| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net |   | Established in 1996 | Thursday, December 6, 2018 |
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| | 900-year-old gold coins found in the Israeli Mediterranean town of Caesarea | |
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A picture taken on December 3, 2018, shows ancient gold coins and an earring recently uncovered at an excavation site in the Israeli Mediterranean town of Caesarea. A treasure of 24 rare gold coins consisting of 18 Fatimid dinars, which were the standard local currency during that time (909-1171), as well as six are Byzantine coins, which include five dating to the era of Byzantine Emperor Michael VII Doukas (1071-1078), was recently uncovered in Caesarea. JACK GUEZ / AFP.
CAESAREA (AFP).- Rare gold coins and a golden earring have been discovered in the ancient Mediterranean port of Caesarea in northern Israel -- possibly left and never recovered as Crusaders conquered the area 900 years ago. The Israel Antiquities Authority announced the find on Monday of a small bronze pot holding 24 gold coins and the earring. According to the authority, it was found between two stones in the side of a well in a house in a neighbourhood that dates back some 900 years, during the Abbasid and Fatimid periods. The directors of the excavation, the IAA's Peter Gendelman and Mohammed Hatar, said the coins in the cache date to the end of the 11th century. That makes it possible "to link the treasure to the Crusader conquest of the city in the year 1101, one of the most dramatic events in the medieval history of the city", an IAA statement said. "According to contemporary written sources, most of the inhabita ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day Paul Kasmin attends the Art Basel Miami Beach VIP preview at the Miami Beach Convention Center on December 5, 2018 in Miami Beach, Florida. Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images/AFP
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 | | Scottish iPhone filmmaker wins Turner Prize | | Albert Einstein's God Letter sells for $2.9 million | | Rare masterpiece by Rembrandt sells for £9.5 million to lead Sotheby's Old Master Evening sale | 
Charlotte Prodger, 2017. Photography © Emile Holba, 2018. Courtesy Tate.
LONDON (AFP).- An openly gay Scottish artist who celebrated queer lives in a short film shot on an iPhone won Britain's prestigious Turner Prize Tuesday. This year's four finalists for one of the world's most coveted visual arts awards featured works packed with political punch. Scotland's Charlotte Prodger came out on top at a glitzy reception at London's Tate Museum for a 33-minute visual compilation called BRIDGIT. The jury said Prodger's work "meanders through disparate associations ranging from JD Sports and standing stones to 1970s lesbian separatism and Jimi Hendrixs sound recordist. "Her work explores issues surrounding queer identity, landscape, language technology and time." The 44-year-old Glasgow-based artist -- dressed in a simple white T-shirt for the occasion -- said she felt "quite overwhelmed". "The stories that I am telling, although they ar ... More | | 
The letter was last sold in 2008 to a private collector for $404,000, Christie's said. © Christies Images Limited 2018.
NEW YORK (AFP).- A handwritten letter by Albert Einstein in which the physicist doubts the existence of God was auctioned Tuesday for $2.89 million. It was a record for an Einstein letter and far surpassed its estimated value of $1.0-1.5 million, Christie's said. A 1939 letter in which Einstein warned then president Franklin D. Roosevelt about Germany's atom bomb preparations was auctioned for $2.1 million in 2002. In the letter sold on Tuesday, dated 1954 and written in German to philosopher Eric Gutkind, Einstein said he did not believe in God. "The word God is for me nothing but the expression and product of human weaknesses," Einstein wrote. "The Bible, a collection of venerable but still rather primitive legends." The letter was last sold in 2008 to a private collector for $404,000, Christie's said. Sven Becker, Head of Books ... More | | 
International collectors vie for works by Dutch and Flemish artists. Courtesy Sotheby's.
