| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net | | Established in 1996 | Friday, November 30, 2018 |
| | | Israeli archaeologists unveil rare stone mask dating to the Neolithic | |
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Israeli archeologist Ronit Lupu of the IAA Antiquities Theft Prevention Unit holds a rare stone mask dating to the Neolithic (new stone age) period which was found at the Pnei Hever region of southern Hebron mount, on November 28, 2018 at the Rockefeller archeological museum in Jerusalem. The mask is made of pinkish-yellow limestone, carefully shaped with stone tools to resemble a human face, 4 holes were drilled along the perimeter of the mask, probably in order to tie it to the face of a living person, or maybe to a pole or other designated artefact in order to display it. GALI TIBBON / AFP.
JERUSALEM (AFP).- The Israel Antiquities Authority on Wednesday unveiled what it said was a rare 9,000-year-old stone mask linked to the beginnings of agricultural society. The pink and yellow sandstone object was discovered in a field at the Jewish settlement of Pnei Hever, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, said the IAA. The artefact was handed in to authorities in early 2018. "The mask is very naturalistic in the way it was made," said IAA archaeologist Ronit Lupu. "You can see the cheekbones, you can see a perfect nose." "It's a rare mask," she told AFP. "The last one that we know was found 35 years ago. It's an amazing find, archaeologically speaking." The West Bank is a Palestinian territory occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War. Disputes over ownership of artefacts discovered there are just part of the long-running conflict with the Palestinians over the land. ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day A woman takes a picture of the "Niche of al-Uwayna Mosque" at the National Museum in the Omani capital Muscat, on November 26, 2018. GIUSEPPE CACACE / AFP
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| | | The Morgan receives a major Renoir drawing unseen for over 50 years | | Research reveals that photograph of Vincent van Gogh is actually of his brother Theo | | The Glyptotek adds an important Théodore Rousseau to its collection |
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919), Bathers, 1884-85 (detail), red and white chalk, with smudging and blending on wove paper lined to canvas. The Morgan Library & Museum, Bequest of Drue Heinz, 2018.71. Photography by Graham S. Haber.
NEW YORK, NY.- The Morgan Library & Museum announced the recent acquisition of a large-scale study of two figures for Pierre-Auguste Renoirs celebrated canvas, The Great Bathers of 188487, in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Beginning December 18, 2018, visitors will have the chance to see the monumental drawing in the Gilder Lehrman Hall lobby at the Morgan. The drawing has never been exhibited or reproduced in color. A gift from the estate of prominent philanthropist and long-time Morgan Trustee Drue Heinz (19152018), Bathers is the first major compositional study by the artist to enter the Morgans collection, enriching the holdings of drawings by artists associated with the Impressionist movement. As Renoir (18411919) sought a new direction in his work during the 1880s, he experimented with the classical subject of female bathers. ... More | |
Before identified as Vincent van Gogh, aged thirteen. After research identified as Theo van Gogh, aged 15. Photograph: B. Schwarz, Brussels, Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam (Vincent van Gogh Foundation).
AMSTERDAM.- A photograph that was long thought to be of the 13-year-old Vincent van Gogh has now been proven to be a portrait of his brother Theo van Gogh, aged 15. This discovery is the result of new, in-depth research conducted by the Van Gogh Museum and Yves Vasseur (General Commissioner of Mons 2015 European Capital of Culture), which was confirmed by forensic examination. Willem van Gogh (Advisor to the Board of the Van Gogh Museum and great-grandson of Theo van Gogh): I was surprised to hear that this photograph is very likely to be of my great-grandfather Theo, and therefore not of Vincent, but I am pleased that the mystery has been solved. It is essential that Vincent van Goghs legacy is correctly passed on and preserved, and this research makes a significant contribution to such efforts. Vincent van Gogh was not fond of portrait photography, certainly not in later life. There were ... More | |
Théodore Rousseau, Le chêne de roche (The Rock Oak), 1860 (detail). Oil on wood, 88.9 x 116.8 cm. Inv.no. MIN 3713.
