Archive for October, 2007

Newslinks for 10.31.07

Wednesday, October 31st, 2007

Banksy caught in the act? [Londonist]
Inside the Murakami opening gala [Supertouch]
Salander in default of $40m to First Republic/Merrill [Bloomberg]

Neck Face opening at Dactyl Foundation Wednesday 10.31

Tuesday, October 30th, 2007


via Dactyl Foundation

Perfectly timed for Halloween, the ever-rising street artist Neck Face’s solo show at Dactyl Foundation, “Closed Casket” opens tomorrow. Curated by Neil Grayson with Jason Dill, the array of framed works along with sculpture should be a deliciously evil exhibition for the spooky holiday. (more…)

Newslinks for 10.30.07

Tuesday, October 30th, 2007

Madeleine Grynsztejn leaves SFMOMA for MCA Chicago [Modern Art Notes]
ARTNews’ list of future famous artists missing Hirst, Koons [Bloomberg]
Tracey Emin’s first LA show at Gagosian Beverly Hills [ArtDaily]
How Anselem Reyle became an art-market star [Bloomberg]
Lawrence Weiner sculpts with words [NYT]
London racing to find the next hot street artist [Telegraph]

Art pops at Gagosian in London

Monday, October 29th, 2007

via Gagosian, Dennis Hopper, “Andy Warhol (at table)”, 1963

No, not the notorious “art bubble”. Gagosian Gallery on Brittania Street is currently showing an exhibit called Pop Art is... to honor the fiftieth anniversary of pop art’s definition by Richard Hamilton. According to the press release, “[t]his exhibition allows us to consider the ways in which artists, past and present, respond to constantly changing ideas about what Pop art is.”

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RxArt: The People

Monday, October 29th, 2007

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Diane Brown, President of RxArt and artist Terry Richardson, via Style.com

Last Thursday’s annual RxArt Ball at Phillips de Pury raised over $400,000 for the charity. Collectors were calling their dealers to see if the bids they were about to put in for pieces in the silent auction were within reason. A Neck Face went to a Sotheby’s employee for $3,700, Barnaby Furnas for $3,000 and Juergen Teller for $6,000, while Richard Prince fetched $50,000, Dan Colen for $15,000 and Rob Pruitt for $7,800. The crowd was an interesting mixture of artists, fashion designers and socialites, pictures follow.
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Newslinks for 10.29.07

Monday, October 29th, 2007

Jamie O’Shea for Supertouch

Supertouch gets first look at Murakami retrospective [Supertouch]
Gert and Uwe Tobias’ first U.S. museum show to be at MoMA [ArtDaily]
Sotheby’s files suit against Larry Salander [Bloomberg]

Newslinks for 10.24.07

Wednesday, October 24th, 2007

Art never shown outside Russia to exhibit in London [NYT]
Aitken’s ‘Sleepwalkers’ to be reshot with Miami stories [NYT]

RxArt Ball 2007 this Thursday

Wednesday, October 24th, 2007

The annual RxArt Ball will be held tomorrow, Thursday, October 25th at Phillips de Pury from 7:30pm to 9pm. Ms. Diane Brown and Ms. Camille Obering were generous enough to allow AO a sneak peek at the works that will be vied for tomorrow. Judging from the vast array of works, it seems like the event will be a huge success. (more…)

2007 Whitney Gala & Studio Party

Wednesday, October 24th, 2007

The 2007 Whitney Gala and Studio Party took place last night, sponsored by Akris, an up-and-coming Swiss fashion label. Akris’ Madison Avenue boutique held events during fashion week to kick off the partnership. (more…)

Newslinks for 10.23.07

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2007

Chuck Close claims he’s still “poor white trash” [Vulture]
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Art market “due for a correction” [Economist]
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Stolen painting found in trash going for $1M at Sotheby’s [NYT]
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Banksy up for auction at Bonham’s [Bloomberg]
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Supertouch meets up with Murakami [Supertouch]
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Sotheby’s doubling price guarantees for NY auctions [Bloomberg]

