| The First Art Newspaper on the Net |   | Established in 1996 | Wednesday, October 12, 2016 |
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| | Sotheby's to offer a mesmerising and rare Fancy Vivid Blue diamond | |
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A model poses with a Fancy Vivid Blue diamond known as "The Sky Blue Diamond", mounted in a ring by Cartier, during a photocall to promote the 8.01-carat diamond ring's forthcoming auction in Geneva, at Sotheby's auctioneers in London on October 11, 2016. The ring is set to be the main attraction at Sotheby's auction of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels in Geneva on November 13, and is expected to realise GBP 12-20 million (USD 15-25 million, Euro 14-23 million). Daniel Leal-Olivas / AFP.
GENEVA.- The centrepiece of Sothebys November auction of Magnificent Jewels and Noble Jewels in Geneva will be an outstanding and extremely rare Fancy Vivid Blue diamond ring by Cartier. Weighing 8.01 carats, this mesmerising stone has been named The Sky Blue Diamond, emphasising its highly sought-after hue. This most majestic of gems will be offered on 16 November with a pre-sale estimate of $ 15 - 25 million. Describing the diamond, David Bennett, Worldwide Chairman of Sothebys International Jewellery Division, said, The Sky Blue Diamond is of a wonderfully clear celestial blue, presented in an extremely elegant square emerald cut in my view, the most flattering of all the cuts for a coloured diamond. This important gem will, I am sure, captivate all collectors of exceptional gemstones. The Sky Blue Diamond has been graded Fancy Vivid Blue by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day Dutch art dealer Bob Albricht holds the painting "Cluster of Old Houses with the New Church in The Hague" by Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh in Nieuw-Vennep on October 11, 2016. Albricht will present the painting, which was owned by a French collector at the art fair Tefaf New York. Jeroen Jumelet / ANP / AFP
| Mossgreen auction specialists discover a rare 700-year-old Ming Dynasty banknote inside sculpture | | Lost work by early film pioneer Melies found in Prague | | AXA donates to The Met 29 drawings and studies related to Thomas Hart Benton's mural America Today | 
Sculptre head.
LONDON.- Mossgreen auction specialists in Australia have discovered a rare Ming Dynasty banknote hidden within the cavity of a 13th Century Chinese Sculpture which is coming to London for viewing on Thursday 3 Sunday 6 November at The Beaumont Hotel, 8 Balderton Street, Brown Hart Gardens, London W1K 6TF (by appointment). The crumpled banknote was found inside the head of a large, Chinese wooden sculpture of a Luohan which is to be offered at auction by Mossgreen as part of The Raphy Star Collection of Important Asian Art on December 11th in Sydney. The sculpture and the banknote will be sold together as one lot. The value of the note alone is approx. AUD $3,000-5,000 but it will be sold as the one lot so the overall value is AUD$40,000-60,000. Specialist Ray Tregaskis, Head of Asian Art at Mossgreen said, It was a thrilling moment. While it was not unusual for consecration items such as semi-precious stones or ... More | | 
"Match de prestidigitation" ("Conjuring contest"). Photo: Czech national film archives.
PRAGUE (AFP).- Researchers at the Czech national film archives said Tuesday they had found a film by early cinema pioneer Georgers Melies that was thought to have been lost forever. The silent two-minute "Match de prestidigitation" ("Conjuring contest"), dating from 1904, was found on a reel given to the archives by an anonymous donor, labelled as another film. Frenchman Melies, a stage magician turned movie-maker, is credited with developing many technical and narrative developments in the 500-plus movies he made between 1896 and 1912. "The reel was titled 'Les Transmutations imperceptibles' ('Imperceptible transmutations'), which is the name of another work by Melies. But our specialist immediately realised it was another film," archives spokeswoman Jana Ulipova told AFP. "Based on detailed analysis and research at the National Library of France, ... More | | 
Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975) City Activities with Dancehall from America Today, 1930-31 (detail). Mural cycle consisting of ten panels. Egg tempera with oil glazing over Permalba on a gesso ground on linen mounted to wood panels with a honeycomb interior. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of AXA Equitable, 2012.
