| | Glasgow-Born Sound Artist Susan Philipsz Wins 2010 Turner Prize for Contemporary Art
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Glasgow-born artist Susan Philipsz (C) is escorted towards her work after hearing the announcement that she has won the Turner Prize 2010, at the Tate Britain gallery, in central London December 6, 2010. Philipsz became the first sound artist to win Britain's Turner Prize on Monday, justifying her position as bookmakers' favourite for the annual award worth 25,000 pounds ($40,000) to the winner. REUTERS/Andrew Winning.
LONDON (AP).- An artist who used her own singing voice in an art installation won the prestigious Turner Prize award for contemporary art on Monday. Susan Philipsz received the 25,000 pound ($39,000) prize at the Tate Britain in London for her recording of herself singing three versions of the 16th-century Scottish folk song, "Lowlands Away." It was the first time a sound installation had been shortlisted for the prize since it was set up in 1984 to promote modern British art. The installation was exhibited in an otherwise empty gallery. "Drawing on the powerful, immersive properties of sound and the human voice, Philipsz is engaged with the notion of singing as a physical and sculptural experience," the organizers said in a statement. The prize is open only to British artists under the age of 50. Prior winners include well-known British artists Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin. Philipsz was up against painter Dexter Dalwood, Angela de la Cruz and The Otolith Group filmmakers. They ... More |
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Sotheby's London To Hold a Sale of Magnificent Books, Manuscripts and Drawings
Sotheby's employees pose for photographs with three volumes of a copy of Audubon's 'Birds of America'. AP Photo/Matt Dunham.
LONDON.- On 7th December Sotheby’s London will hold a sale of ‘Magnificent Books, Manuscripts and Drawings from the Collection of Frederick, 2nd Lord Hesketh, The Property of the Trustees of the 2nd Baron Hesketh’s Will Trust’. The selection of books, manuscripts and drawings from this distinguished collection was built up by successive generations of the family, and shows the best of every aspect of the bibliophile’s endeavour: typography, illustration, illumination, literary and historical importance, and fine binding. The majority of the works in the sale were acquired by Frederick, 2nd Baron Hesketh (1916–1955), who bought them in a golden age of book collecting, when, paradoxically, great rarities seemed almost commonplace. Few collections can boast of both Audubon’s Birds of America and Shakespeare’s First Folio, yet Lord Hesketh acquired a magnificent subscriber’s copy of the ... More | | Fragment of Manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci Unearthed in French Town Library
Agnes Marcetteau (L), director of Nantes media library, and Jean-Marc Ayrault, Mayor of Nantes, present to the media "an autograph" attributed to Italian High Renaissance Painter and Inventor Leonardo da Vinci. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe.
NANTES (REUTERS).- A long-lost fragment of manuscript by Renaissance genius Leonardo da Vinci has been uncovered in a public library in western France after lying forgotten in storage for nearly one and a half centuries. The text, written from right to left in Da Vinci's trademark mirror-writing, was among 5,000 documents donated to the city of Nantes in 1872 by wealthy collector Pierre-Antoine Labouchere, and then left to languish in local archives. It was only when a local journalist came across a reference to the document's location in a biography of the Italian master that the manuscript was finally tracked down. "He was most probably writing in 15th-century Italian, and possibly in other languages, so it's now got to be deciphered," said Agnes Marcetteau, head of the Nantes library where the manuscript was found. For the time ... More | | J. Paul Getty Museum's Statue of Love Goddess Aphrodite Transfer Ends Italy Dispute
Cult Statue of a Goddess, perhaps Aphrodite, and one hundred seven detached fragments, 425 - 400 B.C. Limestone and Parian marble with polychromy. Courtesy of the Republic of Italy - Region of Sicily.
