| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net | | Established in 1996 | Saturday, December 19, 2020 |
| | | Will a looted Pissarro end up in Oklahoma, or France? | |
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Camille Pissarro, Shepherdess Bringing In Sheep, 1886.
by Doreen Carvajal
PARIS (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- For more than 70 years, Léone Meyers family has fought to reclaim a looted painting, and yet she cannot bear the thought of displaying it in her Left Bank home, across from the River Seine. The small work, by Camille Pissarro, shows a shepherdess tending her flock, and hangs not far away at the Musée dOrsay, with other precious French impressionist paintings. But the peaceful countryside scene from 1886 is fraught with a backstory of plunder, family tragedy and legal battles that stretch from Paris to Oklahoma. Meyers mother, grandmother, uncle and brother died in Auschwitz. Her father hid the painting in a French bank that was looted in 1941 by the Nazis, and the work vanished in the murky universe of art market collaborators and middlemen. Decades later, in 2012, she discovered the whereabouts of La Bergère, or Shepherdess Bringing in Sheep, in the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art, at the University of Oklahoma. In 2016, she brokered a compromise ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day A picture taken on December 14, 2020 shows part of 27.500 archeological items in Metz, eastern France, seized by customs officers and which were held by a man from France northeastern region Lorraine who tried to sell them in Belgium. JEAN-CHRISTOPHE VERHAEGEN / AFP
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| Christie's announces Americana Week 2021 | | A portraitist whose subjects are all in her head | | Oscars museum delayed again as pandemic grips Los Angeles |
Charles Peale Polk (1767-1822), Possibly in Collaboration with Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827), George Washington. Estimate: $200,000-300,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
NEW YORK, NY.- Christies presents Americana Week 2021, a series of three live and online sales comprised of Outsider Art on January 21, In Praise of America: Important American Furniture, Folk Art, Silver, Prints and Broadsides on January 21-22, and an online-only sale of Chinese Export Art Featuring Property from the Tibor Collection open between January 7-20. Standout objects across the week of sales include a 1776 broadside edition of the Declaration of Independence (estimate: $600,000-800,000) as well as a fine copy of Paul Reveres iconic engraving of the Boston Massacre (estimate: $200,000-300,000) from the Collection of Ambassador J. William Middendorf II; a Newport card table made by John Townsend (estimate: $150,000-250,000); a selection of works by Bill Traylor from The William Louis-Dreyfus Foundation and from the Collection of Jerry and Susan Lauren; and a pair of goose tureens and covers from the Tibor ... More | |
The artist Lynette Yiadom-Boakye at Tate Modern in London, Oct. 30, 2020. Adama Jalloh/The New York Times.
by Siddhartha Mitter
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- British artist Lynette Yiadom-Boakye is a committed painter of people. Every piece she shows is, on first impression, a portrait a careful study of one person, or, at most, a small group, with little to distract from their presence and force. Yet whenever she starts work, in her East London studio, she is alone. Her subjects are not living individuals, but characters sprung from her mind. For several years, Yiadom-Boakye said in a recent video call, one recurring figure in particular appeared to her when she began a new set of paintings, as if demanding to be put on canvas. It was a young man, seated, wearing a white top, with a kind of sardonic air. His identity was unimportant, she said: The point was his attitude, as if he were expressing back to the painter an energy essential to her creative process. It helped me to have that figure on the wall as a reminder, she said. There was a defiance, ... More | |
In this file photo a general view of the Academy Museum during the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, California on February 7, 2020. VALERIE MACON / AFP.
LOS ANGELES (AFP).- The long-awaited opening of Los Angeles' Oscars museum was postponed again Friday due to the pandemic, with officials saying its scheduled April debut would be "irresponsible" as the city grapples with record coronavirus cases. The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, dedicated to the magic of movies and set to host iconic Hollywood treasures from Judy Garland's "Wizard of Oz" ruby slippers to Dracula's cape, has been beset by delays. It had been set to finally open April 30, the week after the Academy's flagship event -- the Oscars -- but will now welcome visitors from September 30. President Bill Kramer said in a statement that the museum was "ready and eager to welcome visitors in the spring," but "with the current surge of Covid-19, it would be irresponsible to maintain an April opening." "We know a new day is coming for us all, and when it does, the Academy Museum will be ready to offer our visitors the remarkable experience ... More |
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| Almine Rech to open new gallery in Paris with Kenny Scharf solo show | | Lalanne 'Carpe' sculpture reels in $2.4M at Bonhams Modern Decorative Art + Design sale in New York | | Star Wars' Boba Fett actor Jeremy Bulloch dies at 75 |
Almine Rech Paris - 18 avenue Matignon. Photo: Aurélien Mole - Courtesy of Almine Rech.
