| | MAS Museum Tells the Story of the History of Exchanges Between Antwerp and the World
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Models of ships are seen on display at the MAS Museum in Antwerp, Belgium, on Wednesday, May 4, 2011. A new iconic building is rising on Europe's cultural horizon. The rusty sandstone-and-glass MAS museum towers over the old port of Antwerp and is supposed to become an international attraction in itself. Stunning from the outside it also has superb art inside, all linked to the centuries-old tradition of one of the world's biggest ports. AP Photo/Virginia Mayo.
By: Raf Casert, Associated Press
ANTWERP (AP).- One of the world's great port cities has long been known for its heady mix of grit, refinement and bravado. On Friday, it will have a museum to match. Built on the docks of a once-derelict neighborhood, the MAS museum hosts homegrown treasures and those that tall ships brought in from around the globe for centuries. And the audacious, sandstone-and-glass tower has already turned into a 65-meter tall exclamation mark shows Antwerp has lost none of its swagger. "We are in a beautiful shrine," said MAS museum director Carl Depauw. "It has turned into an absolute icon for the city." Looking at the tower, seemingly made of three layers of rusty-red boxes floating on airy voids in between, it's difficult to disagree. Willem Jan Neutelings of the Neutelings Riedijk Architecten firm which designed the MAS calls it his "stone sculpture." Antwerp hopes the MAS museum, in the 't Eilandje district, will ... More |
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Bob Marley Exhibit at Los Angeles' Grammy Museum Opens on Anniversary of Death
Jamaican musician David "Ziggy" Marley, son of Bob Marley, poses on the opening day of the exhibit "Bob Marley, Messenger". REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni.
By: Dean Goodman
LOS ANGELES (REUTERS).- Bob Marley's battle with cancer ended in a Miami hospital 30 years ago on Wednesday, bringing to a premature close the life of reggae music's most important standard-bearer. His son, David "Ziggy" Marley, who was 12 at the time and has gone on to reggae stardom in his own right, considers the anniversary a day for celebration rather than mourning. "It's not the happiest day, but we've learned to live with it," he told Reuters on Wednesday. "The actual day is a day of journey. It's a day of movement. We accept it as that. We're not here to cry or to be sad. We're here to celebrate and be happy." Marley was on hand at the Grammy Museum where an exhibit about his father opened on Wednesday and runs through October 2. The Marley ... More | | Previously Unseen Photographs of the Fab Four Brought to the San Francisco Art Exchange
This stunning collection of photos of the Fab Four were taken by photographer Paul Berriff.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Rare and unseen photographs of The Beatles are on display at the San Francisco Art Exchange as part of a drive to promote the British city of Liverpool to San Francisco residents. The exhibition opened on May 7th and will run through June 15th. The Beatles Hidden Gallery is a stunning collection of early photographs of the Fab Four by photographer Paul Berriff. It is receiving its US gallery debut at the San Francisco Art Exchange following its recent public exhibition in Prague. The San Francisco exhibition is the first time the photographs - taken in England between 1963 and 1964 - have been publicly displayed outside of Europe and offer a fascinating glimpse of the early Beatles on the cusp of superstardom. “As the #1 gallery worldwide for the art of Rock and Roll, we’re ecstatic about the opportunity to host such a historic exhibition, ... More | | Million Pound Lots and Fierce Bidding Provide a Record Result at Bonhams Fine Chinese Art Sale
Bonhams' employee Mabardi Damien from France poses for photographs with a large Chinese famille rose baluster 'boys at play' vase. AP Photo/Matt Dunham.
LONDON.- There was barely standing room and a tangible buzz at Bonhams Fine Chinese Art Sale in London today (12.5.11), which saw many items rocket way beyond their pre-sale estimates. The sale ended with a sold total of £16.9m with 95% sold by value. This takes Bonhams Asian Art week total – including two Japanese Art sales (£1.6m and £1.7m) and an Asian Works of Art sale (£1.2m) at Knightsbridge to a massive £21,473,200. This result puts Bonhams in the lead on Asian sales in London at close of play today. Colin Sheaf, Bonhams Asia Chairman and Head of Asian Art at Bonhams said: “This sale once again shows the power of the Chinese art market and the wish of buyers to obtain the best works of art. This sale set a new record total for Chinese Art at Bonhams and gives us the lead for ... More |
Police Arrest Man after Theft from Heavily Guarded Forbidden City in Beijing
A policeman stands in front of the entrance doorway to the Palace Museum. AP Photo/Andy Wong.
