| | Christie's Backs Stubbs to Join Old Masters Elite, Painting Expected to Fetch $33 Million
| | | | 
A Christie's employee poses for a photograph with "Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath, with a Trainer, a Stable-Lad, and a Jockey" by George Stubbs at Christie's in London April 6, 2011. The painting is expected to sell for £20 million ($ 33 million) when it goes on auction in London on July 5, 2011. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett.
LONDON (REUTERS).- Christie's will offer a George Stubbs horse painting for sale in London on July 5 and expects it to make more than 20 million pounds ($33 million), potentially putting it in the Old Masters auction elite. "Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath, with a Trainer, a Stable-Lad, and a Jockey" was painted by Stubbs, renowned for his anatomically precise portrayals of horses, in 1765, and is described by the auctioneer as "a true masterpiece." It depicts Gimcrack, one of the most admired 18th century racehorses which won 28 of his 36 races and finished unplaced only once. The painting shows Gimcrack twice -- in the background winning a "trial" and in the foreground with his trainer and jockey, a stable lad rubbing him down. Should the painting exceed pre-sale expectations, it would place Stubbs among the most valuable Old Master painters in auction history, according to Christie's. Although exchange rates fluctuate, the mo ... More |
 |
 |
Former Lawrence Salander Gallery Director Guilty in Case with De Niro as Witness
Former New York City art gallery director Leigh Morse leaves New York Supreme Court. AP Photo/David Karp.
By: Jennifer Peltz, Associated Press Writer
NEW YORK (AP).- A former art gallery director was convicted Wednesday in an art fraud case that brought Robert De Niro to a witness stand to discuss a role he generally plays behind the scenes: artist's son. Leigh Morse was found guilty of scheming to defraud four artists' estates by selling their works without telling them. But she was acquitted of a more serious grand larceny charge that specifically involved the estate of De Niro's artist father. The charges against Morse stemmed from a more sweeping case against her former boss, now-imprisoned ex-gallery owner and admitted swindler Lawrence Salander. Morse's lawyer said she had nothing to do with Salander's $120 million scheme. Morse, 55, could face up to four years in prison but won't necessarily get any time behind bars at her sentencing, set for June 3. Morse "systematically looted the estates of her clients over a period of many years," ... More | | Sotheby's Sets Record for an Islamic Work of Art at Auction with £7.4 Million Sale
The Shahnameh or ‘Book of Kings’ is the Persian national epic and the folio in ink, opaque watercolour and gold on paper, depicts Faridun in the guise of a dragon testing his sons and was completed at the royal Safavid atelier circa 1525-1535. Photo: Sotheby's.
LONDON.- Today, Sotheby’s London established a new record for an Islamic work of art at auction when an illustrated folio from the Shahnameh made for Shah Tahmasp of Persia, universally acknowledged as one of the supreme illustrated manuscripts of any period or culture and among the greatest works of art in the world, sold for the outstanding and well above estimate sum of £7,433,250. This exceptional illustrated leaf saw competition for almost 10 minutes from no fewer than seven bidders, both in the saleroom and on the telephones, and finally sold for nearly four times pre-sale expectations to an anonymous bidder on the telephone (pre-sale estimate: £2-3 million). Commenting on the price achieved for the illustrated leaf in the Stuart Cary Welch Collection: Part 1. Arts of the Islamic World Sale, Edward Gibbs, ... More | | Museum of Modern Art Releases Free iPad App for Downloading MoMA E-Books
The MoMA Books App presents a digital bookshelf of MoMA publications that users can browse by downloading free sample sections that provide a preview of the book’s contents.
NEW YORK, N.Y.- The Museum of Modern Art announces the release of MoMA Books, a free Application for the Apple iPad that allows users to purchase, download, and read a growing number of MoMA’s e-books, including favorite backlist titles that are no longer available in print, such as Atget by John Szarkowski. The MoMA Books App provides greater and more convenient access to exhibition catalogues that offer a lasting record of the Museum’s diverse exhibition program, scholarly texts on key works and artists in collection, and anthologies of important art-historical texts from around the world. … The MoMA Books App presents a digital bookshelf of MoMA publications that users can browse by downloading free sample sections that provide a preview of the book’s contents. Titles available in e-book format can quickly be purchased through in-App ... More |
 | Chinese Government Dismisses International Concerns Over Missing Artist Ai Weiwei
Lu Qing, wife of missing avant-garde artist and outspoken government critic Ai Weiwei. AP Photo/Ng Han Guan.
