In Belgrade, at the ARTE gallery – Terazije No. 39 and Andrićev venac No. 12, an exhibition of large-format paintings titled “Parisian Ascension, 1963 – 1983” has been inaugurated.
The aim of the exhibition and the accompanying monograph is to shed light, through works from private collections and the use of rich archives, on the first twenty years of Ljuba’s artistic production in Paris, a period during which he established his reputation on the Parisian art scene. The circumstances of this “Parisian Ascension” were until now completely unknown to the general public.
This project also marks the 90th anniversary of the painter’s birth.
The work on the complete catalogue raisonné of the works of Ljuba Popović, LJUBA, is largely completed. So far, approximately 3700 oil paintings have been cataloged, while drawings, watercolors, and graphics are still being collected and classified. If you own works, documents, or testimonials related to LJUBA’s work, we would be grateful if you would contact us via the website www.ljuba.fr, Ljuba’s Facebook page, or in any other way.
Registering a work in the catalogue raisonné is the best way to confirm its authenticity, whether it is privately owned or offered for sale on the market. On the website, we only publish a simple list of paintings (1954-1985 period) already registered in the catalogue. They are classified by year and size (from largest to smallest format). Complete information about the paintings (color reproductions, owners’ names, bibliographic data, etc.) will remain in the catalogue author’s archive only. The reason for this is the increasingly frequent occurrence of counterfeits and imitations.
We will continue to update the online catalogue as time permits. If a new work comes to us and we have no doubts about its authenticity, it will be immediately included in the catalogue. We would also appreciate being informed if the title, dimensions, or technique listed on our list do not match those of the actual paintings. Owners’ names will not be published even in the final version of the catalogue unless expressly requested.
50 years ago, the
painting “Alpha et Omega” was part of the first major Ljuba exhibit
in Paris, organized by Thessa Herold in her Galery (Galerie de Seine, 31th of
may – 30th of june 1972).
It was immediately noticed by another gallery owner,
Alexander Braumüller, who included it in his collection. Braumüller then
recommended Ljuba to the wealthy art collector Jean Davray, one of the owners
of the water company “Perrier”, who bought other Ljuba paintings
contributing to the price rise of Ljuba’s art on the market. He famously said :
“I cannot afford to have cheap artworks in my collection”.
In a tragic turn of events, Braumüller ended his life jumping
into the Paris river “la Seine” in 1979, Jean Davray died in 1986,
and his collection was sold. The “Alpha et Omega” painting was lost
out of sight, and the only trace that remained was a black and white picture,
taken before the painting was even finished. Today, 50 years after its
creation, “Alpha et Omega” reappears in all its glory and in color. It
will be sold to highest bidder during an auction at “l’Hôtel Drouot”
in Paris, on June 17th.
Two or Three days before the sale, it will be exposed in the
room #10.
A very important painting, never before shown, from the private collection of the owner of a publishing company, was sold during an auction in the french town “Blois” on may the 14th two weeks ago.
It has been more than 60 years that Ljuba has been looking for this painting. Last time it was seen was at the JNA exhibit in 1962. Of this painting, only a poor black and white image was remaining.
We think that the painting was acquired by a Danish ambassador at that time. Good news : the trail of this painting has reappeared !
Here it is, for the first time after 60 years, in color. A masterpiece of somebody who already knew at 27 years old that his destiny was already written
Paintings and drawings from Ljuba will be shown at the Modern Gallery of Valjevo, from november 10th to february 28th. The exhibit “Ljuba – Canvas without easel” is organized in celebration for the 35th anniversary of the gallery, and the 150th anniversary of Valjevo’s Gymnasium.
The catalog, with a text from Nataša Krestić was written in both serbian and english languages.
Vénus et la Mort (Venus and Death), 1971 – 1972, oil on canvas, 210 x 280 cm
The Osenat auction house, in Paris, is going to put up for sale the painting : “L’ambiguïté rose” (“Pink ambiguity”), 1987, oil on canvas, 162x130cm. The artwork belongs to the period often reffered to as “Blue period” or “Romantic period” by specialists. It was part of the collection of a french journalist-editorialist, founder and director of a weekly newspaper, who bought it in 1987 and kept it until he passed away in 2016. The auction will take place on February the 29th at Fontainebleau.
1987, L’ambiguïté rose (“pink ambiguity”), 162x130cm – Ljuba popovic
Ljuba Popovic’s retrospective exhibit, held in SANU Galery (Serb Academy of Sciences and Arts), having reached record visit numbers (more than 54 000 visitors in only 42 days), the first edition of the serbian version of the catalog sold out during the event. The organizers decided to re-print 300 more copies. Reminding here that this 170 pages book contains two expert texts, one Ljuba interview, 50 color reproductions of paintings and a detailled biography of the artist with more than a hundred photographs. The new editions, just like the first one, will be available for purchase at the galery for 1500 dinars. The english and french versions are still available.
Ljuba’s retrospective exhibit in Belgrade came to an end on the 20th of October. For all of you that didn’t get the chance to see it, or for those who would like to take a second glance, a virtual visit is possible on the website galerijeimuzeji.rs
