| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net |    | Established in 1996 | Thursday, August 10, 2023 |
| | Swiss museum cashier pockets more than $1 million in yearslong scam | |
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The Fondation Beyeler in Winter. Photo: Mark Niedermann
by Christopher F. Schuetze
BERLIN.- For this museum heist, every little bit counted. A court in Switzerland convicted a museum cashier on Friday of stealing almost 1 million Swiss francs by pocketing entry fees paid by visitors at the Beyeler Foundation, a prestigious art museum outside Basel. The court heard that the 54-year-old woman whose name was not released for privacy reasons, as is typical in Switzerland had used a number of tricks to skim 986,000 Swiss francs, more than $1.1 million, from the ticket office between 2008 and 2019, when she was caught and fired. Most likely, you would have continued like this if you hadnt been found out, the presiding judge, Marcia Stucki, said when announcing the verdict Friday, according ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day Gallerie d'Italia, Intesa Sanpaolo's museum in Milan, is presenting Una collezione inattesa. Viaggio nel contemporaneo tra pittura e scultura [An unexpected collection. A journey through contemporary painting and sculpture], curated by Luca Massimo Barbero, Associate Curator of the Bank's Collections of Modern and Contemporary Art. Running from 26 May to 22 October 2023, the exhibition presents a selection of works from the Intesa Sanpaolo collection in dialogue with works that form part of the permanent exhibition, "Cantiere del '900".
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| Guggenheim Museum staff ratifies union contract | | How 4 countries are preparing to bring stolen treasures home | | 'Alice Neel: Feels Like Home' on view until October at the OCMA | 
The Guggenheim Museum announced Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023, that it had reached an agreement with its workers union after more than two years of bargaining and that nearly 150 curators, conservators and other employees connected with Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers had ratified their first contract. (Tony Cenicola/The New York Times)
by Zachary Small
NEW YORK, NY.- The Guggenheim Museum announced Tuesday that it had reached an agreement with its workers union after more than two years of bargaining and that nearly 150 curators, conservators and other employees connected with Local 2110 of the United Auto Workers had ratified their first contract. The contract goes into effect immediately, providing an average salary increase of 11% over the lifetime of the 2 1/2-year contract, which will run through Dec. 31, 2025. The contract delivers improved health and retirement benefits and includes a grievance procedure with arbitration and a requirement that ... More | | 
A wooden female figure known as Ngonnso. (Marc Sebastien Eils via The New York Times)
by Catherine Hickley
NEW YORK, NY.- The discussion about returning wrongfully acquired heritage to countries in the global south has, until now, largely focused on the steps taken by Western museums and governments. But away from the spotlight, in countries like Cameroon and Indonesia, heritage workers, government officials and activists are laying the groundwork to reclaim long lost treasures, a process most expect will take decades. Identifying the objects and securing their recovery is just one part of the task. Challenges include establishing who will own and take care of the artifacts, upgrading museum infrastructure, involving communities and awakening public interest. We have an enormous mission, said Placide Mumbembele Sanger, a professor at the University of Kinshasa who is advising Congos government. This is not something we ... More | | 
Alice Neel, Ginny and the Parrot (detail), 1970. Oil on canvas, 91.4 x 61 cm, 36 x 24 in. Courtesy the Estate of Alice Neel and David Zwirner.
COSTA MESA, CA.- Feels Like Home, currently on view at Newport Harbor Art Museum, OCMA, examines the role of kinship, chosen family, and the importance of community within the work of Alice Neel (January 28, 1900 October 13, 1984) , American visual artist, who was known for her portraits depicting friends, family, lovers, poets, artists, and strangers. Her paintings have an expressionistic use of line and color, psychological acumen, and emotional intensity. A curated selection of forty paintings, many pulled from the estates collection, focuses on Neels honest, intimate paintings of her home, children, animals, and expanded family. Everyday occurrencesfrom two nuns walking arm in arm in the park to folks gathered in a movie theater lobbyalso demonstrate a close bond with New York, which provided Neel with a sense of belonging, enabling the artist to create ... More |
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| 'Ashmolean Now: Flora Yukhnovich and Daniel Crews-Chubb' large-scale works on view until January 2024 | | Morphy's July Automobilia & Petroliana auction crosses finish line at impressive $2.3M | | Now open 'Imprinting in Time: Chinese Printmaking at the Beginning of a New Era' | 
Flora Yukhnovich, Hell is a Teenage Girl, 2023. Oil on linen, 220 x 185 cm.