By Alexa Olesen,Associated Press
BEIJING (AP).- A state-run Chinese newspaper on Wednesday brushed aside international concerns over the fate of a prominent artist and activist missing since the weekend, calling him a maverick who lacks respect for the country's laws. Human rights groups as well as the U.S., Britain and the European Union delegation in Beijing have expressed concern about Ai Weiwei, an avant-garde artist and outspoken government critic who was last seen early Sunday in police custody after he was barred from boarding a flight at a Beijing airport. An editorial in the Global Times newspaper, published by the ruling Communist Party's flagship People's Daily, said the ... More | | Exhibition at Topography of Terror Documentation Center Marks 50 Years Since Eichmann Trial
A woman looks at photos showing Adolf Eichmann and a card with finger prints of Eichmann. AP Photo/Markus Schreiber.
By: Melissa Eddy, Associated Press
BERLIN (AP).- An exhibit opening in the German capital on Tuesday examines the role Adolf Eichmann's 1961 trial in Israel played in shaping modern understanding of the Holocaust and World War II, giving survivors an unprecedented chance to tell their stories on a public stage. "Facing Justice — Adolf Eichmann on Trial," showing at the Topography of Terror documentation center in downtown Berlin, draws heavily on the hundreds of hours of now-iconic film footage of Eichmann sitting calmly inside a bulletproof glass booth as he listened to the testimonies of those who survived his efforts to eradicate them. Andreas Nachama, director of the Topography of Terror, called the ... More | | Revealed: Swiss Architect Peter Zumthor's Design for 11th Serpentine Gallery Pavilion
Peter Zumthor © Gerry Ebner.
LONDON.- The Serpentine Gallery revealed the plans for the Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2011 by world-renowned Swiss architect Peter Zumthor. This year’s Pavilion is the 11th commission in the Gallery’s annual series, the world’s first and most ambitious architectural programme of its kind. It will be the architect’s first completed building in the UK and will include a specially created garden by the influential Dutch designer Piet Oudolf. At the heart of Peter Zumthor’s Pavilion is a garden that the architect hopes will inspire visitors to become observers. Zumthor’s says his design ‘aims to help its audience take the time to relax, to observe and then, perhaps, start to talk again maybe not.’ The design emphasises the role the senses and emotions play in our experience of architecture. With a refined selection of materials Zumthor creates contemplative spaces that evoke the ... More |
 |
Amy Brandt, Ph.D. Joins Chrysler Museum as McKinnon Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art
Most recently, Brandt was the assistant curator at the American Federation of Arts in New York.
NORFOLK, VA.- The Chrysler Museum of Art announced that Amy Brandt, Ph.D., has joined the Museum as the McKinnon Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. She will oversee the Museum’s more than 2,400 works of art in the modern and contemporary collection in addition to curating new and traveling exhibitions. Most recently, Brandt was the assistant curator at the American Federation of Arts in New York, where she managed exhibitions, supervised curatorial assistants, oversaw budgeting, and contributed to a variety of grant submissions. Simultaneously, Brandt was working on a doctorate degree in modern and contemporary European and American art at The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, which she recently completed. Previously, she held curatorial positions at the Brooklyn Museum and at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. Brandt also has ... More | | Plymouth State University Acquires Celebrated Poet Robert Frost's Letters to Pal
One of several letters written by the young not-yet-famous poet Robert Frost. AP Photo/Plymouth State University.
By: Holly Ramer, Associated Press
CONCORD, N.H. (AP).- Writing from England as World War I got under way, Robert Frost was more worried about his personal finances than the threat of war. "This row was exciting at first. But it has lost some of its interest for us," the poet wrote to his friend Ernest Silver in August 1914, just weeks after Great Britain declared war on Germany. "Not that I think the Germans will come. I bet one of my little amateur bets that other day that not one of them would set foot in England." The letter is one of six recently donated to Plymouth State University in New Hampshire, where Frost taught for a year before moving to England in 1912. His reputation as a poet grew after the publication of his first book a year later, but Frost still worried about ... More | | Exhibition of 17th-Century Floral Splendour at Rijksmuseum's Branch at Schiphol Airport
Rachel Ruysch, Still Life with Flowers on a Marble Tabletop, 1716.
