JACQUES LEEGENHOEK

Born into a family of restorers, Jacques Leegenhoek developed early a passion for paintings. and joined in 1972 Sotheby’s Old Masters department in London. During the fourteen years he spent at Sotheby’s, he worked in New York, Amsterdam, Brussels and Paris. He settled as a dealer in Paris in 1986, and opened his present gallery in 1994.  

In the heart of the city and in an area of antiques and art dealers, Jacques Leegenhoek shows unpublished Old Masters paintings from Flemish, Dutch, Italian and French school, all selected for their top quality and their good condition. These paintings are regularly noticed by private collectors and museums.

In Greek mythology, Marsyas was a Phrygian satyr with unparalleled musical talent. He played the aulos, a double-reed flute, while Apollo played the lyre. Jealous, the god Apollo challenged him to a musical duel. The muses declared Apollo the winner. To avenge himself, Apollo decided to flay Marsyas alive by hanging him from a tree by his hands. This ambiguous scene inspired many artists in the 17th century, from Jusepe Ribera and Manfredi to David Teniers the Younger.

This subject has been presented as the embodiment of the conflict between the Greek ideal – that of the harmonious balance of the lyre and beauty – and the Phrygian savagery – that of a disordered chromaticism and orgiastic vitality (Dionysus and Marsyas’ flute).