| | Alte Pinakothek Celebrates 175th Anniversary with a Series of Blockbuster Exhibitions
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Queen Paola of Belgium (R) is guided through the Alte Pinakothek museum by curator Miriam Neumeister (L) in Munich,Germany, 30 March 2011. The Belgian royal couple is on a two-day visit to Germany. EPA/FRANKLEONHARDT.
MUNICH.- In 2011 the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen is marking the Alte Pinakothek’s 175th anniversary with a wide range of events. Opened to the public on 16 October, 1836, Leo von Klenze’s seminal museum building today still provides the architectural framework for collections of paintings assembled in Munich around 1800 by various branches of the Wittelsbach dynasty, together with King Ludwig I’s later acquisitions. A series of exhibitions during the jubilee year focuses on the history of the museum and its collection which is among the most important in the world. To launch this series, from mid March the Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen welcomed a hugely important guest, Johannes Vermeer’s “Woman Holding a Balance”. This masterpiece, now held in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, once formed part of the exquisite private collection amassed by the first king of Bavaria, Max I J ... More |
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Record for Any Paul Gauguin Print Sold at Auction Established Today at Sotheby's
A new auction record for a print by Paul Gauguin was achieved. Photo: Sotheby's.
LONDON.- This morning at Sotheby’s in London , ten prints by Paul Gauguin from the Collection of Stanley J. Seeger, sold for £1.54 million ($2.47 million), almost four times the pre-sale low estimate for the group. A new auction record for a print by Paul Gauguin was achieved when Crouching Tahitian Woman Seen From The Back sold for £577,250 ($924,466), over three times the estimate (£180,000-220,000). The traced monotype, or ‘printed drawing’, was fiercely contested by a number of determined bidders, finally selling to a private collector on the telephone after a five-minute battle. Earlier in the sale, there was much excitement surrounding a pair of rare woodcuts by Albrecht Dürer – widely considered the greatest artist of the Northern Renaissance. The earliest printed star charts, A Map of the Northern Sky and A Map of the Southern Sky, sold for £361,250 ($578,542) to Daniel Crouch Rare Books, over thre ... More | | Exhibition of Paintings and Works on Paper by Richard Prince at Gagosian Gallery in Paris
Richard Prince, Untitled (de Kooning), 2009 : Ink jet and acrylic on canvas 196.5 x 156.8 cm PRINC 2009.0124 © Richard Prince. Courtesy of the artist and Gagosian Gallery.
PARIS.- Gagosian Gallery presents “Richard Prince: de Kooning” an exhibition of paintings and works on paper. This coincides with “Richard Prince: American Prayer" at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, an exhibition of American literature, ephemera and artworks from Prince’s personal collection. Prince’s “de Kooning” series is a process of interaction with the canonic imagery of the Abstract Expressionist idol Willem de Kooning. The idea for these edgy Oedipal works came to him when he was leafing through a catalogue of de Kooning’s Women series. He started sketching over the paintings, sometimes drawing a man to de Kooning’s woman. As time went on, he began applying fragments of male and female torsos, genitalia, thighs, and facial features, cut and pasted from catalogues and vintage ... More | | City of Cologne will Receive a Spectacular Gift from the Bequest of Irene Ludwig
Natalja Gontscharowa, Porträt Michail Larionow, 1913. Öl auf Leinwand / Oil on canvas, 105 x 78 cm. Museum Ludwig, Köln / Sammlung Ludwig © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2011. Foto: Museum Ludwig Köln/RBA.
COLOGNE.- After the unexpected death of Prof. Dr. h.c. mult. Irene Ludwig last November, the terms of our generous patron’s testament have been disclosed. The City of Cologne will receive spectacular gifts and permanent loans from the bequest of Irene Ludwig for the Museum Ludwig and the Museum Schnütgen. A total of 528 works from the estate of Prof. Ludwig will permanently enrich Cologne’s collections. Mayor Jürgen Roters announced the donation today in the Historisches Rathaus, expressing deep-felt admiration and gratitude for this Honorary Citizen of Cologne’s decision. “The City of Cologne and anyone interested in art today or in the future will henceforth remember Prof. Irene Ludwig’s extraordinarily generous gift with immense gratitude when visiting one of our museums. This is the ultimate comple- ... More |
 | Exhibition of New Work by Spanish Artist Angela de la Cruz at Lisson Gallery
Angela de la Cruz, Compressed (Cream), 2011. Oil on aluminium, 122 x 70 x 56 cm. Photo: Courtesy Lisson Gallery.
