| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net |   | Established in 1996 | Friday, December 13, 2019 |
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| | World's oldest artwork uncovered in Indonesian cave: study | |
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Using dating technology, the team at Australia's Griffith University said it had confirmed that the limestone cave painting dated back at least 43,900 years during the Upper Palaeolithic period.
JAKARTA (AFP).- An Indonesian cave painting that depicts a prehistoric hunting scene could be the world's oldest figurative artwork dating back nearly 44,000 years, a discovery that points to an advanced artistic culture, according to new research. Spotted two years ago on the island of Sulawesi, the 4.5 metre (13 foot) wide painting features wild animals being chased by half-human hunters wielding what appear to be spears and ropes, said the study published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. Using dating technology, the team at Australia's Griffith University said it had confirmed that the limestone cave painting dated back at least 43,900 years during the Upper Palaeolithic period. "This hunting scene is -- to our knowledge -- currently the oldest pictorial record of storytelling and the earliest figurative artwork in the world," researchers said. The discovery comes after a painting of an animal in a cave on the Indonesian island of Borneo was earlier determined to ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day A visitor views stucco decorations following the restoration of the entire wall of the left aisle at the underground pagan basilica of Porta Maggiore, on December 10, 2019 in Rome. Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP
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 | | Investors must pay back Sotheby's over forged Frans Hals, court finds | | Hauser & Wirth announces representation of Avery Singer | | Egypt unveils 'rare' ancient pharaoh bust | 
Portrait of a Man, previously attributed to Frans Hals. Courtesy Sotheby's.
by Nina Siegal
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE ).- A British court ruled on Wednesday that an art investment firm, Fairlight Art Ventures, was liable for its role selling a painting attributed to the Dutch old master Frans Hals that was later deemed a forgery. The company must reimburse about $6 million to Sothebys, the auction house that brokered the sale, the court said. The nice thing is that court decided in Sothebys favor on every single point, a Sothebys lawyer, Paul Lomas, said in a telephone interview. It was, in that sense, a very strong result. Fairlight did not immediately respond to a request for comment. David Kowitz, the founder of Fairlight, and Mark Weiss, a London art dealer, bought the painting as a Frans Hals in 2010, and asked Sothebys to broker a private sale of the work. The auction house sold it for $10.75 million to American art collector Richard ... More | | 
Avery Singer © Avery Singer. Courtesy the artist, Hauser & Wirth, Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler, Berlin.
NEW YORK, NY.- Hauser & Wirth today announced its representation of Avery Singer. Born in New York in 1987, Singer has emerged as a powerful contemporary voice whose work explores the possibilities in the convergence of painting and technology. Her highly distinctive oeuvre incorporates both autobiographical and fictional narratives, reflecting upon the art world today and the wider sweep of art history that she has inherited as a painter. Singers pioneering techniques are deployed to question the ways in which images and their distribution in our world, are increasingly informed by new media and technologies. Singer has developed a highly original visual vocabulary that evokes established traditions of archival documentation, and a preferred iconography that references familiar art historical notions of the artist, the muse, and the ironies suggested by these tropes. At the same time, her dexterous process is highly technologically advan ... More | | 
This statue of Ramses II, one of the most famous pharaohs of the 19th dynasty (1301-1236 BC), measures 105 centimetres high and 55 centimetres wide. Photo: Egyptian Antiquities Ministry.
CAIRO (AFP).- A "rare" bust of a statue of the pharaoh Ramses II has been discovered near Giza, south of Cairo, the Egyptian Antiquities Ministry announced Wednesday. The statue is the first rose granite bust of Ramses II found that includes the "ka" symbol, according to a statement from the ministry, which described the find as "rare". Ka represented in ancient Egypt the spirit of a human or god that could reside in a statue of the person or deity after death. The excavation last week by a ministry team took place on private land in Mit Rahina near the site of the ancient city of Memphis around 30 kilometres (20 miles) south of Cairo, the statement added. This statue of Ramses II, one of the most famous pharaohs of the 19th dynasty (1301-1236 BC), measures 105 centimetres high and 55 centimetres wide. Egypt has in recent years sought to promote archaeological discoveries across ... More |
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| | Russian billionaire loses Monaco battle with art dealer | | Mexico makes deal to defuse naked Zapata painting row | | Head cones in ancient Egyptian graves cap archaeological debate | 
In this file photo taken on May 17, 2017, AS Monaco's Russian president Dmitriy Rybolovlev applauds as he attends the French L1 football match Monaco (ASM) vs St Etienne (ASSE). BORIS HORVAT / AFP.
