| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net | | Established in 1996 | Wednesday, April 3, 2019 |
| | | The Museo del Prado opens 'Giacometti in the Museo del Prado' | |
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Image of the exhibtion galleries. © Alberto Giacometti Estate / VEGAP, Madrid, 2019 * Photo © Museo Nacional del Prado.
MADRID.- Among the most striking aspects of the two hundred years of the Prado Museums life since it first opened has been its progressive transformation into a place of pilgrimage for avant-garde artists. From Courbet to Bacon and including Manet, Degas, Whistler and Picasso, these artists visits to the Prado represented a turning point in their careers. There have also, however, been some notable absences, none perhaps better known than that of Giacometti, to whom this unique exhibition is now dedicated. Giacometti saw art as a single and simultaneous place in which time past and present converged, and his works now offer a testament to the timelessness of the human figure as a representational model for art of all periods. Alberto Giacometti (Borgonovo, 1901 Chur, 1966) was the son of a leading Swiss, Postimpressionist artist. He began to draw avidly as a child and to produce copies, the majority based on repro ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day Artemis Gallery will hold an auction of Ancient art from Egypt, Greece, Italy and the Near East, as well as Asian, Pre-Columbian, Native American, African / Tribal / Oceanic, Spanish Colonial, Russian Icons, Fine art, much more on Thu, Apr 4, 2019 8:00 AM CST. In this image: Egypt Mummified Ibis + Xray Photo, ex-MacMurray College. Est: $12,000 - $15,000.
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| | | Museum im Lagerhaus opens exhibition featuring works by the Swiss Van Gogh: Antonio Ligabue | | Heirs welcome return of Nazi-looted 17th century masterpiece | | Spectacular 88.22-carat oval diamond sells for a dazzling $13.8 million at Sotheby's in Hong Kong |
Antonio Ligabue (1899-1965) Autoritratto (Self-portrait) Undated (1940-42) Oil on wood 25,5x10,5cm Private collection.
ST. GALLEN.- One hundred years ago, in May 1919, Antonio Ligabue (18991965, originally named Anton Costa, and after his adoption Antonio Laccabue), who grew up in Eastern Switzerland, was deported from his native country. After various relocations in the city of St. Gallen and the canton of St. Gallen, the nineteen-year-old was sent home from his last residence in Romanshorn in the canton of Thurgau to Gualtieri, Reggio Emilia, a home that had never been his own. Gualtieri was the hometown of his adoptive father Bonfiglio Laccabue, whom he never met, since he was taken away from his birth mother at nine months and put in the care of foster parents. However, Ligabue did not have Swiss citizenship, and although Switzerland was the country of his birth, Gualtieri remained his official hometown. Antonio Ligabue had nothing and no one in Italy. He grew up ... More | |
The 1639 painting by Salomon Koninck titled "A Scholar Sharpening His Quill" looted by the Nazis from the Schloss family during World War II, is unveiled on April 1, 2019. Don Emmert / AFP.
NEW YORK (AFP).- Descendants of a Jewish Parisian art collector are welcoming the return to their family of a rediscovered masterpiece -- a 17th century painting looted by the Nazis during World War II. Michel Vernay, 71, and his brother Laurent, 65, traveled from Paris to New York for a ceremony Monday at the French consulate to receive a 1639 painting by Dutch master Salomon Koninck titled "A scholar sharpening his quill." The brothers are the great-grandsons of famed art collector Adolphe Schloss (1842-1910), and were accompanied at the event by Eliane Demartini, another rightful heir of the looted art. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was present and spoke at the event. The painting was stolen by the Nazis in 1943, during their occupation of France, and sent to Adolf Hitler's headquarters in Munich. ... More | |
The 88.22-carat, D Colour, Flawless, Type IIa, Oval Brilliant Diamond. Courtesy Sotheby's.
