GreenCat Gallery

31/05/2026

Un aperçu derrière les coulisses de GreenCat Gallery Abbaye de Caunes-Minervois Village des Arts et des Cultures

Cette exquise huile sur bois de Narcisse Diaz de la Peña (1807-1876), l'un des pères fondateurs de l'école de Barbizon, appartient à la galerie GreenCat.

Acquise auprès d'une maison de ventes aux enchères réputée, l'œuvre a fait l'objet, avant son intégration à notre collection permanente à Caunes Minervois, de tests approfondie réalisés par nos soins afin d'établir un « passeport pictural » et d'offrir ainsi une garantie maximale aux collectionneurs.
Sur les photos et la courte vidéo ci-dessous, vous pouvez voir l'un des tests : une radiographie à 360 degrés du tableau. Ce scan permet de déterminer si des couches de peinture ont été ajoutées (lors d'une restauration, par exemple), si la signature fait partie de la couche picturale originale et de détecter la présence de métaux dans la peinture. (Aujourd'hui, la peinture à l'huile utilise principalement des pigments organiques pour créer les couleurs, mais au XIXe siècle, voire avant, les couleurs étaient obtenues en mélangeant des métaux à la peinture à l'huile (cobalt pour le bleu, cuivre pour le rouge, etc.).
Bien sûr, ce n'est qu'un des nombreux tests effectués sur un tableau. Parmi les autres, on peut citer l'étude du vieillissement des peintures, l'analyse chimique, la présence de composés accidentels (lorsqu'on peint à l'extérieur, il n'est pas rare de trouver des grains de sable, de boue ou d'autres éléments organiques incrustés dans la peinture, ainsi que l'analyse de la couche préparatoire et du support. En bref, il faut un certain temps avant qu'un tableau n'intègre la collection permanente. Cette huile sur bois de Diaz de la Pena sera exposée, dans le cadre de la collection permanente, tout l'été à la galerie GreenCat de Caunes Minervois. Entrée libre.
Nous remercions Mira Krumova, radiologue, qui a réalisé les examens, ainsi que Dekodent-Denta-X-Ray Sofia, Bulgarie pour leurs équipement de pointe

29/05/2026

Fin juin, la galerie GreenCat de Caunes Minervois inaugure une exposition spectaculaire consacrée à l'art graphique moderniste, présentant les œuvres de quelques-uns des plus grands noms du XXe siècle. Picasso, Dali, Christo, Matisse… et bien d'autres seront exposés dans un espace exceptionnel datant du Moyen Âge. L'accès à ces grands noms et à leurs œuvres exceptionnelles est gratuit, notamment la rare et complète série de quatre lithographies mondialement connues « Corrida », créées par Picasso en 1961 (voir photo). Restez connectés pour plus d'informations et les dates de l'exposition Mairie de Caunes-Minervois Connexions Culturelles Abbaye de Caunes-Minervois Village des Arts et des Cultures

23/05/2026

Ca debute aujourdhui, Le Parcours des Arts 2026, edition spectaculaire a ne pas manquez . A Caunes Minervois tout le weekend

09/05/2026

Man Ray was not just one of the greatest photographers of the 20th century, he was equally one of the most important printmakers of the Surrealist and Dada movements. This work was executed in 1971. 2 editions exist, one on an edition of 100 on Arches paper, and a special luxury edition on only 30, created on Japan mother-of-pearl paper. This is one of those extremelly rare works of the luxury edition, hand-signed and numbered 12/30. Available only once on Contra-auction, at our upcoming May edition.

Man Ray, "L'A", 1971 (Lettre A) is a 1971 color aquatint and etching by American artist Man Ray (1890-1976), featuring a signed, limited-edition print from a series of 30 on Japan

08/05/2026

If Pointillism is your thing, then the upcoming Contra-auction has something in store for you

Lucien Neuquelman (1909-1988) FRA. Le port de La Rochelle, original hand-signed lithograph.

Lucien Neuquelman was a French pointillist artist. He began studying at the Art School of Toulon after which he moved to Paris, and went on to meet French Fauvist Othon Friesz, of whom he became a pupil and learned both the colour theories of the fauves and the more sombre palette of Chardin, Poussin and Corot whom Friesz also admired. Particularly in Neuquelman’s work it is apparent that he had absorbed ideas of strong compositions and solid, voluminous forms. In 1930 he entered l’Académie de la grande Chaumière, in Montparnasse in Paris. In 1930 he met the famous pointillist artist Paul Signac and was introduced to the work of Seurat and Van Rysselberghe and from that moment his style evolved towards pointillism using his characteristically bright palette and energetic, short brushstrokes,

07/05/2026

This exquisite, large-size oil on canvas is one of the masterpieces that will be proposed on the upcoming Contra-auction.
The work originates from the atelier of Theodore Rousseau who, together with Daubigny and De la Pena, was one of the leading names of the famous School of Barbizon, a group of artists who would be at the origins of Impressionism. The work is one of the earliest examples of painting from nature (plein air painting) dating back to 1850, but an interesting detail in the story of Impressionism is that without an American industrialism, the whole movement might never have existed!!

Invented in 1841 by American painter John Goffe Rand, metal collapsible paint tubes revolutionized art by allowing artists to store premixed oil paint safely and paint outdoors (plein air). Replacing messy, leaking pig bladders, these tin tubes with screw caps enabled the Impressionist movement by providing portable, long-lasting colors.

06/05/2026

An absolute masterpiece will be the focus point of the upcoming Contra- auction

Narcisse Virgilio Díaz de la Peña (1807–1876) was a prominent French painter and a leading member of the Barbizon School. He is best known for his atmospheric depictions of the Forest of Fontainebleau, characterized by dramatic lighting, rich color, and textured brushwork.
Diaz de la Pena was a transitional figure between Romanticism and Impressionism. Díaz focused on landscapes that often felt mysterious or secluded. Unlike some of his peers, he frequently included mythological figures, gypsies, or nymphs in his forest scenes.
He was a close friend and mentee of Théodore Rousseau. He also significantly influenced younger artists, most notably Pierre-Auguste Renoir, who credited Díaz with encouraging him to lighten his color. Díaz was a prolific artist, with works now held in major institutions like the National Gallery in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and the Louvre in Paris.

04/05/2026

This artwork was created by an anonymous Master of the Italian School in the late 18th-century (c. 1790) as an oil painting on canvas. It depicts a romanticized scene featuring a coastal or lakeside landscape with figures on a path and a prominent fortified castle or tower atop a hill in the background.

Similar works are identified as Italian, created circa 1790. Some similar examples are also attributed to the French School of the 18th or 19th century.
The style reflects the Romanticist style, often associated with "Grand Tour" paintings that captured evocative views of Italy, such as the Gulf of Pozzuoli or areas near Naples.
Its features include a detailed foreground with travelers on a dirt path, leaning trees (likely, Scots pine or similar), and a distant body of water with sailing ships.

The painting is housed in a high-quality, ornate gilt frame from the later, end 19th century.

This work is one of the absolute stars of the upcoming May Contra-auction.

22/04/2026

30/11/2025

Ce dimanche, dernier jour de l'annee a GreenCat Gallery Abbaye de Caunes-Minervois Village des Arts et des Cultures