PARIS.- Almine Rech announced the opening of its second gallery in Paris, to be located on the prestigious Avenue Matignon in the 8th arrondissement, an area that has long been home to a prominent community of art galleries, auction houses, and cultural attractions. The inaugural show at Almine Rech Paris | Matignon will be a solo exhibition of new paintings by iconic American artist Kenny Scharf, titled Vaxi Nation, opening January 21, 2021. The gallery is located in an elegant Haussmann building and is situated on the ground and first floors, both of which will be dedicated to exhibition spaces to present the gallerys roster of international artists and secondary market works in a new context within the city. Almine Rech | Matignon marks the sixth location internationally and the second in Parisfor Almine Rech, whose flagship gallery is located at 64 Rue de Turenne in the Marais. The gallery on Avenue Matignon will be ... More | |
Carpe (Très Grande) by François-Xavier Lalanne. Sold for $2,430,313 (Estimate: $650,000-850,000).
NEW YORK, NY.- A monumental Lalanne sculpture, Carpe (Très Grande), achieved an impressive $2,430,313 at Bonhams Modern Decorative Art + Design Sale in New York on December 17. Conceived and cast in 2000, the work had an estimate of $650,000-850,000. Bonhams Head of Modern Decorative Art and Design in New York, Benjamin Walker said: This is one of the largest works ever cast by Les Lalanne, and it perfectly encapsulated the playfulness that they were known for. François-Xavier was particularly famous for his exploration of Les Animalier themes, and Carpe (Très Grande) is an exceptional example of the elegant execution of his craft. Were thrilled that it achieved such an impressive result the highest price of any design work in the very busy New York Design week. Claude and François-Xavier Lalanne known simply as Les Lalanne were one of the most creative and experimental duos of the ... More | |
Jeremy Bulloch is best known for playing fan favourite Boba Fett in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "The Return of the Jedi".
LONDON (AFP).- British actor Jeremy Bulloch who played infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett in the original "Star Wars" films has died at the age of 75. He died on Thursday in hospital in Tooting, south London, "following health complications, including several years living with Parkinson's disease", his website said. "Jeremy had a long and happy life as an actor and was best known for his roles in the films Summer Holiday, Star Wars and James Bond," it added. Born in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, Bulloch appeared in several classic television shows in the 1970s and 80s including "Doctor Who" and "Robin of Sherwood", and had supporting roles in three James Bond movies. But he is best known for playing fan favourite Boba Fett in "The Empire Strikes Back" and "The Return of the Jedi". He landed the role after a call from his half-brother Robert Watts, who was an ... More |
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| "The Kind Cruelty. León Ferrari, 100 Years", exhibition now on view at Museo Reina SofÃa | | 1804 silver dollar sells for $3.36 million | | Berlin film fest postponed, divided into online and live events |
Installation view.
MADRID.- The project The Kind Cruelty. León Ferrari, 100 Years stems from an agreement reached between Fundación Augusto y León Ferrari Arte y Acervo (FALFAA, Buenos Aires) and Museo Reina SofÃa. It aims to shine a light on the work of León Ferrari (Buenos Aires, 19202013) in Europe, preserving his heritage trough three institutions by dint of a far-reaching and pedagogical vision fostering the contextualization and dissemination of his legacy. The project is a long-term collaboration between three museums: the Reina SofÃa in Madrid, the Van Abbe Museum in Eindhoven and the Musée National d'Art Moderne Centre Pompidou in Paris. The Ferrari family proposed to each of these institutions the donation of a complementary heritage set that covers the diversity of techniques, themes and materials that Ferrari used in his long artistic career and that will be made known to the European public in the exhibition that is now ... More | |
Seven figure silver dollars highlight the extraordinary sale.
COSTA MESA, CA.- Stacks Bowers Galleries announced the sale of the spectacular collection built by Utah businessman and Utah Jazz owner Larry H. Miller for $23,636,374 (all prices include buyers premium). The collection was sold in two auctions. Part 1, offered in November, realized $9,057,072, while Part 2 realized $14,579,302. Assembled quietly over many decades, the Larry H. Miller Collection included an astounding array of rarities that are found only in the most legendary cabinets in U.S. numismatics. Offered publicly for the first time by Stacks Bowers Galleries, the Miller Collection has joined the ranks of such revered names as Garrett, Norweb, Eliasberg, Pogue, and other luminaries. Highlights from the Larry H. Miller Collection Part 2 included such rarities such as: 1804 Draped Bust Silver Dollar. Class I Original. Proof-65 (PCGS). ... More | |
This file photo taken on February 5, 2019 shows workers rolling out the red carpet as preparations were under way for the 2019 edition of the Berlinale international film festival in Berlin. Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP.
