| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net |   | Established in 1996 | Thursday, July 9, 2020 |
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| | It is Christo's final show. But is it the last we will see of him? | |
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Sophie Duplaix, curator of the Pompidou exhibition, with a scale model of the Pont Neuf project, at the Pompidou Center in Paris, on July 3, 2020. The artist Christo, who died in May, had planned to wrap the Arc de Triomphe. The project is delayed, but on track for next year, and his collaborators hope they can pull off one more feat, too. Julien Mignot/The New York Times.
PARIS (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- In September 2021, the Arc de Triomphe that stately arch at one end of the Avenue des Champs-Ãlysées in Paris is set to be wrapped in lustrous fabric as part of a temporary installation by Christo, the Bulgarian-born artist. Christo died May 31, two weeks before his 85th birthday, but not before working out every last detail of the Arc de Triomphe project. He was also involved in the making of an exhibition that just opened at the Pompidou Center in Paris, running through Oct. 19, which focuses on the years when he lived and worked in the French capital: his beginnings as an artist, the encounter with the woman who would become his wife and collaborator, Jeanne-Claude Denat, and his 1985 wrapping of the Pont Neuf. The exhibition was scheduled to open March 18, but it was postponed when France went into lockdown ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day Archaeologists work at the "Cueva Fantasma" dig in the archaeological site of the Atapuerca mountain range, on July 3, 2020 in Burgos. The excavation campaign was reduced to 25 days of work for only 60 people due the new coronavirus pandemic. CESAR MANSO / AFP
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 | | Sotheby's Modern Art Evening Auction realises over US$107 million | | 'David Smith. Sprays' opens online with key museum loans exploring the late artist's pioneering use of aerosol paints | | National Gallery becomes first major London museum to reopen | 
Second highest total for the category ever achieved at Sotheby's. All but one lot find buyers. Courtesy Sotheby's.
HONG KONG.- Tonight, Sothebys Modern Art Evening Sale - the first flagship evening sale of year in Hong Kong - realised HK$826 million / US$107 million the second highest total for the category ever achieved at Sothebys. A total of six auction records were set throughout the evening, with four lots achieving over HK$100m / US$12.9m. A ten-minute bidding battle between four determined collectors drove the final sale price of Sanyus Quatre nus to HK$258m / US$33.3m. Bidding opened at HK$160m and climbed in steady increments, with two bidders pushing each other ever higher before going to a bidder on the phone. Chu Teh-Chuns monumental Les éléments confédérés, the artists only pentaptych, soared to HK$114m / US$14.7m after a five-minute, four-way bidding battle, a price besting the artists previous HK$91.8 million record. Seven paintings by Zao Wou-Ki were 100% sold for a combined total of HK$318.5m / US$ ... More | | 
David Smith, Untitled, 1963. Spray enamel on canvas, 83.8 x 30.5 cm / 33 x 12 in. © 2020 The Estate of David Smith / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Courtesy the Estate and Hauser & Wirth.
NEW YORK, NY.- The in-depth digital presentation celebrates Smith's innovative approach to the newly available medium of aerosol paint and the consequent interplay between colour, form and the drawn image. The Sprays represent a direct and unmediated form of expression that provide a vital counterpoint to Smiths metal work. When creating a sculpture, Smith would often place components of the work in progress on white-washed areas of his shop floor, before joining them together. The welding scorched the floor, leaving ghost images of the sculpture. Inspired by these incidental patterns, Smith began work on the Sprays, employing any material at hand, from machine parts to tree branches, and even leftovers from his table, which he arranged on paper or canvas before spraying over the composition with industrial enamel paint. When the objects were removed, their silhouettes remained, sometimes with hazy ... More | | 
Members of staff wearing a face mask or covering due to the COVID-19 pandemic, wait to greet visitors outside the National Gallery in London. ISABEL INFANTES / AFP.
