| The First Art Newspaper on the Net |   | Established in 1996 | Wednesday, May 24, 2017 |
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| | King Tutankhamun's bed, chariot paraded through Cairo to new home | |
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A picture taken on May 23, 2017 shows the chariot of the ancient Egyptian boy-king Tutankhamun while it is being transferred from the Egyptian Museum in the centre of the capital Cairo to the newly-constructed Grand Egyptian Museum on the city's outskirts near the Pyramids. The Grand Egyptian Museum had been scheduled to open in 2015, but construction has lagged as expenses mounted to more than $1 billion. It is now scheduled to open partially in 2018, housing more than 100,000 relics including the 4,500 pieces of Tutankhamun's treasure discovered in 1922 in the southern Valley of the Kings in Luxor. The young pharaoh's mummy, however, will remain in his tomb as it is too fragile to transport. MOHAMED EL-SHAHED / AFP.
by Maram Mazen
CAIRO (AFP).- The first of the many wondrous artefacts found in Egyptian boy king Tutankhamun's tomb were transported carefully through Cairo's streets on Tuesday to their new home near the Giza Pyramids. The still unfinished new Grand Egyptian Museum at the foot of the pyramids will eventually house the collections of the current brimming museum in the city's Tahrir Square. A gilded bed and a funeral chariot from Tutankhamun's tomb -- discovered by British archaeologist Howard Carter in 1922 -- were transferred on Tuesday, well packed in wooden containers complete with materials to protect them from both heat and vibration. Two trucks bearing the ancient treasures pulled up at the new Grand Egyptian Museum shortly before 1600 GMT, escorted by police vehicles. ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day As a part of their museum grant and gifting program, Eli Wilner and Company offered to restore original period frames or create period frame replicas for artworks in the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Seattle Art Museum. The painting selected by the Guggenheim's curatorial and conservation staff to be reframed, Vincent van Gogh's Landscape with Snow. The profile of the frame was carefully determined to appropriately match the scale of the painting, and, at the request of the museum, the surface was slightly distressed and the sight edge of the frame was subtly gilded.
| Artcurial announces highlights from its Impressionist & Modern Art Sale | | Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum doubles reward to $10 million for return of art stolen in 1990 | | Centre Pompidou Metz opens retrospective of the work of Fernand Léger | 
Aristide Maillol, Printemps sans bras, 1911, bronze with antic green patina, estimate: 350,000 450,000 /$385,000 495,000
PARIS.- While this year celebrates the centenary of Auguste Rodins death (1840-1917), the prestigious Impressionist and modern art auctions held on the 30th and 31st May will include Andromède, a rare marble sculpture with an extraordinary history. Remaining within the same family since its creation in 1887, art historians had lost its trace as years passed. 130 years after its creation, the Arcurial teams located it in Madrid! The auction will also include important impressionist works including a Camille Pissarro oil on canvas, Effet de neige à Eragny, alongside postimpressionist paintings by Pierre Bonnard and Ker-Xavier Roussel and sculptures by Aristide Maillol. Artists Joan Miró, Marie Laurencin and Georges Buffet will complement this set. Furthermore, an ensemble of canvases, drawings and aquarelles by Raoul Dufy, André Lhote and Marcel ... More | | 
Johannes Vermeer, The Concert, about 1665, oil on canvas. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston.
BOSTON, MASS.- The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museums Board of Trustees announced today that it is doubling its reward from $5 million to $10 million for information leading to the return of 13 works of art stolen from the Museum in 1990. The increased offer is available immediately and expires at midnight on December 31, 2017. The reward is fully backed by the Museum and its Board of Trustees. These works of art were purchased by Isabella Stewart Gardner for the education and enjoyment of the public forever, said Steve Kidder, President of the Gardner Museums Board. It is our fervent hope that by increasing the reward, our resolve is clear that we want the safe return of the works to their rightful place and back in public view. In 1997, the Museum increased its offer from $1 million to $5 million for information leading to the return of the art, making it the largest ... More | | 
Fernand Léger, Le Balustre, 1925. Huile sur toile, 129,5 x 97,2 cm MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), New York © 2017. Digital image, The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Florence © Adagp, Paris, 2017.
