PARIS.- Apocalypse, a spectacular and monumental work by the Belgian symbolist painter Emile Fabry (1865-1966) leads The Male Form Sale at Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr in Paris on Thursday 1 June 2023. Capturing the artist’s unique blend of sensuality and power, the painting is estimated at €60,000-80,000.

The ground-breaking Male Form sale arrives in Paris following successful previous auctions on the same theme held in London and New York. The mission remains unchanged: to challenge a market that has been traditionally centred on the concept of the male gaze – depicting women from a masculine standpoint.

Other highlights include:

• Vid dörren (At the Door) by the Swedish artist Eugène Jansson (1862-1915). The work dates from the later part of his career when he specialized in male nudes. Scarlet fever in adolescence left Jansson with chronic health problems. He found a respite in swimming and many of his paintings depict fellow swimmers he met at the navy bath house in Stockholm. Estimate: €25,000-35,000.

•Bubbles Shower by Pierre et Gilles. The signed, dated and titled hand-painted photograph mounted on aluminium was commissioned in 1997 for Statements magazine and features model Frédéric Lenfant. This unique piece was acquired direct from the artists. Estimate: €35,000-45,000

• Portrait of a young man by Pierre-Paul Prud’hon (1758-1823). A major French romantic painter and draughtsman, Prud’hon had the unusual distinction of painting portraits of both of Napoleon’s wives. Estimate: €40,000-60,000.

• Reclining male nude from 1952 by the German-American society and fashion photographer Horst P. Horst (1906-1999). Estimate: €3,000-5,000.

• Theseus and the Minotaur by Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875), one of the leading sculptors of the French Romantic School. Estimate: €30,000-40,000.

Anastasia Orfanidou, Bonhams Head of Greek Art, and a member of the sale’s curatorial team said: “For the Paris edition of this sale we’ve brought together a fine selection of paintings, drawings and sculpture celebrating the male form. Apocalypse is a magnificent work and with pieces by the irrepressible Pierre et Gilles, an important sketchbook by Cocteau, a wealth of drawings by Tom of Finland and images by some of the finest photographers of the male form, the sale promises once again to push boundaries and prompt discussion on this historically neglected market”.