| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net | | Established in 1996 | Wednesday, November 24, 2021 |
| | | Why was this ancient tusk 150 miles from land, 3,000 feet deep? | |
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A discovery in the Pacific Ocean off California leads to an Indiana Jones mixed with Jurassic Park moment. Leonardo Santamaria/The New York Times.
by Annie Roth
NEW YORK, NY.- A young female mammoth was wandering long ago near what would become the Central Coast of California, when her life came to an untimely end. Although she died on land, her massive body found its way into the Pacific Ocean. Carried by currents, her remains drifted more than 150 miles from shore before settling 3,000 feet beneath the waters surface on the side of a seamount. There she sat for millenniums, her existence known to no one. However, that all changed in 2019 when scientists from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute stumbled upon one of her tusks while using remotely operated vehicles to search for new deep-sea species off the coast of Monterey, California. We were just flying along and I look down and see it and go thats a tusk, said Randy Prickett, a senior ROV pilot at the institute. Not everyone believed him at first, but Prickett was able to persuade his colleagues to go in for a closer look. I said if we dont g ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day The timber 'tree' columns made from spruce, are pictured inside Cambridge Central Mosque on November 23, 2021. Designed by Marks Barfield Architects, the non-denominational British mosque, completed in 2019 is one of six buildings in contention for the 2021 Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize. Daniel LEAL / AFP.
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| U.S. returns over 900 confiscated artifacts to Mali | | Lark Mason Fine and Decorative Arts Sale now open for bidding | | Rare Einstein papers set record at Paris auction |
A high-necked polychrome vase that was among more than 900 artifacts intercepted in an illegal shipment from Mali at the Port of Houston. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Houston Cultural Property Investigations via The New York Times.
by Zachary Small
NEW YORK, NY.- More than 900 artifacts intercepted in an illegal shipment have been returned to the government of Mali, U.S. officials said Monday. Homeland Security agents originally confiscated the items, which included ceremonial and mortuary objects, some dating back to the Neolithic period, at the Port of Houston in 2009. Officials described the discovery at the port, which is one of the busiest in the country, as the equivalent of finding a needle in a haystack. Mark Dawson, the investigator who oversaw the search, said in a statement Monday that a nations cultural property and antiquities define who they are as a people. He added: No one has the right to loot or destroy that heritage and history. Homeland Security agents ... More | |
A Stainless Steel Horse, by Arturo Di Modica, 1988.
NEW YORK, NY.- Lark Mason Associates announced that bidding is now open for their Fine and Decorative Arts from an Aspen Estate and Other Owners on igavelauctions.com through December 2nd. Among the painting highlights are: Landscape, Appian Way, by George Inness, (Estimate: $40,000-60,000) and Rooster, attributed to Joseph Crawhall, Bouganvilleas for Sale, by Julio Larraz ($10,000-20,000) and several prints by the Swedish concrete and constructive artist Richard Paul Lohse. Sculpture includes a Stainless Steel Horse, 1988 by Arturo Di Modica, who is best known for his Charging Bull sculpture (Estimate: $20,000-30,000) and The Chase, a bronze sculpture by Nikolai Iwanowitsch Lieberich (Estimate: $25,000-35,000). "We are delighted to present such a diverse array of fine and decorative arts," says Lark Mason, Jr. "The estimates are accessible which afford collectors of all persuasions the opportunity to get into the buying spirit as the holi ... More | |
A picture taken on November 22, 2021 shows pages of one of the preparatory manuscript to the theory of general relativity of Albert Einstein, during their presention a day before being auctionned at Christie's auction house in Paris. Alain JOCARD / AFP.
by Jean-François Guyot and Paul Ricard
PARIS.- Albert Einstein's handwritten notes for the theory of relativity fetched a record 11.6 million euros ($13 million) at an auction in Paris on Tuesday. The manuscript had been valued at around a quarter of the final sum, which is by far the highest ever paid for anything written by the genius scientist. It contains preparatory work for the physicist's signature achievement, the theory of general relativity, which he published in 1915. Calling the notes "without a doubt the most valuable Einstein manuscript ever to come to auction", Christie's -- which handled the sale on behalf of the Aguttes auction house -- had estimated prior to the auction that it would fetch two to three million euros. Previous records for Einstein's works were $2.8 million for the ... More |
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| Met returns three artworks looted under British colonial rule to Nigeria | | L.S. Lowry's only painting of an auction room sells for £2.6 million | | Christie's Latin American Art announces spring 2022 sale calendar, led by rediscovered Diego Rivera masterpiece |
In this file photo a Queen Idia mask from the 16th century is pictured in the Benin exhibit at New Yorks Metropolitan Museum of Art, Dec. 9 2019. When British soldiers stole the treasured works in 1897, it left a gaping hole in an ancient culture. Andrea Mohin/The New York Times.