LONDON.- Lisson Gallery presents an exhibition of new work by Angela de la Cruz. Fiercely emotive, de la Cruz’s work examines the language of painting and sculpture, challenging the established norms and testing the boundaries of both mediums. Says Lisson Gallery's Curatorial Director Greg Hilty, “De la Cruz’s fierce independence of vision and confidence with the physical matter of her work marks her out as one of the truly unique artistic voices of her generation.” De la Cruz’s work is both unapologetically raw and darkly humorous, possessing a physicality that is as much influenced by the work of comics such as Jacques Tati, Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd as it is by the visceral nature of Goya’s painting. Through violent interventions she anthropomorphises her work, manipulating and deconstructing her canvases and ... More | | Exhibition at Jacquemart-André Museum Evokes the Private World of the Caillebotte Brothers
Martial Caillebotte, Maurice Minoret ramant. Tirage photographique, 11 x 8 cm. Collection particulière © D.R.
PARIS.- Through 11 July 2011, the Jacquemart-André Museum is presenting The Caillebotte Brothers’ Private World. Painter and photographer. An encounter between Impressionism and photography, this exhibition evokes the artistic and private world of the Caillebotte brothers. This original perspective of Gustave’s paintings and Martial’s photography invites the visitor to enter the private world of a large Parisian family and explore the new urban lifestyle which was taking hold at the dawn of the XXth century. The Caillebotte brothers became witnesses of a period that was undergoing a major urban and technological transformation, and a way of life often illustrated by Impressionist artists. Gustave Caillebotte’s reputation for his talent as a painter and his role as patron of his Impressionist friends is well established. We also know that he had great affection for his brother Martial. But Mar ... More | | Christie's to Sell Giant Pearl in Dubai, Expected to Sell for as Much as $250,000
The baroque drop-shaped natural pearl weighing 239.7 grains (59.92 carats). Estimate: US$180,000-250,000. © Christie’s Images Limited 2011.
By: Catherine Ngai
DUBAI (REUTERS).- Auction house Christie's will put one of the world's largest pearls on the block at its Dubai spring jewelry sale on April 20 in a nostalgic reminder of the Emirate's pearl diving past. The auction house is showcasing an array of pearls, diamonds, gems and gold jewelry ahead of the sale. Pearls are especially unique to Dubai, as pearl hunting was a major source of income a century ago in the port city. Christie's -- who have been holding regular auctions in the Middle East since 2006 -- saw regional sales reach $51 million last year, up from recession lows of $18-20 million in 2009. Globally, the art and jewelry-selling powerhouse posted record sales of $5 billion in 2010. "2009 was a very difficult year for us. Volumes were down and we had price softening," ... More |
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Hundreds of British Arts Organizations Feel the Sting of Government's Funding Cuts
File photo of the Royal Opera House in London's Covent Garden. AP Photo/Bridget Jones.
By: Jill Lawless, Associated Press
LONDON (AP).- Hundreds of British arts organizations had their public funding slashed or eliminated Wednesday, the result of government spending cuts aimed at tackling the country's deficit. The Arts Council England must cut 15 percent from the amount it gives to art, music, theater, dance, literature and other groups by 2015 — which still leaves it with almost 1 billion pounds ($1.6 billion) to hand out. The council said that instead of "salami slicing" — cutting 15 percent from everyone — it wanted to create a smaller but stronger portfolio of groups. So some have been cut off entirely, while others have seen their funding increase. "We have taken the brave path of strategic choices, not salami slices, which has meant some painful decisions," said council chair Liz Forgan. The council had funded about 850 groups but that has shrunk to 695 — chosen from 1,330 applicants. More than 200 groups will now have their funding cut entirely from ... More | | Living Legend of the International Avant-Garde, Yayoi Kusama, at Gagosian in Rome
Yayoi Kusama, Self Portrait (Tway), 2010. Acrylic on canvas, 89 1/2 x 71 5/8 inches © Yayoi Kusama. Courtesy Gagosian Gallery.
ROME.- Gagosian Gallery presents an exhibition of recent paintings and sculptures by Yayoi Kusama. Kusama is a living legend of the international avant-garde who has emphatically eschewed the categorizations of modern art. Flamboyant yet profound, her oeuvre runs the gamut from unique masterpieces to mass-produced pop culture commodities, consistent in their constant and manifold appeal to the imagination and the senses. In a protean career spanning more than sixty years, she has made cosmic infinity and personal obsession the twin poles of her artistic inquiry. This exhibition of recent work weaves between the two oppositions, juxtaposing monadic sculptures with topological installations and abstract paintings with self-portraits. Three sculptures spanning fifty years reveal Kusama’s constantly evolving approach to reflectivity as concept, process, and metaphor. Narcissus Garden is a sculptural installation of hundreds ... More | | A Celebration of the Skill of Emerging Victorian Artists at the National Gallery of Victoria
Isabella Carlstrom, Cemented in consumerism (detail), earthenware on painted composition board and wood, 122.0 x 242.0 x 80.0 cm. Melbourne Girls Grammar, South Yarra.