COPENHAGEN.- At Christies Auctions in New York on 31st October 2018 the Glyptotek acquired the work Le chêne de roche (The Rock Oak), painted in 1860 by the French artist Théodore Rousseau (1812-1867). The painting was donated by the New Carlsberg Foundation who have, in this way, secured a worthy addition to Rousseaus presence in the Glyptoteks collection of French painting. With the acquisition of Le chêne de roche the Glyptotek adds an iconic masterpiece from Rousseaus hand to its collection. The work dates from 1860, and Rousseau exhibited it as early as the following year at the renowned Paris Salon. The picture constitutes a central work in understanding the painters technique and view of nature. In 2016 Le chêne de roche, which is painted on wood and measures 88.9 x 116.8 cm, was exhibited at the Glyptotek as part of the special exhibition Théodore Rousseau. Unruly Nature (2016-2017) on which the museum col ... More |
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| | | Huge Tutankhamun show set to tour world | | Gianguan Auctions puts the emphasis on Chinese masterpieces and cultural icons in December 12 sale | | Moon rocks sell for $855,000 in New York: Sotheby's |
In this file photo taken on November 28, 2017 the Golden Mask of King Tutankhamun is displayed at Cairo's Egyptian Museum. MOHAMED EL-SHAHED / AFP.
PARIS (AFP).- Four decades after the boy pharaoh caused a sensation in the US and Europe, treasures from the tomb of Tutankhamun are to tour the world again -- many for the first time. More than 50 of the 150 artworks from his tomb in the show will only ever leave Cairo once, say the Egyptian authorities, who are organising the tour in the run-up to the 2020 opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. "Treasures of the Golden Pharoah" -- which opened in Los Angeles in March -- will go on show in Paris next March at the giant la Villette arts complex. It is the show's only stop in continental Europe. The organisers have yet to unveil the other eight cities on the world tour. Previous exhibitions about the boy pharaoh have been record-breaking blockbusters, setting off "Tut-mania" around the globe. More ... More | |
Northern Wei, A Very Rare Jade Carving of a Standing Sakyamuni Maitreya. $8,000 - $15,000.
NEW YORK, NY.- The value of the offerings in Gianguan Auctions December 12 sale rest not only on the standards of rarity, design and craftsmanship but also on the symbolism projected. While Western collectors may overlook deeper meanings of the subject matter in paintings, on ceramics and carved into jade, Chinese collectors will take into account the messages of longevity, harmony, prosperity and happiness. A highlight of this approach is Snow Mountain, an 11th century hanging scroll featured on the catalog cover. Created by court painter Guo Xi (1023-1085 AD), who utilized idiomatic brushstrokes, the work is a rare example of the perspective known as the angle of totality. In this work, the artist renders a view of a distant mountain that ascends from a stream through the scree of falling rock to treeless terrain and culminates in roiling clouds, reflecting the aspirations of mankind to attain a higher state of be ... More | |
The Only Known Documented Samples of The Moon Available for Private Ownership. Estimate $700,000/1 million. Sold for $855,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.
NEW YORK (AFP).- Three moon rocks brought to Earth nearly half a century ago and the only known documented lunar samples in private hands, sold for $855,000 in New York on Thursday, Sotheby's said. The rocks, collected by an unmanned Soviet Luna-16 Mission in 1970, went for nearly double the $442,500 last paid for them by the present-day US sellers in a Sotheby's Russian space history sale in 1993. They were originally the property of Nina Ivanovna Koroleva, widow of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev -- the former director of the Soviet space program -- who was given them by the Soviet Union in honor of her husband's work. Korolev was a rocket engineer, aircraft and spacecraft designer, and mastermind behind the Soviet space program during the 1950s and '60s. His work was critical to the success of numerous Soviet space programs, including the first human earth ... More |
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| | | Lévy Gorvy to open Hong Kong gallery in 2019 | | iGavel Asian Art sales reflects strong middle market | | The world's first publicly accessible art depot will open in Rotterdam |
Rendering of Lévy Gorvy Hong Kong Exterior, 2018. Courtesy HS2 Architecture and Bill Katz Studios.
NEW YORK, NY.- Dominique Lévy and Brett Gorvy, founders of Lévy Gorvy, announced today that the gallery will open a new space in Central, Hong Kong in March 2019. Located on the ground floor of the historic St. George's Building, the new 2,500 square foot space will be inaugurated in conjunction with the seventh annual Art Basel Hong Kong fair. Under the leadership of Danqing Li, Senior Director, Asia, Lévy Gorvy Hong Kong further extends the gallerys long-term commitment to the Asian art market and to offering highly specialized bespoke services around the globe. At the new space, Lévy Gorvy will present curated exhibitions devoted to modern, postwar, and contemporary art, and provide private consulting to clients, deepening existing relationships and developing new ones across the region. Lévy Gorvy works with leading Asian artists and estates, including Zao Wou-ki, Seung-taek Lee, Tsuyoshi ... More | |
Chinese Parcel Gilt Bronze Figure of Tara, Ming/Qing Dynasty.
