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Paintings, projections, VR Starry Nights: Can we ever know van Gogh?

A life-size recreation of “Bedroom in Arles,” part of “Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience” at Skylight on Vesey Street in New York, June 5, 2021. Two immersive van Gogh exhibitions make a critic reflect on her encounters with his paintings and question what it means to have an intimate connection with an artist. Sam Youkilis/The New York Times.

by Maya Phillips


NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- In 2017, I took a trip to Paris, where I greedily took in as much art as I could. In one of the cavernous chambers of the ornate Musée d’Orsay was the Vincent van Gogh exhibition, his framed works (“Starry Night Over the Rhône,” “Bedroom in Arles,” “The Church at Auvers,” a number of his self-portraits) set against a brazen sapphire background rather than the usual chaste white museum walls. I’ve had a poster of “Starry Night,” gifted to me by a college friend, since my undergraduate dorm days. It hangs framed in my bedroom today. At Musée d’Orsay, I stared at his restless skies and fields, stood for long stretches in front of his self-portraits, rooted in place by the depth of his gaze. And I cried — suddenly, violently. I rushed out. I had never before had such a fierce reaction to a painting, and I have never again since. What does it mean to build intimacy with an artist — even one separated by over a century of histo ... More


The Best Photos of the Day
Best Photos of the Day
A visitor walks through the exhibition 'Terrible Beauty - Elephant - Human - Ivory' at the rebuilt Berlin Palace (Berliner Schloss) which houses the Humboldt Forum during the pre-opening presentation to the press, in Berlin, on July 19, 2021. The museum named after Alexander and Wilhelm von Humboldt officially opens its doors to the public on July 20, 2021. Ronny Hartmann / AFP






Humboldt Forum opens: A new landmark for Berlin   Egypt unveils military vessel, Greek funerary site in sunken city   The Museo Nacional del Prado recovers Velázquez original composition for The Spinners


Visitors are seen at the exibition 'Berlin Global' as an image of the former Palace of the Republic (Palast der Republik - East German parliament) is seen on a wide screen at the rebuilt Berlin Palace (Berliner Schloss) which houses the Humboldt Forum during the pre-opening presentation to the press, in Berlin, on July 19, 2021. Ronny Hartmann / AFP.

BERLIN.- The Humboldt Forum, the largest cultural development in Europe and the most ambitious in Germany this century, will open its doors to the public for the first time tomorrow, Tuesday 20 July 2021, with free admission for the first 100 days to the inaugural exhibitions. From the Palace Cellar to the ground and first floors, visitors are invited to discover presentations on the history of the site and the Humboldt brothers, and to experience the inaugural exhibitions Terrible Beauty. Elephant – Human – Ivory, Have a Seat! An Exhibition for Children, After Nature and BERLIN GLOBAL. Berlin’s new landmark will be declared officially open at a ceremony scheduled on Tuesday 20 July, which will be attended by ... More
 

Thonis-Heracleion was for centuries considered Egypt's largest port in the area until Alexander the Great founded the coastal city of Alexandria in 331 BC. Photo: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities / Facebook.

CAIRO (AFP).- Archaeologists have found rare remains of a military vessel and a Greek funerary complex in an ancient sunken city that once served as Egypt's main Mediterranean port, officials said Monday. The find was made during underwater excavations at Thonis-Heracleion, a one-time bustling metropolis that sat on the edge of the Nile river where it meets with the Mediterranean sea. Thonis-Heracleion was for centuries considered Egypt's largest port in the area until Alexander the Great founded the coastal city of Alexandria in 331 BC. The city, submerged following a series of earthquakes and tidal waves, was discovered in 2001. "An Egyptian-French mission ... found the debris of a military vessel from the Ptolemaic era and the remains of a Greek funerary complex dating to the fourth century BC," the antiquities ministry said. ... More
 

Image of The Spinners by Velázquez with the new frame. Photo © Museo Nacional del Prado.

MADRID.- One of the great masterpieces of European art, The Spinners by Velázquez, is presented with a new frame that hides the later 18th century additions to the canvas from view and allows the visitor to contemplate the composition as conceived by Velazquez. The work is integrated into an innovative installation specially designed for the masterpiece and incorporates new technical features for conservation. The recovery of Velazquez’s composition marks the first action of the “Reframing the Prado” project which aims to develop new solutions and adequate framing features for the best presentation of the Prado’s collection. “Reframing the Prado” is supported by American Friends of the Prado Museum thanks to the generous sponsorship of the American Express Foundation. The Spinners or The Fable of Arachne is a principle composition of Velázquez mature period with a complex meaning. The new framing ... More


Danish Mohammed cartoonist Kurt Westergaard dies aged 86   Rijksmuseum scientific journal now available to all online   Forum Gallery opens an exhibition of thirty-five works created between 1980 and 1989


Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, sits in the offices of Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.

