| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net | | Established in 1996 | Thursday, August 6, 2020 |
| | | What worried artists in lockdown? The same things as everyone else | |
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An image of William Kentridge from his video ÂChair Waltz from the series ÂThe Long Minute, on display in the exhibition ÂUnprecedented Times at the Kunsthaus Bregenz in Austria. An exhibition at the venue, ÂUnprecedented Times, which runs through Aug. 30, 2020, is most likely the first (and possibly only) show in a European museum made up of work produced by artists as the virus spread and they sheltered in place this year. William Kentridge via The New York Times.
by Kimberly Bradley
BREGENZ (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- A tuba sitting on a rolling upholstered chair moves through a small room, to the sounds of a Shostakovich waltz. From the spaces perimeter, a man in a white shirt pulls and spins the improvised contraption across the floor with ropes, like a puppeteer or a dance partner. Why? The man is the renowned South African artist William Kentridge; his waltzing artwork is a meditation on the months he has spent confined to his studio because of the coronavirus lockdown. The work, Chair Waltz, is one segment of a video series on display at Kunsthaus Bregenz, a venue in western Austria. Its exhibition Unprecedented Times, running through Aug. 30, is most likely the first (and possibly only) show in a European museum made up of work produced by artists as the virus spread and they sheltered in place this year. With the abrupt arrival of Austrias strict lockdown, the Kunsthaus was shuttered. In the following weeks, its director, Thomas Trummer, found himself in em ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day A man wearing a face mask visits Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in Hiroshima on August 5, 2020. Japan on August 6, 2020 will mark 75 years since the world's first atomic bomb attack, with the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic forcing a scaling back of annual ceremonies to commemorate the victims. Philip FONG / AFP
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| | Italian police track down hot-footed statue toe snapper | | Met shrinks staff again, totaling 20% cut | | Lincoln Library cancels exhibition over racial sensitivity concerns |
Three toes were damaged on the right foot of a plaster statue.
ROME (AFP).- Police hunting for a mystery vandal who broke the toes off an Italian statue have identified an Austrian tourist who fled after lying on it to snap that perfect photograph. Three toes were damaged on the right foot of a plaster statue of a reclining Pauline Bonaparte, by Italian neoclassical sculptor Antonio Canova, at the Gypsotheca Museum in Possagno, northern Italy, police said in a statement sent to AFP Wednesday. The plaster cast was the original for a final marble version -- which portrays the sister of French Emperor Napoleon as Venus -- now housed in Rome's Galleria Borghese. Apparently hoping to imitate the pose captured in the plaster model, which was made in 1804, the tourist sprawled on top of it while his wife took a picture. In video surveillance footage, he can then be seen standing up, spotting the damage, and hesitating, before quickly walking away. Police said they had been able to track down the couple through their online ticket reservation. Contacted by telephone, ... More | |
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Exterior). Photo courtesy of The Met.
by Julia Jacobs
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- The Metropolitan Museum of Art laid off dozens more of its workers on Wednesday and reduced its ranks even further through furloughs and voluntary retirements, leaving the museum with a staff that is about 20% smaller than it was before the pandemic. The coronavirus has kept the museum closed since March and prompted an initial wave of more than 80 layoffs in April. Adding on this new wave of staff cuts means that the Met will have an employee count of about 1,600, a dramatic drop from about 2,000 in March. According to a memo sent out to the Mets staff on Wednesday, 79 staff members were laid off, in addition to 93 who took the option to voluntarily retire. Another 181 employees were furloughed. The museum told staff that they expect that the furloughs will last no longer than six months. The museum made the decision on the number of people ... More | |
The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Photo: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum via The New York Times.
by Sarah Bahr
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- The exhibition on domestic terrorism had been on tour since 2006 and had previously been displayed at four presidential libraries and museums, including the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station, Texas, last year. But in recent weeks the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield, Illinois, canceled the exhibitions engagement there, citing concerns from visitors of color who had previewed it and determined that several of the displays were outdated or lacking in context. We concluded that updating another institutions exhibit was not a wise use of our time and resources, the museum said in a statement. The exhibit, created by the International Spy Museum in Washington, had been scheduled to open at the Lincoln museum in late March, but the coronavirus scuttled those plans. ... More |
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| | London Art Week announces 'Art History in Focus' taking place this October | | Pace opens exhibition of works by Torkwase Dyson at its recently opened space in East Hampton | | Breakfast at Tiffany's typescript sells for £377,000 at Sotheby's |
Rosalba Carriera (Venice 1675-1757 Venice), The Virgin in Prayer. Pastel on paper, laid down on linen, Stephen Ongpin @LAW.
