| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net |   | Established in 1996 | Wednesday, May 6, 2020 |
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| | British Museum and Border Force crack down on market in faked antiquities | |
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The archaeological police of the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage in Baghdad seize antiquities, as featured in Iraqi media.
LONDON.- The British Museum and Border Force have worked together on a case which highlights a side of the trade in antiquities which is rarely discussed: objects which are faked to appear as the genuine article. On 1 July 2019 two metal trunks were opened at Heathrow airport after catching the attention of an eagle-eyed Border Force officer. They were consigned from Bahrain to a private address in the UK. The trunks were found to be completely filled with as many as 190 clay tablets covered in cuneiform script, fired clay figurines, cylinder seals and rather unusual and imaginative animal-shaped pots. All were individually packaged in bubble-wrap and parcel tape. Photographs of a selection were immediately taken and sent to the British Museum, rapidly followed by the objects themselves for closer expert identification. At the Museum, experts in the Department of the Middle East examined the photographs and objects. Suspicions arose al ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day Artemis Gallery's America's Frontier | Ethnographic | Ancient sale on Thursday, May 07, 2020 9:00 AM CDT features historical examples from the American, Spanish, and Mexican frontiers, as well as Pre-Columbian, Ethnographic, Spanish Colonial, Fossils, Asian, Classical Antiquities and Fine Art. In this image: 18th C. New Mexican Leather Petaca / Traveling Trunk. Est: $8,000 - $12,000.
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 | | First dictionary editor thought term 'anti-Semite' would have no use | | Self-taught artist wins BP Portrait Award 2020 | | Arts groups fight their insurers over coverage on virus losses | 
Archivist at the National Library of Israel Rachel Misrati displays a letter dated 1900 by Oxford English Dictionary editor James Murray, at the library premises in Jerusalem on February 27, 2020. MENAHEM KAHANA / AFP.
by Jonah Mandel
JERUSALEM (AFP).- A short-lived term unlikely to have use in the future: that was how the first editor of the Oxford English Dictionary viewed "anti-Semite", recently uncovered archival documents show. Celebrated British lexicographer James Murray, who with his team began working on the first OED in 1879, planned several dedicated entries of words beginning with the pre-fix "anti". But when a prominent member of Britain's Jewish community, Claude Montefiore, learnt that "anti-Semite" and its derivative terms would not have an entry, he wrote to Murray expressing concern. Murray replied to ... More | | 
Night Talk by Jiab Prachakul, 2019 (detail) © Jiab Prachakul.
LONDON.- Jiab Prachakul has won the prestigious first prize in the BP Portrait Award 2020 it was announced today, Tuesday 5 May, on the National Portrait Gallerys social media channels. Prachakuls winning portrait, Night Talk, which depicts her close friends in a bar in Berlin, is displayed in the BP Portrait Award 2020 exhibition, which has opened online on the National Portrait Gallerys website, while the Gallery in London is temporarily closed due to the current Coronavirus pandemic. The winning portrait was selected from 1,981 entries from 69 countries. The judges thought the work was an evocative portrait of a fleeting moment in time, giving us a glimpse into someone elses life that is beautiful, mysterious and alive. It is loosely painted and the bold composition makes clever use of contrasting shapes. Prachakul wins £35,000 and ... More | | 
A performance at the Chocolate Factory Theater in New York on Feb. 18, 2018. Julieta Cervantes/The New York Times.
by Julia Jacobs
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- When it became clear in March that the coronavirus pandemic was likely to decimate the cultural world, anxious arts administrators began to pull out thick binders and call their agents to help them interpret the jargon inside. At least they had insurance. The Dance Theater of Harlem quickly filed a claim, arguing that New Yorks shutdown of nonessential businesses had halted the companys revenue stream. There could be no after-school ballet classes, no cross-country tour for its dance company and certainly no 50th-anniversary gala with tickets starting at $1,500. In Brooklyn, a small experimental performance venue called Jack reported its losses to its ... More |
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| | Vienna Museum gathers pandemic-related artefacts | | Original Bob Dylan lyrics to be offered for auction at Sotheby's | | Hindman to host a week of spring fine art auctions this month | 
Some 1,800 photos of masks, signs and other objects have been received since the Vienna Museum launched its appeal. Photo: Knut Neumayer.
