A selection of articles and contributions by Luc Bellier published in the specialist art press.
Sotheby's, November 2021
In this article, Luc Bellier pays tribute to Alphonse Bellier, a pioneer of modern art auctions in Paris, and to his son Jean-Claude. Declining to take over his father's firm, Jean-Claude made his name as a dealer, expert and great collector of tribal art. A legacy of pure passion.
Le Journal des Arts, no. 719, 1 January 2019
At the Galerie Prisme (Paris), the dealer Luc Bellier exhibits and offers for sale some thirty works from his personal collection on the theme of fear. Entitled "Cape Fear", this bold exhibition mixes classical, modern and contemporary art, with artists such as Otto Dix and Rembrandt.
Le Monde, 2 January 2019
At the Galerie Prisme (Paris), Luc Bellier joins forces with Pierre Lorquin to present “Cape Fear”, an original exhibition exploring the theme of fear. Through 38 works from his collection, Bellier boldly sets contemporary and classical art in dialogue (Rembrandt, Ensor, Dix, Serrano).
Le Journal des Arts
The author criticises the French administration's handling of the Louvre Abu Dhabi project. He deplores a lack of vision and an inadequate budget, fearing that the museum will neglect historic masterpieces in favour of contemporary art far removed from its original universal mission.
L'ŒIL, no. 661, 1 October 2013
Luc Bellier analyses the critical issues surrounding the authentication of Picasso's works and argues for rigorous governance of expertise.
Le Monde, Culture et Idées, 17 March 2012
An interview with Luc Bellier for Le Monde on the paralysing disputes between Picasso's heirs and the Nounours collection: hundreds of works by Picasso taken from Mougins.
Le Figaro, Le carnet du jour, 21 January 2009
This article pays tribute to Dina Vierny, Aristide Maillol's celebrated muse, who became a major figure of the Resistance and of the art market. Through the admiring testimonies of her peers, including the art dealer Luc Bellier, she is portrayed as a woman of exceptional temperament and charisma.
Art Press, no. 343, 1 March 2008
The Luc Bellier Gallery devotes its first Paris exhibition to Michael Light. Known for transforming NASA and nuclear-test archives, the American photographer also reveals his aerial views. Of surreal beauty, his works explore humanity's indelible imprint on the landscape.
Le Monde, Culture, 5 January 2007
Through an original and remarkably staged exhibition at the Luc Bellier Gallery, this article reveals intimate portraits of Bob Dylan taken by Jerry Schatzberg in the 1960s.
Le Journal des Arts, no. 250, 5–18 January 2007
In this article, Luc Bellier praises the exhibition “Busy Going Crazy” at La Maison Rouge, which unveils the collection of Sylvio Perlstein. It offers an intimate, relaxed and unreverential approach to contemporary art, a breath of fresh air amid the mercantile excesses of the market.
Les Inrockuptibles, no. 575
The photographer Jerry Schatzberg exhibits his pictures of Bob Dylan taken in the 1960s. Free admission at the Luc Bellier Gallery (Paris 8th), Monday to Friday (11 am–6 pm).
Le Figaro, Culture, 30 November 2006
Organised by Luc Bellier in his Paris gallery, this exhibition unveils 50 legendary photographs of Bob Dylan by Jerry Schatzberg. From intimate shots of the 1960s to the famous Blonde on Blonde cover, the exhibition nostalgically traces the emergence of a rebellious icon of dazzling genius.
Le Monde, Argent, 4 February 2006
On the occasion of an exceptional sale at Sotheby's, an analysis of the rarefied market for Edvard Munch. Drawing on experts such as Luc Bellier, the article explains why the extreme scarcity of works by this pioneer of modern art paradoxically holds back the rise of his prices.
Le Figaro, 23 September 2005
The 2nd Moscow fair moves into the legendary Manege, attracting some sixty Western dealers drawn by the new Russia. In this "Russian-style Grand Palais", galleries and antique dealers (Krugier, Steinitz, Bellier) show major works to a cultivated and enthusiastic clientele.
Le Monde, Culture, 23 September 2005
The 2nd Moscow fair, held at the Manege, disappoints Western dealers. Having come in search of flamboyant “new Russians” ready to spend lavishly, the 60 exhibitors find themselves facing educated, discreet and wary collectors who refuse to buy at inflated prices.
Le Figaro, 22 September 2005
The new Paris gallery of the brothers Luc and Yann Bellier pays masterly tribute to Munch. Their new space presents an extremely rare selection of paintings and works on paper. This first in France is a great success for the gallery, attracting the international market and major museums.