LONDON.- During October 2020 London Art Weeks new Digital platform at www.londonartweek.co.uk will present Art History in Focus, a series of themed erudite and enlightening discourses online and exhibitions in galleries. In the spotlight will be the work of significant women artists of the past 400 years, as well as women in the world of art such as gallerists, collectors, curators, scholars and art dealers. The impact of the framing and presentation of pictures is another theme to be explored. Articles and essays will be published on the London Art Week website, and talks and events are planned throughout the month, involving art historians, museum curators and expert dealers. On 3 October, the National Gallery, one of London Art Weeks museum partners, opens its long-awaited exhibition on Artemisia Gentileschi, the Baroque artist who has recently risen in public renown. Yet there are a great many equally impor ... More | |
Installation view of Studies for Bird and Lava, 68 Park Place, East Hampton. August 1 9, 2020. Photography courtesy of Pace Gallery.
EAST HAMPTON, NY.- Pace Gallery is presenting New York-based artist Torkwase Dysons first exhibition with the gallery at its recently opened space in East Hampton. Dysons multidisciplinary approach to artmaking interrogates historical and existing infrastructure and architecture, particularly how Black and brown bodies compose, perceive, and negotiate space. Dyson debuts a series of new paintings and drawings made during the period of isolation caused by the outbreak of the coronavirus in New York City, which also coincided with the start of the artists year-long artist residency at the Wexner Center for the Arts. Studies for Bird and Lava is on view from August 1 9, 2020. Integral to understanding Dysons practice is the artists assertion of Black Compositional Thought, which functions as a mode of awareness that contends with the formal applications of mark-making and constructions of space to ... More | |
Covered in hundreds of the authors handwritten edits including the last minute change of his protagonists name to Holly Golightly. Courtesy Sotheby's.
LONDON.- The final typescript for Breakfast at Tiffanys, covered in hundreds of Truman Capotes handwritten edits, sold to an anonymous buyer for £377,000 ($485,500) Sothebys London yesterday (4 August 2020), more than double the pre-sale estimate of £120,000-180,000. Here we meet Capotes most enduring fictional creation, Holly Golightly, for the very first time. Until this very final draft, Holly was known throughout as Connie Gustafson. At this final stage every reference to Connie is crossed out and replaced - a move that arguably transformed the future fortunes of the novel. The charmingly contrarian free spirit - wearing a little black dress - went on to be immortalised by Audrey Hepburn in the much-loved 1961 film. Dr Gabriel Heaton, Sothebys Specialist in Books and Manuscripts explains: The character of Holly Golightly is of course the heart of Breakfast at Tiffany's, and the most striking change mad ... More |
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| | Georgia Museum of Art to reopen August 13 | | The Courtauld appoints their first ever Head of Conservation, Dr Austin Nevin | | Shaker Museum taps Selldorf Architects to create its new permanent facility in Chatham, NY |
Free timed tickets will be available to limit the number of people in the building at one time.
ATHENS, GA.- The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia will reopen its galleries to the public on August 13, nearly four months after closing due to COVID-19. Visitors can expect some differences designed to make the experience as safe as possible for everyone: Free timed tickets will be available to limit the number of people in the building at one time. Visitors should reserve tickets at georgiamuseum.org, then bring their print-out or mobile device to the museum and check in at the front desk during the time slot they selected. Visits have no time limit. All visitors aged 11 and up must wear a mask that covers their mouth and nose. The museum is limiting hours to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Visitors should keep at least 6 feet away from other groups, visitors and staff members. Some ... More | |
Dr Nevin is a conservator and conservation scientist.
