| | Major retrospective devoted to Japanese artist Hokusai opens at Martin-Gropius-Bau
| | | | 
A woman looks at a 1846 Shoki painting from the Katsushika Museum of Art at Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin. The works by Japanese artists Katsushika Hokusai (1790-1849) are all part of a retrospective honoring the artist. From 26 August to 24 October 2011, the exhibition shows more than 400 works of which some have never left Japan before. EPA/WOLFGANGKUMM.
BERLIN.- For the first time in Germany a major retrospective is being devoted to the world- famous Japanese artist Hokusai (1760-1849). Perhaps his best-known picture is the woodcut: “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” from the series: “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” (1823-29). Over 440 loans, which with few exceptions come from Japan, are on display in the exhibition in Berlin’s Martin-Gropius-Bau. NAGATA Seiji, the leading Japanese authority on Hokusai and his work, curated the exhibition, which is shown exclusively in Berlin. Works from all periods of the artist’s career –woodcuts and drawings, illustrated books, and paintings –are on show. In 2000 Life Magazine ran a survey to find out who were the most significant artists in world history. Hokusai came 17th, ahead of Picasso. The exhibition – which covers the entire span of Hokusai’s creative activity, extending wel ... More |
| Bravo's colorful competition series "Work of Art: The Next Great Artist" returns on October 12 | | Christie's presents superb jade carvings from an important European collection on September 15 | | Behind Apple's clean, inviting products is longtime British designer Jonathan Ive | 
Fourteen up-and-coming artists are ready to make their mark on the industry and battle it out.
NEW YORK, N.Y.- Bravo’s creative competition, “Work of Art: The Next Great Artist,” returns Wednesday, October 12 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. This imaginative series is a creative synergy between the Emmy-winning producers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz from the Magical Elves ("Top Chef," "Top Chef Masters"), Sarah Jessica Parker and Alison Benson from Pretty Matches and producer Eli Holzman. Assembled in New York City under the watchful eye of art world elites, fourteen up-and-coming artists are ready to make their mark on the industry and battle it out for a solo show at the Brooklyn Museum and a cash prize of $100,000. China Chow, host and judge, lends her artistic grace to the second season of Bravo’s cutting-edge competition that brings fine art dialogue to the forefront of pop culture. Returning to the judging panel is Bill Powers, a New York Gallery owner and literary art contributor, as well as Jerry Saltz, s ... More | | 
A Very Rare Large White Jade Archaistic Vase and Cover, Qianlong/Jiaqing period (1736–1820). Estimate: $750,000-1,000,000. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2011.
NEW YORK, N.Y.- Christie’s presents Superb Jade Carvings from an Important European Collection, a sale of 36 lustrous jades from the collection of a European connoisseur on September 15 at 2 pm. This exceptional group was formed over the past fifty years and focuses on outstanding examples exhibiting stone of high quality, fine carving, and the decorative themes appreciated by the Chinese scholarly elite. Leading the sale is a very rare white jade archaistic vase and cover, Qianlong/Jiaqing period (1736-1820) (estimate: $750,000-1,000,000). This outstanding vase is carved from fine stone of even white tone and exhibits an unusual shape, as well as a bold combination of low and high relief carving. Another highlight is a large pale greenish-white jade circular ‘double happiness’ box and cover, Qianlong/Jiaqing period (1736-1820) (estimate: ... More | | 
Jonathan Ive, left, Apple's vice president of design, and Jon Rubinstein, Apple's senior vice president of engineering. AP Photo/Susan Ragan.
By: Rachel Metz, AP Technology Writer
SAN FRANCISCO (AP).- Steve Jobs has been Apple's most recognizable personality, but much of its cachet comes from its clean, inviting designs. For that, Apple can credit its head designer, Jonathan Ive. Ive, a self-effacing 44-year-old Brit, helped Jobs bring Apple back from the brink of financial ruin with the whimsical iMac computer, whose original models came in bright colors at a time when bland shades dominated the PC world. He later helped transform Apple into a consumer electronics powerhouse and the envy of Silicon Valley with the iPod, the iPhone and, most recently, the iPad. In the wake of Jobs' resignation as CEO, Apple must show that it can keep churning out head-turning products even without its charismatic leader. Apple's chief operating officer, Tim Cook, is now ... More |
| Memory Remains by Francesc Torres marks the 10th anniversary of 9/11 at the Imperial War Museum London | | Christie's announces second edition of Multiplied to be held during Frieze Week | | Travel website VirtualTourist.com's travel picks: top ten places with bad public art | 
Though most of the vehicles at Hangar 17 came from first responders, this taxi, an emblem of daily life in New York, was also preserved.