NEW YORK, NY.- New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday officially returned three works of art to Nigeria that were looted in the 19th century, as museums make increasing efforts to repatriate some foreign treasures. The two 16th-century brass plaques and a 14th-century brass head from the Kingdom of Benin -- part of modern-day Nigeria -- were taken from the Nigerian Royal Palace during British military occupation in 1897, and moved to the British Museum in London until 1950 when the UK repatriated them. After their return to the National Museum in Lagos, they re-entered the art market and ended up in the hands of a private investor who donated them to the Met in 1991, where ... More | |
The artist's only known painting of an auction room made its debut in Sothebys Modern British Art Auction today. Courtesy Sotheby's.
LONDON.- One of Britains most beloved artists, L.S. Lowry and his works have been a mainstay at auctions for decades. What is lesser known is that he once turned his hand to painting an auction taking place, resulting in a bustling scene characteristic of the artist. Populated by familiar characters, and even a dog on a lead, The Auction transports the viewer into the centre of the action, with the auctioneer on the rostrum poised to bring the gavel down. Executed on a large-scale in 1958, the work had never been offered at auction, and was acquired by the previous owners over two decades ago. Today, it sold for £2,556,000 / $3,438,842, exceeding its pre-sale estimate of £1.2-1.8 million, as part of Sothebys ongoing Modern British Art auction in London. Lowry only ever painted a small handful of interior scenes intimate family grou ... More | |
Diego Rivera, La bordadora (detail). Oil on canvas, 31¼ x 39 in. Painted in 1928. Estimate: $700,000-900,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2021.
NEW YORK, NY.- Christies Latin American Art announces sale dates for Spring 2022, with a live sale on March 11 preceded by online-only sale from February 4-18. The new sale dates will coincide with Christies ongoing sales of Prints and Multiples and Post-War and Contemporary Art. A leading highlight of the March 11 live sale will be Diego Riveras rediscovered masterpiece La bordadora (or The Embroiderer) (estimate: $700,000-900,000). Painted in 1928, as part of the nation building project that fueled Riveras return to Mexico in the 1920s, as well as the nascent mural movement, this exquisite work pays homage to folk and craft based practices and the role of Indigenous women in preserving these enduring traditions. Until recently, the whereabouts of the painting were unknown, when it was discovered to have ... More |
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| Bezos gives $100 million to Obama Foundation | | Pompeii online: Italy launches cultural streaming platform | | One-stop shop for the holidays-Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Judith Leiber |
Jeff Bezos at the National Press Club in Washington on Sept. 19, 2019. Emma Howells/The New York Times.
by Nicholas Kulish
NEW YORK, NY.- Former President Barack Obamas private foundation announced Monday that it had been promised $100 million from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The gift, the largest yet for the Obama Foundation, was one in a series of splashy donations in recent months by Bezos, one of the worlds richest people. Last week, Bezos announced $96.2 million in grants to groups working to end family homelessness. Since stepping down as the CEO of Amazon in July, Bezos has significantly raised his profile as a philanthropist, in addition to traveling to space on a ship made by his rocket company, Blue Origin. In return for the donation, Bezos asked that a plaza at the Obama Presidential Center ... More | |
This aerial file photo taken on May 01, 2020 shows the Colosseum monument in Rome. Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP.
ROME.- Italy's top cultural institutions are happily welcoming back visitors after months of online-only events, but digital skills learned during the pandemic are being repurposed into an innovative national streaming service. The new "ITsART" (Italy is art) platform, launched Tuesday in the spectacular surroundings of the Colosseum in Rome, will offer a mix of live and on demand events, from plays, concerts and films to virtual tours of museums and monuments. Institutions from Milan's Scala theatre to the Pompeii archaeological park are among those involved in the scheme, backed by around 19 million euros (around $21 million) from the Italian government. "Our aim was to provide a common platform that can reach a growing audience of consumers of Italian art and culture around the world ... More | |
Judith Leiber handbags.