METZ.- Painter of the city who bore witness to the changes taking place in his own epoch, Fernand Léger is one of the most celebrated figures of modernity. From cubism to his commitment to communism, Légers painting remains associated with a vision of humanity transfigured by the machine and mass production. However, over and above these powerful images, his work is at one and the same time diverse and coherent, free from categories and from movements. Beauty is not codified or classified, beauty is all around, in the order of a set of saucepans on the white wall of a kitchen as well as in a museum ( L'Esthétique de la machine, l'ordre géométrique et le vrai, 1923). Fernand Légers catchphrase rings out like a hymn to the freedom of observation, refusing any conventional taste or established ... More |
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| James Bond star Roger Moore dead at 89 | | Eli Wilner and Company gifts frames and frame restorations to three major museums | | $15 million Rockwell tops Sotheby's American Art Auction | 
This file photo taken on August 16, 1984 shows British actor, Roger Moore during the shooting of the film series "James Bond", "A view to kill", in Chantilly. STAFF / AFP.
LONDON (AFP).- British actor Roger Moore, who played James Bond for more than two decades with a suave wit, died Tuesday aged 89, drawing tributes for his portrayal of the womanising super-spy, and for his charity work. "It is with a heavy heart that we must announce our loving father, Sir Roger Moore, has passed away today in Switzerland after a short but brave battle with cancer," his children said in a statement on Twitter. "We are all devastated," Deborah, Geoffrey and Christian said. "Thank you Pops for being you, and for being so very special to so many people." Moore shot to fame as the smooth-talking adventurer Simon Templar in British television show "The Saint" in the 1960s, and also starred alongside Tony Curtis in "The Persuaders" in the 1970s. But it was not until 1973, at the age of 45, that he won the role that would come to define him, as Ian Fleming's fictional secret agent ... More | | 
Thomas P. Anshutz, The Tanagra, 1909, oil on canvas, collection of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, with a period frame restored by Eli Wilner and Company.
NEW YORK, NY.- As a part of their museum grant and gifting program, Eli Wilner and Company offered to restore original period frames or create period frame replicas for artworks in the collections of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and the Seattle Art Museum. The painting selected by the Guggenheims curatorial and conservation staff to be reframed, Vincent van Goghs Landscape with Snow, is a serene depiction of Arles in mid-February, 1888, in which Van Gogh beautifully articulates earth and grass emerging beneath the wintry snow-melt in his signature, expressive brushwork. The Guggenheim team requested to have a replica made of a carved and painted 18th century European period frame in the Eli Wilner collection for this painting. The profile of the frame was carefully determined to ... More | | 
Norman Rockwell, Two Plumbers, 1951, oil on canvas. © SEPS licensed by Curtis Licensing, Indianapolis, IN. All rights reserved.
NEW YORK, NY.- Today at Sothebys New York, all-American favorite Norman Rockwell commanded the top price of American Art week for the second season running. Painted at the height of his career and exemplifying his ability to depict everyday life with a dose of humor, Two Plumbers was eagerly pursued by two telephone bidders, who battled for over seven minutes before the work sold for $14,975,000. The work has remained in the same private collection since its purchase at Sothebys in May 1996 for $882,500 a world auction record at the time, though surpassed just three lots later in the same sale by Rockwells The Watchmaker, sold for $937,500. In addition to Rockwell, works by 20th Century American icons such as Thomas Hart Benton, Maxfield Parrish, Georgia OKeeffe, Marsden Hartley and Rockwell Kent helped raise the annual spring sale of American Art to a $33.1 million total. Liz Sterling, Head of ... More |
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| Groundbreaking exhibition sheds new light on response to HIV/AIDS crisis in New York City | | Design Museum in London opens "California: Designing Freedom" | | Hillwood Estate, Museum & Gardens mourns death of Dina Merrill | 
Hugh Steers, Bath Curtain, 1992 (detail). Oil on canvas. Estate of Hugh Steers / Alexander Gray Associates.
