| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net |   | Established in 1996 | Tuesday, December 1, 2020 |
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| | Fossil reveals 'buck-toothed toucan' that lived with dinosaurs | |
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Artist reconstruction of the Late Cretaceous enantiornithine bird Falcatakely forsterae.
by Sara Hussein
TOKYO (AFP).- The discovery of a creature described as resembling a "buck-toothed toucan" that lived some 68 million years ago has upended assumptions about diversity in the birds that lived alongside dinosaurs. At less than nine centimetres (3.5 inches) long, the delicate skull of the bird scientists have dubbed Falcatakely forsterae might be easily overlooked. In fact, it almost was, sitting in a backlog of excavated fossils for years before CT scanning suggested the specimen deserved more attention. It turns out that its tall, scythe-like beak, while resembling the toucan, is something never before seen in the fossil record. Birds in the Mesozoic era -- between 250 million and 65 million years ago -- had "relatively unspecialised snouts", Patrick O'Connor, lead author of a study on the new creature, told AFP. "Falcatakely just changed the gam ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day Dutch Queen Maxima attends the opening of the renovated Museum of the Spirit in Haarlem, on November 24, 2020. Koen van Weel / ANP / AFP
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| Theaster Gates turns the stain of the past into art | | Lark Mason Associates rings up $765,790 for Fall Sale of Asian, Ancient and Ethnographic Works of Art | | Christie's Hong Kong to New York auction commences 20th century marquee week in New York | 
Theaster Gates, Flag Sketch, 2020. Industrial oil-based enamel, rubber torch down, bitumen, wood, and copper, 72 x 72 in. 182.9 x 182.9 cm. © Theaster Gates. Photo: Jacob Hand. Courtesy Gagosian.
by Yinka Elujoba
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Theaster Gates, a social practice installation artist based in Chicago, is turning the history of Black labor in America on its head. Born in 1973 to a father who was a roofer, Gates embraced, too, a life of working with his hands. After graduating from Iowa State University with a degree in urban planning and ceramics, he proceeded to Japan to study pottery. In Black Vessel, his first New York solo show at Gagosian on West 24th Street, he succeeds in celebrating the rugged, hard work of artisans today. In Civil Tapestries, his seminal series from 2011, the artist used decommissioned fire hoses to link to the actions taken against protesters during civil rights demonstrations. Here, in a new series, Tar paintings, installed in two galleries, he employs roofing ... More | | 
A Pair of Chinese Lacquered Bronze Guardian Figures, Ming Dynasty, which hammered $187,500.
NEW YORK, NY.- The impressive array of rare Chinese 18th century cloisonné, huanghuali furniture, ancient bronzes and archaic jades presented by Lark Mason Associates on the iGavelAuctions.com platform rang up $765,790 in sales including buyers premium. With a two-thirds sell-through of the nearly 300 lots, a third of the objects went into extended bidding including a pair of Chinese Lacquered Bronze Guardian Figures, Ming Dynasty, which hammered $187,500, far exceeding its estimate of $12,000-18,000; and a Chinese Western Zhou Style Bronze Gui which brought $71,500. We are pleased that our sale generated such enthusiasm among our bidders, says Lark Mason. There were a number of important pieces that attracted the attention of discerning collectors who recognized their quality and provenance. According to Mason, many of the pieces came from private collectors who purchased the very best in each of the cat ... More | | 
Dana Schutz, Elevator (detail), oil on canvas, 136 x 170 in., 2017. HKD$15-20 million / USD$1.9-2.6 million. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
NEW YORK, NY.- Following the unprecedented success of the ONE auction and recent 20th Century sales, Christies continues its 2020 trend of innovation and globalization, and presents 20th Century: Hong Kong to New York, a live-streaming relay sale linking the two major sale hubs on December 2, 8:30am EST/ 9:30pm HKT. From Monet and Picasso to Schutz and Warhol, the wide-ranging auction will kick off a New York marquee week showcasing the most internationally recognized figures of post-war and contemporary art, Impressionism, modernism and design from December 2-4. This week of sales represents the conclusion of Christies two-part Fall 20th Century auction season in New York, which began with a successful grouping of sales offered over October 5-8 that totaled $387,242,500. On December 2, viewers from around the world may watch the sale live here. Following Hong Kong to New York, ... More |
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| Blickachsen 13 to be postponed because of COVID-19 pandemic | | Pace Gallery opens an exhibition of new work by Kevin Francis Gray | | Alex Vardaxoglou opens a private exhibition space with a small exhibition of works by Patrick Caulfield | 
Winter/Hoerbelt, Donnerstags ist alles gut, 2019, Blickachsen 12 (2019) Bad Homburg, Photo: courtesy Blickachsen Foundation and artists.
BAD HOMBURG.- In view of the unforseeable development of the pandemic, and the restrictions affecting the intensive preparations for the exhibition over the coming months, the thirteenth edition of the Blickachsen Sculpture Biennale will not take place in 2021 as planned. After careful consideration, this has unanimously been decided by the Board of the Blickachsen Foundation. Alongside the quality and judicious positioning of the artworks on display, the success of the Blickachsen exhibition format rests not least on its international character and close cooperation with many partners and artists from around the world. In view of the dynamic spread of COVID-19 and the mounting travel warnings and quarantine restrictions, the successful preparation for and presentation of Blickachsen 13 in 2021 does not seem realistic. On the one hand, the current restrictions severely limit the opportunities for a personal exchange between all involved and wi ... More | | 
Kevin Francis Gray, Breakdown Work #25, 2020. Bardiglio marble on corten steel base, 114 cm à 15 cm à 15 cm (44-7/8" à 5-7/8" à 5-7/8") No. 75987 © Kevin Francis Gray, courtesy Pace Gallery. Photo: Robert Glowacki, courtesy Pace Gallery.
LONDON.- Pace Gallery is presenting an exhibition of new work by Kevin Francis Gray at 6 Burlington Gardens. On view from 25 November 2020 to 13 February 2021, the exhibition runs concurrently with a solo exhibition of his work at the Museo Stefano Bardini, Florence, Italy. At the core of Kevin Francis Grays practice is an interrogation of the intersection of traditional sculptural techniques and contemporary life. Rather than working towards classical ideals of beauty, Gray relies on textural surfaces as opposed to facial or bodily expressions to imbue his sculptures with psychological realism. Furthering Grays decade of working with marble, this new work pushes the possibilities of the artists sculptural practice into new territories of physical and psychological expression. These works are intimately linked to a period of intense self-reflection ... More | | 
Patrick Caulfield, Grey Pipe, 1981. Gouache on paper attached to board. 76 x 51 cm. Framed size: 85 x 60 cm. Signed lower right. Provenance: Waddington Galleries, London; Private Collection, U.K.
LONDON.- Alex Vardaxoglou inaugurated a private exhibition space with a small exhibition of paintings and work on paper by celebrated British artist Patrick Caulfield (1936 2005). The exhibition runs from 14 November 2020 through to 14 February 2021. The works range in date from 1975 to 1998 and offer great insight into the artists painted oeuvre in this key period. The exhibition includes iconic paintings in which Caulfield visits his regular and most renowned subjects; interiors, foodstuff, tobacco, and architecture. It is through these simple subjects that Caulfield was able to explore and develop his distinctive and nuanced visual vocabulary of modern life. This period culminated in a very interesting direction for Caulfields painting in the nineties, when he began to compose images more intuitively. At this point, the textures and surfaces of his work changed, as he employed different techniques to make the painte ... More |
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| Cuban president says artist collective's protest was US plot | | Bah, pandemic! How theaters are saving 'A Christmas Carol' | | Robert Nava joins Pace Gallery | 
A group of young intellectuals and artists demonstrate at the doors of the Ministry of Culture during a protest in Havana, on November 27, 2020. YAMIL LAGE / AFP.
HAVANA (AFP).- Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said Sunday that a recent protest in Havana by an artists' collective over freedom of expression was "the last attempt" by US President Donald Trump's administration "to overthrow the revolution." "You know they tried to trick us. They set up a media circus," Diaz-Canel told hundreds of young people who took part in a "defense of the revolution" event in a park in the capital. The protest was "the last attempt that the Trumpists and the anti-Cuban mafia (in Miami) could lead." He called it part of an "unconventional war strategy to try to overthrow the revolution." A group of 14 people, members or associates of the San Isidro Movement of artists, recently barricaded themselves for 10 days in a house in Havana. They were demanding the release of another member, rapper Denis Solis, sentenced to eight months in prison for contempt. ... More | | 
Jefferson Mays while filming his one-man performance of A Christmas Carol at the United Palace theater in New York, Oct. 30, 2020. Amr Alfiky/The New York Times.
by Jesse Green
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- For all his flaws, that cranky old miser Ebenezer Scrooge has been a godsend for American theaters. Through recessions and blizzards and other upheavals, he has drawn small children and big money to his redemption story in A Christmas Carol. Stage adaptations of the tale, which generally run between Thanksgiving and year-end, have been a tradition and a lifeline for troupes big and small, professional and amateur. But now, after decades in which the Dickens classic has sustained them, this year theaters are sustaining Dickens. Gone are the large-cast extravaganzas playing before cheery crowds in packed venues. Instead, theaters are using every contagion-reduction strategy ... More | | 
Robert Nava Portrait © Matteo Mobilio, courtesy Pace Gallery.
NEW YORK, NY.- Pace Gallery announced its representation of New York-based artist Robert Nava. Driven by his desire to make new myths responsive to our times, Nava has created a chimerical world of metamorphic creatures, drawing inspiration from sources as disparate as prehistoric cave paintings, Egyptian art, and cartoons. Rendered through a raw, energetic mixing of spray paint, acrylics, and grease pencil, his large-scale paintings of fantastical beasts exude a playful candidness that defies the pretentions of high art and invites viewers to reconnect with the unbridled imagination of their childhoods. As exemplified by the gallerys support of artists, such as Jean Dubuffet, Julian Schnabel, Kiki Smith, and Yoshitomo Nara, among others, Pace has been a staunch advocate of artists with a singular visual language that expands the possibilities of art. Navas bold and idiosyncratic approach to painting connects to this his ... More |
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| P·P·O·W & Kohn Gallery to represent Chiffon Thomas | | Phillips appoints Magda Grigorian as Chief Communications Officer | | Futuristic thriller wins top French literary award | 
Chiffon Thomas, 2020. Photo by Zachary Kendrick.
NEW YORK.- P·P·O·W & Kohn Gallery announced co-representation of the interdisciplinary artist Chiffon Thomas. This December, P·P·O·W will debut new work by Thomas in Art Basel Miami Beachs Online Viewing Room and in March 2021, Thomas will hold their first solo exhibition with Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles. We feel Chiffon is a huge addition to P·P·O·W, says gallery co-founder Wendy Olsoff, and feel their potential to create artwork in a variety of media, authentically based on deep personal experience and raw talent is something we rarely see. We are excited to support their work with Kohn Gallery. First introduced to embroidery at Chicagos King College Prep High School, Thomas has since developed a multifaceted practice incorporating embroidery, collage, drawing, and sculpture to explore the self as split, fractured, and transforming. Identifying ... More | | 
Ms. Grigorian has had a robust career in arts PR, having held positions across the industry. Image courtesy of Phillips.
NEW YORK, NY.- Phillips announced the appointment of Magda Grigorian as Phillips Chief Communications Officer. Based in New York and reporting to CEO Edward Dolman, Ms. Grigorian will drive the auction houses global communications and PR strategies and oversee all aspects of internal and external communications. Edward Dolman said, We are thrilled to welcome Magda to Phillips as our new global Head of Communications. It is clear that her industry-wide experience and exceptional reputation will make her a vital asset to Phillips growing team. Her expertise in the field cannot be overstated and she will play a key role in enhancing Phillips visibility and communicating its vision to a wider international audience. Ms. Grigorian has had a robust career in arts PR, having held positions across ... More | | 
In this file photo taken on September 21, 2017 French writer Herve Le Tellier poses during a photo session in Manosque, southeastern France. JOEL SAGET / AFP.
by Hugues Honore / Clare Byrne
PARIS (AFP).- A futuristic thriller about the double lives of passengers aboard a flight from Paris to New York won France's top literary award, the Prix Goncourt, which was awarded by video link on Monday. The winner was announced two days after the French government eased a monthlong coronavirus lockdown, allowing bookshops, which had complained bitterly about the restrictions, to reopen. Herve Le Tellier, a 63-year-old former journalist and mathematician, won the country's oldest literary prize for "L'Anomalie," his eighth novel. Tellier had been tipped for glory with a page-turner of a novel in which a hit man, a Nigerian pop star and a writer land in New York only to find that their flight -- ... More |
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Studio Visit with Artist Sarah Sze | Christie's
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 Fire-scarred Notre-Dame to broadcast Christmas concertPARIS (AFP).- Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris will echo with song on Christmas Eve as it holds its first choir concert since the massive fire that nearly destroyed the gothic masterpiece last year. An organ will be rented for the occasion, since Notre-Dame's majestic pipe organ is being carefully dismantled for cleaning and restoration after the devastating blaze that struck on April 15, 2019. Since then only two events have been held in the 13th-century landmark -- a small mass celebrated in June 2019, and a prayer ceremony last April to mark Holy Friday. The church remains closed to the public during the renovations. Michel Aupetit, the archbishop of Paris, said Monday that two soloists would lead the choir and that the concert would be broadcast on radio. Last week, the restoration reached a milestone with the removal of the last portions of metal scaffolding on the roof that melted in ... More Sotheby's and New York City Ballet to premiere special film collaboration inspired by The NutcrackerNEW YORK, NY.- The Wonder of The Nutcracker comes to Sothebys through a special collaboration with the acclaimed New York City Ballet in celebration of The Festival of Wonder luxury sale series. On Friday, 4 December at 2pm EST, Sothebys will be premiering original choreography by NYCB Soloist and choreographer Peter Walker inspired by The Nutcracker, specially created for, and filmed in Sothebys galleries on York Avenue. These special holiday vignettes will broadcast on multiple platforms, including Sothebys.com, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook, kicking-off Sothebys two-week display of coveted jewels, watches, sneakers, designer handbags and wine offered through a series of live and online auctions, in addition to the companys new Buy Now marketplace. The magic of this extraordinary event will be highlighted by having ... More VR art exhibition platform 'The Centre for Impossible Media' launchesSHEFFIELD.- Sheffield-based art and emerging technology collectives Universal Everything and Human Studio have joined forces to create The Centre for Impossible Media, a VR exhibition platform enabling visionary artists working in fashion, music, film and others to immerse audiences in tailored creative virtual worlds. The impact of Covid-19 on cultural institutions plus the increased accessibility of VR experiences with the release of the relatively affordable Oculus Quest 2 headset accelerated the studios desire to find alternatives to real-world spaces for video art. The Centre for Impossible Media encourages artists to take their ideas beyond the boundaries of the physical and the constraints of geography, scale and logistics and realise the potential of fluid and permeable environments. Streaming content directly into bespoke architectural ... More Heritage Space Exploration Auction soars past $1.8 millionDALLAS, TX.- A piece of cloth that flew on the two most important flights in history sold for $81,250 to lead Heritage Auctions' Space Exploration Auction to $1,819,798.75 in total sales. "Other than the Armstrong Family CollectionTM auctions we had in 2018 and 2019, this was the biggest Space auction we have had," Heritage Auctions Space Exploration Director Michael Riley said. "One thing that was particularly gratifying about this sale was the fact that we sold several of the top lots to people who placed their bids before it even started. That shows the faith people have in Heritage Auctions' transparency and honesty, knowing that we did an accurate job evaluating the lots and conveying clear descriptions of what was available." An Apollo 11 Lunar Module Flown Section of the Wright Flyer's Wing Fabric, Originally From The Armstrong Family Collection, ... More Poster for legendary 1981 Clash gig heads to Heritage AuctionsDALLAS, TX.- The Clash regularly was called "The Only Band That Matters when still together, and for many in search of the world's truths, it still is. Fronted by Joe Strummer with guitarist/vocalist Mick Jones, bassist Paul Simonon, and drummer Topper Headon (for most of the band's existence), The Clash came from the London punk rock scene and grew into its own genre with each subsequent album it made. What originally was planned to be eight shows at the 1,800-capacity venue near Times Square in New York City turned into 17 shows over the course of three weeks due to an overwhelming demand for tickets. Heritage Auctions will feature a 1981 poster for the Clash's legendary run of shows at the Bond International Casino (aka, "Bonds), signed by various New York street graffiti artists, in its Dec. 6 Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Online ... More Contemporary African Art Initiative brings new acquisitions and collaborations to the Chazen Museum of ArtMADISON, WIS.- The Contemporary African Art Initiative (CAAI) is a new multi-year project that seeks to expand the Chazen Museum of Art at the University of Wisconsins holdings of contemporary African art. The CAAI is funded by a five-year gift from the Straus Family Foundation. Using funds from the gift, curators at the Chazen have already begun to identify and select works created by contemporary African artists for purchase. The CAAI is an incredibly important and relevant project for our museum and our community, said Amy Gilman, director of the Chazen. It will add to the global perspectives featured in our permanent collection and build on the UWMadisons connections to Africa through research and collaborations. We are grateful to the Straus Family Foundation for supporting this dynamic effort. University of Wisconsin ... More Smithsonian Archives of American Art gathers an oral history of 2020NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- As the pandemic set in this spring, the historians and curators at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art began doing what they do best: looking through relics of history. They found little information related to the 1918 flu pandemic in their archives and decided to make sure that future historians would have a lot more material about this time of the coronavirus. So a team at the Archives of American Art, led by Liza Kirwin, its interim director, set out to create a thorough record for posterity. Beginning this spring, curators and oral historians from the archives conducted Zoom interviews with 85 artists to create the Pandemic Oral History Project. The first round of interviews, which includes such artists as Ed Bereal and Sheila Hicks, was released Monday. It started right at the beginning of May, ... More Michel Robin, longtime French character actor, dies at 90NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Michel Robin, an award-winning French actor who became a familiar face from his roles in more than a hundred movies and television shows, died Nov. 18. He was 90. The cause was COVID-19, according to a statement from the Comédie-Française, the prestigious theater company in Paris where he was a longtime member. The company did not specify where he died. The French didnt always know his name, but they recognized his face, which illuminated stages and screens, the office of the French president said. Michel Robin was born Nov. 13, 1930, in Reims, in eastern France. After studying law in Bordeaux, he decided to try his luck as an actor and took drama lessons in Paris when he was 26. From 1958 to 1964, Robin was part of a theater company near Lyon led by playwright Roger Planchon ... More A theater's 'last gasp' doesn't look like the endNEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Back in March, Peggy Shaw and Lois Weaver, of the theater duo Split Britches, were in Britain developing a new show when COVID-19 exploded. It made more sense to stay put than to scamper back home to New York, which looked pretty scary at the time. Weaver, who has spent part of the year in London for nearly two decades, teaching performance at Queen Mary University, had a shared place there, but Shaws accommodations across town were an issue. Luckily, neighbors of Weavers volunteered an empty house they had been planning to gut and renovate. There was electricity, heat, running water and one chair, Weaver, 71, said, describing the London house in a recent video call from the Catskills. Recounting the experience, she said friends and fellow theater-makers had donated furniture, ... More Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers will hold an online-only Fall Antiques & Fine Art auctionCRANSTON, RI.- Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers will bid farewell to autumn with an online-only Fall Antiques & Fine Art auction on Thursday, December 10th, starting at 6 pm Eastern time. The auction will feature nearly 400 lots of paintings, decorative arts, furniture, jewelry, silver, Asian arts, collectibles and more, pulled from prominent estates and collections across New England. Highlights include a crayon on paper illustration drawing by Lois Mailou Jones (Mass./Haiti, 1905-1998), a Vermont landscape painting by Charles Gordon Harris (R.I., 1893-1963), a large selection of jade jewelry, 14kt gold watches, rings, bracelets, pearl necklaces and accessories. Online bidding will be available on multiple platforms. Phone and absentee bids are accepted. This will be a nice general sale to round out the end of the year, said Bruneau & Co. ... More |
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Flashback On a day like today, French sculptor Etienne-Maurice Falconet was born December 01, 1716. Ãtienne Maurice Falconet (December 1, 1716 - January 4, 1791) is counted among the first rank of French Rococo sculptors, whose patron was Mme de Pompadour. In this image: A Russian groom jumps to his wife during a wedding ceremony near the statue of Peter the Great, the Bronze Horseman monument, by Etienne Maurice Falconet in St Petersburg, Russia, 26 June 2010.
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