NICE (AFP).- Russian oligarch Dmitry Rybolovlev has lost a case in Monaco against a top art dealer he accused of swindling him out of hundreds of millions of dollars, his lawyers said on Thursday. Rybolovlev, who owns AS Monaco football club, accused Swiss dealer Yves Bouvier of charging him inflated prices on dozens of artworks he acquired for more than $2.1 billion (1.9 billion euros). The Monaco court of appeal said the "entire investigation was carried out in a partial and unfair manner" -- a major setback for Rybolovlev, whose five-year feud with Bouvier has played out in courts in five countries. Bouvier hailed it as "yet another victory" after favourable court rulings in Singapore, Hong Kong and New York. His lawyer Franck Michel accused Rybolovlev of concocting a case against the art dealer in Monaco as part of a plot to destroy Bouvier's art shipping and storage business. However, one of Rybolovlev's lawyers ... More | | 
View of a painting called 'La Revolucion, 2014' by Fabian Chairez part of the exhibition 'Emiliano Zapata after Zapata', at the Museum of Fine Arts, in Mexico City, on December 10, 2019. CLAUDIO CRUZ / AFP.
MEXICO CITY (AFP).- The verdict is in: the painting of Emiliano Zapata wearing nothing but a pink sombrero and heels can stay. But the Mexican Revolutionary hero's descendents will be allowed to place a text beside it stating their strong objections to the work, which shows Zapata draped suggestively over a white horse with a giant erection. Those are the terms of a deal announced Thursday to defuse what had become a burning, at times bloody debate in Mexico over a painting that depicts the mustachioed peasant leader in an effeminate, pin-up style pose his outraged family described as "gay." Under the deal, brokered by the Mexican culture ministry, the painting by artist Fabian Chairez will also be removed from promotional materials for the exhibition, "Emiliano. Zapata After Zapata," which opened last month at the Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City. The exhibition was meant as a tribute to Zapata, a towering figure in Mexican ... More | | 
Ancient Egyptians wearing head cones of wax were excavated from graves at Amarna, south of Cairo. A. Stevens et al., via The Amarna Project and Antiquity Publications, 2019 via The New York Times.
by Nicholas St. Fleur
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE ).- Painted throughout ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics are scenes of people at boisterous banquets. On top of the dark, braided heads of some revelers sat peculiar white cones. Archaeologists have long puzzled over the purpose of the mysterious headgear, and whether they were real items worn by people, or just iconographic ornaments, like halos crowning saints in Christian artwork. Now, a team of archaeologists has uncovered for the first time two of the head cones in the ancient Egyptian city of Amarna, nearly 200 miles south of Cairo. The cones were made of wax and dated from 1347 to 1332 B.C. when Egypt was ruled by the pharaoh Akhenaten, husband to Queen Nefertiti and the supposed father of King Tutankhamen. The finding, which was published Tuesday in the journal ... More |
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| | Saint Louis Art Museum receives gift of collection of 19th-century photography | | Perrotin Tokyo opens an exhibition of works by Takashi Murakami | | Keith Haring mural in Amsterdam preserved for the future | 
Sir Francis Bedford, English, 18161894; Tintern Abbey, South Aisle, 1858 (detail); albumen print from glass negative; 7 9/16 x 9 1/2 inches; Gift of David R. Hanlon 177:2019
ST. LOUIS, MO.- Photographer and photography historian David R. Hanlon has given the Saint Louis Art Museum a collection of 19th-century photographic prints that significantly expands the museums holdings from the first four decades of the medium. We are grateful for Davids generous gift, which is the result of years of thoughtful and discerning collecting, said Brent R. Benjamin, the Barbara B. Taylor Director of the Saint Louis Art Museum. It will make a substantial impact on the museums holdings of 19th-century photography. The gift of 58 photographs and related material includes 12 photographers not currently in the museums collection and augments the holdings of seven British and French photographers already represented in the collection. Strengths of the gift include significant groups of works by the British photographers Frank Mason ... More | | 
View of the exhibition Superflat Doraemon at Perrotin Tokyo Photo: Kei Okano ©2019 Takashi Murakami/Kaikai Kiki Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Courtesy Perrotin.
TOKYO.- Little Boy (published by Japan Society / Yale University Press, 2005) is the official catalogue for the exhibition Little Boy: The Arts of Japans Exploding Subculture (Japan Society, New York, 2005) as well as a concept book on Japanese post-war culture edited by Takashi Murakami. Its front cover features Shinji Ikari of Neon Genesis Evangelion while Doraemon1s smile stretches across its back cover. What lies beneath Takashi Murakamis creation is Japanese art, including the works by so-called eccentric painters of the Edo period, namely Ito Jakuchu and Soga Shohaku, works by Rinpa artists like Tawaraya Sotatsu and Ogata Korin, along with ukiyo-e and the otaku culture of manga and animation that notably developed in post-war Japan. In the aspirational report on Murakami by Canadian sociologist Sarah Thornton in 2007-2009, the relationship between ... More | | 
Keith Haring mural, 1986. Photo Hanna Hachula. Artwork © Keith Haring Foundation.