NEW YORK, NY.- The Museum of the City of New York presents AIDS at Home: Art and Everyday Activism, a compelling examination of how artists and activists have expanded the idea of caretaking and family while navigating the political stakes of domestic life in the face of the HIV/AIDS crisis from the early 1980s to the present. From the earliest diagnoses, the HIV/AIDS epidemic has spurred New Yorkers to create new forms of social support, identify new legal battles, and express themselves in new artistic terrain. The exhibition places paintings, photography, and film alongside archival objects from activist groups and support programs to uncover the private stories of HIV and AIDS and reconsider caretaking, community building, and making art as acts of resistance. AIDS at Home humanizes a dark chapter in the citys history by shedding light on the emotional bonds forged in times ... More | | 
Installation view.
LONDON.- Designed in California is the new Made in Italy. While Californias midcentury modernism is well documented, this is the first exhibition to examine the states current global reach. Picking up the story in the 1960s, the exhibition charts the journey from counterculture to Silicon Valleys tech culture. Its central idea is that California has always pioneered tools of personal liberation, from LSD to surfboards and iPhones. This ambitious survey brings together political posters, personal computers and self-driving cars but also looks beyond hardware to explore how user interface designers in the Bay Area are shaping some of our most common daily experiences and expanding what we think of as design. California: Designing Freedom is composed of over 200 objects, curated in five thematic sections. Collectively, these works assert that design in California is distinguished by an emphasis on individual freedom. The exhibitions five themes exp ... More | | 
Dina Merrill in the French drawing room at Hillwood around 2001.
WASHINGTON, DC.- The staff and community of Hillwood Estate Museum & Gardens was saddened to learn of the death of Dina Merrill Hartley, actress, philanthropist, producer, and youngest daughter of Hillwood founder Marjorie Merriweather Post, who died yesterday after a long illness. Dinas death greatly saddens all of us at Hillwood, said Kate Markert, Hillwoods executive director. From the time her mother moved in and opened Hillwood to guests in 1957, Dina Merrill played a vibrant role in the life of Hillwood. Having shared important moments of her life with her family here, she was an active and generous supporter of Hillwood and honored her mothers wish that the public learn and benefit from the collection and way of life that she established here. Born Nedenia Marjorie Hutton in 1923, Merrill was the only child of Marjorie Merrwiweather Post and her second husband, Edward Francis ... More |
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| Big names lineup for Bonhams Hong Kong Modern and Contemporary Sale this June | | €144,000 for the word of God: Rare Books Auction in Hamburg with Biblical results | | Sotheby's exhibits in Moscow highlights from forthcoming sales of Russian art in London | 
Portrait of Nora by Shiy De Jinn. Estimate: HK$ 800,000-1,200,000. Photo: Bonhams.
HONG KONG.- This Junes Modern and Contemporary Art auction in Hong Kong is dominated by some of the most important and sought after artists in the Asian market. The sale is highlighted by an historic section of post-war era artists who delved into their aesthetic and philosophical traditions to create a distinct mode of Asian minimalism, paintings based on processes that are at once meditative, reductive, and painstaking. The cover lot is an early work from Japans renowned Masaaki Yamada. Yamada was honoured posthumously with two retrospectives at both the National Museums of Modern Art in Kyoto and Tokyo in 2016. His Work C. 107, painted in 1962, (estimate: HK$1,200,000 1,800,000) is the largest example from this important series to ever appear at public auction. Painted in 1971, Takeo Yamaguchis Kuro shows the wealth of influences which the artist absorbed in his long career, from Cubism to Minimalism and Conceptual ... More | | 
Biblia germanica with 73 picture initials in old coloring and numerous mayflower initials. Augsburg around 1474. Calling price: 100,000. Result: 144,000.
