A visitor to the SFMoMA this week tripped and fell into a an Andy Warhol Triple Elvis, resulting in the painting’s removal from the gallery for inspection and repairs. The damage reported to the painting was noted as “minimal,” by conservators. (more…)
Joyce Pensato, Mouse Mask (2015), all images courtesy Petzel Gallery
To advertise her fourth solo show at Petzel Gallery, Joyce Pensato released a short video, a brashly black and white, slapstick affair, set to classic ragtime piano tunes. In it, superhero Batman is knocked upside the head and shipped off to the exhibition, while Pensato, playing the gun moll in round-framed dark sunglasses, imitates her dumbly-smiling cartoon portraits. The video perfectly encapsulates Castaway, a new series of black and white cartoon portraits, erasure-paintings and drawings, both large-scale and small-scale, in addition to digital c-prints of the artist’s studio space. (more…)
A new venture by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is looking to launch a new examination of conservation in technology, part of a Andrew W. Mellon Foundation-funded project called The Artist’s Initative. Examining technological leaps in design, tech and the work of various artists that drive these media forward, the project will embrace a broad series of concerns facing the modern museum. (more…)
Painter Ed Ruscha has been elected to a three-year term serving on the board of trustees for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, almost exactly one year after he left his same post at Los Angeles’s Museum of Contemporary Art. The move comes as SFMoMA begins a landmark $610-million expansion that will leave its main building closed until 2016. Ruscha also voiced his support for departing MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch. “I thought he would add some unconventional touch to the picture. Maybe it didn’t work out for him. But he started to get the engine rolling.” (more…)
When the Whitney Museum set out to restore artist Douglas Davis’s early collaborative, online art piece the World’s First Collaborative Sentence, few could foresee the challenges that digital and internet-based art posed for repair and maintenance. Based on constantly shifting programming languages and operating systems, digital art often offers complex restoration problems, forcing curators and experts to evaluate the degradation of web sites, coding and software updates against the original authenticity of the piece to properly exhibit it. “We’re working on constantly shifting grounds,” said Rudolf Frieling, of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. “Whatever hardware, platform or device we’re using is not going to be there tomorrow.” (more…)
The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art hosted its last weekend event series this weekend, featuring a free 24-hour screening of Christian Marclay’s The Clock.The event marked the last days of the museum’s current space, as it closed its doors yesterday for a planned 225,000-square-foot expansion, which will make it the largest new American art museum of the decade.
With the two year shut-down of SFMOMA for its major expansion project beginning this June, the institution is gearing up to announce a range of exhibitions and events across the Bay Area. The museum released a small press announcement on its Facebook recently, welcoming external input, and hinting at events to come. The construction will span 2013 to 2016, and will cost the museum $555 million. (more…)
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Luc Tuymans, Speech, 2010. All images via David Zwirner Gallery.
In a series of new paintings entitled Corporate, Belgian artist Luc Tuymans explores the social implications and troubling consequences of corporations and corporate identities. Tracing the origins of modern industry back to the dissolution of medieval feudalism, Tuymans addresses the mechanisms by which these entities shape contemporary culture. Through the visual vocabulary of corporate life, ranging from workplace lighting conditions to iconographies of trade and marketing, Tuymans distills the essential formal qualities of this phenomenon’s historical impact.
More story and images after the jump….
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Above: Karen Kilimnik, Me Corner of Haight & Ashbury, 1966, 1998.
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Below: Joseph Cornell, Untitled, c. 1953.
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Image courtesy of the Artists, 303 Gallery New York and Sprueth Magers Gallery Berlin London.
Currently on view at Sprueth Magers London is “Something Beautiful,” a collaborative show by American artists Joseph Cornell and Karen Kilimnik. Curated by Todd Levin, the exhibition features paintings, collages, and mixed-media installations that reflect the influence of the Romantic-era ballet on both artists.