CHICAGO, IL.- On December 1, Hindman Auctions will present Luxe Holiday: Couture and Luxury Accessories, which will be highlighted by top designers including Chanel, Hermès and Louis Vuitton as well as a stunning selection of dazzling Judith Leiber bags. Spanning over 100 years of fashion and luxury accessories, this auction offers a unique array of fabulous gifts, or simply something for your own personal collection. From vintage Louis Vuitton trunks and Parisian haute couture to an impressive collection of Chanel clothing and accessories, this auction is the perfect one-stop shop for holiday shopping. Top lots include an Hermès Vibrato Birkin bag from 2003 (lot 265; estimate: $8,000 - $12,000) and an Hermès Crocodile Sac Mallette from 1956 (lot 259; estimate: $5,000 - $7,000). Perfect for the winter season is a J. Mendel Russian Barguzine sable coat (lot 185; estimate: $4,000 - $ ... More |
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| MASSIMODECARLO opens an exhibition of works by Sanford Biggers | | Lehmann Maupin presents a selection of new fabric works by acclaimed Korean-born artist Do Ho Suh | | Tate Modern appoints Christine Y. Kim Britton Family Curator-At-Large (North American Art) |
Installation view of "Only the Ashes by Sanford Biggers at MASSIMODECARLO London.
LONDON.- MASSIMODECARLO is presenting Only the Ashes, Sanford Biggers latest solo exhibition with the gallery. The exhibition premieres a new development in his practice; the sculptural series Chimera, alongside seminal examples from the bodies of work the artist has been evolving over the last two decades. Sanford Biggers works travel across history and place, compressing time that has elapsed and the spaces in-between by drawing together disparate aesthetics, materials and concepts. Despite their differences, these elements are not used in juxtaposition to one another within his works, but are united by the denominator common to all, human interaction, which is tangible in all his work, whether literally in human form or conceptually. By featuring different series of works side by side, Only the Ashes reflects the important role that syncretism plays within Biggers practice. The three marble works in the exhibition, ... More | |
Do Ho Suh, installation view, Lehmann Maupin Palm Beach © Do Ho Suh. Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Hong Kong, Seoul, and London. Photo: Oriol Tarridas.
PALM BEACH, FLA.- Lehmann Maupin inaugurates its latest location in Palm Beach with a selection of new fabric works by acclaimed Korean-born artist Do Ho Suh, which continue his exploration of the often precarious idea of home in a global society. This presentation marks the artist's first in Palm Beach. Born in Seoul and currently based in London, Suh is known for his multidisciplinary practice that confronts questions of home, memory, marginality, and the correlation between psychic and physical space. His autobiographical fabric sculptures recreate, to scale, spaces of his former residences and studios. Reflecting an itinerant life, these highly detailed portraits mirror buildings, rooms, and domestic objects from past and present homes in Korea, Rhode Island, Berlin, London, and New York. Made of polyester ... More | |
Christine Y. Kim, Photo: Ye Rin Mok.
LONDON.- Tate Modern today announced Christine Y. Kim in the newly created position of Britton Family Curator-at-Large (North American Art). Based in Los Angeles and New York, her role will focus on the development of North American art in Tates collection through new research and acquisitions. Kim will start in January 2022. Since 2009 Kim has been a curator of Contemporary Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), organising monographic exhibitions such as Julie Mehretu (2019-22), Isaac Julien: Playtime (2019), Diana Thater: The Sympathetic Imagination (2015-16), and James Turrell: A Retrospective (2013-14), along with group and permanent collection exhibitions. Most recently, she curated Black American Portraits (2021-22), covering two centuries of African American portraiture, coinciding with The Obama Portraits Tour (2021-22). During her tenure, Kim has been instrumental in expanding and diversifying LACMAs collect ... More |
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Jean Dubuffet's World within a World
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AstaGuru's Collectors Choice Auction featuring works by leading modernists concludes with exceptional results
MUMBAI.- AstaGurus Modern Indian Art: Collectors Choice Auction concluded last evening and achieved an impressive result. The auction generated a total sales value of INR 28,99,87,021 (USD 4,027,510). With an extensive collection of 160 artworks by celebrated artists spanning the gamut of Indian Modernism, the online auction witnessed an overwhelming response from collectors and art enthusiasts alike. A substantial number of lots witnessed enthused bidding. Commenting on the results, Sneha Gautam, Vice President - Client Relations, AstaGuru, said, We are extremely thrilled with the amazing response received for our Collectors Choice online auction. The segment has emerged to be one of the most anticipated auctions in our annual auction ... More
Power Station of Art hosts "John Hejduk: Shanghai Masque"