By: Sue Manning, Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP).- The love goddess Aphrodite is going home to Italy after the new year, stronger and more stable than she has been in 2,500 years. The statue, being returned to Sicily as part of Italy's decade-old campaign to retrieve antiquities it says were illegally brought to California, will be the last of 40 artifacts the J. Paul Getty Museum agreed to turn over. Sebastiano Missineo, the minister of culture from Sicily, visited the Getty Villa in Malibu on Monday and viewed the statue. The statue will be on display at the Getty Villa for one more week, acting Getty director David Bomford said at a tea for Missineo Monday. The Getty has built a seismic wave isolator for Aphrodite that will protect her in the earthquake-prone Sicilian region, he said. For the trip, ... More |
 | A Masterpiece by Félix Vallotton Sells for $2,478,584 at Sotheby's Swiss Art Auction
Félix Vallotton Coucher de soleil à Grâce, ciel orangé et violet. Sold for CHF 2,434,500 (Est. CHF 1,800,000-2,500,000). Photo: Sotheby's.
ZURICH.- Tonight’s “Swiss Art” Auction at Sotheby’s Zurich realised CHF 10,665,188 under the hammer of Dr. Claudia Steinfels, Director of Sotheby’s Zurich – within the pre-sale estimate of CHF 9,3-12,9 million. Félix Vallotton’s masterpiece Coucher de soleil à Grâce, ciel orangé et violet sold for CHF 2,434,500 (€1,873,315), surpassing the highest price ever paid for a work from the artist’s sunset series **. Urs Lanter, Director of the Sotheby’s Swiss Art Department, commented: “It was a huge honour to bring to auction for the first time major works by Vallotton, some of them unknown to the public until now, which represent an undeniable enriching of our understanding of the artist’s creative process. Coucher de soleil à Grâce, ciel orangé et violet is one of the finest works by Vallotton and truly deserves the price achieved this evening. The solid results of tonig ... More | | Rijksmuseum Exhibits Recently Acquired Masterpieces of 20th-Century Photography
Bill Brandt, Sky lightens over the suburbs, London, 1934.
AMSTERDAM.- From December 7, the Rijksmuseum will display a selection of 20th-century photographic works acquired in recent years with the support of Baker & McKenzie. The sponsorship from the renowned law firm has already allowed the museum to purchase more than thirty photographs, including works by László Moholy-Nagy, Bill Brandt, Robert Capa and Helen Levitt, as well as photography books by Man Ray and others. When it reopens in 2013, the Rijksmuseum will be the only museum in the Netherlands able to provide an overview of the history of photography in the Netherlands and abroad. The most recent acquisition sponsored by Baker & McKenzie and the independent art fund Vereniging Rembrandt is a monumental photograph by Bauhaus photographer László Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946). The photograph from 1929 is a key work that marks the transition into modernity. From atop a high bridge, the Pont Transbordeur in Marseille, Moholy-Nagy ... More | | Antik A.S. Auction House Sets World Record Prices for Turkish Calligraphy and Paintings
Turgay Artam, owner of Antik A.S. with Mahmud Celaleddin’s Calligraphy. Sold for US $ 253.000. World auction record for the calligrapher.
ISTANBUL.- Antik A.S. the leading Turkish Auction house, announced that the sale of Turkish Paintings Calligraphy and Ottoman Arts in Istanbul achieved triumphant results and made 8 million Turkish Lira / US$ 5.3 million. The top lot of the sale, the masterpiece and catalogue cover lot Nazmi Ziya’s 1910 dated oil on canvas “Shepherd in red” was sold for 1.1 million Turkish Lira / US$ 740,000, (world auction record for the artist) Works by other Turkish masters such as Hikmet Onat, Feyhaman Duran and Naci Kalmukoglu also achieved strong prices. The auction was highlighted by the sales of Turkish Calligraphy masters. Monumental Illuminated Hilye by Kazasker Mustafa İzzet sold for 542,000 TL / US$ 361.000, (second highest price for a Hilye-i Serif) (World auction record was set by Kazasker Mustafa İzzet’s Hilye-i Serif which was sold for 1,150,000 TL / US$ 810.000 in Antik A.S.’s April sa ... More |
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Works from the Collection Besselaar Lead Sotheby's Amsterdam Sale of 19th Century European Paintings
Andreas Schelfhout, Numerous skaters and a horse-sledge by a refreshment stall (detail), 96 by 145 cm., estimate €280,000 – 450,000. Photo: Sotheby's.