VIENNA (AFP).- Vienna's museum of city history said Tuesday an appeal to submit photos of everyday objects to document the coronavirus pandemic for future generations had so far drawn hundreds of submissions. Some 1,800 photos of masks, signs and other objects have been received since the Vienna Museum launched its appeal on March 25, spokeswoman Konstanze Schaefer said. "We want to see how we tell our children, or our children's children, what happened in Vienna because of course this is a big moment for all of us," Schaefer told AFP. "We must call for this now... A lot of the projects that came into existence in the beginning (of the crisis), such as neighbourhood aid initiatives, don't exist anymore," she said. Some 200 photos of submissions received have been put up on the museum's website.They include a photo of a discarded blue rubber glove, ... More | | 
Bob Dylan, typescript and manuscript lyrics, 1966. Est. £12,000-15,000. Courtesy Sothebys.
NEW YORK, NY.- This rare working manuscript takes us back to Nashville in the early months of 1966, when Bob Dylan, at the height of his powers, was writing his seventh studio album, Blonde on Blonde. Here we see the outpouring of fevered creativity that lay behind the classic album, as he penned out ideas for Most Likely You Go Your Way in four typed lines of text at the bottom of the page:you say disturb me & you dont deserve ǀ well honey sometimes you lie ǀ you say youre sorry
ǀ well Ill go at last
let you pass. It was these lines which formed the kernel from which Most Likely grew, with the page being then filled with another 11 lines of handwritten lyrics as Dylan developed the song. The combination of typescript and manuscript is typical of Dylan's mid-60s drafts. Most Likely was to become one of the albums most memorable songs and a stalwart of Dylan's live performances, most notably ... More | | 
Gladys Nilsson, American, b. 1940. Gr-Apes, 1972. Acrylic on canvas, signed Gladys Nilsson, titled and dated (verso), 28 x 22 inches. Estimate: $30,000.00 - $50,000.00.
CHICAGO, IL.- Hindman will continue to host remote auctions in the month of May with a week-long line up of Fine Art and Design auctions, beginning May 19. Hindmans Post War and Contemporary Art, Prints and Photographs, American and European Art, Modern Design and Early 20th Century Design auctions will collectively offer almost 600 lots of fine art and design. This exciting week of sales will include a selection of highly curated material with works from top artists and designers. One of the most important collections being offered during this week of Art and Design is the Collection of Norene Goldstein, Chicago, Illinois. This carefully curated selection, with works spanning all three Fine Art sales, illustrates this exceptional and well-rounded collection. Among the highlights are Robert Longos diptych, ... More |
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| | Sotheby's opens first-ever online day sales of Contemporary and Impressionist & Modern art | | Phillips Asia launches its first ever cross-category online auction 20-28 May | | Nationalmuseum Sweden acquires Jean Baptiste Oudry's Views from Arcueil | 
Brice Marden, Window Study No.4. Signed, titled and dated 1985 on the reverse, oil on canvas, 24 by 18 in; 61 by 45.7 cm. Estimate $700/900,000. Courtesy Sothebys.
NEW YORK, NY.- Sothebys has opened bidding on their first-ever Online Day Sales of Contemporary Art and Impressionist & Modern Art. The auctions close on 14 and 18 May, respectively. Together offering 250+ lots that are estimated to achieve more than $20 million, these sales represent Sothebys most ambitious online auctions to-date. With 60+ works estimated at $100,000 and above, they are poised to accelerate the strong momentum behind its successful online sales program during a major moment in the traditional global auction calendar. Sothebys has raised $70+ million across 40+ online sales to-date in 2020, setting numerous benchmark results across both fine art and luxury goods. Amy Cappellazzo, Chairman of Sothebys Fine Art Division, commented: Throughout this unprecedented moment, collectors worldwide have enthusiastically participated in our online sales, demonstrating the continued ... More | | 
Katherine Bernhardt, Fake Love, 2019. Estimate: HK$ 300,000 - 400,000. Image courtesy of Phillips.