SHANGHAI.- From November 13, 2021 to February 15, 2022, the Power Station of Art hosts the exhibition John Hejduk: Shanghai Masque, presenting a unique case in the 20th-century architecture history. John Hejduk (19292000) was not only a distinguished architect, educator, and historian, but also an artist and poet. Although most of his architectural imaginations and cross-media practices exist only on paper, Hejduks unremitting efforts have succeeded in expanding the scope of architectural field. His work helped shape various disciplines and continues to inspire generations of architects and artists. As the first large-scale exhibition of Hejduk in Asia, the exhibition showcases paintings, installations, manuscripts, videos, and documents in an abundant yet detailed manner, and stage large-scale structures especially reproduced for the exhibition by the students and faculty ... More
Wadsworth Atheneum Board of Trustees elects Gerard Lupacchino to serve as President, new Trustees and Electors
HARTFORD, CONN.- The Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Arts Board of Trustees has elected Gerard Lupacchino to serve as President of the Board and Duffield Ashmead, IV as Senior Vice President during their Annual Meeting, held virtually on Thursday, November 18. Joining them as officers of the Board are Cheryl Chase, Vice President; Michael Klein, Vice President; Hy Schwartz, Vice President; Emilie de Brigard, Secretary; and Frederick Copeland, Treasurer. Prior t Board elections, guest speaker Daniel Weiss, President of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, delivered remarks. It is an honor and privilege to be elected to serve as Board President, particularly as we embark on the next chapter in the remarkable history of this extraordinary world-class ... More
Early printing of the Bill of Rights heads to auction
DALLAS, TX.- One of the first public printings of the Bill of Rights will cross the auction block this month as part of Heritage Auctions Dec. 9-10 Rare Books Signature® Auction. Printed Oct. 3, 1789, in the Gazette of the United States newspaper, the issue includes the complete text of the 12 amendments to the U.S. Constitution proposed by Congress on Sept. 25, 1789, as part of a joint resolution. On Oct. 2, copies of the proposed amendments were sent to each of the 13 state legislatures for ratification. The following day, the Gazette featured the complete text of each of the proposed amendments. As history shows, however, the state legislatures ratified only 10 of the 12 proposed amendments, leading to what we now know of as the Bill of Rights. This is an interesting and important part of American history, says James Gannon, Director of Rare Books at Heritage ... More
Exhibition establishes a dialogue between the works of Anthony Caro and Eduardo Chillida
BILBAO.- Open Secret by British sculptor Anthony Caro (1924-2013) and Reflections by Basque artist Eduardo Chillida (1924-2002) are artist's books published by Ivorypress. Both artists explore the sculptural quality of the book and both artists chose to use the written word to be part of their edition. This exhibition at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum in Spain establishes a dialogue between the works of both artists, as part of a multi-institutional exhibitions program that takes place in Museums, Libraries and Universities across Europe and the United States during 2021-2022 on the occasion of Ivorypress' twenty-fifth anniversary. The other articipating institutions include the Biblioteca Nacional de España in Madrid, the Bodleian Libraries at the University of Oxford, the British Library in London, the Centro de Iniciativas Culturales at the Universidad de Sevilla, Ivorypress Space ... More
Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum will temporarily close for renovation
WASHINGTON, DC.- The National Air and Space Museums flagship building on the National Mall will temporarily close to the public March 28, 2022, until fall 2022 to complete work on the first new galleries in the west wing of the building. The museum has been undergoing a major renovation since late 2018. This closure is needed to ensure the continued safety of visitors. To provide the best visitor experience, the museums west-end galleries will open all at one time; their opening date will be announced next year. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, the museums companion facility in Chantilly, Virginia, will operate as usual with regular visiting hours and events. The museum will also continue doing virtual events and has robust online materials about the collection. The west-end exhibitions opening in fall 2022 will include America by Air, The Wright Brothers & the Invention ... More
Christie's to auction Michael Jordan game-worn, dual-signed Air Jordan sneakers
