| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net | | Established in 1996 | Thursday, March 25, 2021 |
| | | McNay Art Museum acquires major artworks by women spanning last 100 years | |
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Koinonia by Texas-based artist Letitia Huckaby (b. 1972) is a mixed-media installation using visual markers of heirloom fabrics, portrait photography, silhouette photography, and embroidery to personally reflect the African American experience in the U.S.
SAN ANTONIO, TX.- The McNay Art Museum has acquired three extraordinary artworks by Jane Peterson, Deborah Butterfield, and Letitia Huckaby. These new acquisitions were purchased with support from a generous, anonymous gift of $500,000 for artwork in memory of celebrated Texas artist, Madeline OConnor (1931-2002). OConnor, whose career spanned 30 years, is represented in the McNays Collection through two artworks from the late 1990s: Woodstork and Cross/Plus. The artists lifelong love of art, nature, and animals was inspired by the ranch-like setting of her childhood home in Refugio, Texas, as well as her strong religious roots. This transformational gift empowers the McNaya museum founded by a woman artistto advance gender parity in our expanding Collection, said Richard Aste, McNay Director and CEO. We are profoundly grateful and look forward to identifying additional works of art for the Collec ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day With "CASA" at Art Porters Gallery in Singapore, British-Israeli visual artist Chloe Manasseh (center), whose practice explores the imprecision of memory, references her maternal roots and a glorious blue vision of Morocco. Chloe was recently featured in an International Womenâs Day article, together with YPO members Harjit Gill (second left), Jaelle Ang (on Chloeâs other side), as well as Alicia Yi and Jasmmine Wong (absent on the photo). On the left is media personality Marc Almagro who authored the article, and on the right Art Porters co-founder Guillaume Levy-Lambert, a member of YPO, the global leadership community of extraordinary chief executives â more than 30,000 members from 142 countries.
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| Germany ponders return of looted colonial bronzes | | In first video ad for digital media, Met Museum invites New York City to "Meet Again at The Met" | | Australian festival pulls plan to soak UK flag in Indigenous blood |
View of the Berlin palace which will house the Humboldt Forum and the TV tower (L), on December 15, 2020. John MACDOUGALL / AFP.
BERLIN (AFP).- Germany is considering handing back a set of precious artefacts known as the Benin bronzes to Nigeria, a committee said Wednesday as a global debate gathers pace over the restitution of ancient artworks. Members of the committee at the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (SPK), which manages Berlin's museums, have "agreed to find a solution in the case of the Benin bronzes that also considers the restitution of objects as an option", it said in a statement. The metal plaques and sculptures that decorated the royal palace of the Kingdom of Benin between the 16th and 18th centuries are now scattered around European museums, after being looted by the British at the end of the 19th century. The SPK's Ethnological Museum has 530 historical objects from the kingdom, including 440 bronzes -- considered the most important collection outside London's British Museum. Some 180 of the bronzes -- which are not from modern Benin but the ancient Kingdom of Benin, today part of southern Nigeria -- ... More | |
The two-week campaign, created in partnership with the Museums agency AKA NYC, will start March 25 across nytimes.com, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and CTV (connected TV) including Hulu. George Etheredge/The New York Times.
NEW YORK, NY.- The Metropolitan Museum of Art today launched its first-ever cross-platform video advertising campaign encouraging New Yorkers and tristate area residents to visit The Met. Featuring a mix of archival images and views of todays audiences enjoying the Museum, the 15- and 30-second ad spots are a reminder of the history and importance of The Met, and an invitation to New Yorkers to enjoy all that the galleries have to offer this season. A rare move for the Museum, the video ad campaign powerfully showcases The Met as a welcoming and safe spacea place where visitors of all ages can lose themselves in the beauty and inspiration of great art, and simply enjoy the experience. The two-week campaign, created in partnership with the Museums agency AKA NYC, will start March 25 across nytimes.com, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and CTV (connected TV) including Hulu. Daniel H. Weiss ... More | |
In this file photo a journalist holds a photograph, part of the art-installation by Spanish artist Santiago Sierra 'Political prisoners of contemporary Spain' as she informs on its removal from ARCO art fair in Madrid on February 21, 2018. GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP.
