| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net |   | Established in 1996 | Tuesday, March 26, 2019 |
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| | Tyrannosaurus rex found in Canada is world's biggest | |
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"This is the rex of rexes," said Scott Persons, lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biological Sciences. Photo: Amanda Kelley.
MONTREAL (AFP).- The towering Tyrannosaurus rex discovered in western Canada in 1991 is the world's biggest, a team of paleontologists said Friday, following a decades-long process of reconstructing its skeleton. Nicknamed Scotty for a celebratory bottle of scotch consumed the night it was discovered, the T. rex was 13 meters (yards) long and probably weighed more than 8,800 kilos (19,400 pounds), making it bigger than all other carnivorous dinosaurs, the team from the University of Alberta said. "This is the rex of rexes," said Scott Persons, lead author of the study and postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Biological Sciences. "There is considerable size variability among Tyrannosaurus. Some individuals were lankier than others and some were more robust. Scotty exemplifies the robust," Persons said. While the giant carnivore's skeleton was discovered in 1991, paleontologists spent more than a decade just removing the hard sandstone that covered its bones. Only ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day Nahmad Contemporary is presenting Jean-Michel Basquiat | Xerox, scheduled to run from March 12 through May 31, 2019. Curated by Basquiat scholar Dieter Buchhart, the exhibition is the first concentrated examination of the extraordinary body of work that the artist created using Xerox photocopies as his principal medium and compositional focal point. © Estate of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Licensed by Artestar, New York.
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 | | Exhibit highlights Wellington's formative Indian years | | Sackler Trust halts UK donations over opioid crisis outcry | | Paintings by important Caravaggisti to be offered at Dorotheum Old Master Paintings sale | 
The Duke of Wellington, Robert Home (circa 1804) © Stratfield Saye Preservation Trust.
LONDON (AFP).- An exhibition on the Duke of Wellington's time in India opens in London Saturday, shedding light on formative years before he defeated French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo. Between 1796 and 1804, as the young Arthur Wellesley, he helped overthrow the Tipu Sultan and masterminded victory in the Battle of Assaye. A decade later he defeated Napoleon, paving the way for a century of relative peace in Europe and a time of vast British imperial expansion. The collection includes a dinner service commemorating his leadership in India that was later supplemented with cutlery taken from Napoleon's carriage. It also includes books from the 200-volume travelling library that, aged 27, he took with him for the six-month voyage to India in a bid to broaden his education, having finished his studies early. It included books on India's history, politics and economics, Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels" and philosophical works. The "Young ... More | | 
The Sackler Trust is run by the Sackler family, members of which own Purdue Pharma -- a company selling the prescription painkiller OxyContin that is facing hundreds of lawsuits in the US over claims it causes addiction.
LONDON (AFP).- A trust that donates to medical science, healthcare, education and the arts in Britain on Monday said it was suspending new donations because of a public outcry linked to the opioid drug crisis in the United States. The Sackler Trust is run by the Sackler family, members of which own Purdue Pharma -- a company selling the prescription painkiller OxyContin that is facing hundreds of lawsuits in the US over claims it causes addiction. The Trust's chair Theresa Sackler said in a statement that press attention on those legal cases had created "immense pressure on the scientific, medical, education and arts institutions here in the UK, large and small". "This attention is distracting them from the important work that they do," she said, adding that the trustees had taken the "difficult decision" to temporarily pause ... More | | 
Roman School, ca. 1603 - 1620, Saint Bartholomew, oil on canvas, 109.5 x 85 cm, Auction 30 April 2019, estimate 80,000 - 120,000.
VIENNA.- Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio was one of the most influential artists of all time, profoundly inspiring painters from all over Europe with his innovative, dramatic use of light and his fresh realistic presentation of his subject matter. The followers of his style, the so-called Caravaggisti, encountered his bold approach and several important works painted by the earliest of the Caravaggisti are to be offered in Dorotheums Old Master Paintings sale on Tuesday, 30 April 2019. One, a Saint Bartholomew by Bartolomeo Manfredi (estimate 300,000 - 400,000) and another of the same subject, a Saint Bartholomew ( 80,000 - 120,000), painted by an unconfirmed hand, but recently attributed to Caravaggio himself. Following Caravaggios premature death, it is Bartolomeo Manfredi who is credited with passing on the masters stylistic innovations, particularly his use of naturalism, to the next generation. Other wor ... More |
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| | | David Zwirner opens an exhibition of new paintings by German artist Neo Rauch | | Erwin Wurm's first solo exhibition in Hong Kong opens at Lehmann Maupin | | Exhibition at Sprüth Magers features seven seminal female artists | 
Neo Rauch.
