| | Francis Bacon, Salvador Dali Works Boost Bumper Sotheby's "Looking Closely" Sale
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Artist Francis Bacon's oil on canvas "Studies for a Portrait of Lucian Freud" is seen at Sotheby's.
LONDON.- A triptych of British painter Lucian Freud by his friend Francis Bacon fetched 23 million pounds ($37 million) on Thursday at a Sotheby's auction in London, more than double its high estimate. Combined with a new auction record for any surrealist work of art -- Salvador Dali's "Portrait de Paul Eluard" sold for 13.5 million pounds -- the sale of works from a private collection titled "Looking Closely" raised 93.5 million pounds. That far exceeded expectations of between 39.3 and 55 million pounds and will undermine confidence among major auction houses that the booming art market can sustain its 2010 bull run after contracting sharply late in late 2008 and throughout 2009. Dali's painting had been valued at 3.5 million to 5 million pounds before the auction, but the eventual price tripled the artist's auction record set earlier in the week. Yet the real star of the show was Bacon's "Three Studies for a Portrait of Lu ... More |
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With Soldiers Patrolling, Egypt's Museums and Monuments are Deserted
An Egyptian restorer fixes one the pieces that was broken by looters at the Egyptian Museum. AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti.
By: Christopher Torchia, Associated Press
CAIRO (AP).- One of the world's great museums resembled a military camp on Thursday, with soldiers patrolling behind its wrought iron gates and armored vehicles parked nearby. Inside, workers with white coats and latex gloves delicately handled artifacts that were damaged in the chaos sweeping Egypt. The country's priceless trove of antiquities has emerged mostly unscathed from the unrest so far, but tourism, a pillar of the Egyptian economy, has not. Tens of thousands of foreigners have fled Egypt, many on evacuation flights organized by their governments, draining a key source of employment and foreign currency. Egypt's most famous tourist attraction, the Pyramids of Giza, reopened to tourists on Wednesday after a 12-day closure. But few came to visit. The heavily guarded and shuttered Egyptian Museum in Cairo is next to Tahrir Square, a ... More | | Sotheby's to Offer a Selection of Magnificent Imperial Porcelain from 'The Meiyintang Collection'
A supreme highlight is a Falangcai (‘foreign colour’) vase with golden pheasants, Qing Dynasty, AD 1736-95, expected to sell in excess of HK$180 million/ US$23 million / £14 million. Photo: Sotheby's.
HONG KONG.- Sotheby'’s announced that it will offer in Hong Kong on the 7th April 2011 selections from one of the grandest collections of Chinese Art formed in the last century, The Meiyintang Collection. Assembled over a period of more than 50 years, The Meiyintang Collection is world-renowned for having brought together magnificent examples of Imperial Porcelain and the sale will bring to market iconic pieces from each of the main reigns from the 14th to the 18th centuries. A supreme highlight is a Falangcai (‘foreign colour’) vase with golden pheasants, Qing Dynasty, AD 1736-95, expected to sell in excess of HK$180 million/ US$23 million / £14 million. Around 80 lots, estimated to bring HK$630 to HK$940 million / US$81-121 million / £50-77 million*, will be offered in a special evening sale and will form the centerpiece of the Chinese Porcelain and Works of Art on offer during Sotheby'’s Spring Sale Ser ... More | | An Unknown Son of Pakal II of Palenque has Been Identified by Mexican Archaeologists
A new lecture of the glyphic text was conducted in which the name of another son of Pakal II may be mentioned. Photo: Guillermo Bernal.
