| | Metropolitan Museum of Art Captures Alexander McQueen's Vision of Imperfect Beauty
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Creations by the late British designer Alexander McQueen are displayed during a preview at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, May 2, 2011. An exhibition of McQueen's creations titled Savage Beauty will be on display at the museum from May 4-July 31, 2011. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly.
By: Samantha Critchell, AP Fashion Writer
NEW YORK (AP).- Dark vs. light. Past vs. future. Masculine vs. feminine. The extremes straddled by fashion designer Alexander McQueen in his work, inspiration and, seemingly, in his life, fit together like a jigsaw puzzle in a new museum exhibit called "Savage Beauty." The study of contrasts in the exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute shows McQueen, the artist and intellectual, as he was celebrated during his career — and even after his suicide at age 40 in February of 2010. McQueen was always drawn to a challenge, especially when he could question normal conventions of beauty and fashion, says exhibit curator Andrew Bolton. Bolton cited a Shakespeare quote that McQueen had tattooed on his arm as a starting point for the show: "Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind." ... More |
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Auction Houses Christie's and Sotheby's Gear Up for New York Art Sales
Andy Warhol's 1986 'Self-Portrait'. REUTERS/Christie's.
By: Chris Michaud
NEW YORK (REUTERS).- Buoyed by record results amid a dramatic art market recovery and an increasingly global clientele, Christie's and Sotheby's are gearing up for spring auctions with nearly $1 billion of art for sale. Last year proved one of the best with Christie's posting a record $5 billion in sales and Sotheby's making $774 million in revenue -- six times more than 2009 and its second highest ever apart from 2007. It was a far cry from 2009's dire drop in sales amid the global financial crisis. "We had not budgeted for such robustness last year," said Marc Porter, chairman of Christie's Americas. "It was rather amazing." But he added that it is still a market where you can't push prices -- that doesn't change. What has changed is the ascendance of the contemporary and post-war sector, which has nipped at and sometimes eclipsed the once indomitable Impressionist and modern arena. ... More | | Yad Vashem National Holocaust Memorial Starts Collecting Holocaust Items
A Yad Vashem official holds a letter and an envelope donated for a collection. AP Photo/Ariel Schalit.
By: Aron Heller, Associated Press
TEL AVIV (AP).- Lydia Avidan, an elegant 79-year-old widow, walked into a Tel Aviv high school with tears streaking from beneath her tinted sunglasses. She was about to hand over to historians the only mementos she had left from relatives who perished in the Holocaust — a yellowed, cracked letter she had never read and a faded black-and-white photo of her grandparents. "It's a part of me and it's hard to let it go," said the gray-haired Avidan, who escaped Poland as a child and settled in Israel. "I've saved them all these years, but once I go they will be lost." Avidan donated the materials at a collection point in the spartan classrooms of the school, where the final relics of the Holocaust were being collected. "Gathering the Fragments" is a project launched by Israel's Yad Vashem national ... More | | First Comparative Exhibition of Chaim Soutine and Francis Bacon at Helly Nahmad Gallery
Chaim Soutine (1893-1943), Self Portrait, 1918 c. Oil on canvas, 54.6 x 45.7 cm. (21 1/2 x 18 in.) Signed lower left: Soutine. The Henry and Rose Pearlman.
NEW YORK, NY.- Helly Nahmad Gallery New York presents SOUTINE/BACON, the first comparative exhibition of Chaim Soutine and Francis Bacon, on view May 2 through June 18, 2011. Chaim Soutine's paintings have not only had a crucial impact on the development of modern art in the twentieth century, but also a sustained critical influence on contemporary practice. The artists most often associated and identified with his influence are the post-war Abstract Expressionists in the United States, best exemplified by Willem de Kooning, who referred to Soutine as his "favorite artist." Francis Bacon, who went to live in Paris in 1927 as a young man, with a future not yet determined, became aware of Soutine's already legendary paintings of beef carcasses. The images and the legends about their making resonated with him, as he ... More |
 | Study by Paleontologists Says Ancient Pre-Human 'Nutcracker Man' Really Ate Grass
The skull of Paranthropus boisei, known for decades as Nutcracker Man because of its large, flat teeth. AP Photo/David Brill, National Museums of Kenya.