Newslinks for 10.22.07

Monday, October 22nd, 2007

The New Museum design contrasts the Bowery skyline [NYSun]
Buyers claim fraud at Salander-O’Reilly UES Gallery [NYO]
Turner Prize leaves London for first time since 1984 [Guardian]

“New!” Kenny Scharf at Paul Kasmin Gallery

Friday, October 19th, 2007

Carzy Roy-Al on 27th Street

Following his 2005 solo exhibit “Superpop” at Paul Kasmin Gallery, Kenny Scharf presents a series of new paintings in an exhibit called “NEW!”, as well as a customized golf cart called “Carzy Roy-Al”. The golf cart was driven by Scharf earlier this fall at the Deitch Projects Art Parade when he headed the procession as the event’s “King”. It’s currently on view at the project space at 511 West 27th Street, perpetually spinning as if in a car showroom or a “late-night infomercial”, invoking our nation’s endless obsession with consumption and ability to buy even at 3 o’clock in the morning. (more…)

See them before they close

Friday, October 19th, 2007

via David Zwirner

Chris Ofili‘s solo exhibition at David Zwirner‘s spaces at 525 and 533 West 21st Street is currently on view until November 3rd. To refresh your memory, Ofili is the artist behind the painting The Holy Virgin Mary which sparked controversy between the Brooklyn Museum of Art and Mayor Rudy Guiliani in 1999. (more…)

Gallery openings this weekend

Thursday, October 18th, 2007

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via Tanya Bonakdar Gallery, Uta Barth, “Untitled (07.5)”, 2007

Tonight, Tanya Bonakdar Gallery opens a new solo show for photographer Uta Barth entitled “Sundial.”

Friday, Rivington Arms opens a group sculpture show entitled “Agro Bongo“.

Saturday, Sikkema Jenkins & Co. opens a show of new work by Kara Walker, coinciding with her retrospective at the Whitney. (more…)

Newslinks for 10.18.07

Thursday, October 18th, 2007

Calls for Ronald Lauder to provide provenance of works [NYT]
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Salander hearing tomorrow, gallery still locked [Bloomberg]
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Kanye vs. Jay-Z : Who got Murakami first?
[Supertouch]
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Reserved bidding at London auctions [Bloomberg]

COLLEGE FUNDING IDEA DESERVES A LOOK.(EDITORIAL)(PLAIN TALK)(Column) see here great lakes higher education

The Capital Times March 3, 2003 Byline: Dave Zweifel The disparity has become eye-popping.

Back in the 1970s, college graduates could expect to make about 25 percent more in their paychecks than those who settled for a high school diploma.

Today, the difference is closer to 100 percent. The average high school grad makes $19,000, according to some comparative studies, the college grad about $38,000 annually.

Further, the unemployment rate for those who stop after high school is roughly 16 percent these days, for college grads about 3 percent.

In other words, a college education — whether at a university or at one of the tech colleges — has become more financially important than ever.

Unfortunately, all too many young people who have the grades and the ambition to get post-secondary education can’t. The costs are beyond their and their families’ means. Now, state government is proposing to cut several more millions from the University of Wisconsin System, for example, which means that students will have to come up with even more money. Getting a college education is going to become tougher, especially for families of modest means, rather than easier, as it should.

That’s why I was intrigued with a proposal made on these pages recently by James Jung, the retired head of the Great Lakes Higher Education Corp. Jung’s plan would guarantee every Wisconsin boy and girl a post-secondary education — at one of the UW campuses or at the vo-tech colleges — at no cost until they graduate and get a job. It makes no difference who they are, what ethnic background, what economic class, they would all be on an equal footing. site great lakes higher education

Once in a job, they would pay a percentage based on their income back into a special state fund that would finance the young students who come after them. Those in high-paying jobs, like a doctor, would pay more. Those in lower paying jobs, a teacher, for example, would pay less.

A big hurdle for the plan, of course, would be a huge start-up cost until the money from the post-graduation tax started to come in. Jung, though, would finance that either through revenue bonds or with the state retirement fund (with a guaranteed return). And if the plan were implemented during this biennium, those start-up funds would replace perhaps $200 million in instructional costs now earmarked for the UW under the regular (general purpose) state budget.

