Europe

The personal seals used by the Qianlong Emperor, a known connoisseur and patron of the arts, are among the most highly prized Chinese artefacts in today’s market.

White-walled shop fronts, spindly trees and anonymous figures populate city scenes that Maurice Utrillo (1883-1955) painted in the early 20th century.

Two rare early pieces of furniture by the famous architect and designer Finn Juhl are among the highlights in Bruun Rasmussen’s Design sale to be held in Copenhagen on September 27-28.

Among the London art dealers who are off to Florence for the 30th edition of the city’s Biennale this month is Colnaghi. ATG canvassed the opinion of the firm’s CEO, Jorge Coll.

Jewels by Buccellati, all from European aristocratic collections, feature in the jewellery auction at Dorotheum in Vienna on October 19.

Stephen Camburn’s gallery is set in France’s Loire Valley. Camburn Fine Art France specialises in contemporary art and the paintings of Alan Halliday.

If you want to see some impressive room sets, then the biannual Foire de Chatou, 15km from Paris and held on the banks of the River Seine, is the place.

While Paris has changed its 'Biennale' to run every year, the equally venerable Florence 'Biennale', (the 'Biennale Internationale dell Antiquariato di Firenze – BIAF') retains a traditional format running in alternate years.

The Parcours de la Céramique has become a well-established feature of the Paris rentrée.

ATG canvasses the opinion of two exhibitors, one returning for the second time and a new recruit.

One highlight of the rentrée is the scholarly exhibitions put on at the same time as the 'Biennale' by the Paris dealership Galerie Kugel.

In Europe summer is traditionally a time of lower activity for much of the working world with schools closed and people heading off for a long break. This is especially true in France, so when activity rekindles in September the French make a big thing of La Rentrée (the return to work).

A well-established lynchpin of the Paris rentrée is the gallery-based, Left Bank tribal art fair known as the 'Parcours des Mondes' (PDM) staged in the small galleries that pepper the network of streets in the 6th arrondisement antiques district around Saint Germain des Prés.

Cristina Ortega is a specialist in Chinese and Japanese ceramics with a gallery in the rue de Beaune. Now taking part in her eighth Parcours de la Céramique, she remains very enthusiastic about the possibilities…

The auction season is only just getting into gear in September but as this is a hectic time of year for fairs and dealers, most auction houses are keen to capitalise on the potential footfall to the Grand Palais and the Left Bank dealers’ trails.