Global contemporary art events and news observed from New York City.
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Pablo Picasso's The Actor
A Pablo Picasso painting at the Metropolitan Museum of Art was damaged last Friday, Janauary 22, when a woman attending an adult education class lost her balance and fell into the piece. ”The Actor” (1904-5) incurred an irregular vertical tear 6 inches in length in the lower right-hand corner.
more story and links after the jump…
Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velazquez, “Portrait of a Man,” 1630. Via The Met
Currently showing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is an exhibition of works by the great Spanish painter Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez. The heart of the exhibition features a newly identified painting by the artist. Formerly ascribed to his workshop, the work was only recently re-attributed to the master himself after an incredibly revealing cleaning and restorative process. Prior to the conservation, the painting was distorted by “degraded varnish” and “discolored restoration,” obscuring significant qualities of the work. The new attribution represents a fascinating kind of case study regarding altering critical opinion surrounding the origin of a work and changes in its identification. The painting is exhibited amongst other works by the Spanish artist, to whom fewer than 120 paintings are known to exist.
Diego Rodriguez de Silva y Velázquez, “Portrait of a Man,” (Detail of face and hair) Via The Met The subjects identity remains in question.
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]
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Pure Beauty 1966-1968, Acrylic on canvas © John Baldessari, Courtesy of Baldessari Studio and Glenstone
Tate Modern are currently exhibiting the largest ever UK retrospective featuring the work of the prolific Californian artist, John Baldessari, through January 10. Tate Modern’s exhibition, John Baldessari: Pure Beauty, acts as a parallel to the Ed Ruscha exhibition only minutes away at the Hayward Gallery in London’s Southbank Centre; both artists employ humor and a compulsion toward language and American pop culture in their works.
Bloody Sundae 1987 Black and white photographs, vinyl paint © John Baldessari, Courtesy of Baldessari Studio
More text, images, video and related links after the jump…. (more…)
The First Annual Art Awards via Guggenheim.org
Last night, October 29, marked the inauguration of a new annual art event: Rob Pruitt presented The First Annual Art Awards at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New Yorkin association with the city’s oldest alternative art space, White Columns.
The awards were conceived by artist, Rob Pruitt, as a performance-based artwork; for the occasion he recruited the characters of Index Magazine’s wry satirical web series, Delusional Downtown Divas. The New York Times have reported that “…the Divas schemed to infiltrate the art establishment by any means possible. In one segment they pitched a tent in the Guggenheim, doing their laundry in the lobby fountain.”
Jeffrey Deitch and Kembra Pfahler at The First Annual Art Awards at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum via style.com
More images, text and related links after the jump….
Marc Quinn’s Blood Head Self-Portrait displayed in a refrigeration unit at The National Gallery in London via Guardian
Titian, Diana and Acteaon via Artdaily
In related, Titian’s Diana and Acteaon, one of the six large-scale mythologies inspired by Ovid, acquired by The National Gallery in London, is to be displayed at Trafalgar Square [Artdaily]
Three paintings attributed to Adolf Hitler were sold at Weidler’s auction house in Germany for an accumulative price of $60,000 to three phone bidders [The New York Times]
The Museo National del Prado’s is exhibiting 2 Sorolla paintings of the Fanjul family that were illegally confiscated by the Cuban government which may cast the museum’s directors legal bind [Reuters]
A private European collector helps settle a 7-Year discord between the Swedish Moderna Museet and heirs of a Jewish businessman over a Nazi-looted Nolde painting and in related, Dutch Museums will return 13 artworks lost during Nazi occupation to heirs of Jewish collectors [Bloomberg]
Velázquez, Portrait of a Man via The New York Times
After restoration and cleaning of “Portrait of a Man” in MET’s collection, the author of the painting attributed to Vélazquez’ workshop is confirmed to be Vélazquez himself [The New York Times]
Phillips de Pury auction house, known for its focus on contemporary art, is adding 18 new sales for the upcoming year and a half [The Wall Street Journal]
As the market fluctuates, art collectors seize opportunities of investment, yet the auction market based on no identical units, making calculated predictions almost impossible, turn investing into gambling [NYTimes]
The Glyndebourne Opera House, England to sell a painting by the Italian Old Master, Domenichino; estimated at $16.5 million [Bloomberg]
Bill Viola declines an invitation to participate in a culture summit, organized by Pope Benedict XVI in an attempt to reconcile spirituality and artistic expression, supposedly due to the artist’s disagreement with policies put forth by the Vatican and the Catholic Church [Artnet]