AMSTERDAM.- Sotheby’s Amsterdam sale of 19th Century European Paintings on 13th December 2010 will feature Twelve Master Paintings from the Collection Besselaar. The selection, which is expected to bring in excess of €1,5 – 2 million, represents all the important artists and genres of the Dutch Romantic School. All of superb quality and rarely offered on the market today the Collection Besselaar includes a panoramic landscape by Barend Cornelis Koekkoek, a lively winter scene by Andreas Schelfhout, a flower still life by Arnoldus Bloemers and several town views by Cornelis Springer and Willem Koekkoek. Painted in 1857, Numerous skaters and a horse-sledge by a refreshment stall, is without any doubt one of the artist’s masterpieces. Comparable to the one in the Rijksmuseum Twenthe (The Netherlands), which is regarde ... More | | Van Ham Celebrate their 10th Anniversary with Over 400 Works by Outstanding Photographers
Heinz Hajek-Halke, Schwarz-Weißer Akt, 1930-1936. Späterer Gelatinesilberabzug. Passepartout. 53 x 38,6cm (60,7 x 44,8cm). Rückseitig mit Bleistift signiert, betitelt (Spiegelakt) und Widmung von 1972. Zudem Copyrightstempel des Photographen. Schätzpreis:$ 22.240 - 25.020 / € 16.000 - 18.000.
COLOGNE.- Van Ham celebrate their 10th anniversary with over 400 works by outstanding photographers, among them regulars such as August Sander, Albert Renger-Patzsch, Bernd and Hilla Becher, Andreas Gursky or Irving Penn. Moreover, Van Ham dedicate a special catalogue to an American collection entitled Selection from an American Collection that comprises numerous works by international top photographers. At this occasion Van Ham again calls top lots from the highly sought-after oeuvre by Cologne photographer August Sander to auction. Particularly remarkable is the 1926 portrait of Sander’s friend, the author and literary critic Dettmar Heinrich Sarnetzki, that the photographer included in his book “Antlitz der Zeit” in 1929 (lot 1123 | estimate: ... More | | Elvis Presley's Powder Blue Mercedes-Benz 600 Sells at Bonhams to German Buyer for £80,700
The King of Rock and Roll's Mercedes sold for for £80,700. Photo: Bonhams.
LONDON.- A Mercedes-Benz, once owned by ‘the King of Rock and Roll’ Elvis Presley, was sold by Bonhams at Mercedes-Benz World in Surrey for £80,700. Restored to a very high standard, this rare piece of Elvis Presley history attracted a great deal of interest and in the end it went to Germany. Two other notable cars at this sale were a 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL ‘Gullwing’ Coupe which sold for £441,500, and a magnificent 1913 Rolls-Royce 45/59hp Silver Ghost Open Drive Limousine that went for £419,500. Motorcars spanning all periods, types and marques went under the hammer, including a Ferrari 550 GTZ, which was one of only five examples of the car bodied by the famous Italian carrozzeria Zagato, and the only right hand drive. This car sold for £353,500. Elvis’s 1970 Mercedes-Benz 600 Saloon Limousine in powder blue was one of only a handful of cars that the singer registered himself, and one of two 600 ... More |
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Exceptionally High Quality and Very Solid Sales at Art Basel Miami Beach 2010
Art lovers view a collection of African photographs in The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse in Miami during the Art Basel show. AP Photo/J Pat Carter.