MELBOURNE.- Opening 31 March, the National Gallery of Victoria will present Top Arts: VCE 2010, a celebration of the skill and imagination of emerging Victorian artists. Now in its seventeenth year, Top Arts will display 55 works by 53 students from government, Catholic and independent schools from across Victoria. Exemplary drawings, photography, paintings, sculpture, ceramics, books, short films and textiles will be represented in this year’s exhibition. Works have been inspired by a wide range of themes, including responses to the natural and urban environment, family relationships, and consumerism. Responses to art movements and historical events are also explored with one student depicting her grandmother’s five years in Auschwitz and another drawing the brutality of the Russian Revolution. Merren Ricketson, Top Arts Coordinating Curator said: “Each ... More |
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Lichtenstein Drawing Acquired for $10 Expected to Achieve over $1,000,000 at Christie's
Roy Lichtenstein's "Drawing for a Kiss V." The 6 by 6 inch graphite and wax drawing will be auctioned May 11, 2011. AP Photo/Christie's Images Ltd 2011.
By: Ula Ilnytzky, Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP).- The invitation to a 1960s "happening" was intriguing: Pay $10 to enter a lottery for the chance to get a key to a Penn Station locker containing artwork. For one New Yorker who attended the 1965 event, the key revealed a Roy Lichtenstein drawing that Christie's auction house estimates will fetch around $1 million at its May 11 auction. "Kiss V" is a study for one of Lichtenstein's major paintings of the same name, which is in a private collection and belongs to his dream-girl series created between 1961 and 1965. Measuring 6 inches by 6 inches, the study is a comic book-inspired close-up of a man and woman, executed in graphite and wax crayon. The artist, who died in 1997, was famous for his cartoon-inspired style that helped launch — along with Andy Warhol, Jasper John and others — the pop art movement. "Happenings, ... More | | Maine Governor Paul LePage Taken to Task after Labor-Themed Mural Removed
Waves of criticism have followed the removal of a mural depicting workers' history in Maine. REUTERS/Judy Taylor.
By: Clarke Canfield, Associated Press
PORTLAND, ME (AP).- The president of Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts sent a scathing letter Tuesday to Maine Gov. Paul LePage for removing a labor-themed mural from the Department of Labor headquarters as the status of the disputed artwork remains in limbo and its location remains a secret. The 36-foot mural was taken down over the weekend after LePage said it was too biased in favor of organized labor and wasn't in line with his pro-business agenda. The mural was installed in 2008 and depicts Maine's long labor history with images of mill workers, labor strikes and child laborers among its scenes. In a letter faxed to LePage's office, Mount Holyoke College President Lynn Pasquarella said she has "grave concerns" about the decision to remove the mural, which includes a depiction of 1902 Mount Holyoke graduate and former U.S. ... More | | Smithsonian American Art Museum to Create Education Center and Expand Program
The 2,300-square-foot facility will be located on the first floor of the museum’s historic main building, located at Eighth and F streets N.W. in Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian American Art Museum is creating an education center that will allow it to significantly expand its national education program and meet the needs of the museum’s many education constituencies. The center will benefit students in classrooms across the nation and on U.S. military bases worldwide as well as school groups touring the museum, conservators, research fellows and educators. The museum recently received an $8 million private gift to support the creation of the center and a related program endowment. The 2,300-square-foot facility will be located on the first floor of the museum’s historic main building, located at Eighth and F streets N.W. in Washington, D.C. Activities will include pre- and post-tour discussions, real-time video conference tours, professional workshops for educators, including the Clarice Smith Teacher Institutes, graduate seminars, presentations by resea ... More |
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 Stolen Drtikol Photograph Found in the United StatesPRAGUE (AP).- Police say a print by famed Czech photographer Frantisek Drtikol stolen from a Prague museum was found in California. The print of Drtikol's 1925 female nude "The Wave" disappeared March 13 from the Museum of Decorative Arts in the Czech capital. Police spokeswoman Eva Kropacova says it was offered to be auctioned at a gallery in California. Kropacova says the gallery owner Joseph Bellow contacted the London-based Art Loss Register, which informed police investigators. The print, which was insured for 1,25 million koruna ($71,500) was transported from London to Prague Wednesday. Police declined to give any detail about a suspect who remains at large. Prague museum has 10 prints of the photograph, including the one Drtikol marked "the final." ... More Harper Montgomery, One of the Nation's Leading Experts in Latin American Art, to Join Hunter CollegeNEW YORK, NY.