AMSTERDAM.- The mural by Keith Haring at the Foodcenter in Amsterdam-West will be restored next year. Haring painted the work in 1986, eight years later it disappeared behind a metal facade. During the rediscovery in 2018 the wall painting turned out to be in a reasonable condition. Experts established that restoration was necessary to preserve the work for the future. That is why a restoration plan was drawn up this year and a number of parties involved agreed on the funding. The Keith Haring Foundation, the municipality of Amsterdam, and project developer Marktkwartier (collaboration between VolkerWessels Vastgoed and Ballast Nedam Development) each contribute one third to the total costs of approximately 180,000. The Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam is closely involved as an advisor and one of the initiators of the restoration. The American artist and activist Keith Haring (1958 - 1990) started drawing graffiti in the New ... More |
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| | Christie's First Open sale highlighted by kinetic work from New Media artist collective, BREAKFAST | | White Cube announces representation of the estate of Bram Bogart | | Louise Giovanelli's first solo show in Italy on view at Frutta Gallery | 
BREAKFAST, Svalbard Ice (detail). Estimate: $8,000-12,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.
NEW YORK, NY.- Christies First Open Online-Only Sale of Post-War and Contemporary art will be open for bidding through December 18. The sale offers an exceptional selection of artworks at affordable price points for seasoned and new collectors alike. Leading the sale are premium lots by blue-chip luminaries including, John Chamberlain, Ed Ruscha and John Baldessari, offered alongside compelling works by newly-minted market darlings Kehinde Wiley, Wolfgang Tillmans and Wangechi Mutu. Click here to view 20 Reasons to Take a Look at First Open. Among the highlights is Svalbard Ice ($8,000-12,000), a kinetic artwork by BREAKFAST, a collective made up of artists and engineers, directed by Andrew Zolty and Mattias Gunneras. BREAKFAST was formed in 2009 with the goal of connecting viewers to other places, times, and people ... More | | 
Bram Bogart, Wit door zwart, 1971. Mixed media, 157 x 175 x 17 cm | 61 13/16 x 68 7/8 x 6 11/16 in. © Bram Bogart Foundation. Photo © White Cube (Ollie Hammick).
LONDON.- White Cube announced representation of the estate of Dutch born, Belgian artist Bram Bogart (1921−2012), as well as a solo exhibition of his paintings at White Cube Masons Yard from 29 January 7 March 2020. In his expressive works, Bogart focused on paint as physical matter and explored the mediums sculptural possibilities. Through a process of building with a unique mixture of materials, he fused gesture with matter to create powerfully physical, three-dimensional paintings. Initially trained as a house painter, Bogart later briefly enrolled at the Fine Arts Academy in The Hague, principally as a way to avoid being conscripted into the German army. During his long career, he worked through numerous stylistic shifts including an early period of figuration, ... More | | 
Louise Giovanelli, Palisade, 2019. Oil on Canvas, 120 à 90 cm (47 ¼ à 35 ⅜ inches).