by Florence Biedermann
LONDON (AFP).- Britain's National Gallery reopens on Wednesday, with masks recommended and social distancing and advance booking mandatory, as the country continues to emerge from three months of coronavirus lockdown. The central London venue is the first major art museum in the British capital to open its doors after closing in late March along with the rest of the hospitality, tourism and cultural sectors. Visitors must now book in advance, are advised to wear face coverings and follow signposted routes around the space which, at 46,396 square metres (500,000 square feet) is roughly the size of six football pitches. Gallery director Gabriele Finaldi told reporters he hoped initially for around a quarter of the usual number of visitors -- or 3,000 to 4,000 people per day. The prestigious venue, located ... More |
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| | amfAR and Christie's offer works donated by leading artists to fight COVID-19 | | US artist's holiday park sculpture fetches millions | | Kunsthalle Bremen opens 'Your Turn! Recreating Artworks During Quarantine' | 
Rashid Johnson (b. 1977), Untitled Anxious Red Drawing. Signed 'Rashid Johnson' (on the reverse) oil on cotton rag, 19 ¾ x 15 (50.2 x 38.1 cm.) Painted in 2020. Estimate: USD 20,000 - USD 30,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
NEW YORK, NY.- Christies launched the full offering of From the Studio, a dedicated selection of 17 works, which have been generously donated by leading contemporary artists to benefit amfARs newly launched Fund to Fight COVID-19. This special grouping will be included in the Post-War and Contemporary Art Day sale, which is taking place on July 10 in New York. From the Studio may be viewed here. Highlights from the sale include works that have been created in quarantine by artists including Eddie Martinez, Dana Schutz, Raymond Pettibon, Rashid Johnson, Kenny Scharf, Leelee Kimmel, Michael Kagen, and Erik Parker as well as previously announced works by Cecily Brown, Urs Fischer and George Condo. François-Henri Pinault, ... More | | 
The free-standing stabile was sold by the current owner of the holiday park Belambra Clubs. It was estimated to be worth between 2.5 and 3.5 million euros ($2.8-4.0 million).
PARIS (AFP).- A huge sculpture by American artist Alexander Calder sold at auction in Paris on Wednesday for over 4.9 million euros, auctioneers Artcurial said, after nearly six decades on display at a holiday park in southern France. The influential sculptor is known primarily for his colourful and abstract mobiles, of which he made thousands over the course of his career. But he also made "stabiles" -- the opposite of mobiles -- one of which remained concealed from the general public in La Colle-sur-Loup village, a few dozen kilometres from the ritzy city Cannes. The black steel 3,5 metre (11 foot) structure was made by Calder in 1963. "It's the first time that a monumental stabile of this scale by Calder came up for auction in France," said Hugues Sebilleau, the head of Artcurial's ... More | | 
Karl-Holger Meyer (recreation of A. Dürer).
BREMEN.- During the Coronavirus lockdown, the Kunsthalle Bremen called on people to recreate works of art from its collection in Bremen. The response was overwhelming! On Wednesday, 8 July 2020, visitors can view a selection of 77 photos in the South Foyer of the Kunsthalle Bremen titled Your Turn! Recreating Artworks During Quarantine. The quarantine period was a trying time, both for the museums that had to close and the public who were forced to stay at home, suddenly banned from undertaking any type of cultural outing. A new idea was born of necessity and the challenge #TussenKunstenQuarantaine (between art and quarantine) was launched on Instagram. This challenge had people recreate works of art using simple items found in their homes. The Kunsthalle Bremen joined this initiative and encouraged its fans to recreate works from its collection. The photos that were submitted re-enact paintings, sculptures, ... More |
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| | Sotheby's to offer masterful still life by Samuel John Peploe | | Morphy's hits the jackpot with $3M auction of antique coin-op machines, advertising | | Sohrab Mohebbi appointed Curator of the 58th Carnegie International | 
Samuel John People, Still life with Tulips and Fan. Estimate: £300,000-500,000.
LONDON.- In July this year, Sothebys will offer for sale a masterful still life by the Scottish Colourist Samuel John People. Unseen for almost fifty years, and never previously offered at auction, Still life with Tulips and Fan comes to the market from a Scottish private collection. Estimated at £300,000-500,000, the painting will be presented for sale in Sothebys pioneering cross-category evening auction in London on 28 July, Rembrandt to Richter, where it will be offered alongside the seasons top Old Master, Impressionist & Modern, Contemporary, and Modern British works, including one of the last self-portraits by Rembrandt remaining in private hands. Thomas Podd, Sothebys Scottish Art Specialist, commented: Were thrilled to offer this painting in the context of 500 years of art history. Peploe not only established an important connection with ... More | | 
J.P. Seeburg Style H Orchestrion with a medley of musical instruments including piano, flute and violin pipes; xylophone, drums, additional percussion. Made first quarter of 20th century. Ex collection of Crystal Saloon in Virginia City, Nevada. Top lot of the sale at $83,025.
