Gerhard Richter, 940-6 Abstraktes Bild (2015), via Art Observed
Gerhard Richter has returned to New York City this month, opening a diverse exhibition of new works at Marian Goodman Gallery, including a continuation of his Abstraktes Bild and Aladin series, alongside a new group of abstract drawings. (more…)
Following its merger with Auctionata, Paddle8 has seen a series of high-profile departures and lay-offs, Art News reports. Editorial Director Sarah Hanson in particular was one of the lay-offs, which sources indicate means that the company will do away with or drastically scale back its editorial arm. “A merger is an inevitable inflection point, and in the past month Paddle8 has seen the departure of some of our colleagues in the lead up to and following our merger with Auctionata,” co-founder Osman Khan said. “Some left to pursue other passions and opportunities, and others as a result of corporate restructuring. In all cases, we are grateful for their contributions to Paddle8.” (more…)
Alex Katz is profiled in the Telegraph this week, as the artist completes a new series of paintings for a show at London’s Serpentine Galleries, and reflects on his inspirations, among them Cézanne’s landscapes. “I was looking at his stuff and saying: ‘See, the guy couldn’t paint, it’s terrible, this is overworked’ – stuff like that,” he says. “Then, when I got on a train, all I could see were Cézanne landscapes. His vision is so strong that it dominates your mind. And that, for me, is the highest thing an artist can do.” (more…)
The BBC reports on the 10-year restoration process for Sebastiano del Piombo’s The Adoration of the Shepherds, an ambitious undertaking that sought to repair the damage caused by the removal of the work from its original surface using acid. Conservators have been repairing acid damage and removing added layers of paint to the work before attempting to return the work to its original form. “We were delving down to discover if we could uncover the original and, knowing there was damage, whether we could reconstruct those so we could hang the painting as a painting, rather than as an archaeological fragment,” says Rupert Featherstone of The Hamilton Kerr Institute, which worked to repair the piece at the Fitzwilliam Museum. (more…)
The Qatari Royal Family has settled its case over the Pablo Picasso bust, but details of the ownership of the work have not been disclosed in court filings. “It having been reported to this court that these actions have been or will be settled, these actions are discontinued without costs to any party,” U.S. District Judge William Pauley said in a court order. (more…)
Following massive protests nationwide, Brazil’s acting President, Michael Temer, has reinstated the national culture ministry. The move marks the latest in a series of quick changes and adjustments made by a government that is currently scrambling for control after a controversial assumption of power. (more…)
Ken Price, The Beautiful West (2005), via Art Observed
It’s not difficult to recognize a piece by Ken Price. The artist’s fluid, winding sculptures and objects signal a high point of West Coast sculpture during the post-war era, an incorporation and reworking of Bay Area Funk priorities with the artist’s own sensibilities. These influences and ideas are on view at Matthew Marks Gallery this month, as the artist exhibits a series of drawings from the early 1990’s. (more…)
A large group of artists, among them Tracey Emin, Anish Kapoor and Jeremy Deller, have signed an open petition opposing the vote on a British exit from the EU. “From the smallest gallery to the biggest blockbuster, many of us have worked on projects that would never have happened without vital EU funding or by collaborating across borders,” the letter reads. “Leaving Europe would be a leap into the unknown for millions of people across the UK who work in the creative industries, and for the millions more at home and abroad who benefit from the growth and vibrancy of Britain’s cultural sector.” (more…)
The Romanian government has launched a crowd-funded campaign to buy a nationally treasured Constantin Brancusi sculpture that is currently for sale. “I am calling on Romanians to take individual responsibility because I want BrâncuÈ™i to unite us, not divide us,” prime minister Dacian CioloÈ™ said. (more…)
An article on the challenges for conservators in fixing microscopic eruptions on Old Masters paintings, caused by metal soap bubbles forcing their way to the surface of the piece. “Every paint has its own peculiar chemical composition,” says physicist Jaap Boon. (more…)
The New York Times notes the last show at Artists Space’s 38 Greene Street location before it moves to a new space. The space is currently seeking a new location after a long dispute with its landlord. (more…)
The New York Times reports on the closing of Lee’s Art Shop in Midtown, a longtime mainstay of the city’s arts community that is leaving its West 57th Street location as towering condo buildings continue to rise around it. “What’s going on here is destroying New York’s sense of place, particularly for an artist,” says photographer Kate Simon. “What would Truman Capote write now, ‘Breakfast at Nordstrom’s’?”