HONG KONG.- Phillips announced REFRESH:RELOAD, the first ever cross-category online-only auction assembled by its Asia team featuring a mix of collecting categories - spanning contemporary art, watches and jewellery. REFRESH:RELOAD reflects the fast-changing landscape of our age. We live in unprecedented times, and disruption provides an opportunity to reimagine what is normal a chance to opt for a soft refresh or hard reload. Our global Spring calendar this year is made up entirely of online-only sales and we have seen strong participation already, said Delissa Handoko, Head of Online Sales, Hong Kong, Phillips. At Phillips we have also seen a great deal of cross-category collecting, and as collectors tastes continue to evolve globally, we are excited to present this online-only sale. Curated in two complementary parts: REFRESH embodies a more romantic and lighthearted aestheti ... More | | 
Jean-Baptiste Oudry, View of the Bosquet in the Garden of Arcueil with Promenade and Garden Shed, 17441747 (detail). NMH 46/2018.
STOCKHOLM.- Nationalmuseum has acquired two drawings with views from the garden and park of Arcueil by the French Rococo master Jean-Baptiste Oudry. The drawings depict a geometrically landscaped garden with elements of a freer park in a state of picturesque decay. The artist presents both immediate visual impressions and more artfully elaborated ones. This type of landscape had previously been completely lacking from the museum's large collection of works by Oudry. Jean-Baptiste Oudry (16861755) has become known as one of the foremost artists of the French Rococo style. He began as a portrait painter but soon came to specialise in still life painting. His close friends and clients included the Swede Carl Gustaf Tessin, which is also why Nationalmuseum has so many works by the artist in its collection. Oudrys activities as a landscape painter are somewhat less known. At times, he is even said to have used a camera obscura in th ... More |
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| | For artists in need, a new coalition brings $11.6 million in speedy relief | | Liu Shouxiang, champion of watercolor in China, dies at 61 | | Artists launch 'Mask Fashion Week' in Lithuania | 
The writer Anne Finger, who received a $5,000 grant from Artist Relief Fund, in Emeryville, Calif., April 29, 2020. Jim Wilson/The New York Times.
by Jillian Steinhauer
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Anne Finger is a writer of fiction and nonfiction who, like many others in her field, cant rely on income from her creative work alone. A polio survivor and wheelchair user, Finger bought her loft in Oakland, California, 22 years ago with the idea that it would serve as a steady financial source. She rents out the space for photo and video shoots and also began listing her sons former bedroom on Airbnb once he moved out. My idea was that my loft was going to support me for the rest of my life, she said. The arrival of COVID-19 disrupted that plan. All her rental activity has stopped, and even if it were to start up again soon, Finger, 68, who recently battled pneumonia, would not feel comfortable letting anyone into her home. Im high risk, so Im kind of imagining that Im going to be sheltering in place for a long time, said the writer, who has spent decades ... More | | 
The Hubei Institute of Fine Arts in Wuhan, where Liu had taught for years before retiring in 2018, announced the death. It said the cause was the coronavirus.
by Raymond Zhong
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Liu Shouxiang, a teacher and painter of watercolor in China who spent decades championing the form, which is often overshadowed by oil painting and traditional Chinese ink painting, died Feb. 13 at Jinyintan Hospital in Wuhan. He was 61. The Hubei Institute of Fine Arts in Wuhan, where Liu had taught for years before retiring in 2018, announced the death. It said the cause was the coronavirus. At Chinas top art schools, four disciplines traditionally dominate: oil painting, Chinese painting, printmaking and sculpture. As in the West, watercolor is more associated with hobbyist painters and scientific illustrations than with high art. Liu helped change that. After graduating in 1981 with a teaching degree from the Hubei Art Academy, which later became the Hubei Institute of Fine Arts, he stayed on to teach. In 1987, he helped set ... More | | 
Spearheading the initiative, designer Julia Janus said she hoped it would "encourage creativity" as well as compliance with orders to wear masks in public to help stem coronavirus infections.