HONG KONG.- Today at Sothebys in Hong Kong, a spectacular 88.22-carat, D Colour, Flawless, Type IIa, oval brilliant diamond, perfect according to every critical criterion, sold for HK$108 million / US$13.8 million / £10.6 million. One of only three oval diamonds of over 50 carats to appear at auction in living memory, and the largest to be auctioned in over five years, it was acquired by a Japanese private collector who first saw the stone while on exhibit in Japan. Immediately after the sale, he named the precious stone, the Manami Star, after his eldest daughter. Pursued by three bidders, the diamond eclipsed its estimate of HK$88-100 million (US$11.2-12.7 million) and established a price per carat of HK$1,224,133 (US$156,150). Patti Wong, Sothebys Chairman in Asia, said: We were thrilled to handle a diamond of such rarity, which now takes its place in the roster of top white diamonds to have come ... More |
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| | | Marlborough Contemporary opens an exhibition of works by Werner Büttner | | Downtown Cairo battles to keep cosmopolitan heritage alive | | Gustave Eiffel's cannon to go under the hammer |
Werner Büttner, Grey Girls in Front of Phallic Form (Graue Maedchen vor phallischer Form), 2018, oil on canvas, 59 x 47 1-8 in., 150 x 120 cm, CNON 60.826.
NEW YORK, NY.- Marlborough Contemporary is presenting a solo exhibition of new paintings, recent found-painting interventions, and a career-spanning pair of sculptures from the German artist Werner Büttner. It is the artists first show with the gallery to integrate these various tendrils of his practice in a more detailed illustration of his broader conceptual concerns. If we consider Büttners production to be concerned with his refraction of a continuous information flowfrom ancient history and philosophy to current events to goings on outside his studio windowSomething very blond comes to town expresses this fact through a variety of source materials and approaches. The oil paintings tackle lifes big existential questions via an acute art historical lens, while the sculpture and thrift store paintings rely on chance encounters with readymade materials to ... More | |
Ahmed al-Bindari, an Egyptian historian and photographer of modern (19th-20th century) Cairene architecture, points at an architecture catalogue. Khaled DESOUKI / AFP.
CAIRO (AFP).- Cairo's downtown, with its old European-designed buildings, is wrestling to preserve its cultural heritage as Egypt readies a new capital in the desert. A stroll through the district takes pedestrians past buildings that meld Islamic and European motifs, neo-classical columns and ornate decorations. But its elegance and prestige are fading, as the one-way streets and former palaces fall into ruin and shops selling cheap clothes and odds and ends have moved in. "Some buildings are in a seriously dilapidated state," said Ahmed El Bindari, an architectural historian and volunteer tour guide, in the middle of a group of tourists. He enthusiastically recounts the history of the old buildings, some housing government ministries, and little passageways but complains of a lack of political will in heritage preservation. Bindari and others ... More | |
French engineer Gustave Eiffel takes a plane model in his research laboratory in France, in first years of 20th century. AFP.
PARIS (AFP).- A miniature cannon which sat on Gustave Eiffel's desk in the Paris tower that bears his name is to go under the hammer, auction house Christie's said Tuesday. The engineer's descendants are selling the pocket version of the "Eiffel cannon" that was fired every day at midday from the tower. Armaments maker Chobert gave Eiffel the two-foot-long (65 cm) replica in 1889, the year the tower opened. Its big brother on the tower was fired to mark the opening of the World's Fair that May and every noon afterwards until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. The bronze and brass weapon is expected to make up to 20,000 euros ($17,800) when it is auctioned on April 18 at Christie's in the French capital. "It is a really quite something to be able to auction an object which is so emblematic of the history of Paris and of the Eiffel tower," Christie's decorative arts director Simon ... More |
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| | | In Iraqi Kurdistan, a robe for religious coexistence | | Exhibition of recent photographs by Richard Learoyd opens at Pace/MacGill | | Vassar announces new director of Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center |
Iraqi Kurdish artist Shanaz Jamal, 40, shows an embroidered robe ornated with a big cross, one of the religious symbols of communities living in Iraq's multi-ethnic north, in Arbil, the capital of the Kurdish autonomous region, on March 27, 2019. SAFIN HAMED / AFP.
ARBIL (AFP).- With her robe featuring a cross, crescent, two stars and the winged symbol of Zoroastrianism, a Kurdish artist hopes to reconcile a part of Iraq ravaged by jihadists. Shanaz Jamal, 40, says she has already been assured by the authorities in the autonomous northern region of Kurdistan that they will send her work to the Vatican to be put on display. A Muslim, she explains how she embroidered "3,000 beads including semi-precious stones traditionally used for Kurdish crafts" onto the white ecclesiastical cloak. After five months of endeavour, she stitched together eight symbols representing the main communities in Kurdistan and Iraq, which are both predominantly Muslim. But there is also the Jewish Star of David and the sun and temples of the Yazidis -- the minority in northern Iraq persecuted by the Islamic ... More | |
Richard Learoyd, 7 Horses (Horse 7), 2017. Gelatin silver print on hand coated paper hinged to board image and paper, 88 ½ x 68 inches mount, 92 ½ x 72 inches frame, 95 ¼ x 74 ¾ x 4 ¾ inches © 2019 Richard Learoyd.
