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Archive for the 'Art News' Category

Go See – London: Titian's "Triumph of Love" at The National Gallery, Through September 20, 2009

Monday, August 3rd, 2009


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Triumph of Love, Titian Via ArtInfo

While the key aim of the exhibit is locating the use of paintings as reverses and covers during Italian Renaissance, the main attraction of it- is Titian’s rediscovered “Triumph of Love.”   “Triumph of Love” (mid 1540s maybe) has undergone conservation and cleaning and will be publicly displayed for the first time in 50 years. It was last shown at the Royal Academy in 1960. The painting will be moved to the Ashmoleon Museum in Oxford after the show at the National Gallery is over September 20, 2009.

Related Links:
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Titian’s “Triumph of Love” [artinfo]
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Clean-up casts new light on £1m Titian handed to museum to settle tax bill [GuardianUK]
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Titian’s Triumph o Love [The National Gallery]
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Titian’s “Triumph of Love” saved for the nation [Oxford Thinking]
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An Allegory of Prudence, Titian vie National Gallery

More text and pictures after the jump…

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Art Capital Group Sues Annie Leibovitz to Collect on $24 Million Loan

Sunday, August 2nd, 2009


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Ian Peck and Baird Ryan at Art Capital Group. Via The New York Times

Art Capital Group founded in 1999 and based in New York is a company that provides financial and consulting services to art owners in creating liquidity from assets. In other words, Art Capital allows clients to discreetly get loans in using artwork as collateral. Whether it is due to the tender nature of the business that steps into the fields of intellectual property when dealing directly with artists, or the necessity on the company’s side for firm and assertive approach in an economic environment that is nothing short of unstable; Art Capital Group seems to often be caught up in lawsuits with its clients. One of the most prominent photographers Annie Leibovitz has recently become the center of one of those litigious disagreements.

Related Links:
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For Annie Leibovitz, a Fuzzy Financial Picture [The New York Times]
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That Old Master? It’s at the Pawnshop [The New York Times]
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Lender Sues Annie Leibovitz, Seeking Her Homes to Pay $24 Million Debt [The New York Times]
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Leibovitz, Photographer, Sued Over $24 Million Loan [Bloomberg]
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Art Capita Group, Inc. [Business Week]
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Annie Leibovitz pawns rights to all future work [Guardian]


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Annie Leibovitz via Daily News

More text and pictures after the jump...

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Go See – London: Yuri and Konstantin Shamanov (aka the Chapman brothers) "Good News" in Orel Art, through September 26, 2009

Friday, July 31st, 2009


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Hang This Rebel, Konstantin Shamanov (Chapman). Via Orel Art

Orel Art, a gallery in London that specializes in Russian contemporary art, hosts an exhibition titled “Good News!”  The show presents works that are no longer dictated by the fluctuating ideas on what is considered “good” or “bad” art; ideas that have been defined throughout Russian history by the equally fluctuating reigning political regimes. The gallery attempted also, to showcase works that break free from the habitual presence of national identity in Russian art.  There is, however, a catch. “The break from national identity” may have exceeded the expectations of Orel Art. Shamanov brothers, whose work is at the core of the exhibit, are really the British Chapman brothers. The show ends September 26, 2009.


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Exhibition View “Good News” show in OrelArt, sculptures by Shamanov (Chapman) brothers. Via Orel Art

Related Links:
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Yuri and Konstantin Shamanov bio [Orel Art]
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Jake and Dino Chapman bio [White Cube]
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How to of Britain’s leading artists duped the art world by pretending to be Russian [Daily Mail]
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What a Sham… [Guardian]
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Artistic Gags with Yuri and Konstantin Shamanov [This is London]
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Unmasked, the famous brothers whose disguise duped art world [This is London]
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Jake and Dinos Chapman sham exhibition Good News [Times online]
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Good News, Galérie Orel Art, London [Financial Times]


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Chapman brothers disguised as fictional Yuri and Konstantin Shamanov. Via Artchronika

More text and pictures after the jump…

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AO Auction/Event Preview -Watermill, New York: The 16th Annual Watermill Summer Auction and Benefit July 25, 2009

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009


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Manaus, Christophe Schlingensief. Inferno, this year’s theme of the 16th Annual Watermill Summer Benefit. Via Hamptons

The Byrd Hoffman Watermill Foundation’s sixteenth Annual Summer Benefit will take place on July 25th in the Hamptons.  Robert Wilson, its Artistic Director, envisages an event that will include various installations, theatrical performances and auctions all framed by this year’s theme- Inferno.  An auction in support of artistic programming at the Watermill Center conducted by Simon de Pury, Chairman of Phillips de Pury auction house, will certainly be one of the highlights of the evening.