STOCKHOLM (AFP).- Danish artist Kurt Westergaard, famed for drawing a caricature the Prophet Mohammed which sparked outrage around the Muslim world, has died at the age 86, his family told Danish media on Sunday. Westergaard passed away in his sleep after a long period of ill health, his family told newspaper Berlingske. The illustrator was behind 12 drawings published by conservative daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten under the headline "The Face of Mohammed", one of which sparked particular anger. The cartoons went almost unnoticed initially, but after two weeks, a demonstration against them was held in Copenhagen, and then ambassadors from Muslim countries in Denmark lodged a protest. The anger then escalated into anti-Danish violence across the Muslim world in February 2006. The violence linked to the cartoons culminated in a 2015 massacre that left 12 people dead at the Charlie Hebdo satirical weekly i ... More
 

All issues of The Rijksmuseum Bulletin from 2012 to the most recent edition in June 2021 have now been published in open access format.

AMSTERDAM.- The Rijksmuseum Bulletin is now being published in a free, open access digital version, as well as a printed version. With this, the peer reviewed scientific journal covering historical and art historical research on the Rijksmuseum collection is now available online to everyone, free of charge. All issues of the journal published since 2012 are now online. The archive will be expanded later this year to encompass the entire back catalogue, right back to the first issue in 1953. Taking this step aligns the Rijksmuseum with the Plan S initiative, a call from the scientific community to dramatically accelerate the transition to open access that was presented by the European government in 2018 and ratified in 2021. This is also an opportunity for the museum to highlight the importance of free access for all to academic resources. The Rijksmuseum Bulletin is published digitally on Openjournals.nl, a new open acc ... More
 

Claudio Bravo, Play, 1989, oil on canvas, 78 1/2 x 59 inches © Estate of Claudio Bravo; Courtesy of Forum Gallery, New York, NY.

NEW YORK, NY.- Forum Gallery presents That Eighties Show (July 15 - September 18, 2021), a summer exhibition of thirty-five works created between 1980 and 1989, a decade of meteoric growth and accelerated modernization in economy and culture. The dedicated artists in the show responded in diverse ways to these heady, turbo-charged times that saw a dramatic return to figurative and representational means of expression. Following on from That Seventies Show, presented at Forum Gallery in the summer of 2011, That Eighties Show celebrates Forum Gallery’s sixtieth year since opening in 1961 and its dedication to figurative art. Reflecting the individual approaches to creative expression of artists working in the decade, That Eighties Show features magnetic yet intimate portraits and landscapes by Robert Bauer, Lucian Freud, Michael Leonard, David Levine and Joseph McNamara, as well as self-portraits by William Beckman, ... More


London's Royal Albert Hall marks 150 years of music   First survey exhibition in the United States of Marcia Schvartz opens at 55 Walker   Highly successful auctions at Koller


The Royal Albert Hall is seen in London on July 15, 2021. London's iconic Royal Albert Hall is celebrating its 150th birthday with a concert on July 19. Tolga Akmen / AFP.

LONDON (AFP).- London's beloved Royal Albert Hall concert venue on Monday celebrates its 150th birthday with a special anniversary show, as it aims to preserve its diverse artistic offerings. The imposing historic building is expecting a full house for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, inviting 5,000 spectators to attend unmasked. Inaugurated in 1871, the Royal Albert Hall has hosted the biggest names in classical, pop and rock music, including Wagner, Antonin Dvorak, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd and Lady Gaga, as well as sumo wrestling competitions and ATP tennis tournaments. "We pride ourselves on the diversity of genres we have. I would be disappointed if we were just a classical music venue, or just a rock and pop venue," chief executive Craig Hassall told AFP. "If it's boxing, it'll be the best boxing in the ... More
 

Marcia Schvartz, De cara al futuro (Looking to the future), 2010, Oil on canvas, 56 1/4 x 40 1/2 in / 143 x 103 cm.

