| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net | | Established in 1996 | Sunday, November 12, 2023 |
| | | Hidden demon uncovered in 18th-century painting | |
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An image provided by the National Trust, an English conservation charity, shows a detail of The Death of Cardinal Beaufort (1789) by Sir Joshua Reynolds after the latest conservation effort, which revealed a fanged demon hovering over the deathbed. The demon drew strong reactions from critics when the painting was first shown in 1789, and was later painted over. (National Trust via The New York Times)
by Amanda Holpuch
NEW YORK, NY.- The Death of Cardinal Beaufort, a painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds depicting a scene from Shakespeares play Henry VI, Part 2, stirred controversy when it was first shown in 1789, because of a demon that lurked in its shadows. The choice to include the fanged, sinister-looking figure challenged audiences expectations of what was then suitable in painting. At the time, one critic from The Times of London suggested that some fiend had been laying siege to Sir Joshuas taste. Another said the demons ludicrous meanness destroys the terror which is the soul of the scene. The creature was eventually hidden under layers of paint and varnish, creating mystery around the painting until this year, when the demon resurfaced after a restoration project by the National Trust, an English conservation charity. It took six months for the restorer, Sophie Reddington, to uncover the demon and bring the rest of the painting to life, sai ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day From 10 November to 7 January 2024, BFI Southbank presents The Red Shoes: Beyond the Mirror, this dazzling, free exhibition follows 21 year-old Moira Shearerâs personal journey through the production of The Red Shoes, as well as exploring the lasting legacy of the most iconic dance film of all time. Exhibition view from The Red Shoes: Beyond The Mirror. Photo by Sarah J Duncan/ BFI.
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| Swiss Museum in financial straits sells three Cézannes for $53 million | | Phillips presents highlights of the London Photographs Auction on 21 November | | Matisse and Derain: The audacious 'Wild Beasts' of fauvism in a radiant show |
Fruits et Pot de Gingembre, a Paul Cézanne painting from the collection of the Museum Langmatt. The painting was sold at auction for $38.9 million with fees by Christies in New York on Thursday, Nov. 9, 2023. (Christie's via The New York Times)
by Catherine Hickley
NEW YORK, NY.- Three paintings by Paul Cézanne that a Swiss museum foundation said it had to sell to ward off insolvency fetched $52.5 million, with buyers fees, at a Christies auction in New York on Thursday. Markus Stegmann, director of the Museum Langmatt in Baden, Switzerland, said that after subtracting buyers fees, its parent foundation will reap 42.3 million Swiss francs (nearly $46.9 million) from the sale of the three paintings, enough to keep the museum operating. The money will be used to create an endowment that will secure the museums future. This is a decisive milestone for us, Stegmann said. We were entertaining all kinds of possible scenarios given a very poor market environment. Its a relief. The Foundation ... More | |
Peter Lindbergh, Sasha with Bolex, French Vogue, Le Touquet, France, 2006. Estimate: £25,000 - 35,000.
LONDON.- Phillips will present highlights ahead of the London Photographs auction on 21 November. The 18th edition of ULTIMATE showcases 14 works, seven of which are by artists making their auction debut, including Evelyn Bencicova, Mous Lamrabat, Carlos Idun-Tawiah and Tokuko Ushioda. Alongside the auction debuts in ULTIMATE are remarkable works from celebrated visual artists including, among others, Nick Knight, Ikkō Narahara, Prince Gyasi, and Bastiaan Woudt. In addition to ULTIMATE and ULTIMATE STEVEN KLEIN, this season's auction encompasses works by artists such as Marina Abramović, Peter Lindbergh, Seydou Keïta, and Nobuyoshi Araki. This is the first time that a substantial offering of Arakis unique Arakiri Polaroids has come to auction. The auction is online now with highlights on view in Phillips London galleries on Berkeley Square from 15 to 21 November until the live auction on 21 November at 2pm. Yuka Yamaji, Head ... More | |
André Derain, Woman with a Shawl, Madame Matisse in a Kimono, 1905, oil on canvas,private collection, courtesy of Nevill Keating Pictures, London. © 2023 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.
