| | The First Art Newspaper on the Net | | Established in 1996 | Tuesday, December 15, 2020 |
| | | Exhibition of works by Louise Bourgeois opens in Porto | |
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Maman. Photo: Courtesy of Serralves © Filipe Braga.
PORTO.- To Unravel a Torment is dedicated to the work of Louise Bourgeois (Paris, 1911, Manhattan, New York, 2010), spanning seven decades and featuring works by the artist made between the late 1940s and her death in 2010, at the age of 98 Visited and revisited in countless and intense exhibitions over recent decades, in different museum spaces around the world, the vast and singular oeuvre of Louise Bourgeois is intercrossed by themes that are indelibly associated with the traumatic events and experiences of her childhood. Themes such as family, sexuality, the body, death and the unconscious required intense therapy, which she consciously carried out through her art. In her sculptures, textiles, books, drawings and architectural installations, Louise Bourgeois expressed the tension between opposing forces - male / female, passive / active, architecture / body, love / hate - using formal and symbolic equivalents. Although the roots of her work are linked to a profoundly personal and introspec ... More |
The Best Photos of the Day The Gallerie d'Italia - Piazza Scala (the Intesa Sanpaolo museum complex in Milan) hosts the exhibition Tiepolo. Venice, Milan, Europe, curated by Fernando Mazzocca and Alessandro Morandotti with general coordination by Gianfranco Brunelli. To commemorate the 250th anniversary of Giambattista Tiepolo's death (Venice 1696 - Madrid 1770), the first exhibition of the artist's work is being shown in Milan.
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| White Cube opens an exhibition of works by Tracey Emin | | Immersive digital experience at National Gallery allows visitors to step into Jan Gossaert's 'Adoration' | | A new evolutionary clue |
Tracey Emin, Living Under the Hunters Moon installation view at White Cube Masons Yard 25 November 2020 - 30 January 2021.
LONDON.- The paintings, neon, sculpture and film in this exhibition take their cue from the elemental, sometimes primal, artistic expression that defines the art of Tracey Emin. Timed to coincide with the major exhibition Tracey Emin / Edvard Munch: The Loneliness of the Soul at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, the presentation culminates with a screening of her 1998 film Homage to Edvard Munch and all My Dead Children. The title of the exhibition is drawn from a painting that references the Hunters Moon, a variation of a full moon that appears in October or November in the northern hemisphere. Also called a Blood Moon, this lunar event became known within traditional folklore as the best time for nocturnal stalkers to track and catch their prey. For Emin, who often paints throughout the night, a different kind of quarry is captured ... More | |
Jan Gossaert (Jean Gossart). The Adoration of the Kings, 1510-15. © The National Gallery, London.
LONDON.- A new immersive digital experience inspired by Jan Gossaert's 16th-century masterpiece The Adoration of the Kings is on view at the National Gallery over the Christmas period. 'Sensing the Unseen: Step into Gossaerts Adoration shows one of the Gallerys most popular pictures as never before and is designed to allow for digital immersion while maintaining social distancing. As visitors view the painting, the voice of one of its depicted characters, King Balthasar, speaks to them before light and sound lead them into individual pods to experience an interactive version of the painting. In the pods, visitors encounter a large screen featuring a digital image of the painting which has been sonified using ambient sound, poetic spoken word and music. Visitors can zoom into details of the painting in an aural and visual experience that places them in the world of the ... More | |
A skeleton of an island fox. University of Missouri researcher adds to timeline of human evolution by studying an island fox. Image courtesy: University of Missouri.
COLUMBIA, MO.- Nearly two decades ago, a small-bodied "human-like" fossil, Homo floresiensis, was discovered on an island in Indonesia. Some scientists have credited the find, now nicknamed "Hobbit," as representative of a human ancestor who developed dwarfed features after living on the island, while others suggest it represents a modern human suffering from some type of disease because of its distinct human-like face and small brain. Colleen B. Young, a graduate student in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Missouri, has always been naturally curious about the nature of the human "footprint," or how humans impact their environments and vice versa. She believes the Hobbit adjusted from a longer-legged version of itself to meet the demands ... More |
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| Beethoven's 250th birthday: His greatness is in the details | | Christie's December Design Sales in New York total $12 million | | Laumeier Sculpture Park announces conservation projects on three major works |
Brahms, Wagner, even Sondheim: All have followed Beethoven in building their works from small bits of music. Eleni Kalorkoti/The New York Times.
