Anthony Caro, Sunshine (1964), via Sotheby’s

Curated by Royal Academy Artistic Director Tim Marlow, Sotheby’s  tenth edition of its outdoor sculpture exhibition at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, titled Beyond Limits, swings for the fences with its studious and somewhat understated take on the impact and influence of Britain’s sculptural greats over the past 65 years.  Tracing lines of exchange and dialogue from the formal innovations of the 1950’s and 60’s through the irreverent inversions of the YBA’s during the 1990’s and on to the present, the exhibition is an intriguing examination on Britain’s own sense of the art historical as much as it is a review of its products. (more…)

Titian, Diana and Actaeon (1556-1559)

A monumental figure of the Italian Renaissance, Titian was considered  a master of color and figure whose vibrant works and striking subject matter cemented his reputation as the chief talent of the Venetian School of the 16th century.  His series the Poesies represents this skill through a series of depictions of Ovid’s Metamorphosis, pushing the evocative nature of visual storytelling to its limits on canvas.  Now, several of these works are being publicly shown again at the National Gallery in London.

Mark Wallinger, Diana (2012)

Yet another monumental event The National Gallery is showing the Death of Actaeon, Diana and Actaeon (both based on the myth of Actaeon the hunter, who stumbled upon the bathing Goddess Diana, and was transformed into a stag, doomed to a savage death at the hands of his own hounds) , and the recently acquired Diana and Callisto.  In addition, the museum has sought to tie the past with the present, commissioning a number of new works by Chris Ofili, Conrad Showcross and Mark Wallinger to be shown in conjunction with Titian’s classic pieces.

(more…)

Conrad Shawcross, The Nervous Systems (Inverted) (2011). Images courtesy of MUDAM and artist.

One hundred and sixty two strings slowly wind down from suspended hexagonal structures in the Grand Hall of MUDAM Luxembourg, braiding into a colorful, ever-growing heap on the floor in The Nervous Systems (Inverted) by Conrad Shawcross. The sculpture will be on display and churning out rope though May 6, the latest of Shawcross’s rope machines that he has been creating since 2003, addressing scientific, mathematical, and philosophical concepts with both admiration and an inquisitive eye.

Conrad Shawcross, The Nervous Systems (Inverted) (2011)

(more…)

Turner Contemporary, via Turner Contemporary

David Chipperfield’s Turner Contemporary was opened today in Margate by artist Tracey Emin and muscian Jools Holland on the site where J.M.W. Turner (1775- 1881) often visited. Emin grew up in Margate and the grandmother of Holland lived in the Kent town.  It was here on the spot of the new museum that Turner was enraptured by the skies which he called “the loveliest in all of Europe.”  The stunning light and landscape of the coast of Kent stimulated his imagination and inspired his painting. The dynamic new visual arts venue thus takes heed from Turner’s artistic spirit of curiosity and discovery. The opening exhibit, Revealed displays the work of six contemporary artists, four of which have made new work specifically for the exhibition. Like Turner, they create their art while employing the same spirit of exploration and intrigue into the natural world around them.

Ellen Harvey, Turner Contemporary Revealed Opening, via Turner Contemporary

More text and related links after the jump….

(more…)

Conrad Shawcross, The Nervous System (Inverted), 2010. Organized and presented by the Pace Gallery. Installed at The Sculpture Garden, 590 Madison Avenue. May 10 – July 10, 2010. Wood, metal, acrylic chord, and mechanical system. Installation dimensions variable. Image via ArtObserved.

Conrad Shawcross: The Nervous System (Inverted) is an evolutionary piece that combines art and invention, a sculpture that completes itself as the audience looks on.  At 590 Madison Avenue, New York, 162 multicolored bobbins suspend 50 feet in the air, feeding rope into motorized contraptions.   The inconspicuously gradual weaving and intertwining, set against the glassy atrium ceiling, occurs at multiple levels of the piece.  The ropes combine in groups of three until one entity remains: a thick, colorfully woven rope that hangs to the floor, where it passes through a pulley and coils finally in a heap.  The complex machinery will ultimately produce one sturdy, 1,7000-foot braided rope, which will be cut into pieces and sold at the exhibition’s close.

Conrad Shawcross, The Nervous System (Inverted), 2010.

More text and images after the jump…

(more…)

–>
Tacita Dean’s Christmas tree, ‘Weihnachtsbaum‘ at Tate Britain via Zimbio

The Tate has been embracing the Christmas spirit this week with a series of headlining seasonal happenings.  The Tate Christmas Tree 2009, “Weihnachtsbaum” designed by Tacita Dean, shocked critics by actually appearing “Christmassy”[Bloomberg]  This weekend, Tate Modern’s vast Turbine Hall was taken over by Rob Pruitt‘s festive ‘Flea Market’ – originally held at Gavin Brown’s Passerby gallery in New York in the late 1990s, this event was programmed to coincide with the Tate Modern exhibition Pop Life: Art in a Material World, in which Pruitt also appears [POP Magazine]

Italian police have seized works of art belonging to Carlisto Tanzi – founder of the Italian firm Parmalat who collapsed in a massive fraud scandal in 2003. The 19 paintings and drawings, included works by Picasso, Monet and Van Gogh, and is estimated to be worth more than 100million euros [BBC News]

–>
Antony Gormley’s Event Horizon that will appear in New York’s Madison Square Park in March 2010 via ArtInfo

Antony Gormley has announced plans to install 31 nude sculptures cast from his own body in and around Madison Square Park in Manhattan’s Flatiron District beginning March 26 [NY Times]

to stay apprised of the latest relevant news of the art world read more…..
–>
(more…)