Six of the missing works by Andy Warhol via Telegraph
$1million is being offered for a lead to locating the “Athletes” series by Andy Warhol from Richard Weisman’s collection that has been stolen from the collector’s Los Angeles residence [Telegraph]
Pencils from an installation by Damien Hirst were stolen by a 17-year old artist named Cartrain [The Independent] who had been stripped of his artwork for incorporating Damien Hirst’s ideas into his collages [ArtObserved]
“You can be immortalized in an artwork” says Damien Hirst in his search for a numerous sets of identical twins to literally become part of his artwork at Tate Modern [Guardian]
Charles Saatchi with his wife Nigella Lawson via The Independent
“My Name is Charles Saatchi and I am an Artoholic”, a book written by Charles Saatchi, who almost never gives interviews, is released without a loud PR campaign and is written in a format of potential interviewer’s questions and answers [Guardian UK]
Aleksandra Mir’s installation at Collective gallery in Edinburgh consists of rows of a limited edition cookbook titled “The How Not to Cookbook: Lessons Learned the Hard Way” [The Moment]
German police uncover a thousand fake Giacometti bronzes in the possession of a man who tried to sell them as originals [Art Market Monitor]
An editorial on the state of galleries dictated by the financial market provides an encompassing snapshot of what a gallery represents in the art-world and how it is likely to function in the current economic condition [NYTimes]
Bruce Nauman’s skywriting fittingly reads “Leave The Land Alone” via Los Angeles Times
On September 12 in Pasadena, artist Bruce Nauman realized his skywriting project, reading Leave the Land Alone, after a 40 year wait [Los Angeles Times]
Frédéric Mitterrand’s appointment to the post of French minister of culture is well received by most for his extensive previous background and involvement in the world of art and culture [The Art Newspaper]
London’s Outset Contemporary Art Fund brings artwork to a fair to be seen publicly and then purchased by the Tate [Bloomberg]
The story of Tony Shafrazi, art terrorist and later gallerist [Artnet]
A view of Sol LeWitt’s unveiled mural at 59th street via Gothamist
Sol LeWitt’s mural, comprised of 250 porcelain tiles, is installed at Columbus Circle subway station in Manhattan[Lindsay Pollock]
Run by oligarch Viktor Pinchuk, the PinchukArtCenter in Kiev announces a new art Prize and the shortlisted 20 nominees [ArtReview]
Gagosian’s plan for a gallery in Paris’ prestigious 8th arrondissement promises to gain instant success by providing access to Picasso’s work [Bloomberg]
In related, Gagosian is to open a bookstore on Madison avenue in Manhattan selling books, catalogues, magazines and Jeff Koons puppy vase that come in an edition of 3,000 [Art fag City]
UBS, a global financial services firm, is to close its gallery in Manhattan in an attempt to cut back on costs [Artinfo]
A photograph of Emmanuel Perrotin via The Selby
The Selby visits Emmanuel Perrotin at his gallery in Paris [The Selby]
Research shows that visitors to museums housing modern art are likely to respond emotionally, while those viewing ancient artworks are more prompt to describing their experiences in more cognitive terms [Miller McCune via Artinfo]
“The Art of the Steal”, a documentary film by Don Argott, explores the Barnes Foundation, a Post-Impressionist and early Modern art collection [The New York Times]
John Currin interviewed by Glenn O’Brien speaks about art, the art market and shares personal stories [Interview Magazine]
The rating service Moody’s estimates the current financial troubles and hence auction market distress to persist and drops Sotheby’s corporate credit rating by one level [Bloomberg]
Kara Walker’s participation in Whitney’s Biennial is manifested in an email correspondence with the organizer of the show documenting the artist’s refusal to participate in the Biennial [Artnet]
Centquatre art space in Paris via The Daily Undertaker
A site of the Municipal Funeral Services in Paris is now turned into an arts center providing the capital’s northern reaches an art initiative it has been lacking [Financial Times]
A survey of artistic practice based on technology and its move towards the usage of the Internet as means of expression [The New York Times]
Thomas Campbell, director of Met, shares his plans for the museum in an interview with The Art Newspaper [The Art Newspaper]
American artist Greg Wyatt’s 22-thousand-pound bronze sculpture “Two Rivers” is being transported to Piazza della Signoria in Florence, “the soul of the world of sculpture,” where it is to become the first American displayed at that location [Bloomberg]
An interview with the billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad, who spoke about democratization of art and educational reforms [The Wall Street Journal]
One third of Monet’s famous triptych, ‘Water Lilies,’ via NY Times
This fall, New York’s two most venerable art museums will each each spotlight famous paintings by two old masters. The Museum of Modern Art is exhibiting all three paintings of Claude Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’ triptych together for the first time in eight years. Also in the exhibition is a single large painting, also entitled ‘Water Lilies,’ as well as three smaller studies.