by Deborah Cole
BERLIN (AFP).- Berlin's international film festival postponed Friday its February 2021 edition as the coronavirus pandemic continues to take a harsh toll on the global entertainment industry. Usually Europe's first major cinema showcase of the year, the annual Berlinale, as the event is known, will now take place as a strictly digital event for industry players in March. An international jury, whose previous presidents include Meryl Streep and Tilda Swinton, will watch the films in competition in Berlin and choose the winners of the Golden and Silver Bear top prizes. Featured films would only be screened for the public in June, the festival said in a statement. ... More |
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| Jeannie Kenmotsu, Ph.D., appointed as Asian Art Curator of Portland Art Museum | | University of Notre Dame receives grant to fund initiative on religion, spirituality and faith | | Rare Song Dynasty painting sells for $675K, setting Heritage Auctions Asian art record |
Jeannie Kenmotsu, Ph.D. Photo: Courtesy of Portland Art Museum.
PORTLAND, ORE.- The Portland Art Museum announced that Jeannie Kenmotsu, Ph.D., has been appointed as the Arlene and Harold Schnitzer Curator of Asian Art. Dr. Kenmotsu, who joined the Museums curatorial staff in 2017 as Japan Foundation Assistant Curator of Japanese Art and was promoted to Associate Curator in 2019, has also been serving as Interim Head of Asian Art since the retirement of Dr. Maribeth Graybill in October 2019. I am thrilled about Dr. Kenmotsus appointment to this position, said Director and Chief Curator Brian Ferriso. Having already worked with Jeannie for a number of years, I am incredibly impressed with her exceptional art historical knowledge that she combines with her passion for the art of today. It is a wonderful and rare combination that will serve our Museum and community in many meaningful and exciting ways." Since 2017, Dr. Kenmotsu has brought a fresh vision to the Museum's importa ... More | |
Anonymous 18th century Mexican (Mexican, 1701-1800), Nuestra Senõra de Guadalupe, February 15, 1729, Oil on canvas. Gift of Mr. Ignacio Aranguren, ND '52, his wife Pirri, and their sons Luis ND '84, Ignacio ND '85, and Santiago ND '92. 2002.01.
NOTRE DAME, IN.- The University of Notre Dame has received a five-year, $2.4 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. through its Religion and Cultural Institutions Initiative to implement Inspiring Wonder: An Initiative on Religion, Spirituality, and Faith in the Visual Arts. Designed to invite diverse audiences into meaningful conversation, Inspiring Wonder will significantly advance the Snite Museums efforts to deepen its constituencies understanding of religion, spirituality and faith in a deliberate and mission-driven way. Notre Dame is one of 18 organizations from across the United States receiving grants through the Lilly Endowment initiative. The group includes fine arts museums, historical societies and history museums, museums dedicated to serving children and families and museums dedicated to particular locations ... More | |
Chinese School, After Li Song (Song Dynasty), Riders on Horseback (detail), Song Dynasty. Handscroll, ink and color on silk, 44 x 10-1/2 inches.
