| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net |   | Established in 1996 | Sunday, November 17, 2019 |
 |
| | Oscar Wilde's stolen ring found by Dutch 'art detective' | |
|
|
A picture taken on October 30, 2019 at the apartment of Arthur Brand in Amsterdam shows a close-up of the 18-carat golden friendship ring with an engraving, which is said to have belonged to Irish playwright Oscar Wilde (1854-1900). JOHN THYS / AFP.
AMSTERDAM (AFP).- A golden ring once given as a present by the famed Irish writer Oscar Wilde has been recovered by a Dutch "art detective" nearly 20 years after it was stolen from Britain's Oxford University. The friendship ring, a joint gift from Wilde to a fellow student in 1876, was taken during a burglary in 2002 at Magdalen College, where the legendary dandy studied. At the time it was valued at £35,000 (40,650 euros, $45,000). The trinket's whereabouts remained a mystery for years and there were fears that the ring -- shaped like a belt and buckle and made from 18-carat gold -- had even been melted down. But Arthur Brand, a Dutchman dubbed the "Indiana Jones of the Art World" for recovering a series of high-profile stolen artworks, used his underworld connections to finally find it. ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day A picture taken on November 15, 2019 shows hermit crab shaped light structures displayed at the Jardin des Plantes 'botanical garden' Zoo in Paris, as part of the Light Festival exhibition entitled "Ocean en voie d'illumination" in Paris. BERTRAND GUAY / AFP
|
|
|
| 
|
 | | Rare female nude group painting by Sanyu to lead Sotheby's HK Modern Art Sale in spring 2020 | | The Mishkan Museum of Art presents for the first time an exhibition on Chaïm Soutine | | Trash-stalking with Rachel Harrison | 
Sanyu, Quatre Nus 1950s (detail), oil on masonite, 100 by 122 cm, estimate upon request. Courtesy Sotheby's.
HONG KONG.- Following the record-breaking price for a work by Sanyu achieved at Sothebys Hong Kong in October, another iconic masterpiece by the Chinese émigré artist, Quatre Nus, is set to lead Sothebys Modern Art sale in Spring 2020. Paintings by Sanyu depicting a group of female nudes rarely appear on the market, not least those on a grand scale, making the emergence of this exceptional work from the artists later years a momentous event. Vinci Chang, Sothebys Head of Modern Asian Art, commented: This autumn, we set a new benchmark for Sanyu when Nu was sold for a record HK$198 million (US$25.2 million). With interest in the artist at an all-time high, Sanyus paintings of female nudes, particularly the larger-scale works, have sparked lively conversations amongst collectors and art lovers worldwide, both for their aesthetic value and their place ... More | | 
Ruthi Helbitz Cohen, Untitled, 2019 (detail). Mixed media on paper and fabric cut-outs, 250 x 140 cm.
EIN HAROD.- The Mishkan Museum of Art, Ein Harod, presents for the first time an exhibition on Chaïm Soutine (1893-1943) and Israeli art, opening a new chapter in the discourse on the artist. The exhibition features over 40 prominent and emerging Israel artists, many of whose artist statements are quoted in the full-colour catalogue. Of about twenty original works by Soutine, a third are new to the public, and come from public and private collections. The innovative exhibition is co-curated by Yaniv Shapira, Director and Chief Curator of the Ein Harod museum, Surya Sadekova of the Pushkin Museum, Moscow, and Batsheva Goldman-Ida, PhD, Senior Curator of Special Projects at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. Esti Dunow, co-author of Soutines catalogue raisonné, serves as consultant. Since the 1930s, Soutine has had a significant impact on Israeli art. ... More | | 
Alexander the Great (2007), featuring a department store mannequin wearing an Abraham Lincoln mask on the back of its head, part of Rachel Harrison Life Hack, a midcareer survey of the artists work at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, Nov. 4, 2019. Many of Harrison's assemblage-style sculptures suggest the kind of accidental urban still lifes you see on New York City sidewalks on trash collection day. Charlie Rubin/The New York Times.
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE ).- On a recent Saturday there was strong foot traffic on the fifth floor of the Whitney Museum of American Art where New York artist Rachel Harrisons exuberant midcareer survey is installed. And the traffic wasnt moving fast. Visitors were spending time with sculpture that, despite or because of its enigmatic zaniness, inspired a slow look. And people seemed to be having fun looking, even if they werent exactly sure why. Maybe it was because puzzlement can be fun, and Harrison has set it as one of the tasks for her work. Many of her assemblage-style sculptures suggest ... More |
|
|
|
| |
| | Works by Keith Haring, Joseph Cornell, and Paul Howard Manship lead in Rago's $3.4 million Fall Fine Art Auction | | The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco announces the acquisition of Penumbra by Frank Bowling | | Free exhibit celebrates the making of The Clash's ground-breaking album 'London Calling' | 
Joseph Cornell, Grand Hotel-Hotel Taglioni. Sold for: $106,250.
