| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net |    | Established in 1996 | Tuesday, August 29, 2023 |
| | After the sudden heralding of Hilma af Klint, questions and court fights | |
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Erik af Klint, the great-grandnephew of the artist and the chairman of the Hilma af Klint Foundation, at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm, with works attributed to af Klint, Aug. 15, 2023. A legal battle for control over the artists foundation has pitted her relatives against a spiritual group, as historians question who really painted many of her famous works. (Loulou d'Aki/The New York Times)
by Zachary Small
NEW YORK, NY.- Her bold, colorful canvases in a Guggenheim Museum show rocked the art world in 2018 and filled a canyon in the popular imagination: Hilma af Klint, a largely unknown Swedish artist and mystic was discovered as an important pioneer of abstract painting. Scholars mentioned her name in the same breath as Wassily Kandinsky and Piet Mondrian a woman stepping toward modernism before most of her male contemporaries. And af Klint, who died in 1944, became a fixture of museum gift shops, movie theaters and college dormitory posters. But with af Klints meteoric celebrity has come deeper scrutiny of her works and concerns over who should protect her legacy. Historians have questioned whether she is actually the sole author of many works attributed to her, and in recent months, another artist has surfaced as the likely hand behind 15 paintings at the center of the Guggenheims triumphal show. Several scholars have suggested that other pictures may have been painted by mem ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day Gallerie dâItalia, Intesa Sanpaoloâs museum in Milan, is presenting Una collezione inattesa. Viaggio nel contemporaneo tra pittura e scultura [An unexpected collection. A journey through contemporary painting and sculpture], curated by Luca Massimo Barbero, Associate Curator of the Bankâs Collections of Modern and Contemporary Art. Running from 26 May to 22 October 2023, the exhibition presents a selection of works from the Intesa Sanpaolo collection in dialogue with works that form part of the permanent exhibition, "Cantiere del '900".
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| La Belle Epoque Auction House August 19th auction sizzled with top art sellers | | The Winter Art & Antiques Fair 2023: For Christmas shoppers and Collectors | | Dream jobs in the world of culture and what you get for doing them | 
Norman Rockwell, Tom Sawyer Portfolio suite. 1 Litho and 7 Collotypes. Sold for $5,760.
NEW YORK, NY.- La Belle Epoque Auction House, recently presented their Sizzling SummerAugust 19th live auction at their stunning 7,000 square-foot space at 71 8th Avenue on the border of the Meatpacking District and the West Village in New York City. The auction was held live in-person, as well as online through LaBelleEpoque.com, LiveAuctioneers and Bidsquare. Many top sellers of the day were from the Contemporary and Modern Art arena, which covered a large portion of the auction, while also offering an impressive collection of antiques, silver, mid-century modern, jewelry, furniture, fashion, lighting, sports memorabilia, collectibles, decorative items and more. Leading the way was a Still Life by Tom Wesselmann,Created in 1988, this screenprint is hand signed by Tom Wesselmann (Cincinnatti, 1931 - New York City, 2004) in pencil and numbered from the edition 88 of 100. This 1988 canvas depicts a bowl of fruit surrounded by flow ... More | | 
Paul-César Helleu (French 1859-1927) 'Alice Helleu à sa toilette' Signed l.r.: Helleu, black, red and white chalks. Exhibitor: Karen Taylor Fine Art.
LONDON.- Held annually the Winter Art & Antiques Fair is a premier showcase of the finest art and antique dealers, offering a wide choice of high-quality objects from around the world. Positioned just as the nights are getting darker and thoughts are turning to Christmas, the 32nd edition of the Olympia Fair returns 30 October - 5 November, set to shine with diamonds, glass, silver and mirrors. Established and knowledgeable dealers present authentic pieces from ancient to contemporary including classic and 20th-century jewellery, Art Deco, glass, mirrors, silver, furniture, and all periods of art, Asian objects and much more. Beloved by collectors, connoisseurs, interior designers as well as creative homeowners, the Fair embraces the durability and sustainability that art and antiques embody. Prices start at under £100 and heading well over £100,000 for rare, museum-quality pieces. Uncover genuine one-off pieces, whether it ... More | | 
The Museum of Modern Art in midtown Manhattan on Oct. 1, 2019. The hours are punishing and the politics internal and external can be demanding, but executives at some of Americas most influential arts organizations are compensated handsomely. (Winnie Au/The New York Times)
NEW YORK, NY.- Some come with free luxury housing, or first-class travel, or an allowance for social clubs, as long as business is involved. Many come with deferred compensation and other benefits that can push annual earnings past the $1 million mark. The challenges nonprofit arts organizations have been facing, particularly since the pandemic, have made the job of running one increasingly complex. Those difficulties have also drawn more scrutiny to pay and expenditures, and many arts executives took pay cuts during the pandemic. So what do the leaders of some of the most prominent arts institutions in the nation make? Heres a look at their pay and benefits, as drawn from recent tax filings. Museum of Modern Art Directors compensation: $2 million Reported perks included: The ... More |
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| Half year sales figures show continued growth for African auction house | | Heller Gallery at Art on Paper this September. 7-10 | | Getty exhibition explores the design and creation of medieval books | 
Irma Sterns highly important portrait, Praying Arab (estimate R16 18 million/ $840,00-950,000).