HAMBURG.- With total proceeds of around 1.6 million, the auction of Rare Books at Ketterer Kunst in Hamburg on 22 May 2017 achieved an outstanding result. The new concept with a focus on high-quality offers worked out. A lot total reduced by around 60% in comparison to last years May auction grossed a result on par with figures from the same period. Several religious works were among the auctions main attractions, the array was led by the Biblia germanica (lot 11) made in Augsburg around 1474. It was sold to a collector from North Rhine-Westphalia in the saleroom who stood his grounds against mainly German competitors for a remarkable result of 144,000. The Biblia germanica-latina (lot 13) made in Wittenberg around 1574, was also in heavy demand. A number of written bids and half a dozen phone bidders from Germany, Argentina and Switzerland made for a sharp increase of the calling pri ... More | | 
Ilya Pepin, Portrait of Yuri Repin by the Bay of Naples, 1894 (detail). Oil on canvas, 178 by 92cm. Est: £750,000-1,000,000 / US$ 935,000-1,250,000. Photo: Sotheby's.
MOSCOW.- This year, Sothebys will celebrate the 10th anniversary of its Moscow office an exhibition of nearly 70 works of art at the Ivanovsky Hall at the Russian State Library. The exhibition will bring together both works acquired by Russian collectors in past Sothebys auctions as well as a strong group of highlights to be offered in forthcoming sales. The latter group will include over 20 highlights from their upcoming sales of Russian art in London, starring works by Ilya Repin, Konstantin Yuon, Ivan Pokhitonov and Fabergé. Also on view will be a handful of works from their forthcoming Paris auctions of African and Oceanic Art, and Old Master Paintings, reflecting the diverse taste of collectors active in Russia today. Russian collectors are currently active participants in no fewer than 50 categories across Sothebys international sales. Sotheby's ... More |
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Dimitar Lukanov, Constructing Waterfall of Light
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 Galerie Urs Meile opens new exhibition space in the 798 Art District in BeijingBEIJING.- Galerie Urs Meile announced the opening of the new exhibition space in the 798 Art District in Beijing with an inaugural exhibition by Qiu Shihua. The new gallery is located in one of the historical buildings that once made up the Dashanzi factory complex and is now known as the 798 Art District. In recent months the former warehouse has been completely renovated under the direction of the Japanese architect Mitsunori Sano. The 520-square-meter floor plan now contains generous-sized exhibition and reception areas, offices, and storage rooms. Offering perfect conditions for exhibitions featuring its rich and diverse roster of artists, the new venue underlines Galerie Urs Meiles commitment to the citys vibrant art scene. Qiu Shihua (*1940 in Zizhong, Sichuan Province, China; lives and works in Shenzhen and Beijing, China) holds a singular position within ... More Artworks by Carl Kahler, Henry Bacon, Marcel Debut will be part of Fontaine's auctionPITTSFIELD, MASS.- A fine American mahogany Moorish-style corner étagère attributed to Tiffany (Associated Artists), in excellent condition and with the original finish, just over six feet tall, is an expected star lot in Fontaines Auction Gallerys upcoming Exceptional Estates Auction planned for Saturday, June 17th, in Fontaines gallery at 1485 West Housatonic Street. The auction, which kicks off promptly at 11 am Eastern time, will be a two-session, 325-lot affair, headlined by the contents of a fine Connecticut estate, with selected additions. Internet bidding will be offered by LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, EBay.com and FontainesLive. Phone and absentee bids will also be accepted. Previews will be held on Friday and Saturday. Items will include 19th and 20th century lighting by renowned makers such as Tiffany Studios, Handel, Duffner & Kimberly, ... More Landmark Soviet posters up for sale to mark centenary of Russian RevolutionNEW YORK, NY.