Joseph Cornell (1903-1972) was an American artist known for pioneering the art of assemblage. Created from found objects, Cornell’s boxes often read like three-dimensional Surrealist paintings. He admired the work of Max Ernst and Rene Magritte, but claimed to have found their work to be too dark. His work was also inspired heavily by his beliefs in Christian Science, which he adopted in his early twenties. He never received formal training as an artist, but was influenced by American Transcendentalist poetry and French Symbolist painters, such as Mallarme and Nerval. Another motif of his work, 19th century European ballet dancers, comes to life in this exhibition.
Similarly, Karen Kilimnik’s work redeploys discreet objects in a quest for the romantic sublime. Theater and stagecraft have figured strongly in her installations, and her use of particular materials suggests the influence of Cornell. Often making direct references to Degas and other Impressionist painters, Kilimnik’s subjects occupy a nineteenth-century world: one of mystery, drama, and romance.
Anthony Byrt, in his review for Art Forum, refers to Levin’s conceptual approach here as a “bold curatorial statement,” suggesting that the premise upon which the two artists are connected is a precarious one. However, “Ballet aside,” says Byrt, “tangible links do emerge, such as theatricality, quiet spectacle, and ideas of feminine beauty, which both artists explore.”
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Karen Kilimnik, Paris Opera Rats, 1993. Image credited as above.
More text and images after the jump…
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Installation view of Anish Kapoor’s work at the Royal Academy of Arts in London via BBC
Anish Kapoor, the first living artist to exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, installs a work that shoots red paint to the walls of the famed 18th century building [The Wall Street Journal]
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Jeff Koons to be the curator of the New Museum show of Dakis Joannou’s collection, including works by Maurizio Cattelan, Urs Fischer, Robert Gober, Chris Ofili, and Jeff Koons himself [The New York Times]
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Russia’s biggest contemporary-art fair opened September 23, 2009 in Moscow to coincide with Third Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art [Bloomberg]
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Donald Fischer, founder of Gap and art collector, loses his battle to cancer at 81; his collection will be permanently housed at San Fransisco Museum of Modern Art [San Francisco Chronicle]
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Artist Ed Ruscha stars in a film by video artist Doug Aitken to be projected as installation entitled “Frontier” on Tiberina island in Rome [The Art Newspaper]
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Andreas Gursky, his works and Pop influences, mainly Warhol’s, as analyzed in the Economist conclude “99 cents II (Diptych)” as the artist’s most important piece [Economist]
Last summer painter Alex Katz modeled clothes for J. Crew catalog; this year seven New York artists, including Ryan McGinness and Vito Acconci, are featured [J.Crew]
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Tate Modern to recreate a 1992 exhibition that took place in New York’s Leo Castelli and was criticized as racist; 15 years later Tate curators appropriate the show as a part of a bigger Pop Life: Art in a Material World exhibit and hope for a different reaction [The Independent]
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A Sigmar Polke painting, Untitled – Oil on Drape (1969), stolen directly from the artist’s atelier, the police deliberates the thief could only be someone with access to the space [Artforum]
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Frieze Art Fair 2009 announces the details of its sculpture park, in London’s Regent’s Park; “Henry Moore Bound to Fail” by American artist Paul McCarthy is to remain on display for six months [Frieze Art Fair]
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Guggenheim Museum Art Award via The New York Times
Louise Bourgeois, Urs Fischer, Dan Graham and Mary Heilmann are among the select individuals nominated for the First Annual Art Awards Guggenheim Museum announced this week [The New York Times] In related, the Frieze Art Fair announced the call for entries to The Cartier Award 2010 [Art Review]
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Results from Sotheby’s mid-season Contemporary Art Sale details at Art Market Monitor [Sotheby’s]
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The British Arts Council and the London 2012 organization announce Anthony McCall as a finalist in their nationwide initiative to commission public art in celebration of the upcoming Olympics. McCall has proposed a 1,5 mile earth sculpture in the form of a simulated vertical cloud in Liverpool [ArtInfo]
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A detailed survey of Contemporary-Art Auction values in the midst of economic crises as influenced by several variables, show a significant decrease [Bloomberg]