by Anthony Tommasini
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- The classical music industry had planned to go all out commemorating Beethovens 250th anniversary this year, culminating in his birthday this week. As it happens, the precise date of his birth is uncertain. Records indicate that he was baptized in Bonn, Germany, on Dec. 17, 1770. Since it was customary then to carry out that ritual within 24 hours of a birth, it has been assumed he was born on Dec. 16 but we dont know for sure. Performances were scheduled throughout the year and around the world. The Boston Symphony Orchestra planned to open its season this fall with a cycle of the nine symphonies. The Barbican Center in London was presenting a yearlong festival. Carnegie Hall said it would devote roughly a fifth of its 2019-20 season to his music. But when the pandemic hit, Beethovens birthday party was largely canceled, along with the rest of the global performing arts ... More | |
The top lot of the Important Tiffany from the Collection of Mary M. and Robert M. Montgomery, Jr., a Twelve-Light Turtleback Tile 'Moorish' Chandelier, circa 1905 by Tiffany Studios. $550,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
NEW YORK, NY.- Christies December Design sales in New York totalled $12,029,250 on Friday, 11 December, across a various owners Design auction, which achieved $8,063,000 and the dedicated sale of Important Tiffany from the Collection of Mary M. and Robert M. Montgomery, Jr., which realized $3,966,250. The grouping of 34 lots from the collection of Mary M. and Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. was sold 100% by lot and far exceeded the high estimate for the group. The success of the sale is indicative of the quality of each piece, the discerning tastes with which they were acquired by Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery, and the continued strength of the market for superlative examples by Tiffany Studios. The top lot of the Montgomery Collection was a Twelve-Light Turtleback Tile 'Moorish' Chandelier, circa 1905 by Tiffany Studios, which achieved $550,000, more than doubling its high estimate, and ... More | |
Alexander Liberman, The Way, 197280 (detail). Laumeier Sculpture Park Collection, gift of Alvin J. Siteman and with funds from the National Endowment for the Arts.
ST. LOUIS, MO.- Laumeier Sculpture Park announced conservation projects on three of its outdoor artworks: The Way by Alexander Liberman, Pool Complex: Orchard Valley by Mary Miss and Intricate Wall by Sol LeWitt. Care and conservation are ongoing needs for any art collection, but arguably the most pressing for those that are located in outdoor settings like Laumeier, where works are exposed daily to extremes of temperature and precipitation. At 50 feet high and 100 feet long, Alexander Libermans The Way, 1972-80 was the first massive sculpture purchased for Laumeiers collection. Over the years, it has become Laumeiers signature work and a favorite of park visitors. The Way is made of 18 salvaged steel oil tanks and will undergo a major restoration over the next year in a multi-phased project. Phase one of this conservation project started in October 2020 and includes a structural, material and concrete base assessment. A Faro Lase ... More |
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| Joint exhibitions explore sound cultures and today's telecommunication society | | Rare Steve Jobs letter featured in Apple Auction | | 'The Dark Knight' and 'The Blues Brothers' join National Film Registry |
Hito Steyerl, Liquidity Inc.
TAIPEI.- MOCA Taipei is presenting Liquid Love, an international group exhibition curated and co-organized by TheCube Project Space. This exhibition project is under the sponsorship of the 2018 Production Grants to Independent Curators in Visual Arts from the National Culture and Arts Foundation. The exhibition is open until 24 January 2021. The Liquid Love curatorial project comprises two joint exhibitions: Sound Meridians and Liquid Love. Tackling their respective subjects, the two exhibitions reflect on our modern society and history. Presenting both archival documents and research-based artworks, Sound Meridians is curated by four curators from across Asia: Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia. Situated on the first floor, it recounts stories of modern sound cultures in the four countries and territories. The international group exhibition Liquid Love, located on the second floor, presents seven artists. It aims to expl ... More | |
Steve Jobs Typed Letter Signed. Estimate: $25,000+.