LONDON.- This evenings Old Master Evening sale at Sothebys London totalled £30.2 million / $38.5 million with an exceptional sell-through rate of 86% - the highest ever achieved by Sothebys in this category. The evening undoubtedly belonged to Dutch and Flemish art, with the sale led by a rare oil sketch by Rembrandt van Rijn which fetched £9.5 million. à Participants from 22 countries with strong bidding from new and traditional markets, particularly UK à 86% of lots sold highest sell-through rate achieved in the category across both London and New York sales à 45% of lots achieved prices above top estimates à 4 auction records achieved for The Master of the Aachen Altar, The Master of Saint Veronica, Jacob Isaacksz. van Ruisdael (record in sterling) and Erasmus Quellinus the Younger. à Fresh-to-the-market works: almost half of the lots offered this year ... More |
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| | | Tate Britain's series of annual commissions to mark the winter season features work by Monster Chetwynd | | Pinakothek in Munich opens 'Stories in Pictures: Edward von Steinle and Leopold Bode' | | Sinatra memorabilia, jewelry on sale in New York | 
Winter Commission 2018: Monster Chetwynd © Tate / Matt Greenwood & Seraphina Neville.
LONDON.- Renowned British artist Monster Chetwynd unveiled a pair of spectacular giant leopard slugs outside Tate Britain, each measuring over 10 metres long. These huge sculptures made of compostable materials are illuminated by LED rope lighting and accompanied by swathes of blue and white LED slug trails across the façade of the building. In place from 30 November 2018 to 25 February 2019, the work is the latest in Tate Britains series of annual commissions to mark the winter season, following last years installation of festive lights by Alan Kane. Lighting up the gallery at the darkest time of year, Chetwynds work reflects her interest in alternative energy sources and the idea that we may one day use bioluminescence to light city streets. The artist also took inspiration from a David Attenborough nature documentary, Life in the Undergrowth, which revealed the mating rituals of leopard slugs. In order ... More | | 
Leopold Bode (18311906), Eine Mutter mit ihrem Kind (nach Clemens Brentano Aus der Chronicka eines fahrenden Schülers), 1865. Ãl auf Lindenholz, 82,2 à 52,0 cm © Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Sammlung Schack, München.
MUNICH.- Among the artists particularly highly esteemed by the collector Adolf Friedrich von Schack were Edward von Steinle (18101886) and Leopold Bode (18311906). Steinle is considered one of the leading Nazarene painters of the second generation, after Peter Cornelius and Friedrich Overbeck, whose pupil and friend he was. Born in Vienna, he lived in Frankfurt am Main from 1839 onwards, where he was professor for history painting at the Städelsches Kunstinstitut from 1850 and one of the most sought-after painters of religious pictures in Germany. Bode, who was born in Offenbach am Main, was a pupil of Steinle and occasionally worked together with him on large projects such as the frescos in the first Wallraf-Richartz Museum and ... More | | 
Some of the Sinatra Magnificent Jewels are displayed at Sotheby's November 30, 2018 in New York. The jewels are part of the Lady Blue Eyes: Property of Barbara and Frank Sinatra auction going on November 27-December 7, 2018. Don EMMERT / AFP.
NEW YORK (AFP).- A sweeping range of Frank Sinatra memorabilia and jewelry owned by his fourth and last wife Barbara goes on sale in New York on Thursday, likely to be snapped up by mega fans and aficionados all over the world. The single most expensive lot, the enormous 20-karat diamond engagement ring that Sinatra gave Barbara in a champagne glass has already sold, fetching $1.7 million in a battle between two telephone bidders, Sotheby's said. The jewel was one of two the entertainer tossed on the bed asking the model to pick the one she liked the most, without actually proposing. "She said 'alright I picked the diamond, you pick which finger to put it on' and that's how it became her engagement ring," said Quig Bruning, vice president and jewelry specialist at Sotheby's. ... More |
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| | | UN listing gives lifeline to Syria's last shadow puppeteer | | Pace Gallery expands representation of Mary Corse to New York, with first exhibition in 2020 | | Exhibition of new painting and sculpture by Darren Almond opens at White Cube | 
Syrian last shadow puppeteer Shadi al-Hallaq is seen moving his puppets Karakoz (R) and Eiwaz (L) from inside his booth during a presentation in Damascus on December 3, 2018. LOUAI BESHARA / AFP.