By: Alexa Olesen, Associated Press
BEIJING (AP).- Police have arrested a man they said broke into China's famed Forbidden City, the heavily guarded former home of the country's emperors, and stole seven art pieces made of gold and jewels, state media reported Thursday. It was the first theft in 20 years from the historic site, the tourist attraction's spokesman Feng Nai'en said, adding that security would be increased. An investigation found that nine pieces — all small Western-style gold purses and mirrored compacts covered with jewels made in the 20th century — were missing from the temporary exhibition, on loan from the private Liang Yi Museum in Hong Kong. Two of the missing items were recovered nearby shortly after the theft and were slightly damaged. State media said Thursday that police had ... More | | James Cohan Gallery Presents Second Solo Exhibition by Simon Evans: Shitty Heaven
Simon Evans, Shitty Heaven, 2010 (detail). Tape, paper and felt tip pen on paper, 56 3/4 X 51 1/8 inches. Copyright the artist. Courtesy James Cohan Gallery, New York/Shanghai.
NEW YORK, NY.- James Cohan Gallery presents Shitty Heaven, the second solo exhibition by Simon Evans, on view May 12th through June 11th, 2011. Evans meticulously assembles prosaic materials, such as scraps of paper, scotch tape, pencil shavings and correction fluid into diagrams, maps, flowcharts and diary entries that obsessively catalogue the fragments of a life. In 12 new text-based drawings, weavings and embroideries, the artist shares his confessional, idiosyncratic and wickedly humorous observations. The exhibition’s title work, Shitty Heaven, envisions the other world as a planned suburban community, complete with its Gym, Clinic, Gallery and Church. At the center of this floor plan is the “Abyss of Excessive Enjoy- ... More | | Exceptional Complete Portfolio of Mao by Andy Warhol Offered on artnet Auctions
Andy Warhol, MAO (F.S. 90-99), 1972. Portfolio of 10 screenprints on Beckett High White paper, 36 x 36 inches each. Est.: US $750,000-850,000.
NEW YORK, NY.- artnet Auctions announces an important offering of Andy Warhol’s original, complete portfolio of 10 Mao color screen prints from 1972. Close analysis of past auction results reveals that the majority of Mao suites have been broken up, which adds to the rarity of this exquisite set. These works are coming to auction on the heels of Phillips de Pury’s successful auction in April, which realized USD 938,500. In the aftermath of President Richard Nixon's 1972 visit to China, and its subsequent buzz in the press, Warhol created a series of prints around the now immortalized image of the Chinese leader, Mao Zedong. Inspired by a parallel between Communist propaganda and American media, as well as the cult-like followings of Mao in the East and movie stars in the West, Warhol executed his Mao portrait series ... More |
Collection of Vintage New England Movie Theater Photos for Sale at Philip Weiss Auction
Regent Theatre.
OCEANSIDE, NY.- A collection of thirty- three 1920s signed photographs of New England movie theaters are currently open for online bidding until May 20 at Philip Weiss Auctions. The group of matt mounted 11 inch by 9 inch sepia toned prints are pencil signed by Paul J. Weber adjacent to each photo. The sale also features seven unmounted, unsigned prints. Images are of seven New England movie theaters that, judging by the visual references to the introduction of sound to movies and various movie poster displayed, date from the late 1920s. Each group of prints features a photo of the theater front plus interior views. Paul J. Weber ( 1882 - 195?) was an architectural, industrial, landscape photographer who worked in the New England area. Other examples of his work can be found in the Fletcher Steel Landscape Collection at Lake Forest College Library, Lake Forest, Illinois. Weber was hired by the New England Theater Operat ... More | | Sotheby's: Record Set for a London Sale of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art
This Dragon Vase sold for the exceptional sum of £1,138,850/$1,864,867. Photo: Sotheby's.
