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Notre-Dame's square closed over lead pollution risks
PARIS (AFP).- The square in front of Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris has been closed to the public after tests again revealed high concentrations of toxic lead particles, the Paris police department said Tuesday. The fire that ravaged the 13th-century monument two years ago melted some 300 tonnes of lead panelling in the roof, spewing the metal across large swathes of the city. Exposure risks prompted authorities to forbid access to several areas and even some schools during extensive clean-up operations, with blood tests urged for children and pregnant women. The square was reopened a few weeks after the fire, with officials promising regular testing of the site. "Results from the most recent tests showed lead dust concentrations higher than the normal levels for Paris at certain points in the square," the police department said in a statement. ... More

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts recipient of major decorative arts endowment
RICHMOND, VA.- The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts announced today the establishment of a significant endowment, the Elizabeth Locke Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts Fund, created by jewelry designer Elizabeth Locke and husband, John Staelin. This endowment marks the couples single largest gift to VMFA to date. "Elizabeth and John are longtime supporters of VMFA, having previously contributed to the Change Capital Campaign, which supported the implementation of the museum's strategic plan, and several exhibitions, said Alex Nyerges, VMFAs Director and CEO. Their generous gift is a major investment in the museums decorative arts department and will fund an important new position title at the museum the Elizabeth Locke Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts. We have always been fascinated ... More

Exhibition at Galerie Gmurzynska presents an immersive homage to Zaha Hadid
ZURICH.- Dame Zaha Hadid passed away in Miami on March 31, 2016 at the age of 65. On the 5th Anniversary of her death, Galerie Gmurzynska presents an immersive homage to the visionary Architect. The shared interests between the gallery and Zaha Hadid for the Russian avant-garde fortuitously crossed paths in 1992 at the monumental exhibition The Great Utopia, at the Guggenheim Museum for which Zaha Hadid designed the rotunda the first architect tasked with reimagining the Frank Lloyd Wright architectural icon. From early in her career, her peerless aesthetic was deeply inspired by Kazimir Malevich and the Suprematists, on whom she prepared her graduation thesis in 1976. The gallerys active collaboration with Zaha Hadid from 2010 until her death began with the idea to again combine her knowledge of the Russian ... More

Exhibition brings together 30 contemporary Belgian artists around a single medium: Textile
MONS.- A large exhibition bringing together exclusively Belgian artists opened its doors at the Old Slaughterhouses of Mons, TextilitÃ©s. Initiated by BeCraft, in collaboration with the City of Mons and Les Drapiers, and curated by Denise Biernaux, the exhibition brings together 30 contemporary Belgian artists around a single medium, textile. With more than 60 works, ranging from specific productions to recent and old works, TextilitÃ©s offers a wide panorama of contemporary Belgian creation. The exhibition aims to foster the exploration of the concept, the meaning and the pertinence of textiles, the relationship between materials and forces, thereby upholding a form of textility. To illustrate the subject, the works have been selected among artists living in Belgium for whom textiles is one of their driving forces, and where vital creative energy ... More

Exhibition at Hauser & Wirth brings together 20 significant works by Tetsumi Kudo
NEW YORK, NY.- In a wide-ranging practice spanning four decades, postwar Japanese artist Tetsumi Kudo (1935 1990) explored the effects of mass consumerism, the rise of technology, and ecological degradation on post-war society through satirical, critical, elaborately detailed and meticulously constructed environments that continue to exert a powerful influence on artists today. Tetsumi Kudo. Metamorphosis, the artists first exhibition at Hauser & Wirth New York, focuses upon the late artists idea of metamorphosis which emphasizes the need for personal and collective spiritual evolution beyond the values of Western Humanism, which he believed caused war, racism, and colonialism, and alienated people from the natural environment. Tetsumi Kudo: Metamorphosis, brings together 20 significant works created in the decade following ... More

Jeffery C. Becton will be featured guest in "Talking Art in Maine: Intimate Conversations"
DAMARISCOTTA, ME.- Jeffery C. Becton, renowned pioneer in the field of digital montage photography, will join a host of prominent Maine artists, curators, and scholars who have been past guests of the ongoing series, Talking Art in Maine: Intimate Conversations, when he joins moderator Jane Dahmen onstage at the Lincoln Theatre. Event is scheduled to commence on Thursday, May 20th, at 7:00pm for a live, hourlong program at the historic Lincoln Theatre. Becton, who has made his year round home and studio in Deer Isle, Maine since 1984, has been on the forefront of the digital revolution since the 1970s when he was a graduate student in the Graphics Design program at Yale University. Described by one art critic as perhaps the best colorist in the history of Maine art in any medium, Bectons work has been shown extensively ... More