ROME.- Time Inside Louise Giovanellis first solo show in Italy, at Frutta the artist analyses the process of looking and being looked at via painted reflections on film. These considerations of painting and film revisit two media that can through their relative slow pace give pause for reflection on the act of voyeurism in the age of social media. Giovanelli presents motifs taken from the psychological horror-thriller Peeping Tom (1960), which tells the story of Mark, a film studio employee who spends his free time working on what he calls his documentary, as he films the dying expressions of terror on the faces of the women he preys upon. The title of the film derives from the slang expression 'Peeping Tom' which describes a voyeur. The film directly implicates the viewer in the acts of violence it depicts. While this classic representation of the dyad viewer/viewed is still relevant ... More |
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The Life-Enhancing Beauty of Harald Sohlberg's Landscapes
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 Griffin Museum of Photography opens an exhibition of black and white images by Joshua SariñanaWINCHESTER, MASS.- Joshua Sariñanas black and white images of The Stata Center building at MIT are as disorienting as the neuroscience research he conducted there on campus. Expecting to enter the realm of research and find answers, he came away with more questions. In response he created these photographs, representing his feelings of uneasiness with the constant ambiguity of science. Image of Structure will run at the Griffins Atelier Gallery through January 3rd 2020. Joshua Sariñana elaborates on Image of Structure; The Stata Center at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a monumental building, saturated with colors, that juts out in every direction. By capturing the structure in monochrome, I deconstructed this architectural work, flattened it, and transformed it into a graphical form. My aim is to ... More JEMP 2019 -Mechanical: An experimental music festival inspired by Polish Constructivism opens in LondonLONDON.- Arts Territory announced the fifth iteration of JEMP, an eight-day festival of Polish contemporary electronic and experimental music, which takes place this year at the Swiss Church, Covent Garden, London. Under the title Mechanical, the five participating artists respond through musical composition to the utopian aspirations embodied in Polish Constructivist art, examining its emphasis on geometrical form and modern technology allied with ideal harmonies and a vision to create socially orientated abstract art. The festival presents specially commissioned works by the Polish artists Zorka Wollny, Wojtek Blecharz and Konrad Smoleński, as well as one by the London-based sound artist Ben McDonnell and the British choral group, Vocal Constructivists. Curated by Kasia Sobucka, the programme explores theories of Unism, Composing Space, Calculating Space- ... More Modern Patek Philippe wristwatches dominate Sotheby's $8.2 Million Important Watches Auction in NYCNEW YORK, NY.- Sam Hines, Worldwide Head of Watches at Sothebys, and Katharine Thomas, Head of Sothebys Watches & Clocks Department in New York, commented: We are thrilled with the very strong results from yesterdays sale, which saw enthusiastic international bidding from the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, with a significant number of new bidders and buyers. The strength of the market was reflected in the tremendous results for modern Patek Philippe wristwatches and Nautilus references, which comprised 90% of our top lots sold and were the overall standouts of the sale. We were equally excited to see such strong results for a variety of Rolex references, including a new world auction record for a Rolex ref. 5513/5517 Military Submariner, which achieved more than four times its high estimate. We are encouraged ... More Exhibition explores the importance of works by architects associated with the Avant-Garde LONDON.- Betts Project presents a new exhibition exploring the ongoing importance of works by architects associated with the Avant-Garde of the 1960s and 1970s for todays designers and artists. The exhibition has been developed as a companion to the recently published special issue of Architectural Design (AD) edited by Matthew Butcher and Luke Pearson entitled Re-imagining the AvantGarde: Revisiting the Architecture of the 1960s and 1970s. The avant-garde of the 1960s and 70s has been likened to an architectural Big Bang, such was the intensity of energy and ambition with which it exploded into the post-war world. It produced architectural projects that redefined the discipline and remain highly influential today. In contemporary design, references to the likes of Archizoom, Peter Eisenman, John Hejduk and Superstudio, continue to ... More Christie's Magnificent Jewels totals $67.5 millionNEW YORK, NY.- Christies December 11 auction of Magnificent Jewels totaled $67,519,625 with 93% sold by value and 91% sold by lot. The auction took place over two sessions lasting nearly ten-hours with active global participation from registered bidders spanning 44 countries. The top lot of the sale was The duPont Ruby, Burmese ruby, emerald, diamond, and natural pearl brooch of 11.20 carats from The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Sold to Benefit Future Acquisitions, which sold for $8,957,750. Other notable results included a superb fancy vivid blue diamond ring of 3.07 carats, VVS1 clarity, which sold for $3,375,000; a Belle Ãpoque Kashmir sapphire and diamond ring of 30.14 carats that achieved $3,015,000; a diamond ring of 24.13 carats, D color, flawless clarity, that realized $2,055,000; a diamond ring of 23.55 carats, D color, potentially ... More "An Exceptional Eye: Collections of a Free Spirit" achieves €12.5 million at Christie's ParisPARIS.