THE BANNERS is the title of Gilbert & George’s ongoing exhibition at White Cube’s Bermondsey location, following the eminent duo’s larger scale installment Scapegoating Pictures for London in 2014. Resuming their sturdily rebellious stand against anything corporate or organizational, this current exhibition, akin to their previous one, appropriates the vocal language of political outrage and public protests that have been normalized and spread widely by the media. As its self-explanatory title dictates, the exhibition includes thirty banners bearing ten different slogans and each repeating on three different white papers. (more…)
Gilbert & George, To Be With Art is All We Ask (1970), all photos via Art Observed
The artist duo Gilbert Prousch and George Passmore, better-known by just Gilbert & George, the self-proclaimed “Two People but One Artist,” first met in 1967 studying sculpture in London. As the story goes, the two were taking photographs of one another holding their sculptural works, when it struck them that their own corporeal presence in the images was far more interesting than the sculptures. As a result the pair deemed themselves “living sculptures,” and following the line of this ideology, have since considered their partnership, their artistic work (in all mediums), and even the mundane operations undertaken in their everyday lives, to be “Sculpture.” For this reason, Gilbert & George made their mantra “Art for All,” endeavoring to make sculpture and sculptural practice accessible and liberated from the discriminatory elitism of the art world at large, instead focusing on the idea that accessible art derives from life itself.(more…)
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As part of a series called “This much I know”, the Guardian solicited artists Gilbert & George for their life lessons. Among observations on topics that ranged from relationships to religion to politics, the duo, whose latest show at Lehmann Maupin closed on August 8th, made several remarks about art and the art world, including their definition of art as “the friendship that’s formed between the person and the picture – both at the moment of seeing and later on as you remember”.
All images by A.M. Ekstrand for ArtObserved, on location at Art Basel Miami Beach Fair.
Art Basel returned once again in Miami Beach this past week for the 11th annual Art Basel Miami Beach Fair. Featuring over 300 galleries representing 36 countries around the world, the show has exhibited marked growth from last year’s event, with well over 2,000 artists flocking to exhibit at what has become the internationally-renowned closing party for the world art market each year. It is of course always an irony that tens of thousands will fly down for the events and parties, with many of them never visiting the vast aggregation of what it said to be roughly $1.5 billion worth of art in one (large) room, a collection that few museums in the world could compete with. Below is a selection of some of the works we thought to be notable from the fair.
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Thursday, March 1st, 2012
‪‬Britain’s White Cube gallery opened its first branch outside Britain today with a Gilbert and George exhibition in a 557 square-meter space in Hong Kong’s central business district. Hong Kong is the world’s third biggest auction center after New York and London, with China overall accounting for 41.4% ($4.8 billion) of global art sales internationally in 2011. [AO Newslink]
Hooded Woman Seated Facing the Wall, Spanish Pavillion. Venice, Italy. 2003. All photos by Art Observed unless noted
With Freize 2010 coming to a close Sunday evening in London’s Regent Park, the fair’s guests have had a chance to reflect on the various elements of the event that defined the weekend. The fair opened on Friday with a VIP preview that saw encouraging multimillion-dollar sales; however, from booth to booth the art seemed to lack the brute sex appeal that in past years drove buyers to such transaction. With a global recession not far enough behind, it appears that it will be a while before the same level of extravagance returns to Frieze. Some pieces sold well initally, but not all pieces were bought up in boom time fashion, Damien Hirst’s Viagra-tablet-filled pill cabinet, with an estimated asking prince of $6 million dollars, reportedly remained unsold at Gagosian Gallery by at least the end of Friday night’s event.
more photos, story and a full news link summary after the jump…
Currently on show, through November 15, at Middlesbrough’s Institute of Modern Art (mima), is Gerhard Richter: Modern Times. Gerhard Richter is undoubtedly one of the most significant artists of our time; with works held by almost every major museum in the world, and is said to have brought ‘painting back to life.’ This exhibition covers all aspects of the artist’s complex practice and is particularly important as it includes unique works in many different media. Gerhard Richter: Modern Times comes close on the heels of a number of exhibitions that have widened the public’s view of Richter including a major retrospective at The National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, a groundbreaking survey of his portraits at the National Portrait Gallery, London, and the unforgettable 4900 Colours: Version II at the Serpentine Gallery in London.
–> 11 Schieben [11 Panes], Gerhard Richter (2004) via mima
More Text and related links after the jump…. –> (more…)
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On Thursday, October 15, Frieze Art Fair opened in London under media speculation about how gravely the meltdown of the world’s financial markets has hit the art world. Despite anticipation from all involved for a more cautious and flat atmosphere, walking around the fair this weekend one could not help but notice the general buzz.
