Pablo Picasso, Le violon (Titre attribué : Nature morte) (1914) © Succession Picasso 2015 / photo Centre Pompidou, MNAM-Cci, dist. Rmn-Grand Palais / droits réservés

Having pioneered the vivid forms and perspectival innovations of Cubism during the course of his career, pushing that initial formal innovation into the vastly divergent forms, there can be little doubt of Pablo Picasso’s monumental impact on the path of modern art.  This influence sits at the core of Picasso.Mania, a playful yet impressively curated exhibition currently on view at the Grand Palais in Paris.  Pairing works from both before and after the artist’s massively influential impact on the world of 20th Century Art, the exhibition presents a contemporary perspective to the name, the myth, the reputation of the artist. (more…)

The Tate Modern is will launch a two day “dance marathon” this May, inviting a range of modern dance performers to exhibit and teach within the museum space.  “The whole feel of it over the 48 hours will be about this constant transformation,” says curator Catherine Wood. “It will be partly a presentation of focused works of choreography and then a spreading of more pop-up things, through the collection gallery and the public spaces.” (more…)

The New York Times takes a look at the collection of modern masterpieces soon to go on view at Paris’s Fondation Louis Vuitton.  The exhibition has been in the works for several years but was downplayed when the museum first opened its doors last year, and will feature a number of landmark works, including Edvard Munch’s The Scream on loan from Oslo, as well as Matisse’s The Dance, which has not been seen in Paris in 15 years.  “The foundation indeed aims to be contemporary,” artistic director Suzanne Pagé said. “But it doesn’t want to ignore the history of art, as it is seen in these major works of the 20th century, which continue to be a vital reference for artists today.” (more…)

The Met has announced that it will undergo an immense renovation of its Modern Art wing, creating special showcase galleries and room for its expanding collection, especially following the windfall gift of Cubist and Modernist works from the collection of Leonard A. Lauder.  “Leonard’s collection is such a huge missing link between our very strong collections of Impressionism and Post-Impressionism and our moderately strong holdings of early-20th-century,” says director Thomas P. Campbell, “that if we reconfigure the galleries, we have the potential to tell the chronological story.” (more…)

The historic Franklin School building in Downtown Washington, D.C. will be converted into a modern art museum, called The Institute for Contemporary Expression.  The building will house exhibitions, performances and sculpture, and was pushed forward by collector Dani Levinas.  “With the completion of this selection process we are now a step closer to revitalizing Franklin School and giving it a new life,”  said deputy mayor for planning and economic development Victor Hoskins. (more…)

Gerhard Richter, White, (1988), via Phillips

Frieze London opened its doors to VIP’s and the press today, beginning another hectic week of exhibitions, sales and, as is to be expected, major auctions from Phillips, Sotheby’s and Christie’s.  Beginning tonight, the three auction houses will look to capitalize on the atmosphere of frenzied competition that so often marks the major art weeks, with each bringing forth a strong collection of works from across the contemporary art landscape.

Peter Doig, Red Canoe (2000), via Christie’s (more…)

Alberto Giaccometti’s iconic Diego en chemise écossaise will be on sale at Christie’s November 5th auction of modernist and impressionist art in New York. A classic portrait of the artist’s brother, it is anticipated to sell for $30-$50 million.  “With this masterpiece, Alberto Giacometti establishes himself as one of the greatest portrait painters of the 20th Century, paving the way for the likes of Francis Bacon and Lucian Freud.” Andreas Rumbler, Deputy Chair of the Impressionist and Modern Art at Christie’s says. (more…)

MoMA’s PS1 campus in Long Island City, Queens, has received $3 million in funding from the city of New York, needed to purchase an adjacent building for expansion.  The new space, located at 22-01 Jackson Ave., will potentially be utilized for museum office space, freeing the main building up for more exhibition spaces.  “You want dynamic institutions like MoMA PS 1 to continue to change, to progress and to grow, and they can’t do that without the physical expansion,” Said City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer. “I think it’s great for the neighborhood, it’s great for Long Island City.” (more…)

Monet Sells at Sotheby’s, via Sotheby’s

With the closing of this week’s Impressionist and Modern Evening Sales at Christie’s and Sotheby’s, evidence of a strong art market is not hard to find.  Sotheby’s held a slight edge over its recently successful rival, managing an auction total of $165.9 million, with only 13 of the 71 pieces going unsold.  Two pieces passed the ten million dollar mark, and 29 were sold for more than one-million dollars. The auction also set auction records for Camille Claudel and FrantiÅ¡k Kupka. In contrast, Christie’s achieved a result of $100.4 million over the course of its 44 lot sale. The result lies in between the total pre-sale estimate for the auction house of $82.8 to $118.8 million. Only seven works remained unsold, and two lots were sold for over ten million dollars.

Wassily Kandinsky, Studie zu Improvisation 3 (1909), via Christie’s (more…)

The Tate Modern in London has announced its plans for a show of the final works completed by Henri Matisse.  Slated for Spring of 2014, the show will feature 120 pieces by the artist, primarily using his large-scale, cut-out technique, including his famous Blue Nudes.  “They are more like installations or environments than paintings; and they seem very contemporary now. Part of the point of the show is to reconsider them in this light,” said Tate curator Nicholas Cullinan. “They were a way of collapsing line and colour; at the same time they were a kind of sculpture – carving into pure colour.” (more…)

Outside the Park Ave Armory for the ADAA Art Show

With another hectic Armory Week comes another edition of the Art Dealers Association of America’s Art Show, open at the Park Avenue Armory.  Now in its 25th edition, The Art Show is the nation’s longest continually running art fair, offering viewers a smaller, more scaled back experience in contrast with The Armory Show held out on New York’s Hell’s Kitchen Piers.  The show’s more focused collection of 72 leading dealers and galleries allow viewers a slightly less overwhelming experience moving from booth to booth, and also provide slightly more space for the work to breath.

Damien Hirst at Van de Weghe (more…)

Art Fag City has compiled a list of new additions to the annual Armory Show, and another of previous guests not attending this year.  A number of major galleries will not be attending this year, including Zach Feuer, Paul Kasmin, Greene Naftali, and Andrew Kreps Gallery. (more…)

In 2010, Roger Ebert declared that “video games can never be art”. Yesterday, The Modern’s curator Paola Antonelli presented a different view, saying further, “they are also design, and a design approach is what we chose for this new foray into this universe.” She also said that the museum’s holdings of interactive design are “one of the most important and oft-discussed expressions of contemporary design creativity.” (more…)