AO Art Observed™

Banksy’s controversial One Nation Under CCTV via hutley.net

Banksy issues a statement on London City removal of his CCTV work [Time via TWBE] and a video of Banksy’s pet store/charcoal grill in NYC [Wooster Collective]
At the Whitney: Leonard Lauder, Cindy Sherman, Mary Boone, Donatella Versace, Christina Ricci, Sting and assorted socialites show up for the Gala and Studio Party [ArtInfo]
Art and Commerce: Julian Schnabel, sponsored by Mastercard, completes portrait of sweepstakes winner [Tradingmarkets]
A quiet but strong video of Jenny Holzer at the Guggenheim, New York [Vernissage.tv]
Takashi Murakami, a bit hurt perhaps from the his Phillips Frieze auction, comments on the art market: “Everyone is very nervous. Everything is negative” [NYMag]
And in the latest in Damien Hirst: the Guardian quotes his art market comments from four years ago: “they would sell your granny to Nigerian sex slave traders for 50 pence and a packet of woodbines” [GuardianUK] his cover art for British band The Hours [Brand Republic] and Sarah Thornton has a thorough summary of Hirst and some of his series: “he faces all the problems of an aging rock star” [TheArtNewspaper]

A London building-side JR via Woostercollective

Some large works mark JR’s return to London from NYC (previously covered by AO here) for a solo show at Lazarides [Woostercollective]
The Tate will brand a cruise ship line focused on art [GuardianUK]
Jackie Wullschlager’s biography of Marc Chagall reviewed [The Economist]
Focusing on the sculptures of Pablo Picasso [Wall Street Journal]
Due to gambling regulatory concerns, Lazarides cancels ‘art raffle’ meant to coincide with Frieze [ArtInfo]
Tar magazine (anagram of art) debuts with a cover by Julian Schnabel [Mediabisto]
The Chapman Brothers produce a fuzzy backdrop for Stella McCartney’s spring/summer show in Paris [Independent]

Moses Contra Freud, RB Kitaj (2005) via Royal Academy of Arts

Recently appointed Royal Academician, artist Tracey Emin has curated a gallery at the current Royal Academy Summer Exhibition which is the institution’s 240th event of this kind. The exhibition, whose theme this year is ‘Man Made’, is a well-recognized annual event in the contemporary art world and includes works from approximately 1,200 artists, both established and emerging.

Emin brings sex, death to UK Royal Academy show [Reuters]
Tracey Emin at the Royal Academy summer show [TimesOnline]
Row erupts over Tracey Emin’s ‘offensive’ selections for Royal Academy exhibition [DailyMail]
Tracey Emin at Royal Academy [ViewLondon]
Tracey Emin RA on curating Gallery 8 of the Summer Exhibition [RA Magazine]
The Summer Exhibition: A Culture Show Special [RoyalAcademy]
Newslinks: Tracey Emin’s controversial selections for Royal Academy [Art Observed]

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“Pretty Ugly” at Gavin Brown Enterprise via Art Observed

Art Observed was on site at the opening of “Pretty Ugly” on Thursday, July 10th. The show took place at two neighboring galleries on Greenwich St. in New York: Gavin Brown’s Enterpise and Maccarone.
The show was curated by Alison Gingeras, of the Pinault collection, and featured work from more than 75 artists, including John Currin, Louise Bourgeois, the Chapman Brothers, Paul McCarthy, Takashi Murakami, Alice Neel, Hermann Nitsch, Andy Warhol, Francis Picabia, and Rob Pruitt, just to name a few.

Pretty Ugly: Press Release [Gavin Brown's Enterprise]
Pretty Ugly, Maccarone [Maccarone Gallery]
A Pretty Ugly New York Art Eclipse [Flash Art]
This Week in Art Openings: Totally Rad, Pretty Ugly, and The Shallow Curator [Papermag]
Pretty Ugly [Artlog]

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Starry Night over the Rhone, Van Gogh via NYTimes

‘Van Gogh and the Colors of the Night’ coming to The MOMA [NYTimes]
Details of contract for the Louvre Abu Dhabi revealed [TheArtNewspaper]
In industry executive news: MoMA’s Chief Curator of Paintings and Sculpture says ‘Good-Bye’ [NYSun]
In other executive moves, DIA Art Foundation has a New Director, Philippe Vergne [NYMag]
More executive news: Neil MacGregor, of the British Museum, declines directorship of the Met [TIME]
In page six today: Andy Warhol criticized in memoir by former friend and Ahn Duong, former flame to Julian Schnabel and Simon de Pury, ends her marriage [NYPost]

Jake and Dinos Chapman via Telegraph UK

Jake, Dinos Chapman directing comedy on the art world [Telegraph UK]
Hedge-Funder Sender’s curator predicts art market “shakeout” [Bloomberg]
A Kehinde Wiley audio interview [Nat. Portrait Gallery via Norlos.com]
Julian Schnabel interviewed on the topic of film [Telegraph UK]
Waves of Russians buying choice contemporary treasures [Times UK]

Tom Sachs via the NY Times

Ahead of 2 major NY shows, Tom Sachs as resourceful iconoclast [NYTimes]
Auction houses prune pipeline amidst ‘correction’ [WSJ]
Craig Robins’s free art school set to help Miami compete [NYMag]
Christie’s Dubai sale: $2.84M record for Middle East artist [Bloomberg]
More Julian Schnabel art & commerce: a Mastercard contest [C-monster via Art fag city]
A talk with famed German artist Anselm Kiefer [Guardian.co.uk]

Julian Schnabel at Gagosian Gallery via Bloomberg.

The Gagosian Gallery will host an exhibit of large-scale digital paintings from the artist turned film director Julian Schnabel. The concept was conceived during the production of his latest film “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly”. The digital paintings are based on human X-rays that were scanned and enlarged on a canvas. The exhibit will begin on February 21st and will coincide with the Oscars scheduled for February 24th. The scheduling is not coincidental due to rumors that “The Diving Bell and The Butterfly” will be nominated for an Oscar.

Gagosian gallery [Gagosian]
Schnabel Show at Gagosian [Bloomberg]

Per Page Six:

“THE Art Basel convention in Miami this week has drawn planeloads of hard-partying New Yorkers. Tonight, Condé Nast and jeans company 7 for All Mankind co-host an event at the Ice House, while Cartier serves dinner at the Botanical Gardens and Jimmy Choo pours for the fashionistas at the Raleigh. Dennis Hopper will be at the Russia Miami exhibit organized by Jana Bullock and Hugo Boss. Tomorrow, Vanity Fair and MoMA hold a bash at the Shore Club, while Linda Evangelista hosts a dance party with Visionaire at the Florida Room. On Saturday, the event’s closing night, Russell Simmons and Allison Weiss Brady throw a benefit for the Rush Philanthropic Organization at Intermix, as Adidas stages a Y3 event in the design district. But the big invites for Saturday are the private dinner at Paul Wilmot’s home and the soiree for Julian Schnabel and Lou Reed’s flick “Berlin” at Set.”