VILNIUS (AFP).- Artists in Lithuania invited residents of the capital Vilnius to a "Mask Fashion Week" on Tuesday, encouraging them to have fun wearing the now-mandatory facial accessory. Spearheading the initiative, designer Julia Janus said she hoped it would "encourage creativity" as well as compliance with orders to wear masks in public to help stem coronavirus infections. "This is the first Mask Fashion Week in the world," Janus told reporters after a symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony to launch the event. "I hope that it will also be the last, but who knows." More than 20 billboards dotted around the city feature posters of artists wearing their own uniquely styled masks. Each is captioned "Creativity Cannot be Masked". Painted with pursed red lips or toothy grins, some masks are intended to draw laughs while others aim to impress with elegant embroidery, pearls and lace or tailored finishes that match a business suit. ... More |
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 Important Edison patent archive will be auctioned online, May 14thCORAL GABLES, FLA.- An important collection of 37 original British patent letters pertaining to Thomas Edisons invention of the light bulb and the birth of incandescent lighting, dating from 1878 to 1884, is the expected headliner in an Internet-only auction ending May 14th at 8 pm Eastern time by One of a Kind Collectibles. Bidding is open now, at www.OAKauctions.com. The historical significance of Edisons inventions, and the 37-patent archive that documents their development in Europe, cannot be overstated. The man who said that genius was one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration saw his sweat pay off handsomely, as all of humankind was pulled out of the nighttime darkness and into increased productivity, albeit a little less sleep. This is one of the most historic science archives to ever come to market, representing the very dawn of electric ... More Star-narrated 'Harry Potter' book streaming for freeNEW YORK (AFP).- Spotify and author JK Rowling on Tuesday announced the release of free weekly recordings narrated by celebrities of the first book in the wildly popular "Harry Potter" series. To help children -- and perhaps adults -- cope with confinement measures, Daniel Radcliffe, the actor who played the beloved wizard character in the books' cinematic renditions, voiced the first chapter of the series' premiere novel, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerers' Stone." He will be joined by a coterie stars including soccer legend David Beckham along with actors Stephen Fry and Dakota Fanning, who will lend their voices to the book's subsequent chapters. All 17 chapters will be out by mid-summer, Spotify said, and the recordings will be available cost-free on the music platform, which recently began making strides in the audio book and podcast realms. ... More Locked down Paris Opera facing 40 million-euro lossesPARIS (AFP).- Paris Opera is looking at losses of 40 million euros ($43 million) this year, its director warned Tuesday, and may not reopen until 2021. Europe's biggest opera and ballet company was hit by a catastrophic strike over pensions reform earlier this year before the coronavirus brought the curtain down again in March. Director Stephane Lissner told French public radio that if social distancing rules in France were not lifted before September, it might make more sense for its two opera houses to stay closed for building work which had been planned for later in 2021. France's social distancing guidelines for theatres insist on audience members being masked and seated two metres (6.5 feet) apart -- but that is "impractical", said Lissner. "It is just not workable," he said of the recommendations, which require two empty seats around each audience member. "How ... More Museum of London Docklands releases rare images from collection to commemorate VE DayLONDON.- The East End played a significant role in World War II and visitors to the Museum of London Docklands can usually explore this astonishing history from the first night of the Blitz to the devastation that was left in its wake. However, with the doors to the museum physically closed, the Museum of London Docklands are now releasing a number of images from its Docklands at War gallery to commemorate VE Day on Friday 8 May along with additional exclusive content from the collection rarely on display for visitors to honour the day from home. These images show the scale of the damage and destruction caused to Londons docks but also the remarkable contribution to the war effort by the people who lived and worked in the area. During World War II, the dockyards and riverside factories in the East End of London played a significant ... More Virus could keep theatres shut for a year, producers warnPARIS (AFP).