by Roberta Smith
NEW YORK, NY.- If you ever took an art history survey in college, you may recall the blur of fauvism. In the parade of projected images, it was the shocking flash of pure color that sped past as the course made its way to the more demanding rigors and longer shelf lives of Pablo Picassos Les Demoiselles dAvignon and cubism. Fauvism, which lasted from about 1904-08, is the first and probably the shortest of modernisms art movements. It is also one of the messiest, populated by a shifting cast of painters and locales. It lacks a manifesto or statement of goals, or even much stylistic coherence, and its tortuous buildup may have been longer than the trend itself. But in at least two ways, the achievement of les fauves (the wild beasts), a term coined by French critic Louis Vauxcelles ... More |
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| Pittsburgh Museum apologizes for handling of Islamic art show | | An expedition finds a 'Lost' mammal and a shrimp that lives in trees | | Cheim & Read opens exhibition of works by artist Kathe Burkhart |
The Frick Pittsburgh, which postponed an exhibition featuring 10 centuries of Islamic art after the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, apologized for the offense its leaders explanation caused.
by Zachary Small
NEW YORK, NY.- The head of the Frick Pittsburgh apologized Thursday for the way she handled the postponement of an exhibition of Islamic art, which had been scheduled to open this month before museum leaders decided to delay it because of the Israel-Hamas war. In an apology posted on the museums website, Elizabeth Barker, the museums executive director, acknowledged that the museum had not initially been forthcoming about its decision to delay the exhibition, Treasured Ornament: 10 Centuries of Islamic Art, and apologized for causing offense when she later tried to explain the decision. There are no excuses for what I said, regardless of my intentions, Barker said in the statement. My words gave the offensive and utterly wrong impression that I equated Islam with terrorism and that I saw Jews and Muslims communities with millennia of peaceful interconnection as ... More | |
This is the first ever video recorded of Attenboroughs long-beaked echidna, captured by remote trail cameras during Expedition Cyclops.
by Douglas Main
NEW YORK, NY.- A scientific expedition to a treacherous mountain range on the island of New Guinea has collected the first-ever photographic evidence confirming the survival of a bizarre, egg-laying mammal. The team also found dozens of undescribed species of insects, as well as newfound arachnids, amphibians and even a shrimp that dwells in trees. This rediscovered mammal, known as Attenboroughs long-beaked echidna and named for Sir David, has the quills of a hedgehog, the snout of an anteater and the feet of a mole, said James Kempton, a biologist at the University of Oxford who led the exploration to the Cyclops Mountains, in the Indonesia province of Papua. Most details about the life history of this critically endangered mammal, which is slightly smaller than a house cat, remain a total mystery. For years, the echidna was feared extinct. The only prior scientific record of the species was a specimen collected in 1961. ... More | |
Kathe Burkhart. Sick Puppy: From The Liz Taylor Series (Publicity Shot), 2019. Acrylic, temporary tattoos, metal, cable ties on linen. 81 x 83 in. / 205.7 x 210.8 cm. Artwork courtesy the artist. Photography: Shinji Otani.
NEW YORK, NY.- Since 1982, artist Kathe Burkharts ongoing conceptual project The Liz Taylor Series has mined a distinct terrain within the canon of feminist art merging provocative image and text to critique notions of gender, sexuality, power dynamics, and the body. Drawing on depictions of actress Elizabeth Taylor from film stills, publicity portraits, tabloid shots, and other visual sources, these works often incorporate unexpected collage elementsincluding fencing, straw, faux fur, and temporary tattoos among othersthat simultaneously undermine the expectations of a painting while questioning the delimiting boundaries between the private and public, the personal and the political. Throughout the series, Taylor is neither a mere avatar for the artist nor a subject of Warholian meditations on celebrity and reproduction; rather, Burkhart uses the star as a performative armaturea mobile inhabitation of lived experience elaborated within the slippage between projection and iden ... More |
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| Last chance to see: Elmgreen & Dragset at Perrotin Paris | | Phillips' upcoming Day Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary Art showcases a diverse array of works | | A treasure may be off the coast of Colombia, but who can claim it? |
Installation views of David and other sculptures, a solo exhibition by Elmgreen & Dragset at Perrotin Paris, 2023. © Elmgreen & Dragset / ADAGP, Paris, 2023. Courtesy of the artist and Perrotin. Photo: Claire Dorn.
PARIS.- After 20 years of collaboration with the gallery, the artists duo Elmgreen & Dragset unveiled a new solo exhibition gathering seven sculptures or sculpted groups that depict several potential scenarios. This new project marks the tenth exhibition with the gallery. Without transition, your eyes glued to the smartphone, youve entered the gallery space. You probably didn't realize it. Your mind was elsewhere, lost in the limbo of an alternate reality, both physical and virtual. This is normal in today's world, where reality is often filtered through devices, changing the experience of art itself. Interactivity has replaced contemplation, sharing content has replaced absorption. People show themselves experiencing art, whether with an #artselfie or a challenge for #arttok. More profoundly, our access to the real itself has been transformed. The experience is rarely direct, mediated by images, sounds, and texts shared with a swipe of our thumbs. You and I are the Thumbelina1 generatio ... More | |
Carmen Herrera, Untitled Estructura (Blue), 1966/2015. Estimate: $400,000 - 600,000. Image courtesy of Phillips.
