As the global art market faces significant challenges, American mega-dealer Larry Gagosian has surprised visitors at Art Basel Paris by featuring a masterpiece by Peter Paul Rubens at his booth in the Grand Palais. The painting, depicting the Madonna and Child with Saint Elizabeth and the young John the Baptist, has become an unexpected centerpiece at a fair typically dedicated to modern and contemporary art.
The Rubens painting presents an intimate religious scene rendered with the artist's characteristic sensuality and flesh tones. In the composition, the Christ child's skin forms pinkish rolls around his neck as he turns his head toward his smiling mother. Mary, identifiable by her red garment with her left breast coral-bright and exposed, holds her son firmly in both hands, her light-lashed eyes timidly lowered. She appears to gaze past the child directly toward a lamb, the symbol of her son who will die for the sinful world. Another naked child is pressed against her son - the young John, the future Baptist, also held by his mother, Saint Elizabeth, Mary's cousin who miraculously gave birth to her son in old age through God's blessing.
This particular painting, attributed to the Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens and dated circa 1611-1614, was sold at Sotheby's auction house in 2020 for $7.1 million. The scene was a popular motif in Italian Baroque art, though Rubens brings his own distinctive golden light to the composition, drawing viewers directly into the image. The intimacy of the moment is enhanced by Rubens' typical fleshiness, making the sensuality of the motif undeniable.
Gagosian's decision to showcase this Old Master work required special permission from Art Basel Paris, which typically maintains a strict boundary at 1900 for the artworks it displays. This marks 30 years since the American mega-dealer's spectacular Rubens exhibition in New York. The inclusion fits current cultural trends by presenting art history in its eternal continuity, with Rubens intended to engage in dialogue with surrounding contemporary works on the booth.
The strategic placement serves to elevate the value of neighboring artworks by Pablo Picasso, John Currin, Auguste Rodin, Jenny Saville, Sterling Ruby, Helen Frankenthaler, and others, suggesting these artists might become the next Rubens in 400 years. Rather than focusing on ultra-contemporary pieces, Gagosian's booth seems to declare "It's 1995 again," emphasizing established positions and what critics interpret as "old money" aesthetics.
Art market observers suggest the Rubens presentation can be interpreted as a signal of stability and exclusivity during an era dominated by crypto art and unpredictable startup entrepreneurs, though without taking a genuine counter-position. Some view it as a desperate attempt to assert future relevance through past glory, drawing parallels to the Christ child in the painting itself. The approach reflects how the art world continues its activities while participants position themselves closer to potential exits, maintaining the party atmosphere as long as the music continues to play.