- Hunter College has named Harper Montgomery, one of the nation’s leading experts in Latin American art, the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Professor in Latin American Art. Dr. Montgomery will join Hunter in the fall of 2011. The appointment is part of a newly formed partnership between Hunter and the Fundación Cisneros/Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros (CPPC) that is expected to have a transformative impact on Latin American art scholarship at Hunter. The partnership gives Hunter full access to artworks from the collection, archival materials and curatorial research that will enable the college to create new courses in Latin American and Caribbean art for both undergraduate and graduate students. These resources will also be made available to the Hunter College Art Galleries for study, exhibition, and publication. Hunter College President Jennifer J. Raab said: “After an extensive international ta ... More RM Auctions Presents Stunning Bertone Collection at Ville d'EsteLONDON.- RM Auctions, the world’s largest collector car auction house for quality automobiles, is pleased to announce that it has been chosen by the liquidators of the Bertone Museum to offer six motor cars and one-off design concepts from the celebrated Italian manufacturer and coachbuilder, Bertone. This stunning collection of cars is another fantastic addition to RM’s eagerly awaited debut sale at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Cernobbio, Italy, 21st May, 2011. “RM is delighted to be aligned with the illustrious Bertone brand and truly honoured to have been selected to bring some of their most famous and extraordinary creations to the open market for the very first time. We look forward to providing our collector car expertise for the successful sale of these rolling works of art,” says Max Girardo, Managing Director, RM Europe. Illustrating the craftsmanship and styling leadership ... More Keats Love Letter to Return to Keats House Following Successful City of London Corporation BidLONDON.- The City of London Corporation, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has bought a love letter written by the poet John Keats to Fanny Brawne at Wentworth Place (now Keats House) in 1820. The letter was bought at auction in London for £80,000. With fees the amount paid was £96,000. The City of London Corporation which manages Keats House (where the letter was written) says it will now be displayed there. The associated HLF project also includes one year of educational activities including workshops, digitisation and training for volunteers. In the letter, Keats wrote: "I shall Kiss your name and mine where your Lips have been - Lips! why should a poor prisoner as I am talk about such things." He said his "consolation" was "in the certainty of your affection". Fanny Brawne lived next door to him in Hampstead, north London. "You had better not come today," was scribbled on the outside of the letter. Mich ... More Frank Miller's 1986 Dark Knight Batman & Robin Splash Page to Be Offered at Heritage AuctionsNEW YORK, N.Y.- The iconic original art for the page 10 splash page from issue #3 of Frank Miller and Klaus Janson's The Dark Knight Returns, the comic series that almost single-handedly re-vitalized Batman, and defined the best of 1980s comics, is expected to bring $100,000+ when it comes up for auction as part of Heritage Auctions' New York Signature(r) Vintage Comics & Comic Art Auction, May 5, at the Fletcher-Sinclair Mansion (Ukranian Institute), 2 East 79th Street (at 5th Ave.) "The Dark Knight Returns is universally acknowledged as one of the most important and influential superhero stories ever published," said Todd Hignite, Consignment Director for Comic & Illustration Art at Heritage. "Miller is arguably the greatest superhero writer/artist to work during this period, and Dark Knight is his undisputed masterpiece." Prior to the four-issue series of The Dark Knight Returns, Batman had lost his perch among ... More Auction Set for William and Kate Sweet DispensersVIENNA (REUTERS).- If you've ever wanted to eat sweets disgorged from the chests of royalty, your time has come. PEZ, the Austrian company whose candy dispensers are known around the world, has created a special pair in the likeness of Britain's Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton ahead of next month's royal wedding. Fans of the royal couple or of Pez figurines can submit offers on the eBay for Charity auction platform from April 7 to 17. Proceeds will go to a charity supported by the couple, the company said on Tuesday. PEZ makes around 80 million dispensers and 4.6 billion sweets a year, but unlike other popular models the William and Kate figurines will not dispense sweets through their mouths. "The whole head bends back," the spokeswoman said. The smiling figure of Kate wears blue while William dresses in black with a red tie. "The figure of Prince William has a lot more hair than in real life," the spokeswoman said. ... More |
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