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Gilbert & George’s ‘Great Expectations,’ via MoMA
On view through October 5, 2009 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York is ‘In & Out of Amsterdam: Travels in Conceptual Art, 1960-1976,’ an exhibition that examines the beginnings of conceptualism and the role that international travel – in this case, particularly between Amsterdam and Los Angeles – played in shaping the movement. The exhibition includes ten American and European artists, from heavy-hitters such as Sol LeWitt and Lawrence Weiner, to the mythologized, like Bas Jan Ader and Stanley Brouwn, to lesser-known and peripheral figures such as Charlotte Posenenske. The focal point is the now-defunct but highly influential Amsterdam gallery Art & Project. Founders Geert van Beijeren and Adriaan van Ravesteijn gifted the museum 230 works in 2007, which make up the majority of the 75 works that appear in the exhibition.
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Sol LeWitt’s ‘Area of Amsterdam Between Leidseple Jan Dibbets’s House and Kunstijsbaan Jaapeden,’ via MoMA
The White Cube is hosting Gilbert & George’s “Jack Freak Pictures,” the largest series ever by the artists. Both the Hoxton and Mason’s Yard galleries will be home to the paint collection, of selections also showed at Berlin’s Arndt & Partner. The exhibition quite literally makes freaks of Jack as in the Union Jack. Set in the East End of London, “Jack Freak Pictures” is peopled with medals, maps, street-signs and other recognizable symbols of British identity. The series is in line with other works by Gilbert & George, who subsume identity questions surrounding sexuality, religion, and nation into the provocative colors which their grid pictures confine.
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Uncertain Economic Times Intensify Need for Private Student Loans.
Education Business Weekly April 21, 2010 Amidst a still-struggling economy and confusion in the market over recent student loan legislation, SimpleTuition, Inc. explains that college financing options, including private student loans, remain readily available. The student loan provision in the recently passed Health Reform Act took private banks out of the federal student loan business, but not out of the education loan business. in our site citi student loans
With the country still recovering from a massive financial meltdown and credit crisis, families have seen their savings and home equity dwindle — traditionally the two biggest sources of contribution toward education expenses. At the same time, school endowments and scholarships are down, while tuition continues to rise, creating a growing gap between federal student loan limits and the money required to fund an education. While the federal PLUS loan helps to enable parent borrowing for part of this gap, for many student borrowers, private student loans remain an option and continue to play a critical role when paying for college.
“For many parents, careful use of private loans is a sound way to manage the gap in financing unmet need at many private colleges and universities and even flagship state universities,” said Nancy Hoover, Director of Financial Aid at Denison University in Ohio.
As an example, a typical student with a $32,000 annual college bill may receive about $10,000 in scholarships and other reductions, leaving a balance of $22,000. On average, federal student loans cover $7,000, leaving students with a balance of $15,000. If possible, families then contribute money from their savings or from parent borrowing, leaving a typical gap of $8,000 a year that students fill with private education loans in their own name. website citi student loans
“Since its inception, SimpleTuition has been a resource to millions of students and parents as they manage the confusing student loan process,” said Kevin Walker, Co-founder and CEO of SimpleTuition. “This legislation simplifies the process for getting federal student loans, but did not increase the amount that students can borrow. And, it may have left borrowers with the impression that ‘private’ student loans are no longer available. In fact, it is federal loans from private lenders that won’t be available. Gap-filling private student loans continue to be issued by banks and other lending institutions.” “With the economy improving, we are seeing an increase in lenders’ interest in promoting the private student loan category,” Walker continued. “We expect to see several new lenders included in the private student loan choices at SimpleTuition over the next several weeks.” The dissolution of the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) is primarily a change in the way federal loans are delivered. Previously, the federal government allowed private banks to provide federal student loans on its behalf. Over the last few years, legislation reduced the amount of money banks generated from the federal student loan program, leading many banks to leave the market. All students will now apply for federal student loans directly from their school, for a loan that will now be provided by the Department of Education.
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Pablo Picasso’s ‘Homme à l’épée’ via Philippe Sollers estimated to sell for £5-7 million at Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art Sale later this month
Abstraktes Bild 809-3 (1994) by Gerhard Richter, via the Tate
Under a program called “Artist Rooms,” the British public (and anyone visiting the United Kingdom) will be able to enjoy a large and diverse collection of contemporary art, including works by Joseph Beuys, Jenny Holzer, Cy Twombly, Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, Diane Arbus, Gerhard Richter, Gilbert and George, Damien Hirst and other prominent and influential artists ranging from the immediate postwar period to the present.