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65 year old Jehuda Reinharz, President of Brandeis University- home to Rose Art Museum housing works by artists such as Warhol and De Kooning, is to resign [Los Angeles Times]
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Sophie Calle photographed by Yves Geant via Guardian UK
France’s conceptual artist Sophie Calle’s path to art world recognition as examined through a personal perspective: stripping, spying, sleeping, “seducing her father” all turned into artistic practice [Guardian UK]
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At Westminster Cathedral, British painter Peter Doig is to create a new installation to coincide with a concert from the British pianist Stephen Hough whom he met after a recital in London in 2008 [Art Review]
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Two new co-directors, both previously with Art Basel, promote this year’s Art Forum Berlin to attract some of the city’s big name art galleries, among which: Max Hetzler, Johann König, Klosterfelde and Neugerriemschneider [Financial Times] and here is some video of the event [Vernissage TV]
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60 Galleries are not returning to Art Basel Miami Beach, but 65 new ones are added, hence the fair grows in quantity [Lindsay Pollock]
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Picasso’s sketch to be auctioned via Guardian UK
Picasso’s sketch that must have taken seconds to produce is expected to sell for more than £20,000 at Duke’s auction [Guardian UK]
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Christie’s “First Open” Post-War and Contemporary Art sale brings in good results, appealing to many buyers while providing a wide range of pricing and themes [Art in America]
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Christie’s Frieze exhibitions and auctions dedicated to Post-War and Contemporary Art will include works by artists such as Lucio Fontana, Damien Hirst and Gerhard Richter [ArtDaily]
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Museum of Contemorary Art in Los Angeles raises $60 million since December 2008 when it had revealed its financial troubles [Culture Monster]
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Annie Leibovitz and Damien Hirst to design for Louis Vuitton [Elle UK]
Huang Yongping's Sixty-Year Cycle Chariot sold for double the high estimate of $194,00, setting a new auction record for the artist, via Artdaily
Contemporary Asian Art Sale at Sotheby’s Hong Kong brings in $8.5 million USD, well wthin expectations with over half of the lots above estimate [Artdaily] more here [Bloomberg] and here [AuctionPublicity] and here [Economist] and here [Artinfo]
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and finally more here [China Daily via ArtPatrol]
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And in related: The Getty acquires 9 contemporary Chinese photographs for $100,000, boosting its Asian collection despite a tighter budget [Bloomberg]
Takashi Murakami will soon debut a new collaborative collection with Louis Vuitton [HypeBeast]
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New York financier/art collector Ezra Merkin charged with $2.4 bilion fraud, the proceeds of which were used to fill his apartment with $91 million worth of art including Mark Rothko works from his collection, one of the largest in the world for the artist [Guardian UK]
Kate Moss by Damien Hirst is the new cover of Tar Magazine (anagram for “art”) [NY Times]
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Art funds launched in 2008, such as the London-based Art Trading Fund, are shelved due to failure to raise required funds [ArtNewspaper]
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Art:21, Art in Twenty-First Century is now available for free on Hulu [Hulu]
Russian Artist Andrea Molodkin, previously cited by AO here, prepares for Venice Biennale [Financial Times]
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Jeff Koons is speaking at Strand Books tonight at 7:00-8:30 in New York [Via FAD]
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New York Old Masters dealer Lawrence Salander is indicted and pleads guilty in $88 million charge [Bloomberg]
A look inside Rome’s MAXXI designed by Zaha Hadid via c-monster
A preview of the MAXXI in Rome, $108 million art museum designed by Zaha Hadid [c-monster]
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Adam Lindemann, financier, collector and author of Collecting Contemporary launches a new book from Taschen: Collecting Design [ArtInfo]
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Flash Art’s current cover featuring a portrait of Barack Obama by Marlene Dumas via Art Fag City
Marlene Dumas’s portrait of Barack Obama is the cover of Flash Art [Art Fag City]
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Madonna’s art collection is estimated at £80 million pounds [TimesUK]
A selection from the site via The World’s Best Ever
A timeline of modern & contemporary art artists by movement, school, style, period, theme & art prize [The-artists.org via The World’s Best Ever]