SYDNEY (AFP).- A popular Australian arts festival has cancelled a Spanish artist's project to soak a British flag in Indigenous people's blood after angry protests from the Aboriginal community. The Museum of Old and New Art (MONA) in Tasmania commissioned the artwork from Santiago Sierra for its Dark Mofo festival, which draws thousands to the island state capital of Hobart each winter and often courts controversy. Just three days after posting a social media callout for Indigenous people from colonised territories of Britain to donate up to 470ml of their blood for the exhibit, MONA cancelled the project Tuesday amid a public backlash. "A coloniser artist intending to produce art with the actual blood of colonised people is abusive, colonising and re-traumatising," Indigenous author Claire G. Coleman tweeted. "The idea is disgusting and terrible and should not have been considered." MONA curator Leigh Carmichael ... More |
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| Lady Mountbatten's collection brings £5.6 million at Sotheby's auction | | Colnaghi to represent largest collection of Edouard Athénosy paintings | | The National Gallery of Canada mourns the loss of Donald R. Sobey, one of Canada's greatest cultural philanthropists |
A historic Jaguar 420, commissioned by Lord Mountbatten in 1967 (Lot 385) and built to special order in the unique blue colours of his livery, races to £126,000 (est. £10,000-20,000). Courtesy Sotheby's.
LONDON.- The eldest daughter of Britains last Viceroy of India Louis Mountbatten, Patricia Knatchbull was the great-great-granddaughter of Queen Victoria, great niece of Russias last Tsarina and first cousin to Prince Philip, living her eminent life at the heart of a dazzling dynasty of royal and political relations. The 376 items sold at auction today came from Newhouse, Patricias charming eighteenth-century home, which she shared with her husband John Knatchbull, 7th Lord Brabourne. Over 1,400 participants from 55 countries drove the total to £5,620,798 / $7,729,721, over three times the pre-sale estimate (est. £1,414,430 2,102,600), with 98% of lots sold. An auction like today, with its heady mix of history and glamour, does not come up very often, and so it has been a truly special experience to be a part of. Over ... More | |
Edouard Athénosy, The Mont Ventoux behind the brooms, 1915 (detail), Les Angles, France, oil on board, 9 x 18 cm, 3 1/2 x 7 1/8 in. © Colnaghi.
LONDON.- Colnaghi gallery announced its representation of the largest collection of paintings by the French artist Edouard Athénosy (1859-1934) in existence, with an inaugural online exhibition of his fine miniature landscapes, to take place from the 22 March 2021. Entitled Edouard Athénosy: Miniature Landscapes, it will include more than 20 paintings, and will be serve as a preview for physical presentations at the gallerys spaces in London and New York later in Spring. Athénosy was born in in 1859, in the mountainous and beautiful Saumane de Vaucluse region of southeastern France. This rocky and wild landscape had a deep impact upon Athénosys work, who depicted this terrain time and again, dominated by its oaks and blossoming shrubs. Like his father, he began a career in public service, as an administrator in the local ... More | |
Mr. Sobeys contribution to the National Gallery of Canada has been invaluable. Photo: NGC, Ottawa.
