The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Saturday, February 24, 2024



 
Bidders chase Elton John memorabilia and a Banksy in first week of sales

A photo provided by Christie’s shows a triptych by Banksy depicting a masked man throwing a bouquet of flowers as if it were a Molotov cocktail. It fetched the top price, $1.9 million, at an auction of the superstar Elton John’s belongings. (Christie’s via The New York Times)

by Julia Halperin


NEW YORK, NY.- More than 3,500 people from 34 countries registered for the chance to bid on the superstar ... More


The Best Photos of the Day
Best Photos of the Day
Returning to Morton Fine Art with a new body of work following last year’s Ai Yo! (2023), Wu’s restless experimentation and curiosity continue to drive her exploration of composition, color, control, chance and surprise. An opening reception will be held Saturday, February 24, 2024 2-4pm.





'October Rain,' Israel's proposed Eurovision entry, causes a storm   Eiffel Tower is closed for 4th day as its workers strike   A century later, 17 wrongly executed Black soldiers are honored at gravesites


Fans at the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest in Liverpool, England, May 13, 2023. (Mary Turner/The New York Times)

NEW YORK, NY.- A song called “October Rain” might simply be a ballad about dreary fall weather. But in the charged atmosphere after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel of Oct. 7, the title could also signal a lament about that tragedy, or a rallying call to stand firm against terrorism. This week, ... More
 


A view across rooftops of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, Oct. 18, 2022. (Nathalie Mohadjer/The New York Times)

PARIS.- Anthony Aranda, a 23-year-old tourist from Peru, had only two days to visit Paris with his cousin, so getting to the top of the Eiffel Tower featured prominently on his to-do list. But on Thursday, he had to cross it off that list without even stepping foot on the famed Iron Lady. A labor strike, now in its fourth day, was keeping the tower closed. ... More
 


Jason Holt, whose uncle, Pfc. Thomas C. Hawkins, was among 13 soldiers hanged on Dec. 11, 1917, during a ceremony to honor the soldiers of the 24th Infantry at Fort Sam Houston Veterans Cemetery in San Antonio, Texas, on Feb. 22, 2024. (Michael A. McCoy/The New York Times)

NEW YORK, NY.- More than a century ago, 110 Black soldiers were convicted of murder, mutiny and other crimes at three military trials held at Fort Sam Houston ... More


First edition copies of books by Dickens and Twain, plus letter signed by Washington & Jefferson headline auction   Alex Anderson's second solo exhibition at the Sargent's Daughters   NYUAD Art Gallery opens expansive spring exhibition, marking its 10th year anniversary


Frencesco Petrarca: Copy of Sonetti e Canzoni di messer Francesco Petrarcha in vita di madonna Laura by Frencesco Petrarca, printed 1514 by the Aldus Manutius and bound in a Venetian window design ($6,655).

ATLANTA, GA.- A first edition, first state copy of Mark Twain’s classic book Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) sold for $22,990; a letter from 1793 signed by both ... More
 


Alex Anderson, A meeting, 2024. Earthenware, glaze, 24 x 18 x 5.5 inches.

LOS ANGELES, CA.- Sargent’s Daughters is now opening Everything is made of light, Alex Anderson’s second solo exhibition with the gallery, and his first in our West Coast location. This latest body of work moves Anderson’s virtuosic ceramic forms into novel and expansive directions. Delving ... More
 


Installation view: Haleh Redjaian, The trick is to keep breathing (II), 2024. Thread, nails, walls, floor, dimensions variable. Commissioned by the NYUAD Art Gallery. Photo: John Varghese.

ABU DHABI.- The NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery marks ten years since its founding with the opening of its spring exhibition, In Real Time. Opened on February 22, the exhibition will continue to grow and ... More



"Where do you come from?" at the Kunstmuseum Luzern   Opening at Sebastian Gladstone the exhibition by Emmanuel Louisnord Desir, 'Born to Win'   Art Institute of Chicago presents 'Threaded Visions: Contemporary Weaving from the Collection'


Marie Louise-Cathérine Breslau, Weinende Frau, 1905, Öl auf Leinwand, 73 × 29.4 cm, Kunstmuseum Luzern, Schenkung Walter und Alice Minnich, Luzern.