LONDON.- The Imperial War Museum London brings you Memory Remains, a bold new photographic exhibition by artist Francesc Torres to mark the 10th anniversary of the September 11 2001 terrorist attacks, featuring over 150 projected images displayed alongside the first section of raw rusted steel from the ruins of the World Trade Center on display in the UK. The piece, over two metres in length is comprised of beams from the external walls of the building, and is thought to be the box section from one of the windows. Following the devastating attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, the recovery effort began and the 16-acre site underwent the careful and lengthy process of being cleared. A small group of architects and curators slowly began to fill the empty shell of Hangar 17 at John F Kennedy International Airport with debris and material cleared from the site, transforming it ... More | | 
Nick Laessing, Spatial Harmonics, 2010, Courtesy of grey area multiples.
LONDON.- Following the success of the ground-breaking inaugural contemporary editions fair Multiplied in 2010 – the first of its type in the UK – Christie’s announced that the salerooms in South Kensington will once again be transformed during Frieze week this year. The fair will be open to the public with free admission from 14-17 October 2011. Wallpaper* is official media partner for Multiplied 2011. Richard Lloyd, International Head of Prints, Christie’s said, “Since last year’s ground-breaking Multiplied fair we’ve been busy searching high and low, seeking out the hottest galleries and publishers working today, and we can’t wait to reveal the results. For anyone interested in contemporary art, Multiplied 2011 will be a must-see event. Devoted to contemporary art editions – sculpture, photography, printing, and artists’ books – we will be showcasing new work by risin ... More | | 
A statue of the late actress Marilyn Monroe in a famous pose towers over the south end of Michigan Avenue in Chicago. EPA/TANNEN MAURY.
LONDON (REUTERS).- Whether publicly funded or privately obtained public art can be as controversial as it is indefinable. Members and editors of travel website VirtualTourist.com (www.virtualtourist.com) have some very strong opinions which helped them come up with the top 10 pieces of bad public art. Reuters has not endorsed this list. 1. "Forever Marilyn" Seward Johnson; Chicago, Illinois: Detractors have found so many things to criticize about this work that it's hard to know where to start: its 26-foot (7.9 meter) scale, its impropriety given that the movie to which it pays tribute is set in New York, and its perceived crudeness given that viewers are able to look directly up the screen siren's dress. Luckily, she'll only be there until 2012. 2. "Cow Parade" - Certainly these painted fiberglass cows had a certain charm when they first started popping up unexpectedly ... More |
| Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, VCU and 13 charities to receive $125 million bequest | | Design Museum acquires design icons: Red telephone box and traffic lights | | More than 5,600 lots of rare collectible currency offered in Heritage Auctions' Long Beach currency event | 
Red-figured Calyx-Crater, attributed to the Nikias Painter. Greek (Attic), circa 410 B.C. Terra-cotta. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Purchase, The Arthur and Margaret Glasgow Fund.
RICHMOND, VA.- The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) jointly announced today the largest-ever cash gifts to both organizations totaling $115 million. The record gifts will help acquire additional works of art and support medical research. Thirteen additional charitable organizations will receive the remaining $10 million. The trusts, created in the 1950s by Arthur Graham and Margaret Branch Glasgow, terminated earlier this summer with the death of their son-in-law, Ambrose Congreve 104, in London. VMFA, VCU and the other charities will receive the gifts according to percentages set forth in the trusts of Mr. and Mrs. Glasgow. These will be the largest cash gifts to both VMFA and VCU. Nearly $70 million will go ... More | | 
A set of traffic lights designed by David Mellor.
LONDON.- To coincide with the opening of the Design Museum’s latest exhibition, ‘This is Design’, the museum has announced two major acquisitions to its Collection: Britain’s celebrated red telephone box, donated by BT and a set of traffic lights designed by David Mellor. The acquisitions are both featured in ‘This is Design’ which celebrates and features highlights from the museum’s Collection including the Anglepoise lamp, UK road signs, UK traffic lights, the candlestick telephone and the Moulton bicycle. The telephone box, also known as the K6 Kiosk, celebrates its 75th birthday this year. It was introduced in 1936 to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of the coronation of King George V. The “Jubilee Kiosk”, as it became known, was designed by English architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (1880-1960) and was similar, but smaller than its predecessor the K2, also designed by Sir Giles. ... More | | 
1868-76 Revolution 1000 Pesos Graded PCGS Superb Gem New 67PPQ. Photo: Heritage Auctions.