The Art Newspaper looks at a new generation of young Chinese artists, and the sizable gender imbalance in the field. “Still very few 80s-born women artists succeed,” says artist Zhang Ruyi. “The number is more than that of the past overall, but still there are relatively few, especially compared with the number of male artists.” (more…)
Tom Wesselmann, Sunset Nude with Big Palm Tree (2004), via Art Observed
Mitchell-Innes and Nash has opened its doors on a broad, yet impressive career retrospective of the work of Tom Wesselmann, the iconic pop painter whose renditions of mass commodities, American landscapes and the human form defined him as one of the most original voices coming out of the Post-War landscape. Perhaps best known for his large, shaped canvases depicting lipstick-clad mouths breathing out cigarette smoke, Wesselmann’s interests in painterly technique and the American subject were constantly evolving over the course of his career, even as some of his formal containers and pictorial content remained the same.
Tom Wesselmann, Interior #2 (1964), via Art Observed
Luc Tuymans, Murky Water (2015), via Art Observed
Luc Tuymans works at the tenuous grasp of the image on reality, exploiting momentary glimmers, flashes of light, and seconds of spatial repose, all executed through his signature, muted color palette in an attempt to delve even deeper into the slight seconds that constitute his subject matter. Here, at his new show with David Zwirner, the artist has turned towards themes of decay and isolation, lending his already staid pieces an increased degree of melancholy. (more…)
The Knoedler Gallery forgery scandal made it to 60 Minutes this week, exploring the case and its cast of characters through the perspective of historian Jack Flam. Flam was asked to identify a Motherwell Elegy, and found that the artist’s signature appeared as if it had been copied meticulously from other works, and later discovered evidence of orbital sander use on the canvas, which was often used to age canvases. (more…)
Simon de Pury is interviewed on Charlie Rose this week, as he releases his memoirs, reflects on the course of his career, and his views on buying work. “I’ve seen people who are brilliant business people, but when they buy art, they only want to buy bargains,” he says. “But no great collection was built on bargains.” (more…)
The Louvre has invited artist JR to install one of his signature works on the surface of its iconic glass pyramid, obscuring its surface to mirror the palatial architecture behind it. The installation is part of the artist’s recently opened retrospective at the museum, Contemporary art – JR at the Louvre. (more…)
A version of Manet’s Déjeuner sur l’Herbe will travel from London’s Cortauld Institute to Hull for a show at the Ferens gallery, thanks to a £9.4m grant from the British government. The project will also help fund renovations and improvements to the institution’s galleries. (more…)
The Guardian takes a tour of the soon to open Tate Modern expansion, with high praise for its spacious design, management of exhibition areas, and views. “We realized we were getting vulnerable in terms of what we could do on this site,” says director Nicholas Serota, explaining the £260m expansion, which has been in the works since the mid-2000s. “There were some substantial buildings arriving, so we would soon have a lot of neighbors who would oppose us doing anything of any scale.” (more…)
Philip Guston, Untitled (1958), via Art Observed
In one of the season’s more historically resonant offerings, Hauser and Wirth has opened its 18th Street Gallery to a rare exhibition of Philip Guston’s 1950’s abstractions, collected as a presentation of his impressive output as a member of the New York School. Exploring the artist’s varied investigations of the canvas and mark in tandem, the show presents Guston’s work as a fascinating historical progression towards his more honed, expressive figuration of the late 1960’s and onward.
Philip Guston, Painter, 1957-1967 (Installation View), via Art Observed
The Marciano Art Foundation has announced that its private Los Angeles museum is set to open its doors sometime early next year, housed in a converted masonic temple. Philipp Kaiser, who curated the Swiss Pavilion at next year’s Biennale, will organize the first show in the space. (more…)
Protesters occupied Brazilian government buildings this week, rallying against Acting President Michel Temer’s decision to ax the nation’s culture ministry. Temer took power this past week after previous president Dilma Rousseff was forced out of office. (more…)
Dozens of protesters have been appearing at Creative Time’s current Fly by Night project, asserting that the pigeons used to perform artist Duke Riley’s piece are unwilling participants, even though experts have inspected the piece and approved. Mixing art and animals is a very risky business,” says Rita McMahon of Upper West Side’s Wild Bird Fund, “but I was very impressed.” (more…)