DALLAS, TX.- An extremely rare painting from the Song Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) of polo players riding donkeys soared to $675,000 to lead Heritage Auctions' Fine & Decorative Asian Art Auction to $1,337,455 in sales Dec. 11. The lot accounted for just over half of the total result from the auction, and set a record for the highest price ever paid for any lot sold in Heritage's Asian Art department. The previous record was Wu Changshuo Peony, Bottle Gourds, and Loquats, Dingzi, 1917, which sold in March 2019 for $399,000. Demand for the Chinese School, After Li Song (Song Dynasty) Riders on Donkeyback, Song Dynasty was driven by the fact that the sport is being played on donkeys instead of horses, which was rarely recorded in paintings. Donkey Polo, or Lvju in Chinese, is a new sport that Chinese nobles during the Tang Dynasty and the Song Dynasty developed ... More |
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Phillips 2020: Year In Review
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Marine Diver-Issued Tornek-Rayville and Patek Philippe lead Heritage Watches & Fine Timepieces auction
DALLAS, TX.- A stellar selection of elite timepieces from top watchmakers produced exceptional prices across the board, leading Heritage Auctions' Watches & Fine Timepieces Auction to $2,933,768 in total sales Dec. 8. The 285-lot sale caught the attention of more than 1,150 bidders, leading to outstanding sell-through rates of 94% by value and 96.5% by lots sold. "The sale went extremely well, Heritage Auctions Watches & Fine Timepieces Director Jim Wolf said. "Those sell-through rates underscore the demand for exceptional watches, including some really beautiful, complex pocket watches. A Tornek-Rayville, Very Rare Ref. TR-900, U.S Marine Diver Issued, Serial #0862, circa 1966 nearly doubled its starting bid when it finished at $96,875. Consigned by its original owner, this extremely rare timepiece was at auction for the first ... More
Times Square Arts and For Freedoms reveal new public art campaign "Dreaming Forward"
NEW YORK, NY.- Times Square Arts and For Freedoms partnered once more to present Messages for the City: Dreaming Forward, a new iteration of the collaborative public art campaign, Messages for the City, that has been on view in Times Square and throughout NYC since April. Beginning today, the public art campaign will appear on Big Belly receptasigns in over 120 locations across the Times Square district. As a year full of unprecedented challenges comes to a close and a new one begins, Messages for the City continues its promise of amplifying artist voices and broadcasting them directly to the public. In Messages for the City: Dreaming Forward, eight artists reflect on our collective futures. United in Times Square, these works are meditative declarations and interrogations that remind us to pause, reflect, and ready ourselves for work ... More
Saint Louis Art Museum promotes Renée Brummell Franklin to chief diversity officer
ST. LOUIS, MO.- The Saint Louis Art Museum has promoted Renée Brummell Franklin to chief diversity officer, a new position that will oversee the implementation of a report on diversity, equity, access and inclusion that was adopted last summer by the museums board of commissioners. The appointment is effective Jan. 1. Franklin will work closely with all museum departments to implement the report, which details immediate, actionable initiatives as well as longer-term considerations. For more than 20 years, Renée has played a critical role in expanding community programs and reaching new and diverse audiences, said Brent R. Benjamin, the Barbara B. Taylor Director of the Saint Louis Art Museum. In her new role, Renée will oversee these ongoing efforts and work on new projects that will engage, include, and represent the full ... More
A storybook ending to Heritage Auctions' 'Once Upon a Time' children's book event
DALLAS, TX.- Once upon a time Justin Schiller scoured used book stores to gather gems others had missed or ignored. And while still a boy himself in 1956, all of 12 years old, Schiller quickly became synonymous with handling the best of the best in children's literature, and by 1959 founded what became the oldest and finest firm in the country dealing in such specialized rarities. So it should not surprise that the first-ever auction of Schiller's rarefied collection realized more than $1.4 million Wednesday afternoon, nor that several hundred bibliophiles virtually attended Heritage Auctions' Dec. 16 event titled Once Upon a Time: Rare Children's Literature from Justin G. Schiller, Ltd. "Justin has been at the absolute pinnacle of the field of rare and early children's literature for more than 40 years," says James Gannon, Heritage Auctions' Director ... More
Steidl to publish Jo Ractliffe's 'Photographs: 1980s to now'
NEW YORK, NY.- Co-published with The Walther Collection, this book is the first to present a comprehensive selection of the work of South African photographer Jo Ractliffe. Looking back over the past 35 years, it brings together images from major photo-essays, as well as early works that have not been seen before. Described by Okwui Enwezor as one of the most accomplished and under-rated photographers of her generation, Ractliffe started working in the early 1980s, and her photographs continue to reflect her preoccupation with the South African landscape and the ways in which it figures in the countrys imaginaryparticularly the violent legacies of apartheid. In 2007 she extended her interests to the war in Angola and published three photobooks on the aftermath of that conflict and its manifestations in the South African landscape: ... More
10-carat diamond ring boosts Heritage Holiday Fine Jewelry Auction above $5 million