Le Journal des Arts, no. 213, 15 April 2005
In this article, the gallery owner Luc Bellier firmly criticises the ruling ordering the New York gallery The Project to pay $1.73 million to the collector Jean-Pierre Lehmann. He denounces an absurd original contract and defends the gallery's alternative spirit against the excesses of the market.
Libération, March 2005
On the fringes of a Picasso symposium held in Antibes, the article invites art lovers to catch the last days of the very fine exhibition “L’œil, la main, le génie”. This remarkable event, independent of the symposium, is on show at the Bellier gallery.
Le Journal des Arts, no. 198, 10 September 2004
On the fringes of the Biennale, three Paris galleries make news with “off” exhibitions. Camoin-Demachy revives the designer Édouard Lièvre, the Bellier gallery celebrates Picasso's creative diversity and Cazeau-Béraudière sheds light on André Masson's American period.
Connaissance des Arts, 2003
The Luc Bellier Gallery devotes an intimate exhibition to Édouard Vuillard, a friend of the family and godfather of Jean-Claude Bellier. Through small formats (paintings, pastels, watercolours), the exhibition traces fifty years of creation, highlighting the boldness and intimism of the Nabi master.
Le Figaro, Arts, 2003
Opening the Vuillard year, the Bellier gallery presents a refined exhibition of some fifty paintings and pastels from private collections. The exhibition offers a chance to rediscover the silent poetry, the virtuoso colour and the intimate interiors of the celebrated Nabi painter.
Frankfurter Allgemeine, June 2003
In Paris, the Bellier gallery is showing sixty vintage prints by Jacques-Henri Lartigue, capturing the early 20th century with elegance and joie de vivre, including the precious "Vieux Cahier Maman". Meanwhile, the Galerie Malingue presents a rare selection of museum-quality works by Max Ernst.
Le Journal des Arts, no. 173, 13 June 2003
For the first time, the Bellier gallery hangs an exhibition of photographs on its walls. And a fine occasion it is: a collection of sixty vintage prints by Jacques Henri Lartigue, accompanied by the photographer's first album, known as the Vieux cahier maman.
Le Figaro, 30 May 2003
The Bellier gallery makes news by exhibiting nearly sixty extremely rare vintage prints by Jacques-Henri Lartigue. Nicknamed “the taxidermist of happiness”, the photographer reveals his joyful view of speed, women and the bourgeoisie of the last century. A first in France.
Art & Auction, December 2002
The Bellier family, a renowned dynasty of art dealers, opens a new gallery at 20 rue de l’Élysée in Paris. Directed by Luc Bellier, it is devoted to masters of the late 19th and 20th centuries, and opens with exhibitions dedicated to Edvard Munch and Édouard Vuillard.
Le Journal des Arts, no. 159, 22 November 2002
By bringing together some fifty paintings and pastels by Édouard Vuillard, the Bellier gallery pays fine tribute to the artist. The exhibition covers the painter's different periods and thus offers a small retrospective of his work, no doubt the most important private exhibition in homage to Vuillard since the 1960s.
Le Monde, Galeries à Paris, 20 October 2002
Hailing a genuine feat in the art world, this article highlights the opening of the Luc Bellier Gallery's new space in Paris with an exceptional exhibition devoted to Edvard Munch. It stresses how rarely these canvases have been shown to the French public and traces through them the fascinating, at times scandalous, development of the Norwegian master.
Frankfurter Allgemeine, October 2002
To open his new Paris gallery, Luc Bellier presents a rare exhibition of Edvard Munch, a master often neglected in France. Made up of works from Norwegian private collections worth several million, the exhibition sets out to make up for this missed historical encounter.
The New York Times, November 2000
The Dia Center receives $50 million to fund a museum and monumental projects. The Art Institute of Chicago acquires its first painting by Edvard Munch, valued at $5 million, while the Metropolitan Museum in New York enriches its major American collection with a previously unknown drawing by Leonardo da Vinci.
Le Journal des Arts, 1998
An analysis of a previously unpublished drawing by Pablo Picasso dated 1971. An exploration of the themes of life and death through the eyes of Luc Bellier.
The Daily Telegraph, December 1995
A painting bought at a flea market after the war has been authenticated as a previously unknown Van Gogh still life (late 1886). Confirmed by the Van Gogh Museum, the pure, unvarnished work depicts a vase of flowers. After being exhibited in Amsterdam, it is due to be sold at auction by its owner.
Le Figaro, La Vie du Marché de L'Art, 3 February 1995
The African art market is gaining ground with the sale of the collection of the expert Jean-Claude Bellier. Estimated at 6 to 8 million francs, this group of some thirty pieces with prestigious provenance survived a recent fire.