- Swann Auction Galleries are marking the centenary of the Russian Revolution with a sale of leading propaganda posters from the early years of the Soviet regime. With prices of up to $15,000 expected for a single example at the May 25 auction in New York, these posters were often created by artists dedicated to the cause who nonetheless fell victim to Stalins purges. Foremost among them was the Latvian Gustav Klutsis, pupil of the pre-eminent Soviet artist Kazimir Malevich, founder of the avant-garde Suprematist movement and a leading figure in Cubism. Klutsis was a founding member of October, a group of artists dedicated to serving the needs of the proletariat throughout the USSR. He became the Soviet Union's most prolific photomontage virtuoso, designing emblematic posters to inspire the communist cause throughout the 1920s ... More Rare jade, fine porcelain, precious cinnabar, and calligraphy scrolls offered at Michaan'sALAMEDA, CA.- Jade, carved lacquer, antique textiles, fine scrolls and paintings headline Michaan's June 18 auction of Fine Asian Works of Art, which also features porcelains and Buddhist artifacts. "Asian art buyers are eager to augment their collections with new finds from trusted sources," says specialist Harry Huang. "The fine pieces in this auction demonstrate why Asian art sales continue to be a cornerstone of Michaan's Auctions." Chinese Imperial court necklaces were worn by royals and high officials to display their status and good taste. The same privilege will be enjoyed by the bidder who wins the 19th Century jadeite, amber, coral and pearl court necklace (estimated at $6,000-8,000). Jadeite teardrop pendants, "Buddha's Head" beads and double-gourd-form beads accent its 108 round amber beads and 30 deep red coral barrel beads. The value ... More Harry Ransom Center appoints Aaron T. Pratt Curator of Early Books and ManuscriptsAUSTIN, TX.- The Harry Ransom Center at The University of Texas at Austin announces its appointment of Aaron T. Pratt as Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Curator of Early Books and Manuscripts. Pratt, who begins May 30, will provide curatorial support for the Ransom Centers early book and manuscript holdings and participate in a variety of activities that promote their teaching and research use. The Centers early book and manuscript holdings include the Carl H. Pforzheimer Library of English Literature, which is internationally known for first and important editions of plays, poems, novels, essays, polemical writings and translations of the most significant English writers from 1475 to 1700, including William Caxton, Edmund Spenser, William Shakespeare, John Milton, Andrew Marvell, John Donne, John Dryden, William Congreve, Christopher Marlowe and Francis Bacon, ... More A arte Invernizzi gallery retraces the last decade of François Morellet's artistic careerMILAN.- The A arte Invernizzi gallery opened a solo exhibition of works by François Morellet, a leading figure in international art since the 1950s. The gallerys collaboration with the French artist started with Dadamaino Morellet Uecker,its inaugural exhibition in 1994. Over the years, it has led to many solo exhibitions both in Italy and abroad and now, a year since the death of the great master, this exhibition intends to put the spotlight on his unique and highly personal approach to the creation of art, retracing the last decade of his artistic career. The last works he made in 2016 can be seen in the first room on the upper floor. These formed part of his 3D concertant series, in which the main broken black lines along different angles permeate the white space of the canvas and lead the eye towards an optical illusion of the third dimension. The combination of systematic ... More FENDI unveils permanent public artwork by Giuseppe Penone in RomeROME.- FENDI installed a new site-specific artwork by Italian artist Giuseppe Penone - entitled Foglie di pietra - at Largo Goldoni in Rome, opposite Palazzo FENDI the evening of May 22. Following the solo exhibition of Giuseppe Penone, Matrice, hosted at the Maisons headquarters at the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana in Rome (from January 27 - July 16, 2017), FENDI renews and reinforces its deep bond with Rome by gifting the city and the public an important artwork by one of todays most celebrated sculptors. After the majestic restoration of the Trevi Fountain, along with five other fountains, and following the opening to the public of the first floor of its headquarters at the Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, FENDI reaffirms once again its full commitment to the promotion of culture. This important initiative, the result of an effective synergy between public and private, has been carefully ... More Rare Apple-I fetches less than expected at German auctionBERLIN (AFP).