Inside Art — The New York Times — Art Institute of Chicago — Bellier Art

Article by The New York Times detailing the acquisition of an Edvard Munch painting by the Art Institute of Chicago, facilitated by Paris dealer Luc Bellier.

Facsimile of The New York Times 'Inside Art' article mentioning Luc Bellier’s role in the acquisition of an Edvard Munch painting by the Art Institute of Chicago by Carol Vogel.
THE NEW YORK, INSIDE ART By CAROL VOGEL – Published November 3, 2000

Transcription of the article

THE NEW YORK TIMES 

Chicago’s New Munch

The Art Institute of Chicago recently acquired its first painting by Edvard Munch: « Girl Looking Out the Window, » a haunting 1892 image of a figure in a nightdress peering out a window into a moonlit night. « When people ask what we are looking for, I always have a laundry list, » said Douglas Druick, curator of European paintings, prints and drawings. « Luc Bellier, a Paris dealer, knew the institute had been seeking a Munch for years, and he discovered that this one was for sale from a private European collection. »

While the institute would not say how much it paid for the painting, experts say it is worth about $5 million. Painted a year before Munch’s famous « Scream, » it captures a special moment in his career, when he was moving away from the naturalism of an Impressionist like Caillebotte and toward the full-blown Expressionism of « The Scream. »