| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net |   | Established in 1996 | Friday, March 15, 2019 |
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| | Major exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale celebrates Leonardo da Vinci | |
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A visitor watches a reproduction of Leonardo da Vinci's "Covered War Carriage" (Carro Coperto da Guerra, 1487-1490) during the exhibition "Science Before Science" (La Scienza prima della Scienza) on March 12, 2019 at the Scuderie del Quirinale palace in Rome. Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP.
ROME (AFP).- A major exhibition dedicated to the scientific genius of Leonardo da Vinci opened in Rome on Wednesday, part of festivities to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of the artist and inventor. The show at the Scuderie del Quirinale palace, entitled "La scienza prima della scienza" (the science before science), traces the technological and scientific work of da Vinci and reflects on how "the myth of Leonardo" was developed. More than 200 pieces are on display including some of his most famous works, which are credited with developing the parachute, helicopter and tank, the museum said ahead of the launch. Da Vinci was a "European citizen of the world," said exhibition curator Claudio Giorgione. ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day Sue Ollemans is exhibiting Asian jewels at Gallery Vallois America, 27 East 67thStreet, 2ndFloor during Asia Week New York 2019. In this image: A Plaited Gold Bracelet, Maharasthra or Gujerat India, early 20thCentury. Image: Courtesy of Susan Ollemans.
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 | | Italy police fool thieves with Brueghel masterpiece copy | | Austria collects ideas for future of 'Hitler's balcony' | | Getty and University of Arizona partner to conserve long lost Willem de Kooning painting | 
The painting was previously stolen by local criminals in 1979.
ROME (AFP).- Thieves in Italy were left red-faced on Thursday after it emerged that the Flemish masterpiece they stole from a rural church was in fact a copy swapped by police.
"Currently the thieves are on the run," a policewoman in the northern village Castelnuovo Magra told AFP, confirming the theft of Pieter Brueghel the Younger's "Crucifixion". Or so thieves thought when they grabbed the 17th century painting, with an estimated value of three million euros, after smashing a display case in the Saint Mary Magdalen church in northern province La Spezia. Little did they suspect that police had caught wind of their plan to swipe the painted 43cm x 67cm wooden panel and substituted a copy a few weeks ago. The painting was previously stolen by local criminals in 1979. They were arrested as they prepared to sell the work to foreign buyers, Italy's La Repubblica daily reported. ... More | | 
People are invited to upload their ideas online, and those that receive the most 'likes' will be presented in an event this autumn.
VIENNA (AFP).- An Austrian museum on Thursday launched an online collection of ideas for the future of a balcony in Vienna's historic centre, where Adolf Hitler gave a speech to declare Austria's annexation 81 years ago. The House of Austrian History -- which opened last November in the building with the so-called "Hitler's balcony" -- is collecting "creative ideas" in the form of drawings, sketches, mobile phone photos and other images. People are invited to upload their ideas online, and those that receive the most 'likes' will be presented in an event this autumn. The balcony is "one of the most talked about places in Austria, and at the same time it was a taboo for decades," the museum said in a statement. "We want to call directly for a public and broad confrontation with this historically incriminating place," museum director Monika Sommer said. The balcony -- a vast ... More | | 
Willem de Koonings Woman-Ochre (1955) in August 2017, shortly after it was recovered in New Mexico and returned to the University of Arizona Museum of Art. © 2019 The Willem de Kooning Foundation / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
LOS ANGELES, CA.- More than 30 years after it was cut from its frame, ripped from its backing, rolled up, and stolen from the University of Arizona Museum of Art, Willem de Koonings 1955 painting Woman-Ochre will be conserved and studied by conservators at the J. Paul Getty Museum and scientists at the Getty Conservation Institute. Woman-Ochre was stolen from the University museum on the day after Thanksgiving 1985. The painting was missing for more than 30 years before being discovered by the owners of an antiques store in New Mexico who immediately returned it to the museum. Badly damaged in the heist, the painting now needs professional care. Through an agreement reached with the University of Arizona, paintings conservators at the J. Paul Getty Museum and research ... More |
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| | | Oklahoma City Museum of Art acquires "An Italian Autumn" by Thomas Cole | | Germany pledges to speed return of colonial-era loot | | The George Michael Evening Auction totals $12,302,590 | 
Thomas Cole (American, 18011848). An Italian Autumn, ca. 1847. Oil on canvas. Oklahoma City Museum of Art. Museum purchase with funds from the James C. and Virginia W. Meade Collections Endowment, the Meade Acquisition Fund, and the Beaux Arts Society Fund for Acquisitions, 2019.001
OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.- OKCMOA has acquired An Italian Autumn by renowned American artist Thomas Cole. This major work by an American master adds to the Museums strong collection of American art prior to 1945 and allows for new research and scholarship on Cole and 19th-century American art. Weve long desired a major Thomas Cole painting for our growing collection of 19th-century American art, said E. Michael Whittington, President and CEO. Coles romantic and deeply spiritual vision of the American landscape set a dramatic course that still influences artists today. We are profoundly grateful for the James C. Meade and Virginia W. Meade Acquisitions Fund for 18th and 19th Century American Art and the Beaux Arts Society Fund for Acquisitions for making this purchase possible. Cole is considered the founder of the Hudson River ... More | | 
Germany has agreed to speed up the return of human remains and artifacts from its former African colonies. AFP Photo/John MACDOUGALL.