HONG KONG.- David Zwirner is presenting Propaganda, an exhibition of new paintings by German artist Neo Rauch. On view at the gallerys Hong Kong location, this exhibition marks his debut solo presentation in Asia and is accompanied by a catalogue featuring a short story by novelist and playwright Daniel Kehlmann. Rauch is widely celebrated for his visually captivating compositions that bring together the traditions of figurative painting and surrealism into an entirely new kind of aesthetic experience. As a young artist, Rauch studied at the famous Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig, where he began developing his own unique style of figurative painting that was distinct from both the socialist realist aesthetic of his native East Germany and the neoexpressionist styles that were popular at the time in the West. Rauchs paintings are richly colored, sumptuous compositions that contain a repertoire of characters, settin ... More | | 
Erwin Wurm, Tall bag YSL, 2019. bronze. 59 x 15.75 x 9.84 inches / 150 x 40 x 25 cm. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, and Seoul.
HONG KONG.- Erwin Wurms first solo exhibition in Hong Kong opened today at Lehmann Maupin Hong Kong. For this exhibition, the Austrian artist who has redefined the categories of sculpture and performance art premieres recent sculpture and photography from his most iconic series. Each week, visitors will be invited to activate one of Wurms One Minute Sculptures by mimicking a unique pose with a typical household item, with the durational sculpture captured in a Polaroid photo that may be taken home. This exhibition represents the artists return to China after nearly a decade since his 2010 solo exhibition at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing. Erwin Wurm will also be featured in the Lehmann Maupin booth (1C21) at Art Basel Hong Kong, opening March 29 at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Wurm has produced a body of work ... More | | 
Cindy Sherman, Untitled #579, 2016. Dye sublimation metal print, 148,6 x 118,7 cm 58 1/2 x 46 3/4 inches 152,8 x 123 x 5,1 cm (framed) 60 1/8 x 48 3/8 x 2 inches (framed) © Cindy Sherman. Courtesy the artist, Sprüth Magers and Metro Pictures, New York.
HONG KONG.- Eau de Cologne began as a series of exhibitions and three publications, organized by Monika Sprüth between 1985 and 1993, which sought to create a new dialogue around contemporary art. The exhibitions introduced a select group of young women artists, each of whom individually represented powerful attitudes and practices. Through Eau de Cologne, they established a discourse around art, feminism and power that continues to be profoundly relevant. Then, as now, their work tackled questions of authority, messaging and influence in society in subtle and expansive ways, and today they count among the best-known artists working internationally. It is with great pleasure that Sprüth Magers stages a new iteration of this celebrated project in Hong Kong at H Queens Eau de ... More |
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| | | Rock pioneer Scott Walker dies aged 76 | | Morphy's April 12-14 Vegas auction series packed with Old West relics, gambling coin-ops, antique advertising | | Landmark exhibition at Perrotin Shanghai focuses on Sol LeWitt's seminal wall drawings | 
Cover of Scott Walker: 30 Century Man.
LONDON (AFP).- Influential singer-songwriter Scott Walker has died aged 76, his record label said on Monday, after a career that took him from 1960s pop icon to 21st-century avant-garde musician. US-born Walker, who acquired British citizenship, was the lead singer of the 1960s band The Walker Brothers. The baritone vocalist began his solo career in 1967 and was credited as an influence on top British acts over several decades including David Bowie and Pulp. "It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Scott Walker," his label 4AD said on Twitter. "Scott was 76 years old and is survived by his daughter, Lee, his granddaughter, Emmi-Lee, and his partner, Beverly," it said. The label called Walker "a unique and challenging titan at the forefront of British music" and "one of the most revered innovators at the sharp end of creative music". Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke called ... More | | 
Root Glass Co., 1915 prototype bottle submitted to Coca-Cola for consideration to become the standard Coke bottle, one of two known examples and the only one fully intact. Estimate: $100,000-$150,000.
