One of our favorite things to do when we're shopping in France is to scout for art. We love old art - and the crunchier and crustier, the better. We're not terribly concerned with provenance or the artist - what we're looking for are pieces that, for whatever reason, make our hearts race. This usually means they are very, very well-painted, both compositionally and palette-wise.
A few years ago, we decided to go ahead and curate an official collection, called Huff Harrington Heritage. We recently updated it with our latest finds which just arrived a couple weeks ago, so these are hot off the easel, so to speak.
There's absolutely no rhyme or reason to what we swoop in on, although we're partial to portraits:
This one is actually signed by Michel Bepoix, who was born in 1937.
We loved this gal's moody gaze.
Then, we stumbled on this handsome, craggy couple and we simply had to have them for the Heritage collection. They are both so beautifully painted and their frames are exquisite.
A well-painted, mid-century still life might catch our eye, too:
We loved the simplicty of these two still lives.
Sourcing vintage art is also a top priority on our Paris buying trips. We helped Atlanta designer, Janie Hirsch, scoop this gorgeous piece up.
And Janie Wilburn, from The Jane Group, brought this fellow back to Atlanta with her.
We spotted this fabulous 1980s abstract at an antique fair and made a beeline for it.
Jacques Petit is an artist we love to buy when we can find his work. We love the delicateness of his brush strokes and the overlay of graphite pencil on the watercolor.
Couldn't resist her. Such 1960s fabulousness.
And then there are the mid-century artists we just adore. One is Raymond Debieve. He and his twin brother, Michel, were both artists and painted from the 1950s through the early 2000's. Raymond was particularly influenced by the Cubist movement and the works of Picasso - easy to see in his paintings. We love them and grab them whenever we can get our hands on them. To us, they are striking, provocative and endlessly interesting.
And we'll never pass up a sweet landscape or seascape when we find them:
We'll be scouring the next round of fairs for more treasures to add to our Heritage collection - and here's a fun question for you: which do you like the best? Portraits, landscapes and seascapes or edgy mid-century vintage pieces? Let us know so we can stockpile for you.
