A recently rediscovered Lavinia Fontana at Colnaghi

Lavinia Fontana, Portrait of Isabella Ruini with a Lady-in-Waiting, c. 1592. Oil on canvas, laid down on wood. © Foto Giusti Claudio Firenze [email protected] www.fotogiusti.com Lastra a Signa (FI) Italia - tel. +39 3355965310

Also recently rediscovered after being purchased at a smaller auction in the U.S. is the superb Penitent Magdalene by Artemisia Gentileschi presented by Robilant & Voena. This oil on canvas, measuring 81 x 68.5 cm and dating from around 1625-1630, was rediscovered in 2022 in a private collection in Florida. Although initially attributed to Gentileschi, the painting had remained heavily soiled and was partially obscured by an oval frame that concealed much of its composition. A beautiful example of one of Artemisia’s favored subjects, the painting has since been revealed through X-ray analysis to have originally been intended as a depiction of Cleopatra with a snake visible where the skull now appears. The transformation from Cleopatra to Magdalene highlights Artemisia’s responsiveness to evolving artistic trends or possibly a request from the commissioner or buyer, while the style and symbolism reveal the influence of contemporary artists such as Regnier, Fetti and Vouet.

This masterpiece is valued at €6 million, aligning with the rising demand for Artemisia Gentileschi’s works. Her market has steadily grown in recent years as collectors and institutions increasingly recognize her importance in the Baroque canon, and the price is consistent with Artemisia’s recent auction results. Her Self-Portrait as Saint Catherine of Alexandria recently sold for $5.69 million at Christie’s New York in February, more than doubling its low estimate. Gentileschi is clearly one of the most coveted names in the reappreciation and rediscovery of the feminine side of the Old Masters as their legacy is being reevaluated and increasingly celebrated.

Another highlight in the booth is an extraordinarily well-preserved gold-covered early Renaissance altarpiece by Neri di Bicci, Tobias and Archangel Raphael with Saints, dated circa 1475 and priced in the €3-4 million range. It is one of the largest and most ambitious works by Neri di Bicci, the leading figure in a 15th-century Florentine dynasty of painters spanning three generations. What makes this piece even more exceptional is that despite its historical significance, it has already obtained an export license, making it not only one of the few works of its kind available on the market but also one of the few not held in a public collection and available for international sale. (A comparable work with the same subject, though of lesser quality can be found in the Detroit Institute of Arts in the U.S.) Remarkably, this piece has never been exhibited publicly in Europe aside from its original function as an altarpiece in the 15th century. The painting also carries an esteemed provenance, having been part of the Chiaramonte Bordonaro Collection in Palermo during the early 20th Century.

The gallery often pairs Old Master gems with the best of postwar Italian and modern art, and the booth also has a remarkable selection of works by Lucio Fontana spanning various moments of his career. Among these is a very early glazed terracotta Donna allo specchio (1950-1951), created shortly after the artist’s return to Italy from Argentina during the years when he was experimenting with the boundaries of figuration and developing his Spatialist language. A rare example of this subject in Fontana’s ceramic works, with only two other known examples dating from 1948, it demonstrates his dynamic manipulation of clay, a medium he used throughout his career while exploring the relationship between matter, energy and space that would ultimately lead to the development of his Spatialism theory.

Füssli’s Solitude Twilight at Didier Aaron & Cie

Henry Füssli, Solitude. Twilight, 1794-1795 circa. Oil on canvas, 111 x 87.5 cm (44 x 34 ½ inches). Studio SEBERT

The growing fascination with the surreal and the more mystical or spiritual dimensions of art is leading to renewed attention and appreciation for singular artistic visionaries who, during moments of historical fracture and seismic change, created luminous or ominous images grappling with timeless archetypes and profound reflections on the human condition long before the Surrealist movement. Swiss-born 18th-century painter Henry Füssli is one of these figures. His nightmarish and fantastical imagery explores dreams, the supernatural and psychological states, occupying a vivid and distinctive space between Romanticism and early Symbolism. Parisian gallery Didier Aaron is presenting a superb example of his work depicting a reclining figure in a deep dreamlike state draped in dark clothing as she rests against a shadowy form. The bold contrasts of light and shadow capture the intense emotion and psychological depth typical of Fuseli’s work. It is extremely rare to see a painting of this size and quality come to market since Fuseli produced a limited number of canvases, many of which now reside in museum collections. Coming from a private collection in Switzerland, the painting is priced in the high six-figure range.

The Rembrandt self-portrait etchings at Kunsthandlung Helmut H. Rumbler

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn, Self-Portrait Frowning, 1630. KUNSTHANDLUNG HELMUT H. RUMBLER

Rembrandt is one of the most profound and relentless explorers of the self-portrait genre, delving deeply into the psychological complexity of the human condition. His self-portraits are not merely depictions of his outward appearance but intimate and often raw reflections of his inner world. Through these works, created at different moments in his life, Rembrandt captured the aging process, his emotional states and his evolving identity with an intensity few artists have matched. Kunsthandlung Helmut H. Rumbler is presenting four etched self-portraits from 1630, and despite their intimate scale, each carries the same intensity. The etched lines agitate and accumulate across the surface, capturing subtle microexpressions while sharp contrasts of light and shadow heighten the dramatic sense of vexation. The result is a series of remarkable works combining psychological depth with extraordinary technical mastery.

Formafantasma at Friedman Benda

Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin, Panel Lamp, 2024. Courtesy of Friedman Benda and formafantasma Photography by Marco Cappelletti

One of the first prints of Goya’s Los Caprichos dated 1799, at Emanuel von Baeyer

Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes, Los Caprichos, 1799. Emanuel von Baeyer London

In the dystopian and unsettling landscape of today’s constant barrage of bad news, works like Goya’s Los Caprichos feel extraordinarily timely. In its masterful blend of dark humor, social commentary and fantastical imagery, Goya’s famous series of 80 aquatint etchings offers a sharp satirical critique of the social, political and cultural environment of late 18th-century Spain—one that resonates deeply in an age when societal contradictions and political strife seem ever more present. London dealer Emanuel von Baeyer is presenting one of the first impressions of this iconic series at TEFAF.

In February 1799, Los Caprichos, a collection of 80 prints on “whimsical matters, invented and etched by D. Francisco Goya,” was put on sale in Madrid for 320 reales. Shortly after its publication, however, fearing the wrath of the Inquisition, Goya withdrew all available copies and surrendered them to the Spanish Crown. Only 27 had been sold, and it remains unknown how many of those survive today. The copy here, priced at £1.5 million, is one of those rare 27: a complete set of 80 etchings in its original binding. Most remarkably, this particular example carries a distinguished provenance, having been purchased during that brief window of availability by the renowned engraver and contemporary of Goya, Blas Amettler y Rotlan (1768-1841).

More in Art Fairs, Biennials and Triennials

• How BUTTER’s Founders Are Rethinking the Economics of the Art Fair

• Anna Tsouhlarakis and Native Visibility at the Whitney Biennial

• ARCOmadrid Balances Curatorial Quality With an Easygoing Spirit

• Inside the Global Art Fair Wars

• The 2026 Whitney Biennial Delivers American Art for a Fractured Age

• At NOMAD St. Moritz, a Cohesive Vision of Lived Aesthetics