LONDON.- The Courtauld announced the appointment of Dr Austin Nevin to the new position of Head of Conservation. Building on The Courtaulds long history as a centre of excellence in teaching both the conservation of easel paintings and the conservation of wall painting, Dr Nevins role will be to bring the two departments together, and to raise the profile of The Courtaulds work in this area nationally and internationally. Dr Nevin is a conservator and conservation scientist. He joins The Courtauld from the University of Gothenburg, having previously taught conservation science at the Accademia di Brera in Milan, where he was also a Researcher at the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and the Department of Physics at the Politecnico di Milano, and at the Foundation for Research and Technology (IESL-FORTH) in Greece. He is currently also the Vice President of the International Institute for the Conservation of Artistic ... More | |
Shaker Museum building Chatham, NY. Image courtesy of Shaker Museum.
CHATHAM, NY.- Shaker Museum today announced that it has selected Selldorf Architects to create its new permanent facility in downtown Chatham, New York to exhibit its comprehensive collection of more than 18,000 pieces of Shaker material culture and accompanying archives. Like the objects themselves, the physical building will embody Shaker values of inclusion, innovation, and equality to create a museum that both tells the Shaker story and is responsive to the needs of the community in Chatham, Columbia County, and the surrounding Hudson Valley. It was also announced that Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects will collaborate on the project. The museum will retain and maintain the historic Shaker site in Mount Lebanon. After more than a decade without a facility in which to show its collection, the new campus located at 5 Austerlitz Street will provide ample ... More |
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| | James Powers, Brooklyn gallerist who nurtured Black artists, dies at 80 | | UNESCO to restore Mali's conflict-hit Bandiagara site | | Poster Auctions International's 81st Rare Posters Auction LXXXI earns $1.3M |
James Powers established Spiral Gallery in Brooklyn, a point of reference for Black artists and collectors. Artists who showed there included Ronald Walton, Verna Hart and Lamerol Gatewood. Photo: Powers family.
by Penelope Green
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- James Powers, a medical supply salesman, had always loved art and when he was laid off in his early 40s, he realized he could focus on that passion, and teach others about it, too. So he opened the Spiral Gallery in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn. He named his gallery in honor of the Spiral Group, the short-lived collective of Black artists formed in the early 1960s by Charles Alston, Romare Bearden, Norman Lewis and Hale Woodruff to tackle issues both political and aesthetic. His gallery wasnt a political space, but in the late 1980s and early 90s it became a community for Black artists and art-lovers, a rollicking festival of culture with monthly openings that spilled out onto Vanderbilt Avenue. Up and coming ... More | |
The Bandiagara site, a landscape of cliffs and sandy plateaux with traditional human settlements, representative of the Dogon culture, was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1989 FRANCOIS XAVIER MARIT AFP.
PARIS (AFP).- The UN's culture organisation will restore the world heritage site of Bandiagara, in central Mali, which has been hit hard by the country's long-running conflict, it announced Tuesday. The work will focus on sites devoted to traditional culture, as well as restoring ceremonial objects in a memorial collection, UNESCO said in its statement. It will be able to launch the three-year project thanks to $1 million in funding from the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH), the organisation added. Bandiagara is in the central region of Mopti, the site of repeated attacks by the jihadists who have been active in the country since 2012. The region has also been hit by intercommunal violence. "In addition to claiming civilian lives and creating insecurity, the crisis caused the total or partial destruction of close ... More | |
Charles Loupots full-scale maquette, recovered from the artists studio, a 1947 preliminary design for St. Raphaël, fetched $43,200.