The Ashmolean Museums renowned historical collections are the inspiration for two contemporary artists whose new works are currently on display in the Museum. The two simultaneous exhibitions in Gallery 8 feature paintings by critically acclaimed British artists Flora Yukhnovich and Daniel Crews-Chubb. The shows open the Ashmoleans new exhibition series Ashmolean NOW, in which UK-based contemporary artists are invited to create new work inspired by the Ashmoleans collections. Invited to spend time immersed in the collections of the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford in 2022, Flora Yukhnovich (b. 1990) was drawn to the Still-Life Paintings Gallery and the floral, fleshy and dark elements that can be found in Dutch flower paintings of the 17th and early 18th century by artists such as Ambrosius Bosschaert, Adriaen Coorte, ... More | | 
Exceedingly rare 14in Pepsi-Cola reverse-painted glass bullet lighted sign with bottle graphic, circa 1940s. Original wood base and metal can. Condition: 9.25. Sold above high estimate for $21,420.
DENVER, COLO.- Led by an enviable array of rare advertising signs, gas pumps, globes and early service station and motoring accessories, Morphy Auctions July 19-20 Automobilia & Petroliana auction attracted bidders from coast to coast and cruised to a grand total of $2.3 million, inclusive of buyers premium. The 1,000-lot sale featured superior-quality consignments from a number of advanced collections, offering bidders a chance to buy elusive pieces at condition levels that would be nearly impossible to improve upon. To no ones surprise, a clean, fresh-to-the-market Sinclair Aircraft double-sided porcelain service station sign with an early airplane graphic landed in the auctions #1 slot. Measuring 48 inches in diameter and graded a strong 9.0 and 8.0 on each of its sides, the coveted sign was pursued ... More | | 
Zhen Xu , School of Fish 3, 1997, Woodcut Print.
PASADENA, CA.- USC Pacific Asia Museum will be presenting Imprinting in Time: Chinese Printmaking at the Beginning of a New Era. On view from August 11 through November 12, 2023, the exhibition surveys printmaking by Chinese artists from the 1980s to the present and examines the unique narrative of the medium within the contexts of cultural, academic, sociopolitical, and economic changes in recent Chinese history. From its inception, the woodblock has been given singular priority for articulating social commentary and nationalistic sentiments since the 1930s. The emergence of etching, lithograph, silkscreen, and digital devices in the 1980s added new energy to the medium. Most artists included in the exhibition were academically trained printmakers; however, a few have established their reputations in other media and explored printmaking as an additional aesthetic in their practices. ... More |
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| Season dedicated to the material of paper has opened with various exhibitions at Messums Wiltshire | | Kruse GWS Auction announces the 'Artifacts of Hollywood & Music' sale featuring memorabilia from life of Kurt Cobain | | With National Monument designation, Biden tries to balance electoral realities | 
Kaori Kato Installation, Messums Wiltshire.
LONDON.- Since August 5th at Messums Wiltshire our in-depth focus on materials investigates paper. A series of exhibitions across our venues presents artists working with paper and showcases the diversity, breadth and potential of the material with works ranging from print, drawing, sculpture and installation, and exploring a range of scale in two and three dimensions. Japanese contemporary artist Kaori Kato has filled the barn gallery at Messums Wiltshire with a site-specific installation. Kato creates geometric patterns and organic three-dimensional forms by hand-folding paper. As artist-in-residence for a short period at Messums Wiltshire, she has made work on site, responding to the interior of the thirteenth-century tithe barn. Her paper sculpture dynamically integrates with the space suspended from the ceiling, unfolding from the floor, rhythmically rolling over plinths and curling over the walls. This ... More | | 
Guitar owned by Kurt Cobain.