MEXICO CITY.- Parting from the reintegration of two fragments from the Northern Tableau of the Temple of the Sun Sanctuary, in Palenque, a new lecture of the glyphic text was conducted in which the name of another son of Pakal II, unknown until now, may have been mentioned. Both sculptural fragments were recovered in 1993 by archaeologist Arnoldo Gonzalez, from the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) and were recently incorporated to the Northern Tableau at the Archaeological Site of Palenque, in the Mexican state of Chiapas. Epigraphist Guillermo Bernal Romero has interpreted the secondary text of the tableau, integrated by the pair of fragments salvaged. In a preliminary expression of the glyphs ordered in columns, the date that corresponds to September 9th 687 is mentioned, when Palenque forces broke into the city of Po’ (Tonina) “by the work” of its ruler K’inich Kan B’ahlam, fir ... More |
 | New Museum to Spotlight Four Decades of Works by Lynda Benglis in Major Retrospective
Lynda Benglis, Contraband, 1969. Pigmented latex, 116 1/4 x 394 1/3 x 3 in (295.3 x 1001.6 x 7.6 cm). Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Purchase, with funds from the Painting and Sculpture Committee and partial gift of John Cheim and Howard Reed 2008. © Lynda Benglis/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY.
NEW YORK, NY.- The New Museum presents a major exhibition of works by Lynda Benglis, the renowned American artist’s first museum retrospective in over twenty years. Benglis is an artist whose work continues to challenge artistic norms and exceed easy definition. Initially developed in the 1960s, her singular practice did not fit clearly within the sharp aesthetics of Minimalism or in the overtly political gestures of feminist art. Unlike Minimalist sculpture, Benglis’s works are steeped in the organic, with rivers of vibrant colors and erotic melting forms populating her sculptures. Rejecting the formalist influences of modernism, Benglis takes painting off the wall and brings color back into sculpture; she captures sensual experience and ... More | | The Brooklyn Museum is Giving About 5,000 Pre-Columbian Artifacts to Costa Rica
A pendant in the form of an anthropomorphic being. AP Photo/Brooklyn Museum.
NEW YORK (AP).- The Brooklyn Museum is preparing to give about 5,000 pre-Columbian artifacts in its collection to Costa Rica as part of a housekeeping move to trim its vast holdings. The museum will initially give the National Museum of Costa Rica 983 ceramic vessels and figurines that were legally acquired by American railroad magnate and banana exporter Minor C. Keith in the late 1800s. It eventually will transfer the other 4,000 objects from the Keith collection, curator Nancy Rosoff said Thursday. The New York museum will retain about 10 percent of the collection, including some of the more valuable objects, such as gold and jade figurines and pendants, Rosoff said. The Central American nation has never claimed ownership to the works. Costa Rica's Culture Minister, Manuel Obregon, said that its state regulatory agency, the National Insurance Institute, will pay for the packing and transportation costs of the first s ... More | | Harlem's Legendary Apollo Theater is Subject of Exhibition at Museum of the City of New York
Apollo Theater Exterior, 2008. Photo courtesy of the Apollo Theater Foundation, Inc. Photo by Shahar Azran.
NEW YORK, NY.- The Apollo Theater, one of the nation’s most enduring cultural landmarks, is the subject of a spectacular exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York . On view from February 8 through May 1, 2011, Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing: How the Apollo Theater Shaped American Entertainment explores the Theater’s rich history and seminal influence on popular culture. With a dazzling array of images, videos, costumes, artifacts, and text, the exhibition brings to life many of the most groundbreaking personalities and moments in the history of music, while shining a spotlight on the impact of African-American artists on American culture. Susan Henshaw Jones, the Ronay Menschel Director of the Museum of the City of New York , commented: “The Apollo is one of New York City ’s greatest cultural landmarks and it is a symbol of pride not ... More |
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Dynamics! Cubism / Futurism / Kineticism on View at the Belvedere in Vienna
Elisabeth Karlinsky, Faces in Circular Figuration, 1923. Oil, tinfoil paper on canvas, 70 x 59 cm. Wien Museum © VBK Vienna, 2011.