CAPE TOWN.- Strauss & Co, Africas leading art auction house, will offer Praying Arab by Irman Stern, on 19 September. The work was painted in her golden period in 1945 and is expected to realize in the region of $1 million. The South African-based company also announces new Board appointments and confims half-year sales results have increased to 183 million Rand ($10 million), a 4% increase on the same period last year. New record prices set in Africa in 2023 included Irma Sterns Children Reading the Koran, which established the new highest price for a work of art sold in Africa. World record prices were also achieved for artists Dumile Feni, Ruby Swinney, Sethembile Msezane with significant artists also having their auction debut including Ben Enwonwu (Nigeria), ... More | | 
Mel Douglas, superimposed overlay II, set 1, 2023. Glass drawing on paper/framed.
NEW YORK, NY.- Heller Gallery announced its debut participation at Art on Paper, where it will be presenting a curated selection of works by Kerry Miller, Mel Douglas & Sibylle Peretti. The fair, held at downtown Manhattans Pier 36, opens on Thursday, September 7 and runs through Sunday, September 10. The gallery, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, is New York's leading dealer specializing in contemporary glass sculpture and design and champions artists whose materially based work is bending and breaking boundaries of the contemporary art world. British artist Kerry Miller makes assemblages using vintage books and re-imagines their content using the illustrations found within. Cutting, tinting and collaging flowers, birds and characters from each selected volume she allows them to pop-up and grow from its original confines ... More | | 
Decorated Initial D, 1420-1430, English. Tempera colors, gold leaf, gold paint, and ink, 14 Ã 9 1/2 in. Getty Museum, Ms. 17 (85.MK.318), fol. 21
LOS ANGELES, CA.- The J. Paul Getty Museum presents Graphic Design in the Middle Ages, an exhibition that reveals the ways that design influenced the making, reading, and interpretation of medieval books. Drawn primarily from the Getty Museums Manuscripts collection, the exhibition goes on view at the Getty Center from August 29, 2023 through January 28, 2024. Medieval artists and scribes were innovative graphic designers, creatively crafting manuscripts that enticed readers into closely engaging with both text and image, says Timothy Potts, Maria Hummer-Tuttle and Robert Tuttle Director of the Getty Museum. They pioneered many of the page designs that we take for granted today, making this exhibition of great interest to anyone wanting to understand the creative ... More |
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| How Indigenous techniques saved a community from wildfire | | Luci Creative designs the reimagined National Music Museum | | Smithsonian's carousel to be removed from National Mall for renovations | 
Dave Gill, the general manager of Ntityix Development, in an area of forest largely spared with the help of mitigation efforts, in West Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, on July 21, 2023. (Amber Bracken/The New York Times)
by Ian Austen
KELOWNA, BC.- The wildfire was blazing a clear path toward a Canadian lakeside tourist spot in British Columbia with a population of 222,000 people. The fire advanced on the city of Kelowna for 19 days consuming 976 hectares, or about 2,400 acres of forest. But at the suburban fringes, it encountered a fire prevention zone and sputtered, burning just a single house. The fire prevention zone an area carefully cleared to remove fuel and minimize the spread of flames was created by a logging company owned by a local Indigenous community. And as a new wildfire has stalked the suburb of West Kelowna this month, its history with the previous one the Mount Law fire, in 2021 offers a valuable lesson: A well-placed and well-constructed fire prevention zone can, under ... More | | 
Lucis Creatives team worked with the National Music Museums curators to hone the key stories and select around 600 artifacts to display from a collection of over 15,000. Photo: Jaron Keener.
CHICAGO, IL.- Luci Creative, a woman-owned museum design firm, celebrated the re-opening of the National Music Museum. The firm worked closely with the Museum for the past three years to reimagine over 15,000 square feet of exhibit galleries spanning two floors. The first floor, with seven new galleries, opened on Saturday, August 26. The second floor will open at a later date. Luci Creative orchestrated the complete visitor experience, crafting exhibitions that employ innovative storytelling techniques, creative artifact displays, captivating graphics, and interactive sound elements, all while highlighting the remarkable breadth and depth of the Museum's unique collection of musical instruments. The new installations emphasize how people are shaped by music through the themes of human creativity, culture, and connection. The original National Music Museum ... More | | 
A carousel was first installed on the National Mall in 1967. Photo: Casey McAdams, Smithsonian.
WASHINGTON, DC.- The carousel on the National Mall, located in front of the Smithsonians Arts and Industries Building on Jefferson Drive S.W., will be removed in November for renovation. The work will include repairing carousel animals, replacing the platform and updating the paving and underground electrical connections. The carousel is operated by the Smithsonian Enterprises, a division of the Smithsonian Institution; the National Mall is administered by the National Park Service. The carousel will be repaired and refurbished to its original grandeur, and the updated infrastructure will not alter the carousels appearance. A carousel was first installed on the National Mall in 1967 when then-Smithsonian Secretary S. Dillon Ripley wanted to enliven th e Mall as a "living extension" of the museums. The original carousel was replaced in 1981 with the current carousel. Built in 1947, the current carousel was first operated in Gwynn Oak A ... More |
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| Groundbreaking triennial The de Young Open features 887 Bay Area artists | | A novelist writing on colonization finds an audience in France, at last | | GRAY announces its participation in the 2023 edition of Frieze Seoul | 
Evri Kwong. I John Chinamen Been Working On The RailRoad All, 2023. Image courtesy of the artist.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- The de Young Open returns this fall as a newly established triennial, building on the success of the hugely popular inaugural iteration in 2020. Designed for local artists from diverse artistic backgrounds and free to enter, The de Young Open is the only exhibition of its kind at a major US museum. This year, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco received a resounding 7,766 submissions during the open application period from June 5 through 18. Of those submissions, 887 will be installed salon-style, or nearly floor-to-ceiling, in the de Youngs largest galleries from September 30 in the celebratory exhibition one past participant called a giant love letter to the people of the Bay Area. The de Young Open is a joyful celebration of the creativity that abounds throughout the Bay Area, and we are delighted to bring it back this fall as a triennial exhibition, remarked Thomas P. Campbell, Director and CEO of t ... More | | 
The novelist Gérard-Martial Princeau, who publishes under the pen name Mathieu Belezi, in Paris, July 25, 2023. (Elliott Verdier/The New York Times)
by Constant Méheut
NEW YORK, NY.- For years, writing about Algeria or even acknowledging Frances violent past there was a lonely endeavor. Novelist Gérard-Martial Princeau, who publishes under the pen name Mathieu Belezi, spent 15 years writing about the early colonial years in virtual anonymity. Those novels found only a few thousand readers the result, Belezi long believed, of deep-seated unease with a past that challenged Frances image as a beacon of human rights. But the periods history compelled him. His luck changed with his fourth novel, Attaquer la terre et le soleil, or Attacking the Earth and the Sun, which recounts the brutal, 19th century French colonization of Algeria and was published last year. Its popularity the book has won prestigious prizes and sold nearly 90,000 copies has come ... More | | 
Jean Arp, Grand Personnage, 1957. Polished bronze 65 ⅝ Ã 11 ⅜ Ã 10 ⅛ inches (166.7 Ã 28.9 Ã 25.7 cm) Edition of 3, cast July 1958.
CHICAGO, IL.- GRAY will be exhibiting in the Frieze Masters sector of the fair with important works from its program of Modern and Contemporary artists including: Jean Arp, McArthur Binion, Jim Dine, Torkwase Dyson, Theaster Gates, David Hockney, Rashid Johnson, Alex Katz, Joan Mitchell, Jaume Plensa, Leon Polk Smith, Evelyn Statsinger, and Andy Warhol. Included in GRAYs presentation is an iconic beach scene by Alex Katz titled Saturday, from 2002. Depictions of the Maine coast are of the most celebrated and widely recognized subjects that Katz has consistently painted over his long career. More about capturing a moment in time or a sensation than they are about specific people or places, Katzs landscapes create an immersive experience for the viewer. Significant for its scale, multi-figure composition, and bright summer palette, Saturday is offered for the ... More |
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 Bees from the time of the pharaohs found mummified on the southwest coast of PortugalLISBON.- A new study reports the discovery of hundreds of mummified bees inside their cocoons. These cocoons, produced almost 3,000 years ago, were discovered in a new paleontological site discovered on the coast of Odemira, in Portugal. About 2,975 years ago, Pharaoh Siamun reigned in Lower Egypt; in China the Zhou Dynasty elapsed; Solomon was to succeed David on the throne of Israel; in the territory that is now Portugal, the tribes were heading towards the end of the Bronze Age. In particular, on the southwest coast of Portugal, where is now Odemira, something strange and rare had just happened: hundreds of bees died inside their cocoons and were preserved in the smallest anatomical detail. The cocoons, now discovered, resulted from an extremely rare fossilization methodnormally the skeleton of these insects is rapidly decomposed due ... More  Smithsonian continues collecting artifacts from Jan. 6 Capitol attackWASHINGTON, DC.- Artifacts reflecting the violence, chaos and confusion at the U.S. Capitol Jan. 6, 2021, have been added to the collections of the Smithsonians National Museum of American History in a continuing effort to document the attack on that day and its larger impact on American democracy. The museum followed its rapid-response protocol Jan. 7, 2021, to collect ephemeral materials such as rally signs, posters and flags, along with a whip and a wooden pole used as weapons, which were discarded on the National Mall. Recent acquisitions join objects in the museums divisions of Community Life and Political and Military History and the Photographic History Collections. The Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and on the foundation of the United States democratic republic, revealed the fragility of our political system, said Anthea M. Hartig, the museums ... More  Paintings, photography, and more by artists with disabilities featured in new exhibitionNASHVILLE, TN.- The Frist Art Museum presents The Power of Resilience, an exhibition featuring works by more than 80 adult artists with disabilities who are served by five social service agencies in Middle Tennessee. The exhibition includes individual and collaborative artworks and will be on view in the always-free Conte Community Arts Gallery from August 25, 2023, through April 1, 2024. These creations were inspired by the notion of resiliencethe ability to withstand, adjust to, or recover from lifes difficulties, often by overcoming fear, isolation, and insecurity. By focusing on the artists unique abilities and boundless creativity, this exhibition promotes growth, healing, and empathy among all people, says exhibition curator and community engagement director Shaun Giles. Guided by teaching artists, groups at AbleVoices; Borderless Arts; Friends ... More  Niels 'Shoe' Meulman opens show at Danysz Gallery ParisPARIS.- By driving over expensive spray cans with a car or by casually burning freshly made canvases, Shoe reenacts the arrogance of capitalism, in a neoliberal world where sourcing painting tools is a luxury to many. This nonchalant attitude is an ironic take to the current socioeconomic climate, as well as a hint to the contemporary status of the art world, often seen as increasingly elitist. Dutch Niels 'Shoe' Meulman is a visual artist, famous worldwide for his gestural paintings which reveal vivid traces of graffiti and calligraphy. He revolutionized the art of writing when he initiated the Calligraffiti movement, claiming a word is an image and writing is painting. Being a graffiti pioneer from Amsterdam since 1979 he is renowned for being one of the first European graffiti writer. Shoe tagged along with New York counterparts legends such as ... More  At this movie, their phones won't bother you. Their barking might.LONDON.- Kab, a 2-year-old Doberman wearing a blue bandanna, is noticeably anxious. Sometimes called cupcake, he is roughly the size and weight of a teenage boy and has the energy to match. At the moment, he is being led around the courtyard of a cinema in East London by one of his owners, Luisa Fulcher, to walk off his jitters and allow for one last bathroom break before he and a handful of other dogs settle in for something unusual: their first moviegoing experience. Last weekend, Curzon Cinemas, a chain with 16 locations in Britain, began allowing dogs to attend select movie screenings with their owners, starting with Strays, an expletive-laden, live-action comedy that follows a group of dogs (voiced by actors including Will Ferrell and Jamie Foxx) that unite to seek revenge on an owner. London is a paradise for pooches, which are regularly found ... More  Havana comes to KentuckyLOUISVILLE, KY.- At the first beats of La Vida es un Carnaval on a recent morning, several octogenarians in a senior center abandoned their dominoes, coloring books and crossword puzzles, and showed off their salsa moves. Arthritis be damned. The hypnotic music of their homeland still made life a carnival. Nearby, at a ballet studio, little girls and boys in T-shirts inscribed with, Que Siga La Tradicion, or Keep the Tradition Alive, clapped as they shuffled forward and back to a pulsating Afro-Cuban rhythm. Uno, dos, tres, said their instructor, Selen Wilson Guerra, as she warmed them up for class. This was not Havana, or even Little Havana in Miami. It was Louisville, Kentucky, a city best known for bourbon, the Kentucky Derby and Muhammad Ali. Now it is home to the fastest growing Cuban community in the United States. Salsa ... More  In Southern California, a fresh wave of fandom for 'Los Estrokes'LOS ANGELES, CA.- On a Friday night, at the center of the Santa Fe Springs Swap Meet, a large stage at this open-air California market stood in front of an expanse of picnic tables and food vendors. The swap meet, at the border of Los Angeles and Orange counties, usually hosts tribute bands that pay homage to Rock & Roll Hall of Fame-enshrined acts like Metallica or Mexican American icons like Jenni Rivera. But that evening in March, Juicebox, Southern Californias leading Strokes tribute band, had gathered an enthusiastic, multigenerational audience ready to celebrate the group that has come to symbolize stylish downtown New York City rock in the early 2000s. There were leather jackets everywhere. Deep into the show, when the group played 50/50, a forgotten track from the Strokes 2013 full-length Comedown Machine, a mosh pit started, ... More  As obscure as an extra, she has a lead role in Hollywood's labor fightNEW YORK, NY.- As the Hollywood union strikes have dragged on, key characters have taken turns in the spotlight. There is Fran Drescher, a comedic actress who, with surprising ferocity, has rallied the actors union against television and film companies, and enraged studio executives in the process. Bob Iger, who leads The Walt Disney Co., publicly pushed back against the striking workers and found himself jeered on picket lines as a robber baron. But one crucial participant has remained an enigma: Carol Lombardini, 68, the top union negotiator for studios and a 41-year veteran of Hollywood labor battles. For someone who sits at the center of two increasingly bitter strikes writers walked off the job May 2, followed by actors July 14 very little is known about her. Lombardini has not given an interview of more than a few words since 2009, when she ... More  Berggruen Gallery now representing Anna KunzSAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Anna Kunzs abstract paintings and installations envelop the viewer in an immersive sensorial experience led by vibrating colors, seeping shapes, and rhythmic, rippling textures that generate what she calls compassionate geometry. Her works on paper, paintings, installations, and other compositions are held in numerous public and private collections, and have been exhibited in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Dallas, and Madrid, among other cities. Berggruen Gallery recently presented Anna Kunzs work in a solo exhibition entitled The Tide (January - February 2023). Works by the artist will be on view at The Armory Show in New York and Art Basel Miami Beach later this year. Anna Kunz was born in Chicago, Illinois, where she continues to live and work. After receiving her BFA from ... More  Alessandro Roia to receive the SIAE Award for creative talentVENICE.- The twentieth edition of Giornate degli Autori is just days away, with a program featuring several titles that attest to the courageous spirit of an independent cinema that is growing along with Giornate and other events around the world. This years lineup brings together films from different latitudes, filtered through the sensibilities of filmmakers with just as different backstories. Whether dramas or comedies, in B&N or splashy pop colors; fantasy pictures or costume dramas, what all these films share is the urge to destroy the world as we know it to build a better one. They aspire to an empathy that goes beyond strife, and their love of cinema rings loud and clear. The fourth film by Japanese filmmaker Kyoshi Sugita a revelation at numerous festivals the world over, thanks to his previous work Haruharasan no uta (2021) Following the Sound (Kanata ... More  Place to sit, or symbol of resistance? The evolution of the folding chair.NEW YORK, NY.- Within hours of a fight breaking out on an Alabama riverfront this month, images and video clips from the brawl began to ricochet online. Then came the memes. After that, it wasnt long until the merchandise started to appear. On Aug. 5, a group of white boaters attacked Dameion Pickett, a Black riverboat captain, after he instructed them to dock their pontoon elsewhere as the space was reserved for a larger vessel. A group of mostly Black bystanders rushed to his defense. In the aftermath of the brawl, a white folding chair an unlikely weapon that one man was seen wielding over his head during the encounter has emerged as a joking-but-not-really symbol of resistance against perceived racial aggression. On TikTok, #boatfight and #montgomerybrawl videos have racked up tens of millions of views. Listings have flourished by the dozens ... More |
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PhotoGalleries 
Gabriele Münter 
TARWUK 
Awol Erizku 
Leo Villareal
Flashback On a day like today, French painter Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres was born August 29, 1780. Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (29 August 1780 - 14 January 1867) was a French Neoclassical painter. Although he considered himself to be a painter of history in the tradition of Nicolas Poussin and Jacques-Louis David, by the end of his life it was Ingres's portraits, both painted and drawn, that were recognized as his greatest legacy. In this image: The Envoys of Agamemnon, 1801, oil on canvas, Ãcole des Beaux Arts, Paris.
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