NEW YORK, NY.- The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the global insurance company AXA announced today the recent gift to the Museum of 29 drawings and studies relating to Thomas Hart Benton's epic mural America Today. This contribution follows AXA's 2012 gift of the mural itself, America Today, which was a transformative addition to the Museum's collection of American modernism. The works are on view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 909, adjacent to the installation of the mural. "We are grateful to AXA for their continuing partnership and generosity, which began in 2012 with the donation of America Today, and continued with their sponsorship ... More |
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| Kate charms Dutch on first solo foreign trip | | Steidl publishes "New York in the 1970s by Philip Trager" | | Nationalmuseum releases 3,000 images on Wikimedia Commons | 
Britain's Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (L) leaves with Mauritshuis' museum director Emilie Gordenker after visiting the exhibition "Vermeer and Contemporaries from the British Royal Collection". EMMANUEL DUNAND / AFP.
THE HAGUE (AFP).- The Duchess of Cambridge made her first solo official trip abroad Tuesday with a day-long visit to The Netherlands, seen as part of a British charm offensive after the Brexit vote. Kate, the wife of Britain's Prince William, first met with Dutch King Willem-Alexander for lunch at the royal residence in Wassenaar, an exclusive leafy suburb just outside The Hague. "Welcome, welcome, very nice to see you," the king said, as he greeted his guest for the first visit by a British royal to the Dutch kingdom in three years. Kate looked chic in a long-sleeved light blue two-piece with a peplum jacket. Her hair was tied back in a neat chignon bun, showing off pearl earrings in an apparent subtle nod to the famous Dutch 17th century ... More | | 
West 122nd Street, 1979. © Philip Trager.
NEW YORK, NY.- The luminous and compelling photographs in New York in the 1970s capture the essence of a city in a way best described as place portraiture. Tragers images present the architecture of Manhattan with time-defiant clarity and beauty. Although Trager selected his subjects for aesthetic and visual reasonsrather than from an historical or documentary point of viewwith the passage of time his distinctly imaginative photographs have also acquired value as historical documents. The negatives for the images in this book, only recently rediscovered, had originally been archived for printing but Trager began other projects before any prints were made. The photographs in New York in the 1970s were taken at the same time as Tragers timeless Philip Trager: New York, published by Wesleyan University Press in 1980, in which the photographer depicts the city as a solitary figure, always ... More | | 
Anne Vallayer-Coster, Portrait of a Violinist, 1773.
STOCKHOLM.- Nationalmuseum is making 3,000 high-resolution images of its most popular artworks available for free download on Wikimedia Commons. Zoomable images will also be added to the museums online database. The digitization project is a major advance in making Nationalmuseums collections more accessible. While the Nationalmuseum building is under renovation, only a small part of the collections is accessible to the public. To provide more opportunity for people to enjoy its artworks, the museum embarked last year on a joint project with Wikimedia Sweden. As a result, high-resolution images of some 3,000 paintings from the collections are now available for download on Wikimedia Commons as public domain. This means they are part of our shared cultural heritage and can be freely used for any purpose. The images are also now zoomable, but not currently downl ... More |
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| Abraham Thomas is the New Bresler Curator-in-Charge at the Renwick Gallery | | West Coast art market continues upward | | Seattle Art Museum's Asian Art Museum reveals plans for renovation and expansion | 
Thomas was director of the Sir John Soanes Museum in London from 2013 to 2015. Photo: Pepe Gomez.
WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian American Art Museum announced that Abraham Thomas will join the museums staff as The Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator-in-Charge for its Renwick Gallery, its branch for contemporary craft and decorative art. Since re-opening in November 2015, the Renwick has pointed to new directions in the field of craft. The inaugural exhibition WONDER attracted more than 730,000 visitors in its eight-month run, and created a sensation on social media. Thomass hiring will continue the Renwick Gallerys mandate for a revitalized program that combines tradition with contemporary design and programming. We welcome Abraham Thomas, who will expand on the Renwicks new directions and established traditions, said Betsy Broun, The Margaret and Terry Stent Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. His deep knowledge of art and craft, management experience and ... More | | 
Geroge Rickey, Divided Quadrilateral III. Estimate: $30,00050,000. Realized $62,500. Lot 252. October 9, 2016 Modern Art & Design Auction at LAMA.