BOSTON, MASS.- This month RR Auctions December specialty sale is a curated Apple auction that boasts a historic array of early Apple-related material that will be auctioned on December 17. Highlights include an exceedingly rare Steve Jobs signed letter offering Del Yocam a position at NeXT Computer Inc. The two-page typed letter signed steve jobs, NeXT letterhead, November 14, 1991. Letter to Del Yocam, former COO of Apple who was then serving on the board of directors at Adobe Systems. In part: "NeXT is pleased to offer you employment on the following terms: - The title of President of Chief Operating Officer. - A salary of $250,000 per year, paid monthly in advance. - Participation in NeXT's great employee health plan, which includes major medical, dental, vision and prenatal benefits. In addition, NeXT is a smoking-free work environment. - You will be entitled to purchase Six Hundred and Sixty Thousand (660,000) shares of Ne ... More | |
The Blues Brothers (1980).
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- As the oft-quoted line from The Dark Knight goes, You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Now a more respectable immortality awaits this 2008 Christopher Nolan superhero blockbuster, which earned Heath Ledger a posthumous Academy Award for his performance as the Joker: It is among the memorable motion pictures, along with Shrek, A Clockwork Orange and Sweet Sweetbacks Baadasssss Song, that have been chosen for preservation this year on the Library of Congress National Film Registry. On Monday, the library made its annual announcement that it has selected a new roster of 25 films, from 1913 to 2010, that will be honored for their historical and cultural significance and added to this registry, helping to preserve them for future generations. Those selections include milestone films like Lilies of the Field, the 1963 drama for which Sidney Poitier became the first ... More |
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| Cartoon cat helps keep Tunisia's revolutionary flame alight | | Once upon a time: Pakistan's fabled storytellers fade away | | WhatsApp recordings throw lifeline to Sahel artists |
Tunisian cartoonist Nadia Khiari, creator of the "Willis from Tunis" cartoon cat series, poses with her latest Willis book published in November showing a selection of her best work over the decade since the uprising, in the capital Tunis on December 12, 2020. Fethi Belaid / AFP.
by Paul Raymond
TUNIS (AFP).- When Tunisia's embattled dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali delivered a last-ditch speech promising new freedoms to a country in revolt, Nadia Khiari sketched her cat delivering the same address to a group of mice. The next day, on January 14, 2011, Ben Ali fled into exile, forced out by weeks of unprecedented mass protests against his rule. Ten years later, the cat remains in rude health, and his cartoon alter-ego Willis from Tunis has become an icon of the revolution. "I decided to use this character to tell the story of what was happening in my country," said Khiari, a painter and lecturer in fine arts. Pouncing on Tunisia's unprecedented new freedoms, she began posting bitter and witty political cartoons on Facebook, all featuring cats. "For me as an artist, it was a true revolution, because from one day to the next I was able to express myself freely," she said. Her audience, initially just family and friends, has grown ... More | |
In this picture taken on November 21, 2020, Mohammad Naseem poses for a photograph in the Shogran hill area in Kaghan Valley, northern Pakistan. Joris FIORITI / AFP.
by Joris Fioriti / Sajjad Tarakzai
SHOGRAN (AFP).- Mohammad Naseem's eyes shine while he shares the legend of a remote, alpine lake nestled among snow-capped Himalayan peaks as a rare crowd of onlookers hears one of Pakistan's last "storytellers". The story of Saif-ul-Malook -- the winding saga of a brave prince who falls in love with a fairy -- is just one of the 50 tall tales passed down to Naseem by his father. "Usually people tell me I'm crazy when I tell these stories," says Naseem, whose long white beard and traditional cloak give him the timeless appearance of a storyteller of old. The 65-year-old shopkeeper says it would take days to recite all the stories he learned by heart that are imbued with "the history, the culture" of the land. But few are still listening. Naseem says he hasn't bothered sharing the stories with his six children, and friends are no longer interested in hearing them as social media, video games, and soap operas have all but eclipsed his ancient art. Video platform TikTok is now a major source of entertain ... More | |
Amadou Guindo (L) and Ali Traore (R), members of the musical group "Espoir de Niafunke" pose after a recording session for the record label Sahel Sounds in Bamako on October 26, 2020. MICHELE CATTANI / AFP.