By: Randolph E. Schmid, AP Science Writer
WASHINGTON (AP).- Nutcracker Man didn't eat nuts after all. After a half-century of referring to an ancient pre-human as "Nutcracker Man" because of his large teeth and powerful jaw, scientists now conclude that he actually chewed grasses instead. The study "reminds us that in paleontology, things are not always as they seem," commented Peter S. Ungar, chairman of anthropology at the University of Arkansas. The new report, by Thure E. Cerling of the University of Utah and colleagues, is published in Tuesday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Cerling's team analyzed the carbon in the enamel of 24 teeth from 22 individuals who lived in East Africa between 1.4 million and 1.9 million years ago. One type of carbon is produced from tree leaves, nuts and fruit, another from grasses and ... More | | Computer Science and Biology Come Together to Make Tree Identification a Snap
Leafsnap was originally designed as a specialized aid for scientists and plant explorers to discover new species in poorly known habitats.
WASHINGTON, DC.- Columbia University, the University of Maryland and the Smithsonian Institution have pooled their expertise to create the world’s first plant identification mobile app using visual search—Leafsnap. This electronic field guide allows users to identify tree species simply by taking a photograph of the tree’s leaves. In addition to the species name, Leafsnap provides high-resolution photographs and information about the tree’s flowers, fruit, seeds and bark—giving the user a comprehensive understanding of the species. “We wanted to use mathematical techniques we were developing for face recognition and apply them to species identification,” said Peter Belhumeur, professor of computer science at Columbia and leader of the Columbia team working on Leafsnap. “Traditional field guides can be frustrating—you often do not find what you are looking for. We thought we could redesign them using today’s smartphones ... More | | Robust Sales, Attendance at Japanese Art Exhibitions During Asia Week New York 2011
Lacquer Paddle-Shaped Writing Box, Meiji period (1868 –1912), circa 1910, Courtesy Erik Thomsen Asian Art / Japanese Art Dealers Association.
NEW YORK, NY.- In a week that saw record prices in nearly every field of Asian art, sales of Japanese art were robust and attendance at the numerous gallery exhibitions held by local and out-of-state and foreign dealers was up significantly over Asia Week 2010, according to an informal survey conducted by the Japanese Art Dealers Association (JADA) and information gathered from published reports. Overall, JADA estimates sales totals of over $20 million, including $8.5 million in the Christie’s New York auction of Japanese art in its March 23 sale of Japanese and Korean art, over $4 million in sales at JADA 2011: An Exhibition by the Japanese Art Dealers Association, an exhibition held from March 19 to March 23, and the $1.4 million Bonhams Japanese Works of Art auction on March 22. The market for Japanese art, which experienced an extended lull after the bu ... More |
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Yardbirds Guitarist Chris Dreja to Display Historical Photographs at ZepFest, Memorial Day
Portrait of Jimmy Page by Chris Dreja. © Chris Dreja, All Rights Reserved.
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Dreja's classic historical art focuses on legendary portraits of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, including the back portrait from Led Zeppelin 1. One photograph, featuring Jimmy, has been autographed by both Chris and Jimmy for the event. Dreja will privately sell this at the Fest, and make others available in a special section of the Festival's Merchandise Table. Dreja has been the Yardbirds rhythm guitrist since the group formed in 1963. He was also always a talented photographer, chronicling London and theYardbirds' experience in the 1960s. After the group broke up in 1968, Jimmy Page offered him the position of bassist in a new band he was forming (later to become Led Zeppelin). Dreja declined in order to pursue a profession in photography. Only occasionally did he took breaks to play in Box of Frogs in the 1980s and the Yardbirds since 1992. in addition to being a member of the Rock and Roll Hall ... More | | Painter Joan Mitchell Finally Gets Her Due in New Alfred A. Knopf Book by Patricia Albers
"Joan Mitchell: Lady Painter A Life," by Patricia Albers. AP Photo/Alfred A. Knopf.
By: Ann Levin, Associated Press
NEW YORK, NY (AP).- "Joan Mitchell, Lady Painter: A Life" (Alfred A. Knopf), by Patricia Albers: At age 12, Joan Mitchell decided to be a painter. She had shown a flair for writing and for painting, but her father made her choose between the two, warning against being a dilettante. He needn't have worried — Joan turned out to be as driven as he was. When Mitchell died in 1992 at age 67, her paintings sold for millions and belonged to major art museums. But her fame came at a terrible price. A lifelong alcoholic, Mitchell was a nasty drunk, brawling with lovers until she was black and blue. Reckless, promiscuous and self-destructive, she wanted children yet had several abortions because she believed motherhood was incompatible with a career. Art historian Patricia Albers, who spent eight years on this ... More | | Curator Peter Galassi to Retire From the Museum of Modern Art After 30 Years
Peter Galassi, The Joel and Anne Ehrenkranz Chief Curator of the Department of Photography at The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Photo credit: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.