LUZERN.- «Where do you come from?» – this can be a problematic question, depending on the context. For provenance research, however, it is a major question. This year’s Collection Exhibition illustrates how works find their way into ... More
 


Emmanuel Louisnord Desir, The Living Dead, 2024. Bronze, 5" H x 6.5" W x 8.5" D. Copyright (C) 2024 Sebastian Gladstone.

LOS ANGELES, CA.- Emmanuel Louisnord Desir’s exhibition Born to Win considers ancient systems and evokes a legacy of resistance. His first solo presentation with Sebastian Gladstone Los Angeles, the exhibition consists of one painting and seven bronze sculptures ... More
 


María Dávila and Eduardo Portillo. White Dwarf, 2016. The Art Institute of Chicago, Nicole Williams Contemporary Latin American Textile Fun, 2023.

CHICAGO, IL.- The Art Institute of Chicago is now showing Threaded Visions: Contemporary Weaving from the Collection, on view starting today through August 26, 2024. The exhibition, comprising textiles from ... More


Jimmy Van Eaton, purveyor of the Sun Records beat, dies at 86   Artist Yin Xin Tong explores metaphysical kindness in nature at CANDICE MADEY Gallery with 'Taoist Punk'   Retrospective exhibition celebrating 26-year-long partnership, 1975 and 2023, between Jim Shaw and Praz-Delavallade


In an undated photo from the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, Jimmy Van Eaton. Van Eaton, who played drums on epoch-defining hits, including Jerry Lee Lewis’s “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ (Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum via The New York Times)

NEW YORK, NY.- Jimmy Van Eaton, who played drums on epoch-defining hits, including Jerry Lee Lewis’ “Great Balls of Fire” and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” and lent spontaneity and imagination to the unfettered sound of the influential ... More
 


Installation View. Yi Xin Tong, Impetus for Writing, 2023. Ink and watercolor on paper, 22 3/4 x 16 3/4 inches, Taoist Punk at CANDICE MADEY. Photo by Kunning Huang.

NEW YORK, NY.- CANDICE MADEY is currently showing until March 2nd Taoist Punk, the gallery’s second solo exhibition of Yi Xin Tong, presented in the gallery’s 1 Rivington Street location. Exhibiting works on paper, sculpture in resin, metal, and clay and a video installation. Taoist Punk explores Tong’s practice of “Metaphysical ... More
 


Jim Shaw The Seat of the Law, 2019. Acrylic on muslin, 60 x 37 x 1.75 in 152.4 x 94 x 4.4 cm, courtesy : the artist & Praz-Delavallade.

PARIS.- Praz-Delavallade Paris will commence Jim Shaw 's new solo exhibition with the gallery, on view from today to 13 April. Jim Shaw is an iconic figure on the Californian art scene who shares with his contemporaries, Mike Kelley and Paul McCarthy, the same desire to produce art that explores American society. In 1973, Shaw and Kelley founded the influential punk rock band Destroy all Monsters ... More




Sotheby's Spotlight: Giovanni Pratesi The Florentine Eye



More News

"LIGHTFAST: Intertwine" a genre–bending multi–disciplinary installation by an all–female quartet
NAPA, CA.- Intertwine is an immersive, site-specific sculptural environment responding to di Rosa’s unique Carneros landscape, who invites you to experience this radical, genre-bending installation fusing visual, sculptural, audio, and textual elements starting today through June 2, 2024. Intertwine is the collaborative work of LIGHTFAST, a quartet of artists including visual artists Danae Mattes and Christel Dillbohner, cellist Monica Scott, and author Sylvia Brownrigg. After decades of pursuing their crafts separately, these women united to push the boundaries of medium and genre while conducting deep explorations of time, light, and place. “This exciting project continues di Rosa’s soft residency program,” states Associate Curator Twyla Ruby. “LIGHTFAST spent months exploring our 217-acre property, collecting images and materials, ... More