Related Links:
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Inferno: The Sixteenth Annual Watermill Summer Benefit [Artdaily]
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Sixteenth Annual Watermill Summer Benefit [The Watermill Center]
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About Watermill [the Watermill Center]
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16th Annual Watermill Center Benefit [Artinfo]
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Summer Is a-Kooning In: We Preview Watermill Benefit Goodies!
[NYObserver]
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Simon de Pury [Bigthink]
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Welcome to Watermill – a review of last year’s (2008) Watermill Benefit [BIZBASH]


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Julian, Elizabeth Peyton. At the Annual Watermill Benefit this year. Via Watermill Center

More pictures and text after the jump… (more…)

New York artist Dash Snow dies from drug overdose at 27

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009


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Dash Snow via Artinfo

Downtown enfant terrible Dash Snow died early this morning of a heroin overdose.   Gawker broke the news earlier this morning, citing sources on Twitter and a number of sources known to be close to Snow.  At roughly 11am, the New York Times confirmed the death citing that it had made contact with Snow’s grandmother, Christophe de Menil, who confirmed that he had indeed died of a drug overdose on Monday.  The location of the death was reportedly the Layfayette House, a hotel off the Bowery in Lower Manhattan and the time was roughly 5AM according to sources reporting to Art Observed.

The artist was a controversial and somewhat mythical figure of New York’s downtown art scene.  Originally of the de Menil clan, a family prominent in arts patronage, Dash ran away from home to live a controversial life of mischief and art that was open in its reference to drugs.  Coming to prominence out of the graffiti crew he helped found, Irak, as well as through the works of friends and fellow Dan Colen and Ryan McGinley, Snow attracted much attention in the art world, as well as some criticism, when his body fluid-stained newspapers started showing in influential galleries, including Rivington Arms and Peres Projects.  In 2006, Dash Snow was featured in the Whitney Biennial. While his art received mixed reviews, the persona he created through the documentation of his lifestyle had a mythic aura to it, certainly furthered by a long profile by New York Magazine two years ago, where Dash Snow and close knit group were the cover story. Dash Snow was included in a 2006 Wall Street Journal article titled “The 23-Year Old Masters”, counted him among ten top emerging US artists.   Dash Snow first showed at the recently closed Rivington Arms off the Bowery in New York, helmed by Melissa Bent and Mirabelle Marden, daughter of painter Brice Marden.  In 2008 Dash Snow moved to Peres Projects, with galleries in New York, Berlin and Los Angeles under Javier Peres, who was also a close friend.   Dash Snow has had solo exhibitions at Peres Projects, Rivington Arms in New York and Contemporary Fine Arts in Berlin.   His work has been collected by prominent collectors such as Charles Saatchi, Adam Sender and Dakis Joannou.  His work is included in the Whitney Museum of Art and the Brooklyn Museum.


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Dash Snow with Dan Colen and Ryan McGinley photographed in New York Magazine

Dash Snow is the son of Taya Thurman and her former husband, Chris Snow.  He is also a great-grandson of the founders of the Menil Collection in Houston, often cited as one of the most significant privately assembled art collections in America, Dominique de Menil and John de Menil, who were French textile and oil-drilling heirs. His maternal grandfather is Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman, his maternal grandmother was set and costume designer Christophe de Menil, and an aunt was actress Uma Thurman.

In 1999 Snow married artist Agathe Snow, who is often referred to as his “ex.”  Dash Snow leaves behind a daughter, Secret Aliester Ramirez Messenger Santa Creeper, whom he fathered with Jade Berreau in 2007.   Dash Snow was 27.

Dash Snow, New York Artist, Dies at 27 [NY Times]
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Artist Dash Snow Dead of Drug Overdose [Artinfo]
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Dash Snow, Artist Linked to N.Y.C. Downtown Scene, Dies at 27
[Bloomberg]

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Dash Snow, Downtown Artist, Said to Be Dead of Overdose [Gawker]
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Artist Dash Snow Dead From Drug Overdose [NYMagazine]
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In Memoriam | Terence Koh’s Dash Snow Tribute [The Moment]
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Subversive artist Dash Snow dies
[Independent]
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Chasing Dash Snow (2007) [New York Magazine]
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Dash Snow – Whitney Biennial 2006
[Whitney]
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Dash Snow Bio – Peres Projects
[Peres Projects]
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Dash Snow – Selected Works
[Saatchi Gallery]
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Dash Snow Profile [Art Observed]

CAMARILLO FIRM LOOKING AT TEST FOR BREAST CANCER BIOSOURCE TO STUDY EARLY DETECTION

Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) July 15, 1996 | R.A. Hutchinson Daily News Staff Writer BioSource International Inc. is studying the feasibility of a test that would help physicians detect breast cancer in its earliest stages.

The board of the Camarillo-based medical test-kit supplier approved the study earlier this month as a cooperative research project with the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center at West Virginia University in Morgantown, W.Va.

