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Tuesday, April 10, 2012 |
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Exhibition of paradises and landscapes in the Thyssen Collection opens in Málaga
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Henri Lebasque, Banks of the River Marne near Montévrain, ca. 1900 (detail).
MALAGA.- The exhibition titled Paradises and Landscapes in the Carmen Thyssen Collection. From Brueghel to Gauguin presents an interesting survey of landscape painting, from the seventeenth century to the twentieth century, represented by significant works in the Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection. The show examines the depiction of nature as an idyllic place by means of a fine selection of works by artists who have played a key role in shaping the history of art, among whom nineteenth-century American landscape painters and the great masters of Impressionism were most prominent. The idea of paradise appears in several ancient peoples, both in the Semitic and the Graeco-Latin tradition. The Book of Genesis describes it as a place of particular beauty, where man lived in perfect harmony with nature until the Fall, and his ... More |
| MoMA presents the first live retrospective of electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk |
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National Gallery of Art acquires major work by Simon Hantai; Warhol celebrated portfolio |
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The New York Public Library digitizes thousands of early American historic documents |
Image courtesy of Sprueth Magers, Berlin and London. © Kraftwerk
NEW YORK, NY.- The Museum of Modern Art presents its first time-based artist retrospective with Kraftwerk–Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8, performed live on eight consecutive evenings from April 10 through 17 by Kraftwerk, the avant-garde electronic music pioneers. Each evening will consist of a live performance in the Museum’s Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium of works from one of the group’s eight albums, created over four decades, followed by a selection of original compositions from their catalogue adapted specifically for this exhibition’s format, to showcase both Kraftwerk’s historical contributions and contemporary influences on sound and image culture. Kraftwerk–Retrospective 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 is organized by Klaus Biesenbach, Chief Curator at Large at MoMA and Director of MoMA PS1, with the assistance of Eliza Ryan, Curatorial Assistant, MoMA PS1. The elaborate staging of the performa ... More |
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Simon Hantaï, Etude, 1969, oil on canvas. National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of the Collectors Committee © 2012 Estate Simon Hantaï.
WASHINGTON, DC.- At its annual meeting in March, the Collectors Committee of the National Gallery of Art made possible the acquisition of Etude (1969) by Simon Hantaï (1922–2008), from his series of the same name. "This year, the Collectors Committee's selection brings the Gallery its first painting by Simon Hantaï—a work made at the pinnacle of his career," said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. "We are very grateful to the Collectors Committee, which enables the Gallery to continually enhance its holdings of contemporary art." The Collectors Committee discretionary fund for photographs, drawings, and prints also supported the acquisition of a portfolio of screenprints by Andy Warhol (1928–1987) as well four photographs by Robert Heinecken (1931–2006). In these works, both Warhol and Heinecken address ideas about ... More |
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Mark Twain in black suit and tie, seated in armchair.
NEW YORK, NY.- Thousands of historical documents at The New York Public Library – including material handwritten by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and papers from authors such as Mark Twain – will soon be accessible to the public online, thanks in large part due to a generous gift of $500,000 from The Polonsky Foundation. The project, which began in January and will continue through 2014, will digitize documents from the Thomas Addis Emmet Collection, located within the Manuscripts and Archives Division, and almost all the papers of several major American authors in the Henry W. and Albert A. Berg Collection of English and American Literature at The New York Public Library. “This exciting project is a key element in our goal of creating greater possibilities for our collections and expanding their accessibility worldwide,” said NYPL President Anthony Marx. “Digitizing collections featuring hand-w ... More |
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| Dino tracks lead to phenomenal Martian rock in Chait's May 6 Natural History auction |
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Australia's largest public collection of the work of Joseph Beuys goes on view at University Art Gallery |
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Georgia's Culture Ministry announces Josef Stalin museum being remodeled to focus on his atrocities |
Authentic Egyptian mummy hand at least 2,000 years old (between New Kingdom and Ptolemaic Eras), estimate: $5,000-$6,000. I.M. Chait image.