That could further help solve the state’s troubling deficit.

* Sound too simple? Too good to be true? Might it create other problems?

Perhaps, but no one will know for sure if the state doesn’t at least take a look at the possibilities.

There’s no better time than now, as students are facing higher costs and the state needs to bolster its commitment to higher education, to take that look.

Salander forced to cancel last exhibit

Wednesday, October 17th, 2007

via Bloomberg

Bloomberg reports that New York-based dealer Larry Salander had to cancel the opening of his last exhibit yesterday when his London partner removed almost half the works planned for view. (more…)

Newslinks for 10.16.07

Tuesday, October 16th, 2007

The rise and fall of Scottish painter Peter Doig’s pricing [Portfolio]
Art:Review’s Power 100 is a close call between London & NY [Guardian]
Dia:Beacon loses major financial backing after director’s departure [NYT]
Several seemingly positive gallery reports from Frieze [Portfolio]
Met gives NYT Hirst/Cohen shark exclusive, snubs Lee Rosenbaum [CultureGrrl]

Chinese contemporary outsells western artists at auction this weekend

Monday, October 15th, 2007

Yue Minjun’s “Execution” sold for £2.93 million (almost $6 million).  Trevor Simon, the previous owner of the painting, paid $52,000 Hong Kong dollars for the piece, or $32,200 in the late 1990’s.  After the purchase, no had seen the painting for nearly 10 years.  Simon spent two-thirds of his junior banker salary on the painting back then because he felt such an emotional connection to the scene. (more…)

Newslinks for 10.15.07

Monday, October 15th, 2007

Christie’s new exhibition space at King Street, London now open [ArtDaily]
Banksy auctioned at Sotheby’s Oct. 12 [World's Best Ever]
Chinese contemporary “is not a bubble” at Christie’s [Portfolio]
Frieze more commercial, less avant-garde [NYT]
de Pury has difficulty with Russian lots, Chinese exceed highs [Portfolio]

Kara Walker now open at Whitney

Friday, October 12th, 2007
via NYTimes, Ruth Fremson

“Starting this work was a an important aspect to stamping my foot in the ground and saying, ‘For crying out loud, I am a human being.'”
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Kara Walker’s retrospective opened yesterday at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Starting with a silhouette-figure mural she made in 1994, the exhibit features notebook-size drawings, films, and other large scale cutouts. Holland Cotter writes in the New York Times, “The consistency of the imagery — hapless masters, uppity slaves, tragicomic violence, uncensored sex — is one reason the show feels so concentrated and absorbing. Once you’re in it, you’re really in it. You can’t just stroll through.” (more…)

update – Whitney Altria branch not seeking a new space

Friday, October 12th, 2007

It was announced last week that the Altria group will be leaving New York and the Park Avenue space that houses the Whitney branch museum was put up for rent.  According to an article in the New York Times today, Carol Vogel writes that the Altria branch of the Whitney will not be seeking another location.  Adam D. Weinberg, director of the museum said, “It has been fabulous, but the branch museums are a thing of the past.  They’ve pretty much run their course.” (more…)

Update – Aaron Young “Greeting Card” video exclusive

Friday, October 12th, 2007

AO has an rare look at the Aaron Young-choreographed motorcycle performance at the Park Avenue Armory on September 17th.

Friezelinks for 10.12.07

Thursday, October 11th, 2007

Charles Saatchi buys at Zoo before fair opens [Bloomberg]
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Guardian’s top 10 booths at Frieze [Guardian unlimited]
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London auction houses prep for $300m+ weekend [Bloomberg]
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Russian collectors stroll through Frieze [Bloomberg]
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Frieze the glamour and parties [Independent]
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London art scene ramps up to compete with Frieze [Bloomberg]
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How Erskine resdesigned Frieze’s site and mag [Flickr]

City leverages CDBG funds to improve neighborhoods.(Community Development Block Grant)(Grand Junction, Colorado)

Nation’s Cities Weekly April 4, 2005 | Davis, Lance Grand Junction, Colo. Mayor Bruce Hill likes to use his city as an example of what a small town can accomplish with Community Development Block Grant funds.