VIENNA.- With its show DYNAMICS! Cubism / Futurism / Kineticism, the Belvedere offers a comprehensive insight into abstraction as practiced in Vienna between 1919 and 1929, in the context of European Modernism. The phenomenon of Viennese Kineticism, which has hitherto attracted little attention internationally, is presented alongside masterpieces from all over Europe, including works by František Kupka, Robert Delaunay, Fernand Léger, Carlo Carrà, and Giacomo Balla. In the early 1920s, it was particularly the students in Franz Cizek’s class at the Vienna School of Applied Arts who dealt with Cubism and Italian and Russian Futurism – art styles for which, contrary to Paris or Berlin, no tradition had yet been established in Vienna. The exhibition demonstrates how rapidly and innovatively Viennese artists joined in with the European post-war avant-garde during the 1920s. The students subscribed to a new faith in ... More | | Recent Paintings by Artist Laurie Fendrich at Gary Snyder Project Space in New York
Laurie Fendrich, An Honest Stupid Soul, 2010, oil on canvas, 36 x 30 inches. Photo: Courtesy Gary Snyder Project Space.
NEW YORK, NY.- Gary Snyder Project Space presents the exhibition, Laurie Fendrich: Recent Paintings, opening February 10th, 2011, and continuing through April 2nd, 2011. Fendrich’s work is the subject of a retrospective exhibition, Sense and Sensation: Laurie Fendrich, Paintings and Drawings 1990-2010, which was organized and presented by the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery at Scripps College, in Claremont, CA, October – December, 2010. The exhibition—which will travel to the Montana Museum of Art and Culture at The University of Montana in Missoula later this spring—is accompanied by a catalogue featuring an essay on the artist by renowned art critic Mark Stevens (whose biography of Willem de Kooning, co-written with his wife, Annalyn Swan, won the Pulitzer Prize in 2008). The catalogue also contains an extensive -moreinterview with Fendrich by Geoform.net editor Julie Karabenick, together with fu ... More | | Vettriano Self-Portrait to Go on Show in New Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Jack Vettriano, The Weight. Oil on canvas, 24 x 20 inches, 2010 © Jack Vettriano 2010. Private Collection UK. On loan to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery.
EDINBURGH.- A self-portrait by Jack Vettriano will go on show in the new Scottish National Portrait Gallery when it reopens in the autumn of 2011. Jack Vettriano’s painting, The Weight, which has been offered on long-term loan to the national collection from a UK private collector, will be included within the opening displays. The Scottish National Portrait Gallery will reopen in November after a £17.6 million capital project to renovate and rejuvenate the building. James Holloway, Director of the SNPG said: 'Jack Vettriano is one of the world’s best known Scottish artists. I am delighted that his self-portrait will hang in the new Portrait Gallery alongside the faces of the many other famous Scots in our collection.' Jack Vettriano OBE said: 'This is a great honour and another benchmark in my career, and for it to happen in my father’s lifetime, makes it all the more special.' Born in Fife in 1951, ... More |
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Barbican Art Gallery Presents Brooklyn-Based Cory Arcangel's "Beat the Champ"
Cory Arcangel, Beat the Champ. Photo: Eliot Wyman.