by Emmet Livingstone with Amaury Hauchard in Bamako
DAKAR (AFP).- Ali Traore, dressed in black, sits down to record in his lively courtyard in Mali's capital Bamako, with children frolicking on the dirt ground between parked mopeds and stray jerrycans. He starts to strum an acoustic guitar and sing of his longing for the desert dunes around his native Niafunke, a town in the centre of the turbulent Sahel state. A drummer sitting on an indigo-blue mat beside him keeps the beat on a calabash, as Traore, 26, breaks into a smile mid-song. He is recording the jam session on his smartphone and will later send the file via WhatsApp to his producer in Portland, in the US west-coast state of Oregon. "A label from Mali can't take you to the United States or to do international tours," says Traore, explaining his interest in working with Sahel Sounds. The record label specialises in Africa's semi-arid Sahel, a vast and often lawless region with a rich musical tradition, focusing on artists ... More |
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The Anatomy of an Exquisite Gilded Torah Shield
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Japan's symbol of year nods to no-lockdown virus strategy
TOKYO (AFP).- A written character that evokes everything people in Japan were urged to avoid this year -- crowds, confined spaces and close contact with others -- was on Monday voted the country's top linguistic symbol of 2020. Although new infections have recently hit record highs, Japan has seen a relatively small coronavirus outbreak overall and never imposed a strict lockdown like those seen elsewhere in the world. Instead, residents were strongly advised to use their own judgement and steer clear of situations described as "mitsu" -- meaning dense, crowded and close -- to limit the spread of the respiratory disease. The social distancing message quickly gained a tongue-in-cheek popularity, with the Tokyo governor's call inspiring viral manga strips, techno remixes and even a video game. Now "mitsu" has been chosen as the character of the ... More
Istanbul is locking down. But not if you're a tourist.
ISTANBUL (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Across Europe, a strict new set of lockdown measures has emptied the streets of cities like Rome, Paris and London, where hordes of tourists usually crowd the streets. And then theres Istanbul. Residents of Turkeys liveliest and most populous city were ordered to stay at home this past weekend as part of a strict curfew, issued by the government last week to curb a dangerous resurgence of the coronavirus. Under the nationwide restrictions, which will likely continue into the coming weeks, nobody was allowed to venture outside between 9 p.m. on Friday and 5 a.m. on Monday, with fines for those who broke the rules. But foreign tourists are exempt from the order, meaning that they were free to see the sights, walk the streets and ride the ferries across the Bosporus, even as residents were compelled to stay home. ... More
Anthony Veasna So, author on the brink of stardom, dies at 28
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Anthony Veasna So, the author of crackling, kinetic and darkly comedic stories that made vivid the lives of first-generation Khmer Americans, died Tuesday at his home in San Francisco. He was 28. Alex Torres, Sos partner, confirmed the death but said he did not know the cause. He said it was sudden and unexpected. So was on the brink of literary stardom. His first book, Afterparties, a collection of short stories that author Jonathan Dee described as a history-haunted comedy of Cambodian American manners, will be published by Ecco in August 2021. Ecco had won the work in a bidding war, offering So a sum in the mid-six figures for a two-book deal, said Rob McQuilkin, his agent. It is not the usual way of publishing to make so much of a collection of short stories, but Sos was a new voice, witty, ... More
'Six' tries to get back onstage. Again, and again, and again.
LONDON (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- At 3:15 p.m. Saturday, a line of theater fans stretched outside the Lyric in London's West End, all desperate to see the return of Six, the hit musical about Henry VIIIs wives. The show was scheduled to start 45 minutes later, when it would become the first musical to be staged in the West End since theaters were shuttered in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. But some in line were anxious that the curtain might not rise. All day, Ive been, like, Something bads going to happen, Beth Donovan, 20, said. She worried that authorities might stop the performance at the last minute, she said, or worse that someone in the cast might have caught the virus. She wasnt the only one concerned. On the way here, we said we wouldnt believe it was happening until we were actually in our seats and the ... More
Ben Bova, science fiction editor and author, is dead at 88
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- Ben Bova was a hard-science guy and a passionate space program booster and his visions of the future encompassed a dizzying range of technological advances (and resulting horrors or delights), from cloning to sex in space, climate change, the nuclear arms race, Martian colonies and the search for extraterrestrials. In newspaper articles, short stories and more than 100 books, he explored these and other knotty human problems. Bova died Nov. 29 at a hospital in Naples, Florida. He was 88. His wife, Rashida Loya-Bova, said the cause was complications of a stroke. Bova had a background in journalism and technical science writing, and his work was based in facts. He was determinedly not a fantasy author. Ben Bova is the last of the great pulp writers, Gerald Jonas wrote in The New York Times in 2004, ... More