LONDON.- Sotheby’s biannual sale of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art today brought the well-above estimate total of £20,798,725, surpassing pre-sale expectations of £11.5-16.2 million, setting a record for a London auction in this collecting category. The sale, which established sell-through rates of 72.3% by lot and 84.8% by value, witnessed rare and important works of art from private UK collections perform especially well. Headlining the pieces in the auction that were sourced from private UK collections was the sale of a Rare Blue and White ‘Dragon’ Vase Qianlong Seal Mark and Period, which sold for the exceptional sum of £1,138,850/$1,864,867, more than 16 times pre-sale expectations (est: £50,000-70,000). The ‘Dragon’ Vase came to auction from a private Scottish collection and saw intense competition from several bidders, finally selling ... More | | The Contemporary Jewish Museum Presents Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories
Bachrach Studio, Gertrude Stein, c. 1903, Photograph drymounted on board. Courtesy of the Therese Erhman Papers, The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Gertrude Stein (1874-1946), one of the most influential Americans of the 20th century, is perhaps most famous as a modern writer and the creator of such oft-repeated phrases as “A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.” But Stein’s reach across the arts was extraordinary, extending well beyond literature to include collaborations in opera, ballet and more, and her influence as a style maker, art collector and networker was considerable. This spring, the Contemporary Jewish Museum debuts the first major museum exhibition to fully investigate this fascinating visual legacy and life of Gertrude Stein. Seeing Gertrude Stein: Five Stories is an art-filled biographical exploration of Stein’s identities as a literary pioneer, transatlantic modernist, Jewish-American expa- ... More |
Lyons Wier Gallery Presents Mary Henderson's Newest Group of Hyper-Real Paintings
Mary Henderson, “Rock,” 2010, Oil on panel, 36 x 24 in / 91.4 x 61 cm. Photo: Courtesy Lyons Wier Gallery.
NEW YORK, NY.- Lyons Wier Gallery presents Bathers by Mary Henderson. Bathers, is Henderson's newest group of hyper-real sociological oil paintings derived from found web images, focusing on a particular cultural experience - in this case, the 'summer retreat'. Her paintings are based on vacation photos and snapshots of Americans engaged in the long-standing, class-specific summer ritual of departing the city and suburbs for shore and lake houses during the summer season. The images explore the contradictory nature of these escapes - both their sensory pleasures and their accompanying feelings of isolation, dislocation and wistfulness. Henderson's bathers are based primarily on images that have been posted on photo-sharing websites. The artist composites, re-crops and refocuses them, using the altered digital image as the paintings' modulo (using personal supplementary life references as necessary). The artist ... More | | Top Prices Paid Once Again for Works of Art by Japanese Artist Shibata Zeshin at Bonhams
A lacquer two-case inro By Shibata Zeshin. Sold for £120,000. Photo: Bonhams.
LONDON.- Considered one of Europe’s most important and comprehensive private collections of Japanese Gentleman’s accessories, Bonhams announces that Part Two of the Edward Wrangham collection realised £1.6 million on 10th May. Top prices were paid for inro* and other works of art by Shibata Zeshin (1868-1912), one of the most famous painters and lacquerers of the 19th century Meiji period in Japan. The top lot of the sale was an exquisite two case inro, lacquered with metalwork tools in gold, silver and black, with a folkloric deity called Hotei lightly engraved behind the principle lacquer. Exceeding its pre-sale estimate of £10,000 – 15,000 by eight times, the inro realised £120,000. Also by Shibata Zeshin, a roiro lacquer five-case inro decorated in gold, silver and black with a finch perched on a cherry branch realised £102,000 against a pre-sale estimate of £20,000 – 25,000. An extremely rare ... More | | Mexican Artist Hands Over Aztatlan Archaeological Pieces to Mexican Government
Collection of almost 300 archaeological pieces dated between 200 and 1350 AD. Photo: Archaeologist Mauricio Garduño/INAH.