NEW YORK, NY.- 55 Walker (Bortolami, kaufmann repetto, and Andrew Kreps Gallery) opened the first survey exhibition in the United States of Marcia Schvartz (b. 1955, Argentina). The exhibition spans across five decades of the artist’s practice, from the 1970s to today, and will be accompanied by a full text by art historian Lucy Hunter, supported by the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art (ISLAA). Marcia Schvartz’s practice is grounded in the expressive yet rigorous rendering of the human figure, working with painting, ceramic, textile, sculpture, assemblage, and performance. She is best recognized for her figurative paintings that depict the complexity of cosmopolitan social dynamics. Illustrating the political history of Argentina through personal and populist terms, Schvartz’s work has a recurrent focus on female figures which she represents in a radical anti-patriarchal and decolonial manner. In 1970, ... More
 

French impressionist & modern art was highly sought after in the 2 July auction, led by Marc Chagall’s classic ‘Bouquet d’été’, which garnered CHF 1.58 million

ZURICH.- With over 1 000 bidders from 48 countries worldwide, Koller’s June/July auction series was a resounding success across all categories, with each department registering hammer prices well over the pre-sale estimates. World auction records were set for prints by Warhol, Lichtenstein, Alberto Giacometti, as well as for an oil painting by Ukrainian artist Abraham Manievich. French impressionist & modern art was highly sought after in the 2 July auction, led by Marc Chagall’s classic ‘Bouquet d’été’, which garnered CHF 1.58 million (lot 3251). A seven-figure price was also realised for a landscape by Alfred Sisley, ‘Tournant du Loing à Moret’, 1896 (lot 3224, CHF 1.01 million). Two bronze sculptures with impeccable provenances also elicited highly competitive bidding: Auguste Rodin’s iconic ‘The Kiss’, which could be traced back to its exact casting date (lot 3218, CHF 925 000), and ... More


Morag Myerscough transforms Coventry High Street with light and colour   JD Malat Gallery returns to St. Moritz with a solo exhibition by Colombian abstract artist Santiago   303 Gallery opens an exhibition of new paintings by Tim Gardner


Endless Ribbon by Morag Myerscough. Photo: Gareth Gardner.

COVENTRY.- Artist Morag Myerscough has been working with Coventry City Council and Creative Giants to breathe new life into one of its central public spaces – as part of a major creative regeneration programme in advance of the City Centre South scheme. With Coventry hailed City of Culture for 2021, Myerscough has installed her vibrant artwork “Endless Ribbon Connecting Us” in the canopy of Hertford Street. Transforming the space with the bold simplicity of light and colour, Myerscough’s dramatic installation works in symbiosis with the existing architecture. Looking deeper into the shared cultural history and heritage of the city, Myerscough took inspiration from Coventry Cathedral, where during her exploration and research she was particularly taken by the stained-glass window by John Piper and Patrick Reyntiens. Ribbon weaving was Coventry's main ... More
 

PAR087

ST. MORITZ.- JD Malat Gallery is presenting Black Matter, a solo exhibition by Colombian artist Santiago Parra in Switzerland’s leading cultural hub St. Moritz, 16 July – 12 September 2021. Having exhibited in world leading cultural centres such as London, Mexico, Miami and Madrid, Parra is internationally recognised for his powerful black abstract paintings on raw canvas, each made with a single brushstroke. Black Matter marks Parra’s very first solo exhibition in St. Moritz at Galerie 10 and seeks to underline his role as a protagonist in the field of abstract painting. The title of the exhibition presents a poetic play on the world-renowned phenomenon of dark matter. Composed of undetectable particles that do not absorb, reflect, or emit light, dark matter is believed to account for the unexplained motions of stars within galaxies. As an artist who seeks to paint with a single brushstroke governed by the unconscious ... More
 

Tim Gardner, Cali Poppy, 2021. Watercolor on paper, 13 x 9 1/2 inches (33 x 24.1 cm), 22 x 18 inches (55.9 x 45.7 cm) framed.

NEW YORK, NY.- 303 Gallery is presenting their seventh exhibition of new paintings by Tim Gardner. Known for his masterful watercolors marking moments in time, Tim Gardner depicts scenes that collectively form a vivid portrait of contemporary life. Drawing primarily on an extensive personal image archive, he uses photography as a point of departure to elucidate the psychological realism of lived experiences. In his latest works, Gardner continues his exploration of the inherently complex relationship between people and the environment —a dynamic that became more pronounced during the past year as our ability to travel and be outdoors became increasingly formalized, regulated and restricted. In Theater Seats, LA Landfill, Gardner captures the moment after a truck has offloaded a heap of bright red theater seats, a poetic ... More