NEW YORK, NY.- Pace and Pace/MacGill are presenting an exhibition of recent photographs by Richard Learoyd, on view on the second and ninth floors of 32 East 57th Street. Marking the British artists second solo show with the galleries, Richard Learoyd: Curious features never-before-seen large-scale gelatin silver prints, as well as unique color images made with a camera obscura. Comprising landscapes, portraits and still lifes, among other subjects, Learoyds latest work advances his continued exploration of the technical possibilities of the medium and the limits of photographic expression. In the second floor gallery, Pace debuts Learoyds seven-part sequence of a rearing white horse, alongside photographs of crashed and burned automobiles. Made from 8 x 10 and 20 x 24 negatives, enlarged to 88 x 68 and 64 x 95 in a custom-built 20 x 24 enlarger, ... More | |
T. Barton Thurber is currently Associate Director for Collections and Exhibitions at the Princeton University Art Museum.
POUGHKEEPSIE NY.- T. Barton Thurber, Associate Director for Collections and Exhibitions at the Princeton University Art Museum, has been named Anne Hendricks Bass Director of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center and Lecturer of Art at Vassar College, President Elizabeth Bradley announced. Thurber will succeed James Mundy, who is retiring after directing the Art Center for 28 years. He will assume his new position August 5th. President Bradley said she was thrilled to welcome Thurber to Vassar. Bart brings a breadth of knowledge and expertise to The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center and we are delighted to welcome him to our Vassar community. While we are saddened to say good-bye to the incomparable James Mundy, he leaves us with a legacy that has transformed the Loeb into one of the finest college art museums in the country. We look forward to his continued presence as Director Emeritus. Thurber said he was particularly ... More |
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| | | Anna Schwartz Gallery exhibits works from Taryn Simon's Contraband series | | Colonial Williamsburg acquires its first Judaica objects | | IRI collection, Patrick Nagel, Gil Elvgren among highlights in Heritage Auctions' Illustration Art Auction |
Handbags, Louis Vuitton (Counterfeit), Contraband, 2010. 16 archival inkjet prints in 3 Plexiglas boxes and Letraset on wall, 23.5 x 113; 76.2 cm © Taryn Simon. Courtesy Gagosian and Anna Schwartz Gallery.
MELBOURNE.- Anna Schwartz Gallery is presenting an exhibition by acclaimed American artist Taryn Simon. Simon shows her series Contraband, first presented in 2010 in New York and subsequently exhibited in the United States, Europe, Central and East Asia, and the Middle East. This is the first time the series is being shown in Australia. Contraband comprises 1,075 photographs taken at both the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Federal Inspection Site and the U.S. Postal Service International Mail Facility, both located at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, and functioning as liminal spaces between the U.S. and other nations. For one full working week, 24 hours per day, Simon remained on site, photographing items detained or seized from passengers and express mail entering the U.S. from abroad. The resulting project catalogues the expansive inventory ... More | |
Kiddush Cup, probably by William Harrison I (active ca. 1758-1781), London, England, ca. 1775, silver (sterling) and gold, Museum Purchase, The Antique Collectors Guild, 2016-1.
WILLIAMSBURG, VA.- The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has recently added several important objects of Judaica to its collections: a sterling silver and gold Kiddush cup and a silver and gold yad (or Torah pointer). These mark the first such objects in the Foundations holdings and exemplify the concerted efforts in recent years by the curators to acquire objects and address the stories of all early Americans while remaining true to their long-standing strength in British and American decorative arts. Additionally, objects that represent the early Anglo-American experience have also been acquired. These include an alphabet sampler created by a Jewish schoolgirl that is unique both for who made it and where it was created, as well as Chinese porcelain pieces that were owned by prominent London Jewish families. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation ... More | |
Gil Elvgren Smoke Screen, 1958 (estimate: $40,000-60,000).
