| | Extensive Survey Exhibition of Danish Artist Henrik Olesen's Work at Kunstmuseum Basel
| | | | 
Danish artist Henrik Olesen poses next to his artwork, entitled I will not got to work today. I don't think I go tomorrow (2010), at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Basel, Switzerland, 13 May 2011. The exhibition includes a selection of Olesen's oeuvre of the past fifteen years and opens to the public from 14 May to 11 September. EPA/GEORGIOS KEFALAS.
BASEL.- The Museum für Gegenwartskunst Basel presents an extensive survey exhibition of the artist Henrik Olesen (b. Denmark 1967). The exhibition includes a selection from his oeuvre of the past fifteen years in conjunction with works that draw on the existing architecture to create new sitespecific installations. Henrik Olesen uses collage, sculpture, and minimalist spatial interventions to engage with the body and questions of gender and its representation in order to interrogate structures of power relations and the construction of historiography and identities. In a perspective on the political consequences of what is regarded as normality and everyday life, family structures, media, and divergent balances of power within society form one thematic focus of the exhibition. The points of departure for Olesen’s examination include contemporary as well as historic references from a variety of fields such as archi ... More |
 |
Sotheby's to Sell One of the Finest Victorian Nude Paintings Ever Produced
Andromeda by Sir Edward John Poynter, Estimate: £300,000‐500,000. Photo: Sotheby's.
LONDON.- Sotheby's London Sale of Victorian and Edwardian Art on Tuesday, 17 May 2011, will present one of the finest Victorian nude paintings ever produced. Estimated at £300,000-500,000, Andromeda by Sir Edward John Poynter encapsulates major themes of the period: mythology, beauty, veiled eroticism, and the damsel in distress. Andromeda’s sacrifice to a sea‐monster was a popular subject among artists in nineteenth century Britain. The classical origins of the story were used as a pretext for sexually charged nudity, making the erotic overtones acceptable. The nude in art was a controversial subject at the time Poynter painted the present work in 1869. He exhibited Andromeda at the Royal Academy the following year, alongside Millais’ The Knight Errant, in Gallery III. Both pictures depict a bound and naked woman, but Millais’ painting was publicly condemned, unlike Poynter’s. An explanation may lie ... More | | Lisson Gallery Presents Major Survey Show of Work by Detained Chinese Artist Ai Weiwei
Ai Weiwei, Coloured Vases 2010. 31 Han Dynasty vases and industrial paint. Dimensions variable, ed.unique. Courtesy the artist and Lisson Gallery.
LONDON.- Lisson Gallery presents a major survey show of work by Ai Weiwei to be held across both Bell Street spaces, London. The broad selection of key works from the past six years was agreed with the artist at the beginning of 2011. The exhibition is on view May 13th through July 16th, 2011. Ai Weiwei is one of the leading cultural figures of his generation and consistently displays great courage in placing himself at risk to affect social change through his art. He serves as an example for legitimate social criticism and free expression both in China and internationally. Highlights of the 13 works in the exhibition include Colored Vases (2010, 2009), groupings of Han Dynasty pots (from 200DC-220AD) covered in industrial paint. An expert in ancient Chinese ceramics, Ai’s continued desecration of individual vases can be seen as political comment on the organized destruction of cultural and historical values that to ... More | | Kunsthaus Zürich Receives Collection of Works by Joseph Beuys from Baroness Lucrezia De Domizio Durini
Joseph Beuys, Umbrella, 1984. Wood, silk in several colours, metal, 100 x 97 cm © 2011 ProLitteris, Zurich.
ZURICH.- From 13 May to 14 August the Kunsthaus Zürich is displaying a hitherto unexhibited, comprehensive and multifaceted series of works by the sculptor and action artist Josef Beuys: 'Difesa della Natura' ('Defence of Nature'). The multifaceted series of works s being donated to the Kunsthaus Zürich. The centrepiece of the presentation, which features over 100 objects, photographs, documents, editions and videos, is 'Olivestone', a magnificent installation by the German artist that is being shown for the first time in the full context of its creation. For many years Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) made repeated visits to Bolognano, a small mountain village in southern Abruzzo where his friends Baron Buby Durini and his wife Lucrezia De Domizio owned an estate. Beuys' activities there, undertaken together with the Durinis, soon turned into a series of long-term projects united by a motivation that was at once artistic, politica ... More |
St. Bernard Abbey's Historic Art Grotto in North Alabama City Untouched by Tornado
This is part of the artwork at the Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, Ala. AP Photo/Dave Martin.