LAMBERTVILLE, NJ.- Ragos November Fine Art sale realized $3,430,969 across two days, Friday, November 8 and Saturday, November 9. The highest selling lot of the weekend came from Fridays Post War + Contemporary Art sale; lot 135, an untitled ink on poster board rendering of the classic Crawling Baby by Keith Haring that sold for $117,500 against a high estimate of $50,000. Other works by Haring also fared admirably in the sale, including lot 136, a womens leather jacket featuring a drawing and signature by the artist which sold for $6,875 and lot 137, a wooden paddle also sporting a drawing and artists signature, which sold for $10,625. Other highlights from Post War + Contemporary Art include: lot 190, Joseph Cornell's mixed media box construction Grand Hotel-Hotel Taglioni from the Collection of Allan Stone which sold for $106,250; lot 32, an untitled Ribbon Painting by Carl Holty that vaulted past its ... More | | 
Installation view of Frank Bowling, "Penumbra" (detail). Photography by Gary Sexton. Image courtesy of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco announces the acquisition of Penumbra (1970) by Frank Bowling. A central work from the artists innovative and iconic Map series, the painting evokes the global scale, impact, and complexity of the African Diaspora; thus critiquing a long-reigning world view distorted by imperialism and colonialism. In celebration of the acquisition, Penumbra is on view at the de Young Museum as part of the internationally acclaimed exhibition, Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power 1963-1983 through 15 March, 2020. Im thrilled that the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco have acquired one of my paintings for its permanent collection and I feel deeply honoured that this work will be seen by a large audience in the Bay Area in the coming years. Throughout the six decades of my career, it has been my fervent ... More | | 
Handwritten list of songs, placed here in correct order for the 4 sides of the double album London Calling. © The Clash.
LONDON.- The Museum of London announced that the highly anticipated The Clash: London Calling, a free exhibit showcasing a collection of over 150 items from The Clashs personal archive including notes, clothing, images and music, many previously unseen, is now open and free to view until April 19, 2020. When The Clashs third album London Calling was released in the winter of 1979 it was clear that the band had made an instant classic, an era-defining masterpiece which still stands as one of rocks all-time greatest albums. London Calling was and is a hugely compelling melting pot of musical styles, driven by a passion for action and a fierce political anger, with music and lyrics which remain as relevant today as they were on release. As well as showcasing influences and context for the writing and recording of the seminal double album, this new ... More |
|
|
|
| |
| | Stephanie Comilang wins 2019 Sobey Art Award | | At museums around the world, a focus on food | | Inundated Venice braced for more flooding, strong winds | 
Stephanie Comilang, 2019 Sobey Art Award shortlisted artist. Photo: Anne Amores.
OTTAWA.- The Sobey Art Foundation and the National Gallery of Canada are delighted to announce that Stephanie Comilang is the recipient of the 2019 Sobey Art Award. The 2019 Sobey Art Award grand prize winner was revealed Friday evening at a ceremony at the Art Gallery of Alberta in Edmonton. Each of the four remaining shortlisted artists, each of the four remaining shortlisted artists, Nicolas Grenier, Kablusiak, Anne Low and DArcy Wilson, were awarded $25,000 CAD. From the Ontario region, Stephanie Comilangs video works follow Paraiso, a Tagalog speaking drone who documents Filipino diasporic experiences. The Sobey Art Award recognizes Canadian artists who are forty years old or younger, selected by a jury of Canadian and international curators and gallery directors. The award represents the breadth of contemporary practices from Canadas five geographical regions, selecting ... More | | 
Florent Bonnetain. © Thierry Fournier / Metropole Lyon.