NEW YORK, NY.- Christies New York will offer A Pair of Michael Jordan Game-Worn & Signed Air Jordan XIII Hes Got Game Sneakers (Estimate: $300,000-500,000) as a leading highlight of the upcoming Handbags x Hype: The Luxury Remix, an online-only sale open from November 24-December 9. In his 1997-98 NBA season with the Chicago Bulls, Michael Jordan averaged 28.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 82 games, was selected to play in his twelfth All-Star games, won his fifth MVP award, his sixth Finals MVP award, and his sixth NBA championship. These Air Jordan XIIIs are an iconic artifact of this historic season the Chicago Bulls Last Dance and sixth NBA Championship and the last Jordan sneaker to be released while Jordan was a member of Chicago Bulls. Shown in the documentary The Last Dance and worn in Jordans last regular season game ... More
The emails behind the opera 'Eurydice'
NEW YORK, NY.- In 2015, the composer Matthew Aucoin emailed the playwright Sarah Ruhl to ask whether she would be interested in working with him on a new opera inspired by the Orpheus myth. Instead they ended up adapting her 2003 play Eurydice a yearning, fanciful treatment of the Orpheus story in which Eurydice is reunited with her dead father in the underworld. The result premiered at Los Angeles Opera in February 2020, and arrives at the Metropolitan Opera on Tuesday, directed by Mary Zimmerman and conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Aucoin and Ruhl wrote to each other for several years about turning the poetry of her play into a libretto, building character through music, and understanding the strengths and limitations of opera. They recently looked back at those messages and discussed them in a joint interview. These are edited ... More
Jasmina Cibic wins 14th Film London Jarman Award
LONDON.- Jasmina Cibic has won the 2021 Film London Jarman Award, it was announced this evening at a special event at Regent Street Cinema. Jasmina Cibic works across moving image, sculpture, immersive installation and performance. Her stylish, theatrical work tackles important global issues including national identity, nation building, soft power and European relations. Set in monumental architectural locations from Oscar Niemeyers French Communist Party Headquarters in Paris to the Palace of Nations in Geneva, Cibic uses actual transcripts of real political debates and speeches to form the dialogue of her filmworks. Cibic frequently uses dance performance in her film works, and has collaborated with choreographers and dancers on several projects, including Nada and The Gift. In her 2019 2021 work, The Gift, Cibic presents an allegorical tale, a competition ... More
Miller & Miller announces online-only Petroliana, Advertising Signs & Memorabilia auction
NEW HAMBURG.- Miller & Miller Auctions, Ltd. will usher out 2021 with an online-only Petroliana, Advertising Signs & Memorabilia auction on Saturday, December 4th, beginning at 9 am Eastern time. The sale will include seldom-seen Canadian soda signs from the 40-year collection of James Burridge and the advertising collection of the late Dave Toccalino. The sale also boasts a carefully curated offering of jukeboxes, gasoline pumps, toys and original memorabilia from the 1890s-1970s. Overall, 530 lots will come up for bid, in categories that include advertising signs, advertising tins, general store, tobacco, clocks, coin-op, petroliana (gas station collectibles), automobilia (car collectibles), breweriana (beer memorabilia) and more. In the early 1980s, Jim Burridge built a collection of the rarest Orange Crush, Coca-Cola and other soda advertising signs, said Ethan Miller ... More
Trying to blur memories of the Gulag, Russia targets a rights group
MOSCOW.- In the days after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the upheaval and uncertainty that gripped Russia were accompanied by a liberating climate of openness, in which free expression, historical examination and political dissent could flourish. But in the two decades since Vladimir Putin took power, the government has steadily rolled back those rights. Putin has tamed the oligarch class, muffled the media, jailed religious groups and dissidents, and suppressed political opposition. Now Putin has set his sights on rewriting the memory of one of the most painful times in Russias turbulent history: the era of the gulag, when millions of Russians toiled and died, mostly in the first half of the 20th century. Russian prosecutors are moving to liquidate the archive and human rights center of Memorial International, the countrys most prominent human rights organization, which is ... More
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PhotoGalleries
Matisse
NATHALIE DJURBERG AND HANS BERG
Alex Katz
Ahmed Morsi: Detail From a Mural Checklist
Flashback On a day like today, French painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was born November 24, 1864. Henri Marie Raymond de Toulouse-Lautrec-Monfa (24 November 1864 - 9 September 1901) was a French painter, printmaker, draughtsman, and illustrator, whose immersion in the colourful and theatrical life of fin de siècle Paris yielded an Åuvre of exciting, elegant and provocative images of the modern and sometimes decadent life of those times. In this image: A man passes in front of two posters by French artist Toulouse Lautrec, belonging to Brussels' Musée d'Ixelles, which were shown for the first time in Spain under the title 'Toulouse Lautrec. The origin of the modern poster', at Valencian Museum of Illustration and Modernity, in Valencia, eastern Spain, Thursday 29 September 2005.
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