NEW BRAUNFELS, TX.- Lark Mason Associates and iGavel Auctions fall sale of Asian Works of Art closed on November 2nd and delivered strong results with sales totaling $1,483,643. Numerous international participants competed for early ceramics, paintings, jade and jadeite carvings, and bronze vessels and figures offered from Chinese, Japanese, SE Asian, and other cultures. Held in their New York City and New Braunfels, Texas sales rooms, the exhibitions displayed works from collections primarily of solid, middle-market material. Works that were conservatively reserved soared above the estimates while those with aggressive reserves and estimates sold more selectively. A Parcel-Gilt Bronze Figure of Tara was a surprise, realizing the highest price of the auction at $58,750 against an estimate of $700-1,000. In recent months international sales of Chinese and other middle-market bronze ... More | |
The Depot will be the first museum storage facility in the world to offer public access to the largest part of the 151.000 artworks from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen collection without the mediation of a curator. Image: courtesy of MVRDV and Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.
ROTTERDAM.- The Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen will be a unique space for exploration, interaction and discovery. The Depot will be the first museum storage facility in the world to offer public access to the largest part of the 151.000 artworks from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen collection without the mediation of a curator. With the choice to enter with or without a guide, visitors will be able to watch what are usually the behind the scenes activities of a museum, witnessing at first hand the extreme care devoted to each artwork and the attention to detail that is dedicated to responsibilities such as conservation, restoration, transportation and research. Offering unparalleled transparency into the active role that a museum carries ... More |
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| | | June Kelly Gallery opens and exhibition of works from the 1970s-1980s by Kay WalkingStick | | The Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old Malt in a unique bottle painted by Michael Dillon achieves $1,528,800 | | Gagosian announces the representation of Theaster Gates |
Kay WalkingStick, Sun Dance, 1983 (detail). Acrylic and wax over double-layered canvas, 36 x 36 inches.
NEW YORK, NY.- June Kelly Gallery is presenting Kay WalkingStick: Works from the 1970s 1980s. These early paintings by the artist are unique and visionary, formal abstractions reflecting a mixture of artist as philosopher and mystic. The exhibition opened on November 29, 2918 and will remain on view through January 15, 2019. These rarely seen paintings mark an important moment in WalkingSticks career when she completely abandoned the brush and worked the canvas with no other tools, but a knife and razor blade. Manipulating, multiple times, as many as eight to ten layers of acrylic and cold wax, with her bare hands, WalkingStick achieved real physical presence with the canvas. As she applies the forceful surfaces she feels that her personal strength flows into the painting directly through her hands conveying a sense of power and energy, said art critic, Ida K. Rigby, of ARTWEEK in 1980 ... More | |
A world auction record for a bottle of whisky. © Christies Images Limited 2018.
LONDON.- On 29 November 2018, The Macallan 1926 60-Year-Old presented in a unique bottle painted by the Irish artist Michael Dillon sold for £1,200,000 / $1,528,800 / 1,352,400 in Christies Finest & Rarest Wines & Spirits auction in London, achieving a world auction record for a bottle of whisky. The Macallan distillery located near the river Spey in North East Scotland was founded in 1824 and produces stunning examples of cask-matured single malts, particularly their highly prized single-cask, limited edition bottlings and Fine & Rare Collection. The Macallan 60-Year-Old 1926 takes this rarity to new heights for collectors of Macallan whisky. Peter Blake, the renowned artist responsible for the album cover of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Valerio Adami were each asked to design a label for this special 1926 Macallan 60-Year-Old malt, and 12 individually numbered bottles ... More | |
Installation view of Theaster Gates: Black Madonna. Photo: Julian Salinas.