LONDON.- Brooklyn-based Cory Arcangel is one of the leading media artists of his generation. He often appropriates, manipulates and subverts new media, including video games, computer software and the internet. Arcangel's project for The Curve, a co-commission with Whitney Museum of American Art, is an installation featuring 14 bowling video games from the 1970s to the 2000s. Looped to play scoreless games, they create an immersive sound collage from the abstract static Atari, to Nintendo's bleeps and bloops, to the more realistic electronic simulation of bowling sounds of recent PlayStation consoles. Arcangel also displays the video-game consoles themselves, each with a small computer chip attached, flickering at one end of the darkened gallery. Beat the Champ, opens in The Curve on 10 February 2011. Arcangel’s digital interventions are particularly relevant in an age where technology is ever more important. Often brightly ... More | | The Whitney Opens Exhibition of Highlights from Emily Fisher Landau's Collection
Nayland Blake, Double Feature Standards, 1991. Silk flowers, aluminum, two VHS tapes in plastic cases, steel cable, and rubber, 83 x 32 x 14 in. (210.8 x 81.3 x 35.6 cm) overall. Promised gift of Emily Fisher Landau P.2010.36a–e. © Nayland Blake. Photo: Tim Nighswander/Imaging4Art.com
NEW YORK, NY.- Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection, an exhibition of a selection of works from the historic gift of art pledged to the Museum in May 2010 by longtime trustee Emily Fisher Landau, is open at the Whitney Museum of American Art, from February 10 through May 1, 2011. Co-curated by Donna De Salvo, the Whitney’s Chief Curator and Deputy Director for Programs, and David Kiehl, the Museum’s curator of prints and special collections, the exhibition, which includes more than eighty works, are presented in the Museum’s fourth-floor galleries, which are named for Emily Fisher Landau. Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection is the culmination of a single collector’s ... More | | West Dean Tapestry and Tracey Emin Collaborate on Tapestry to Be Unveiled at Saatchi Gallery
Philip Sanderson and Caron Penney, West Dean weavers weaving Tapestry for Tracey Emin. Photo: Steve Speller. © the artist.
LONDON.- Tracey Emin has commissioned the West Dean Tapestry Studio to translate one of her paintings, Black Cat, into tapestry. This is Tracey’s first venture into this medium. The tapestry will be unveiled at COLLECT 2011, Saatchi Gallery on the 6 May. Tracey Emin says: “The Black Cat is one of my favourite paintings. It took me over seven years to complete, not because I was hesitant, but because it’s two completely different paintings. It has bold strong shapes as well as subtle washes of colour. I thought this would be perfect for a tapestry, and I am delighted with the work Caron and Philip have done in translating my work to the woven form.” Emin adds: “Black Cat has many layers, emotionally as well as literally. The painting underneath is landscape, and is of a figure crouching down with the words ... More |
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Fine Jewelry Auction at Morphy's Features Private Collection of Florida Jewelers
DENVER, PA.- A top-tier private collection of gold, platinum and precious-gem jewelry amassed over several decades will be featured in a single-session, no-reserve specialty auction at Morphy’s gallery on Feb. 26, 2011. The collection – whose consignors previously owned fine jewelry stores in Florida – consists primarily of superior-quality estate jewelry selected “with a sophisticated eye over a number of years,” said Dr. John Morphy, director of Acquisitions & Appraisals for Morphy’s. “This is not retail stock; this was the consignors’ own collection, which they kept in a safe. Approximately half of it is vintage, and there are some truly spectacular pieces.” Around 80% of the collection is gold, 5% platinum and 5% sterling, Morphy said. Literally hundreds of diamond rings and bracelets will be offered, with many ... More
Students Reinterpret Paintings in "Look Again... Stories of the World" on Display at The Courtauld Gallery
LONDON.- For the first time original works by young people are on display at The Courtauld Gallery as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad programme Stories of the World, the biggest youth engagement project ever undertaken by UK museums. Inspired by works from The Courtauld Gallery’s collection, twenty-one students aged 16 to 21 from further education colleges across London have reinterpreted selected paintings to create photographic portraits staged with artist photographer Marysa Dowling. They also organised the exhibition in consultation with curators, conservators and technicians while learning what goes on behind the scenes of a world-famous museum. The participating students are studying a wide range of subjects, from BTEC to A-Levels, and all have a keen interest in art although they had not visited The Courtauld Gallery before taking part in this project. The students were in receipt of Education Mainten ... More
Annie Leibovitz Exhibition Breaks Museum of Contemporary Art Attendence Records