DAMASCUS (AFP).- In a crowded dark room, Syria's last shadow puppeteer crouches on stage, holding two intricate figures against a brightly lit silk screen and voicing their animated chatter. Hiding inside his booth and moving the silhouettes around on sticks, Shadi al-Hallaq gave a proud performance on Monday night after his disappearing art finally received international recognition. Syrians last week received news that their war-battered country's shadow theatre has secured a coveted place on the UN's list of world treasures. "When they rang to congratulate me, it was like a day dream," said the puppeteer, a slim 43-year-old wearing a dark grey suit and warm beige scarf. His two star characters -- the naive but charming Karakoz and clever friend Eiwaz -- would finally receive the limelight they deserved, he said. "There's no one in Syria who masters the art except me," said Hallaq, who learned it from his late father, a famed storyteller who ... More | | 
Mary Corse Untitled (Electric Light), 1968/2018. Argon, Plexiglas, highfrequency generator, light tubes, monofilament 61-1/8" à 11-1/4" à 8", overall installed © Mary Corse, courtesy Kayne Griffin Corcoran, Pace Gallery, Lisson.
NEW YORK, NY.- Pace Gallery announced its representation of artist Mary Corse in New Yorkin addition to the gallerys current representation of the artist in Hong Kong, Beijing and Seoul. Pace will first present Corses work at its gallery in Hong Kongs H Queens building in March 2019 to coincide with Art Basel Hong Kong, followed by an exhibition at its new global headquarters at 540 West 25th Street in New York in 2020. This week at Art Basel Miami Beach, the gallery will feature a Light Box by Corse from 1968/2018 in its exhibition Lightness of Being. Paces representation and work on behalf of the artist will be pursued in collaboration with Kayne Griffin Corcoran, Los Angeles. Over the last five decades, Mary Corses practice has investigated perception, properties of light, and ideas of abstraction. A contemporary of artists long-represented by Pace, such as James Turrell and Robert Irwin, Corse shar ... More | | 
Darren Almond, Tacet, 2018. Copper, mineral paint, pewter and pencil on linen Overall: 183 x 258 x 3 cm. 25 panels, each: 35 x 50 x 3 cm. © Darren Almond. Photo © Stephen White. Courtesy White Cube.
LONDON.- White Cube is presenting an exhibition of new painting and sculpture by Darren Almond at Bermondsey. Focusing on the idea of time and how it is articulated through the language of numbers, he draws attention to the way time can frame, structure and inform our understanding of the world. While time is a theoretical abstraction it is also a concrete reality within human culture, one that is always rooted in relativity. Almonds new series of paintings respond to this notion and to the idea that numbers are the only true common language. The basis of most organising systems, numbers are a primary determinant of human experience. Used to visualise the invisible, they not only quantify time, but enable scaling and mapping, are the language of economics, the tools of computer coding and the way to describe galactic schema too large for words alone. Consisting of a grid formed from rectangular panels, the paintings depict ... More |
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| | | Art Basel in Miami Beach: UBS announces plans for monumental Sarah Morris wall painting at NYC headquarters | | Nobel Prize for Physics awarded to Manne Siegbahn among items in Science & Technology Auction | | Second Sotheby's prize awarded to help fund exhibition on the history of Black cinema | 
Sarah Morris, Midtown Paine Webber (with Neon), 1998 (detail). Household gloss paint on canvas, 72 x 72 in (182.88 x 182.88 cm) UBS Art Collection ©Sarah Morris.
MIAMI, FLA.- UBS, Global Lead Partner of Art Basel for over 25 years, will kick off the opening of Art Basel in Miami Beach (December 6-9, 2018) with the release of a new study on the attitudes and behaviors of US-based wealthy fine art collectors. According to the 2018 Art Basel and UBS Global Art Market Report, the U.S. continued to hold strong as the leading market for the worlds top 200 collectors, of whom 50% are based in the U.S. Moreover, 68% of global art dealers also cited the U.S. among their top three most important buyer nationalities. "Art Basel in Miami Beach sits at the nexus of North America and Latin America and we have had incredible interest in the show from across our global collecting community this year. With strong figures and confidence in the U.S. art market, Art Basel in Miami Beach is assured as a key destination for collectors" said ... More | | 
The 1924 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded to Manne Siegbahn for his discoveries and research in X-ray spectroscopy (Estimate: $150,000+).