LOS ANGELES, CA.- Los Angeles Modern Auctions answered questions regarding the health of the art market on Sunday with strong results from its October 9, 2016 Modern Art & Design Auction. The top lot in the auction was an iconic painting by Ed RuschaCrescent Heights Becomes Laurel Canyon (2000), estimated at $150,000-200,000which soared three times over estimate to $468,750. LAMA set a new world auction record for Bay Area artist Jay DeFeo, selling her 1982 painting Apex for $281,250, and a rare 1955 painting by Southern California Hard Edge master John McLaughlin realized $250,000. LAMAs total auction sales for the Modern Art & Design Auction realized $3.8 million, selling 94% of the 431 lots by value. After 24 years of showing the market our ability to sell his prints, books and drawings, LAMA has been more than ready to represent an original work on ... More | | 
New Education Space. Design renderings courtesy of LMN Architects.
SEATTLE, WA.- The Seattle Art Museum presented initial design renderings for the upcoming renovation and expansion of the Asian Art Museum, set to begin fall 2017. The renovation will preserve the museums historic Art Deco façade and provide necessary improvements to modernize the historic building, which hasnt been substantially restored or renovated since its inception in 1933. The museums landmark building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in July 2016, joining Volunteer Park, which was previously listed in 1976. In addition to bringing the museum up to 21st-century standards and further protecting its world-class collection through climate control, fire safety, and seismic system upgrades, the renovation project will create much-needed space for education programming and art conservation. A modest expansion will improve the museums connection to Volunteer Park ... More |
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| USC Fisher Museum of Art receives 700 unorthodox prints, paintings and sculptures | | Bonhams reveals star line up for London to Brighton Veteran Car Run Auction sale | | Tacoma Art Museum exhibits highlights from the Rebecca and Jack Benaroya Collection | 
Greed, 1989 (detail). Carlos Almaraz. Dr. Eugene Rogolsky Collection. (Photo/Courtesy of Brian Forrest).
LOS ANGELES, CA.- Eugene (Gene) Rogolsky, a Beverly Hills AIDS research clinic doctor, has given his collection of more than 700 works to the USC Fisher Museum of Art. The gift, which adds to established streams of collecting at Fisher, also creates new areas of collecting for the museum. It includes works by JiřÃ Anderle, Jan Saudek and Josef Sudek as well as Laura Aguilar, Robert Arneson, Jonathan Borofsky, Charles Bragg, Jo Ann Callis, Judy Chicago, Elsa Flores, Dan McCleary, Herb Ritts, Frank Romero, Peter Shire, George Tooker, Salomon Huerta, Robert Gil de Montes and Jerome Witkin. Rogolsky also donated pieces by Nahum Zenil, Graciela Iturbide, Hans Burkhardt, Lucien Clergue and Arturo Mallmann. The doctors collection is a complex, unorthodox and introspective one, where photographs, prints, paintings and sculptures range from sacred to profane, local to international, cerebral to prurient. While the collecting pattern is mostly a sin ... More | | 
1903 Renault Type N-C two cylinder 10hp Wagonette. Photo: Bonhams.
LONDON.- A rare 1904 Renault Type N-B that was owned by a French family for 60 years leads Bonhams traditional London to Brighton Run Sale of Veteran Motor Cars in London on 4 November. It is estimated at £250,000-280,000. The car was one of the first four-cylinder Renaults built. The Type N-B was introduced by Louis Renault as part of a reorganisation of the company's range of models following his brother Marcel's death in 1903. The Type N-B was a 14/20hp model powered by a conventional, four-cylinder side-valve engine of a little over 3.0-litres capacity, which featured the traditional Renault 'coal scuttle' bonnet with rear-mounted radiator. This Type N-B 14/20hp, with the desirable swing-seat Tonneau coachwork, which can seat four adults in comfort - was owned by a French family from the 1920s onwards before being bought by an enthusiastic UK-based Veteran Car Club (VCC) member in the 1980s. Since then, the car has been rallied extensivel ... More | | 
Dante Marioni, Whopper Vases, 1988-1994. Blown glass, 29 à 10 à 10 inches; 22¾ à 8 à 8 inches; and 19 à 6 à 6 inches. Tacoma Art Museum, Promised gift of the Rebecca and Jack Benaroya Collection. Photo © TAM, photo by Duncan Price.