SYDNEY.- The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) announce that its exhibition of works by internationally renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz is now the most popular ticketed exhibition ever presented at the MCA. Just twelve weeks since its opening on 19 November 2010 and only half-way through its run, Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer’s Life 1990–2005 has attracted 85,118 visitors. During the summer period, attendances have peaked at nearly 2,000 people per day. The previous MCA record for a ticketed exhibition was set by Danish artist Olafur Eliasson whose works attracted 63,080 visitors in 2010. MCA Director Elizabeth Ann Macgregor was delighted to make this announcement in light of the visit to Sydney by Annie Leibovitz. The artist is this week attending a series of media events and a special reception to celebrate the exhibition. Ms Macgregor also announced that the MCA is extending the exhibition by another ... More
Five New Public Art Projects to Debut at San Francisco International Airport
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee and Director of Cultural Affairs for the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) Luis R. Cancel announced that with the opening of San Francisco International Airport's (SFO) newly remodeled Terminal 2 this April, the Arts Commission will add five new public artworks to its acclaimed airport collection. SFO has long been home to one of the most important and valuable public art collections in the country. With the renovation of the Airport's Terminal 2 (T2), formerly the Central Terminal, the SFAC's Public Art Program received approximately $3.7 million in art enrichment funds for new commissioned work as well as the reinstallation of 20 works already in the airport collection, some of which were historically sited in the terminal. "World-class art is a part of the fabric of everyday life in San Francisco, and what better way to set the stage for our visitors than with a museum-quality art collection at our gateway," said Mr. Ca ... More
Smithsonian's National Postal Museum Receives Donation for the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery
WASHINGTON, DC.- Alan and Sandy Whitman have donated $100,000 to support the National Postal Museum's expansion to create the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery. Alan is a managing director at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and an active member of the museum's Council of Philatelists. The Smithsonian and the U.S. Postal Service recently signed a lease agreement for the additional space to build the gallery. This new space will be added to the museum's existing 65,000 square feet and is scheduled to open in the next couple of years. "Alan and Sandy's donation reflects true passion for the hobby of stamp collecting," said Allen Kane, director of the museum. "As a leading collector of Classic U.S. stamps, Alan understands what this new gallery will do to promote philately in an impressive and unprecedented way." "My wife and I have always felt compelled to give back, and helping the National Postal Museum encourage ... More
Mickey Mouse Animation Cel, World's Most Valuable, Readies for Sale at Heritage Auctions
DALLAS, TX.- The most valuable animation cel in the world, and one of the most important Mickey Mouse collectibles in existence – The Band Concert Production Cel Animation Art, Walt Disney, 1935 – will be part of Heritage Auctions Feb. 24-25 Signature® Comics and Comic Art Auction. It is estimated at $100,000+. It is thought to be the only production setup in existence from the first Mickey cartoon that features Mickey and the entire band. "This cel is, in many ways, the ultimate Mickey Mouse item a collector could ever hope to acquire," said Barry Sandoval, Director of Operations of the Comics category at Heritage. "The Band Concert was the very first theatrical Mickey Mouse cartoon in color, and has long been cherished by Disney fans worldwide." The cel comes to Heritage via the Kerby Confer Collection, one of the finest groupings of key Disney related art ever assembled. Confer, a well-known Maryland radio executive, has long be ... More
Austin Museum of Art Announces Departure of Executive Director and Chief Curator
AUSTIN, TX.- The Austin Museum of Art announced in January that Dana Friis‐Hansen, Executive Director and Chief Curator, was leaving the Museum. Friis‐Hansen joined the Museum as Chief Curator in 1999 and from 2002 until January 2011, he served as both Chief Curator and Executive Director. In his eight years leading the organization, he was responsible for and involved in strategic planning, managing the museum’s professional staff, fundraising and budget oversight, as well as his curatorial duties. “Dana has always had great enthusiasm for contemporary art and for artists in particular. One of his greatest contributions to the Austin community has been the connections he has forged with local artists and the exposure he has offered them,” said Board of Trustees President Lynn Sherman. “Dana is energetic, hardworking, dependable, and of unquestioned integrity. I think his skills, experience an ... More
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