DALLAS, TX.- More than 150 images from a collection regarded as one of the most important of its kind will be featured in Heritage Auctions Illustration Art Auction April 23 in Dallas, Texas. The collection comes from Investment Rarities Incorporated founder Jim Cook and his wife, Diane, who have forged a reputation as elite collectors in numerous categories, including Fine Art, Comic Art, Sports and Entertainment. The Cooks are shrewd collectors with an innate ability to spot quality and rarity, and the 158 lots from the collection in the sale include images by renowned illustrators whose works usually generate high demand, including Alberto Vargas, Gil Elvgren, Peter Driben, Harry Lemon Parkhurst, Charlie Dye and Arthur Sarnoff. This is an exceptional collection that reveals the foundation of knowledge and experience that the Cooks bring to collecting illustration art, Heritage Auctions Senior Vice President Ed Jaster said. T ... More |
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The Ballet of the Nations
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The Berliner Philharmoniker to open Switzerland's new concert hall in Andermatt
ANDERMATT.- On 16 June 2019, the Berliner Philharmoniker will open the new Andermatt Concert Hall, a world-class centre for music, designed by Studio Seilern Architects, which will establish the Swiss Alpine village of Andermatt as an important cultural destination alongside its celebrated sports facilities and breath-taking landscape, all part of the overall Andermatt Swiss Alps development. The opening concert serves as a prelude to the halls ambitious Opening Season, which continues in the autumn with a satellite of Lucerne Festival with three concerts, featuring among others the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. The new halls programme is devised by Andermatt Music, an operation managed by a trio of young British producers Maximilian Fane, Roger Granville and Frankie Parham, who together co-founded Florences annual New Generation Festival ... More
1776 letter from Mohawk chief pledging loyalty to King George III makes $35,000 at auction
NEW YORK, NY.- A letter from a Native American chief pledging support to King George III in his battle against revolutionary forces has taken $35,000 at Swann Auction Galleries. The letter, dated 31 May 1776, came from the hand of the Mohawk chief Joseph Brant, also known as Thayeadanegea, who had earlier travelled to England, where he had spent five months, meeting the king and being inducted as a freemason. He wrote to an unidentified recipient from Falmouth in Cornwall as he prepared for his return to America. Detailing how he had travelled with the British Superintendent of Indian Affairs of the northern colonies, Colonel Guy Johnson, Brant relates how American rebels had killed 13 Indians. This is to acquaint you that I was here in England this five months. I came over with Col'l Johnson and his people. We are now ready to return to America, ... More
Magnificent portrait of Qajar ruler Fath-Ali Shah to be offered at Bonhams' Islamic and Indian sale
LONDON.- A monumental portrait of Fath-Ali Shah, the second ruler of the Qajar dynasty, seated against a jewelled bolster, will be offered at Bonhams Islamic and Indian sale on 30 April 2019 in London. The rare work, which will appear at auction for the first time, was commissioned by the Qajar court to adorn the royal pavilion. Estimate on request. Fath-Ali Shah, who reigned for 40 years after one of the most terrible civil wars in Persian history, is considered a major catalyst of Persias cultural revival. He came to power in 1796 at the age of 24 after succeeding his much-feared uncle, Agha Mohammad Shah. Unlike his brutal uncle, Fath-Ali Shah encouraged poetry and the visual arts; he understood how art and a carefully cultivated imperial image could compensate for a lack of military prowess. Known for his generous patronage and commitment to the arts, Fath- ... More
A complete sheet of 1980 "Golden Monkey" stamps achieves HK$1.15 million at Zurich Asia Spring Auction
HONG KONG.- Zurich Asia achieved excellent results in its Spring 2019 Auctions held on 30 and 31 March at Harbour Plaza North Point Hotel in Hong Kong. The two-day series sales offered over 3,000 lots of philatelic treasures, banknotes and coins. There was enormous interest for an outstanding selection of stamps of the Liberated Areas and the Peoples Republic of China offered in the sale. The star lot was a rare complete sheet of 80 stamps of 8 fen from the 1980 Year of the Monkey (known as Golden Monkey) in fresh golden and vivid red colour which realized HK$1,150,000 (US$147,436), selling to a collector in the saleroom. An exceptional, unused 1968 8 fen stamp of Chairman Maos inscription to a Japanese labour friend was highly sought-after and sold for HK$552,000 (US$70,769) after spirited bidding. Bidding was active for ... More
Aleppo's mysterious 'Yellow man'