TACOMA, WA.- On October 9, Tacoma Art Museum opened The Beauty of a Shared Passion: Highlights from the Rebecca and Jack Benaroya Collection, on view through April 23, 2017. This special preview exhibition unveils 65 major works of art from the Rebecca and Jack Benaroya Collection. These pieces are among 225 works along with $14 million included in a promised gift to TAM, announced on Mrs. Benaroyas 93rd birthday (January 14, 2016). The funds will support the care of the collection and construction of a new wing at TAM. Olson Kundig will design the museum expansion, planned to open late fall 2018. Visitors will see stunning paintings, works on paper, sculptures and studio art glass by Northwest and international artists. In fact, this gift places TAM in the top 5 museums nationwide with a collection of American studio glass ... More |
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 "A Feeling of Humanity: Western Art from The Ken Ratner Collection" on view at Museum of the Big BendALPINE, TX.- A Feeling of Humanity: Western Art from The Ken Ratner Collection, is on display in the main gallery of the Museum of the Big Bend, located on the Sul Ross State University campus in Alpine, Texas. The exhibition features 70 works by both contemporary artists along with works by early 20th century painters including Kenneth Miller Adams, John French, Boardman Robinson, Georges Schreiber and Bettina Steinke. This exhibit explores and celebrates the beautiful in the ordinary. Included in the show are works by contemporary Texas artists Julie Davis, Tony Eubanks, David Forks and V
. Vaughan. In 2014, museum director Liz Jackson and museum curator Mary Bones traveled to New York City to meet with Ratner to discuss the potential of exhibiting his unique collection at the Museum of the Big Bend. Enamored by Ratners story and collection, Jackson ... More Penn announces Sachs Program for Arts Innovation PHILADELPHIA, PA.- University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutmann and Provost Vincent Price have announced the creation of the Sachs Program for Arts Innovation. Founded with a commitment of $15 million from alumni Keith L. Sachs and Katherine Sachs, this transformative gift the largest gift ever made across the arts at Penn will establish the Sachs Arts Innovation Hub and closely link arts education to the Penn Compact 2020s goal of advancing innovation across the University. Creativity is the very soul of innovation, and what is art but creativity made manifest? Gutmann said. Keith and Kathy are among the undisputed patron saints of the arts at Penn, and their latest extraordinary generosity will transform how we understand, teach and break new ground in the arts. The Sachs Program for Arts Innovation promises to empower a new ... More The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens presents "Folk Couture: Fashion and Folk Art"JACKSONVILLE, FLA.- The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens announces Folk Couture: Fashion and Folk Art, on view through December 31, 2016. Folk Couture departs from the norm by inspiring 13 designers to create garments based on pieces from the permanent collection at the American Folk Art Museum in New York City. The designers include Chadwick Bell, Fabio Costa (NotEqual), Gary Graham, Catherine Malandrino, threeASFOUR, Creatures of the Wind, Bibhu Mohapatra, John Bartlett, Ronaldus Shamask, Michael Bastian, Yeohlee Teng, Koos van den Akker, and Jean Yu. The Museum is excited to be able to bring an exhibition of this nature to the Jacksonville community, states Chief Operating Officer & Chief Curator Holly Keris. We have been looking to host a folk art exhibition for several years now, and being able to pair this style with fashion offers ... More Museumsinsel will acquire a Centre for Cultural Education and Learning in 2017BERLIN.- In the new Reinhold Würth Zentrum, interdisciplinary, cross-collection art-education offerings will be made available to the general public. The Bastian family have presented the former gallery building to the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz (SPK) as a generous endowment to be used for cultural purposes. The building, which was built by David Chipperfield, is located directly adjacent to the Museumsinsel on Kupfergraben. A generous donation from businessman and collector Reinhold Würth will not only enable the SPK to acquire the building in the coming year, but also fund the start of operations. The German Minister of Culture, Monika Grütters, expressed appreciation for Reinhold Würth's patronage, as well as the generous and charitable involvement of the Bastian family in finding a future-oriented use for this gallery building. In a statement, she said: 'In close ... More Exhibition at Ludwig Museum looks at Béla Bartók's legacy through the means of contemporary artBUDAPEST.- Timed for the current Bartók Memorial Year, this international exhibition looks at the composers legacy through the means of contemporary art. Béla Bartóks work offers countless points of contact for reflections and interpretations in visual and sound art. In addition to considering the musical legacy, the exhibiting artists seek to establish vantage points for the examination of the oeuvre through a scrutiny of cultural anthropological and media-historical evidence, as well as of personal material related to the composer. They also attempt to assess Bartóks influence on his own age and our times. Bartóks work as a composer is a part of general learning and cultural knowledge, his activity as a scholar, theorist and collector of music enriches universal culture. For decades, works of art that reflect on Bartók have attested to his cultural historical significance and embeddedness ... More Spitfire Ace's outstanding medal group expected to fetch £60,000-80,000 at auctionSTANSTED MOUNTFITCHET.