OTTAWA.- The National Gallery of Canada mourns the loss of Donald R. Sobey, one of Canadas greatest cultural philanthropists who loved championing the countrys best contemporary artists and advancing the appreciation of fine art more broadly. Mr. Sobeys contribution to the National Gallery of Canada has been invaluable. He served as the Gallerys Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 2002 to 2008 and was a founding member of the National Gallery of Canada Foundation Board of Directors from 2007 to 2020. During his tenure, Mr. Sobey encouraged the museum to take risks and become a catalyst for national conversations on art. In this period, the Gallery acquired Brian Jungens Vienna (2003), Peter Doigs magnificent and much-loved canvas Grande Riviere (20012002) as well as Louise Bourgeoiss landmark sculpture Maman (1999). In the visionary spirit of increasing the awareness of our nations cont ... More |
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| Christie's presents Spring Sales of Photographs | | Hindman's Springborn Collection of Contemporary Craft Auction realizes more than $560,000 | | Russia probes art exhibition of preserved corpses |
Lewis Wickes Hine (18741940), Mechanic and Steam Pump, 1921. Gelatin silver print. Image: 9 5/8 x 7 in. sheet: 10 x 8 in. Estimate: $100,000-150,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2021.
NEW YORK, NY.- Christies presents its Spring Photographs auctions, taking place live and online from 25 March 8 April. The live auction of Photographs will take place at Christies New York on April 6, and will offer a breadth of works by the most influential photographers of both the 20th and 21st Centuries. Complementing the live auction, will be Ansel Adams and the American West, an online-only auction dedicated to the work of Ansel Adams, open for bidding between 25 March 8 April. Ansel Adams and the American West is an online, monographic sale focusing on the work of one of the most renowned and beloved 20th century photographers. Ansel Adams captured the American landscape in an unforgettable manner and out of a deep love of nature. This sale will feature works coming from various owners, including a selection that is ... More | |
Too Soon Chair, 2005. Wendell Castle. Price realized: $75,000
CHICAGO.- On March 23, Hindman Auctions Springborn Collection of Contemporary Craft sale realized over $560,000, exceeding its presale estimate. The auction offered furniture from respected collectors Robert and Carolyn Springborn, with works by renowned designers known for their innovation within the American studio craft movement. The auction saw outstanding bidder engagement with works by Wendell Castle, Judy Kensley McKie, Sam Maloof, Toots Zynsky, and others. We were thrilled to see such excellent engagement with the truly exceptional works we presented in this auction, said Hindmans Director and Senior Specialist for Modern Design Hudson Berry. The designers featured were pioneers in the American studio craft movement, and the response that we received shows that they continue to inspire collectors. Works by Wendell Castle, a leader of the studio craft movement, saw fantastic interest. Castles Too Soon chair (lot 59) led the auction ... More | |
People visit the "Body Worlds", the anatomical exhibition of plastinated human bodies by German anatomist Gunther von Hagens, in Moscow on March 24, 2021. Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP.
MOSCOW (AFP).- Russian investigators said on Wednesday they would probe an exhibition in Moscow that displays corpses as artworks, after complaints that it could insult religious believers. Body Worlds exhibitions were pioneered by German anatomist Gunther von Hagens, dubbed "Doctor Death", who for 20 years toured the world with his controversial show, exhibiting preserved corpses and human organs. Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said in a statement that it would "conduct a procedural check against the initiators and organisers" of the Moscow edition of Body Worlds. The Investigative Committee said public figures had suggested the exhibition "violates moral values" and "can be regarded as an insult to the religious feelings of believers" -- criminal offences in Russia. The statement also said a petition had been launched ... More |
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| 'Nowhere to go': Soviet-era aircraft museum faces closure | | Georgia O'Keeffe ram's skull offered at Bonhams books sale | | Lawrie Shabibi opens Ishmael Randall Weeks' first solo exhibition in the Middle East |
Museum owner Viktors Talpas poses for photos in the cockpit of an old Mi-6 military cargo helicopter at his Aviation Museum in Riga on March 16, 2021. Gints Ivuskans / AFP.
by Imants Liepinsh
RIGA (AFP).- A private museum in Latvia holding dozens of Soviet aircraft collected over half a century by a retired flight engineer is facing closure. Viktors Talpas told AFP that his museum, which attracts several thousand visitors a month in non-pandemic times, is being forced to move before the end of the month to make way for an expansion of Riga airport. "I have to relocate my museum or face its destruction," said Talpas, who was born in Ukraine and served in the Black Sea fleet in Soviet times before moving to Latvia. Looking out at the rusty hulks from the USSR's military and civilian fleet, the 82-year-old said he began collecting "for society's benefit, not for myself". "I have nowhere to go," Talpas said. Talpas, who also worked for ... More | |
Rams skull owned by Georgia OKeeffe, Estimate: $5,000-7,000. Photo: Bonhams.