From dark and dystopian to the light as Laure Prouvost oscillates between reality and fiction
TILBURG.- Starting today, De Pont Museum is presenting a compelling and immersive exhibition by Laure Prouvost (1978), in which the artist welcomes visitors into a surreal, absurdist and poetic world of her own making. In IN THE MIST OF IT ALL, ABOVE FRONT TEARS, social engagement and the limitless power of imagination find expression through video, sculpture, performance, textile and text. In an entirely unique manner, Prouvost conveys a hopeful and liberating message concerning themes such as ecology, the female body and migration. Prouvost’s artistic universe is full of contrasts: by turns humorous and serious, her work takes us from dark and dystopian to the light as the artist oscillates between reality and fiction. In a monumental video installation several metres high, ‘Grandma’ – one of the recurring characters ... More


The Ehlen Collection – Eine Rheinische Porzellansammlung auction at the Palais Oppenheim
COLOGNE .- Sotheby's is presenting a curated collection of particularly exquisite porcelain at the launch of the 2024 auction season in Cologne: The Ehlen Collection – Eine Rheinische Porzellansammlung. The collection, carefully assembled over several generations in the 19th and 20th centuries, is characterised by its artistic perfection. It is also characterised by its significant and far-reaching scientific breadth: The origin of the objects spans countries and continents and includes various materials, including porcelain, faience, stoneware and glass. Some of the lots have a prestigious aristocratic provenance, while others come from historical European collections. Dr Herbert van Mierlo, Senior Valuation Expert, Sotheby's Cologne: "According to oral tradition, the foundation of this collection was laid in the 19th ... More


Book launch celebrates Sunderland 73: The People's Visual History
SUNDERLAND.- Lifelong Black Cats fans can see their 1973 FA Cup memorabilia officially brought to life in a new book marking 50 years since Sunderland won the cup at Wembley. The University of Sunderland has teamed up with internationally renowned photographer and football artist Julian Germain, and the likes of A Love Supreme, Foundation of Light, Back on the Map and The Cultural Spring for Sunderland 73: The People’s Visual History. The project, which is supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, celebrates one of the most significant events in the history of Sunderland – the 1973 FA Cup – reflecting upon the experiences of supporters during the Bob Stokoe era. Sunderland fans’ photos, memorabilia, scrapbooks and memories are at the heart of this project, and, over the last year, supporters have ... More


ING Australia and Powerhouse Parramatta's community and wellbeing partnership
SYDNEY.- Powerhouse has today announced a significant $4 million investment in the future of Powerhouse Parramatta by ING Australia. This remarkable partnership will establish ING as the museum’s Community and Wellbeing Partner, supporting Western Sydney communities through the formation of the ING Pavilion and the ING Community Wellbeing Program. Located within the rooftop garden at Powerhouse Parramatta, the ING Pavilion will seamlessly connect with the landscape and significantly contribute to the community’s experience of the museum. The ING Pavilion will support learning programs and workshops that connect communities with biodiversity, conservation and care for our diverse environments. The ING Pavilion will be complemented by the ING Community Wellbeing Program, an annual series of seasonal ... More


Smell the music: Inviting a perfumer into the concert hall
NEW YORK, NY.- It was time to smell Scriabin’s “Prometheus: The Poem of Fire.” This music, from 1910, has an element of synesthesia in its score, which calls for a color organ — a keyboard instrument that projects lights of a dozen hues — along with a full orchestra, a piano soloist and a choir. But in October at Davies Symphony Hall, the home of the San Francisco Symphony, the piece was being prepared with an additional sense in mind. A group had gathered in the auditorium to test an almost unheard-of idea: that a performance could be accompanied by something like an olfactory poem, a narrative series of perfumes released through diffusers between seats and a set of futuristic cannons, called vortexes, that were developed for this occasion to shoot out rings of scented smoke. Onstage, pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet ... More