“Currently, there is no technology that can detect cancer in a minimal stage,” said Aspasia Alexander, manager of investor relations for BioSource. “The test would allow them to find it in the very early stages or after a patient has had it and already has been treated for cancer.” The research team at West Virginia University is being led by Joseph Lynch, a medical doctor, and Kenneth Landreth, a scientist with a doctorate, who will use custom-made DNA segments produced by BioSource to take cancer detection to the molecular level. Their goal, according to Lynch, is to calculate the number of cancer cells present in a patient’s bone marrow.

Previous medical research has indicated cancerous cells often show up in the bone marrow of breast cancer patients.

“They tend to migrate there, and we don’t know why,” Lynch said. “It’s something that usually is only seen in breast cancer patients.” The reason for that migration may be the chemical makeup of the cell that causes breast cancer. BioSource’s Alexander said the company will make use of unique characteristics of breast cancer cells to develop the test. go to web site los robles hospital

She explained that the test kit would use certain antibodies found in breast cancer patients to coat 100 tiny wells on a test device. A patient’s blood or bone marrow would be tested in the wells. If cancer cells are present, the antibodies and cancer cells would cling together.

“There are no products on the market now that are that sensitive,” Alexander said.

BioSource’s product theoretically could detect the presence of only a handful of cells, an improvement over X-rays and imaging devices now used to detect breast cancer.

Lynch said a six-month pilot study to evaluate the feasibility of the test will begin shortly. He predicts clinical trials could start as early as 1997 to measure the reliability and effectiveness of the test. To get a test kit from inception to market takes a minimum of 24 months, according to Alexander.

Local oncologists were enthusiastic about the progress researchers are making toward finding molecular solutions to medical problems.

Michael Masterson, a physician at the Westlake Comprehensive Cancer Center in Westlake Village, is eager to learn more about BioSource’s efforts.

As a physician, he said it is frustrating to tell a breast cancer patient that medical experts believe all the cancer cells have been killed, but the only way to know for sure is to wait five years. If the cancer has not recurred by that time, then 85 percent of breast cancer patients never have recurrences.

Unsettling to Masterson is the other 15 percent.

“Once you’ve treated someone, you have to wait a number of years to know if we’ve gotten it all. The question is how do we find those few cancer cells? The real problem is how do we know when we’ve cured them?” Masterson said. “If we knew either way, we’d be able to cope and offer prognosis.” BioSource’s test kit could help Masterson in his quest.

“This could be an incredibly valuable diagnostic tool,” he said. go to web site los robles hospital

But just as research answers some questions, it creates new dilemmas, according to Dr. Harry Menco, an oncologist with the Columbia Cancer Center at Los Robles Hospital/Medical Center in Thousand Oaks.

“These things have to go through very long testing processes. Then we have to (decide) how it can be used clinically,” he said. “These tests are potentially very useful.” Menco notes, however, that some researchers theorize all people carry a certain number of cancer cells, but renegade reproduction occurs only in some. If that is the case, it would have to be determined how many cancer cells should be considered a threat to a person.

“We need to find out what this means if a patient only has a few cancer cells. This creates a whole new series of questions, and those questions generate other questions. This is how we inch along in research,” Menco said. “We all feel the answers are at the molecular level.” R.A. Hutchinson Daily News Staff Writer

AO Auction Preview: Auctions from Christie’s, Sotheby’s and old master gallery fair collaborations mark Old Masters Week in London, beginning this evening

Tuesday, July 7th, 2009


Lo Spagnoletto’s ‘Prometheus’ from the collection of Barbara Piasecka Johnson, estimated to sell between £800,000-1 million, via Sotheby’s

Old Masters Week begins in London, with auctions at Sotheby’s and Christie’s, and 23 London galleries joining together for the first Masters Painting Week, running July 4-10. running concurrently with Masters Drawing Week, which began in 2001 and offers works on paper from the 14th century to the present day.  Sotheby’s Old Master Paintings Evening Sale takes place tonight, with a special sale of works from the collection of Johnson & Johnson heiress, Barbara Piasecka Johnson. The 51 lots in the Johnson collection evening sale have a low estimate of £5.2 million, with the star lot, Lo Spagnoletto’s ‘Prometheus,’ estimated to bring in between £800,000-1 million. The rest of the evening sale, with 48 lots from other sellers, has a low estimate of £24 million. The four top lots are paintings by Goya, Fragonard, Pieter Brueghel II, and George Stubbs, all with estimates between £2.5-3.5 million. Christie’s Old Masters & 19th Century Art Evening Sale takes place tomorrow, with 66 lots from the 14th century through the late 19th century, designed to encourage cross-over buying. The top lots in that sale are paintings by Michele Giovanni Marieschi and Fra Bartolommeo, both with estimates of £2-3 million. Dealers and the auction houses combined, Master Paintings Week expects to bring in £83.5 million. Strong sales are expected in the wake of the contemporary market’s collapse. While prices for contemporary art dropped 76.2% since May of last year, according to ArtTactic, old masters prices have remained relatively steady, with increased interest by collectors looking for stabilty.