NEW YORK, NY.- Peter Galassi, The Joel and Anne Ehrenkranz Chief Curator of the Department of Photography at The Museum of Modern Art, will retire from that position in July, it was announced today by MoMA’s Director, Glenn D. Lowry. Mr. Galassi served as a curatorial intern in the Department of Photography in 1974-75, rejoined the Department’s staff in 1981, and was appointed Chief Curator in 1991. After completing a sabbatical that ends in June, Mr. Galassi will leave the Museum to devote time to writing and other projects. “Over the course of his long career at The Museum of Modern Art, Peter Galassi has applied passion, commitment, and exemplary scholarship to further our understanding of photography as an art form that is central to modern and contemporary ... More |
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Artists Paint Over One Thousand Stark Portraits of Chinese Corrupt and Disgraced Officials
A painter works on a portrait of disgraced official Chen Shoubin, former section chief of Shaoguan City Land Resources Bureau. REUTERS/Jason Lee.
By: James Pomfret
SHENZHEN, CHINA (REUTERS).-In a dingy studio flat in southern China, a half-naked painter dabs his brush gently over a portrait of Fu Yunsheng, a land official in northern China sentenced to death for embezzling millions. Squatting while dragging silently on a cigarette, the artist finishes the stark, smiling portrait rendered in the reddish-pink hue of China's 100 yuan banknotes, before stapling it to a wall beside six other portraits of disgraced officials including the toppled former mayor of the southern boomtown of Shenzhen, Xu Zongheng. "I'm a little bit afraid," said the artist, surnamed Tang, of his participation in the daring but as yet underground art project to paint several thousand portraits of government officials prosecuted for graft in recent years. The stark, monochromatic portraits, painted by a team of artists ... More | | Alyson Baker Named Ninth Director of Connecticut's Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum
Alyson Baker was the executive director of Socrates Sculpture Park.
RIDGEFIELD, CT.- The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum announced today that Alyson Baker has been selected as its next director. Baker will assume the directorship of The Aldrich on July 5, 2011, following an eleven-year term as executive director of Socrates Sculpture Park, an internationally renowned outdoor museum and artist residency program located in New York City. She succeeds Harry Philbrick, who served as director of The Aldrich from 1997 to 2010. During her time at Socrates, Baker has overseen a remarkable period of institutional and programmatic growth, implementing initiatives that have significantly increased the Park's organizational capacity and operating budget while more than doubling its annual attendance. She garnered widespread recognition and acclaim for curating exhibitions of innovative public sculpture, enhancing the quality and depth of educational and multidisciplinary cultural programs at the Park, ... More | | Street Art Exhibition at Museum of Contemporary Art Prompts Praise and Concern
The artist Banksy and students from City of Angels School created "Stained Window". AP Photo/Reed Saxon.