NEW YORK, NY.- Phillips announced highlights and the complete web catalogue for the upcoming 20th Century & Contemporary Art Day Sale set to occur on 15 November at 432 Park Avenue, New York. Boasting an extensive selection of artworks, the Morning and Afternoon Sessions range from established blue-chip to fresh-to-market artists, covering over a century. Amongst the Impressionist and Modern works are drawings and paintings by Edgar Degas, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Marc Chagall, seamlessly intertwined with Post-War masterworks, including the largest Ernie Barnes to come to auction. The sale will also feature artists such as Rudolf Stingel, James Rosenquist, Alma Woodsey Thomas, Alice Baber, and Caroline Walker, among others, as well as many auction debuts. The exhibition takes place from 4 14 November. Annie Dolan and Patrizia Koenig, Co-Heads of the New York Day Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary Art, said, We are delighted to intr ... More | |
The San José galleon was destroyed in 1708, sinking with goods now worth billions. Colombias government is planning a recovery, but not everyone wants to see the shipwreck brought to the surface. (Federico Rios/The New York Times)
by Remy Tumin and Genevieve Glatsky
NEW YORK, NY.- When the San José made its final voyage from Seville, Spain, to the Americas in 1706, the Spanish galleon was considered to be one of the most complex machines ever built. But in an instant, the armed cargo vessel went from a brilliant example of nautical architecture to what treasure hunters would come to consider the Holy Grail of shipwrecks. The San José was destroyed in an ambush by the British in 1708 in what is known as Wagers Action, sinking off the coast of Cartagena, Colombia, with a haul of gold, jewels and other goods that could be worth upward of $20 billion today. Some experts say that number is extraordinarily inflated. But the myth built around the San José has prompted the Colombian government to keep its exact location a secret as a matter of national security. Now Colombias president, Gustavo Petro ... More |
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| Gallerie d'Italia - Milano, Intesa Sanpaolo Museum opens exhibition of photographs of Maria Callas | | Out now: 'Fredrik Værslev: The Garden Paintings' | | Work begins on "Room of the Four Doors" |
The exhibition at Gallerie dItalia presents a selection of 91 images from the Intesa Sanpaolo Publifoto Archive, all realised between 1954 and 1970.
MILAN.- On the occasion of the centenary of Maria Callas' birth, which falls on the 2nd of December, Intesa Sanpaolo presents "Maria Callas. Portraits from the Intesa Sanpaolo Publifoto Archive," an exhibition curated by Aldo Grasso and taking place at the Gallerie dItalia in Milan from the 9th of November to the 18th of February 2024. Sponsored by the Municipality of Milan, this exhibition is the first initiative to kick off Callas 100, a programme of events taking place in November and December in different city venues. Aimed at paying tribute to the famous singer, actress and fashion icon, the programme Callas 100 has been organised by the Municipality of Milan in collaboration with Teatro alla Scala, Intesa Sanpaolo Gallerie dItalia, and Piccolo Teatro di Milano. The exhibition at Gallerie dItalia presents a selection of 91 images from the Intesa Sanpaolo Publifoto Archive, all realised between 1954 and 19 ... More | |
The publication gives a comprehensive and chronological account of the Garden Paintings as well as their exhibition history. Photo: Nicola Gnesi.
MILAN.- Fredrik Værslev: The Garden Paintings is the first publication dedicated to a single body of work by the artist. As Erlend Hammer writes in his essay: The Garden Paintings are works that exist within a complex network of references that include everything from Abstract Expressionism to suburban garden furniture as one might find in an event organized as a platform for relational aesthetics. They similarly engage, art-historically speaking, with everything from the anthropological site specificity of Robert Smithsons relics, the theatricality of Minimal sculpture, architecturally loaded carriers of institutional critique, and post-conceptual painting objects. At the same time, theyre also just paintings. In her essay, Martha Kirszenbaum points to the origin of the work in the suburban architecture of Norway in the 1980s: His Garden Paintings are as much a homage as a misuse and a ... More | |
Detail of the ceiling fresco depicting Jupiter crowning Venice queen of the sea, before conservation. Photo: Matteo De Fina.