One hundred books famous in typography on view at The Grolier Club
NEW YORK, NY.- In 1902 the Grolier Club mounted an exhibition entitled One Hundred Books Famous in English Literature. The exhibition and its accompanying catalogue were a major success. To this day people refer to books distinguished by inclusion in that show as milestones in the history of writing in English. The show spawned a series of Grolier Hundred surveys, including books famous in early American literature, science, medicine, twentieth century fine printing, and childrens literature. Each of these compilations has become a key reference in their respective fields. In May of this year the Grolier Club is hosting One Hundred Books Famous in Typography, a most fitting addition to the venerable list of Grolier Hundreds. The Groliers mission is to foster the study, collecting, and appreciation of books their art, history, production, ... More

What is an everyday ballerina? A luminous new memoir tells all.
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Gavin Larsen said she first felt like a writer in 2015 at an artists residency in New Mexico. She was there not as a dancer, but to work on a book about her dancing career. And she was surrounded by musicians, writers and visual artists who didnt know a thing about ballet. They were full of questions, she said. And thats when I really was like, Oh, my gosh: People are interested in ballet who are not ballet dancers. In Being a Ballerina: The Power and Perfection of a Dancing Life (University Press of Florida), Larsen puts that theory to the test. Her poignant book, told in first and third person, is both a personal account and a universal take on the life of a professional ballet dancer. Its not what you might have gleaned from the horror film Black Swan or the recent sex-and-drug fueled series Tiny Pretty ... More

Third time lucky? The West End reopens, hoping it's for good.
LONDON (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- At 8:30 p.m. Monday, two friends were huddling outside St. Martins Theater, in the city's West End, doing something no one has for 14 months: arguing during the intermission over who was the murderer in The Mousetrap, Agatha Christies long-running whodunit. Im convinced its the posh woman who runs the hotel, said Lockie Chapman, a 40-year-old singer, before immediately changing his mind. Actually, its the major! he said. Or how about that shifty Italian dude? The shifty Italian dude? replied Rah Petherbridge, 37. But he could be a red herring! Such debates have rung out outside the The Mousetrap ever since its debut in 1952, but those accompanying the shows 28,200th performance Monday were significant. They marked the reopening of the West End. Since March 2020, when ... More

Nye & Company announces highlights included in the Estate Treasures Auction
BLOOMFIELD, NJ.- Nye & Company Auctioneers two-day, online Estate Treasures auction, slated for Wednesday and Thursday, June 2nd and 3rd at 10 am Eastern time both days, is sure to delight collectors, designers, dealers and institutions alike. The catalog includes an exceptionally strong selection of blue-chip artists names and a large selection of both traditional and modern furniture, rugs and lighting from private New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Long Island households. The fine art is quite diverse in its scope and breadth and ranges from the 17th century through the 21st century. There is an extraordinary group of paintings from a private East Coast collection. Highlights include a terrific watercolor and ink drawing of a Venetian canal scene signed by Francesco Lazzaro Guardi (Italian, 1712-1793). ... More

Civil War revolver coming to Heritage Arms & Armor Auction
DALLAS, TX.- A rare Confederate revolver, one of only about 1,000 of its kind, will find a new home when it is sold in Heritage Auctions Arms & Armor, Civil War & Militaria Signature Auction June 6. The Scarce Confederate Rigdon, Ansley & Co. C.S.A. Single Action Revolver (estimate: $20,000-30,000) is a rare Confederate revolver made by Charles H. Rigdon after the Leech & Rigdon firm was disbanded, according to research. The .36 caliber firearm features a 7-1/2-inch octagonal/round barrel with fixed front sight and a blued finish; the 12-stop cylinder was copied from Manhattan Arms. Co. Its a Confederate revolver, which are always scarce and highly collectible, Heritage Auctions Historical Consignment Director David Carde said. This comes from the mid-1860s, toward the end of the Civil War, which also was the time when Rigdon separated from Leech & ... More