LOS ANGELES, CA.- Kruse GWS Auctions, the world-record-breaking auction specializing in entertainment memorabilia, fine jewelry, master timepieces and Royal artifacts, has announced the Artifacts of Hollywood & Music auction to take place Saturday, August 26, 2023 beginning at 10:00 a.m. PT. The Artifacts of Hollywood & Music Auction features a collection of rare memorabilia from the life and career of Kurt Cobain, as well as extraordinary items from Elvis Presley, Bruce Lee, Cher, Marilyn Monroe, Raquel Welch, John Lennon and much more. Kurt Cobain is best known as the lead singer of the grunge band Nirvana which he formed in 1988. He became a rock legend quickly and remains one of the most popular artists of our time. The band made a leap to a major label when they signed with Geffen Records in 1991. After releasing the majorly successful album Nevermind, Nirvanas highly acclaimed album In Utero was release ... More | | 
President Joe Biden speaks to Ed Keable, superintendent of Grand Canyon National Park, while looking over the Grand Canyon at the Yaki Point lookout in Arizona, Aug. 8, 2023. (Kenny Holston/The New York Times)
by Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Lisa Friedman and David Iversen
ALBUQUERQUE, NM.- After spending most of his appearance near the Grand Canyon describing how his fifth national monument designation would preserve sagebrush, bighorn sheep and 450 kinds of birds, President Joe Biden said Tuesday that protecting the land long held sacred by Native American leaders was not just a matter of the environment. By creating this monument, were setting aside new spaces for families to bike, hunt, fish and camp, growing the tourism economy, Biden said as he declared nearly 1 million acres near the Grand Canyon as a national monument, with the 300-million-year-old majestic red cliffs serving as his backdrop. Preserving these lands is good not only for Arizona, but for ... More |
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| Nohra Haime Gallery is now presenting 'Sophia Vari: A Retrospective' | | 'What a Carry On' as series of posters shows plenty of appetite for comedy franchise | | The toughest 'Barbie' critics are Barbie collectors | 
Sophia Vari, Greek (19402023), Bronze Sculpture with Gold patina, signature and numbering inscribed, 1987, Edition of 6. Size: 12 x 10.5 x 10.5 in. (30.48 x 26.67 x 26.67 cm).
NEW YORK, NY.- The Nohra Haime Gallery presents a tribute to the creative legacy of the exceptionally talented international artist, Sophia Vari. The exhibition showcases a group of sculptures, watercolor paintings, and assemblages to honor the late artist. This presentation accompanies the public installation of 12 monumental bronze sculptures on Park Avenue between 54th and 62nd streets. This exhibition places emphasis on the timelessness of Sophia Varis art. Sophia Vari was born on the peninsula of Attica, Greece ... More | | 
Carry On Cabby One Sheet poster sold for £1,040.
WOKING.- The Carry On brand of slapstick comedy with groanworthy puns may seem dated these days, but the as Ewbanks Vintage Posters auction on August 4 showed, a huge appetite remains for posters associated with the franchise. More than 40 appeared here, with many going well over estimate to provide a premium-inclusive total of more than £12,600 for this section of the sale. The fact that Tom Chantrell, arguably the most celebrated of 20th century British film poster artists, designed the series would have helped. Top prices came for some of the most iconic films in the Carry On stable, as long as the accompanying artwork was lively, colourful and included at least one of the best-loved actors among the cast. ... More | | 
An undated photo by Jian Yang, who specializes in street-style photo shoots of dolls, of a Barbie in his collection. (Jian Yang via The New York Times)
by Esther Zuckerman
NEW YORK, NY.- Before going to see Barbie, doll collector Laura Maar had reservations. Based on early images, Maar didnt like the way the film was portraying Barbies pregnant friend, Midge (her personal favorite), or Allan, Kens pal who can wear all of his buddys clothes. It just kind of annoyed me the way he was this mealy-mouthed character in the movie, because thats not him at all. Maar was still unpacking what she had seen after the first time she watched the film, directed by Greta Gerwig, when she went for another viewing. By the second time, though, I ... More |
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Explore "I've Known Rivers" with Hank Willis Thomas