- To reopen, or not to reopen with social distancing? That is the question haunting theatres and cinemas that were shuttered overnight by coronavirus lockdowns. Theatrical impresario Cameron Mackintosh, the legendary British producer behind a half century of hit shows from "Cats" to "Hamilton", said it could be next year before the lights go back on in New York's Broadway and London's West End. With British actor Stephen Fry warning that it could be as far off as next April, Mackintosh said it was impossible for theatres to open their doors again while social distancing measures were still in force. With some out-of-work actors and musicians on Broadway telling AFP that were considering changing careers, French star Isabelle Adjani said Tuesday it would be curtains unless governments "declare a cultural emergency". "We are going ... More Streaming plays give big-name actors a chance to give backNEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- It doesnt look like Broadway is going to reopen any time soon. So one producer has decided to start making shows online. Jeffrey Richards, who has been working on Broadway for 47 years, is planning to stream a series of starry play readings, starting Thursday, to keep making art and to raise money for charity. The Spotlight on Plays project is similar to some being undertaken by nonprofits while theaters around the country are shuttered, but it stands out as a venture by a commercial producer active on Broadway. The one-night events, benefiting the Actors Fund, are to start at 8 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday with November, a 2008 David Mamet comedy about an unpopular president seeking reelection, starring John Malkovich and Patti LuPone and directed by Mamet. It will be followed, May 14, by Significant ... More Kennedy Center cancels performances through AugustNEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Amid continued coronavirus concerns and following a contentious debate over its funding the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Monday postponed or canceled all live events through Aug. 9, including a summer production of Hamilton. The Kennedy Center, a cultural mainstay in Washington and home to the National Symphony Orchestra and the Washington National Opera, had already canceled performances through May 22. With nearly three more months of suspended programming, the center said on Monday that in total, since it first closed on March 13, more than 1,000 events and performances have been postponed or canceled. The Kennedy Center was the focus of partisan scrutiny after the governments $2 trillion stimulus package including $25 million for the center was ... More Jazz musician plays gigs from DC house -- mid-renovationWASHINGTON (AFP).- Jazz harmonica player Frederic Yonnet was gearing up for a tour of the United States. But when the coronavirus shattered his plans for live national performances, he pivoted to something more local. Every Sunday, in a half-remodeled house and surrounded by plastic to maintain social distancing, Yonnet and his four-piece band entertain residents and onlookers strolling through Washington's colorful Capitol Hill neighborhood, just a few blocks from the Capitol building itself. "When the confinement was declared, I felt like I was in a hamster wheel," Yonnet, 47, told AFP. His need to keep playing led him to set up musical equipment in a house he is renovating. The harmonicist was born in Normandy, France but has lived in the US for the past 20 years. He has played with legends such as Prince and Stevie Wonder and even ... More Polish Chopin contest delayed until 2021 over virusWARSAW (AFP).- Poland's Chopin competition, which has launched the careers of renowned pianists, has been postponed until next year because of the coronavirus pandemic, organisers said Monday. The autumn competition that draws contestants from around the world once every five years will take place at the Warsaw Philharmonic from October 2 to 23 in 2021, organisers said on the official webiste. They added that the list of pianists already accepted for the preliminary round "will remain the same. All the tickets purchased for the sold-out event remain valid." A total of 164 pianists from more than 30 countries are to compete in the preliminary round in Warsaw, with 80 to be selected to perform in the subsequent round. Since it began in 1927, the competition named after the composer Frederic Chopin has opened doors for the winners to play ... More Yilmaz Dziewior appointed curator of the German contribution to the 2021 Venice BiennaleCOLOGNE.- Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has appointed Dr. Yilmaz Dziewior, director of the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, as curator of the official German contribution to the fifty-ninth Venice Biennale in 2021. The appointment is based on a recommendation by the Art and Exhibitions Committee of the German Federal Foreign Office, which includes leading experts on art and museums. Foreign Minister Maas stated today in Berlin: Yilmaz Dziewior is an outstanding curator and expert on museums. As the current director of the Museum Ludwig in Cologne as well as before as director of the Kunstverein in Hamburg, Mr. Dziewior has demonstrated his great understanding of art as well as his ability to successfully manage large projects. So I am particularly delighted that Mr. Dziewior is taking on the role of curator, and I wish him every possible ... More |
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Flashback On a day like today, German-Swiss painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner was born May 06, 1880. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (6 May 1880 - 15 June 1938) was a German expressionist painter and printmaker and one of the founders of the artists group Die Brücke or "The Bridge", a key group leading to the foundation of Expressionism in 20th-century art. In this image: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (German, 1880-1938), Women on the Street (Frauen auf der StraÃe). 1915. Oil on canvas. 49 5/8 x 35 7/16" (126 x 90 cm). Von der Heydt-Museum, Wuppertal, Germany. Photograph by Peter Frese. © Ingeborg and Dr. Wolfgang Henze-Ketterer, Wichtrach/Bern.
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