DIA Personal Tours: Hindu Sculptures



More News

Artsy Partners with ARTNOIR on benefit auction to spotlight student artists of color
NEW YORK, NY.- Artsy is hosting a benefit auction with ARTNOIR, a non-profit organization with a mission to celebrate and highlight the work of artists of color from around the world. After raising over $100K in funds in 2020 for ARTNOIR’s Jar of Love Fund, the organizations are teaming up again to host its second auction to support the ARTNOIR Artistic Pathways Scholarship Fund geared towards MFA Visual Art students of color at CUNY and SUNY programs. From July 13-27, “ARTNOIR From: Friends To: Friends Benefit Auction 2021” will showcase works from over 30 talented visual artists including Adjei Tawiah, Veronica Fernandez, Damien Davis, and Jewel Ham, who represent an emerging vanguard of visual artists whose creativity will shape the cultural conversation for generations to come. Additionally, the auction will launch the ARTNOIR ... More

Site-specific works on view at an ancient military base in Belgium
VILVOORDE.- Horst presents from 11 July to 5 September the summer exhibition Flying on the raven's wing, with work by Aline Bouvy (BE), Daan Gielis (BE), Leopold Banchini (CH), Rotor (BE), Sonia Gomes (BR), Rashid Johnson (US), Tarek Lakhrissi (FR), Grace Ndiritu (UK/KE) and Marinella Senatore (IT), curated by Evelyn Simons (BE). Their contributions, mostly site-specific commissions, will adorn and reinvigorate the crumbling architecture of ASIAT (a former military base in Vilvoorde). Their works span video, audiovisual interventions, sculpture and installation. One of the highlights is a commissioned film by Grace Ndiritu, with a soundtrack by techno pioneer Jeff Mills. The exhibition marks the new direction Horst is taking with its artistic programme, exponentially aimed at fostering connections with local communities that define the ... More

Refurbished modernist building to become new artistic hub: Forma HQ to launch in Southwark, London this summer
LONDON.- Commissioned by Southwark Council in collaboration with curator Aldo Rinaldi, the newly refurbished modernist building was designed by Sanchez Benton Architects with international artist Gabriel Kuri. The light-filled structure, situated on Great Dover Street by Bricklayer’s roundabout in Southwark, includes Forma’s new offices, five affordable artist studios, a residency space for visiting international artists, an event space and room for a café and bookshop. The rooftop was converted into a new public garden further designed with celebrated horticulturalist Nigel Dunnett and will be fitted with furniture designed by Kuri. The garden will be open to the public during office hours. Weekend access will be available ... More

Artist list announced for fourth edition of the Art Encounters Biennial
TIMIșOARA.- The Art Encounters Biennial has announced details of participating artists, as well as information on the curatorial approach and format of its fourth edition. The Biennial, which takes place in Timișoara, Romania, from 1 October - 7 November 2021, creates a dynamic platform in Romania for cultural exchange with the international art scene, while nurturing the talent of emerging artists from Romania and the wider region. Curated by Mihnea Mircan and Kasia Redzisz with the umbrella title of Our Other Us, the 2021 Biennial will reflect the global context of the pandemic and explores the ever-fluctuating relationships between self, other and the environment. Two curatorial projects, proposed by Mihnea Mircan and Kasia Redzisz—Landscape in a Convex Mirror and How to Be Together, respectively—will feature 20 new commissions. ... More

Conservation in action: Cleaning Horace Walpole's library
TWICKENHAM.- To the untrained eye, it might look like glorified housework - but maintaining the treasures of Strawberry Hill House, requires expert conservation. Now, for the first time ever, visitors to Horace Walpole’s gothic castle in Twickenham can learn how historic books are cared for. When Horace Walpole (1717-97) acquired Strawberry Hill in 1747 – then a modest cottage – it soon became apparent that he needed a library. A bibliophile, he already owned over 1000 volumes, which were crammed into his study. So, as he set about transforming his property into a gothic fantasy castle, Walpole had his friends, the architect John Chute (1701-76) and designer Richard Bentley (1708-82) assist him with realising a grand design for the ever-burgeoning collection. Indeed, such was his passion that, when he died in 1797, Walpole had amassed ... More

Science and Industry Museum to vacate lease on Air and Space Hall
MANCHESTER.- The Science and Industry Museum and Manchester City Council announce today that the museum will no longer lease the historic Lower Campfield market hall building which houses the Air and Space Hall. This hall, which is closed due to the extent of repairs needed, and many of the objects within it, formed Manchester City Council's Air and Space Museum, which opened in 1983.The Air and Space Hall was originally taken on by the North Western Museum of Science and Industry in 1985 due to the disbanding of Greater Manchester Council’s Air and Space Museum, before transferring to the Science Museum Group in 2012. The majority of the aviation collection on display will be returned from loan to their home organisations, which include the RAF Museum. Many new onward destinations for loan are currently being planned ... More