BERLIN (AFP).- Germany has agreed to speed up the return of human remains and artwork from former African colonies where the country carried out brutal massacres and pillaged indigenous heritage. The German culture and foreign ministries as well as regional and local cultural authorities signed a pledge late Wednesday committing museums and scientific institutions to completing an inventory on their "ethnology, natural history, art and cultural history holdings" from the colonial era. The aim is to determine which "were acquired in a way that legally or ethnically would no longer be acceptable today" and work toward their restitution. "The priority in this work are the human remains dating from the colonial period" in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the signatories said. The commitment comes after a study commissioned by French President Emmanuel Macron in November 2018 recommended returning African treasures held by French museums -- a radical policy shift seen as putting ... More | | 
Jussi Pylkkänen, Christies Global President and auctioneer for The George Michael Collection selling Careless Whisper by Jim Lambie for £175,000 / $232,400 / 204,925. © Christies Images Limited 2019 / Rankin.
LONDON.- The much-anticipated auction of the art collection of George Michael, British singer and songwriter, and icon of the imaginative spirit of the 1980s and 1990s, has realised £9,264,000 / $12,302,590 / 10,848,145. Proceeds from the sale will be used to continue George Michaels philanthropic work. Having attracted over 12,000 visitors to the pre-sale exhibition, 24% of registrants to The George Michael Collection were new to Christies. The evening auction welcomed registered bidders from 27 countries across 5 continents, reflecting the global appeal of George Michael and the YBAs. The evening sale comprised 60 lots and was 100% sold, with competitive bidding in the saleroom in London and via simulcast from New York, in addition to online via Christies Live. The standalone online sale continues until lunchtime on Friday 15th March, after which point the combined total realised ... More |
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| | | Gladstone Gallery opens a new exhibition by Philippe Parreno spanning across its New York galleries | | Lou Reed's guitars take New Yorkers to church | | Christie's to offer English & European 18th & 19th century furniture, ceramics, silver & works of art | 
Installation View, Philippe Parreno, at Gladstone Gallery, New York, 2019. Courtesy the artist and Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels. Photography by: Jason Mandella.
NEW YORK, NY.- Gladstone Gallery and Gladstone 64 are presenting a new exhibition by Philippe Parreno spanning across its New York galleries. At Gladstone Gallery on 24th street, Parreno presents a new film, Anywhen In a Time Colored Space (2019). This work is a continuation of his work Anywhen (2016), filmed by renowned Iranian-French cinematographer Darius Khondji and featuring the voice of Nina Conti, actor, comedienne and ventriloquist. Performing the artists own writing integrated with fragments of James Joyce, the amalgamation of words read by Conti makes explicit Parrenos interest in artificial, digital, and organic matter, and particularly how these forms of life communicate. The film is comprised of long sequences of a live cuttlefish (Sepia Oficinalis a Mediterranean species of cephalopod) that can change the surface of its bodyresponding to outside forces such as light, sound and vibration, seemingly ... More | | 
Guitars and amps are seen in the Cathedral Church of Saint Johan the Devine before the concert "Lou Reed Drone" on March 13, 2019 in New York City. Johannes EISELE / AFP.
NEW YORK, NY (AFP).- As his acclaimed "New York" album turns 30, the guitars of late rock pioneer Lou Reed are still reverberating in his beloved hometown, giving deafening soundbaths to those seeking refuge. This week, Reed's widow Laurie Anderson brought the icon's "drones" -- openly tuned guitars propped against amplifiers to produce ear-splitting, unpredictable sounds -- to New York's Cathedral of St John the Divine for a free, public performance. The show was part of the cathedral's contemporary exhibition "The Value of Sanctuary," which features works from some 30 artists exploring the notion of refuge and social identity in times of upheaval. Calling Reed one of the first "noise artists" who "got a little bored with notes," Anderson said after his death she and others in Reed's inner circle began doing drone performances in churches, theaters and at music festivals everywhere from New York to Tanzania to showcase ... More | | 
The sale features selections of 18th and 19th century European and English Furniture and Silver, which inspire the LATES theme of travel and exoticism. © Christie's Images Ltd 2019.
NEW YORK, NY.- Christies April 9th auction The Collector: English & European 18th & 19th Century Furniture, Ceramics, Silver & Works of Art will feature a selection of European decorative works of art to appeal to connoisseurs. This season, Christies is delighted to partner with the venerable Maison Pierre Frey to incorporate select wallpapers and fabrics to create mise en scène in the auction exhibition and catalogue. On the evening of April 5th, during the auction preview, Christies will hold its LATES event themed The Art of Travel. The event is free entry and aims to bring art to life and inspire conversation, showcasing the auction preview alongside guest vendors and delectable food and drinks. The sale features selections of 18th and 19th century European and English Furniture and Silver, which inspire the LATES theme of travel and exoticism. Highlights include lacquered furniture and Chinoiserie and Japo ... More |
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| | | Laura Allred Hurtado appointed Executive Director of the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art | | Keith Sonnier retrospective explores the influence of Louisiana art and culture | | Sotheby's S│2 celebrates Hong Kong Arts Month with first major exhibition in Hong Kong of works by Alex Katz | 
Hurtado was the global acquisitions art curator for the Church History Museum.
SALT LAKE CITY, UT.- The Utah Museum of Contemporary Art Board of Trustees announced today that they have selected Laura Allred Hurtado to serve as the Executive Director of the museum. Hurtado was the global acquisitions art curator for the Church History Museum. She has published broadly, including two books, has worked and/or curated exhibitions in New York City, San Francisco, and throughout Utah, at such places as San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Nox Contemporary, The Granary Art Center, The Utah Museum of Fine Arts, CUAC Contemporary, Riverside Church, the Rio Gallery, Columbia University, and the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art. UMOCA board President Val Antczak stated, "Laura has the combination of knowledge and enthusiasm which will assure that UMOCA continues as a unique, vibrant showcase for contemporary art in Utah. She has been an integral ... More | | 
Catahoula (Tidewater Series), 1994 Found objects, neon tubing, electrical wire, and transformer 56 x 29 x 24 Collection of the artist Image courtesy Keith Sonnier Studio, New York Photograph by Caterina Verde © Caterina Verde ©Artists Rights Society (ARS) Copyright: ARS New York.
NEW ORLEANS, LA.- The New Orleans Museum of Art presents Keith Sonnier: Until Today, on view March 15 through June 2, 2019. The first comprehensive museum survey for Keith Sonnier, the exhibition celebrates a pioneering figure in conceptual, post-minimal, video and performance art of the late 1960s. Born in Grand Mamou, Louisiana in 1941, Sonnier is widely recognized for his signature works executed in neon, deviating from much abstract art of the time in its engagement with questions of materiality, human connectivity, and politics. This exhibition explores Sonniers pioneering role as one of the first artists to incorporate light in sculpture, said Susan Taylor, NOMAs Montine McDaniel Freeman Director. At a time when our city ... More | | 
Elise, 2013, oil on linen, 167.6 x 122 cm.
HONG KONG.- In celebration of Hong Kong Arts Month, Sothebys S|2 presents American artist Alex Katzs debut major selling exhibition in Hong Kong this March. Running from 15 March 1 April, the eponymous exhibition ALEX KATZ offers iconic portraits and landscapes by the now 91-year-old titan of modernist figurative art. Alex Katz established his career in New York in the 1950s in the heyday of Abstract Expressionism, countering the rise of abstraction with a pioneering modernist figurative aesthetic. Characterised by bold vibrant colour, pristine flat surfaces and a virtuosic economy of line, Katzs celebrated portraits and landscapes are widely regarded as a precursor of Pop Art. His most recognisable works consist of large-scale canvases featuring everyday scenes and subjects, largely devoid of narrative and context in order to foreground the immediacy of the moment. Spanning some 70 years, Katzs oeuvre is devoted ... More |
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When Curiosity Met the Strangest Novel of the 19th Century
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 An American Brilliant Cut Glass auction will be held by Woody AuctionDOUGLASS, KAN.- A stellar, two-day American Brilliant Cut Glass auction featuring more than ten sparkling cut glass lamps, ten gorgeous punch bowls, numerous unique and hard-to-find patterns, rare Amberina candelabras, fantastic cut to clear and more will be held March 22nd and 23rd by Woody Auction, online and in the Douglass auction hall at 130 East Third Street, starting at 9:30 am Central. Featured collections in this consignment sale include the late Barbara Pierce collection of Oregon, the lifetime collection of Walter and Marian Remke of Ohio, several pieces from the late Al Edmond collection of Iowa, and a couple of other exceptional private collections, said Jason Woody of Woody Auction. As with every Woody Auction event, all lots in this sale are being offered without reserves. Anticipated top earners will be plentiful and will include ... More Stephen Friedman Gallery opens its fifth solo exhibition of works by Wayne GonzalesLONDON.- Wayne Gonzales' fifth solo exhibition at Stephen Friedman Gallery comprises paintings that interrogate American history. Produced between 2015 and 2019, all of the works in the exhibition share an inherent American-ness' in terms of subject matter and sensibility. Drawing on source material from his own photographs, and those by iconic modernists including Walker Evans and Charles Sheeler, Gonzales' meticulously crosshatched paintings critically examine the contemporary American landscape. The exhibition consists of two bodies of work, each sharing a similar perspective in urban and pastoral landscape painting. The first, produced between 2015 and 2017, focuses on the effects of industrialisation in New York and Pennsylvania. The second, made between 2017 and 2019, looks at the artist's birthplace of New Orleans ... More Saatchi Gallery opens a new exhibition featuring the work of 9 artists working across a variety of mediumsLONDON.- Saatchi Gallery presents Kaleidoscope, a new exhibition featuring the work of 9 international contemporary artists working across a variety of mediums, including Laura Buckleys interactive large-scale kaleidoscope Fata Morgana. The immersive piece will be making its first major public appearance as a part of the exhibition. Dazzling and disorienting, Buckleys hexagonal walk-in installation invites the audience to be absorbed into the work through its mirrored walls, changing imagery and audio. Kaleidoscope examines the distortion of human perception, moving from normal domestic spaces, to turbulent nautical vistas and eventually complete abstraction. From the disruptive work of Mia Feuer, who addresses the post-natural landscape and our effect on it, to Pierre Carreaus emotionally charged depictions of waves, the diverse media on display ... More Recently acquired panorama goes on display for the first time at the Museum of LondonLONDON.- The Museum of London, in July last year, acquired an epic 20 feet wide panorama of London, painted around 1815 by the French artist Pierre Prévost (1764-1823). This beautiful and rare panorama will be going on display for the first time at the Museum of London this March. This panorama has been acquired with the help of Art Fund, the Aldama Foundation and a group of individual donors, with additional support from Michael Spencer, the Leche Trust and other donors who wish to remain anonymous. In late 1815, as the Napoleonic Wars drew to a close, artist Pierre Prévost took the opportunity to visit London and to create this 360° view painted from St Margarets church, in the shadow of Westminster Abbey. His sweeping vision captures Parliament Square, the old Palace of Westminster, cattle grazing in St Jamess Park, Buckingham House, St Martin ... More Sharjah Art Foundation announces winners of Sharjah Biennial Prize: Otobong Nkanga and Emeka OgbohSHARJAH.- Sharjah Art Foundation announced the winners of the Sharjah Biennial Prize at the opening gala for the Biennials 14th edition on the evening of Thursday 7 March 2019. Artists Otobong Nkanga and Emeka Ogboh received the Prize for their collaborative project Aging Ruins Dreaming Only to Recall the Hard Chisel from the Past (2019). Artists Mohamed Bourouissa, Shezad Dawood, Phan Thảo Nguyên and Qiu Zhijie received Special Mentions. A distinguished jury comprised of critic and curator Octavio Zaya, scholar and theorist Homi Bhabha and curator Solange Farkas selected the winners. For Sharjah Biennial (SB14), which runs through 10 June 2019, curators Zoe Butt, Omer Kholeif and Claire Tancons developed three individual platforms examining the theme, Leaving the Echo Chamber and invited artists to respond. The Prize ... More Valerio Spada's first exhibition with Benrubi Gallery opens in New YorkNEW YORK, NY.- Benrubi Gallery is presenting I Am Nothing, Valerio Spada's first exhibition with the gallery. I Am Nothing explores the Sicilian Mafia, telling the stories of some of its bosses and members who are fugitives from justice, together with the signs of its inexorable penetration in to the fabric of society. In 2011, Spada produced a photo series called Gomorrah Girl, where the story of the Neapolitan mafia, the Camorra, is told through the lives of young women. Since this success, Valerio Spada has continued researching organized crime, focusing on the Sicilian Mafia, Cosa Nostra. The result is a project based on a narrative approach that differs from the traditional canons of reportages, combining different subject matter and media. As a result, in this exhibition you will find: scenes of everyday life, which convey how deeply this phenomenon ... More Ponti Art Gallery presents Italian and European masterpieces from 18th century to 20th centuryROME.- Ponti Art Gallery is offering important masterpieces coming from several private collections. The selection starts from two watercolors, the first performed by C. Werner, the second realized by Achille Benouville. They present the same episode, probably taken from two different angles. The annotations and the date reported by the two painters lead back to a military exercise by the Papal Guard, which took place at the Campi dAnnibale near Monte Cavo, near Rocca di Papa, in September 1848. The soldiers depicted in the foreground presented classic uniform of the papal garrisons, distinguished by the cross sewn on the chest. Just this detail could be a further useful element to confirm the dating of the pair of watercolors: in fact, the representation of the military parade could date back to the first phase of the First War of Independence and the enthusiasm ... More The Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography opens an exhibition of works by Tamara StoffersMOSCOW.- The Lumiere Brothers Center for Photography is presenting an exhibition of works by the young Dutch artist Tamara Stoffers. She boldly experiments with collage technique by combining old book illustrations, postcards and newspaper clippings of the Soviet era. By mixing disparate objects from a common cultural and historical era, she creates new visual connections and semantic situations that are interesting to the viewer. Her work is based on a feeling of nostalgia for a past that she has never experienced. The Soviet Union left a rich cultural and historical heritage, closely connected with ideology and propaganda. Its visual language is nostalgic for some and still relevant for others. It is particularly interesting how a foreigner understands and interprets the Soviet world, which is fundamentally different from the world in which she lives. "The ... More Lark Mason Associates Asia Week New York pre-sale exhibition now on viewNEW YORK, NY.- Lark Mason Associates, one of the six participating auction houses participating in Asia Week New York, is presenting a pre-sale exhibition at his sales room, at 229 East 120th Street through March 23. The online sale commences March 26 through April 16, 2019 at www.igavelauctions.com The auction preview includes a selection of 110 works representative of most periods of Chinese art dating from the Shang through the Qing dynasty from a private collection purchased from prominent galleries in New York and London. In addition to this outstanding group are works in jade, wood, metalwork, stone and porcelain, including a Large Zitan Dragon Carved Cabinet, dating to the middle Qing period estimated at $80,000-120,000; a Rare Chinese Blue and White Porcelain Tray, Yuan Dynasty estimated at $70,000-90,000; an Imperial Celadon Jade ... More Tom Venditti joins Heather James Fine Art as Director for New Montecito gallery PALM DESERT, CA.- Heather James Fine Art announced the appointment of Tom Venditti as Director for its new gallery location in Montecito, CA, opening March 21, 2019. He will oversee operations, exhibitions, and programming for Heather James Fine Arts 2,000- square-foot gallery located in a new Spanish Colonial Revival building at 1298 Coast Village Road designed by Lenvik & Minor Architects. The new gallery will feature works of art by pre-eminent artists such as Pablo Picasso, Mark Rothko, Salvador DalÃ, Joan Mitchell, Richard Diebenkorn and David Hockney, among others. Known for its selection of blue-chip masterworks spanning a wide range of genres, movements, and periods, Heather James Fine Art organizes exhibitions focusing on influential visionary artists and seminal art movements. Based in Palm Desert over the last 23 years, with galleries ... More Illuminated manuscripts lead Early Printed Books at SwannNEW YORK, NY.- Coinciding with Rare Book Week in New York City, Swann Galleries spring offering of Early Printed, Medical, Scientific & Travel Books on March 7 brought bibliophiles from near and far, with breakneck bidding for a number of items, including incunabula and first editions on medicinebut it was illuminated manuscripts that took the spotlight in the sale. Of the impressive run of manuscripts, Tobias Abeloff, Early Printed Books specialist noted: The market is strong for exceptional material, and we saw significant interest in printed and manuscript Books of Hours, with bidding driving prices over estimates. The biggest surprise of the day was the manuscript Quran that went for more than 10 times the high estimate. The illuminated manuscript in Arabic with miscellaneous chapters of the Quran and associated prayers reached $35,000. The sale ... More |
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Flashback On a day like today, Hungarian-French painter Victor Vasarely died March 15, 1997. Victor Vasarely (9 April 1906 - 15 March 1997), was a Hungarian-French artist, who is widely accepted as a "grandfather" and leader of the op art movement. His work entitled Zebra, created in the 1930s, is considered by some to be one of the earliest examples of op art. In this image: Cheyt - Pyr, Serigraph, 68.5 X 66 cm.
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