The works originally belonged to Anthony d’Offay, one of contemporary art’s most powerful dealers and collectors. d’Offay relinquished his 725-piece collection worth £125 million to the British and Scottish governments; the dealer effectively sold his collection to the governments for £26.5 million, far below market value . The collection was then transferred it to the National Galleries of Scotland and the Tate.
The works are set up in a series of 50 rooms featuring 25 artists, located at 18 galleries and museums throughout the United Kingdom, in an ambitious effort to broaden the audience and geographical reach of contemporary art. Sir Nicholas Serota, head of the Tate, expressed the hope that the show could be kept on the road indefinitely(as reported last February by Art Observed here). The Art Fund, an arts charity, is working in conjunction with the Tate and the National Galleries of Scotland, and has pledged £250,000 a year to help keep the “permanent tour” going.
“Artist rooms” marks the first time a national collection is being shown simultaneously across the UK, and the first room will open on March 2nd, 2009 at the Tate Britain, featuring the work of Ian Hamilton Finlay.
Grayson Perry; Entrance To The Forest; 2002; Victoria Miro Gallery; London -Photos by ArtObserved
“The surprise is the business we are doing. Frankly, people are expressing more confidence in the art market than the government or Wall Street right now,” said Sean Kelly of Sean Kelly Gallery. The night of December 2nd, Vernissage attendees glittered and Piper Heidsieck champagne flowed. More importantly, buyers were in attendance, asking questions and indeed, according to most of the galleries interviewed for this article, buying. On Thursday afternoon, Douglas Baxter, President of Pace Wildenstein professed “We’ve met expectations.” Also on Thursday, when asked his feelings on sales from the night before, a representative at Cheim & Read insisted his artists have been selling well, pointing to Jack Pierson sculpture and a pile of William Eggleston’s photos. Margherita Belaief of Peres Projects had the same confidence, “It’s hard to say so early but in general, Dash Snow’s pieces are selling strong.” While hesitant to disclose precise numbers, the overall sentiment of the top galleries was optimistic.
However, it’s important to note while the larger known artists have been selling strong, some galleries have reported some difficulty selling lesser known artist pieces. Alfons Klosterfelde at Klosterfelde was most direct: “People are asking more questions and really want to know the details,” but he said pointedly as of Thursday, “there have been less sales” and Klosterfelde remarked the pieces sold were from the gallery’s more known artists.
Life by Gilbert and George, part of Death Hope Life Fear series, via the Brooklyn Museum
The Brooklyn Museum is the final stop in the global tour of the Gilbert and George retrospective, offering a comprehensive overview of the art the British duo has been making since 1970. Many of the 90 pieces on display will only be shown in Brooklyn. The pair’s work encompasses performance art and charcoal sketches as well as large, monument-scale digital picture installations which address politics, sexuality, race, identity faith, and other aspects of modern life in a very idiosyncratic, provocative way. Gilbert and George met at Central St. Martin’s College in 1967 and have been working exclusively with each other ever since, winning the Turner Prize in 1986 and representing Britain at the Venice Biennale in 2005.
“Who’s Afraid of Jasper Johns?” runs from May 9 – July 12 at the Tony Shafrazi Gallery in New York.Gavin Brown and Swiss artist Urs Fischer organized this show, which has been garnering a strong amount of publicity. Be sure to click on Art Observed’s exclusive covering of the opening. The exhibition celebrates juxtapositions throughout art and pays homage to Shafrazi’s legendary defacing of Picasso in the seventies by irreverent displays of art work out of context with traditional presentation. Different mediums, spaces, and uses of objects are shown. There are works from a wide range of artists, including, Jeff Koons, Francis Bacon, Keith Haring, Cindy Sherman, to Rirkrit Tiravanija.
A retrospective of photographs by Gilbert and George will be exhibited in the show, “Gilbert and George”,at the de Young Museum in San Francisco, running from February 15th – May 18th. The influential artists have been producing art together since the 1970’s, beginning with performance and then photography. The show opened at the de Young Museum on February 15th, celebrating their influential careers in the art world. The collection is on loan from the Tate Modern in London, and is largest traveling retrospective of Gilbert & George’s work ever sent on tour. The Fine Art Museum of San Francisco is quoted as being “honored to display the collection.”
A still from Mark Wallinger’s Sleeper, via artnet.
On December 3rd 2007 Tate Britain awarded Mark Wallinger the 2007 Turner Prize for his video, “Sleeper.” Since 1984, the prize has been awarded annually to a top British Contemporary Art Exhibition of the previous year and is generally regarded as one of the top art honors in Europe. Past winners include Damien Hirst, Gilbert & George and Anish Kapoor. The exhibition is on display through January 18th at Tate Liverpool. Bloomberg Article Mark Wallinger [Tate]