Olympics composer who says he bullied classmates with disabilities resigns
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- The composer of music for the Olympics opening and closing ceremonies resigned Monday after acknowledging that as a student he bullied classmates with disabilities. Keigo Oyamada, 52, who uses the stage name Cornelius, announced on Twitter that he had handed in his resignation to the Tokyo organizing committee just four days before he was to oversee music for the opening ceremony. Shortly after the announcement, parts of interviews he had given in the 1990s to a Japanese magazine, in which he described how he had abused classmates years earlier, surfaced on social media. The interviews quoted Oyamada saying that he had taunted children with Down syndrome, stripped classmates naked and forced them to masturbate. With pressure building and a petition calling for his resignation, Oyamada ... More

Head of Classic Stage Company to depart in 2022
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- John Doyle, artistic director of Classic Stage Company since 2016, announced Monday that he would step down from the off-Broadway theater next summer. “I feel like it’s somebody else’s turn,” Doyle, 68, said in a video interview from Britain. “It’s as simple as that. I think art is better with a kind of turnover.” Classic Stage Company on Monday also revealed its 2021-22 season, Doyle’s last with the company. The productions are Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s “Assassins”; Marcus Gardley’s “black odyssey”; Frances Ya-Chu Cowhig’s “Snow in Midsummer”; and Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty and Terrence McNally’s “A Man of No Importance.” Doyle, a Tony Award-winner in 2006 for his revival of “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street,” will direct the musicals “Assassins” and ... More

Uniques and Antiques Auction Sales announces online-only Modern Design auction
ASTON, PA.- A three-day, online-only Modern Design auction is planned for August 3rd-5th by Uniques and Antiques Auction Sales, with Wednesday, August 4th being dedicated to an Artisan Studio auction, highlighted by a Tiffany Studios Dragonfly table lamp and the Katherine Mezger collection of George Nakashima furniture. Overall, more than 1,500 lots will be offered across the three days. The marquis lot of the Artisan Studio sale is undoubtedly the Tiffany Studios Dragonfly table lamp, which has an estimate of $250,000-$375,000 (although similar examples have sold for $500,000-$800,000). The 31-inch-tall lamp is a wonderful example of Tiffany’s early 20th century master craftsmanship. It boasts a drop head shade on a rare bird skeleton base with "Four Seasons" multicolored and shaped jewels, wisteria blue, green and purple glass. “We've ... More

The National Gallery brings art outdoors with a pop-up of over 20 life-sized replicas
LONDON.- The National Gallery is bringing art into the open-air with an outdoor exhibition of over 20 life-sized replicas of some of the most famous and treasured paintings in the collection including Van Gogh’s Sunflowers (1888), Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire (1839) Botticelli’s Venus and Mars (1485), and John Constable’s The Hay Wain (1821). This large scale installation in Trafalgar Square in the heart of London is being delivered in partnership with Westminster City Council and is the first activity to be announced as part of the Council’s Inside Out Festival – a celebration of art and culture produced to encourage visitors back into London’s West End. Further activities will be launched later in July as part of Cllr Rachael Robathan, Leader of Westminster City Council’s new borough wide initiative for Westminster. The life-sized reproductions of popular masterpieces, around 1 to 2 m ... More

Bath Preservation Trust appoints design team for Beckford's Tower
BATH.- Bath Preservation Trust has announced that architects Thomas Ford & Partners and quantity surveyors Stenning & Co have been appointed to lead the design work for the £3.3 million Our Tower project. The Our Tower plan, which is funded by Historic England and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, will address urgent repair and conservation works required to the almost 200-year-old Grade I listed Beckford’s Tower, that stands above the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Bath and is the only museum dedicated to William Beckford in the world. Born in 1760, William Beckford was a colourful and controversial character. At just 10-years old he inherited his father’s fortune, which included the Fonthill estate and several sugar plantations in Jamaica. His wealth gave him the freedom to pursue his interests in art, architecture, writing and music. ... More


PhotoGalleries

Music of the ‘80s

Modern Gothic: The Inventive Furniture of Kimbel and Cabus, 1863–82

British Art Show 9

Sporting Fashion: Outdoor Girls 1800 to 1960


Flashback
On a day like today, British painter Lucian Freud died
July 20, 2011. Lucian Michael Freud, OM, CH (8 December 1922 - 20 July 2011) was a German-born British painter. Known chiefly for his thickly impastoed portrait and figure paintings, he was widely considered the pre-eminent British artist of his time. His works are noted for their psychological penetration, and for their often discomforting examination of the relationship between artist and model. In this image: A Sotheby's employee holds British Artist Lucian Freud's 'Self-Portrait with a Black Eye' during a Sotheby's auction preview in London.

  
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