LYON (NYT NEWS SERVICE ).- The city of Lyon, France, is hoping to cement its reputation as the cradle of French gastronomy with the opening of a new cultural gastronomy center that is being described as the first of its kind in France, and the largest of its kind in the world. Six years in the making, the Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie de Lyon (International City of Gastronomy) opened its doors last month inside the Grand Hôtel-Dieu, a former hospital that dates back to the 12th century. Spanning four floors and 43,055 square feet, the center, which cost 20 million euros (around $22 million), is designed to be an interactive and sensorial experience for visitors: The smell of chicken bubbling away in a casserole pot wafts through the space dedicated to traditional Lyonnaise cuisine, while a virtual exhibit recreates the sights and sounds of an open-air farmers market. The centers opening adds to an already rich gastronomic landscape in Lyon: The city is home to Bocuse dOr, ... More | | 
Tourists walks in St. Mark square on November 16, 2019 in Venice, three days after the city suffered the highest tide in 50 years. Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP.
VENICE (AFP).- Venice was on alert for more floods and fierce winds on Saturday after an exceptionally high tide swamped the city of canals, where authorities have declared a state of emergency. Mayor Luigi Brugnaro ordered the iconic St Mark's Square closed on Friday as the latest sea surge struck with strong storms and winds battering the region. The square was open again on Saturday, but the city forecast a high water of 160 centimetres (over five feet) for Sunday, lower than Tuesday's high of 187 centimetres but still dangerous. Civil protection authorities downgraded a weather "red alert" for the Venice region to orange, with Saturday's midday high forecast to be a manageable 105 centimetres. Churches, shops and homes in the city, a UNESCO World Heritage site, have been inundated by unusually intense "acqua alta", or high water, which on ... More |
|
|
|
| |
| | Protest graffiti fills Beirut's posh downtown | | Sèvres treasures from service for Madame du Barry, Louis XV's last great love offered at Bonhams | | From a sewing needle to a laser cutter, a new approach to fashion | 
Street artist Hady Beydoun poses in front of his graffiti depicting the face of revolution in central Beirut on November 6, 2019. JOSEPH EID / AFP.
BEIRUT (AFP).- A majestic phoenix spreads its wings as Hayat Nazer adds a splash of colour to a Beirut wall. As Lebanon's uprising enters its second month, graffiti has enveloped the capital's posh downtown. Since October 17, the chanting of tens of thousands of Lebanese denouncing the political elite have shaken the normally staid district around two Beirut squares -- Martyrs' and Riad Al Solh. Nazer, a 32-year-old artist, is one of the protesters who would not normally frequent the area, famed for luxury boutiques and elegant buildings. But the unprecedented protests also offered her a first experience with street art. "I decided to go out in the street to be inspired by the people," she said during a cigarette break, standing next to pots of red, green and yellow paint. Then she turned to place the final brushstroke on the mythical bird emerging from a burning forest -- a reference to the fires that ravaged Lebanon's mountains shortly before the protests began. "The phoenix reminds us that the Leb ... More | | 
Sèvres bottle cooler from a service commissioned by Madame du Barry. Estimate: £60,000-80,000. Photo: Bonhams.
LONDON.- An exceptionally rare pair of Sèvres bottle coolers from a service commissioned by Madame du Barry, the final maîtresse-en-titre of Louis XV, will be offered at Bonhams Fine European Ceramics sale in London on Wednesday 4 December. The pair is estimated at £60,000-80,000. Madame du Barry (1743-1793) rose from humble origins as the illegitimate daughter of a seamstress to become the last, and with Madame de Pompadour, the greatest of the maîtresses-en-titre of Louis XV (The title refers to the chief mistress of the French Kings who enjoyed a semi-official position at court). Famed for her great beauty among the ranks of high society courtesans, she caught the eye of Louis XV in 1768. The King procured a title for her through an arranged marriage with Comte Guillaume du Barry, and in 1769 she was officially presented to the court of Versailles. From then on she was regarded as the maîtresse-en-titre. Louis installed her in the Châtea ... More | | 
Iris van Herpen, a Dutch designer who founded her own company in 2007, in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Nov. 12, 2019. Ilvy Njiokiktjien/The New York Times.