LAS VEGAS, NEV.- All of the authentic Old West elements one would expect to see in a classic John Wayne movie will take center stage at Morphy Auctions Las Vegas gallery in mid-April. The three-day auction series opens with an April 12 sale of Gold Rush, Western and Native-American Relics featuring 412 lots of exceptional quality and historical importance. On April 13-14, the venue will resonate with the thrilling sounds of antique coin-operated music and gambling machines alongside a sensational array of antique advertising. All forms of bidding will be available, including live via the Internet. Holding court over the April 12 session is a fantastic 78-inch-tall Samuel Robb carved-wood cigar store Indian chief with headdress. The full-figure artwork ... More | | 
View of the exhibition Sol LeWitt: Wall Drawings at Perrotin Shanghai. Photo: Yan Tao © 2019 Estate of Sol LeWitt/Artists Rights Society(ARS), New York.
SHANGHAI.- Perrotin Shanghai is presenting Sol LeWitt: Wall Drawings, a landmark exhibition of this foremost figure of the American Conceptual and Minimal Art movements of the 1960s and 1970s. The exhibition focuses on LeWitts seminal wall drawings and includes 16 inkwash works initially conceived in the 1980s and 1990s, including a monumental, immersive wall drawing spanning four walls. This marks the first exhibition of LeWitts wall drawings in mainland China. Sol LeWitt exhibited widely in the 1960s, a time of great social and political change in the United States. Living and working in culturally rich and progressive New York City, the artist's practice mined his interest in seriality, form, and color and increasingly probed the dematerialization of ... More |
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| | | Dayton Art Institute exhibits 43 hats from Dorothy Height's collection | | Albert Einstein's letter defending his Jewish heritage to be auctioned | | Heimo Zobernig presents a series of new paintings at Simon Lee Gallery | 
This exhibition explores the life of Dr. Height by bringing together 43 of her favorite and most iconic hats.
DAYTON, OH.- The Dayton Art Institute is presenting the first of the museums centennial Focus Exhibitions, Dorothy Heights Hats, on view from March 23 through June 23. The DAI is presenting this exhibition, with all hats on loan from the Dorothy I. Height Education Foundation. Dorothy Heights Hats features hats worn by Dr. Dorothy Irene Height (19122010), an author and icon of civil rights who was known for her leadership, courage, determination, and hats! This exhibition explores the life of Dr. Height by bringing together 43 of her favorite and most iconic hats. It is an honor to present these beautiful hats that belonged to Dr. Height, someone who was such an important figure in the fight for equal rights for all, states Jerry N. Smith, DAI Chief Curator. The hats, many made by top designers, are like sculptures in ... More | | 
Einstein had long worked to save European Jews by issuing affidavits.
LOS ANGELES, CA.- A series of fascinating letters by Albert Einstein on the Jewish Peoples rights to defend themselves, Nazi-Germany and anti-Semitism will be auctioned by Nate D. Sanders Auctions on March 28, 2019. Albert Einstein wrote the June 10, 1939 letter, postmarked from Princeton to Dr. Maurice Lenz in New York. Einstein wrote in full, May I offer my sincere congratulations to you on the splendid work you have undertaken on behalf of the refugees during Dedication Week. The power of resistance which has enabled the Jewish people to survive for thousands of years has been based to a large extent on traditions of mutual helpfulness. In these years of affliction our readiness to help one another is being put to an especially severe test. May we stand this test as well as did our fathers before us. We have no other means of self-defense than our solidarity and our kno ... More | | 
Heimo Zobernig, Untitled, 2018 (detail). 200 x 200 cm (78 3/4 x 78 3/4 in.) Courtesy the artist and Simon Lee Gallery.
HONG KONG.- Simon Lee Gallery, Hong Kong, is presenting a series of new paintings by Austrian artist, Heimo Zobernig, his first ever solo exhibition in Hong Kong. For forty years Zobernig has conducted a thorough re-interpretation of the languages of formalism via an expansive body of work that moves seamlessly between an array of disciplines, from architectural intervention and installation, to performance, film, video, sculpture and painting. While the artist draws on varied art historical movements, it is an interrogation of modernist tropes and subdivisions colour theory, the grid, the monochrome, geometric abstraction that underpins his practice. A critical engagement with the way in which art is framed, both physically and conceptually, is central to Zobernigs artistic approach, which with its insistent subversion of ... More |
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Frank's Files: What Sets a Rolex Apart?