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 A pianist adapts to life with Parkinson's DiseaseHAMBURG.- In the fall of 2018, pianist Nicolas Hodges noticed his body shaking. He brought it up at a routine doctors appointment in Tübingen, Germany, where he lives. The doctor said it was probably stress but recommended that he make an appointment with a neurologist. Hodges didnt make that appointment right away. But then, in January 2019, the shaking caused him to play a wrong note during a performance. It became instantly clear that I had to find out what was going on, he said. Dr. Klaus Schreiber, a neurologist and a classical music lover, observed Hodges performing a few minor physical tasks walking across a room, undressing and dressing before he sent him for a series of tests that confirmed Hodges had Parkinsons disease. Schreiber estimated that Hodges had been performing with Parkinsons for three years. Hodges, 53, is a leading interp ... More  Can this festival keep a New York sandwich tradition alive?BINGHAMTON, NY.- What makes a perfect spiedie? It depends on whom you ask. The sandwich, pronounced SPEE-dee, consists of cubed meat commonly chicken or pork, sometimes beef and originally lamb that is marinated in a salad dressing of sorts (a blend of oil, vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and spices), grilled and then stuffed inside a long bun. The sandwich is usually free of condiments, though toppings like cheese, mushrooms and fried onions and peppers are not unheard of. Most of its fans agree that you must not overcook the meat. Some stress the quality of the meat and a long marinade. But Ray Parkes one of two dozen cook-off contestants at the Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally Expo, held in Binghamton, New York, on Sunday takes an instinctual approach. He buys whatever meat is on sale and soaks it in his homemade ... More  Michael Boyd, who invigorated the Royal Shakespeare Company, dies at 68NEW YORK, NY.- Michael Boyd, who led the Royal Shakespeare Company as artistic director from 2002-12, a decade in which he stabilized the organization while undertaking ambitious projects including a heralded New York residency and the mounting of the un-Shakespearean hit show Matilda the Musical, died Thursday at his home in London. He was 68. His family, in a statement posted on the Royal Shakespeare Companys website, said the cause was cancer. Boyd had a distinguished career as a director stretching back to the early 1980s, when he was with the Belgrade Theater in Coventry, England. Work he directed there and in a subsequent stop at the Tron in Glasgow a gritty urban musical called Risky City, a reimagined Macbeth, an adaptation of Janice Galloways novel The Trick Is to Keep Breathing and more caught the attention of playgoers ... More  The wide world of puppetry converges on New YorkNEW YORK, NY.- Forget the sunglasses, the baseball caps, the featherweight clothing. Heat or no heat, its time to choose a fantastical mask and a wild costume and head to the Lower East Side to join a Wednesday evening parade. Hades himself will welcome you. The occasion? Its Halloween in August, the theme of the third International Puppet Fringe Festival NYC, which officially begins with this open-to-all procession on Suffolk Street. This years festival, which arrives with more than 50 performances, as well as cabarets, craft workshops, panels, open mics and films, celebrates the legacy of master puppeteer and theater artist Ralph Lee. Lee, who died in May, invented one of New Yorks most popular puppet revels the Village Halloween Parade and Wednesdays street stroll will feature not only his Greek god of the underworld but also his ... More  New exhibition now on view at Tandem Press curated by Teyjhana Barton-NealMADISON, WIS.- Tandem Press opened a new exhibition in our gallery 'hidden figures: unveiling selfhood', which was guest curated by our Summer 2023 Curatorial Intern, Teyjhana Barton-Neal. Teyjhana will be a senior at Spelman College this fall and is pursuing her BFA with a double minor in curatorial studios and Spanish. She came to us through a partnership between the IFPDA (International Fine Print Dealers Association) and Atlanta University Center Art History + Curatorial Studies Collective that connects undergraduates with curatorial internships around the world. During her internship, we challenged Teyjhana to curate an exhibition under the conceptual theme of her choice from a limited number of available artworks from the Tandem Press inventory. 'hidden figures: unveiling selfhood' explores how our minds perceive and interpret ... More  Is social justice for the birds? Audubon attempts an answer.NEW YORK, NY.- On the same day George Floyd was murdered by a police officer on a Minneapolis street Memorial Day, 2020 Christian Cooper was searching for songbirds in New York Citys Central Park. Cooper, who is Black, would be vaulted to fame after a run-in with a white woman who called police and falsely claimed he was threatening her when he asked her to leash her dog. To David Yarnold, CEO of the National Audubon Society at the time, both events demanded a response. The powerful conservation group and preeminent bird enthusiasts organization needed to weigh in, and even examine itself. Black lives matter, Yarnold, who is white, wrote in a letter to the societys staff after the first weekend of the George Floyd protests. Our nation is in turmoil because our governments, our institutions (including Audubon), and private individuals ... More  After a long and painful absence, writing her way home againNEW YORK, NY.