DENVER, PA.- For many collectors, Morphys Coin-op and Antique Advertising Auction originally scheduled for March and delayed until June 20-21 due to the COVID-19 pandemic was a welcome event. The collecting hobby had been challenged by months of cancelled antique shows and conventions, and a large audience of socially distanced gallery bidders, together with hundreds of phone and online bidders, were anxious to make some high-quality new acquisitions. Morphy Auctions founder and president Dan Morphy noted that on some lots there were as many as 200 online competitors, a reflection of the coin-op markets stamina and the insatiable desire for rare pieces from pedigreed collections. ... More | | 
Sohrab Mohebbi. Photo: Sabrina Santiago.
PITTSBURGH, PA.- Eric Crosby, the Henry J. Heinz II Director of Carnegie Museum of Art announced today the appointment of Sohrab Mohebbi as the Kathe and Jim Patrinos Curator of the 58th Carnegie International, the longest-running survey of contemporary art in North America. The International, which will open in 2022, has been the museums signature exhibition since its establishment in 1896. I am thrilled to welcome Sohrab to Carnegie Museum of Art and to support his vision for the 58th Carnegie International, said Crosby. I have deep admiration for his curatorial work, which consistently foregrounds artists who are uniquely equipped to guide us in navigating the complexities of contemporary life. As a curator, he is committed to examining immediate, local concerns in a broader picture of the world today. I have no doubt he will lead our museum in creating an International that is more collaborative, interdisciplinary, ... More |
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| | Christie's results: Paris Fine Jewels sale achieves a total of €4,6 million | | Exhibition at Massimo De Carlo offers a a dialogue between the past and the present | | Contemporary Arts Museum Houston welcomes new Deputy Director | 
Sapphire, diamond and ruby desk clock, Van Cleef & Arpels. Estimate : 40,000 - 80,000. Sold : 310,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
PARIS.- The Jewelry department achieved great results today which confirmed the strong interest for fine jewels including those coming from Place Vendôme. The top lot of the sale was a poetic sapphire, diamond and ruby desk clock by Van Cleef & Arpels coming from Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis personal collection and which sold for 310,000, almost 8 times its presale estimate, after a bidding battle between 5 telephone bidders. Collectors are continuously eager to acquire creations signed by the prestigious names such as Cartier with a beautiful diamond ring sold for 175,000 and a rare Art Déco emerald and diamond bracelet from Chaumet which sold for 92,500. Further highlights included a sapphire and diamond ring by Verdura which sold for 274,000 and an emeralds and diamonds necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels sold to buyer on Christies Live for 81,250, doubling its presale estimate. Violaine dAstorg and Mafalda Chenu, specialists of the sale: We ar ... More | | 
Yan Pei-Ming, Pink Young Lucio Fontana, 2016 (detail). Oil on canvas, 120 Ã 120 cm / 47 1/4 Ã 47 1/4 inches. Courtesy the artist and Massimo De Carlo, Milan / London / Hong Kong.
HONG KONG.- Taking place in the Hong Kong gallery of Massimo De Carlo, from July 8th and through the summer until September 5th, Look at Me is a dialogue between the past and the present, the modern and the contemporary. The vibrant green and yellow of Fontanas Concetto Spaziale, Attese from 1959 is juxtaposed by the 1969 work on paper Nu, homme a la pipe et amour by Pablo Picasso. The two evocative works are accompanied by large scale portraits of both Lucio Fontana and Pablo Picasso executed by Yan Pei- Ming. Born in 1960 in Shanghai and raised during the Cultural Revolution in China, since 1982 Yan Pei-Ming lives and works in Dijon, France. The dichotomy of both Western and Oriental experiences has contributed to shape the expressive style of the artist who, in over thirty years of his career, has emerged on the international arena as one of the most recognized figurative painters ... More | | 
Throughout Bonds career, she has maintained an active and unwavering involvement on the community level that perfectly exemplifies her alignment for the new vision and direction of CAMH.