ALEPPO (AFP).- Dressed in yellow from head-to-toe, Abu Zakkour is hailed as part of the "heritage" of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, along with its mediaeval citadel and its ancient covered markets. For nearly 36 years, the 70-year-old has strictly abided by a full monochrome look, sporting only yellow apparel and accessories. Now, Aleppo's so-called "Yellow man", says he is eying entry into the Guinness Book of World Records. "I have worn yellow since 1983," says Abu Zakkour. "All my things are yellow: my clothes, my mobile phone, my pillow, my watches," he adds. "I really love its flair." A crowd gathers around him in Aleppo's central Saadallah al-Jabiri square, where young men and women pester him for pictures. Abu Zakkour says he has grown accustomed to the fanfare. "It takes me more than four hours to cross a nearly one-kilometre-long road because so many ... More
Mudam Luxembourg opens the first retrospective exhibition dedicated to the work of artist Bert Theis
LUXEMBOURG .- Mudam Luxembourg Musée dArt Moderne Grand-Duc Jean presents Building Philosophy Cultivating Utopia, the first retrospective exhibition dedicated to the work of Luxembourg-born artist Bert Theis (1952-2016). Bert Theiss oeuvre can be seen as a continued attempt to create situations that allow the viewer to reflect on their presence and place in the world that surrounds them. His creations, which he readily described as philosophical, are always thought through in relation to the context in which they appear and are faithful to his political, social and artistic engagement. Aesthetically-refined, they encourage both dialogue and introspection. For Theis, art was an emancipatory tool, humour a weapon of thought, and the artist a responsible and critical social being. Opposed to the iconographic pollution of the so-called society ... More
Whitechapel Gallery offers celebratory and defiant take on the history of London's queer spaces
LONDON.- This exhibition casts a celebratory and defiant eye over the history of Londons queer spaces. Combining rarely-seen archival material with original work by artists concerned with the vibrancy and importance of LGBTQ+ cultural life, this exhibition considers how market-led redevelopment of spaces around London is rapidly transforming the capitals queer scenes. In the decade between 2006 and 2016, more than half of venues for the LGBTQ+ community in London have closed, falling from 125 to 53. In 2017/2018 this figure stabilised, but what has been the effect of these changes on the lives of queer people? Queer Spaces: London, 1980s Today features artworks from Tom Burr (b. 1963, US), Prem Sahib (b. 1982, UK), Ralph Dunn (b. 1989, UK); Evan Ifekoya (b. 1988, Nigeria) and Hannah Quinlan & Rosie Hastings (both b. 1991, UK). Alongside, ... More
A record for The Negro Travelers' Green Book among Printed & Manuscript African Americana at Swann
NEW YORK, NY.- Printed & Manuscript African Americana at Swann Galleries on Thursday, March 28 saw a sell-through rate of 90%, a record for the category. Enthusiastic bidding was seen across all sections of the sale, resulting in seven records, with significant interest from institutions. A 1958 edition of The Negro Travelers Green Book by Victor H. Green broke a record for any edition of the publication at $27,500. The travel guide for African-American families was indispensable during a time when long-distance travel would be a cause for apprehension about finding lodging, gasoline, or even a restroom. Also of note was a rare survival of the Jim Crow era, a circa late 1950s letterpress sign by the Tennessee Public Service Commission proclaiming Notice: This Part of the Car for Colored People, which sold for $10,400, and a first edition of Martin ... More
Holly Salmon named Director of Conservation at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
NEW YORK, NY.- Holly Salmon was recently named the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museums John L. and Susan K. Gardner Director of Conservation. She was previously the Museums Senior Objects Conservator. Salmon began working at the Museum in 2004 as the Assistant Objects Conservator and was successively promoted until her most recent position as Senior Objects Conservator in 2016. In this latest role, she managed the conservation of sculpture, decorative arts and architectural objects in the Museum collection. She played a leading role in advancing the use of laser technology for cleaning works of art. She also oversaw the Museums conservation capital projects, such as the recent restoration of the Raphael Room gallery. Most recently, she and her colleagues completed a project to research and clean the Farnese Sarcophagus, a two- ... More
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Flashback On a day like today, Dutch painter Melchior d'Hondecoeter died April 03, 1695. Melchior d'Hondecoeter (c. 1636 - 3 April 1695), Dutch animalier painter, was born in Utrecht and died in Amsterdam. After the start of his career, he painted virtually exclusively bird subjects, usually exotic or game, in park-like landscapes. In this image: Still Life with Cock, Royal Museum of Fine Arts Antwerp
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