- The outstanding medal group for one of WWIIs top Spitfire Aces a Scot from Portobello is coming up for auction. Complete with Distinguished Service Order and bar as well as Distinguished Flying Cross and bar, they belonged to Jamie Rankin, who went on to command Biggin Hill and was singled out as one of the most revered leaders in Fighter Command throughout WWII. Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers of Stansted Mountfitchet in Essex have been recalling Rankins extraordinary achievements as they announce that his group of medals thought to be the most important Spitfire Ace group to come to auction in recent years will be offered for sale on Tuesday, 6 December with expectations of at least £60,000-80,000, although some expect them to fetch considerably more. This group is worthy of joining the Imperial War ... More Hauser & Wirth Zürich presents a new series of paintings by Zhang EnliZURICH.- Hauser & Wirth Zürich showcases a new series of paintings by Zhang Enli. The oil on canvas works take inspiration from the artists abstract Space Paintings, marking a significant departure from the figurative renderings of utilitarian objects and nature, for which he is best known. In the Space Paintings Zhang Enli covers the walls, ceilings and floors of a room with expressive marks and delicate washes of colour, to create visceral, atmospheric environments. For the new body of work Zhang Enli has advanced this uninhibited, intuitive approach; he has developed a looser abstract language of gesture and movement whilst maintaining a deeply personal and contemplative approach to his subject matter. Realised in a palette of soft blues, greens and browns, the paintings encourage both a visual and experiential engagement with the artists sensitive perception ... More Depictions of Phyllis Bramson's poetic internal world on view at Littlejohn ContemporaryNEW YORK, NY.- Littlejohn Contemporary is presenting its October/November solo exhibition: Phyllis Bramson: My World
And Everywhere It Takes Me. The Gallery is located at 547 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001 between 10th and 11th Avenues and is open Tuesday through Saturday 11-6. The show will open on October 12th and run through November 12th. The artist will be present on Saturday, October 15th, from 2pm until 5pm. In My World
And Everywhere It Takes Me Bramson reveals romantic and evocative depictions of her poetic internal world. The artist paints passionately and infuses her work with lighthearted arbitrariness and amusing anecdotes about love and affection in an often cold and hostile world. Her narratives are used as a repository for feelings which often collide and intermingle between notions of the personal, the ... More Original 1927 Vogue cover artwork sets $52,500 record at Swann Auction GalleriesNEW YORK, NY.- This original 1927 Vogue cover artwork set a new artist record as it led Swann Auction Galleries September 29 Illustration Art auction at $52,500. The estimate was £6,000 to $9,000. The price was one of five new auction records established during the sale. By the French artist Georges Lepape, Le Miroir, as it is titled, was just one of the many cover and other designs that he created not just for Vogue, but also for Harpers Bazaar, Vanity Fair and other leading magazines of the day. Lepape started to make his name in the world of haute couture after becoming friends with Paul Poiret, one of the most important French fashion designers of the early 20th century, and illustrating the seminal design book Les Choses de Paul Poiret Vues par Georges Lepape in 1911. In 1920 Lepape took part in the landmark exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris ... More Spink announces an evening of flying ships, romance and a mischievous loker HONG KONG.- As this most historic year for Spink draws to a close, with it comes a time for reflection, a chance to bask in the warm glow as the sun slowly sets on an extraordinary 350th year. At such a time it seems only fitting that we are accompanied by our friends and a selection of fine and rare whiskies sourced from the treasure troves of Scotland to the mythical valleys of Japan. Along the windswept coastline of the isle of Islay lies one of these treasures: the Bowmore distillery and the legendary No 1 vaults, home to the oldest Scotch maturation warehouse in the world. Established in 1779 the distillery has a rich history, once owned by James Mutter, the vice consul for the Ottoman Empire, Portugal and Brazil in the early 19th century. During World War II production was halted to host the RAF Coastal Command operations from Loch Indaal where flying boats were ... More |
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Flashback On a day like today, American architect Richard Meier was born October 12, 1934. Richard Meier (born October 12, 1934) is an American architect, whose rationalist buildings make prominent use of the color white. In this image: Architect Richard Meier speaks as he honored at the Ellis Island Family Heritage Awards on Ellis Island on Thursday, April 19, 2012.
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