- A rare working Apple-1, the first computer produced by Steve Jobs' world-beater-to-be company four decades ago, sold for less than expected at auction in Germany on Saturday. One of only eight working models in the world, the machine fetched 110,000 euros ($125,000), well below the expected 180,000-300,000 euros -- suggesting that a spike in prices after Jobs' 2011 death is definitely over. "From our point of view we are back at normal levels. Five years after the death of (Apple co-founder) Steve Jobs the 'hype' has settled back," Uwe Breker, who oversaw the auction in Cologne, told AFP. Breker's auction house, which specialises in the sale of technical antiques, had also been involved in a 2013 sale of another Apple-I -- which fetched 516,000 euros. The model auctioned off Saturday and whose original owner was a Californian engineer, still had ... More Artcurial announces highlights from its Post-War and Contemporary Art SalePARIS.- On Wednesday 31st May 2017, during its week of prestigious sales dedicated to twentieth century art, Artcurial will host an auction devoted to post-war and contemporary art. While the major artistic movements of the second half of the twentieth century will be represented, such as Pierre Soulages and Serge Poliakoffs abstraction or New Realism by Raymond Hains, even rarer pieces will be auctioned, such as two steel sculptures by Spanish sculptor Eduardo Chilida. In order to illustrate the permanence of certain themes in the history of contemporary art, the last chapter of the sale will be devoted to a transversal approach of a graphic element which has been at the heart of the work of many contemporary artists: the line. Thus 38 works (sculptures, drawings, paintings
) gathered around this theme, including Carl Andre and Sol ... More Lévy Gorvy presents first solo exhibition of Korean artist Chung Sang-Hwa in LondonLONDON.- Lévy Gorvy presents a solo exhibition of new paintings by renowned Korean artist Chung Sang-Hwa (b. 1932). Featuring seven recent white monochrome paintings by the artist, this represents the first solo exhibition of Chungs work in London. The gallery previously held the inaugural exhibition of Chungs paintings in New York in the summer of 2016. The works included in Seven Paintings demonstrate Chungs career-long engagement with repetition, ritual, and process, highlighting the infinite complexity and nuance available in the white monochrome format. Eliminating decisions of scale (each canvas is 130 x 97 cm) and coloration, Chung instead foregrounds his meditative painting method. The result is a suite of subtly evocative works with intricate variations in surface and texture. A leading figure of the Korean Tansaekhwa, or monochrome ... More Tutankhamun's golden treasures harbour secrets CAIRO (AFP).- The legendary treasure of ancient Egypt's boy king Tutankhamun, whose tomb British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered in the Valley of the Kings near Luxor in 1922, is shrouded in mystery. The tomb of Tutankhamun, who died aged 19 in 1324 BC after nine years on the throne, is pharaonic Egypt's only mausoleum found so far with its burial artefacts intact. Many other resting places of pharaohs and dignitaries had been pillaged by tomb robbers down the centuries. But in this case, a hoard of more than 4,500 objects laid out across five rooms included thrones, statues, furniture and weapons. Among them are a gilded bed featuring posts made of carved lion heads, a chariot and a gold-handled dagger experts say was forged from the iron of meteorites. The walls of the ... More |
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Flashback On a day like today, The Brooklyn Bridge opened to traffic May 24, 1883. BROOKLYN.- The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States. Completed in 1883, it connects the New York City boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn by spanning the East River. At 5,989 feet (1825 m), it was the longest suspension bridge in the world from its opening until 1903, and the first steel-wire suspension bridge. Originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, it was dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge in an 1867 letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and formally so named by the city government in 1915. Since its opening, it has become an iconic part of the New York skyline. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964. In this image: One World Trade Center and the lower New York City skyline, including the Brooklyn Bridge, are seen from the air over New York on May 13, 2013. AFP PHOTO / Saul LOEB
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