MEXICO CITY.- A collection of almost 300 archaeological pieces dated between 200 and 1350 AD, considered one of the most important collections of Aztatlan Culture, developed in the lowlands of Nayarit, was received by the National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH) from the artist Vladimir Cora. Throughout 25 years, Vladimir Cora integrated and conserved the archaeological collection in Acaponeta, Nayarit, keeping it from trafficking; he recently handed it over to the Nation, through the INAH Delegation in the Mexican state, where registration, study and conservation of the 287 objects will take place. The collection of Prehispanic objects will allow specialists to deepen in the knowledge of ceremonial practices of Aztatlan civilization, and is integrated by ceramic pieces such as vessels decorated with ritual sacrifice and solar cult designs, as well as copper rattles, shell and greenstone beads, and travertine zo ... More |
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 Princess Beatrice's Wedding Hat to Be Auctioned LONDON (AP).- The eye-popping hat worn by Princess Beatrice at Britain's royal wedding is to be auctioned to raise money for charity, Buckingham Palace said Thursday. The famous creation — which some said looked like antlers— will be sold on eBay with the proceeds to go to the charities UNICEF and Children in Crisis. The hat was the handiwork of Britain's leading milliner, Philip Treacy, who designed many of the ladies' hats worn at the April 29 nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton, now known as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. The unusual design of the beige hat has sparked a Facebook fan page called "Princess Beatrice's ridiculous Royal Wedding hat," and one computer-altered picture showed President Barack Obama and his national security team all wearing the hat as they watched the commando raid on Osama bin Laden's compound in Pakistan. The ... More Bonhams Appoint Mark Fraser as Australia ChairmanLONDON.- Bonhams has appointed Mark Fraser as Chairman of its Australian operation with immediate effect. Bonhams Chairman, Robert Brooks said: “i am delighted to welcome Mark to Bonhams. His academic track record and high standing in the art world make this a very important appointment for us. I have no doubt that he will help us build on the promising start we have made in Australia.” Mark Fraser commented: “I’m very pleased to be offered this exciting opportunity. I have always admired the drive, ambition and auction house expertise of Robert Brooks and his Bonhams team. My goal is to help make Bonhams Australia the number one choice in this part of the world.” Born in London in 1962 Mark completed his education with a History degree (1981-84) at Pembroke College Cambridge. He then worked for a year as a researcher at the Public Records Office in Kew, and co-authored a book, `Ashanti’, on th ... More Conrad Shawcross New Exhibition with Protomodel at the Science Museum LONDON.- British artist, Conrad Shawcross will complete his residency at the Science Museum with Protomodel, a series of five small-scale artworks dispersed throughout the Mathematics gallery, on view from May 12th through November 13th, 2011. Protomodel opens up a playful, questioning dialogue exploring how model-making, natural processes, cultural practices and historical circumstances all play their part in mathematical thinking. Paying homage to the influence the Mathematics gallery has had on his practice, Shawcross has created 5 artworks* that are displayed alongside the gallery’s distinctively stylised displays of mathematical instruments, machines and models. Shawcross’s works respond to the tactile, material imperfections of experimental mathematical models that seek to demonstrate concepts that cannot be seen or touched and attempt to represent the invisible. From a tangled, coiling length of swar ... More Anna Wintour Becomes an Elective Trustee of The Metropolitan Museum of ArtNEW YORK, NY.- Anna Wintour has been named an Elective Trustee of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, it was announced by James R. Houghton, the Museum's Chairman. Ms. Wintour's election took place at the May 10 meeting of the Board. "Anna Wintour's tireless work on behalf of the Museum has transformed the Costume Institute Benefit, which has long been referred to as the 'Party of the Year,' into something much more," Mr. Houghton commented. "This annual event, now more than ever, is the main source of funding for the operations and activities of The Costume Institute year-round, including the care and display of its stellar collection of more than 35,000 costumes and accessories, now the largest and most comprehensive costume collection in the world. It has also generated major funding toward rebuilding The Costume Institute in the years ahead." Ms. Wintour, editor in chief of Vogue magazine, had ... More Turner Contemporary Announces Exhibition of Rodin's The KissLONDON.- Turner Contemporary announces that from 4 October 2011-2 September 2012 Auguste Rodin’s life-size marble sculpture The Kiss, 1901-04, will be installed in the Sunley Gallery. On loan from the Tate collection and one of the most iconic images of sexual love, The Kiss was voted the nation’s favourite work of art in a 2003 poll. The embracing couple come from a true thirteenth century story of forbidden love, which was immortalised in Dante’s Inferno and by many artists since. The couple are the adulterous lovers Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Rimini, who were slain by Francesca’s outraged husband. They appear in Dante’s Inferno, which describes how their passion grew as they read the story of Lancelot and Guinevere together. At the time, the perceived eroticism of Rodin’s sculpture was controversial leading to instances where the work was removed ... More First Solo Exhibition in the UK by Dutch Artist and Designer Jeroen Verhoeven at BlainSouthernLONDON.