In today's art market, the "men's gaze" is not a good look

LONDON – The taste changes. When private collectors and public museums acquire works of art, these acquisitions are made in a cultural climate very different from that which prevailed at the end of the twentieth century, not to mention the end of the nineteenth century.

The market for contemporary art is for example, being transformed by the desire of some conservatives to rehabilitate underrepresented names, particularly women and African-American artists. Similar imperatives guide the purchase of works from before the twentieth century in museums

. This month, the National Gallery in London announced that she had bought the self-portrait of Artemisia Gentileschi as St. Catherine of Alexandria for 3.6 million pounds sterling. million.

Artemisia, however, is hardly an unknown talent. Welcomed during her lifetime as a "prodigy of painting, easier to envy than to imitate," the most renowned female artist of Italian Baroque was the subject of solo exhibitions in Milan in 2011 and in Rome in 2016. Her extraordinary story has become a set of text from the history of feminist art.

In 1611, Artemisia, 17, was raped by Agostino Tassi, an artist collaborating with her father painter, Orazio Gentileschi. Tassi was subsequently charged and convicted, but only after his victim was forced to undergo his testimony under thumb torture and immoral charges. The convicted rapist never served his sentence of exile

The self-portrait, painted in Florence around 1615-1618, shows the artist leaning against a wheel dotted with iron spikes. "It is tempting to read the painting biographically," said in an email Letizia Treves, curator of Italian, Spanish and French paintings of the 17th century at the National Gallery

"Artemisia has long been identified as an artist whose works are lacking to our collection, "added Ms. Treves. "This is an artist that we wanted to represent primarily for her artistic achievements, in addition to the fact that she is a famous female artist." This acquisition brought to 21 the number of women's works among the 2,300 held by the National Gallery. [19659002] The transaction was a blow to London-based merchants Marco Voena and Fabrizio Moretti, who had purchased the newly-discovered painting in partnership at a 1945 (Paris) auction for 2.4 million dollars. 39 euros with fees, about 2.8 million dollars. high for the artist.

"You must think differently today," Voena said. "The connoisseur's taste is over."

"You have to ask what the image you buy means to people," he added. He said that Artemisia's self-portrait was "an image of a heroine, the kind of image you see on Instagram."

The popularity of exhibitions devoted to female artists such as Georgia O 'Keeffe and Frida Kahlo (19459010) Making Your Self Up "show is currently attracting crowds at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London) are signs of our times According to Mr. Voena, "museums want to sell tickets," he said

but visitors should be able to see Artemisia's self-portrait free of charge. it will be exhibited next year after its conservation.But with a visitor number down 17% last year, the National Gallery is aware of the need to show the ancient art that makes appeal to new sensibilities

If these sensibilities make the market of the old masters more selective than ever, where does the 19th century academic painting and sculpture, the art produced when industrial Europe was exploiting its colonies and its culture visual was dominated by what art history departments call the "male gaze"?

Wednesday, Sotheby's auction of figurative sculptures of the 19th and early 20th century technically performing. Tempting on the edge of kitsch, these feminine nudes in white marble and bronzes of noble Africans have gone out of fashion with Western collectors. An audience of less than 10 people was presented for sale.

But the art market is now a global affair. Despite the virtual desertion of the venue, 70% of the works found buyers, with most winning lots being phone calls and online auctions.

The highest price of the sale was £ 334,000. "A life-size marble statue of a thin feminine nude combining her long hair, by the little-known French sculptor Prosper of Epinay." The final price was significantly higher than the high estimate of £ 180,000 The second best offer comes from an Asian-based customer, says Sotheby's.

"The Chinese get rich and want to invest in Western culture," said Natalie Lo, a Chinese collector who was in the auction room with her advisor "There is a lot of potential, and we want to anticipate it," added Lo, who among several purchases bought a 1920 Beethoven marble bust by Italian sculptor Alfredo Pina for £ 10,000 From a collectible culture awash in fake, Mrs Lo said that the authenticity of European sculptures of the 19th and early 20th century was " very important ".

After a backlash, the painting was put on display in February.