Exhibition of works by Nicole Eisenman and Keith Boadwee opens at FLAG
NEW YORK, NY.- The recipient of The Suzanne Deal Booth / FLAG Art Foundation Prize, Nicole Eisenman created thematically-linked solo exhibitions for The Contemporary Austin (Sturm und Drang, February 27-November 15, 2020) and FLAG (December 12, 2020 - March 13, 2021). Eisenman expanded the exhibition at FLAG to include artist Keith Boadwee; their shared use of humor and critical observation questions both real and imagined power structures, upends art history, and lampoons notions of good taste. Nicole Eisenman employs a plurality of styles and visual references in her drawings, paintings, and sculptures to give shape to the many forms of the human condition. At FLAG, Eisenmans cast of characters are emblematic of the patriarchyfrat guys, paunchy businessmen, and bald eaglesthe foundations of which she gleefully undermines ... More
What country music asked of Charley Pride
NEW YORK (NYT NEWS SERVICE).- At the 54th annual Country Music Association Awards last month, there was Charley Pride, onstage singing his indelible 1971 hit Kiss an Angel Good Mornin alongside rising country star Jimmie Allen. In the socially distanced audience, Nashville luminaries took in the wondrous spectacle. Eric Church, exuding stoic cool no mask. Brothers Osborne singing along no masks. Ashley McBryde swaying to the music no mask. Here were two kinds of wish fulfillment, tightly holding hands. First, honoring Pride, who also received the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award that night, was a belated effort at demonstrating sufficient respect for country musics first Black superstar. (Pride was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2017, he received a lifetime achievement award ... More
Holabird Western Americana Collections announces 5-day holiday auction
RENO, NEV.- A five-day Holiday Auction packed with hundreds of lots of mining collectibles, philatelic material, Americana and more, and featuring a number of important collections in a wide range of categories will be held December 17th thru 21st by Holabird Western Americana Collections, LLC, online and live in the gallery located at 3355 Airway Drive (Ste. 308) in Reno. Start times all five days are 8 am Pacific time, with Internet bidding available via iCollector.com, LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted. For those planning to attend the auction in person, all state and CDC regs and protocols regarding the COVID-19 virus (masks, social distancing, etc.) will be strictly enforced. Day 1, December 17th, will be dedicated to stocks and bonds 712 lots in total, led ... More
Machu Picchu closes again, over local train dispute
LIMA (AFP).- The Inca citadel of Machu Picchu, the crown jewel of Peru's tourist sites, closed its doors Monday for an indefinite period for security reasons amid protests by locals over train services, officials said. "Due to the announced stoppages in the Machu Picchu district and in order to safeguard the integrity of its visitors, the citadel of Machu Picchu will not be open from December 14 until this situation is restored," said a statement issued by the Directorate of Culture of Cusco, the nearest city. The surprise measure came just six weeks after the tourist hotspot reopened following an almost eight-month closure due to the coronavirus pandemic. The suspension is expected to last until the end of protests by residents of the towns of Machu Picchu and Ollantaytambo against the railway companies that offer local train service. The local ... More
Budapest International Foto Awards announces the winners of 2020
LOS ANGELES, CA.- The winners of the Budapest International Foto Awards 2020 edition have been announced. Even though this year was a tumultuous one, the jury panel has seen exceptional creativity and a truly stunning representation of personal stories. Through their work, the photography community shows the power of images in shaping how we see the world. BIFA is once again proud to support and honour these photographers who have such important stories to share through their images, giving us a window to the world through their lenses. Photographer of the Year, Eduardo Lopez Moreno let viewers take a glimpse into a small town in Mexico where a clash between two drug gangs resulted in an accidental murder. In The Wrong Place At The Wrong Time - Accidental Victim of Drug Gangs is the photograph series that grasps the shocking ... More
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Anne Truitt Sound
Islamic Metalwork
Klaas Rommelaere
Helen Muspratt
Flashback On a day like today, Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer was born December 15, 1907. Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida Niemeyer Soares Filho (December 15, 1907 - December 5, 2012)---known as Oscar Niemeyer---was a Brazilian architect considered to be one of the key figures in the development of modern architecture. Niemeyer was best known for his design of civic buildings for BrasÃlia, a planned city that became Brazil's capital in 1960, as well as his collaboration with other architects on the headquarters of the United Nations in New York.
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