Old Masters & 19th Century Art Evening Sale [Christie’s, Wednesday, July 8, 2009]
Old Master Paintings Evening Sale [Sotheby’s, Tuesday, July 7, 2009]
Master Paintings Week [July 4-10, 2009]
Old masters challenge contemporary art [Telegraph]
Johnson & Johnson Heiress Paintings Top $136.3 Million Art Sale [Bloomberg]
Old Masters, New Interest [Wall Street Journal]
Art market news: Old Master Week [Telegraph]

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Newslinks for Saturday, July 4th, 2009

Saturday, July 4th, 2009


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Gilbert and George’s ‘Hoi Polloi,’ part of their exhibition ‘Jack Freak Pictures’ via Arndt & Partner

Gilbert and George speak about friendlessness, bigotry in the art world, and their latest exhibition, ‘Jack Freak Pictures,’ opening in London at White Cube next week [Guardian]
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Damien Hirst turns down the Royal Academy’s offer to become a Royal Academician
[Artdaily]
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Thief sentenced to two and half years in Oslo for the 2004 Munch ‘Scream’ Heist [NY Times]
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Haunch of Venison will close its Zürich gallery by 2010
[ArtNewspaper]
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After concerted effort by Eli Broad, MOCA announces that its financial troubles are over with a number of new gifts and trustees
[LA Times] and LACMA also announces new trustees, including Dasha Zhukova, founder of Moscow’s Garage Centre [LA Times]
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art responds to economic crisis, cuts 357 positions
[Crain’s]


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Titian’s ‘Triumph of Love’ via Artdaily

Director of Tate Britain Stephen Deuchar is appointed director of Art Fund [ArtReview] in related, the Tate Britain recently bought and secured for Britain Titian’s Triumph of Love [Artdaily] and, finally the Art Fund launched an “Art Saved” resource online [Art Knowledge News]
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At least 24 New York galleries have closed since the economic collapse, with a number closing for the summer [Artnet]
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Connoisseurs are buying increasingly rare Impressionist and Modern masterpieces
[NYTimes]
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Why auctions may not be the best method for museums’ deaccessioning
[Wall Street Journal]
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Cai Guo-Qiang and Shen Wei speaking Lincoln Center via WSJ

Choreographer Shen Wei and artist Cai Guo-Qiang discuss their role in the 2008 Beijing Olympics opening ceremonies and how changing attitudes in China have affected their work [Wall Street Journal]
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ArtTactic’s Art Market Confidence Indicator shows increased confidence in the contemporary art market, with 2/3 of those survey predicting a rebound by 2011 [ArtTactic via The Art Collectors] and more cautious indicators of a rebound [Artnet]


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Ji Lee’s ‘Duchamp Reloaded’ via Wooster Collective

Duchampian street sculpture in front of MoMA [Wooster Collective]
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Bravo’s art reality show holds open calls and Paddy Johnson speaks with the casting director [Art Fag City]
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A work painted in 1623-24 by a fellow scholar depicts Rembrandt at 16
[TheIndependent]
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The Pietzch Collection, which includes many rare surrealist art works, opens to public display in Berlin
[Monsters and Critics via Art Market Monitor]
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Adam Kimmel stands in front of a photo of Dan Colen as the Marlboro Man via Purple

Riffing on Richard Prince, fashion designer Adam Kimmel has Dan Colen as the Marlboro Man in a series of photos by the creator of the original ads, Jim Krantz [Purple]
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A look at what the latest auctions in London could mean for the outlook of the art market [Financial Times]
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How London’s proximity to emerging market art buyers from Middle East, Russia and Asia may now have negative effect [Wall Street Journal]


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Rachel Wardell, the first participant in Antony Gormley’s ‘One and Other’ via The GuardianUK

The first participants are announced in Antony Gormley’s ‘One and Other’ on the fourth plinth in Traflagar Square [Guardian]
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More Intelligent Life investigates the increased interest in Picasso’s late musketeer paintings and finds links between the artist’s pacifism, the mood of the 1960s and younger collectors today [Economist]


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A vandalized Banksy mural in Bristol via Bristol Evening Post

A popular Banksy mural in Bristol is vandalized as the Bristol Museum currently holds a major exhibition of the grafitti artist’s work [Bristol Evening Post via Arts Journal]
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Jeff Koons describes Michael Jackson as a “contemporary Christ figure”
[Bloomberg]
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and Koons is now collaborating with watchmaker Ikepod to make a titanium watch [Newsweek]


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Terence Koh in his studio via Whitewall

Terence Koh in his all white studio in New York [Whitewall]
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Critic Jerry Saltz initiates a discussion with MoMA Chief Curator Ann Tempkin over the museum’s lack of female artists through Facebook
[Edward Winkleman]
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A Holocaust conference including 46 nations urges more efforts to restitute art stolen by Nazis [Bloomberg]
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Uncertain Economic Times Intensify Need for Private Student Loans.