BOSTON, MASS.- The 1924 Nobel Prize in Physics awarded to Swedish physicist Karl Manne Georg Siegbahn for his discoveries and research in the field of X-ray spectroscopy will be auctioned by Boston-based RR Auction. Includes the iconic Nobel Prize medal housed in its red leather case, and beautiful hand-illuminated diploma in its ornate blue morocco leather folder. This was an uncommon reserved prize from 1924, presented to Siegbahn by the Nobel Foundation in 1925. In 1924, the Nobel Committee for Physics had decided that none of the nominees for the award met the criteria outlined in the will of Alfred Nobel, and subsequently granted the open prize to Siegbahn in the following year. The medal, designed by Erik Lindberg and struck in 23K gold by the Swedish Royal Mint, measures 66 mm in diameter, and weighs 205 gm. The obverse features a bust portrait of Alfred Nobel facing left, inscribed ... More | | 
Carrie Moyer, Jolly Hydra: Unexplainably Juicy, 2017. Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Sid and Shirley Singer, Mamaroneck, NY.
LONDON.- Sothebys today announced the winner of the 2018 Sothebys Prize, which, in its second year, continues to celebrate curatorial excellence and champion the work of innovative institutions who strive to break new ground and challenge our understanding of art today. Presented to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures (opening in Los Angeles in late 2019), the $250,000 award will support their exhibition, Regeneration: Black Cinema 1900-1970 which opens in the autumn of 2020. The first exhibition of its kind, Regeneration will reveal the important and under-recognised history of African American filmmakers in the development of American cinema. It will explore African American representation in motion pictures from its advent to just beyond the Civil Rights era. Speaking about the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures exhibition, Co-creator of the Sothebys Prize & Chair of the Sothebys Prize Jury, and also Chairm ... More |
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Martin Creed Interview: Things that Don't Add Up
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 Stephen Friedman Gallery announces worldwide representation of Denzil ForresterLONDON.- Denzil Forresters vibrant, colourful works immortalise the dynamic energy of the London reggae and dub nightclub scene during the early 1980s. Pulsating with rhythm, the artists expressive depictions of dance halls and clubs capture crowds of people moving in unison with the beat of the music. Flashes of vivid colour, gestural brushstrokes and frenetic compositions characterise his work. In contrast to the joy of his nocturnal revellers, Forresters paintings also portray the racial and social injustice experienced by the Afro-Caribbean community in 80s London by pointing to the ramifications of police brutality. Forrester explains: I just wanted to draw movement, action and expression. I was interested in the energy of the crowd, particular dance movements and what the clubbers wore. In these clubs, city life is recreated in essence: ... More Sinatra and Rockefeller jewels shine in Sotheby's $46.4 million Magnificent Jewels sale in New YorkNEW YORK, NY.- A combination of important diamonds, exceptional colored gemstones and iconic designs emerging from private collections, including those of Barbara Sinatra and Happy Rockefeller drove Sothebys New York sale of Magnificent Jewels to achieve $46.4 million. Sotheby's worldwide Jewelry auctions in 2018 have now crossed $403.4 million in sales, with the Fine Jewels auction in London remaining this month and online-only sales of Fine Jewels and a Diamond Capsule Collection. Below is a look at the remarkable pieces that led yesterdays results. Gary Schuler, Chairman of Sothebys Jewelry Division, Americas commented: Todays sale caps off what has been yet another great year for Jewelry at Sothebys New York. Our results demonstrate the timeless appeal of diamonds and continued appetite for exceptional colored ... More mumok opens the first large-scale retrospective of the work of Austrian artist Ernst CaramelleVIENNA.