By: Anna McFall, Associated Press
CULLMAN, ALA (AP).- In a north Alabama city forever changed by April's tornado outbreak, one historic spot went untouched by destruction. The Ave Maria Grotto, also known as "Jerusalem in Miniature," rests on a hillside at St. Bernard Abbey, Alabama's only Benedictine monastery. The artistic refuge is made up of over 125 miniature handmade replicas of historic religious buildings and shrines. Created during a lifetime of monastic dedication, the grotto mostly represents the artwork of Brother Joseph Zoetl, a monk who lived at the Abbey for nearly 70 years. Replicas of structures like St. Peter's Basilica, the Pantheon and the Alamo bring visitors from across the world to the four-acre park in Cullman. Although not all of the replicas have religious themes, many visitors see the park as a place of inspiration. Cathy May, a worker at the park's gift shop, says ... More | | Part of Unfinished Cather Novel Added to University of Nebraska-Lincoln Archives
Photographs of Willa Cather, manuscripts, record book, Howells Medal, and Cather's personal copy of her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "One of Ours."
By: Timberly Ross, Associated Press
LINCOLN, NE (AP) .- A passage from Willa Cather's unfinished and purportedly destroyed novel "Hard Punishments" was among a new collection of writings and mementos unveiled Thursday at the world's largest archive devoted to the Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Andrew Jewell, editor of the archive at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said when Cather died in 1947 the novel was not finished, and scholars believed the incomplete manuscript had been destroyed. An extensive collection left to the university by the author's nephew, Charles Cather, proves otherwise. "For some reason, the story goes that she burned everything or (her partner) Edith Lewis burned everything," Jewell said. "That simply was not true." Jewell described the passage, in Cather's ... More | | Spring Art Sales Wrap at Phillips de Pury & Company with Andy Warhol Haul
A portrait of actress Elizabeth Taylor by Andy Warhol. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton.
By: Chris Michaud
NEW YORK (REUTERS).- Spring art auctions ended on Thursday with another big Andy Warhol sale when "Liz #5" sold for $27 million at Phillips de Pury's $99 million contemporary art sale. The pop artist's iconic portrait of the late actress Elizabeth Taylor went a long way toward the total for Phillips, the number-three auction house behind Sotheby's and Christie's, where Warhols also played a huge role this season. "We're thrilled with the strong results ... (which were) more than double this time last year," said Phillips chairman Simon de Pury, who also served as auctioneer. Other highlights included Warhol's collaboration with Jean-Michel Basquiat, "Third Eye," which fetched $7 million including commission, more than twice the high estimate and a record for a joint work by the two artists. Warhol's "Flowers" so ... More |
Cheim & Read Presents an Exhibition of Works in Fabric by Louise Bourgeois
Louise Bourgeois, Untitled, 2006. Fabric with ink and fabric collage, 15 1/2 x 15 5/8 in. 39.4 x 39.7 cm. Photo: Courtesy Cheim & Read.
NEW YORK, NY.- Cheim & Read presents an exhibition of works in fabric by Louise Bourgeois. Dating from 2002 – 2010, Bourgeois’s fabric “drawings” - assembled from discarded clothes, sheets, towels and similar material from her personal collection - became a central focus in the last decade of her life. Significant in their own right for their formal invention and beauty, the drawings constitute a parallel body of work to that of her fabric sculptures. The exhibition is on view from May 12th through June 25th, 2011. Bourgeois was born in Paris in 1911. She moved to New York in 1938 and lived in the city until her death last year at age 98. Her works on fabric are emblematic of certain themes: marriage, motherhood, sexuality, femininity, domesticity. This focus on the familial results in work of intense psychological complexity, exposing relationships and hierarchies related to female identity ... More | | Sotheby's May 2011 African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art Sales Bring $21.8 million
One of the most iconic works in the collection is a Songye Male Power Figure. Est. $150/250,000. It sold for: $2,098,500 (£1,289,005). Photo: Sotheby's.
NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby’s African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art auctions today brought a combined total of $21,846,692, well over the high estimate (total est. $8.3/12.6 million).* The single owner sale of the Robert Rubin Collection of African Art fetched $11,742,188, many multiples of the pre-sale estimate (est. $2.5/3.9 million) and was 94% sold-by-lot. The afternoon saw the various owner sale of African, Oceanic and Pre-Columbian Art bring $10,104,504, also comfortably over the high estimate (est. $4.2/5.9 million). In total six objects sold for more than $1 million and there was strong institutional bidding. Heinrich Schweizer, Head of the African and Oceanic Art Department in New York said: “We are delighted with the results of today’s sales which brought $21.8 million. The exceptional total achieved for the Robert Rubin Collection is a testament to Robert’s extraordinary taste and discernment. The m ... More | | Internationally Renowned Chinese Artist Xu Bing Creates Site-Specific Installation at the British Museum
Xu Bing, “Background Story 7”, 2011, various materials and natural debris attached to frosted acrylic panel. Copyright the Trustees of the British Museum.