HOUSTON, TX.- Contemporary Arts Museum Houston announced the appointment of Janice Bond as Deputy Director. Bond comes to CAMH with a stellar career of artist advocacy, community activation and engagement, as well as years of administrative leadership at multifaceted contemporary art platforms in both Chicago, Illinois and Houston. At CAMH, Bond joins the leadership teamalongside Executive Director Hesse McGrawto guide the institution into an exciting period of growth and systemic change. In addition to providing oversight of all museum operations, Bond will work cross-departmentally to uphold new strategic directions that build internal collaborations and expand CAMHs external partnerships. Bond will further advance the Museums commitment to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion for a healthy internal and external culture. CAMH is thrilled to welcome Janice to our ... More |
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Thomas Struth on Gerhard Richter | Artists on Artwork
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| | More News |
 The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston reopens to the public on July 16BOSTON, MASS.- Jill Medvedow, the Ellen Matilda Poss Director of the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, announced today that the museum will reopen to the public on Thursday, July 16 with new health and safety protocols in place for the safety of both visitors and staff. The ICA will host member appreciation days on July 14 and 15, and members will be able to bring an additional guest for free through September 7, 2020 (Labor Day). The museum will also offer free admission to the public from July 16 through July 19. Advance timed tickets required at icaboston.org/tickets. I am very eager to welcome people back to the ICA, to share the extraordinary craft and insights of amazing artists, and to put exhibitions, educational materials, outdoor space, and more in service to communities. Im equally eager to simply see our audiencesto be alone together at the museum ... More MCA Denver and Orange Barrel Media partner in ambitious public art project by Nari Ward DENVER, CO.- The Museum of Contemporary Art Denver reopened on July 1, 2020, with Nari Ward: We the People, a major retrospective of the artists work, featuring a selection of sculptures, paintings, videos and large-scale installations that highlight Wards status as one of the most influential sculptors working today. Simultaneously, Ward and MCA Denver have partnered with Orange Barrel Media, IKE Smart City and the Denver Theatre District to launch a companion public art project throughout downtown Denver, on view from July 1 to September 20. The public exhibition debuts a major, new site-specific work by Ward for projection on the Daniels and Fisher Clocktower, a historic 325 tall structure at the center of the city. Through this expanded project, the artist and MCA Denver have radically widened the audience for Wards work, which directly ... More Newport Art Museum debuts "Private Moments: Photographs from Another Era by Bob Colacello"NEWPORT, RI.- The Newport Art Museum is presenting Private Moments: Photographs from Another Era by Bob Colacello, a selection of rarely seen images taken in the 1970s and 1980s while he was living in New York City and editing artist Andy Warhols Interview magazine. Colacello is a writer, photographer, and longtime friend and biographer of Andy Warhol. Colacello would frequently accompany Warhol to dinner parties, clubs, and art openings in New York City and cultural capitals around the world. As he famously said, I never had to social climb, I got dropped on Mount Olympus from Andys helicopter! Whether Colacello was at Studio 54, Valentinos chalet in Gstaad, or Jimmy Carters presidential inauguration, he brought along his Minox 35 EL, a camera small enough to conceal in his coat jacket pocket. The Newport exhibition includes ... More Kevin Rafferty, 'Atomic Cafe' co-director, dies at 73NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Kevin Rafferty, who with two co-directors turned archival material created to ease Americans into the nuclear age into The Atomic Cafe, a darkly comic 1982 documentary that both highlighted the absurdity of an earlier generations propaganda and suggested the unsettling possibility that we were still being so manipulated, died Thursday at his home in Manhattan. He was 73. His brother Pierce, who with Jayne Loader directed that film with him, said the cause was cancer. Rafferty didnt make a lot of films he has just six directing credits in the Internet Movie Database but the ones he did make drew critical acclaim and covered a wide range of subjects. Blood in the Face (1991), directed with Anne Bohlen and James Ridgeway, examined the Ku Klux Klan and other far-right groups. The Last Cigarette ... More New list of unproduced plays tallies those disrupted by pandemicNEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Trying to salvage a spring and summer of shelved and scrapped scripts, the Kilroys, a group of Los Angeles-based female-identified playwrights and producers, is spotlighting new plays and musicals by female, transgender and nonbinary writers that have had their runs disrupted by the pandemic. More than 140 planned productions by writers ranging from the Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok to the comedian Sarah Silverman appear on the groups sixth annual list, released on Tuesday. The tally typically counts a few dozen unproduced and underproduced new plays that are nominated by approximately 300 theater professionals. But this year the list isnt curated. Any writer whos had a first or second professional production of their work canceled, postponed or shortened by COVID-19 can submit ... More Henry Martin, wry New Yorker cartoonist, is dead at 94NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- A naked man perched atop a bookcase asks his wife, Have you noticed, Myrna, that