Between 1996 and 2004, the city used just over $3 million in Community Development Block Grant funds to leverage more than $24 million in private sector and other funding for programs vital to the city–affordable housing, health care, infrastructure, senior citizens programs and more.

In March, Hill, Grand Junction Councilman Harry Butler and City Manager Kelly Arnold attended the National League of Cities Congressional City Conference in Washington, D.C.

As part of the conference, they attended a City Lobby Day meeting with members of their Congressional delegation to discuss the importance of CDBG and how it benefits their city.

“I think they (Congress) are getting the message,” Hill said of the meeting he, Butler and Arnold attended with Colorado Rep. John Salazar (D) and Sen. Wayne Allard (R). “I did feel like Congress is working to help preserve CDBG, but the fight isn’t over yet. We have to continually be in front of them and give them good examples of how these funds are used by cities.” Like many city officials, Grand Junction’s leaders are wondering what will happen to the community development initiatives they have championed for years if Congress decides to follow President Bush’s budget proposal, which would combine CDBG with 17 other grant programs, slash its funding and move it to the Department of Commerce. go to site grand junction colorado

Since 1974, CDBG has been administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Local officials across the nation hail it as a model in reviving decaying urban centers, renovating suburban and rural housing and providing services for low and moderate income people that can’t be replicated solely at the local level.

During the Congressional City Conference, hundreds of local elected officials took NLC’s message, “No cuts and no move,” to their House and Senate members. The effort scored a victory in the Senate with the passage on March 17 of an amendment introduced by Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) to restore $1.9 billion to CDBG and keep it a separate program in HUD.

In Grand Junction, CDBG is helping alleviate a shortage of affordable housing, most notably with two projects currently under development–the Linden Pointe and Garden Village apartment complexes.

According to the 2002 Housing Needs Assessment, Grand Junction is short 1,080 rental housing units and 589 home ownership units. This year, the housing shortage is expected to increase another 1,009 units.

Linden Pointe will add 92 multi-family rental units by May 1. Linden Pointe is located near schools, retail stores, a city park and public transportation. Land in Linden Pointe has been set aside for the addition of a child-care facility.

The $11.4 million project is being built with $377,170 in CDBG funds and $1.4 million in public funding. The rest comes from the private sector.

Housing Resources of Western Colorado is helping preserve existing rental housing in Grand Junction with the acquisition and renovation of Garden Village Apartments. The target population for the apartments is families that qualify for Section 8 vouchers. go to website grand junction colorado

The total cost of the Garden Village project, including acquisition, was $5.3 million. A $200,000 CDBG grant and $1.3 million in public funds leveraged the remaining balance.

Other programs funded by Grand Junction’s CDBG allotment include:

* Meals on Wheels * Catholic outreach services * Infrastructure upgrades * Health clinics * School repairs and upgrades * Homeless shelters In total, since 1996 Grand Junction has used just more than $3.2 million in CDBG funding to leverage more than $24 million in funding from the private sector.

If Grand Junction lost its CDBG funding, Hill said the city would continue to try to provide similar services, but it would be difficult.

“The reality is that CDBG dollars are focused on these programs, and we make sure the money goes to them,” said Hill. “We could continue to provide some of these programs without CDBG, but not all of them. CDBG dollars are an enhancement to what we can do, and they allow us to leverage other dollars into programs that do good for our community, and we couldn’t do that without them.” Davis, Lance

Yue Minjun’s first U.S. museum show to open October 14th

Thursday, October 11th, 2007
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Chang W. Lee for The New York Times

Contemporary Chinese painter Yue Minjun has already found success in galleries and auctions, but has yet to have a museum show in the United States.  His first one will open at the Queens Museum of Art on Sunday, October 14th and run through January 6, 2008.  Yue’s work is characterized by cartoonish smiling figures (somewhat self-portraitlike) who seem to exude optimism despite the grim circumstances of the painting’s setting.  The exhibit, entitled “Yue Minjun and the Symbolic Smile”, will feature sculptures of polychrome and bronze as well as drawings and paintings.