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 Sotheby's Asia Week Auctions achieve $45.7 million in New YorkNEW YORK, NY.- Sothebys twice-annual Asia Week sale series in New York concluded this weekend, with 800+ works sold across eight auctions spanning 4,000 years of Asian Art for a total of $45.7 million meeting the series overall high estimate. Coinciding with the 10th anniversary of Asia Week New York, works from this seasons sales series were sold to a diverse group of collectors worldwide, highlighted by five works that achieved prices over $2 million. Below is a look at the magnificent art and collections that drove these results. Christina Prescott-Walker, Senior Vice President & Division Director of Asian Art, commented: "We are very pleased with the results of our spring Asia Week auctions. Strong market interest in collecting a diverse range of Asian art was demonstrated by the fact that our top three prices of the week represent Fine ... More Govan Project Space opens Christopher Bryants first solo presentationGLASGOW.- Govan Project Space is presenting Taking a Line for a Walk Week. Seeing a return to visual art after a longstanding period of working in music and audio cut short due to hearing loss, Christopher Bryants first solo presentation returns to the basics of what it means to make a mark. Mimicking processes and production methods akin to that in his music production practice, the artist expands on the simple act of making the first note, or in this instance, drawing a line. A starting point. Guided by nothing more than an instinct to build on the initial mark and by incorporating both analogue and digital processes, the artist, acting simply as producer and mixer, allows these procedures to drive and direct the work to their final composition. The exhibitions title is taken from Paul Klees comment, Drawing is just taking a line for a walk. First introduced to the notion ... More I Can Drink the Distance, by artist Torkwase Dyson, opens at The Cooper UnionNEW YORK, NY.- The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art has named artist Torkwase Dyson to be the Spring 2019 Robert Gwathmey Chair. During her tenure, Dyson will show a new body of work, including a site-specific installation in the solo exhibition I Can Drink the Distance, on view from March 26 through April 25, 2019 in the schools 41 Cooper Gallery, and present a free, public lecture about her art in conjunction with the exhibition on April 2, 2019 in Coopers historic Great Hall. She will also present a design challenge to faculty and students from across Cooper Unions three schools of art, architecture, and engineering, and utilize the gallery for an undergraduate design workshop in addition to teaching painting to School of Art students. I Can Drink the Distance, presented by the schools The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture, ... More Items from the estate of antique dealer George White will headline Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers saleCRANSTON, RI.- A fine Chinese archaic bronze Gui ritual food vessel dating to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), or earlier, one of nearly 150 lots from the collection of George White, the longtime antique dealer and collector (and owner of Gem Furniture) out of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, is an expected headliner in Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers next sale planned for April 6th. The 428-lot, Saturday sale officially titled an Estate Antiques & Fine Art Auction will be held online as well as in the spacious Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers gallery located at 63 Fourth Avenue in Cranston, beginning at 12 noon Eastern time. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. A 150-lot, live-only pre-sale (no internet bidding), starting at 10 am, will precede the main event. The bronze Chinese vessel, a centerpiece of the ... More Stunning beadwork from South Africa tells a luminous story of independence and memoryMANCHESTER, NH.- The Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, New Hampshire presents Ubuhle Women: Beadwork and the Art of Independence, an exhibition which opened Saturday, March 23, 2019. This distinctive beadwork was created by a community of women from South Africa. The works combine traditional images with striking contemporary design while expressing social issues and personal memories of the artists. The artistic workshop is called Ubuhle (uh-boo-klay), which means beauty in the Xhosa and Zulu languages. The term evokes the shimmering quality of light on the glass beads that make up the works. Founded in 1999, Ubuhle fosters the womens creativity, markets their art, and ensures their social and financial independence. The artists each work in their own unique style, directly from the soul, in the words of founding artist Ntombephi ... More Koopman Rare Art reports buoyant sales at TEFAF Maastricht 2019LONDON.