NEW YORK, NY.- In a single decade, Gates has incubated compelling new models for legacy building, social transformation, and making art. Encompassing sculpture, painting, ceramics, video, performance, and music, his art both derives from and sustains ambitious urban renewal projects. In 2010, Gates created the Rebuild Foundation, a nonprofit platform aimed at galvanizing communities through neighborhood regeneration and the development of educational and arts programming and amenities. Many of the foundations initiatives have focused on the revitalization of Chicagos South Side, creating hubs and archives for black culture, which serve as catalysts for discussions on race, equality, space, and history. In the years since his participation in the 2010 Whitney Biennial, Gates has received widespread international recognition for stirring works such as 12 Ballads for Huguenot House ... More |
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One of the most important European royal portraits to come to auction for a generation
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MFA Boston appoints Makeeba McCreary as Chief of Learning and Community Engagement
BOSTON, MASS.- Matthew Teitelbaum, Ann and Graham Gund Director of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has announced that Makeeba McCreary has been appointed the Patti and Jonathan Kraft Chief of Learning and Community Engagement. A native Bostonian, McCreary comes to the MFA from Boston Public Schools, where she was the Managing Director and Senior Advisor of External Affairs, reporting directly to the Mayor and Superintendent of Schools. Starting at the Museum on January 14, 2019, McCreary will oversee staff across four departments: Education; Volunteer and Community Engagement; Lectures, Courses and Concerts; and Film. The newly created position of Chief of Learning and Community Engagement will embrace and champion the Museums vision of making the visitor experience central to delivering the goals of MFA ... More
Georgia's 'chidaoba' wrestling joins UNESCO heritage list
TBILISI (AFP).- A centuries-old form of Georgian traditional wrestling called chidaoba on Thursday won recognition from UNESCO as a global cultural asset. The United Nations cultural and scientific agency announced at a meeting in Mauritius it had added the ex-Soviet country's martial art to its list of intangible cultural heritage. The small mountainous country rich in culture and history already has listings for its three alphabets, polyphonic singing and a unique winemaking technique using pottery jars stored underground. At a meeting in Mauritius, UNESCO also announced the inclusion of Korean wrestling and reggae music in its register of intangible culture that is worthy of protection and promotion. Descriptions of chidaoba techniques and codes of chivalry for champions appear in ancient Georgian manuscripts. Combining elements of wrestling ... More
Simon Lee Gallery opens a solo presentation of ceramic works by Mai-Thu Perret
LONDON.- As part of its Viewing Room programme, Simon Lee Gallery is presenting a solo presentation of ceramic works by gallery artist Mai-Thu Perret. Known for her multi-disciplinary practice that engages installation, performance, sculpture, textile, and the written word, Perret derives inspiration from such avant-garde art movements of the twentieth-century as Dada, Constructivism and Bauhaus design, exploring the ways in which modernist form and artisanal genres, including craft, fashion and theatre, collide. Since 1999 much of Perrets practice has developed around her invented narrative, The Crystal Frontier, which follows the progress of a group of women who form an autonomous commune in the remote desert of South Western New Mexico in an attempt to liberate themselves from the prohibitive parameters of capitalism and patriarchal convention. ... More
Rare imperial vase leads Bonhams Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art sale
HONG KONG.- Bonhams Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art department presented a tightly curated collection across two sales including its bi-annual Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art sale followed by a single-owner collection of Chinese jades from The Durwin Tang Collection. Taking place on 27 November, the combined total of both sales achieved HK$73,550,000 (US$9,395,700) with a 79% sold by lot rate. A crowded room gathered at Bonhams Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art sale as a rare Imperial Ming-style underglaze-blue and copper-red vase, Qianlong seal mark and of the period (1736-1795) hammered down at HK$23,500,000 (US$3,003,514), close to four times higher than its pre-sale estimate of HK$6,000,000-9,000,000 (US$770,000 - 1,100,000). The important piece originated from the collection of the eminent ... More
Sotheby's Russian Art Week totals $29.4 million
LONDON.- This weeks Russian Art sales at Sothebys concluded yesterday realising a combined total of $29.4 million (£23 million). Strong results were achieved across all three sales, each realising totals above their pre-sale estimates. Mark Poltimore, Sothebys Chairman of Russia, said: I am absolutely thrilled with the outstanding results we have achieved in the last two days. We had some remarkable and varied property on offer this season, which I think really captured the imagination of collectors from around the world. Having championed this category for so long, we are absolutely delighted to be ending the year on such a high note. The Russian Pictures sale, which alone realised a total of $17.1 million (£13.4 million) (est. $9.6-14.1 million / £7.6-11.1 million), saw two artist records set first, for Russian artist Konstantin Makovsky whose ... More
Sotheby's inaugural auction in Mumbai achieves US$ 7.9 million