- When she was 4 years old she met Martin Luther King Jr., who tugged playfully on her pigtails; at 17 she found herself at the Academy Awards, mingling with a bedazzlement of movie stars. By her early 30s she had earned a law degree from Harvard, an MFA from the Iowa Writers Workshop and a PEN/Hemingway Award for her lauded debut novel, The Grass Dancer. Then Mona Susan Powers world went dark. A prominent Sioux lineage helped propel the Zelig-like encounters of Powers youth: Her great-grandmother is Nellie Two Bear Gates, whose meticulous beadwork sits in the Metropolitan Museum of Art; her late mother, activist Susan Kelly Power, was a stalwart of the Native Rights movement. Powers own precocious intelligence allowed entrance into rarefied circles of publishing and academia. But depression, anxiety, ... More  Twist in dancer's killing as key detail about suspect is challengedNEW YORK, NY.- In the days after OShae Sibley, a Black gay man, was killed during an altercation outside a gas station in the Midwood neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York, the picture that emerged suggested an explosive combination of homophobia, religious intolerance and racism. A witness said a group of men that included the teenager charged in the killing used homophobic slurs and told Sibley that they were Muslim, and he should stop dancing. Some initial media reports picked up that account. Mayor Eric Adams and the police held a news conference at which the mayor stressed that the killing was not evidence of Muslim hatred of gay people. Now, it appears the man charged with Sibleys murder is not Muslim at all. The suspect, Dmitry Popov, 17, is Christian, his lawyer said, altering at least one aspect of the narrative about a killing that has drawn national attention. ... More  Oil painting by Louis C. Tiffany and French carved walnut vestiment chest headline Ahlers & Ogletree's August auctionATLANTA, GA.- A lovely oil on canvas painting by the renowned artist and stained glass and jewelry designer Louis C. Tiffany (1848-1933) and a 19th century French carved walnut vestment chest in the Renaissance taste are expected headliners in Ahlers & Ogletrees two-day Fine Estates & Collections auction planned for Friday and Saturday, August 25th and 26th, online and live in the Atlanta gallery. The auction, starting at 10 am Eastern time both days, will feature 480 lots of Modernism, weapons, collectible books, jewelry and Asian arts on Friday, August 25th; and 473 lots of antiques and fine art, scrimshaw, silver and rugs on Saturday, August 26th. Live gallery bidding will be held in Ahlers & Ogletrees new gallery location ... More  Everson Museum of Art is now presenting "Frank Buffalo Hyde: Native Americana"SYRACUSE, NY.- The exhibition Frank Buffalo Hyde: Native Americana is on display through September 10, 2023 at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, NY. Painter Frank Buffalo Hyde grew up in the Onondaga Nation, where he absorbed much of the pop culture that is still central to his worldview. Throughout his career, Buffalo Hyde has presented pop iconography like UFOs, hamburgers, and corporate logos in parallel with Native symbology like the bison on the Onondaga reservation and Indigenous leaders and dancers. Buffalo Hydes works grab attention through their bright colors and instantly recognizable iconography, but resist easy stereotyping through their embedded messages about the fragmented nature of Native life. Native Americana is a homecoming for Buffalo Hyde, who left Central New York for New Mexico, where he studied ... More  Phillips announces new digital platform presenting works by contemporary artists and makersNEW YORK, NY.- Phillips has announced Dropshop, a digital platform offering limited- edition releases of primary market art and objects in partnership with the artists, collaborators, and brands defining contemporary culture. Dropshop is the first and only platform in the international auction sphere that partners directly with working artists, disrupting the traditional, long-held dynamics between the primary and secondary markets. Phillips will collaborate with partners on every step, from conception and curation through to fabrication and promotion. Items are available for a limited time through a buy now ecommerce model at www.phillips.com/dropshop. Offerings are exclusive to Phillips Dropshop; once theyre gone, theyre gone. As the only global house focused on 20th Century and Contemporary art, design and luxury items, Dropshop will revolutionize ... More |
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PhotoGalleries 
Gabriele Münter 
TARWUK 
Awol Erizku 
Leo Villareal
Flashback On a day like today, The Smithsonian Institution was chartered by the U.S. Congress August 10, 1846. The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, and licensing activities. In this image: "The Castle," the building on the National Mall that is home to the Smithsonian's administration, is seen. Photo: Smithsonian Institution.
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