NEW YORK, NY.- The artist Georgia OKeeffe the mother of American Modernism had a long love affair with New Mexico. From her very first visit in 1929, she was inspired by the landscape, the people, the flora and fauna to produce her most memorable work. Fascinated by the sun-bleached animal bones that littered the desert, she adopted the motif of a skull as the central element in many of her best-known paintings. One of OKeeffes ram skulls from Ghost Ranch, Abequiu, her New Mexican home for nearly 40 years, features in Bonhams Books & Manuscripts online sale March 22nd 30th. It is estimated at $5,000-7,000. The rams skull one of many owned by the artist can be seen in the context of OKeeffes 1935 work, Rams Head, White Hollyhock-Hills, one of her best-known paintings and regarded as one of her most important. It not only represented the artists return to painting afte ... More | |
Ishmael Randall Weeks, Código atemporal #55, 2020. Cement, Grout 700, adobe, brick dust, soils, additives, wood, aluminum, 40 x 32 x 10 cm. 15 3/4 x 12 5/8 x 4 in.
DUBAI.- Boundary Space is Lima-based sculptor Ishmael Randall Weeks (b. 1976) first solo exhibition in the Middle East. Made of adobe, mineral substrates, rattan screens, mud, glass and metal Randall Weeks sculptures and two-dimensional works constitute a world that emerges from history and memory, navigating between the contemporary, the archaic, tradition and folklore. Interweaving Mesoamerican and Arabic motifs, anthropology, politics and archaeology, the artist also adopts industrial design nuances, where the influence of Russian Constructivism and Suprematicism (Vladimir Tatlin and Kasimir Malevich), the Neo-Concrete artists of Brazil (Hélio Oiticica and Lygia Clark), and Mexican Modernism movement (MatÃas Goeritz and Luis Barrangan) intertwine to open up a dialogue ... More |
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Conversations in Drawing: Seven Centuries of Art from the Gray Collection
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Poster Auctions International's 83rd Rare Posters Auction LXXXIII on March 14th totals $1.95M
NEW YORK, NY.- March 24, 2021 Poster Auctions Internationals (PAI) first sale of the year, on March 14th, finished at just under $2 million in sales. Rare Posters Auction LXXXIII surpassed expectations, thanks to passionate collectors and first-rate consignments. Jack Rennert, President of PAI, said, This sale featured one of the best collections weve had in recent memory, but none of us could have predicted the feverish action on auction day. Collectors exhibited an intoxicating zest for posters and bid competitively. Thanks to their enthusiasm, we achieved a number of never-before-reached winning bids. Perhaps the most unexpected result was for the anonymous Equal Rights for Negroes / Vote Communist from 1932, which featured James W. Ford, the first African American to run on a presidential ticket in the 20th century. Estimated ... More
ICA Miami announces new curatorial promotions and appointment
MIAMI, FLA.- The Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami today announced that it is bolstering its curatorial team with the promotion of Stephanie Seidel to Curator and Amanda Morgan to Assistant Curator. Donna Honarpisheh joins ICA Miami in the newly-created role of Assistant Curator of Research to support the museums recently expanded research department, the Knight Foundation Art + Research Center (A+RC). ICA Miamis exhibitions, collections, and programs have strengthened significantly in recent years, thanks to the groundbreaking work of our curatorial team, said Artistic Director Alex Gartenfeld . Stephanie has organized some of ICA Miamis most defining exhibitions to date, and Amanda has been integral to supporting the development of those exhibitions, as well as managing our growing publications program. We are pleased to welcome Donna ... More
World record for a drawing by Kentridge at Bonhams Post-War & Contemporary Art sale in London
