of that iconic image, offering extraordinary insight into the artist’s process.
Other highlights of the European & Orientalist Art sale include works by Gustave Courbet and Jean Baptiste Camille Corot.
Both sales will be on view at King Street from 9 December.