MUMBAI.- Boundless India, Sothebys inaugural auction in Mumbai achieved a total of INR 55.40 crores / US$ 7.9 million today, led by seminal works by Tyeb Mehta and Amrita Sher-Gil. Over 75% of sold lots achieved prices above their pre-sale high estimates. The top price of the evening was Tyeb Mehtas Durga Mahisasura Mardini which sold for INR 20.49 crores / US$ 2.9 million, reflecting the strong market for the artist in recent months. The painting had remained in the same private collection ever since it was commissioned directly from the artist in 1993. Strong competition for Amrita Sher-Gils The Little Girl in Blue drove the painting to sell over the high estimate for INR 18.69 crores / US$ 2.7 million a record price for the artist in India (lot 12, INR 8.50-12.50 crores / US$ 1.2-1.7 million). This is only the seventh oil painting by the artist ... More
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Director receives the prestigious Peter Herrndorf Award
MONTREAL.- The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts announced the honour conferred on its Executive Director and Chief Curator Nathalie Bondil at the annual Business / Arts Gala. Ms. Bondil is the first director of a Quebec cultural institution to receive the prestigious Peter Herrndorf Award honouring an outstanding Canadian arts and business leader who has spent a lifetime dedicated to fostering the arts in Canada by building partnerships with artists, media, business leaders and public sector officials. Nathalie Bondil noted: As the first francophone to receive this award, here in Toronto, I am reminded that the two Canadian languages are an exceptional asset for understanding the complexity of our democracy, at a time when some politicians are fanning division: whether francophone or anglophone, we all speak the same language when we support ... More
Ivory Coast to ask France to return a hundred works of art
ABIDJAN (AFP).- Ivory Coast became the latest country to ask France to return works of art Wednesday, days after Paris said it was willing to hand back artefacts looted from Africa. The authorities will ask France to return around a hundred works of art, government spokesman and Communications Minister Sidi Toure announced following a cabinet meeting. "Ivory Coast has drawn up a list of about a hundred masterpieces," said Toure. That list will be passed on to the panel of experts appointed by the French government to consider such requests, he added. The move by the authorities in Abidjan came after the French presidency announced last Friday that it would restore to Benin 26 works of art plundered by troops in 1892. That decision was in line with the recommendations of a report last week by French experts that recommended a change ... More
Phillips announces highlights from the December Jewels Auction
NEW YORK, NY.- Phillips announced highlights from the Jewels auction, taking place on 6 December in New York. Offering 186 lots, the sale will feature works of signed jewellery, along with a fresh selection of exquisite diamonds and impressive gems. An important Kashmir Sapphire and Diamond Ring is among the top lots of the sale. The ring is comprised of a cushion-shaped center stone of 19.40 carats surrounded by fourteen rose-cut diamonds, which total approximately 4.50 carats. Kashmir sapphires are extremely rare as their deposit was exhausted in the 1920s. It's unusual to find large Kashmir sapphires, which makes this particular stone notable. A strong selection of colorless and fancy diamonds also figure prominently in the sale. Leading the auction is an Important Fancy Intense Blue Diamond. Natural blue diamonds are among the scarcest ... More
Oil on canvas attributed to John Singer Sargent headlines Woodshed Art Auctions' December sale
FRANKLIN, MASS.- A special selection of art by Latin American and Spanish artists, as well as paintings and drawings by (and attributed to) master artists such as John Singer Sargent, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat will all be part of a 208-lot fine art sale slated for Thursday, December 6th, by Woodshed Art Auctions, beginning at 5:30 pm Eastern time. The auction will be held online and live in the 500 Gallery, at 475 Franklin Village Drive in Franklin. People can register and bid now, at www.woodshedartauctions.com. Previews will be held at the 500 Gallery starting on Wednesday, Nov. 28. Phone and absentee bids will be taken. Its interesting to see how each auction catalog develops its own theme, said Bruce Wood, the owner of Woodshed Art Auctions. This month we have fine examples of Latin American and Spanish aesthetics, ... More
Exhibition of twenty-six drawings by the late Hungarian artist Karl Stengel opens in Colombia
SANTA MARTA.- From drawing to metaphor, an exhibition of twenty-six drawings by the late Hungarian artist Karl Stengel (1925-2017), will be on view at the Museo Bolivariano de Arte Contemporáneo in Santa Marta, Colombia from November 29, 2018 to February 17, 2019. Zarita Abelló de Bonilla, Director of the Museum, expressed her desire to host this exhibition after visiting the Stengel Collection at the Palazzo Rosselli del Turco in Florence. This is the first exhibition of Stengels work in Colombia. Produced over a span of forty years, between 1977 and 2016, the works in this exhibition demonstrate Stengels sustained interest in figuration, which prevails over abstract expressionism. Made in various mediums, including pen, pencil, watercolour, and oil pastel, there are even several examples here of Stengel drawing on the pages of books, tearing ... More
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Flashback On a day like today, Italian architect Andrea Palladio was born November 30, 1508. Andrea Palladio (30 November 1508 - 19 August 1580) was an Italian[1] architect active in the Venetian Republic. Palladio, influenced by Roman and Greek architecture, primarily by Vitruvius, is widely considered to be one of the most influential individuals in the history of architecture. In this image: Model of the Villa Capra, known as the Villa Rotonda, 1970. Lime and beech wood with porcelain biscuit details, 65.5 x 140 x 140 cm. Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura Andrea Palladio, Vicenza. Photo: Alberto Carolo.
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