BEVERLY HILLS, CA.- I.M. Chait’s industry-leading Natural History sales are a showcase for once-in-a-lifetime specimens, like the spectacular meteorite from Mars that headlines the company’s May 6 auction. Extraordinarily rare, the fist-size rock that landed in an African desert last July 18 probably took hundreds of millions of years to travel from Mars to earth. It is known as the Tissint Meteorite – a reference to the name of the Moroccan town nearest to where nomads in the Oued Drâa valley found the fusion-crusted stone after it made its dramatic landing. According to eyewitnesses, a yellow fireball streaked across the sky, turned a bright green color, then split into two parts as two loud sonic booms were emitted. Experts would later determine – amid much excitement – that the specimens found near Tissint had originated on Mars. “Less than 0.1% of all known meteorites are recorded as Martian i ... More |
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Joseph Beuys; Filzanzug (Felt Suit) 1970; felt, cotton, ink on synthetic fabric and metal safety pins; edition 69/100; JW Power Collection, The University of Sydney, managed by Museum of Contemporary Art.
SYDNEY.- Australia’s largest public collection of the work of Joseph Beuys, one of the late 20th century’s most influential artists, has gone on show at the University of Sydney’s Art Gallery. German-born Beuys (1921-1986) produced works from a range of disciplines including sculpture, performance art, installations and graphic art. Hugely influential on subsequent artists, his own greatest influences include his involvement in the German army during World War II, Rudolf Steiner’s work and mythology. Joseph Beuys and the ‘Energy Plan’ is a free show of works from the University of Sydney’s Power Collection. His Filzanzug (Felt Suit) 1970 is the centrepiece of the exhibition and refers to Beuys’ memories of the war. “A volunteer for the Luftwaffe, Beuys was shot down over the Crimea in 1944 and it’s claimed the Tartars who rescued him wrapped him in ... More |
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A bust of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin sits inside a museum dedicated to him in the town of Gori. AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov.
By: Misha Dzhindzhikhashvili, Associated Press
GORI (AP).- A museum that has honored Josef Stalin in Georgia since 1937 is being remodeled to exhibit the atrocities that were committed during the Soviet dictator's rule. Georgian Culture Minister Nika Rurua said Monday that his nation, which became independent in 1991, can no longer host a museum "glorifying the Soviet dictator." Stalin was born Josef Dzhugashvili in the central Georgian town of Gori in 1879, and the museum opened here in 1937, at the height of purges that were later dubbed the Great Terror. The gigantic museum includes the house where Stalin was born and some 47,000 exhibits, including his personal belongings and death masks. It remained open despite the de-Stalinization campaign and denunciation of his personality cult declared by Stalin's successor ... More |
| First major retrospective of Fred Williams’s work in over 25 years on view at the National Gallery of Victoria |
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Documents discovered by museum curator reveal Catalina Island's earliest history |
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Deputy Director for Art and Education at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art steps down |
Fred Williams, Self portrait at easel 1960-61. Oil on composition board, 89.2 x 61.2 cm. National Portrait Gallery, Canberra.
MELBOURNE.- The National Gallery of Victoria opened the first major retrospective of Fred Williams’s work in over 25 years. Fred Williams: Infinite Horizons showcases over 100 works from this iconic Australian artist drawn from public and private collections in Australia and overseas, including many works that have never been on public display before. The exhibition highlights Williams’s strength as a landscape artist including important oil paintings and luminous gouaches that reveal his distinctive approach, and his ability to poetically convey a feeling of place. Frances Lindsay, Deputy Director NGV, said: “This is a rare opportunity for visitors to see a comprehensive retrospective of this seminal Australian artist. “In the late 1950s Williams was determined to paint what was widely considered a hopelessly outdated subject. In doing so he redefined how Australians view and understand our unique lands ... More |
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Amateur archaeologist Ralph Glidden pictured with some of his tools during an excavation.
AVALON, CA.- He was a colorful character whose research into many of North America’s earliest human settlements was both groundbreaking and highly controversial. Which made all the more remarkable the announcement this past week that a large cache of original papers and photographs had been discovered documenting the earliest excavations of Catalina Island by the amateur archaeologist Ralph Glidden. Details of the discovery were first reported in a front-page article published in the Los Angeles Times. The article describes how a curator at the Catalina Island Museum discovered numerous journals, personal letters, albums, newspaper articles and, most significantly, hundreds of photographs that Glidden had compiled during his years of his research on the island. “The sheer scale of this discovery is immense,” stated John Boraggina, the curator who discovered the collection and who has been on the job for ... More |
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Dawson was hired in March of 2011 to lead the curatorial, education, collections and library teams.