- mumok is presenting the first large-scale retrospective of the work of Austrian artist Ernst Caramelle. Titled A Résumé , the show covers all of the artists work phases from 1974 to today. As early as 1976, Caramelle already used the term Resümee as the title of his multimedia thesis at the University of Applied Arts Vienna, which consisted of a cardboard box containing 23 drawings and collages, 12 photographs, a Super 8 film, an audiotape, and an object, thereby assembling nearly all the media and techniques the artist still uses today. The exhibition A Résumé picks up on the self-assured, ironic approach that Ernst Caramelle already demonstrated at the start of his career. It thus shows his work Resümee in a reversed loop at the end of the exhibition circuit, which interweaves media and conceptual processes to enable viewers to trace the many connections ... More Berlin-based artist Nevin Aladağ opens exhibition at kestnergesellschaftHANOVER.- The exhibition Social Fabric by the Berlin-based artist Nevin Aladağ (*1972 in Van, Turkey) marks the second round of an experimental format: topics such as diversity in society, identity, and community, which already played a role in the first part, are now being negotiated on an abstract level. The show features four textile works from a current series of the same name as well as the two video works Top View (2012) and City Language I (2009). New photographs from the series Best Friends (2018), which were taken in the summer in Hanover, also are being shown. While in the first part current social questions on the subject of the individual were negotiated in photography and video, the second part of the exhibition focuses on different cultures as a whole. Crafts in the form of carpets and musical sounds can be understood as expressions or ... More Exhibition of photographs from the Lazare Collection opens at the Montreal Museum of Fine ArtsMONTREAL.- The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts invites the public to a contemplation in Of Individuals and Places: Photographs from the Lazare Collection. Bringing together close to 100 photographs by major Canadian and international artists, this exhibition underscores Montreal collector Jack Lazares 20-year passion for photography, which he has a desire to share with the public. It is also an opportunity to display a selection of photographs from a group of 33 artworks the collector generously gifted to the Museum in 2017. A businessman specializing in the in the travel and music industries, and a member of the Acquisition Committee International Art After 1900, Jack Lazare has been building up an outstanding collection of photographs mainly contemporary since the 1980s. The show reveals his sensitive ... More Christie's appoints Antoine Lebouteiller as Head of the Impressionist and Modern art departmentPARIS.- Christies France is welcomes back Antoine Lebouteiller as Head of the Impressionist and Modern Art department, effective December 3rd. Antoine joined the firm in the Impressionist and Modern Art Department in 2009 in Paris and from March 2013, worked as a Specialist Business-Getter for Day and Work on Papers sales at Christies London. In 2014, he started working closely with Deputy Chairman Olivier Camu on the Art of the Surreal evening sales. Most recently, in 2017, Antoine was promoted to the Evening Sale team as Director Senior Specialist and was instrumental in the sale of the Claudel bronzes group which fetched record-breaking results in June 2018. In October 2018, Antoine was the Impressionist lead on the Unbreakable sale, a collaboration with the Post-War and Contemporary department, during ... More Rare models power Jasper52 European Collector Car auction Dec. 10NEW YORK, NY.- Jasper52's inaugural collector car auction on Dec. 10 features a variety of outstanding vehicles: rally and track cars, supercars, touring cars and off-road machines. This groundbreaking sale includes cars located in Europe that were selected expressly for collectors in the United States. Bidding on all cars will start at $1. Absentee and Internet live bidding is available through LiveAuctioneers. A highlight of the auction is a Tesla owned by renowned Italian singer Andrea Bocelli. The 2015 Tesla S P85D is in mint condition. A white Fastback, it has about 70,000 kilometers on the odometer and has been beautifully maintained. Its next owner may not be as famous as Bocelli but unquestionably would feel like a superstar when driving it. Estimate: $110,000-$150,000. There are five Alfa Romeo models in the auction, including a ... More British studio pottery found in the US hits the auction block at Freeman's in PhiladelphiaPHILADELPHIA, PA.- Rounding out Freemans 2018 auction season is the December 10 sale of Design. The auction includes close to 130 lots, offering a selection of American, British, and Japanese studio ceramics, with works by Jennifer Lee (b. 1956), Hans Coper (1920-1981), Lucie Rie (1902-1995), Michael Cardew (1901-1983), Bernard Leach (1887-1979), Derek Davis (1926-2008), Joanna Constantinidis (1927-2000), Clive Bowen (b. 1943), Phil Rogers (b. 1951), and early works by Ian Godfrey (1942-1992). Lucie Rie was born in Austria in 1902, but moved to London in 1938 after establishing herself as a ceramicist in Vienna. Lot 95, a handled dish of stoneware with white glaze and manganese oxide lip (estimate: $1,000-1,500) is an excellent example of the artists form, and comes from a private collection in Washington, D.C. German-born ... More MOCA presents "AfriCOBRA: Messages to The People" during Miami Art Week 2018NORTH MIAMI, FLA.- In celebration of Miami Art Week 2018, the Museum of Contemporary Art North Miami (MOCA) is presenting a groundbreaking exhibition celebrating the founding of AfriCOBRA the black artist collective that defined the visual aesthetic of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the collective which came out of Chicago. AfriCOBRA: Messages to the People is on view at MOCA from Nov. 27, 2018 April 7, 2019. Miami Art Week takes place from Dec. 6 9, 2018. Founded in 1968, by Jeff Donaldson, Jae Jarrell, Wadsworth Jarrell, Barbara Jones-Hogu and Gerald Williams, AfriCOBRA, which stands for the African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists, created images that defined the visual aesthetic of the Black Arts Movement. The artistic movement was a complement to the Black ... More PULSE Miami Beach 2018 highlightsMIAMI, FLA.- PULSE returns to its oceanside home at Indian Beach Park on Thursday, December 6th with its signature Private Preview Brunch from 10am to 1pm featuring performances by Lafleur & Bogaert and Jessica Yatrofsky with the NY Fem Factory and serving drinks provided by Ketel One, Don Julio, and Miraval. The preview will be followed by Young Collectors Cocktails from 5pm to 7pm, presented by Spain is Part of You, featuring an interactive live painting by PROJECTS artist Antonyo Marest. Running through Sunday, December 9th, PULSE Miami Beach continues with its focused curation of group exhibitions in the North Tent plus SOLO booths, CONVERSATIONS booths of dual-artist presentations, and POINTS booths dedicated to non-profits and alternative models in the South Tent. The 14th edition of PULSE Miami Beach marks the second year ... More Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac presents an installation devoted to John Cage's Ryoanji seriesLONDON.- Uniting John Cages influential practice as a composer and visual artist, Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac London is presenting an installation devoted to his celebrated Ryoanji series from the early 1980s, inspired by the rock garden at Ryōan-ji (Temple of the Peaceful Dragon), a Zen Buddhist temple that Cage first visited in Kyoto, Japan in 1962. This installation of 11 Ryoanji drawings and 15 recordings of his Ryoanji compositions for various instruments focuses on how Cage expressed his ideas and the gardens sensibility in both his audio and visual interpretations. The accompanying exhibition catalogue John Cage and Ryoanji includes Cages writing on Ryoanji, an interview with him, a selection of his manuscripts and scores for the series and a new essay by the leading writer on Cage, James Pritchett. Curated by Julia Peyton-Jones in ... More |
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Flashback On a day like today, German-born American photojournalist Alfred Eisenstaedt was born December 06, 1898. Alfred Eisenstaedt (December 6, 1898 - August 24, 1995) was a German-American photographer and photojournalist. He is renowned for his candid photographs, frequently made using various models of a 35mm Leica rangefinder camera. He is best known for his photograph capturing the celebration of V-J Day. In this image: 86 year-old Edith Shain and 78 year-0ld Carl Muscarello recreate the Famous 'Kiss Picture', Sunday 14 August 2005. The original couple in the iconic image, Edith Shain the nurse and Carl Muscarello the sailor was taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt 60 years ago do the day in Times Square on Victory Japan Day in 1945 to signify the end of World War Two. The Artist Seward Johnson created a life-sized sculpture of the kiss Unconditional Surrender for the event.
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