LONDON.- Internationally renowned Chinese artist Xu Bing is to create a new bespoke art installation specially commissioned for the British Museum. Background Story 7 is part of his ongoing series of museum installations and consists of a dramatic large-scale shadow and light box giving the illusion of a traditional Chinese landscape. The exhibition is on display from May 12th through July 10th, 2011. This new work is made in direct response to a Chinese mountain landscape hanging scroll by Wang Shimin dating to 1654 which is a part of the British Museum’s collection. The contemporary and antique works are exhibited together in Room 3 following the time-honoured Chinese practice of entering into “dialogue” with a past model by creating a new artistic work. Xu Bing has been creating installations for Background Story since 2004 at the invitation of various museums in China and abroad, the last being shown a ... More |
Bonhams in New York Appoints Amy Corcoran as New England Representative
Ms. Corcoran is a business development professional with twenty-plus years of experience in the marketing, sale and management of art and estate collections. Photo: Bonhams.
NEW YORK, NY.- Bonhams, the international fine art auction house, has appointed Amy Corcoran as the company’s representative for the American Northeast, based in Wellesley, MA. Ms. Corcoran is a business development professional with twenty-plus years of experience in the marketing, sale and management of art and estate collections. Malcolm Barber, Bonhams CEO, comments, “We are delighted with our appointment of Amy Corcoran. She will provide us with a well-experienced and much-respected hand in our ongoing business-getting activities in New England – and much like the Bonhams Group as a whole, Amy’s efforts will help us develop, grow and strengthen our company’s reputation in the months ahead. We remain committed ... More | | Saffronart Announces a 24 Hour Auction of Limited Edition Prints and Photographs
Tyeb Mehta ( Lot 38), Head. Estimate: Rs 4,00,000 - 5,00,000. USD 9,200 - 11,495.
LONDON.- Saffronart, the world’s largest online fine-art auction house, presents ‘Editions’, third in a series of new 24-hour online auctions. This auction features 70 lots, including significant signed limited edition prints and photographs by Tyeb Mehta, V.S. Gaitonde, Zarina Hashmi, A. Balasubramaniam, Surendran Nair, Subodh Gupta and others. The total lower and higher estimates of this auction are 76.4 Lakh (US$ 175,830) and Rs. 1.07 Crore (US$ 231,660). The auction will begin on May 18, 2011 at 8:00 pm (IST) and will take place online at www.saffronart.com. The ‘Editions’ 24-hour auction catalogue features a wide range of prints and photographs, offering collectors and enthusiasts, particularly first-time buyers, a chance to acquire artworks by well-known modern and contemporary Indian artists and photographers at attractive estimates, s ... More | | Prismatic Glass Facade for World Trade Center Tower Scrapped After It Broke in Tests
Glass windows are being installed on upper floors of One World Trade Center in New York. AP Photo/Mark Lennihan.
By: Karen Zraick, Associated Press
NEW YORK, NY (AP).- The owners of the World Trade Center have nixed plans to cover the first 20 stories of its signature skyscraper with decorative glass after it broke in testing. The glass was expected to help 1 World Trade Center look more open at its windowless base after it was redesigned to become strong enough to withstand a truck bomb. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey had spent about $6 million on the custom-made prismatic glass panels for the 1,776-foot skyscraper, which is slated to be the tallest in the U.S. when it is completed in late 2013. But the glass bowed and broke during off-site testing and the agency decided to replace it in late March. ... More |
| More News |
 Oren Eliav: Two Thousand and Eleven at the Tel Aviv Museum of ArtTEL AVIV.- The paintings featured in this exhibition by Oren Eliav, recipient of the 2010 Rappaport Prize for a Young Painter, follow upon the paintings included in the exhibition "They'll Never Wake Us in Time," which took place in Tel Aviv in the summer of 2010. In both cases, Eliav's works raise questions related to time and temporality – both by disrupting our sense of historicity, and by creating a "duration" related to an imagined sound. The exhibition is on view until June 25, 2011 in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Eliav's works create a semblance of the past, a "disconcerting familiarity", which is based on the collective memory etched into the viewer's consciousness. Sustained observation of these paintings, however, reveals an intermediate space, which the artist describes as "A limbo between worlds, which is not subject to conventional historical rules." Many of the paintings, such as the portraits of the "Lis ... More New York Public Library: Return this Book to a Park BenchBy Ula Ilnytzky, Associated Press