AMSTERDAM.- Following the 'Dutch Winters' exhibition, the Rijksmuseum annex at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol now presents another characteristic aspect of the Netherlands, namely flowers, in the 'Dutch Flowers' exhibition from 6 April to 5 September 2011. Nine exuberant ‘flower pieces’ from the museum’s collection that used to adorn the homes of the 17th-century economic elite are now in full bloom at the airport. Now an everyday item, cut flowers were prized luxuries in the 17th century. Only the most affluent could afford to have them in their homes and gardens. Growing prosperity in the course of the 17th century, however, eventually caused flower gardens to become more popular. The garden was considered an extension of the home and vice versa, with garden bouquets often decorating the home. Introduced from Asia around 1600, the anemone, ... More |
 |
Melissa Martens Named New Director of Exhibitions at Museum of Jewish Heritage
Melissa Martens at the opening of the Project Mah Jongg exhibit which she curated. Photo: Melanie Einzig.
NEW YORK, NY.- The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust (MJH) announced yesterday that Melissa Martens has been named Director of Collections and Exhibitions. Martens, who has worked at the Museum since 2008, was previously the Senior Curator for Exhibitions and created the widely acclaimed Project Mah Jongg exhibition in 2010. “Since Melissa arrived, she has distinguished herself as an invaluable colleague, a brilliant and versatile curator, a skillful and insightful manager, and an enthusiastic supporter and promoter of our mission,” said Deputy Director Ivy Barsky. Martens said, “The Museum—with its rich collections and meaningful location—is an ideal forum in which to explore the richness of Jewish history and heritage. We have an amazing opportunity here to share new cultural stories and perspectives with diverse audiences.” ... More | | Antiquities, Arms and Armour, Arts and Crafts at Hermann Historica's 61st Auction
Fine small sword with chiselled hilt, North German, 1640.
MUNICH.- Between 28 April and 12 May 2011, Hermann Historica will hold its 61st auction on its extended premises in Linprunstraße. Approximately 7,700 lots will be offered for bidding in the upcoming spring auction – among them antiquities, arms and armour, arts and crafts objects, hunting collectibles, medals, and militaria. Taking centre-stage in the ancient weapons section is a striking black and white three-quarter armour of officer’s quality from Nuremberg dating from around 1570, which is offered at a starting price of € 40,000 – a unique and excellently preserved set consisting of a burgonet, a ridged breastplate, arm and leg guards, and gauntlets. A suit of armour of such high quality and renowned provenance is rarely seen on the market. An interesting version of an early visor helmet is the close helmet from ca. 1500/1510. This kind of helmet is usually referred to as Innsbruck work, but c ... More | | Hockney, Warhol, and Diebenkorn Highlight Bonhams & Butterfields' Fine Prints Auction
Francis Bacon, Study for a Portrait of John Edwards, 1987. Lithograph, 27 x 19 7/8in. Est. $7,000-10,000. Photo: Courtesy of Bonhams & Butterfields.
SAN FRANCISCO.- On May 3, 2011, Bonhams & Butterfields presents iconic Pop Art and abstract Expressionism highlights by famed artists Andy Warhol and Richard Diebenkorn during its Fine Prints auction in San Francisco. Simulcast to Los Angeles, the highly anticipated sale will also feature works by Sam Francis, David Hockney, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Rauschenberg, Niki de Saint Phalle, and Jean Tinguely, among others. One highlight in the auction is British born artist David Hockney's Afternoon Swimming, 1979-1980, color lithograph, signed and dated '79' (est. $50,000-70,000); an iconic signed Marilyn screen print by Andy Warhol, circa 1967 (est. $40,000-60,000); an initialed Blue With Red, on Echizen Kozo Mashi paper by Richard Diebenkorn, circa 1987 (est. $20,000-30,000); an ... More |
| More News |
 Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Launches Newly Redesigned WebsiteBOSTON, MA.- The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum announced the launch of a newly designed exploratory website. In addition to structural and navigational improvements, the museum’s new site aims to engage online visitors with meaningful explorations that reflect the unique, multi-sensory experience of a physical visit to the Gardner Museum and its interior courtyard and galleries. The site’s landing page, organized around the historic galleries and floors of the museum, showcases a mosaic of images leading to a selection of almost 300 objects of art, which can be understood through traditional and historic material. The design for the site diminishes the concept of a traditional homepage by inviting visitors to virtually Explore the galleries and collection: to listen to audio; to read archival excerpts; to look closely at works of art; and to discover different perspectives on the collection or new work by vis ... More Duelling Pistols at Bonhams: Objects of Beauty and DeathLONDON.