LONDON.- Large Typewriters, an imposing large-scale work by William Kentridge, was one of the stand-out lots at Bonhams Post-War & Contemporary Art sale in London today (24 March), achieving an impressive £682,750 a new auction world record for a drawing by the artist. The top lot of the sale was Girl With Ice Cream on Palette by Banksy, which sold for £1,102,750. The 30-lot sale made a total of £4,080,025 with 97% sold by value and 87% sold by lot. Ralph Taylor, Bonhams Global Head of Post-War and Contemporary Art, commented: Large Typewriters is a perfect example of Kentridges practice. We are delighted that it achieved such a wonderful price and set a new auction record for a drawing by the artist. It is also fantastic to see Banksys Girl With Ice Cream on Palette attain such an impressive result, building upon Bonhams success ... More
Icelandic Pavilion 2022: Sigurður Guðjónsson to collaborate with Mónica Bello
REYKJAVIK.- The Icelandic Art Center announced that Sigurður Guðjónsson, Icelands chosen artist representation at the 59th International Art Exhibition La Biennale di Venezia, will collaborate with curator Mónica Bello to realise his project for the Pavilion of Iceland, which will be located in the Arsenale for the first time. Working with moving imagery, sound and installation, Sigurður Guðjónsson is known for his powerful, immersive works that create an organic synergy between visuals, audio and space, carrying carefully constructed soundscapes. His works often investigate man-made construction, machinery and the infrastructure of technical relics, in conjunction with natural elements, set within the form of complex loops and rhythmic schemes. His multi-faceted compositions allow for the viewer to be engaged in a synaesthetic experience, ... More
Tampa Museum of Art announces acquisition of Aphrodite Reimagined and celebration of Greek culture
TAMPA, FLA.- The Tampa Museum of Art announced that the fan-favorite sculpture, Aphrodite Reimagined, is officially accessioned into the Museums permanent collection. The ten-foot sculpture by artist Patricia Cronin is the perfect representation of the Museums collections. More significantly, it demonstrates the institutions commitment to ancient and contemporary art and its dedication to building its permanent collection of sculptures. Completing the acquisition of this significant work of art was possible with the support of gifts from the Vinik Family Foundation, Jim and Celia Ferman, and other generous contributions from the community, funds from Tampa Collects, and a gift in part by the artist in honor of the 100th anniversaries of the Womens Suffrage Movement and the Tampa Museum of Art. Now with certainty, Aphrodite Reimagined ... More
George Segal, durable veteran of drama and TV comedy, is dead at 87
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- George Segal, whose long career began in serious drama but who became one of Americas most reliable and familiar comic actors, first in the movies and later on television, died Tuesday in Santa Rosa, California. He was 87. The cause was complications following bypass surgery, according to his wife, Sonia Segal, who announced his death. Sandy-haired, conventionally if imperfectly handsome, with a grin that could be charming or smug and a brow that could knit with sincerity or a lack of it, Segal walked a line between leading man and supporting actor. To younger people, he was best known for his work in comedy ensembles on prime-time network shows, playing the publisher of a fashion magazine on a titillation-fest,Just Shoot Me! and a frolicsome grandfather on a raucous family show set in the 1980s, ... More
Janet Jackson and Kermit the Frog added to National Recording Registry
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Janet Jacksons Rhythm Nation 1814, Kermit the Frogs The Rainbow Connection, Marlo Thomas & Friends Free to Be... You and Me, Louis Armstrongs 1938 rendition of When the Saints Go Marching In and an 1878 Thomas Edison recording that may be the oldest playable recording of an American voice are among the 25 recordings just added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry. The registry, created in 2000, designates recordings that are culturally, historically or aesthetically significant and are at least 10 years old. Carla Hayden, the librarian of Congress, named this years inductees from around 900 nominations by the public. Jacksons 1989 album, which scored a record-breaking seven top five singles, may have won the most votes in the public nominating process. But it was ... More
Books on Hurricane Katrina and Native American removal win Bancroft Prize