VENICE.- Conservation financed through Save Venice's ambitious campaign for the Room of the Four Doors, Sala delle Quattro Porte, in Venice's Palazzo Ducale begins this month and with a very special opportunity. Through the generosity of Karin & Peter Leidel, donations made to the campaign will be matched 1:1 up to $100,000. As one of the most impressive reception halls within Palazzo Ducale, the cost of this initial phase of treatment is significant at more than $700,000. About $300,000 has been raised to date thanks to the leading support of the Leidels; the Manitou Fund through Nora McNeely Hurley; The Gritti Palace, A Luxury Hotel, Venice, and others. The Room of the Four Doors in Palazzo Ducale stands as one of the most magnificent reception halls within the Venetian Republic's seat of government. Save Venice's campaign will fund the restoration of this room's imposing ... More |
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In Conversation: Anj Smith & Dr. Orna Guralnik on 'Drifting Habitations'
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Mennour Institute announces program for young graduates
PARIS.- Mennour Institute is committed to supporting young artists in the early stages of their career. Each year, following an open call to young graduates, six artists will be selected to participate in an advisory program and in a group exhibition under the emblematic glass roof of Mennour gallery (6 rue du Pont de Lodi, Paris). The gallery will accompany them through every stage of the exhibition process (curation, production, logistics and communication). Entitled Mennour Emergence, the program will include an overall allocation of 15,000 per year for the production of works of the six exhibiting artists. For its first edition, Mennour Institute collaborates with Beaux- Arts de Paris, and opens its call for applications exclusively to the schools graduates of 2023 (DNSAP). ... More
The Egyptian rapper Wegz wants to take Arabic hip-hop worldwide
WASHINGTON, DC.- On the ninth stop of his first world tour, Egyptian rapper Wegz finished soundcheck at the Howard Theater in Washington and relaxed on a worn black leather couch wearing a gray Carhartt fleece jacket and cream New Balance 990 sneakers. In his unflashy attire, passersby might not have recognized one of the biggest artists in the emerging Arabic music scene calmly awaiting his set time. Thats what Im trying to do, Wegz, 25, said. Just revert people back to minimalism. His numbers, however, have been growing. Wegz has been the most-streamed artist on Spotify in Egypt since 2020. In 2022, he was named the most-streamed artist on the platform across the entire Middle East and North Africa, and became the first Egyptian artist to perform at the FIFA World Cup final. He sold out concerts in London and ... More
The Vancouver Art Gallery presents 'Denyse Thomasos: just beyond'
VANCOUVER.- The Vancouver Art Gallery is presenting Denyse Thomasos: just beyond, a career retrospective honouring the late Trinidadian-Canadian artist, Denyse Thomasos (19642012). The exhibition, organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, and Remai Modern, Saskatoon, presents a selection of Thomasos' remarkable paintings, works on paper (many of which have been rarely seen), alongside sketches, photographs and newly uncovered documentary footage of Thomasos working in her studio. Denyse Thomasos: just beyond delves into the artists innovative use of formalist techniques to push the boundaries of abstraction, infusing personal and political narratives onto her canvases. Thomasos was one of the most talented painters to emerge in the 1990s, yet her remarkable contributions to contemporary ... More
Postsale report: Milestone's $850K debut of Elmer's Toy Museum auction series
WILLOUGHBY, OHIO.- Elmers Auto and Toy Museum in Fountain City, Wisconsin, achieved legendary status long before its doors closed in 2022, after 28 years of operation. While the rambling rural museum is now history, the late Elmer Duellmans tangible legacy his mind-blowing assemblage of 25,000 antique and vintage toys will live on. Bolstered by pop-culture fans of all ages, the fabled collection took its first step into a new era at Milestones October 28 sale, the first in an ongoing series of quarterly events featuring the Duellman toys. With intense media interest and lively toy-hobby chatter as its catalysts, the single-day auction debut realized $850,000, with estimate-crushing prices paid by bidders across the globe. Without question, the auctions top spotlight grabbers were the postwar Japanese tin motorcycles, one of Elmers ... More
Curtains down, bottoms up: When the show eends, the night's just getting started
NEW YORK, NY.- A funny thing happened at Dead Letter No. 9, a new performance space in Brooklyn. It was just after 10 p.m. on a Saturday in late October. The evenings show had finished, but the audience wouldnt leave crowding instead into the adjoining bar for cocktails, mocktails and flatbreads. Though New York City has its cabaret spaces and piano bars, theater and nightlife mostly occupy separate addresses. Blame temperament or real estate or the lingering effects of cabaret laws (finally repealed in 2017), which required a license to allow patrons to dance, but in general those who long for a drink and a show at the same time have had to settle for overpriced chardonnay in sippy cups. Ah, the glamour. New shows and new venues are blurring those lines. Though I am a lady with a hilariously low tolerance for alcohol ... More