At the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has lent Johannes Vermeer’s most famous painting, ‘The Milkmaid,’ in celebration of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage up the river that would bear his name. This is the first time in 70 years that the painting has been exhibited in the United States, and it joins the Met’s five paintings by Vermeer as well as works by a small number of other Dutch artists.
‘Monet’s Water Lilies’ runs September 10, 2009-April 12, 2010 at the Museum of Modern Art, and ‘Vermeer’s Masterpiece “The Milkmaid”‘ runs September 10-November 29, 2009 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, both in New York.
Monet’s Water Lilies [MoMA]
Vermeer’s Masterpiece ‘The Milkmaid’ [Metropolitan Museum]
Serenade in Blue [NY Times]
Moanin’ With Monet [Artnet]
Nieuw Girl [Art Market Monitor]
Vermeer’s ‘The Milkmaid’ on View at a New Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum of Art [Art Knowledge News]
Vermeer’s ‘The Milkmaid,’ via Art Knowledge News
Damien Hirst’s ‘For the Love of God’ via Artinfo
Ukrainian collector Viktor Pinchuk, who is currently hosting Damien Hirst’s retrospective in Kiev, is revealed as the fourth stakeholder in the artist’s platinum, diamond-encrusted skull, which has yet to sell despite a £35 million offer from Alberto Mugrabi [The Art Newspaper]
in related, Fiats decorated by Hirst have had little problem selling at a London charity auction [Art Review]
Two proposed tax-free ports in Paris and Singapore aim to revolutionize international art handling [NY Times]
Roxy Paine with one of his ‘Dendroid’ sculptures via Artinfo
National Gallery of Art commissions a Roxy Paine ‘Dendroid’ sculpture [National Gallery of Art via Artnet]
Art Basel’s Marc Spiegler says that now is an essential time for collectors to buy work from galleries to support artists and local art scenes [ArtInfo]
In conjunction with Saatchi, the Times lists top 200 artists of the 20th century with Picasso and early Modernists at the front [TimesUK]
Three arts professionals describe how they collect for their own homes [Financial Times]
Sam Francis, Grey, the subject of an auction dispute at Christie’s
Shipping magnate Gregory Callimanopulos appealing court decision in auction dispute with Christie’s and Broad Art Foundation over Sam Francis’ ‘Grey’ [ArtForum]
Art during the Nazi regime: Van Meegeren and Göring, forgery and thievery [New York Times]
Unusual Renoir painting recovered in Venice 25 years after it was stolen [Artinfo]
Edward Hopper, Rooms by the Sea, recently acquired by Yale University. via ArtDaily
Yale University counter-sued over Van Gogh painting ‘The Night Café,’ seized during the Communist takeover of Russia [Bloomberg.com].
In related, Yale University Art Gallery acquires Edward Hopper preparatory drawings ‘Rooms by the Sea’ and ‘Western Motel and the Study’ [ArtDaily]
Young collectors pooling resources and sharing art [Financial Times]
Pablo Picasso’s Homme à l’épée for sale in London. via The Telegraph.