DALLAS, TX.- Heritage Auctions, the official auctioneer of the September Long Beach Coin and Currency Exposition, will be presenting more than 5,600 lots of rare and collectible currency as part of its Signature® Currency Auction, Sept. 7-9 and Sept. 11-12. The lots will be offered in four floor sessions at the Long Beach Exposition and two additional sessions presented online. “A wonderful selection of Large Size type from the Mayfair Collection and Ron Webber Collection are just two of the highlighted collections to be offered,” said Allen Mincho, Director of Currency Auctions at Heritage. “The Kings Mountain Collection of currency from the Southern Colonies is one of the most extensive offerings of Colonials since the Midnight Ride Collection was offered in 2009.” Session One kicks off on Wednesday, Sept. 7, at 6 p.m. PT with World Bank Notes, followed by selections ... More |
| Søren Lose creates a number of new works for the exhibition Relicts at Kunsthallen Brandts | | Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art retains three scumak sculptures by Roxy Paine | | Hurricane Irene to hit Eastern seaboard: AXA Art offers collectors advise with checklist | 
Søren Lose, Collage, 2011.
ODENSE.- In no more than a split second a certain kind of scent can take us back to our childhood or remind us of a particular person from the past. Søren Lose occupies such memory lanes. He presents documents, takes photographs of old buildings and reconstructs elements from the past. Søren Lose has created a number of new works for the exhibition Relicts which take their point of departure in key objects from Berlin at the time of the GDR. Lose has, for example, reconstructed parts of a monument to Lenin which was torn down shortly after the collapse of the Berlin Wall. By means of this reconstruction Lose addresses our relationship to the past, and he uses the sculpture to act as the bearer of specific political and cultural ideologies and events. The theme of several works in the exhibition is of present-day interest because Germany is currently marking the 50th anniversary of the construction of the Berlin Wall. Lose’s reconstructions refer to something which no longer ... More | | 
The Scumak machine will be taken down when the exhibition, Roxy Paine: Scumaks and Dendroids, closes this Sunday, Aug. 28.
KANSAS CITY, MO.- Artist Roxy Paine’s sculpture-making machine has been churning out sculptures, called Scumaks, in Bloch Lobby at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art since April. Three of the sculptures, donated by Paine and James Cohan Gallery, will be retained by the Museum. The more than 40 sculptures were winnowed down to five choices by Jan Schall, curator of modern & contemporary art. From those choices, the public, the Museum staff and volunteers, and the Museum’s Board of Trustees voted for their favorite. The public chose #20, staff and volunteers chose #1, and the Board of Trustees chose #24. “All of Roxy Paine’s work addresses the relationship between what occurs naturally and that which is technologically produced,” said Jan Schall, Sanders Sosland Curator, Modern & Contemporary Art. “The organic configurations that result from this sculpture-making machine ... More | | 
Strong waves and a storm surge begin to wash beneath oceanfront homes with the arrival of Hurricane Irene in Rodanthe, North Carolina. EPA/JIM LO SCALZO.
NEW YORK, NY.- Weather experts advise that Hurricane Irene is currently packing wind speed of approximately 115 miles per hour and wind gusts at 138 miles per hour --with severe impact projected for coastal areas from the Outer Banks of North Carolina to New England including Richmond , Washington , D.C., Baltimore , Philadelphia and New York. The storm is projected to make land fall in New Jersey , New York and surrounding cities and coastal towns beginning Saturday evening. Emergency management officials have been briefing the public on evacuation plans for our area beginning early a.m. today. “At the onset of a storm, the most important concern is ensuring one's personal safety and that of loved ones," commented Christiane Fischer, President and CEO of AXA Art's North American operations. Collectors surround themselves with prized possessions that sometimes take a ... More |
| More News |
 RM tops 2011 Pebble Beach auction results with record $80 million in sales BLENHEIM, ON.- RM Auctions confirmed its standing as the world’s leading collector car auction house for investment-quality automobiles on the weekend, posting the highest auction results of this year’s famed Pebble Beach motoring week with a record $80,142,000* in total sales, including a select series of private after sales, and 88% of all lots sold. The impressive results tally – up from $67 million in 2010 – represents the highest auction results ever achieved during the Monterey classic car week and includes 14 individual million-dollar-plus sale results. In addition, the sale established a number of new auction records, including that for the highest dollar single-day collector car auction in history** with over $60.5 million in sales generated during RM’s Saturday sale session on August 20. Additional records included the sale of an exceptional 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540 K Spezial Roadster, chas ... More Smithsonian Prepares for Hurricane Irene WASHINGTON.- Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo are preparing for possible severe weather this weekend along the East Coast due to Hurricane Irene. Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., and the National Zoo are open; however, if weather worsens over the weekend, this status could change. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York City, the George Gustav Heye Center, will be closed on Saturday, Aug. 27 and Sunday, 28, due to a severe storm threat. Preparations for the storm include: 1,000 sandbags, filled with 20 tons of sand, have been placed around the museums to protect buildings and collections from possible flooding. Staff at the National Zoo are moving animals from outdoor exhibits to indoor exhibits and putting up flood gates. The National Zoo has at least one week of produce and a month’s worth of dry feeds and meat, and millions of gallons of clean ... MoreSaudi Arabia discovers 9,000 year old civilizationJEDDAH (REUTERS).- Saudi Arabia is excavating a new archeological site that will show horses were domesticated 9,000 years ago in the Arabian peninsula, the country's antiquities expert said Wednesday. The discovery of the civilization, named al-Maqar after the site's location, will challenge the theory that the domestication of animals took place 5,500 years ago in Central Asia, said Ali al-Ghabban, Vice-President of Antiquities and Museums at the Saudi Commission for Tourism & Antiquities. "This discovery will change our knowledge concerning the domestication of horses and the evolution of culture in the late Neolithic period," Ghabban told a news conference in the Red Sea port of Jeddah. "The Maqar Civilization is a very advanced civilization of the Neolithic period. This site shows us clearly, the roots of the domestication of horses 9,000 years ago." The site also includes remains of mummified skeletons, arrowheads, scrapers, grain grinders, tools for spinning and weaving, ... More Rolex and New York Public Library host art weekendNEW YORK, NY.- Anish Kapoor, Brian Eno, and Peters Sellars are among the artists scheduled to participate in a series of public programs dedicated to the arts and creative collaboration in New York City this fall. The Rolex Arts Weekend, to be presented November 11-13 at the New York Public Library (NYPL), will also feature emerging talents in dance, film, literature, music, theatre, and the visual arts, who were paired by the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative with master artists for a year of creative exchange. The weekend festival—titled LIVE from the NYPL Presents the Rolex Arts Weekend—will include performances, workshops, and cross-disciplinary discussions with artists. The weekend is co-produced by LIVE from the NYPL and Rolex. The Arts Weekend will include performances by: • Dance protégé Lee Serle of Australia, mentored by choreographer Trisha Brown, will premiere a site-specific work at the New York ... More Sketch artist sues Associated Press, Getty over copyrights By: Matthew Barakat, Associated Press
MCLEAN, VA. (AP).- A prominent courtroom sketch artist has sued The Associated Press and stock photo agency Getty Images, alleging they violated her copyright protections by reselling her work. Patricia Lopez of Ohkay Owingeh, N.M., north of Santa Fe, filed the lawsuit back in April in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, Va. On Wednesday her lawyer filed court papers indicating settlement discussions are ongoing. Lopez has provided sketches at some of the nation's biggest courtroom battles, including the Fort Hood shootings and the Enron and Oklahoma City bombing trials. Her lawyer, H. Jay Spiegel, said Lopez was typically paid $300 to $500 for her sketches but retained the copyright. AP and Getty allegedly violated the copyright by reselling her work to the public, at prices up to $12,000 for a one-month license, according to the lawsuit. "She just wants to be compensated when her wo ... More UK spies sought German movie extra and Nazi agentBy: Jill Lawless, Associated Press
LONDON (AP).- At the end of World War II, British spies were in pursuit of a charismatic, multilingual German agent who had befriended Hollywood celebrities and persuaded British and American detainees to broadcast propaganda for the Nazis. Secret files from the MI5 spy agency declassified Friday reveal the colorful story of Werner Plack, a German agent who moved from the film sets and nightclubs of prewar Los Angeles to the hotels of wartime Berlin and occupied Paris. A Nazi interrogated by MI5 described Plack as a "freelance propaganda agent." MI5 said it was eager to find him because he had "taken part in the recruitment of British renegades" who helped the Nazi war effort. He was involved in persuading British comic writer P.G. Wodehouse to make radio broadcasts from Berlin for an American audience in 1941 — broadcasts that caused outrage in Britain. MI5 sources filled in a vivid picture of Plack, described as having an "elegant appea ... More |
|
|