Education Business Weekly April 21, 2010 Amidst a still-struggling economy and confusion in the market over recent student loan legislation, SimpleTuition, Inc. explains that college financing options, including private student loans, remain readily available. The student loan provision in the recently passed Health Reform Act took private banks out of the federal student loan business, but not out of the education loan business. in our site citi student loans

With the country still recovering from a massive financial meltdown and credit crisis, families have seen their savings and home equity dwindle — traditionally the two biggest sources of contribution toward education expenses. At the same time, school endowments and scholarships are down, while tuition continues to rise, creating a growing gap between federal student loan limits and the money required to fund an education. While the federal PLUS loan helps to enable parent borrowing for part of this gap, for many student borrowers, private student loans remain an option and continue to play a critical role when paying for college.

“For many parents, careful use of private loans is a sound way to manage the gap in financing unmet need at many private colleges and universities and even flagship state universities,” said Nancy Hoover, Director of Financial Aid at Denison University in Ohio.

As an example, a typical student with a $32,000 annual college bill may receive about $10,000 in scholarships and other reductions, leaving a balance of $22,000. On average, federal student loans cover $7,000, leaving students with a balance of $15,000. If possible, families then contribute money from their savings or from parent borrowing, leaving a typical gap of $8,000 a year that students fill with private education loans in their own name. website citi student loans

“Since its inception, SimpleTuition has been a resource to millions of students and parents as they manage the confusing student loan process,” said Kevin Walker, Co-founder and CEO of SimpleTuition. “This legislation simplifies the process for getting federal student loans, but did not increase the amount that students can borrow. And, it may have left borrowers with the impression that ‘private’ student loans are no longer available. In fact, it is federal loans from private lenders that won’t be available. Gap-filling private student loans continue to be issued by banks and other lending institutions.” “With the economy improving, we are seeing an increase in lenders’ interest in promoting the private student loan category,” Walker continued. “We expect to see several new lenders included in the private student loan choices at SimpleTuition over the next several weeks.” The dissolution of the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP) is primarily a change in the way federal loans are delivered. Previously, the federal government allowed private banks to provide federal student loans on its behalf. Over the last few years, legislation reduced the amount of money banks generated from the federal student loan program, leading many banks to leave the market. All students will now apply for federal student loans directly from their school, for a loan that will now be provided by the Department of Education.

Bernie Madoff associate Ezra Merkin forced by New York State to sell $300M art collection

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009


Ezra Merkin, via Guardian UK.

After weeks of negotiation with the Attorney General’s office, J. Ezra Merkin has agreed to sell an art collection appraised by Christie’s at $310 million.  After taxes and other fees — the New York Times reports that Merkin was paying $60,000 a month on insurance, and owed $42 million to previous owners as well as $19.3 million on a loan used to purchase the artwork — profits from the sale amount to $191 million, to be frozen in escrow pending the outcome of the Attorney General’s suit against the suspected Bernie Madoff feeder.

Related links:
Statement from Attorney General Andrew Cuomo on the Sale of J. Ezra Merkin’s Collection

Merkin Reaches Accord with Cuomo on Art Sale [New York Times]
Madoff, Merkin, and the Murals
[Wall Street Journal: The Wealth Report]
Merkin Selling Art Frozen in Lawsuit for $310 Million
[Bloomberg]
Andrew Cuomo Unveils Deal to Sell Art Collection of Ezra Merkin, Bernie Madoff’s Associate [New York Post]

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Matthew Barney and Elizabeth Peyton debut “Blood of Two,” a performance art collaboration in a former slaughterhouse on Hydra Island, Greece

Friday, June 19th, 2009


The Deste Foundation released this “preview” image days before “Blood of Two,” took place on Hydra Island. Via [The Moment]

Matthew Barney and Elizabeth Peyton collaborated, for the first time, on an unusual exhibition this week. “Blood of Two,” a site-specific instillation, acted as an inauguration of sorts for the Deste Foundation’s move to their new “mysterious yet evocative”  location: Slaughterhouse, a project space on the Greek Island of Hydra.  Preceding the event was an exclusive dinner for the artists, collectors and curators, hosted by the founder of the foundation, art collector and Greek billionaire Dakis Joannou.

Related Links:
Arty Party, A Postcard from Hydra [The Moment]
Now Viewing, Blood of Two [The Moment]
Arty Party | A Postcard from Hydra [TheMoment]
Nobody Does it Better [Art Info]
The Deste Foundation [Deste]
Elizabeth Peyton at The New Museum [Art Observed]

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Art 40 Basel Closeup

Tuesday, June 16th, 2009


Carsten Höller’s ‘Upside Down People’ in ‘Il Tempo del Postino’ via Artinfo

The 40th edition of Art Basel closed on Sunday, drawing over 60,000 visitors. General impressions of the fair, one of the most respected in the world, were that quality was high and sales surprisingly strong. Many dealers chose a single-artist or closely curated format, often bringing older, proven artists rather than emerging or trendy artists. After a hesitant spring auction season, the results from Basel seem to signal a leveling off of the market. While some of the satellite fairs received poor reviews, most accounts of Art Basel have been very positive. Hans Ulrich Obrist and Philippe Parreno’s ‘Il Tempo del Postino,’ a time-based exhibition featuring artists such as Matthew Barney, Carsten Höller, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Olafur Eliasson, was a particular highlight, selling out all three nights of the fair.  Few have declared the market downturn over, but the emphasis of quality over spectacle at Basel combined with brisk and steady sales has given a much needed confidence boost as galleries prepare for the summer down time.

Art 40 Basel: Extraordinary Quality; Surprisingly Strong Results [Artdaily]
Window Shoppers [Wall Street Journal]
A Thriftier Lot Comes to Basel This Year [NYTimes]
The art market: Buoyant Basel contrasts with Russian reluctance [FT]
Surprise Success – Art Basel dispels credit crunch blues [The Art Newspaper]
Billionaire Broad Says Art Market ‘Levels Out’ After Price Drop [Bloomberg]
Eli Broad’s Basel mission for LA Moca [The Art Newspaper]
Time is Money [Artforum]
The Postman Rings Twice [Artinfo]
Ruby Tuesday [Artforum]
Report from Basel: Art Unlimited [Art in America]
Scope Basel: Brash, but Humble [Artinfo]
Art Bargain-Hunters Trawl Basel as Hockney Fetches $1.8 Million
[Bloomberg]
Jeff Koons: “If people say they don’t like my work, I feel like a failure.” [The Art Newspaper]
Previous AO coverage of Art Basel

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Graffitti artist Banksy reveals his largest presentation to date with a surprise intallation at the Bristol City Museum in the UK

Saturday, June 13th, 2009


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The entry installation via the Telegraph
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Graffiti artist Bansky unveils his biggest exhibition to date at the Bristol City Museum featuring more than 100 works of which 70 are new pieces including a burned-out ice cream van. The show, which opens today, has been kept secret from the media, local politicians, and even top museum staff.  Of the exhibition the artist said, “This is the first show I’ve ever done where taxpayers’ money is being used to hang my pictures up rather than scrape them off.”

Bansky at Bristol City Museum [The Guardian]
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An Ever better video of Bansky
[The World’s Best Ever]
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Bansky takes over Bristol City Museum with biggest ever exhibition [Times Online UK]
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Banksy plays it safe and that’s the key to his success
[TimesUK]
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Video: Bansky in Secret Exhibition Stunt [BBC]
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In pictures: Banksy’s Bristol Show
[BBC]
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Video: Banksy’s back: Bristol project revealed
[BBC]
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Graffiti artist Banksy unveils largest project to date [CNN]
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Take a Stuffy Old Institution. Remix. Add Wit. It’s Bansky v the Museum [The GuardianUK]
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Banksy comes in off the streets
[The Independent]
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Oh, Bansky, You’ve Done it Again [Artsbeat blog, NY Times]
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Secret Bansky Show Opens Tomorrow [Artinfo]
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Bansky back in Bristol for biggest British Exhibition [The Telegraph]

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Go See: Cardiff, Wales – Diane Arbus at the Cardiff National Gallery, through August 31, 2009

Thursday, June 11th, 2009


Diane Arbus, “Identical Twins” (1962) via Fine Art Photography Masters

From May 9 to August 31, Cardiff’s National Museum’s main exhibit will reveal the work of legendary New York photographer Diane Arbus (1923-1971).  The retrospective exhibit is comprised of 69 black and white photographs, including the rare portfolio of ten vintage prints, “Box of Ten,” which Arbus began assembling in 1969.  This limited edition portfolio, which was intended to present her work as an artist, constitutes a conscious statement of what she stood for and how she regarded her own photography.  Arbus’ photography, marrying the conventions of 19th century portraiture with the seamy concerns of the 1960s, remains startling today.

Related links:
Diane Arbus at the National Museum Cardiff
[Financial Times]
Diane Arbus Exhibition Page [National Museum Wales]
Exhibition Preview: Diane Arbus, Cardiff [Guardian UK]
Diane Arbus: a Flash of Familiarity [Telegraph]
Exhibition of Legendary Photographer Diane Arbus’ Work to be Displayed at National Museum Cardiff [Art Daily]

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AO On Site – Basel: ART 40 BASEL opened today, initial reports indicate solid activity

Wednesday, June 10th, 2009


Tony Cragg’s Big Head (2009), courtesy of the Marian Goodman Gallery, photo by Art Observed.

The 40th installment of Art Basel runs this year from June 10 to the 14th.  The annual event, dubbed the “Olympics of the Art World” by the New York Times, includes this year over 2,500 artists, and works exhibited in almost 300 galleries around the world.  Works range in medium, from painting and drawing to sculpture, installation art, photography, and video.  Featured are both old masters of modern art and contemporary artists: among this year’s roster are the works of Pablo Picasso, Paul Cézanne, Jackson Pollock, Marcel Duchamp and more, alongside that of today’s artists, including John Baldessari, Vanessa Beecroft, and Rebecca Horn.

Related links:
Art_Base [Official Website]
Art Basel Catalog
Art Basel 40 Celebrates the First Art Basel Weekend with Special Presentations [ArtDaily]
Art Basel Shows Works of Art by 2,500 Artists at World’s Premier International Art Fair
[ArtDaily]
Editor’s Picks: Art Basel Preview [ArtInfo]
Il Tempo del Postino – “The World’s First Visual Arts Opera” [ArtKey]
The art market: The biggest fairs around the world [the Financial Times]
Trading Places [the Financial Times]
Meanwhile, in Basel, Contemporary Works You Can Buy [Wall Street Journal]
Brad Pitt Buys Big at Basel, with a Little Push from Eli Broad
[Wall Street Journal]
Preview sales defy all expectations [The Art Newspaper]
For Art Lovers, Basel Doesn’t End at the Fair
[New York Times]
Warhol Price Slashed as Art Basel Fights Slump With Bargains [Bloomberg]
Pitt Buys in Basel as Broad Browses, $2 Million Sculpture Sells [Bloomberg]
Liste: Quality Uneven but Spirits High [ArtInfo]
To Bling or Not to Bling? [ArtInfo]
Locals Rule: Alternative Art Spaces Gear Up for Art Basel
[ArtInfo]
BASELMANIA 2009
[ArtNet]
Preview sales defy all expectations [ArtNewspaper]
Forty Years of Art Basel
[The Art Newspaper]

(more…)

2009 Venice Biennale – Art Observed summary of press preview weekend

Tuesday, June 9th, 2009


Michaelangelo Pistoletto’s performance of ‘Seventeen Less One’ at the Venice Biennale, photo by ArtObserved

The 53rd Venice Biennale is now open to the public after a press preview June 4-6.  During that time, Art Observed was on site and also has collected some of the relevant news stories covering the event from the global press.

U.S. representative Bruce Nauman won the Golden Lion for best national participation for his exhibition ‘Topological Gardens,’ curated by the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Also receiving Golden Lions are Yoko Ono, John Baldessari, and Tobias Rehberger, who won the best artist award for his work ‘What you love also makes you cry.’  Highlights of the Biennale include Britain’s Steve McQueen’s film ‘Giardini,’ which portrays the Biennale Gardens when not used as exhibition space, Liam Gillick at the German Pavilion, covered by AO here, Elmgreem and Dragset’s ‘The Collectors’ at the Danish and Nordic Pavilions, and ‘Making Worlds,’ the International Art Exhibition curated by Daniel Birnbaum, both covered by AO here.

On the Biennale:
Venice Biennale 2009: the opening day
[GuardianUK]
Venice Biennale 2009 [Vernissage TV]
On your vaporetto to the far pavilions [GuardianUK]
Venice Biennale is a glimpse of the future [TimesUK]
Venice Biennale 2009: A photographer’s view [GuardianUK]
Trading places [Financial Times]
Venice Biennale Opens Showing Works by Over 90 Artists from all Over the World [Artdaily]
A More Serene Biennale [NY Times]
This, That, and the Other [Artforum]
It’s Reigning Men [ArtForum]
Blasblog From Venice: And So It Begins [Style.com]
“Art Is Everywhere” [Style.com]
The Venice Biennale opens with top honors for a German artist
[Deutsche Welle via Art Review]
Over and Over: Art That Never Stops
[NY Times]

On Bruce Naumann and the US Pavillion:
Bruce Nauman wins a Golden Lion at Venice Biennale
[LA Times]
Venice is doubly enamored of Bruce Nauman [LA Times]
Venice Biennial: Hear the U.S. Roar [Wall Street Journal]
Shaking up the world of art for decades [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Golden Lion for the Best National Participation Awarded to the U.S. Representation [Artdaily]
Nauman Tops Venice Biennale, Wins Golden Lion: Martin Gayford [Bloomberg]