- The two-day auction happening on 10th and 11th December achieved a total of 12,502,438/£10,541,685/$13,862,316 selling 91% by value. The top lot of the sale was August Mackes painting Badende Frauen (recto); Pierrot mit Tänzerpaar (verso) which was sold for 2,770,000, exceeding its high estimate. Lionel Gosset, Director and Head of sale: We are pleased to have realised such brilliant results for this collection which was gathering many different pieces from 12 categories including German expressionism, Design, African and Pre-Columbian Art, Furniture, and even Entomology. International collectors payed a beautiful tribute to this passionate French collector who gathered this exceptional collection thanks to his exquisite eye. Given the disruption France is experiencing beyond our doors here at Christies in Paris, the results from ... More JR's street gallery comes indoorsNEW YORK, NY (NYT NEWS SERVICE ).- On a fall day at the Brooklyn Museum, it was hard for JR, the most recognizable anonymous artist in the world, to go more than a few steps without a wave of double takes and a trail of enthusiastic fans. JR, who is 36 and was born in France, has been in the public sphere for at least a decade yet still declines to give his full name and insists on appearing in public in a fedora and semi-rimless sunglasses, a bit of shtick that can make him look like hes stepped directly out of a Godard film. This persona, combined with his work monumental public photography projects often made in parts of the world wrenched by political strife or made inaccessible by military conflict has lent JR the aura of an empathetic Houdini, magicking himself into unkind places and performing the dual trick of not getting killed while stirring ... More Rare Rolex Khanjar takes off at Bonhams Fine Wristwatches saleLONDON.- An ultra-rare circa 1980 Khanjar Cosmograph Daytona (ref 6265/6263) only the second known example featuring the exclusive Omani Khanjar dial was the top lot selling for a sky-high £375,063, to an overseas bidder, at the Bonhams Fine Wristwatches Sale held on Wednesday 11 December, the most valuable watch sold by the international auction house to date. The sale was the finale to the most successful year for the Bonhams global watch team to date. Identified by a black printed Khanjar - the Omani state symbol of the traditional ceremonial dagger - on its dial, the specially commissioned Rolex is one of only very few to be gifted by the Sultan of Oman, a known watch connoisseur. It was presented to the late David Wood for his service in the Omani Air Force, as its most senior officer with the rank of Aqueed Tayyar', following a ... More Dix Noonan Webb to sell extremely rare 16th century hawking whistleLONDON.- Dix Noonan Webb, the international coins, medals, banknotes and jewellery specialists, will be offering an extremely fine and rare 16th Century silver gilt hawking whistle in their sale of Jewellery, Watches, Antiquities and Objects of Vertu to be held on Tuesday, March 17 2020 at 1pm at their auction rooms in central Mayfair - 16 Bolton St, London, W1J 8BQ. It is estimated to fetch £6,000-8,000. The whistle is being sold by a private collector and was reputedly discovered in the manor of Smallbridge in Bures St Mary, Suffolk, the home of the Waldegrave family where Elizabeth I was entertained for two days by Sir William Waldegrave in 1561. Hawking or Falconry whistles from the Medieval and Tudor period are very rare with only four other examples in silver listed on the Portable Antiquities Scheme, while another three are in the Museum of London ... More Garage Museum of Contemporary Art launches the experimental program Garage DigitalMOSCOW.- Garage Museum of Contemporary Art is launching Garage Digital, a new experimental program and online platform. The launch will be accompanied by a grant competition for artists who work with digital technology. Bringing together artists, scientists, programmers, and art historians, Garage Digital aims to explore and support the new languages of visual culture that are emerging under the influence of advanced technologies and new media on everyday life and on artistic and research practices. Today, when mobile and broadband Internet have become familiar elements of urban life just like electricity and water supply, the traditional museum has lost its monopoly as a store of meaningful imagery. Every owner of a smartphone connected to the Internet can access an unlimited amount of content. Big data analysis organizes web searching ... More The Florida Aquarium partners with NOAA on new coral reef restoration initiativeTAMPA, FLA.- Coral Scientists at The Florida Aquarium continue to work tirelessly since successfully spawning threatened Atlantic pillar coral in August. These scientists were the first to reproduce Atlantic corals through lab-induced techniques. Their efforts have ignited hope for a new path to help vulnerable coral reefs. The Florida Aquarium is taking another step towards a brighter future to save our dying reefs by joining the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and local partners to announce the first high-level bold strategy to protect and restore seven coral reef sites in the Florida Keys, part of an unprecedented, decades-long effort to revitalize the regions highly diverse and economically valuable marine ecosystem. Since the 1970s, hurricanes, heat-induced coral bleaching, cold snaps, and disease events, ... More |
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Flashback On a day like today, Russian-French painter Wassily Kandinsky died December 13, 1944. Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky (16 December [O.S. 4 December] 1866 - 13 December 1944) was a Russian painter and art theorist. He is credited with painting one of the first recognised purely abstract works.Born in Moscow, Kandinsky spent his childhood in Odessa, where he graduated at Grekov Odessa Art school. He enrolled at the University of Moscow, studying law and economics. Successful in his profession --he was offered a professorship (chair of Roman Law) at the University of Dorpat-- Kandinsky began painting studies (life-drawing, sketching and anatomy) at the age of 30. From left to right: Wassily Kandinsky, Bild mit weissen Linien (Painting with White Lines), oil on canvas, 1913. Joan Miró, Femme et oiseaux, gouache and oil wash on paper, 1940. Alberto Giacometti, Grande figure, bronze, cast by the Alexis Rudier foundry in Paris in 1947. Courtesy Sotheby's.
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