BENTONVILLE, ARK.- Matt Dawson, Deputy Director for Art and Education and a member of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art’s senior management team, will step down from his post April 12 to pursue other opportunities in the museum field. “As the Museum continues our transition from opening to operational mode, we anticipated there would inevitably be some changes with which to contend. One of those changes will be the departure of Matt Dawson as our deputy director of art and education,” said Executive Director Don Bacigalupi when he announced Dawson’s decision to return to Toronto. Dawson was hired in March of 2011 to lead the curatorial, education, collections and library teams. During his tenure at Crystal Bridges, he played a central and critical role in the launch of the Museum, by planning and executing the inaugural gallery installations, the design and implementation of the Experience Ar ... More |
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| Milwaukee Art Museum acquires major work by London-based Contemporary artist Isaac Julien |
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Christie's New York opens the spring jewelry auction season with $40 million sale |
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Finalist designers and architects emerge in competition to redesign National Mall sites |
Fantôme Créole Series (Mise en scène no. 1), 2005. Lamda print on gloss paper, 119.5 x 119.5 cm. Courtesy of Isaac Julien, Metro Pictures, New York and Victoria Miro Gallery, London.
MILWAUKEE, WIS.- The Milwaukee Art Museum has acquired a video work by London-based Contemporary artist Isaac Julien. Western Union: Small Boats (2007) juxtaposes the grandeur of the Sicilian Palazzo Gangi (made famous by Luchino Visconti’s 1963 cinematic masterpiece The Leopard) with present-day sea voyages from Africa to the Mediterranean. Western Union: Small Boats is part of Julien’s “Expeditions” trilogy, now on view as part of the Museum’s Currents series, which highlights the work of Contemporary artists. As with all the works in “Expeditions,” Western Union is presented on three separated projection screens, physically indicating the fragmented narratives of the work. “We are delighted to have acquired Western Union: Small Boats into our permanent collection and are ... More |
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A Pair of Pear-Shaped Colombian Emerald Ear Pendants of 10.26 and 9.01 Carats. Estimate: $300,000 – 500,000. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd 2012.
NEW YORK, NY.- At its first jewelry auction since the record-breaking $137.2 million jewelry sale of The Collection of Elizabeth Taylor last December, Christie’s New York will present a blockbuster sale of exceptional jewelry on April 17 at its flagship Rockefeller Center saleroom. The auction features over 300 individual jewels, including top-quality diamonds, gemstones, natural pearls and signed jewels, with auction estimates ranging from $2,000 up to $8 million. The total sale is expected to achieve in excess of $40 million. The sale is anchored by several important American collections, including jewelry from the Estate of Huguette M. Clark, one of the last great heiresses of America’s Gilded Age. Ms. Clark’s stunning personal jewelry collection, which is believed to have been stored in a bank vault since the 1940s, includes signed Art Deco jewels by Cartier, Dreicer & Co., and Tiffany & Co., including The ... More |
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Donald Stastny, an architect advising the Trust for the National Mall, is surrounded by boards depicting proposed designs for the National Mall. AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin.
By: Brett Zongker, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP).- Lakeside gardens, dining rooms hovering over water, grassy new amphitheaters and underground pavilions at the foot of the Washington Monument have emerged as finalists in a design competition to overhaul neglected sites on the National Mall. Designers and architects are dreaming big for a chance to improve what's sometimes called America's front yard. One vision calls for a garden "museum without walls" in part of the mall called Constitution Gardens. Another would "peel up" the landscape of the Washington Monument to reveal a large structure below ground with a theater and visitor amenities. The Associated Press had an exclusive early look at the results of the competition conducted by the nonprofit Trust for the National Mall to help restore ... More |
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 Jannis Kounellis exhibits new site specific work at the Museum of Cycladic Art
ATHENS.- World acclaimed artist, Jannis Kounellis exhibits a new and site specific work at the Museum of Cycladic Art. It is the first solo exhibition in Greece after many years, housed at the Stathatos Mansion, the neoclassical wing of the Museum. The exhibition runs from 5 April to 30 September 2012. Jannis Kounellis, whose contribution to the international art movement of Arte Povera has been defining, left Greece very young to leave behind the trauma of the civil war. He now returns to create a work amidst the economic and social crisis that Greece is currently going through. Kounellis's installation can only be a response to this turmoil, as he puts it, “at this particular moment it would be impossible to have just an exhibition of art in Greece”. For his exhibition at the Museum of Cycladic Art, Kounellis uses materials found in the local Athenian markets and junkyards. These ... More Museum of Arts & Sciences announces new Executive Director