- Irrespective of any turbulent political situations or events that might be taking place around the world, Lewis Smith, Director of Koopman Rare Art, reported that it was business as usual at TEFAF Maastricht 2019. Koopman Rare Art has had a very positive TEFAF Maastricht 2019. Not only are we delighted with the number of sales achieved at all levels we have been encouraged by the interest shown in the superlative antique silver on display. Attendance was strong, with buyers from Europe, the USA and small percentage from Asia. Many regular customers made the journey to Maastricht and it is clear they remain passionate about antique silver, which bodes well for the future. On balance the mood was generally upbeat and people seemed keen to buy works of art across the board, although there was a slight hesitance to commit in the medium ... More Collector and dealer confidence precipitates sales throughout TEFAF Maastricht 2019HELVOIRT.- Confidence shone through at the refreshed TEFAF Maastricht 2019, which ran from the 16th 24th March with Early Access Day on the 14th March and Preview Day on 15th March. Sales were reported from the opening hours of the Early Access Day and continued throughout the Fair, with works going to private and institutional collectors from around the world. TEFAF Maastricht, the worlds leading art Fair, continues to act as a beacon for the art market, welcoming around 70,000 visitors during the course of the Fair. Paul Smeets, Chairman of Paintings, said, the introduction of a new selection protocol and changing the composition of the vetting committees to include only museum curators and academics, has introduced a fresh rigour to TEFAF Maastricht, which has had a marked impact on the look and feel of this years Fair. As ... More Hollywood's James Gray to direct first opera in ParisPARIS (AFP).- Hollywood director James Gray is to stage his first opera in Paris in November. The maker of "The Yards", "Little Odessa" and "the Immigrant" is to direct Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro" at the Theatre des Champs-Elysees. French fashion designer Christian Lacroix will do the costumes for the starry production. The theatre's director Michel Franck said it took him more than a year to convince New Yorker Gray to come on board. "He is one of my favourite film directors and I read that opera was his passion and that he is always listening to it on his earphones," Franck told AFP. "I was hugely impressed by his knowledge of the repertoire when I met him," he added. "He is capable of singing whole passages from Janacek's 'From the House of the Dead' -- and not just from 'La Traviata' and 'Carmen'." Gray is planning a modern-dress production set in ... More Oil painting by James McNeil Whistler will headline Woodshed Art Auctions saleFRANKLIN, MASS.- An exclusive selection of antique and modern paintings and drawings, to include a rare figural oil painting by the renowned American artist James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903), titled Peasant Woman (1880), will be offered in a 51st Anniversary Art Auction planned for Thursday, April 4th, by Woodshed Art Auctions, starting at 5:30 pm Eastern time. The auction commemorates Woodshed Art Auctions 51st year in business (Woodshed Gallery was founded in 1968). It will be held online and live in the 500 Gallery, at 475 Franklin Village Drive in Franklin. People can register and bid now, at www.woodshedartauctions.com. Previews will be held Wednesdays-thru-Fridays from 10-5, and Saturdays from 10-3, on up to auction day. Our 51st anniversary catalogue reflects a range of styles and art movements that dominated American and ... More Erdogan moots renaming Istanbul's Hagia Sophia a mosqueANKARA (AFP).- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday mooted the possibility of renaming Istanbul's Hagia Sofia museum as a mosque, in comments during a television interview. Asked whether the entrance fee to the city landmark might be waived, he said: "It's not impossible... but we would not do it under the name 'museum' but 'Hagia Sophia mosque'." He added: "Tourists come and go at the Blue Mosque. Do they pay anything? ... Well, we will do the same with the Hagia Sofia." Erdogan, who is a former mayor of Istanbul, is campaigning for votes for his Justice and Development Party (AKP) ahead of municipal elections on March 31. The former church and mosque, now a museum, often sparks tensions between Christians and Muslims over Islamic activities held there including the reading of verses from the Koran or collective prayers. ... More |
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Flashback On a day like today, Iranian visual artist Shirin Neshat was born March 26, 1957. Shirin Neshat (born 1957) is an Iranian visual artist who lives in New York City, known primarily for her work in film, video and photography. Her artwork centers on the contrasts between Islam and the West, femininity and masculinity, public life and private life, antiquity and modernity, and bridging the spaces between these subjects. In this image: Shirin Neshat, From "Looking For Oum Kulthum" series (2017) © Shirin Neshat.
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