Where students can weigh light
NEW YORK, NY.- Even in the buffet of amenities that New York City private schools offer — state-of-the-art gyms and science labs, black box theaters and greenhouses, bespoke college guidance and dream teacher-to-student ratios — having a museum-caliber James Turrell Skyspace on your rooftop is in a class of its own. On the sixth floor of Friends Seminary, a Quaker school in Manhattan, Turrell, the internationally acclaimed artist who uses light to shape space, has created one of his perception-altering meeting rooms whose roof opens to the sky. Bathed in a spectrum of shifting radiant color, that slice of sky appears to float inside the installation, titled “Leading,” the only one of more than 85 Skyspaces by Turrell around the world attached to an active K-12 school. And it’s the first of his bold experiments in Manhattan that ... More


Rowdy, sensitive and ready to sing
NEW YORK, NY.- In denim and leather and newly acquired vintage snakeskin boots, the cast and creative team bringing “The Outsiders” to Broadway went on a trip across Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month — a granular, history-flecked tour of the place where, about 60 years earlier, S.E. Hinton’s coming-of-age story was written and set. Hinton, 75 and still a beloved local, was a star attraction; the visit was a way of mapping out how the new musical version might fit into, or even build on, the durable legacy of “The Outsiders.” Bouncing along together in a van, singing bits of the show’s score, the company members let out a collective gasp as they caught sight of the enormous Admiral Twin Drive-In. Hinton watched double features there as a kid, and it figured prominently in her 1967 novel. The theater, whose midcentury-style signage remains, ... More


Robert Macbeth, founder of Harlem's new Lafayette Theater, dies at 89
NEW YORK, NY.- Robert Macbeth, a rising Black actor in the New York theater scene, was sitting in a Greenwich Village bar in September 1963, getting a drink before going onstage for an off-Broadway improv show. The evening news played in the background. “I happened to look up and there was a flash, and the flash was about the four little girls getting killed in Birmingham,” he said in a 1967 interview, recalling the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. “And there I was, sitting in a Village bar, with a scotch in my hand.” He went onstage that night, and, rather than following the show’s loose routine, he began shouting, walking up and down the aisles, getting in the faces of the mostly white crowd. “I must have scared the audience half to death,” he recalled in the interview. But rather than absorb his ... More


Reports of Cabaret's death have been greatly exaggerated
NEW YORK, NY.- Cabaret has been integral to New York nightlife for more than a century, but every so often, reports of its death — however exaggerated — cause a stir. Singer and educator Natalie Douglas, who arrived from Los Angeles in 1988 and has performed steadily at the storied jazz club Birdland and other venues, figures that the premature mourning started “at least 70 years ago — as soon as people moved from the cities to the suburbs and had room to entertain at home.” Douglas (age: “Not as young as I look”) is noted for her tributes to Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone and the great Stevies of pop (Wonder and Nicks). Recently on a brisk afternoon, she arrived at a loft in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, for a confab with four other veterans of the cabaret scene. Tammy Lang, 57 — who has earned a devoted following through her titular comedic ... More


'The Ally,' a new play at the Public Theater, hashes out the headlines
NEW YORK, NY.- Before his audition for “The Ally,” a new play by Itamar Moses, actor Michael Khalid Karadsheh printed out the monologue that his character, Farid, a Palestinian student at an American university, would give in the second act. The speech cites the Mideast conflict’s specific history and Farid’s personal testimony of, he says, “the experience of moving through the world as the threat of violence incarnate.” Karadsheh — who booked the part — was bowled over. “I don’t think anyone has said these words about Palestine on a stage in New York in such a clear, concise, beautiful, poetic way,” said Karadsheh, whose parents are from Jordan and who has ancestors who were from Birzeit in the West Bank. Farid’s speech sits alongside others, though, in Moses’ play: one delivered by an observant Jew branding much criticism of Israel ... More



PhotoGalleries

Gabriele Münter

TARWUK

Awol Erizku

Leo Villareal


Flashback
On a day like today, French painter and theorist Charles Le Brun was born
February 24, 1619. Charles Le Brun (24 February 1619 - 22 February 1690) was a French painter, art theorist, interior decorator and a director of several art schools of his time. As court painter to Louis XIV, who declared him "the greatest French artist of all time", he was a dominant figure in 17th-century French art and much influenced by Nicolas Poussin. In this image: A Christie's employee looks at an oil painting by 17th century artist Charles Le Brun.

  
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