DAYTONA BEACH, FL.- The Museum of Arts & Sciences Board of Trustees has named the new Executive Director of the Museum. Andrew M. Sandall has accepted the position and will be starting at MOAS on May 1, 2012. Mr. Sandall comes to the Museum from the Orange County Regional History Center in Orlando, FL, where he served since 2008 as the Assistant Director. Prior to moving to Florida, Mr. Sandall served as the Executive Director of the Museum of Early Trades & Crafts and the Friends of the Hermitage, both in New Jersey. In addition, he has served in several curatorial positions throughout the United Kingdom. Originally from the United Kingdom, Mr. Sandall received his MA in Museum Studies from Leicester University and his BA in Environment, Leisure & Heritage Management from the University College of Ripon and York St. John. MOAS ... More Trove of high-grade signed Babe Ruth baseballs highlight Heritage Auctions' largest sports event to date
DALLAS, TX.- The infamous “Buckner Ball” from the 1986 World Series, Game Six, perhaps the most recognized baseball in the world, is being offered without reserve as the centerpiece of Heritage Auctions’ May 3-5 Vintage Sports Collectibles Signature® Auction. The ball is part of The Seth Swirsky Collection, a grouping of exceptional pieces of baseball history, and is expected to bring more than $100,000+. “This is the very ball bungled by the star Red Sox first baseman in what is considered by many the most famous single play in American Sports history,” said Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Memorabilia at Heritage, “and it’s just one of more than 2,600 lots being offered. It’s a stellar lead for a stellar sale.” The Seth Swirsky Collection is an extraordinary compilation of singular baseball artifacts that celebrate some of the most fascinating moments from our National Pastime. Besides th ... More Inaugural edition of the Dhaka Art Summit 12-15 April 2012 in Dhaka, Bangladesh
DHAKA.- The inaugural edition of the Dhaka Art Summit will take place next month from 12-15 April 2012 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Dhaka Art Summit is the first large scale public showcase of art in Bangladesh, and a pioneering public-private collaboration in the country. The summit is organized by the Samdani Art Foundation , a non-profit arts funding and development organization in collaboration with the Bangladesh National Museum, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (the national fine and performing arts school of Bangladesh), and sponsored by American Express. The Dhaka Art Summit was created as a platform for the development of artists in Bangladesh, and to create awareness about Bangladeshi art internationally. It offers galleries and independent artists without gallery representation in Bangladesh an opportunity to showcase their work, free of cost, ... More Gallery showcases important Queensland potters
BRISBANE.- A joint exhibition of Queensland father and son potters Carl and Phillip McConnell is being shown at the Queensland Art Gallery through June 24, 2012. QAG Director Tony Ellwood said ‘Carl and Phillip McConnell: Queensland Studio Potters’ recognised the important place the two potters hold in the history of pottery in Australia. ‘Carl McConnell (1926 – 2003) was the most important potter of the post-World War Two generation in Queensland, and is credited with introducing stoneware and porcelain to the state,’ he said. ‘Phillip McConnell (b.1947), Carl’s eldest son, followed in his father’s footsteps, establishing an equally significant career. ‘Carl’s technical innovations in pottery glazing, such as his completely unique ‘Pinjarra plum’ (reduced iron) glaze, placed him in the company of other leading Australian potters of the time including Les Blakebroug ... More Runner's death adds poignancy to Pa. photo exhibit
PHILADELPHIA (AP).- A photography exhibit about a rugged ultra-marathon in the canyons of Mexico — and the native people who inspired it — has taken on new poignancy after the unexpected death of the race's founder. "Run! Super-Athletes of the Sierra Madre" is now dedicated to the memory of extreme runner Micah True. The installation at the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology opened March 31, the same day True's body was found after a run in New Mexico. His cause of death hasn't yet been released. Much of the 30-picture display focuses on the annual race started by True to promote the long-distance running culture of the indigenous Tarahumara people. Also known as the Raramuri, they routinely cover great distances wearing sandals made of little but old tire rubber. Photographer Diana Molina documented last year's Copper ... More Reported change at a church mystifies Macedonia
SKOPJE (AP).- Thousands of Orthodox Christian worshippers from across Macedonia are lining up to visit a church where a cleric says frescoes of saints have begun to appear brighter in color without any obvious explanation. Father Zoran of Saint Dimitrija church in Skopje, the capital, said Monday that the murals, long obscured by the residue of candle smoke, began to appear clearer over the weekend, with red and gold colors becoming more noticeable. That has prompted worshippers to flock to the church ahead of Orthodox Easter next Sunday. About two-thirds of Macedonia's 2.1 million people have been baptized Orthodox Christian. ... More |
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