€7 – 10 millionv notebook of Picasso sketches discovered stolen from the Picasso museum in Paris [ArtDaily]
and in related, two ‘Musketeer’ paintings by the artist to be auctioned at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, respectively [The TelegraphUK]
As early as 2010, the Louvre may be at risk financially, despite a wave of acquisitions totaling an estimated €38 million [NYTimes]
Andreas Gursky’s ‘James Bond Island III’ via FOTO8
An interview of Andreas Gursky in which he speaks of scaling down his monumental prints, the influence Bernd and Hilla Becher, and working with North Korea [FOTO8]
Vito Acconci closes his studio, citing cash flow troubles [The Architect's Newspaper via ArtInfo]
Massimiliano Gioni navigates Venice during the Biennale opening via NY Times
Following curator and critic Massimiliano Gioni and his various party obligations at the Venice Biennale [NY Times]
Points on whether or not the recession is indeed good for art [GuardianUK]
Gagosian has hired Richard Meier to double the space in his Los Angeles Gallery [The Art Newspaper]
62 Imlay Street in Red Hook, Brooklyn, recently leased by Christie’s for storage
Christie’s leases a building for storage in Red Hook, in what is likely one of the largest real estate deals in Brooklyn this year [Brownstoner]
A guide to investing in contemporary art in current market conditions [NY Times]
Sotheby’s London Russian Art Evening Sale totals £7.9m with 17 of 28 lots sold [Art Market Monitor]
Video of Banksy’s exhibition in Bristol via BBC
Banksy secretly sets up exhibition in Bristol museum [BBC]
Beginning June 16, 2009 the Metropolitan Museum of Art will display ‘The Torment of Saint Anthony,’ now widely believed to be Michelangelo’s first painting, before it goes to its new home at Kimball Museum in Texas [ArtDaily]
Picasso’s Château de Vauvenargues via Artinfo
Picasso’s Château will open to the public this summer [Artinfo]
Billionaire collector Eli broad contends that the downturn in the art market has bottomed [Bloomberg]
Christie’s similarly calls a leveling off of the art market’s downshift [Reuters]
Francis Bacon, "Head I," 1947-1948 (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)
Francis Bacon: A Centenary Retrospective, the first comprehensive exhibition to feature the artist’s works in New York in 20 years opened to the public May 20 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, to run through August 16, 2009. The retrospective, marking the 100th anniversary of Bacon’s birth, has brought together a highly impressive international curatorial team, including Gary Tinterow of the Met, Matthew Gale of Tate Modern and Chris Stephens of Tate Britain. The exhibition showcases some 65 paintings, amongst them a handful of never-before-seen gems from private collections, along with important archival materials, photographs and 65 personal items from Bacon’s London studio and estate, which served as the artist’s inspiration for some of the works in the show.
Francis Bacon: A Centenary Retrospective [The Metropolitan Museum of Art]
Francis Bacon’s Provocative Works Featured in Major Retrospective Opening May 20 at Metropolitan Museum [Met Press Release]
Francis Bacon at Tate Britain – Sept. 4th 2008-Jan. 4 2009 [Tate]
Tragic Hero: A Majestic Francis Bacon Show [Time]
Francis Bacon’s Provocative Works Featured in Exhibition at Metropolitan Museum of Art [ArtDaily]
If Paintings Had Voices, Francis Bacon’s Would Shriek [NYTimes]
Sacred Monster [NYMagazine - Jerry Saltz]
Francis Bacon’s Horror Show [Economist - More Intelligent Life]
Francis Bacon (Hardcover) 2009, Matthew Gale, Chris Stephens [Amazon]
A work by Andrei Molodkin via artsblog.it
Andrei Molodkin, to represent Russia in the Venice Biennial, creates sculptures using human corpses rendered into crude oil [The Independent]
At the beginning of Asian week in New York, a case for the relative value of traditional Japanese art [Forbes]
The Metropolitan Museum of Art cuts more jobs [New York Times]
Neues Museum in Berlin via London Festival of Architecture
The Neues Museum in Berlin opens dramatic space designed by London architect David Chipperfield [New York Times]
Richard Prince denies reports that he is to donate his rare book and publications collection to the Morgan Library in New York [ArtInfo]
Rembrandt, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee one of the works stolen in the Gardner heist, via the Boston Globe
A new plea (with video) for leads leading to the return of the $500 million worth of art stolen in Boston’s 1990 Gardner Museum heist, which was the largest in history [Boston Globe via ArtsJournal]
Mary Boone is suing a collector and trustee of the Columbus Museum of Art to complete the sale of a Will Cotton work [Artnet News]
Anthony d’Offay via the GuardianUK
Anthony d’Offay interviewed, whose Artists Rooms tour begins in Edinburgh and was made possible from the selling of his vast collection for £26.5 million, an estimated 5th of its value [TheScotsman]
The balance of power between London vs Paris as art capitals altered perhaps by the recession [TimesUK]
Still Life (Natura morta) (1943), Giorgio Morandi via [Metropolitan Museum of Art]
‘Giorgio Morandi, 1890-1964′ at the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the first exhibit of its size and scope in the United States, displaying approximately one hundred still life paintings and a dozen landscapes. Composed with narrow-ranging hues of cream, brown, and gray, Morandi projects a study of rhythm, balance and intricacy of shape with his identifiable style. The show includes works which span Morandi’s 50-year tenure as a painter and track the lineage of the painter’s influence upon Cézanne, Cubism, Futurism, and the pittura metafisica of Giorgio de Chirico and Carlo Carrà. In addition, the intimacy of the underground gallery of the Robert Lehman wing provides well-suited location for the subtleties of such an artist.