NEW YORK, NY.- Poster Auctions Internationals second sale of the year, on July 21st, finished at $1.3 million in sales. Auction LXXXI proved an ongoing passion for posters. Jack Rennert, President of PAI, said, This auction was anything but typical. Were in the midst of a global pandemic, and this was also our first auction in 35 years to not feature our traditional and highly regarded printed catalogue. Despite this, we received a strong showing of support, which both surprised us and gratified us. We were also pleased with the ongoing response to Art Nouveau works, which have proven to captivate both new and seasoned collectors. The great mythologizer of Montmartre, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, maintained his appeal to bidders. His 1894 Eldorado / Aristide Bruant, originally denigrated by the venues management, reached its highest sales price in our auction history: $78,000 (all prices include ... More |
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1971 Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona Independent Competizione
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It's (almost) business as usual at the Salzburg Festival
SALZBURG (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- A visit to the Salzburg Festival has been a summer tradition for Jos Baeck for nearly half a century. This year we said that even with Corona were coming to Salzburg, said Baeck, 71, on a recent afternoon in this citys historic center. He had traveled from Belgium with a friend who has been attending the festival even longer. The festival is very important to us, said Baeck. You need to admire Helga Rabl-Stadler, Baeck said, referring to the festivals longtime president. She persevered. As cultural events worldwide were called off because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Salzburg Festival surprised many onlookers in late May by announcing that it would go ahead with a scaled-down program to celebrate its centennial. The festival, which runs through Aug. 30, began last weekend with new productions ... More
San Antonio Museum of Art adds three trustees to board
SAN ANTONIO, TX.- The San Antonio Museum of Art announced today that educator and art collector May Lam, High Line co-founder Robert Hammond, and former museum director Héctor Rivero Borrell have joined the Museums Board of Trustees. Each of them has long experience working in the arts across a range of different areas, all of which will benefit SAMA during this period of change and challenge for museums. They will officially begin their terms in October 2020, serving a three-year term. It is with gratitude for their commitment to the San Antonio Museum of Art that I welcome May, Robert, and Héctor to the board, said Edward Hart, chair of the Museums Board of Trustees. As an institution with a significant collection of Latin American art, both historic and contemporary, we have been looking to expand our board connections in this region, ... More
Summers Place Auctions to sell unique collection of garden statuary in September sale
BILLINGSHURST.- Summers Place Auctions announced the sale of a unique collection of Garden Statuary. The collection comprises 70 lots and will be part of the Autumn auction on Tuesday, 29th September 2020. The Perry Garden Collection was started in the 1920s when a Mr Perry opened a garage on the main Stroud road near the village of Dodington in the Cotswolds. He had the vision to create an extraordinary go to destination at a time when the motorcar became popular and people started to go on days out. Mr Perry had the business sense to add a café to his garage and to offer more than just petrol and tea with cake - he created an environment with an incredible garden as the focal point. It consisted of sunken gardens full of stunning statues, urns and benches, which over the years evolved into an important and unique collection. ... More
Morphy's rolls out Field & Range Firearms Auction, Aug. 11-13
DENVER, PA.- No matter how impressive a collectors gun display may be, theres always room for one more high-quality firearm if its on par with those being offered at Morphys August 11-13 Field & Range Firearms Auction. Over the span of three days, more than 2,100 arms will be presented, including 275 antique rifles, 704 modern rifles, 41 antique shotguns, 231 modern shotguns, 252 antique handguns, 510 modern handguns, and 25 sought-after NFA items (BATF approval required prior to transfer), plus three cannons, scopes, accessories and ammunition. In addition to in-person bidding at the gallery, Morphys welcomes absentee, phone and Internet live bidding through Morphy Live. In cataloging each of their firearms sales, Morphys team of experts goes the extra mile to provide honest, authoritative descriptions and as much background as possible ... More
Clear evidence that the auction world has changed as bidders migrate en masse to the internet
WOKING.- Over 3,000 people registered to bid online at Ewbanks latest three-day sales series, providing the clearest evidence yet of the mass migration online of the fine art and antique auction business. Its a global phenomenon what we have seen is the march of technology accelerate by ten years in as little as six weeks, said the auction houses chairman, Chris Ewbank, whose memorabilia department has also just sold the unique football collection of former Manchester United captain Norman Whiteside for £250,000. Mr Ewbank, who believes that there is no going back, watched as 3,103 online bidders from all over the world competed for 1,388 lots over three days from July 22 to 24 at his saleroom near Guildford in Surrey. In 2019 similar sales attracted around 1,800 online registrants. But its not just the number of bidders that has changed, ... More