Im getting more and more neurotic? An executive sitting behind a massive empty desk buzzes his intercom to tell his secretary, Miss Tompkins, connect me with somebody. An angel greets a newly risen man with a questionnaire: And twelve: how did you learn about us (a) church, (b) synagogue, (c) family member, (d) word of mouth? Henry Martin brought a wry, genial sense of humor to nearly 700 cartoons published in The New Yorker over 35 years. They were set in conference rooms and homes, on desert islands and roadsides, at heavens gate and in maternity wards. In one, six newborns in a hospital are welcomed by a loudspeaker announcement: As soon as your parent or guardian has settled your bill, you may ... More Prominent artists and writers warn of an 'intolerant climate'NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- The killing of George Floyd has brought an intense moment of racial reckoning in the United States. As protests spread across the country, they have been accompanied by open letters calling for and promising change at white-dominated institutions across the arts and academia. But Tuesday, a different type of letter appeared online. Titled A Letter on Justice and Open Debate, and signed by 153 prominent artists and intellectuals, it began with an acknowledgment of powerful protests for racial and social justice before pivoting to a warning against an intolerant climate engulfing the culture. The free exchange of information and ideas, the lifeblood of a liberal society, is daily becoming more constricted, the letter declared, citing an intolerance of opposing views, a vogue for public shaming ... More Racket of cobwebs: Chinese contemporary art group exhibition opens at Tang Contemporary ArtHONG KONG.- Tang Contemporary Art presents at its Hong Kong gallery Racket of Cobwebs: Chinese Contemporary Art Group Exhibition. This is the first time the Hong Kong gallery has worked hand in hand with collectors, alongside curator Amy Lee, to launch a show featuring some of the biggest names in Chinese contemporary art. Coinciding with Hong Kongs auction week in July, Racket of Cobwebs: Chinese Contemporary Art Group Exhibition will present an overview of the progress of Chinese contemporary art over the past 30 years. The exhibition includes remarkable pieces by blue-chip artists. Zhang Xiaogang allows us to examine how a generation of Chinese artists discovered their own voices and matured creatively. Created in the same year Chinese artists had a major presence at the 45th Venice Biennale, Liu Weis My Father and Mother ... More Over the Influence opens Invader solo show 'Hanging / Hong Kong / 2020'HONG KONG.- Over the Influence announced Hanging / Hong Kong / 2020 a solo exhibition of new Alias and Rubikcubist works by the internationally renowned French artist known as Invader. The exhibition will feature his iconic mosaics alongside a series of RubikMasterpieces inspired by important paintings throughout history. Hanging / Hong Kong / 2020 will be open from 10 July 2020 and remain on view through 08 August 2020. There will be an opening reception for the artist on Thursday, 09 July, from 6 to 8 PM. Widely regarded as one of the most important and influential contemporary urban artists of his generation, Invader has consistently challenged convention. Bursting into the scene in 1998, he quickly gained popularity worldwide for his invasions that use guerilla tactics to place pixelated video game characters and pop culture archetypes comprised ... More More than a dozen six-figure sales push Heritage Auctions' American Art event past $6 millionDALLAS, TX.- A tour de force by Howard A. Terpning sold for $585,000 to become one of 15 lots to post six-figure results and lead Heritage Auctions' July 1 American Art event to its $6,030,625 total. Terpnings Against the Cold Maker, 1992, which came from an important Texas collection and once exhibited at the National Academy of Western Art in Oklahoma City, led a strong selection of offerings. Despite having started his artistic career as an illustrator, Terpning is considered by many to be the greatest Western painter working today. It was thrilling for us to watch feverish competitive bidding, the likes of which we have not seen in certain categories for quite some time, Heritage Auctions Vice President and Director of American Art Aviva Lehmann said. There was so much bidding that we only got through about 30 lots in the first hour. ... More Rock Hall of Fame to replace 2020 ceremony with broadcast specialNEW YORK (AFP).- The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame said Wednesday it will replace its annual live performance induction ceremony for this year's nominees with a broadcast special in light of the coronavirus pandemic. The program -- whose honorees include rapper The Notorious B.I.G. and pop icon Whitney Houston -- will air on HBO on November 7, replacing the ceremony originally scheduled for May 2, which was postponed over the fast-spreading virus. The late legends are joined in 2020's class by the synth-pop act Depeche Mode and the industrial experimental group Nine Inch Nails, along with the 1970s rockers The Doobie Brothers and English glam rock band T-Rex. "To protect the health and safety of our inductees, their families, crews and our attendees, we've made the decision that the scheduled live event is not possible," John ... More |
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Flashback On a day like today, English artist David Hockney was born July 09, 1937. David Hockney, OM, CH, RA (born 9 July 1937) is an English painter, draftsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer. An important contributor to the pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century. In this image: David Hockney, "Walk Around the Alcazar", 2017. Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 72" (hexagonal). No. 17A20 © David Hockney. Photo: Richard Schmidt.
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