Davide Renne, Moschino creative director, dead at 46
NEW YORK, NY.- Davide Renne, an Italian fashion designer and former head of womenswear at Gucci, died on Friday, nine days after becoming creative director of Moschino. He was 46. His death in Milan was confirmed on Friday by Aeffe, the parent group of Moschino. He died after an apparent heart attack, according to people familiar with the matter. There are no words to describe the pain we are experiencing at this dramatic time, the statement, from Massimo Ferretti, the Aeffe chair, said. Today, we are left with the responsibility of carrying on what his imagination and creativity only envisioned. Renne, who had been at Gucci for 20 years before the announcement last month of his new role at Moschino, had been working on a debut collection that would have been shown at Milan Fashion Week in February. A well-loved figure in Italian ... More
'The Red Shoes: Beyond the Mirror' exhibition opens at BFI Southbank
LONDON.- Powell and Pressburgers visually ravishing masterpiece, The Red Shoes (1948) celebrates its 75th anniversary this year. Inspired by Hans Christian Andersens classic fairy tale, it tells the story of a young woman whose desire is to become a leading dancer and for whom art is more important than life itself. Victoria Page (played by real-life prima ballerina Moira Shearer) secures a transformative role at the Ballet Lermontov, that of a girl beguiled by a pair of magic red slippers. Gradually, the boundaries between fact and fiction blur as Pages life intertwines with the feverish part she dances and she finds herself driven to breaking point. From 10 November to 7 January 2024, BFI Southbank presents The Red Shoes: Beyond the Mirror, this dazzling, free exhibition follows 21 year-old Moira Shearers personal journey through the production of The Red Shoes, as well as exploring the lasting legacy of the most ico ... More
Grammy snubs and surprises: boygenius thrives; country and rap wither
NEW YORK, NY.- Young women from across genres along with the Recording Academys favorite polymath spoiler, Jon Batiste reigned atop the nominations Friday for the 66th annual Grammy Awards, to be held Feb. 4 in Los Angeles. But beyond familiar names like Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish, this years class of nominees reveals a strong surge for R&B (SZA, Victoria Monét, Coco Jones, Janelle Monáe); a tough showing for country, rap and Latin music, especially in the top categories; and the enduring love for soundtracks historically felt in Grammyland. But who got left out, who represents a welcome surprise and what, as ever, are the Grammys thinking? The New York Times pop music team editor Caryn Ganz, reporter Joe Coscarelli, chief pop music critic Jon Pareles and pop music critic Jon Caramanica pored ... More
Gallery Art Villa Gooi opens in the Netherlands
HILVERSUM.- In the center of the Netherlands, Art Villa Gooi recently opened its doors in Hilversum. The new, exclusive art gallery is located in a monumental and elegant office villa from 1903, and mainly represents Dutch contemporary artists. The first exhibition 'Winter Extravaganza' shows a wide and colorful selection of photography, paintings, sculptures, wall works, costume objects and glass art, until 25 February 2024. Dutch Fine Art photographer Gert Kist (Amsterdam, 1963) is the initiator and gallery owner of Art Villa Gooi. He also presents his own artworks in the gallery. With a great passion for creativity, and a keen eye for detail and aesthetics, the visual artist creates intriguing and painterly portraits, flower still lifes, and 'New Classics'. The photographer is writing with light. His layered and autonomous work is internationally included ... More
Alvin Curran traces more than fifty years of musical research and collaborations in exhibition at MACRO
ROME.- Musician and composer Alvin Curran (Providence, Rhode Island, 1938) traces more than fifty years of musical research and collaborations, while also recounting his relationship with the city of Rome where he has lived and worked since 1965. Through a new sound worka mixtape comprising of fragments from several pieces and recordingsCurran leads the audience on an autobiographical listening journey from his early career, which began in the late-1950s, to his most recent work. From free improvisation to Fluxus, from compositions for boat horns to music for orchestra and piano, to artificial intelligence and the pieces composed for Maria Monti and Memè Perlini, Hear Alvin Here offers an overview which allows us to trace, in filigree, some of the central nodes of experimental and research music from the second half ... More
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PhotoGalleries
Gabriele Münter
TARWUK
Awol Erizku
Leo Villareal
Flashback On a day like today, Jeff Koons' "Balloon Dog (Orange)" set a world auction record November 12, 2013. Jeff Koons' "Balloon Dog (Orange)" at Christie's in New York. The mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent color coating was part of Post-War and Contemporary Evening Sale held on November 12, 2013. The sculpture sold for $58,405,000. The sum was the highest ever paid for a work by a living artist. AFP PHOTO/Don Emmert.
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