The Musée D’Orsay closed today following a worker strike, protesting a proposal to keep the museum open to the public seven days a week, beginning this coming November.  A decision will be reached in the coming day whether or not the strike will continue. (more…)
An unnamed collector has come forward, claiming that he has found an upper section of Gustave Courbet’s immediately recognizable nude, “Origin of the World.”  The new segment depicts the subject’s head and sholders, complimenting the notorious section of the work primarily depicting her genitalia, that now hangs at the Musée D’Orsay.  The new section has been confirmed by leading Courbet expert Jean-Jacques Fernier, who says that he is “convinced” that the works are two parts of the whole. (more…)
Despite the recent attention to various projects mixing contemporary art with fashion, the influence on one another is not new, according an article in the WSJ. The Musée d’Orsay in Paris will open a show called “Impressionism and Fashion” on Sept 25th with paintings, period garments and fashion illustrations. Curator Gloria Groom draws connections between the work of Impressionists and that of fashion designers of the day. The show will travel to New York and Chicago, with different garments in each exhibition.
Paul Signac’s great granddaughter recently filed a lawsuit requesting that his painting, In the Time of Harmony be moved to the Musée d’Orsay for safekeeping because it was vandalized in its current location, Montreuil’s town hall, in December of last year.
All images by Caroline Claisse for Art Observed.
“Manet, the Man Who Invented Modernity,” is currently on view at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. This is Édouard Manet‘s first ever solo retrospective at the museum, and his first in France after almost 30 years. Since a 1983 show at the Grand Palais, which marked the 100th anniversary of the artist’s death, appreciation of his biography and boundary-breaking impressionism has been reshaped.
During his lifetime, Manet was a widely known and chronicled personality. Poet Théodore de Banville described him as a “laughing blonde,†considered a charismatic Casanova who frequented cafes. Renowned impressionist painter Edgar Degas once fought with him so bitterly that Manet slashed a gifted work- the story goes that Degas forgave him for being so charming. Manet died of syphilis in 1883, following a prolific 20-year career.
More images and text after the jump…
Edgar Degas‘s Les Choristes (1876-77) via AFP
A valuable pastel by the 19th century Impressionist painter, Edgar Degas (b. Paris, 1834; d. 1917) was discovered missing from the Cantini Museum in Marseille, France, Thursday, December 31. The stolen piece, Les Choristes (also referred to as Les Figurants), measures 27cm by 32cm, and was on loan from the Musée d’Orsay, Paris for an exhibition showcasing twenty Degas works portraying a common theatre theme. It depicts a line of male choir singers preparing for a stage performance. While a museum guard was arrested on Friday in connection with the overnight heist, further investigation is pending and the suspect has been subsequently released. Authorities are continuing to examine CCTV footage in order to ascertain whether or not museum insiders or intruders can be blamed for the theft. Jacques Dallest, a prosecutor leading the case, reports no apparent signs of a break-in and that the pastel appears to have been unscrewed from the wall. Rumors of the work’s value were circulating at upwards of $30 million. However, authorities have since corrected this lofty estimation to assert the pastel’s actual value at £800,000 or $1.14 million.
More text, images and related links after the jump…
A Jeff Koons sculpture causing consternation to the owner’s neighbors, via Curbed
A hedge-fund king adorns his Upper East Side penthouse terrace with a huge sculpture of a diamond by Jeff Koons [NY Post]
In related: Two interviews where Jeff Koons speaks about his work, financial troubles due to custody battle after divorce and art market [Art Market Monitor]
At the Ace Hotel via New York Magazine
The new ACE Hotel in New York has commissioned a mural of 4,000 graffiti stickers collected in New York by the Bronx-born artist, Michael Anderson [New York Magazine]
Lehman Brothers selling its corporate art collection to contribute to the bankrupt company coffers [Bloomberg]
Terence Koh in in a wedding dress via Supreme Management
Terence Koh gets married to Garrick Gott in a wedding dress like his mother once wore [Supreme Management]
T-shirt, Terence Koh’s design via Pipeline
In related, “Hand-finished” limited edition T-shirts with a bullet scar by Terence Koh are now in sale at the Opening Ceremony [Pipeline]
Robert Stevens’ film depicting animal cruelty starts a lawsuit resulting in a debate around free speech in art community [Artinfo]
Nate Lowman at the Hydra Workshop via C-Monster
The artsy jet-set on the Greek Isle at the Hydra Workshop presenting works by New York “bad boy,” Nate Lowman [Hydra Workshop via C-Monster]
Auction Houses face a dilemma as the previously bullish market reduced the supply of quality works to a growing market [NY Times]
The Tate Britain is looking for a director [e-flux]
A rendering of Pier 57 via Hudson River Park River Trust
Youngwoo’s proposal will bring in the Phillips auction house to turn part of Pier 57Â into contemporary art galleries, the Tribeca Film Festival will program a movie theater and a two-acre park will be built on the pier’s roof [The New York Observer]
Reduced rents, spurred by a difficult economic climate, cause such galleries in L.A. as Gagosian, Blum & Poe, Susanna Vielmetter, and Cherry and Martin Roberts & Tilton to expand in Culver City [Art Review]
Zhang Huan to design Semele via Art Knowledge News
KT Wong Foundation commissions Chinese artist Zhang Huan to design and direct Semele opera in Belgium’s leading Opera House [Art Knowledge News]
French street artist, known as Zevs, arrested for painting a dripping Chanel logo above Armani boutique in Hong Kong; prosecutors ask for $861,000 to replace the affected facade [South China Morning Post]
Buyers battered by a credit crisis look for bargains in contemporary art, works by artists born post-1945 may be a smart investment [The Wall Street Journal]
The Fifer, Manet via Artinfo
While Musée D’Orsay is partially closed, de Young Museum in San Francisco will host two landmark exhibitions of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art from the vast collection of the French museum [Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco]
The Palm Springs Art Museum’s contemporary art collection grows with a gift of 116 works by 66 artists including Donald Judd, Louise Bourgeois and Gary Hume [Los Angeles Times]
Cindy Sherman on cover of Men’s Vogue via Art is Alive
Cindy Sherman, on the cover of L’Uomo Vogue [Art is Alive]
An interesting editorial on the issue of London’s National Portrait Gallery battling Wikipedia for uploading the copyrighted reproductions of their collection [The Wall Street Journal]
Sam Taylor-Wood’s debut film, a John Lennon biopic, to close the London film festival [TimesUK]
Louvre, FIAC hosted at Louvre, Cour Carree and Grand Palais via Erco
In Paris the 36th edition of FIAC brings together 196 modern art and contemporary galleries from 21 countries [Art Daily]
In related, the Musée du Louvre launches the English version of its online collections database [NY Times]
Rocco Landesman awaits confirmation for his position as a chairman-designate to National Endowment for the Arts and is likely to start the job on firmer ground than any of his recent predecessors [The New York Times]
The Wassaic Project via The New York Times
The Wassaic Project, an elevator grain converted into an art gallery, attracts art and young curators to the small town Northeast of New York [The New York Times]
The Downtown branch of the Whitney museum designed by Renzo Piano should be ready in 2012 [The Villager]