By: John Rogers, Associated Press
LOS ANGELES, CA (AP).- It's art from the streets that's been moved into the museum, and critics are going gaga over it. Words like stunning and near-overwhelming have been used to describe the colorful, esoteric works of Futura, Smear, Chaz Bojorquez and dozens of other seminal street scribblers covering the walls of the Museum of Contemporary Art's Little Tokyo campus. But take the art back to the streets, as some over-enthusiastic artists, or perhaps just wannabe Banksys, have been doing since the exhibition opened at MOCA's Geffen Contemporary campus earlier this month, and the reception hasn't been quite as enthusiastic. Since the show began people in the neighborhood have complained of ugly graffiti appearing on their walls, and police suspect at least one of the artists represented ... More |
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 Leigh Anne Lester Wins 2011 Hunting Art PrizeHOUSTON,TX.- The graphite drawing was selected from 110 finalist pieces in the 31st annual award program, which is sponsored by the global oil services company and is the most generous annual art prize in North America for painting and drawing. The announcement came during an evening awards gala on Saturday, April 30, at the Friedkin Corporate Campus, Gulf States Toyota, in Houston. Lester focuses her work on addressing the genesis of genetic modification and its aftereffects. Her pieces have been shown in solo exhibitions throughout Texas and across the nation, and have garnered notable reviews in a range of publications, including New York Arts Magazine, the Chicago Tribune, and the San Francisco Chronicle. "I´m honored to have been selected among such a distinguished group of artists, " Lester said after the announcement. "I am also very grateful to Hunting for this recognition, and will do my best to honor ... More New Orleans, Haiti Share Cultural History at Fest By: Chevel Johnson, Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS, LA (AP).- It's no coincidence that the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has taken the earthquake-ravaged country of Haiti under its wing. The city and the country share more than just a love of music and culture. They share history and are both survivors, said Richard Morse, lead singer and founder of the Haitian mizik rasin band RAM. "I like to say New Orleans and Haiti are twin sisters separated at birth," said Morse who recounted a bit of history behind the Louisiana Purchase during an interview. Morse said both Haiti and New Orleans were once part of the same French Colony, but in 1803, Napoleon sold Louisiana to the United States after a successful black slave revolt on what is now Haiti caused him to lose the land for his empire. After his defeat, experts ... More Anthropology Department Receives $1 Million Gift for Mountain Archaeology FundFORT COLLINS, CO.- A $1 million gift to Colorado State University’s Department of Anthropology will help support better understanding of the role that Native Americans played in forming the cultural and ecological landscapes of the southern Rocky Mountains. The gift, which establishes the James and Audrey Benedict Mountain Archaeology Fund, also will help train a new generation of Colorado State students as archaeologists by allowing for exploration of new mountain ranges in alpine country, one of the least understood cultural environments. “As long-time friends and supporters of the Department of Anthropology, Jim and Audrey Benedict have dedicated their lives to studying how humans have continued to adapt to changing environmental conditions,” said archaeology Professor Jason LaBelle. “This invaluable gift – the largest ever in the department – will advance geological and archaeol ... More Thomas Schwartz Named New Director of Hoover LibraryWASHINGTON, D.C.- Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero announced today the appointment of historian Thomas F. Schwartz as the new director of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library & Museum. His appointment is effective July 5, 2011. Dr. Schwartz is currently the Illinois State Historian. He serves as the chief historian for exhibits and content at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. He is also director of Research and the Lincoln Collection in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield, IL, including the historical documentary editing project, "The Papers of Abraham Lincoln". In making the announcement, Mr. Ferriero said, "Mr. Schwartz's extensive experience and knowledge of research library and museum practice will strengthen both the Hoover Library and the National Archives. We all look forward to working with him on new and exciting projects." Dr. Schwartz was appointed curator of ... MoreZoe Ryan Named Art Institute Chair and John H. Bryan Curator of Architecture and DesignCHICAGO, IL.- The Art Institute of Chicago announces today that Zoë Ryan has been named the Chair and John H. Bryan Curator of Architecture and Design, effective July 1, 2011 . Ryan's career at the Art Institute began in 2006 when she was chosen as the first Neville Bryan Curator of Design in the museum's Department of Architecture and Design, and she has remained with the department since, becoming Interim Chair in July 2010 after the departure of curator Joseph Rosa. Among Ryan's first responsibilities will be finding her replacement as the Neville Bryan Curator of Architecture and Design, a position that will focus on contemporary architecture, and completing the preparation for the Art Institute's major fall exhibition devoted to the Chicago architect Bertrand Goldberg. Remarking on the appointment, Jim Cuno, President and Eloise W. Martin Director of the museum, said: "Zoë is internationally recognized for h ... More Colonial Williamsburg Showcases Maps and PrintsWILLIAMSBURG (AP).- A new exhibition at Colonial Williamsburg is showcasing maps and prints of early America. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation says the exhibition called "More Than Meets the Eye: Maps and Prints of Early America" will be on display at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum through next April. The exhibition showcases two important new acquisitions to the foundation's collections. Among the most important pieces is British portrait of Col. Isaac Barre, who served as major and adjutant general at the 1759 Battle of Quebec during the French and Indian War. He also served in Parliament where he earned a reputation for his opposition to British taxation of the American colonies. Barre also coined the description of the American patriots as "Sons of Liberty." The portrait is the foundation's first by Sir Joshua Reynolds, one of the founding members of the Royal Academy, an institution established in 1768 by act of King George III and the first to provide profe ... More |
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