DALLAS, TX.- A spectacular Fancy Light Pink Diamond Ring sold for $795,000, and an Edwardian Fancy Gray-Blue Diamond Ring soared to more than five times its pre-auction estimate to lead Heritage Auctions' Holiday Fine Jewelry Auction to $5,185,129 in total sales Dec. 7. "Spectacular jewelry is expected to bring exceptional results, and these did just that," said Jill Burgum, Senior Director of Fine Jewelry at Heritage Auctions. "It's always a thrill to offer beautiful pieces, regardless of the time of year, but even more so as the holidays approach. It's hard to imagine a more gratifying gift than many of the beautiful jewels in this sale." The stunning Fancy Light Pink Diamond, Colored Diamond, Diamond, Rose Gold Ring, M. Pharo that finished with the auction's top price features a cushion-shaped fancy light pink diamond weighing 10.02 ... More
In a big year for video games, these players are shifting the culture
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- It should come as no surprise that 2020 was a monumental year for the video game industry. While other business sectors saw revenues shrink and storefronts close, gaming companies have profited over these many months when millions of people have been spending more time at home. Some of those people were always gamers, but the year has also drawn a new crop of players. Streaming platforms like Twitch, previously reserved for competitive gamers and fans, grew to host chess grandmasters and politicians making campaign stops. Sellers on Amazon and other online marketplaces began listing the Nintendo Switch, released in 2017, at jacked-up prices in the early months of the pandemic to match an unexpected surge in interest. And now, demand for the new consoles released by Sony ... More
Nikki Giovanni, finding the song in the darkest days
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Over the course of her 52-year career, Nikki Giovanni has written 12 childrens books and eight nonfiction books, and she has released 10 spoken word albums. But the genre for which she is best known is poetry. When you flip through a stack of her 19 collections (its a tall stack), you find her face, still radiant and smiling at 77, staring back at you from the covers. This is an unusual choice for the jacket of a poetry book, but Giovanni is the rare poet whom a good number of people will actually recognize a distinction that is all the more noteworthy considering how long it has been true. She was name-checked in the 1980 Teena Marie song Square Biz, featured in the Afropunk Festival in Brooklyn in 2016, and both seen and heard reading her poem Dream last fall in a campaign ad for Joe Biden. ... More
Apple-1 with original box signed by Steve Wozniak sold for $736,862 at auction
BOSTON, MASS.- An Apple-1 computer with its exceedingly rare original box, signed by designer Steve Wozniak sold for $736,862, according to Boston-based RR Auction. The Apple-1 was originally conceived by Steve Jobs and Steve Woz Wozniak as a bare circuit board to be sold as a kit and completed by electronics hobbyists, their initial market being Palo Altos Home-brew Computer Club. Wozniak alone designed the hardware, circuit board designs, and operating system for the computer, and he first demonstrated the Apple-1 at a club meeting in July 1976. Upon seeing interest among the membership, he and Jobs pooled their resources to have the boards produced. They originally hoped to sell 50 of them at $40 per board to recover their initial $1000 outlay. However, seeking a larger audience, Jobs approached Paul Terrell, owner ... More
The Tarzian Vehicle Collection goes up for bid at Turner Auctions + Appraisals
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Turner Auctions + Appraisals will present The Vehicle Collection of Francis E. Tarzian, Sr., on Sunday, January 17, 2021, at 10:30 am PST. The auction features four vehicles: a high-wheel 1907 Schacht; 1912 Ford Model T Torpedo; a 1919 White Model 15, 3/4-ton stake side truck; and a 1921 Ford Model T Center Door Sedan. Three were impeccably restored by Mr. Tarzian, a passionate collector and restorer of antique automobiles, whose machinist skills garnered numerous restoration awards. Turner Auctions + Appraisals begins its online auction on Sunday, January 17, 2020, at 10:30 am PST; sale items are available for preview and bidding now. The auction will be featured live on multiple platforms: LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, Bidsquare, iCollector, and Turner Auctions + Appraisals free mobile app, which ... More
Modern Art and Mendes Wood DM open two concurrent exhibitions devoted to Eleonore Koch
LONDON.- Modern Art, London and Mendes Wood DM, New York are presenting two concurrent exhibitions devoted to German-Brazilian painter Eleonore Koch (1926-2018) curated by Kiki Mazzucchelli. The exhibitions will bring together a group of works produced from the late 1960s, when the artist established herself in London, to the 1990s, upon her return to São Paulo. Eleonore Koch occupies a unique place in the history of Brazilian modernism. Born in Berlin in 1926, she emigrated to Brazil aged ten alongside her Jewish family. Having completed her academic training at the School of Fine Arts, in São Paulo, in the mid-1940s, she later pursued her art studies in Paris (1949-50), where she had lessons at the Académie Julian, the Académie de la Grande Chaumière and at Ãrpád Szenes' (1897-1985) studio. Upon her return to São ... More
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PhotoGalleries
Anne Truitt Sound
Islamic Metalwork
Klaas Rommelaere
Helen Muspratt
Flashback On a day like today, English painter Joseph Mallord William Turner died December 19, 1851. Joseph Mallord William Turner RA (23 April 1775 - 19 December 1851), known as J. M. W. Turner and contemporarily as William Turner,[a] was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist, known for his expressive colourisation, imaginative landscapes and turbulent, often violent marine paintings. In this image: Joseph Mallord William Turner, "The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, October 16, 1834," 1834-1835. Oil on canvas. Philadelphia Museum of Art. The John Howard McFadden Collection.
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