The Saint Louis Art Museum 'Currents 118' exhibition features new work by Elias Sime
ST. LOUIS, MO.- The Saint Louis Art Museum presents new work by Ethiopian artist Elias Sime in the 118th installment of the museums popular Currents contemporary art series. The free exhibition is on view in Galleries 249 and 250 from July 31 through Jan. 31, 2021. Founded in 1978, the Currents series serves as a laboratory for emerging and mid-career artists to create and exhibit new work. Featured artists have included Shimon Attie, Matthew Buckingham, Dale Chihuly, Leonardo Drew, Brian Eno, Ellen Gallagher, Frank Gehry, Donald Judd, Julie Mehretu, Richard Serra and Cindy Sherman. Sime (born 1968) creates large-scale modular artworks from discarded technological material such as electrical wires, circuit boards, motherboards and computer keys. Simes use of the detritus of technological progress touches on diverse themes ... More
Anna Laudel Düsseldorf opens Onur Hastürk's first solo show "Assimilation"
DUSSELDORF.- Anna Laudel Düsseldorf showcases Assimilation by Turkish artist Onur Hastürk, recognised by his combined style of Islamic painting and design with contemporary art. Assimilation is Hastürks debut exhibition in Germany, marking the largest display of the artists works to date and will be on display between 30 July - 31 October 2020 at Anna Laudel Düsseldorf. A visual artist specialised in the art of classical Ottoman miniature painting, Onur Hastürk pulls freely from the numerous artistic cultures of Islam and places them in new conversations with art of the modern West, from Henri Matisse to Andy Warhol. In doing so, he has created a contemporary Islamic art with a unique attitude and style, generated from these transcultural and transhistorical intercourses. Islamic art assimilated geographically far-flung styles and techniques ... More
City of Chicago unveils new public artwork by street artist Dont Fret on the Chicago Riverwalk
CHICAGO, IL.- Dont Fret, one of Chicagos most recognizable street artists, today unveiled a new, large-scale art installation on the Chicago Riverwalk. Titled The People in Your Neighborhood, the installation is located at the Riverwalks most western point, known as The Confluence between E Lake St and N Franklin St, and features 55 portraits of Chicagoans, all portrayed in Dont Frets inimitable sardonic style. The unveiling is accompanied by the release of his new book, Dont Fret: Life Thus Far, now available for purchase. Offering a microcosmic reflection of Chicagos scrappy and hard-working residents, the portrait subjects of The People in Your Neighborhood range from the well-known to the obscure. Designer and restaurateur Kevin Heisner stands alongside Claudio, Chicagos beloved tamale vendor, who in turn rubs elbows ... More
Urbancoolab's AI artist STiCH resurrects Basquiat on anniversary of his death
LONDON.- On Wednesday 12th August, Urbancoolabs innovative AI technology STiCH (the first of its kind) will bring Jean-Michel Basquiat back to life to coincide with the 32nd anniversary of the influential artists death. Urbancoolab an Artificial Intelligence powered art, design, and commerce platform will launch a collection of ten new artworks featuring famous faces such as Idris Elba, Michelle Obama and Jay-Z alongside unidentified individuals. Created using new AI technology that revives the iconic Basquiat art style, each artwork is digitally synthesised through harmonisation algorithms on liquid crystal displays (LCD screens) and is available to view online. STiCH is an AI artist, machine and design researcher working at Urbancoolab who has spent one month (more than 730 hours) climbing into the mind of Jean-Michel Basquiat to create work ... More
Eric Bentley, critic who provoked lovers of Broadway, dies at 103
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Eric Bentley, an author, playwright and theater critic who was an early champion of modern European drama in the 1940s and an unsparing antagonist of Broadway, died on Wednesday at his home in Manhattan. He was 103. His son Philip confirmed the death. Bentley was among that select breed of scholar who moves easily between academic and public spheres. His criticism found its way into classroom syllabuses and general-interest magazines. And more than dissecting others plays, he also wrote his own and had some success as a director. He adapted work by many of the European playwrights he prized, especially Bertolt Brecht, whom he first met in Los Angeles in 1942. The English-born Bentley variously walked the corridors of Oxford, Harvard and Columbia, where he taught for many years with faculty colleagues ... More
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Flashback On a day like today, American artist Andy Warhol was born August 06, 1928. Andy Warhol (August 6, 1928 - February 22, 1987) was an American artist who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture and advertisement that flourished by the 1960s. After a successful career as a commercial illustrator, Warhol became a renowned and sometimes controversial artist. The Andy Warhol Museum in his native city, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, holds an extensive permanent collection of art and archives. It is the largest museum in the United States of America dedicated to a single artist.
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