- Today a gentleman no longer needs a set of duelling pistols, which means that Bonhams Antique Arms and Armour sale on April 20th is free to offer twelve sets of pistols estimated to sell for between £2,500 to £60,000, as items of historical interest and fine workmanship, not death and destruction. Images of the duel permeate our recent history - gentlemen defending their honour in the early morning light amid woods or fields, with seconds in attendance. Many felt compelled to fight duels, often with fatal results. Only gentlemen were considered to have honour, and duels were reserved for social equals. The goal of the honourable duel was often not so much to kill the opponent as to gain ‘satisfaction’, that is, to restore one's honour by demonstrating a willingness to risk one's life for it. From the early 17th century duels were often illegal in Europe, though in most societies where duelling was socially a ... More United States Library to Save Famous Baseball, Country TunesBy: Brett Zongker, Associated Press
WASHINGTON, D.C (AP).- The 1908 tune, "Take Me Out to the Ball-game," that became the anthem for America's favorite pastime, will be preserved at the Library of Congress, along with 24 other recordings chosen for their cultural significance, the library announced Wednesday. This year's selections for the National Recording Registry include Tammy Wynette's 1968 country song that divided American women with the message, "Stand By Your Man." Other selections include the first recording of contemporary stand-up comedy. It was an unauthorized recording of comedian Mort Sahl in 1955. There are also notable performances by Al Green, Henry Mancini and Nat King Cole. Another selection traces political history from the past 25 years through instructional tapes from the ... More Kresge Foundation Launches Art X Detroit to Celebrate Artistic Excellence and the City's Creative Spirit DETROIT, MI.- Spring is the perfect time for renewal, and the Kresge Foundation will do its part to awaken residents and visitors with an explosion of creativity when it sponsors Art X Detroit, a five-day arts experience that takes place April 6-10, in the city’s Midtown District. The event features 38 Kresge Foundation Artist Fellowship awardees and Kresge Eminent Artists who will debut new works, sharing their expressions on canvas, in sculpture, through the written word, music, dance and more in theatres, art galleries, museums and university centers throughout Midtown. Art X will also include several panel discussions and workshops with Kresge awardees alongside national speakers and local art experts. This free event is produced by the University Cultural Center Association, a nonprofit organization that has spearheaded reinvestment in Midtown through the arts, beautification and economic development. “Kresge has organized ... More Jordan Wants to Retrieve Major Christian RelicsAMMAN (AP).- Jordan's archaeology chief says he has a solid legal case to press for the return of 70 ancient lead books stolen and smuggled into Israel Ziad al-Saad says the relics could be the earliest Christian writing in existence. If authenticated, he says they would be the most significant find in Christian archaeology since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. He says there is strong evidence that the material was excavated in a northern cave by a Jordanian Bedouin five years ago. But they made their way into the hands of an Israeli Bedouin. He said Sunday that initial carbon and metallurgy tests performed by British experts date the material, depicting messianic symbols and written in archaic Hebrew, to the 1st century A.D. ... More Germany Relaxes Restrictions on Reichstag VisitsBERLIN (AP).- Germany's parliament says restrictions on visits to the cupola of its Reichstag building — long a Berlin tourist magnet — will be relaxed later this month, but sightseers will have to register in advance. The Reichstag's glass cupola, British architect Norman Foster's popular 1990s addition to the historic building, was closed to visitors last November after the Interior Ministry warned of an increased terrorism threat in Germany and raised security levels. It was subsequently reopened only to people on full tours of the parliament building or with reservations at its rooftop restaurant. Parliament's lower house said Wednesday that, starting April 21, visitors who only want to visit the cupola will be admitted again. They will have to register at least two working days in advance. ... More Kurt Cobain Guitar Sculpture Dedicated in WashingtonABERDEEN, WASH. (AP).- A sculpted guitar memorial to Kurt Cobain has been unveiled in a park in the Nirvana frontman's Washington state hometown. The dedication in Aberdeen on Tuesday marked the 17th anniversary of Cobain's suicide in Seattle. A diverse group of fans and Aberdeen residents, many born after Cobain's 1994 death, attended the ceremony. The sculpture was placed in a park near the Young Street bridge where Cobain spent time while growing up. The bridge attracts Cobain fans because it's mentioned in his song "Something in the Way." Besides the concrete guitar, there's a steel ribbon dangling in the air with lyrics from the Nirvana song "On a Plain" that say: "One more special message to go and then I'm done and I can go home." ... More |
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment