Artdaily.cc - The First Art Newspaper on the Net

Alice Boyd - the lost Pre-Raphaelite- featured at Bonhams 19th Century Art sale in London
LONDON.- Aspiring artist Alice Boyd was 36 when, in 1859, she met the 47-year-old Pre-Raphaelite painter William Bell Scott. The encounter changed both of their lives. She was eager for experience beyond the confines of her aristocratic background, he to escape the monotony of a loveless marriage. Alice and Scott quickly became inseparable and from 1860, they set up a menage Ã trois with Scotts forbearing wife Letitia. Summers were spent at Boyds family seat at Penkill Castle in Ayrshire; the rest of the year they lived at the Scotts house on Cheyne Walk in London. It was there that in 1875, Alice painted The Thames from Cheyne Walk, the charming picture which is to be offered at Bonhams 19th century and British Impressionist Art sale in London on Wednesday 31 March. It is estimated at Â£15,000-20,000. Alice Boyd (1823-1897) came from a wealthy, ... More

Exhibition of works by Ed Shostak and his alter ego, Rose Royale on view at David Richard Gallery
NEW YORK, NY.- David Richard Gallery is presenting Ed Shostak / Rose Royale: A Queer Perspective From Postminimalism to Social Practice, Selected Works: 1963 2020, an exhibition curated by Isaac Aden and David Eichholtz. This is the gallerys first major exhibition for the artist Ed Shostak who passed away in April of 2020 from the Covid-19 virus. It is unusual to uncover an artist of his pedigree for which so little is publicly known after establishing himself amidst the visual arts most notable institutions and exhibitions, such as his inclusion in the first 1973 Biennial Exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York. Shostak cloistered himself in his downtown loft relentlessly working and opting for a less mainstream practice. This exhibition is the first look at many of his late works. For those who are interested in reconsidering the parallel arcs ... More

New publication captures a portrait of the nation during the first national lockdown
LONDON.- The National Portrait Gallery is to publish Hold Still, a new book of photographic portraits from the Hold Still exhibition, on the 7 May 2021, marking one year since HRH The Duchess of Cambridge and the Gallery launched the ambitious community project to create a collective portrait of the UK during lockdown. Featuring an introduction from The Duchess of Cambridge, the new publication, which is supported by Co-op, will include the one hundred portraits selected for the Hold Still exhibition from 31,598 submissions during the projects six-week entry period. Focussed on three core themes Helpers and Heroes, Your New Normal and Acts of Kindness the images present a unique record of our shared and individual experiences during this extraordinary period of history, conveying humour and grief, creativity and kindness, tragedy and ... More

Cities worldwide dim lights to mark Earth Hour
BUENOS AIRES (AFP).- From Singapore to Buenos Aires, cities around the world turned off their lights Saturday to mark Earth Hour, with this year's event highlighting the link between the destruction of nature and increasing outbreaks of diseases like Covid-19. After starting in Asia, the call to action on climate change made its way around a planet reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. As the day came to an end, it was the turn of the Americas, where the lights dimmed at the Obelisk in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro's Museum of Tomorrow and the BBVA tower in Mexico City. In London, the Houses of Parliament, London Eye Ferris wheel, Shard skyscraper and neon signs of Piccadilly Circus were among the landmarks flicking the switches. "Its fantastic news that parliament once again is taking part in Earth Hour, joining landmarks across ... More

Guangdong Times Museum opens an exhibition of works by Candice Lin
GUANGZHOU.- Through the solo survey of Pigs and Poison, Candice Lin links her long-term research on the histories of addictive plants, viruses, migrant labor, colonial goods to the city of Guangzhou (Canton). Prior to becoming a treaty port of opium and coolie trade, Canton had been a gateway of colonial goods such as porcelain, tea, silk and silver bullion even before the British Empire superseded Spain as the hegemon of maritime trade. Pigs refers to the Pig Trade of coolie labor after the signing of the Treaty of Nanking in 1842, and Poison refers to the opium that caused the two Opium Wars between imperial China and the British Empire in the nineteenth century. After British Empire abolished the transatlantic African slave trade in the early nineteenth century, cheap labor from China and India were sought-after to further promote free trade ... More

Major group exhibition that explores artistic forms of resistance from across the world
ST. LOUIS, MO.- The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis opened Stories of Resistance, a major group exhibition that explores artistic forms of resistance from across the world. Through visual narratives, the artists amplify and bring to focus the multitude of conditions that ignite and inspire people to resist. Resistance emerges from both within and outside of governmental, corporate, or institutional structures and systems of power. It takes shape in labor movements, protests, and in speaking out about injustice. Resistance is as loud as shouts, drums, and mass marches in the streets, and as quiet as hands sifting through archives, recovering and rewriting histories that had been erased. Stories of Resistance is on view through August 15, 2021. St. Louis serves as an ideal platform for Stories of Resistance. Resistance movements that have ... More

World Press Photo opens in Hong Kong after being nixed over security fears
HONG KONG (AFP).- An exhibition of World Press Photo winners opened at a different venue in Hong Kong Sunday after a local university called off the event that features images of the city's 2019 pro-democracy protests because of security fears. The cancellation of the event, a showcase of the annual competition that awards "the best visual journalism" around the world, came as Beijing and local authorities oversee a sweeping crackdown on dissent in the city. The exhibit was to be held from March 1 at the Hong Kong Baptist University, but the school pulled out three days before its opening, citing "safety and security" concerns, forcing the award's organising committee to find a new venue. After the opening reception on Sunday, it will be open to the general public from March 29 until April 10 at a private venue. "We feel very strongly that this is a celebration ... More

Musicians hungry to perform make a Manhattan storefront their stage
NEW YORK (AFP).- After a year that saw concert venues go dark and stages moved online, an empty storefront in New York has offered a glimmer of hope to artists and audiences ravenous for live music. Musicians across the genres are performing pop-up concerts on Manhattan's Upper West Side for lucky passersby: on a recent morning it was Beethoven and Debussy that harmonized with a city soundscape normally dominated by car horns, construction work and pigeon coos. It marked the first time Michael Katz, a cellist, was able to play with piano accompaniment in a year; Spencer Myer performed on a white Steinway in an experience he said musicians worldwide have been "starved for." Perhaps more importantly, the "Musical Storefronts" shows provide an opportunity to interact with an audience, even if they're watching through a window from the sidewalk ... More

Britain's stately homes struggle to survive with Covid restrictions
BURY ST EDMUNDS (AFP).- The sprawling redbrick house and grounds of Kentwell Hall, built up in the time when the Tudors ruled England, have, like so many of Britain's stately homes, face an existential threat during the pandemic. The turreted house near Bury St Edmunds in eastern England has survived over 450 years of tumultuous history but is in need of critical repairs it cannot afford after closing its doors to visitors at the start of the outbreak. In the face of mounting financial woes, owners of historic houses like Patrick Phillips, who bought Kentwell in 1971, are calling on the government to allow them to reopen faster. The former senior lawyer, who has been restoring the house for decades said he has had to "cut back everything to the bone" after its Â£1.5-million ($2-million, 1.75-million-euro) turnover in 2019 fell by 90 percent in 2020. ... More

In troubled Sahel, memories of a cinematic golden age
BAMAKO (AFP).- The wall of a house in Torokorobougou, a district in the Malian capital Bamako, suddenly lights up as a black-and-white film starts to roll. The audience falls silent as the title of the documentary, "Sigui", flashes up on the screen. It's one of French director Jean Rouch's seminal films, charting a secret ceremony of central Mali's Dogon ethnic group which is held once every 60 years. Rouch, who died aged 86 in a road accident in Niger, is the only person to have ever recorded it. He shot around 140 films over his long career, including many in West Africa and particularly the Sahel state of Niger. While his work has faced criticism for reflecting the condescending colonial attitudes of the time, the film-maker-cum-ethnographer was a prime mover in the Sahel's cinematic tradition and a champion of local directors. But memories of Rouch's work are fading, while ... More

Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour announces Contemporary Craft Fair
LONDON.- Artefact, a new contemporary craft fair, will launch this summer at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour, the worlds premier design destination, from 22 29 June 2021. Attracting top designers, architects, collectors, art-lovers and style-seekers, the physical event will feature an impressive rollcall of contemporary craft and visual arts galleries from the vibrant British craft scene. They include Cavaliero Finn, Candida Stevens Gallery, Jaggedart, Katie Jones, madeinbritaly, Ting-Ying Gallery and Vessel Gallery, with more to be announced. As the world changes at an unprecedented pace, technology can make life more efficient, but often to the detriment of carefully crafted pieces. Artefact is both a marketplace and a celebration of contemporary craft, encouraging visitors to experience the tactility and joy that handmade objects can bring ... More