- Blain|Southern presents The Curious Image, the first solo exhibition in the UK by the celebrated Dutch artist and designer Jeroen Verhoeven. The centrepiece of the exhibition is Lectori Salutem,a monumental creation made from highly-polished steel. While ostensibly a desk, its flowing contours and reflective surfaces play smoke and mirrors with the eye; from some aspects it looks like a machine, from others an object of hand-crafted beauty.Like Verhoeven’s earlier Cinderella Table, 2005, which is now in the permanent collection of both the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, and the Museum of Modern Art, New York, the work combines highly skilled craftsmanship with complex industrial processes. One side of the desk seems to have been spliced in two, exposing the beauty of the engineering within. When the work is viewed from certain angles, two silhouettes can be seen, depicting Verhoeven’s twin brother ... More The Aspen Art Museum Presents 18- Artist 'The Anxiety of Photography'ASPEN, CO.- Beginning with a soft opening and AAM Questrom Lecture Series discussion between exhibiting artist Mario Garcia Torres and exhibition curator/AAM Associate Curator Matthew Thompson at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday May 12, 2011, the Aspen Art Museum presents the group exhibition The Anxiety of Photography. The exhibition will remain on view through Sunday, July 17, 2011. Photography can be thought of as a medium, a tool, an object, a practice, or, more often than not, some combination thereof. The fluidity of photography as a medium can produce fundamental anxieties for both artist and viewer. Through approximately 40 works—some created for the exhibition and others shown for the first time—The Anxiety of Photography examines the artistic output of 18 artists who embrace photography’s plasticity and its ability to exist (sometimes uneasily) in multiple contexts. Many of the works in The Anxiety of Phot ... More Final Countdown Underway to RM Auctions' Multi-Million Euro Lake Como SaleLONDON.- RM Auctions, the official auction house of the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, will lift the gavel on an unparalleled selection of 32 of the world’s finest automobiles when its debut sale in Cernobbio, Italy gets underway next week, 21 May. The exclusive evening auction – an integral part of this year’s official Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este event program – features one of the most significant collector car offerings presented in recent auction history, with 10 examples expected to garner over €1 million. Representing the ‘best of the very best’, the peerless selection of sports and racing cars and coachbuilt automobiles has been hand-sourced by RM’s expert team of specialists from six countries around the world. In keeping with the theme of the prestigious concorso, the offering focuses on motoring luxury, style and performance. “The collector c ... More Government to Auction "Unabomber" BelongingsBy: Alex Dobuzinskis
LOS ANGELES (REUTERS).- "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski's handwritten manifesto against industrialism, his typewriters and other items from his Montana cabin will be sold at auction to benefit his victims, authorities said on Thursday. Kaczynski, who became one of America's most notorious criminals by killing three people and wounding 29 with homemade bombs sent by post from 1978 to 1995, had opposed the auction. But in August, a federal judge in California approved the sale, and on Thursday the U.S. Marshals Service said it had finished plans for an online auction, to run from May 18 to June 2. "We will use the technology that Kaczynski railed against in his various manifestoes to sell artifacts of his life," U.S. Marshal Albert Najera of the Eastern District of California said in a statement. "The proceeds will go to his victims and, in a very small way, offset some of the hardships they have suffered," Najera said. A total of 60 lots will be for sale in the au ... MoreRare George Washington Relics Headline Americana & Political Auction at Heritage DALLAS, TX.- A special grouping of more than 100 lots directly related to America's first president, George Washington - including his personally owned and used Gunter Scale (estimate: $30,000+) and Compass (estimate: $40,000+), utilized by Washington when he was a young surveyor in Virginia, and consigned by his descendants - will open Heritage Auctions' May 21 Grand Format Americana & Political Memorabilia Auction. "We've seen some terrific Americana auctions here in the past," said Tom Slater, Director of Americana Auctions at Heritage, "but in many ways this one breaks down as the most exciting." The majority of the pieces in the grouping are contemporary with Washington's life and death, with a series of eight lots consigned by the Washington family, including the surveyor tools mentioned above and an important archive consisting of hundreds of Washington family papers dating from 1662 through 1835 (estimate: $85,000+). "The f ... More |
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