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE ).- When many people think of couture they think of the most traditional, time-intensive kind of fashion; of seamstresses and tailors in white coats bent over intricate swathes of material painstakingly sewing by hand the way they have since the days of Charles Frederick Worth and Christian Dior (and Marie Antoinette, for that matter). Iris van Herpen, however, a 35-year-old Dutch designer who founded her own company in 2007, has always thought of something different. She has thought of the way the sewing needle an early tool might translate into the tools of tomorrow; might, for example, connect to the 3-D printer and the laser cutter. She has explored such themes as biopiracy and magnetic motion; has combined mylar and copper with tulle and organza. Her dresses often appear to have their own energy field and look as though they are ... More |
|
Tatiana Trouvé: On the Eve of Never Leaving at Gagosian, Beverly Hills
|
|
| |
| | More News |
 DC Moore Gallery opens an exhibition by Duane MichalsNEW YORK, NY.- Coinciding with the Morgan Library & Museums expansive retrospective The Illusions of the Photographer: Duane Michals at the Morgan (through February 2, 2020), Duane Michals: Mischievous Eye highlights the artists wide-ranging curiosity and irreverent spirit with several groupings of recent works as well as selected vintage prints. In this fifth solo outing with DC Moore, Michals painted photographs, sequences, and self-portraits share center stage, showcasing his interest in the comical, metaphysical and surreal. The sequenced and augmented works highlight how Michals has long chafed at the idea of the sacrosanctity of a single perfect photograph. For one series, Michals, now 87, turned his attention to glamorous studio portraits of Hollywood actors he grew up with, as a way to examine the transience of identity. Using ... More Richard Saltoun Gallery opens an exhibition on maternal politics, identity and embodimentLONDON.- The first in a two-part exhibition on maternal politics, identity and embodiment, Matrescence brings together an international range of works from immediately contemporary artists with an older generation of artists to address the unresolved issues around maternal subjectivity, embodiment and politics; issues that remain as pertinent today as when they were first explored in the 1970s. The group show explores the idea of Matrescence, a term developed by anthropologist Dana Raphael in 1973 in an attempt to theorise the transformational processes of becoming a mother one that is never really fully resolved. Curated by Catherine McCormack, the core themes for this exhibition include public and private reproductive bodies, maternity and obscenity, as well as a rethinking of the eponymous archetype of the silent, suffering and idealised ... More Exhibition aims to reframe our view of photographyWORCESTER, MASS.- The Worcester Art Museum is presenting Photo Revolution: Andy Warhol to Cindy Sherman, a new exhibition that demonstrates photographys profound influence on contemporary art in the mid- to late 20th century. For much of its history, photographyand other photo-based arts such as film and televisionwere seen by art historians as secondary media, and artists who used them were typically identified by their primary medium of painting or sculpture. This persisted into the 1980s, even as photography moved from being a supporting medium to taking a central role. Beginning with the rise of Pop art in the late 1950s and, especially after its explosive take-off in the 1960s, it was photo-based media that drove much artistic innovation. Including more than 225 works demonstrating how photography proved foundational to major ... More Rare branch mint proof half dollar sells for $504,000 at auctionSANTA ANA, CA.- Numismatic auction powerhouse Stacks Bowers Galleries just sold a famous and ultra-rare 1838-O Capped Bust Half Dollar at the Whitman Baltimore Winter Expo at the Baltimore Convention Center for $504,000. The 1838-O half dollar is one of only nine known to exist from an estimated mintage of no more than 20 coins. This issue represents the first half dollars struck by the then newly opened New Orleans Mint and were produced in a special presentation format known as Proof or Specimen. The New Orleans Mint was established to produce coins of several different denominations, but its main focus was the half dollar. The half dollar was the most convenient medium of converting the flow of uneven quality Latin American silver coins into a sufficient quantity of new United States coins fit for banking and commerce. However, ... More Two-person figural painting show featuring February James and John Rivas opens at Ross + Kramer GalleryNEW YORK, NY.- Ross + Kramer Gallery is presenting Double Trouble this fall, running through January 11, 2020. Artists February James and John Rivas were brought together by curator Larry Ossei-Mensah, who links the two based on their proclivity for rendering the figure in a way that cultivates a dialogue about identity, memory, family trauma, and negating stereotypes. The paintings in the exhibition include both new individual as well as collaborative works. While the artists singular voices flow together in their figural distortion and from the gut authenticity, they exist in separate universes. Rivas universe feels sculptural, consisting of speedy, thick brushstrokes and three-dimensional elements adhered to the canvas. Meanwhile, James tender portraits exist in a space laden with emotion-swirled watercolor. For the exhibition, James and Rivas worked together to make a series of new ... More These artists refuse to forget the wars in IraqNEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE ).- Over the last month, Iraqis fed up with corruption and unemployment have staged the countrys largest protests since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Hundreds of them have died at the hands of national security forces. The Iraq conflict is still going on and yet the country has largely disappeared from Americas news broadcasts, social media streams and campaign trails. Theater of Operations: The Gulf Wars 1991-2011, a major exhibition that fills MoMA PS1, returns American audiences to a place some would rather ignore. It offers an unprecedented encounter between Western artists (among them Jenny Holzer, Luc Tuymans and Richard Serra) and more than 30 artists from Iraq, Kuwait and their diasporas. Together, their works narrate the entanglement of the United States and Iraq over two ruinous ... More Three real exotics for sale at the next H&H Classics auction online December 4thLONDON.- If you want a car that is really special and different there is just one man to go to the in the UK, Andy Saunders, who produced this extraordinary vehicle based on a Citroen chassis, now for sale with H&H Classics at their next Auction Online on December 4th. Built in 1984 by Andy Saunders. This car was constructed entirely in steel and hand rolled. Welded to a steel frame and when first completed was finished in white pearl with base white graphics winning Best in show at the Devillbiss Show that year It appeared at Goodwood Festival of Speed Concours in 2004 and was the subject of magazine feature after magazine feature and became a hit at motorshows all around Europe and Scandinavia. The base vehicle was a 1976 Citroen CX Pallas which received space age styling from inspiration taken from the wild prototype & custom vehicles ... More Zeitz MOCAA collection reimagined in 'Two Together'CAPE TOWN.- Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa has revealed the details of an exciting new exhibition, presenting works from its collection in a new and reimagined format. The Zeitz MOCAA Collection houses a unique and extensive body of works by some of the continent and its diasporas most exciting established and emerging artists. The exhibition, which includes a selection of these works, opened on 7 November 2019, taking up all gallery spaces on Level 4. This forms part of a recent reimagining of the museums galleries and spatial organisation, with exhibitions in this space changing annually. Titled Two Together, the show is built around major themes explored by artists from Africa and its diaspora represented in the collection, and each gallery contains a pair: either two objects, or multiple works by two artists, or two major themes either in dialogue, ... More Her secrets make for a real page turnerNEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE ).- This is a halcyon time in royal fashion. The Duchesses of Cambridge and Sussex Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle set trends and sell products as never before. Tabloids and Vogues alike hang on their every clothing choice, parsing the messages sent: about sustainability or diplomacy, affordability and British industry. Devoted websites list how to get their looks. Just last weekend there they were, in black Alexander McQueen and Stella McCartney coats, modeling a modern approach to the monarchy at Remembrance Sunday. Yet while we tend to label our fascination with every item they wear as part of the Insta-condition, a symptom of influencer culture and an increasingly visual world, really, it was ever thus. Long before the two duchesses came on the scene, the Windsor family was well aware of the impact their ... More Robert Upstone launches new gallery space focusing on on British art of the 20th and 21st centuriesLONDON.- UPSTONE Soho launched on 14 November 2019 with an exhibition of new works by the acclaimed British artist Keith Coventry. The venture, a collaboration between Robert Upstone, formerly the Head of Modern British Art at the Tate, and the artist Graham Snow, focuses on British art of the Twentieth and Twenty-first centuries. Coventrys exhibition is comprised of more than 20 collage works which reference and conflate two outdated cultural forms, the Old Comedy of Aristophanes with modernist, Bauhaus-like abstract compositions. The collage materials include lollipop-like sticks that have printed on them the crude humour that delighted huge audiences in ancient Athens. The jokes now seem lost to us as many of them ridiculed well known figures of that time, while others retain their piquancy. In some works, the paper used for the collages ... More Modern Art Helmet Row opens an exhibition of works by Torey ThorntonLONDON.- Ive never known whether to collaborate with someone on a text, have them write something for me that wont stand in or hold up the work, but gets near it without blowing the surprise or the slower arrival. Patience and sensitivity. How honest should a press release be, transparent. There are mouths that water for writing as the strengthener to an artwork or show, the hardening component in the mixture, historicizing it, firming it. Is a body of work stronger when its fully explained and squeezed out? Wrung? We have been taught that explanation, speaking, telling, writing equates to a presentation of knowledge and cultural wealth, so at every turn theres the need for the hand hold or at least the mirroring of ideas in order to prove or match. Although, some are privileged to rarely have to speak, maybe they never explain their work and yet they are held ... More |
|
Flashback On a day like today, American sculptor Isamu Noguchi was born November 17, 2019. Isamu Noguchi (November 17, 1904 - December 30, 1988) was a prominent Japanese American artist and landscape architect whose artistic career spanned six decades, from the 1920s onward. Known for his sculpture and public works, Noguchi also designed stage sets for various Martha Graham productions, and several mass-produced lamps and furniture pieces, some of which are still manufactured and sold. In this image: Isamu Noguchi working in stone yard at his Mure, Japan studio, 1975. Photographer unknown.
|
|
| |
|
© 1996 - 2019