MIAMI BEACH, FL.- The ninth edition of Art Basel Miami Beach closed on Sunday, December 5, 2010. More than 250 galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa exhibited works by over 2,000 artists. The show attracted 46,000 visitors, a record number. Art collectors, museum directors, curators and cultural journalists from all over the world enjoyed a program of special exhibitions, panel discussions, private collection tours, and events featuring film, performance, and video. A great number of artists also attended the event, among them Michelangelo Pistoletto, Ernesto Neto, Vik Muniz, Pedro Reyes, Jonathan Meese, Martin Creed, Tony Oursler, Teresita Fernandez, Thomas Zipp, Julie Mehretu, Ugo Rondinone, Mark Handforth, Julian Schnabel and Isaac Julien. Over 130 museum and institution groups visited the show, as did private collectors from the Americas, Europe and many emerging markets of the artworld. Art ... More | | Picasso Show at Kunsthaus Zürich has Already Received 100,000 Visitors Since Opening in October
Pablo Picasso, Harlequin Musician (Arlequin Musicien), 1924. Oil on canvas, 113,8 cm x 97,2 cm. National Gallery of Art, Washington. Given in loving memory of her husband, Taft Schreiber, by Rita Schreiber © 2010 ProLitteris, Zurich.
ZURICH.- The homage to Picasso’s first museum show at the Kunsthaus Zürich in 1932 is a hit with the public, receiving over 100,000 visitors since it opened on 15 October. Organized by Tobia Bezzola and on show in Zurich until 30 January 2011, the remake affords a chance to enjoy Picasso’s own personal look at his work, with pieces chosen from his pink and blue periods and his Cubist and neoclassical phase, as well as Surrealist creations. Effective immediately, the Kunsthaus – in partnership with the Tonwelt company – is offering a new iPhone app, featuring passages from the audioguide available with the price of admission, historical images and recordings from the annals of the Kunsthaus, information on Picasso’s life and much more. The exhibition is the high point in the Kunsthaus Zürich’s anniversary ... More | | Louvre Pays Tribute to the 18th Century With a Special Series of Four Exhibitions
Henry Füssli, Le Cauchemar, 1782, Detroit , Institut of Arts © The Bridgeman Art Library.
PARIS.- As part of its 2010–2011 season, the Louvre pays tribute to the 18th century with a special series of four exhibitions. The first of these, Paper Museums: Antiquity in Books, 1600–1800, opened in September, followed by The Louvre in the Age of Enlightenment, 1750–1792, Antiquity Rediscovered: Innovation and Resistance in the 18th Century, and concluding with Franz Xaver Messerschmidt (1736-1783), which opens in January 2011. Organized around a selection of more than one hundred and fifty major works, Antiquity Rediscovered: Innovation and Resistance in the 18th Century, the focal event in the series, traces the emergence in Europe of the movement known as “neoclassicism”, characterized by a renewed desire to re-create the spirit and forms of ancient art. Seen as a reaction against the Parisian rococo style, which had filtered throughout the continent, this revival encompassed architecture and the ... More |
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Smithsonian Stands Firmly Behind "Hide/Seek" Exhibition
WASHINGTON, DC.- The exhibition at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery, “Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture,” which opened Oct. 30, recently sparked a great deal of controversy. One of the exhibition’s 105 works—a short segment in a four-minute video created as a complex metaphor for AIDS—was perceived by some to be anti-Christian. It generated a strong response from the public. We removed it from the exhibition Nov. 30 because the attention it was receiving distracted from the overall exhibition, which includes works by American artists John Singer Sargent, Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Annie Leibovitz and Georgia O’Keeffe. “Hide/Seek” is scheduled to continue as planned until Feb. 13. The museum and the Smithsonian stand firmly behind the scholarly merit and historical and artistic importance of the exhibition. Acknowledging that some visitors may prefer not to encounter some of the subject matter in the e ... More
Auction of Communist Art Helps Red Sludge Victims