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Richard Serra to receive honorary degree from Pratt Institute at its 120th Commencement on May 18th [MediaBistro]
Interview with photographer Nan Goldin on why she is auctioning some of the curiosities she has collected [TelegraphUK]
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SFMOMA announces plans for a future expansion, doubling gallery space [SF Chronicle]
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A preview of SANAA’s design for the 2009 Serpentine Pavillion via Architect’s Journal
SANAA, the Japanese architectual duo behind the New Museum, release first glimpse of design for the 2009 Serpentine Pavilion [Architect’s Journal]
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Jim Dine donates 40 drawings influenced by Greek and Roman sculpture to the Morgan Library [Artinfo]
Julian Schnabel’s Picasso Femme au Chapeau will soon be sold by Christie’s [New York Times]
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The Mugrabis, a high impact, market-making collector family, may be addicted to the game of art [The Observer]
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Marc Drier
Marc Dreier, the powerful attorney indicted on fraud charges totaling nearly $700 million, revealed as a substantial client of Larry Gagosian [ArtLovesMoney]
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and in related: Chris Burden on his exhibition at Gagosian Los Angeles that became entangled in the Allen Stanford fraud case [New Yorker]
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Spurred by a spate of deaccessionings, New York State looks at a bill aimed at limiting museums’ art sales [NY Times]
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Yvon Lambert closes fledgling London branch [Bloomberg]
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in in other recession-related: facing a shrunken endowment, Getty cuts its budget by a quarter [LA Times]
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via Traileraddict.com
Steve McQueen’s first feature film, ‘Hunger,’ opens in New York at the IFC Film Center [IFC film Center]
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London sees a number of Russian women as a force in the contemporary art scene [Financial Times]
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Curators of ‘New Deal’ at the Art Production Fund gallery, Matthew Moravec, left, and Kyle Thurman via NY Times
In their early 20s, two curators present an exhibition of artists 19 to 26 years old for Yvonne Force Villareal’s Art Production Fund [NY Times]
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Christian Holstad’s installation at X Initiative via NY Magazine
Jerry Saltz reviews two new energetic galleries: The Boiler in Williamsburg and X Iniatiative in the old Dia space [NY Magazine]
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The European Fine Art Fair in Maastricht displays trust in Old Masters [The Art Newspaper]
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Hirst, Serra, Koons and others bring in exceed estimates and bring in $6 million at Paris charity auction [Bloomberg]
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Asian Art Week actions sell robustly at both Christie’s and Sotheby’s [Crain’s]
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Artprice publishes its top 10 ranking of artists based on auction revenue in 2008 [ArtPrice]
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A portrait of Yves Saint Laurent by Andy Warhol via artnet
Pierre Bergé withdraws four portraits of his partner, the late Yves Saint Laurent, from an Andy Warhol exhibition in Paris four days the opening [Artinfo]
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Fashion designer contextualized art is again resilient: Sotheby’s Gianni Versace sale greatly exceeds its estimates [Artdaily]
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Yale University files suit to claim ownership of Van Gogh, after self-proclaimed descendent of previous owner lay claim to the work [Associated Press]
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Director of SFMoMA sets example on how to tackle economic difficulty [NY Times]
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Jackie Wullschlager looks at three new books that explore Darwin’s influence on Modern art [Financial Times]
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Beacon in upstate New York is an art destination [NYTimes]
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Levi’s collaborates with Stefan Sagmeister on art series featuring its iconic 501 [PaperMag]
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and in related Lucien Pellat-Finet and Marc Quinn collaborate [Vogue]
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The Chapman Brothers direct new video for PJ Harvey and John Parish [NME]
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Michael Visocchi has won the 2009 Jerwood Sculpture Park Prize [BBC]
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and in related, Pipilotti Rist has been awarded the 2009 Joan Miro Prize [Artdaily]
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