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- A wide-angled account of the decades of political and economic decisions that culminated in the catastrophic flooding of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina and a sweeping study of the policy of Native American removal in the 1830s have won this years Bancroft Prize, which is considered one of the most prestigious honors in the field of American history. Andy Horowitzs Katrina: A History, 1915-2015, published by Harvard University Press, was described by the jury as a masterful and gripping reconstruction of an unnatural disaster, which decenters the devastating hurricane and flooding in 2005 to provide a richly researched environmental, social, urban and political history of New Orleans. Reviewing the book in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Scott Stern credited Horowitz, an assistant ... More
A Malcolm X opera will get a rare revival in Detroit
DETROIT (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- When Anthony Davis sprawling, genre-blending biographical opera X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X premiered in 1986 at New York City Opera, it drew a notably diverse audience and was considered a commercial success. Yet it has rarely been revived. A new production is coming, though, as part of Michigan Opera Theaters 2021-22 season the first under its new artistic director, Yuval Sharon. Opening in May 2022, X will be directed by Robert OHara (Slave Play) and star bass-baritone Davóne Tines, who will also be the seasons artist-in-residence. My first interview for this job was shortly after the murder of George Floyd, Sharon, who is also an innovative stage director, said in an interview. I thought: This is a moment for change. Casting singers of color is really easy, but my focus has been ... More
Mariachis play on, their music unsilenced by the virus or the deaths
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Facing the stone archway of St. Josephs Salesian Youth Retreat Center outside Los Angeles, the dark wooden coffin holding the body of Juan Jiménez was wheeled next to a band of masked mariachis. The group readied themselves to play, simultaneously lifting bows to violins, hands to a golden harp and fingers to pluck at guitarróns, their bass guitars. When the priests prayer ended, Jesus Guzmán led the band, Mariachi Los Camperos, through almost an hour of music: songs that express grief and goodbyes, like Las Golondrinas (The Swallows). The calendars of mariachi bands nationwide used to be full of dates for weddings, quinceañeras and serenades where the vigorous music of Mexican culture helped enliven some of lifes most joyous moments. With the onset of the pandemic, those ... More
Singing opera in a surgical mask
PARIS (AFP).- No one loves wearing a mask at work, but spare a thought for the chorus of the Paris Opera, having to project through multiple layers of cotton and polyester. When they took the stage recently for a rehearsal at the Bastille opera house, the 70 or so chorus members certainly did not appear to have lost any of their sonorous beauty. But having a mask strapped across one's face is far from ideal for a singer. "It really disturbs the delivery," said Sylvie Delaunay, who has been with the chorus for more than 20 years. "When one sings opera, there are deep inhalations and deep exhalations, so if breathing is restricted, we get tired very easily." With all cultural institutions in France shut due to the pandemic, the chorus of the Paris Opera was preparing for a new staging of "Faust" by 19th-century French composer Charles Gounod, to be screened ... More
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PhotoGalleries
Mental Escapology, St. Moritz
TIM VAN LAERE GALLERY
Madelynn Green
Patrick Angus
Flashback On a day like today, French sculptor and painter Daniel Buren was born March 25, 1938. Daniel Buren (born 25 March 1938) is a French conceptual artist. Sometimes classified as a Minimalist, Buren is known best for using regular, contrasting colored stripes in an effort to integrate visual surface and architectural space, notably on historical, landmark architecture. In this image: Daniel Buren unveils permanent artwork 'Diamonds and Circles' works 'in situ' commissioned by Art on the Underground at Tottenham Court Road Station, London. Photo: David Parry/PA Wire.
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