BUDAPEST (AP).- An auction of relics and artworks from Hungary's communist era was held Monday to raise funds for the victims of October's flood of toxic red sludge that killed 10 people and left hundreds injured and homeless. The sale at the Pinter Gallery in Budapest included around two dozen eerily similar portraits of Soviet dictator Vladimir Lenin, busts of Bulgarian communist leader Georgi Dimitrov, as well as paintings and drawings in the Socialist realism style exalting physical labor and the supposed friendship between Hungary and the Soviet Union. The items going under the auctioneer's gavel were found in ministries and state warehouses, where many had been stored for decades. Fetching the highest bids was a 1957 oil on canvas titled "He Told Us Everything As It Was" by Iraqi artist Kadhim Haydar, which sold for 1.6 million forints (euro5,700, $7,600). A photograph of Matyas Rakosi, who was removed as Hungary's Stalinist-type ruler just months before the 1956 anti-Sovi ... More
Michael Jackson Glove Brings $330,000 at Auction
BEVERLY HILLS, CA. (AP) .- Items from the Michael Jackson's stage wardrobe, including one of the King of Pop's famous gloves, attracted furious bidding at an auction of celebrity memorabilia in Beverly Hills. Julien's Auctions says a lone glove worn by Jackson during the "Bad" tour in the late 1980s sold for $330,000 at the "Icons & Idols" auction Saturday night. A jacket signed by Jackson brought in $96,000 and a fedora he wore on stage went for $72,000 at the Julien's Auctions event. Other highlights from the auction were an x-ray of Albert Einstein's brain, which brought $38,750, and a pair of Marilyn Monroe's empty prescription bottles sold for $18,750. A military-style jacket worn by John Lennon for a 1966 Life Magazine photo shoot sold for $240,000. Julien's Auctions says the two-day event brought in more ... More
Bonhams to Sell Watches Owned by the Watch Collector and Explorer Dr. George Fisher
LONDON.- On Wednesday 15 December Bonhams will auction a fantastic collection of watches belonging to Dr George Fisher in their New Bond Street saleroom. This will be the second single-owner collection for sale on that day – the first being the world-renowned Haslinger Collection of Heuer watches. Over the years Dr George Fisher has amassed a large collection of watches which give a wonderful insight into the varying styles and time periods of horology spanning almost 280 years. The auction comprises 169 wristwatches, pocket watches and clocks with highlights including a number of 18th century pair case pocket watches as well as mid 19th century minute repeaters and many examples from prolific pocket watch manufacturers. Some of the worlds most desirable and collectable watches will go under the hammer such as lot 205, a 1950s Rolex chronograph in steel (est. £18,000-22,000) and lot 251, a rare modern Patek Philippe c ... More
Property from the Life and Career of Johnny Cash Sold by Julien's Auctions Beverly Hills
BEVERLY HILLS, CA.- Fans and collectors gathered at Julien’s Auctions Beverly Hills today as items that once belonged to Johnny Cash were auctioned. A bidding war erupted for the Johnny Cash jumpsuit worn during a rehearsal at San Quentin prison, made famous in the photograph known simply as “The Finger.” Bidding volleyed between bidders on the telephone, in the gallery and phone bidders, ending with the sale of the jumpsuit for $50,000. A rare poster announcing Cash’s performance at the prison sold alongside the jumpsuit for $25,000 while a 1968 passport sold for $21,875. The auction also brought $50,000 for a Martin stage used guitar. The Bicentennial shirt made by Nudie Cohn and worn by Cash as the Grand Marshall of the American Bicentennial Grand Parade in 1976 brought another bidding war and a sale of the shirt for $31,250 and Johnny Cash’s knee-high boots sold for $21,875. Among the other it ... More
Exhibition of Imperial Chinese Robes from the Forbidden City Opens at the V&A
LONDON.- The magnificent robes worn by the emperors and empresses of the Qing Dynasty, the last ruling dynasty of China, will be shown for the first time in Europe, at the V&A. The exhibition will tell the story of a vanished court life within the confines of the Forbidden City, through exquisite and intricate clothes for grand state functions as well as simple, beautiful garments that were worn daily. This will be a rare chance to see these historic garments and objects, worn for everyday life and for important rituals, imperial banquets and travelling dresses for hunting and royal visits to provinces. It will also be an opportunity to study the intricacies and rich colour of the Chinese silk used to make them. Imperial Chinese Robes features over 50 garments, alongside 20 accessories and 15 fabrics from the collections of the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City in Beijing, the former residency of the imperial Chinese dynastie ... More
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