All That Life Contains, Contained [NYTimes]
Morandi’s Subtle Spectable [NYSun]
Tables for One [New Yorker]
Giorgio Morandi, 1890-1964 [Met Museum]
Museo Morandi Website
Thomas P. Campbell (Left) and Philippe de Montebello (Right) via IHT
After an arduous eight-month search, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has announced that Thomas P. Campbell will be succeeding Philippe de Montebello as its new Director. Come January 1st, 2009 Mr. Campbell will take over the reins from de Montebello, who has been serving as director of the Met for the past 31 years. Campbell has been with the Metropolitan Museum of Art since 1995 serving in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts, with a specialty in European tapestries. Some were surprised that the relatively young Campbell was chosen over Ian Wardropper, his 57-year-old superior. The committee also reportedly considered Max Hollein, from the Städel Museum and the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt as Philippe de Montebello’s successor.
Met Museum’s New Chief Knows About Tapestries; Challenges Loom [Bloomberg]
Thomas P. Campbell Named Next Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art [Artdaily]
Met Selects Curator to Run Museum [Wall Street Journal]
Met names Thomas P. Campbell as its new director [IHT]
Met Names New Director [Artinfo]
Curator at Met Named Director of the Museum [NYTimes]
Tapestry expert named head of NY Met museum [AFP]
Met Picks New Director, Thomas P. Campbell, from Within [Gothamist]
the sculptor Anish Kappor via the Boston Globe
Sculptor Anish Kapoor set designs for an upcoming Akram Khan play featuring Juliette Binoche [National Theatre, London]
Are Olafur Eliasson’s waterfalls damaging the local natural environment? [ArtInfo]
Relating a past run-in with Francis Bacon and reflecting on his work before his retrospective at the Tate [The Independent]
Author Michael Gross’s ‘Rogues’ Gallery’ exposes the inner circles of the Metropolitan Museum of Art [ArtInfo] Aug 29
Gustav Klimt at the Tate Liverpool brings record attendance [BBC News] while the British National Gallery’s strategy of exhibiting newer artists leads to a sharp drop in paying visitors [Times Online] Aug. 31
Drawing of Archangel Gabriel announcing the birth of Christ, Lucas van Leyden (c.1520) via NYTimes
The Metropolitan Museum of Art has recently acquired a rare drawing from Netherlandish artist Lucas van Leyden. It is one of only 28 existing drawings from the artist, and is the sole Lucas van Leyden drawing to reside in the United States. The sixteenth century drawing depicts the Archangel Gabriel announcing the birth of Christ, and will be apart of the fall exhibit honoring Met director Philippe de Montebello’s tenure at the museum. The drawing was discovered by a lucky collector, who found it unreferenced and tucked into the back of an auction catalogue.
Angels Appear, and Museums Rejoice [NYTimes]
Met Acquires Rare Lucas Van Leyden Drawing [Artinfo]
Metropolitan Museum Acquires Lucas van Leyden Drawing [Artdaily]
Overlooked at Christie’s [NYSun]
Press Release: Metropolitan Museum Acquires Lucas van Leyden Drawing [Designtaxi]
The Metropolitan Museum of Art [The Met]
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]
Whalers by Turner via Bloomberg.
From July 1st, through September 21, The Metropolitan Museum of Art is hosting the first retrospective exhibition of J.M.W. Turner. The exhibition will contain 140 diverse paintings. Most works come from Tate Britain which is the most comprehensive collection of the artist’s work in the world. Turner’s paintings represent seascapes, historical subjects, and modern scenes usually with a characteristic use of light.
Turner at the MET [Metropolitan Museum of Art]
J.M.W. Turner at the Metropolitan Museum Slideshow [NYTimes]
Storm-Tossed Visionary of Light [NYTimes]
Bloated Turner Show Arrives at Met Museum in Blaze of Colors [Bloomberg]
Nature Painted With Force [NY Sun]
Anish Kapoor via Time
Time Magazine on Anish Kapoor [Time]
Tracey Emin’s controversial selections for Royal Academy include zebra bestiality, closeups of masturbation during menstruation, and barbed wire hula-hooping [The Daily Mail]
Separately, Hirst invited to join Royal Academy, and has yet to reply [[TimesUK]
Banksy friend/street artist Nick Walker to tag undisclosed British landmarks with laser [Artinfo]
Private art insurance premiums jump 30% year on year [Wall Street Journal]
Salander furniture/antique sale garners $1.6 million [Bloomberg]
The Met is closer to a new Director [New York Sun]
The Vatican begins a contemporary art initiative[the Independent]
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