NEW YORK, NY (AP).- The New York Public Library is encouraging bookworms to pass around 25,000 free copies of a new paperback it will distribute in subway stations, on park benches and in other public places. The book celebrates the library's vast collection — and patrons — by featuring a diverse group of celebrities, including Stephen Colbert, the Harlem Globetrotters and Yoko Ono, posing with or discussing their favorite library treasure. Its distribution is part of the library's centennial celebration. Starting May 19, the limited-edition paperback, "Know The Past, Find The Future," will be dropped off at park benches and in five subway stations: Grand Central, Times Square, Columbus Circle, Bryant Park and Union Square. Copies will also be distributed in front of the landmark Fifth Avenue library building and all its branches, as well as in some bookstores. A note inserted in the b ... More Camden Arts Centre Presents Kerry Tribe: Dead Star LightLONDON.- Camden Arts Centre presents a solo exhibition by American artist and filmmaker Kerry Tribe, on view from May 13 through July 10, 2011. Her large-scale projects in film, video, and sound form an ongoing investigation into memory, subjectivity and doubt. For this exhibition, Tribe shows her new body of work Dead Star Light commissioned as part of the 3 series - a collaboration between Camden Arts Center, London; Arnolfini, Bristol; and Modern Art Oxford, alongside other existing works. Dead Star Light is comprised of three works which continue Tribe’s study of memory and it’s opposite, forgetting. Each work structurally engages with a different technology in innovative ways: 16mm film (Parnassius Mnemosyne); reelto-reel audio (Milton Torres Sees a Ghost); and video (The Last Soviet), all 2010. Every work relates to questions of personal and historic memory and shares common themes of erasure, flight, ... More Cleveland Museum of Art Acquires Renowned Pre-Columbian Artworks at AuctionCLEVELAND, OH.- The Cleveland Museum of Art today acquired two noteworthy objects of the ancient Andean Wari people at auction. The unique and celebrated Bag with Human Head is a painted animal hide pouch in superb condition exhibiting a remarkably lifelike head that may represent a young warrior; and Vessel with Litter Group is a ceramic container depicting an unusually elaborate sculptured vignette: a dignitary who sits in a litter carried on the shoulders of four porters. Both objects are rare and will be showcased in a 2012-13 traveling exhibition on the art of the Wari organized by the Cleveland Museum of Art. Wari: Realm of the Condor is the first North American special exhibition devoted to the arts of the Wari, who may have forged the first empire of the ancient Andes. The museum’s Wari collection consists of a combination of important objects and textiles and represents artwork of the Central Andes (today, m ... More Collectors Group Acquires New Works by Ai Weiwei, Helen Pashgian, and Sam GilliamSAN DIEGO, CA.- At the 2011 Collectors' Selection Dinner on Wednesday, May 11, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego's International Collectors and Contemporary Collectors voted to purchase new works for the Museum's collection: two examples of Ai Weiwei's famous Marble Chair (2010); an exuberant draped canvas by Sam Gilliam, Dance Me, Dance You 2 #1 (2009); and a rare polished resin sphere by Helen Pashgian, Untitled (1968/69). The internationally recognized Chinese artist Ai Weiwei works in a variety of media from sculpture and installation, to photography and performance. His works revisit and translate well-known Chinese forms to comment on the country's rich history and complicated present. In Marble Chair, he carves a familiar yoke-back chair out of a single block of marble. This startling translation and memorializing of a piece of furniture raises questions of history, memory, and modernization. Marble Chair suggests that ... More Maryland's Taney House Mounts Slavery Exhibit FREDERICK, MD. (AP) .- A museum exhibit about slavery in Frederick County is as notable for its location as its subject matter. It's in the former Frederick home of Roger Brooke Taney. Taney was the Supreme Court chief justice who wrote the Dred Scott decision affirming slavery in 1857. Taney wrote that even freed slaves and their descendants could never be U.S. citizens because the framers of the Constitution regarded blacks as inferior to whites. The case became a catalyst for the Civil War. The Historical Society of Frederick County says the exhibit examines the lives of thousands of local slaves. Taney practiced law in Frederick from 1801 to 1823. He freed all eight of his slaves by 1821. The exhibit is open Saturdays and ... MoreReplicas of Columbus' Ships to Dock at Beaufort BEAUFORT, N.C. (AP).- Replicas of two of the ships that Christopher Columbus sailed to the New World are going on display in North Carolina. The "Nina" and the "Pinta" are scheduled to be open to the public at Beaufort on Friday. The ships will be docked at the North Carolina Maritime Museum Pier until their departure on May 23. A statement from the Columbus Foundation says the "Nina" was built completely by hand and without the use of power tools. The "Pinta" was built recently in Brazil to accompany the other ship. Both ships will be touring together as a "sailing museum" to educate the public and school children on a "caravel," a Portuguese ship used by ... More |
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment