| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net |   | Established in 1996 | Tuesday, December 31, 2019 |
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| | An afterlife so perilous, you needed a guidebook | |
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In a photo from Harco Willems, fragments from a "booy of Two Ways" discovered recently by Willems, an Egyptologist at the University of Leuven in Belgium. Archaeologists unearthed the remains of a 4,000-year-old Book of Two Ways a guide to the Egyptian underworld, and the earliest copy of the first illustrated book. Harco Willems via The New York Times.
by Franz Lidz
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE ).- When it comes to difficult travel, no journey outside New York Citys subway system rivals the ones described in The Book of Two Ways, a mystical road map to the ancient Egyptian afterlife. This users guide, a precursor to the corpus of Egyptian funerary texts known as The Book of the Dead, depicted two zigzagging paths by which, scholars long ago concluded, the soul, having left the body of the departed, could navigate the spiritual obstacle course of the Underworld and reach Rostau the realm of Osiris, the god of death, who was himself dead. If you were lucky enough to get the go-ahead from Osiris divine tribunal, you would become an immortal god. The ancient Egyptians were obsessed with life in all its forms, Rita Lucarelli, an Egyptology curator at the University of California, Berkeley, said. Death for them was a new life. The two journeys were a kind of purgatorial odyssey reminiscent of Dungeons & Dragons: ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day This file photo taken on September 23, 2019 in Paris shows a painting entitled 'La Dérision du Christ' or "The Derision of Christ" by the late 13th century Florentine master Cenni di Pepo also known as Cimabue, that was discovered in a French kitchen and which was sold on October 27, 2019, for 24 million euros ($26.6 million), about five times the initial estimate. French Minister of Culture Franck Riester on December 23, 2019, has decided to refuse the issuance of the export certificate for this major and original work by early Renaissance master Cimabue (c. 1240-1302), thus conferring on it the status of 'national treasure' for a period of thirty months. Philippe LOPEZ / AFP
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 | | Three works by British modernist artists gifted to the nation | | The Baltimore Museum of Art announces final 2019 acquisitions | | Flea market where Andy Warhol shopped has sold its last collectible | 
The Hepworth Wakefield. ©Hutton Crow.
LONDON.- A sculpture by Dame Barbara Hepworth (1903-1975), a sculpture by Denis Mitchell (1912-1993) and a painting by William Scott CBE RA (1913-1989) have been acquired for the nation through the Cultural Gifts Scheme, administered by the Arts Council. The three works were owned by Nancy Balfour (1911-1997) art collector and a senior editor at The Economist, who was Chairman and President of the Contemporary Art Society and given to the public by her niece, Kate Ashbrook. Hepworths Orpheus (Maquette 1), dated 1956, is a bronze sculpture on a wooden base. One of four Orpheus works, three of which were editions, this sculpture is an early example of Hepworths move from carving predominantly in stone and wood, to including bronze and brass among her materials of choice. Stringed and shaped like a parabola, Orpheus (Maquette 1) may be an allusion to the lyre of the mythical musician. Trevarrack by Denis Mitchell is a bronze sculpture dated 1961. Mitchell was ... More | | 
Ed Clark. Untitled. 2004. The Baltimore Museum of Art: Purchase with exchange funds from the Pearlstone Family Fund and partial gift of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. BMA 2019.163. © Ed Clark.
BALTIMORE, MD.- The Baltimore Museum of Art announced today that it has added nearly 100 works to its collection this fall, with objects engaging all five of the museums curatorial departments. Among the new acquisitions are works by Zoë Buckman, Sonya Clark, Olafur Eliasson, Darrel Ellis, Doreen Garner, Samuel Fosso, Allen Frame, Tomashi Jackson, Zhang Kechun, Judith Larzelere, Ellen Lesperance, Nate Lewis, M. Joan Linault, William B. Meyers, Tanya Marcuse, Sir William Orpen, Joe Overstreet, Howardena Pindell, Ramsses, and Sanlé Sory. The museum also added 18 works by unidentified artists from Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Japan, Korea, and Nigeria, and a 19th-century Baltimore Album Quilt. Approximately a dozen of the works in the group were purchased with proceeds from the BMAs spring ... More | | 
Items are displayed for sale at the Chelsea Flea Market in New York on the final day, Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019. The market, which opened more than 40 years ago, has lost its lease in a now-gentrified neighborhood. Gabby Jones/The New York Times.
by Katie Van Syckle
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE ).- Andy Warhol would arrive at the flea markets on the West Side of Manhattan before noon on Sundays in an old Dodge convertible. It was the 1980s, and on weekends, the parking lots near West 25th Street and Sixth Avenue were filled with vendors selling tchotchkes, collectibles and fine antiques. A friend told him you need to go to the flea market to get new and great ideas, said Alan Boss, who opened the first space in 1976 and said he would often shoo away autograph-seeking fans as Warhol shopped. Boss watched Warhol build collections: He bought vintage watches. He bought cookie jars. Nobody cared about cookie jars until he started collecting them. But it is all over, Boss, 80, said. After ... More |
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| | Morphy's announces The Susquehanna Collection of antique furniture, historical firearms, decorative and fine art | | TASCHEN publishes an enormous and unique book of works by Nobuyoshi Araki | | Hundreds of rare coin record prices in 2019, reports Professional Numismatists Guild | 
Circa 1510-1520 composite Maximilian suit of armor, assembled in the early 1920s from period pieces (some of royal provenance) by Met curator Dr. Bashford Dean, first president of the Arms & Armor Society. Estimate $75,000-$150,000.
DENVER, PA.- On January 16, Morphy Auctions will launch its 2020 roster of high-profile gallery events with the 220-lot sale of an extraordinary Pennsylvania collection. Dubbed The Susquehanna Collection, the unique assemblage of furniture, decorative and fine arts, Kentucky long rifles, powder horns and accoutrements was astutely amassed by a private collector over a period of 40 years. Its contents are a testament to the pride and incomparable level of craftsmanship that typified 18th- and 19th-century firearms, furniture and everyday objects produced in the low-lying settlements alongside the Susquehanna River, in Pennsylvania, Maryland and New York. There is no match for the quality of artistry and craftsmanship that emerged in the Susquehanna region, said Morphy Auctions president, Dan ... More | | 
Limited edition of 2,500 copies worldwide, each numbered and signed by Araki.
NEW YORK, NY.- The first title in TASCHEN's new limited series is Araki, an enormous and unique book with a print run of only 2,500 copies. The subject is Japanese photographer Araki, a man who talks about life through photographs. His powerful oeuvre, decades worth of images, has been pared down to about 1,000 photographs which tell the story of Araki and comprise the ultimate retrospective collection of his work. Known best for his intimate, snapshot-style images of women often tied up with ropes (kinbaku, or Japanese rope-tying art) and of colorful, sensual flowers, Araki is an artist who reacts strongly to his emotions and uses photography to experience them more fully. Obsessed with women, Araki seeks to come closer to them through photography, using ropes like an embrace and the click of the shutter like a kiss. His work is at once shocking and mysteriously tender; a deeply personal artist, Araki is not afraid of his emotions nor of sho ... More | | 
The most valuable U.S. rare coin sold at auction in 2019 was this 1885 Trade dollar, graded NGC PR66, that set a record price for its kind when it was sold by Heritage Auctions for $3.96 million. Photo: Heritage Auctions.
TEMECULA, CA.- The emphasis in the United States rare coin market in 2019 was again on superb quality and exceptional rarity with hundreds of record prices reached at major public auctions, according to a year-end tabulation by the Professional Numismatists Guild. The PNG is a nonprofit organization composed of many of the countrys top rare coin and paper money dealers. Based on responses to a year-end PNG questionnaire, the aggregate prices realized for U.S. rare coins sold at major public auctions in 2019 totaled more than $325 million, compared to $345 million in 2018 and $316 million in 2017. Six U.S. coins sold for $1 million or more during the year, five at auction and one by private transaction. Although sales of paper money were not included in the aggregate auction total, three rare U.S. bank notes ... More |
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| | First retrospective on French creator Thierry Mugler on view at the Kunsthal Rotterdam | | Pace presents the first ever Picasso exhibit in Palo Alto | | Moreau Kusunoki and Genton to design the new Powerhouse | 
Dominique Issermann, Jerry Hall. Photo: © Dominique Issermann. Outfit: Thierry Mugler, Les Insectes collection, haute couture spring/summer 1997.
ROTTERDAM.- The Kunsthal Rotterdam is presenting the first retrospective on French creator Thierry Mugler. This major exhibition reveals the multiple universes of this undeniably artistic figure visionary couturier, director, photographer and perfumer in a retrospective of his work, especially his ready-to-wear and haute couture creations. Initiated, produced and circulated by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, in collaboration with the Clarins Group and the Maison Mugler, the exhibitions world premiere launched in Montreal in March 2019. As collaboration partner, the Kunsthal Rotterdam is the second stop and the first venue in Europe to show this spectacular retrospective. I have always been fascinated by the most beautiful animal on Earth: the human being. I have used all of the tools at my disposal to sublimate this creature: fashion, shows, perfumes, ... More | | 
Pablo Picasso. Photograph by Gjon Mili, courtesy Getty Images.
PALO ALTO, CA.- In celebration of Paces fifth anniversary in Palo Alto, the gallery is presenting a chronological survey of Pablo Picasso. The first ever Picasso exhibit in the city, Seeing Picasso: Maker of the Modern focuses on the artists many innovations and protean practice. Ceaselessly creating art for over seven decades, Picasso shattered artistic conventions in the pursuit of revolutionary styles and formal strategies. This exhibition, spanning the late 1890s to the early 1970s, highlights Picassos key breakthrough moments, which catalyzed a number of artistic movements and styles of the modern era. It showcases over thirty-five masterpieces in a range of mediapaintings, works on paper, sculptures, and ceramicsfrom each stage of Picassos highly prolific career, including his early Blue Period, reinterpretations of African and Oceanic forms, groundbreaking invention of Cubism, and experimentation with S ... More | | 
The winning architectural team, selected by the Competition Jury, comprises French architecture practice Moreau Kusunoki as Lead Design Architect and Australias Genton as Local Design Architect. The team has strong credentials, led by Moreau Kusunoki who have been awarded the Guggenheim Helsinki competition and have been designing multiple contemporary museums.
SYDNEY.- NSW Minister for the Arts Don Harwin announced that the architectural partnership of Moreau Kusunoki and Genton has been selected to design the new Powerhouse, following an international architectural competition that commenced in January 2019. Minister Harwin was joined in Parramatta for the announcement by Member for Parramatta and Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education, Geoff Lee and President of Trustees Professor Barney Glover AO. The winning architectural team, selected by the Competition Jury, comprises French architecture practice Moreau Kusunoki as Lead Design Architect and Australias ... More |
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| | Exhibition at the Speed Art Museum honors a long-overlooked Louisville artist | | Racism dispute roils romance writers group | | Philippe Pastor presents a remarkable installation of 28 sculptures of "The Burned Trees" at Monaco Modern'Art | 
Bert Hurley, Loose Nuts: A Rapsody in Brown, 1933 (detail). Pen and black ink, brush and black ink, crayon, watercolor, and graphite on wove paper. Gift of Dr. Wade Hall and partial purchase 2001.6.
LOUISVILLE, KY.- The Speed Art Museum opened an exhibition celebrating the life and work of the virtually unknown Kentucky artist Bert Hurley (1898 1955). Born in Louisville, Hurley worked at the citys L&N Railroad office building for nearly 40 years in various positions, including as a departmental correspondent for the company employees magazine. He was widely known in Louisvilles African American community, specifically in the bustling Russell neighborhood, as a talented artist and musician. Loose Nuts: Bert Hurleys West End Story takes an in-depth look at his hand-lettered and richly illustrated 125-page novella and the real-life spaces and characters found within. Set in Louisvilles Russell neighborhood in the 1930s, Loose Nuts: A Rapsody in Brown is a whimsical satire of detective fiction genre, incorporating part journalistic investigation and part courtroom drama. The manuscript features ... More | | 
The dispute arose over the groups treatment of Courtney Milan, a former board member and chair of its ethics committee who last summer criticized Kathryn Lynn Davis novel Somewhere Lies the Moon on Twitter as a racist mess.
by Concepción de León
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE ).- A dispute over a racism accusation and how it was handled have upended the romance writers community, with bestselling novelists speaking out against the Romance Writers of America and most of the powerful, 9,000-member trade organizations board resigning in the last days of the year. The RWA on Monday said it was hiring a law firm to to conduct an audit of the process and these events to provide a clear report of the facts. The dispute arose over the groups treatment of Courtney Milan, a former board member and chair of its ethics committee who last summer criticized Kathryn Lynn Davis novel Somewhere Lies the Moon on Twitter as a racist mess. Milan, who is Chinese American, took issue with the depiction of 19th-century Chinese ... More | | 
Philippe Pastor, The Burned Trees, installation of 28 sculptures of burnt wood, height 2m 80, 2019. Exhibition view Monaco ModernArt.
MONACO.- Up to 7°C at the end of the century, cyclones, hurricanes, Indonesian cities sinking under rising seas, Amazonia in flames, California under evacuation following the ravages of Cal Fire, the list is still long ... Is this world serious? If nowadays, more than ever, we are informed of the natural disasters devastating the planet, the world seems to have become crazy, swept along by an exponential irremediable process. Through this new exhibition of paintings and sculptures, Philippe Pastor questions this chaos and the destructive force of Man, directed against his fellow human beings and his environment. In the first room, you find an installation of the emblematic Burned Trees series, composed of a set of 28 sculptures made of calcinated black trunks. Majestic silhouettes erected in groves, the trees are brought back to life and impose their troubling presence. It was in order to raise public awareness of forest fires, that Philippe Pastor created this series in ... More |
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Tim Marlow's Must-See Museum Exhibitions: January 2020
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| | More News |
 Auction to feature items signed by Lincoln, FDR, Jefferson, Hemingway, The Beatles and othersWESTPORT, CONN.- A book and a carte de visite photograph both signed by Abraham Lincoln, a matador outfit owned by Ernest Hemingway and later gifted to his best friend and biographer A.E. Hotchner, and a Second Congress document signed by Thomas Jefferson are just a few of the expected top lots in University Archives next big auction, slated for Thursday, January 16th. The 283-lot online-only auction, starting at 10:30 Eastern, is packed with unique relics, photos, autographs, books and ephemera, to include 55 of the 56 Declaration of Independence signers (all except Button Gwinnett), plus presidential items (high-ticket Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, Richard Nixon and others, with 12 lots alone dedicated to Franklin Roosevelt). Also offered will be literary items (including five lots of Hemingway), music (the Beatles, ... More Kang Jungsuck's first London solo exhibition on view at The Korean Cultural Centre UKLONDON.- The Korean Cultural Centre UK is presenting its 2019 Artist of the Year, Kang Jungsuck, in his first London solo exhibition. Also chosen by South Korean artist Haegue Yang for the BALTIC Artists Award 2019, Kangs work spans across sculpture, video, installation and writing. Presenting new and recent work, the artist harnesses his experience of technology, gaming culture, K-pop, and wider society, as inspiration to form unique environments with multiple realities. Taking the Futurama exhibit shown at the 1939 New York World's Fair as a departure point which reimagined the world 20 years into the future Kang adopts the exhibits multi-perspective model. Reintroducing three creatures that populated the BALTIC exhibition, a Lilliputian, Self-driving Car and a Human, Kang explores how objects can contain, or be produced from, multiple, ... More Exhibition presents a selective portrait of 1980s painting in CanadaMONTREAL.- This selective portrait of 1980s painting in Canada showcases twenty or so paintings and drawings from the collection of the Musée dart contemporain de Montréal, some on display here for the first time since they were acquired. The 1980s saw the return of a style of painting that, rather than attempting to follow the course of modernist abstraction inherited from the mid-century avant-gardes, adopted a sometimes disconcerting heterogeneity: figuration and abstraction were employed simultaneously and aesthetic explorations were marked by diversity, but above all by a desire to be free of the previous generation of artists conceptual rigour. Alberta-based artist Ron Moppett, from whom weve borrowed the title of this exhibition, spoke eloquently of his reticence to apply discourse to his works: When we use words, we have correspondences ... More Muzeum Susch presents 'Up to and Including Limits: After Carolee Schneemann'SUSCH.- Taking the influential work of the late American artist Carolee Schneemann (19392019) as a point of departure, Up to and Including Limits: After Carolee Schneemann, running from 29 December 2019 to 28 June 2020 at Muzeum Susch, illuminates how Schneemanns artistic legacy resonates in the work of generations of artists succeeding her. Featuring over 60 works by 13 artists and collectives, spanning from the 1980s to the present-day, in dialogue with ten seminal works by Schneemann, the exhibition examines the shifting boundaries of disciplines, medium and content in art over time. Schneemann worked across various mediums ranging from painting, assemblage, to performance, film, video and photography, but primarily understood herself as a painter. She created new forms of art that emerged as paintings literally set in motion. ... More Art Dubai 2020 reaffirms commitment to alternative global perspectives with announcement of gallery listDUBAI.- Art Dubai announces the full list of participating galleries for its 14th edition. With 90 galleries from 38 countries, the fair showcases an exceptionally diverse survey of artworks, artists and artistic practices, further cementing Art Dubai as the key meeting point for international art, reflecting the multicultural identity of the city. Art Dubai 2020 reaffirms its commitment to fostering a platform of discovery, presenting exciting new global perspectives and expanding conversations beyond traditional western-led geographical scopes. The upcoming edition of the fair welcomes 21 first-time exhibitors including galleries from Nigeria, Sudan and Vietnam, and will feature the largest selection of galleries from around the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia (MENASA) to date. Art Dubais Artistic Director Pablo del Val commented on this years edition: Through ... More COLLECTIBLE returns to Brussels for its third edition from 5 - 8 March 2020BRUSSELS.- COLLECTIBLE, the pioneering fair dedicated exclusively to 21st-century contemporary collectible design, returns to the Vanderborght building in Brussels for its third edition from 5 - 8 March 2020. Experimental in its approach, COLLECTIBLE is a one of a kind platform for the showcase and discovery of the best in collectible design today. Seeking to continuously push the boundaries of creativity, the fair brings together established and emerging galleries, designers and design studios in a dynamic integrated space and collaborates with leading curators, design institutions and foundations to deliver groundbreaking commissions and curated projects. The third edition of COLLECTIBLE presents an expanded roster of over 100 international exhibitors and an exciting new panorama of unique and limited-edition works by practitioners from a mixed ... More The second stage of the traveling pan-African exhibition "Prête-moi ton rêve" opens in DakarDAKAR.- Organized by the Fondation pour le Développement de la Culture Contemporaine Africaine, the second stage of Prête-moi Ton Rêve is taking place until 28 January 2020 at the Musée des Civilisations Noires in Dakar, after its first stage was held in Casablanca in June 2019. The exhibition has gathered more than fifty artworks from 28 celebrated African artists, including Abdoulaye Konaté, William Kentridge, Chéri Samba, Barthélémy Toguo, Jane Alexander, Ouattara Watts, Soly Cissé, and Nnenna Okoré. For the Dakar stage, the exhibition welcomes the addition of Bernie Searle (South Africa), Angèle Etoundi (Cameroon) and Rui Assubuji (Mozambique) to the list. The core show has been curated by Yacouba Konaté and Brahim Alaoui, alongside the scientific committee of the Musée des Civilisations Noires. In parallel to the main ... More Art Rotterdam 6-9 February 2020: New highlights of a surprising programmeROTTERDAM.- The organisation has developed an inspiring programme for the 21st edition of the Art Rotterdam fair, during Art Rotterdam Week, once again in the iconic Van Nellefabriek. New this year are The Performance Show, Mural Machinepainting Show and the new presentation of the section dedicated to video art under the name citizenM Projections. From Friday until Sunday, The Performance Show will take place at AVL Mundo/Atelier Van Lieshout, a stone's throw away from Van Nellefabriek. The curator of this varied and ongoing artistic programme is Zippora Elders, artistic director of Kunstfort bij Vijfhuizen and co-curator of sonbeek20->24. The current and attractive performance of this unique programme is a selection from a range of international galleries, performance collectives, and museums. The Performance Show is an initiative ... More TEFAF Maastricht announces the most international and diverse exhibitor line up to dateHELVOIRT.- TEFAF will welcome 280 exhibitors and 5 TEFAF Showcase participants to its flagship Fair TEFAF Maastricht in 2020. Following a small optimisation of the floor plan, the organisation is able to accept more dealers overall to participate in the Fair, which has contributed to a more international and diverse exhibitor line up. Of the 280 exhibitors 25 are new, and between all participants, institutional and private collectors will have an unrivalled opportunity to view and buy art from 7,000 years of art history. TEFAF Maastricht 2020 takes place from 7 15 March 2020 (Early Access day on 5 March, Preview Day on 6 March) at the MECC (Maastricht Exhibition and Congress Centre), Maastricht, The Netherlands. TEFAF Maastricht provides a commercial platform for the international art community, celebrating the expertise and diversity within the art ... More Finkelstein gallery, Australia's female-artist gallery, announces seven exhibitions and talk series for 2020MELBOURNE.- Australias first commercial art gallery dedicated to women artists launched in August 2019 attracting global attention. Founded by respected art consultant and advocate Lisa Fehily, Finkelstein Gallery aims to address under representation and establish parity for female artists. In 2020 the gallery will present solo exhibitions from some of Australias most exciting emerging and established female artists: Kate Baker, Jacqui Stockdale, Deborah Kelly, Cigdem Aydemir, Lisa Roet and Monika Behrens. The gallery will also present a compelling program of talks and engagements to be presented free to the public, and will conclude the year with a curated group exhibition. Inspired by the National Museum for Women in the Arts in Washington D.C campaign #Fivewomenartists and under representation of female artists in Australias ... More The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art opens an exhibition of etchings by Helen HardinST. PETERSBURG, FLA.- The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art presents Spirit Lines: Helen Hardin Etchings. This is the museums first major exhibition that highlights artworks by a female artist. The exhibition enhances understanding of Hardins modern, stylized versions of traditional pueblo imagery as she rose to fame in the 1970s in a male-dominated art world. The show is supplemented with art by other women with ties to Santa Clara Pueblo, including Hardins mother Pablita Velarde, Hardins daughter Margarete Bagshaw, potter SeraFina Tafoya, and sculptor Tammy Garcia. Spirit Lines: Helen Hardin Etchings is on display from December 21, 2019 through March 1, 2020. Helen Hardin (1943 1984) was the daughter of artist Pablita Velarde (1918 2006) from the Santa Clara Pueblo near Albuquerque, New Mexico. Unlike her mother, who ... More |
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Flashback On a day like today, Italian painter Giovanni Boldini was born December 31, 1842. Giovanni Boldini (31 December 1842 - 11 July 1931) was an Italian genre and portrait painter who lived and worked in Paris for most of his career. According to a 1933 article in Time magazine, he was known as the "Master of Swish" because of his flowing style of painting.
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