On Pinault’s innaugaration of his new museum:
Francois Pinault Opens The New Punta della Dogana Contemporary Art Centre in Venice [Artdaily]
How the French Charles Saatchi became the merchant of Venice [Guardian]
Pinault’s Venice Empire Grows With Cool Contemporary-Art Museum [Bloomberg]

On Steven McQueen, representing the UK at the Biennale:
Steve McQueen at the Venice Biennale: Private view with Adrian Searle [Guardian]
Art Charities Collaborate to Fund Steve McQueen’s Giardini for Venice [Artdaily]
Steve McQueen found something new in Venice [Guardian]
Steve McQueen’s “Giardini” at the Venice Biennale [IFC]
Steve McQueen lets Venice Biennale viewer do the feeling with Giardini [Times]

On Swoon’s Swimming Cities of the Serrenisma,video from the New York Landing of her boat in previously in Long Island City covered by Art Observed here:
Barging in to Venice [New York]
Swoon in Venice, Italy [dailyDuJour]
Barging in to Venice [New York Magazine]

And more:
Venice Biennale: Flashing Lights [NY Times]
Venice Biennale: Ships in the Sky
[NY Times]
Venice Biennale: Listening to Art [NY Times]
Rauschenberg at the Guggenheim in Venice [Financial Times]
United Arab Emirates confronts stereotypes in Venice Biennale debut
[GuardianUK]
Ukraine pavilion is a Venice Biennale knockout [TimesUK]

more photos and story after the jump…

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53rd Venice Biennale Art Exhibition Previews today, Opens to public June 7th

Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009

This year’s Venice Biennale runs from June 7 to November 22, with press preview on June 4-6.  Since 1985, emerging and long-established artists have represented their countries at the Biennale.  The event, happening every other year, has evolved to exhibit current movements in art, architecture, cinema, dance, music, and theatre.  The Biennale presents the artistic trends at the forefront of contemporary art and the avant-garde.  Art Observed will be on site for this event, as Venice opens its doors to artists and art fans from around the world.

Related links:
La Biennale di Venezia
Venice Biennale 2009 Exhibit Map
Blood, oil and designer rugs: the world’s top artists set for the Venice Bienniale [The Guardian UK]
Braco Dimitrijevic’s Future Post History to be Shown at Ca’Pesaro and Ca’Farsetti as Part of Venice Biennale  [ArtDaily]
Can-Do Canadians Struggle Toward Venice Biennale [ArtInfo]
Does Venice Still Matter? [The Art Newspaper]
‘Flying Art’ Gallery in Venice [Ansa.it]
French Pavilion presents Claude Leveque at 53rd Venice Biennale [Artipedia]
Home Team: A Pair of Artists Play Home [TMagazine]
How the French Charles Saatchi became the merchant of Venice [The Guardian UK]
The Internet Pavilion at the Venice Biennale [Wired]
Mark Lewis Represents Canada with Four New Films at the 53rd International Art Exhibition [ArtDaily]
My week: Steve McQueen [The GuardianUK]
Steve McQueen at the Venice Biennale: Private view with Adrian Searle [The Guardian UK audio]
New Funding model behind the British Pavilion [The Art Newspaper]
The Pavilion doesn’t even have a bathroom [The Globe and Mail]
Russia makes its presence felt in Venice [The Art Newspaper]
Russian Pavilion to Present Victory over the Future at 53rd International Venice Biennale [ArtDaily]
Too Haute for Commerce: The Venice Biennale [The New York Observer]
Venice Biennale in the past [The Telegraph]
Venice Biennale: Let the Invasion Begin
[The New York Times]
Venice Biennale Preview
[ArtInfo]

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Newslinks for Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009


Anish Kapoor’s ‘Shooting into the Corner’ via The Independent

Britain’s Royal Academy opens its galleries in September to Anish Kapoor for the first single artist exhibition there since 1988 [Independent] and Kapoor’s commission for the Deutsche Guggenheim, ‘Memory,’ opens in October [Guggenheim]


Gilbert and George in Hong Kong via Financial Times

Gilbert and George describe their trip to Hong Kong for the opening of ‘Louis Vuitton: A Passion For Creation’ at the Hong Kong Museum of Art [Financial Times]
Oreg0n art dealer indicted for running gallery as a Ponzi scheme [Artinfo]


Glenn Brown’s ‘Christina of Denmark’ via Art in America

Lynn MacRitchie visits painter Glenn Brown’s studio [Art in America]
Predictions about the future of auction houses following the burst of the art market bubble
[CNBC via Art Market Monitor]


Aerial view of Governors Island via Governors Island

Creative Time announces Plot, a public art quadrennial, to take place on Governors Island this summer, with 19 international artists showing in 5 buildings previously closed to the public [Creative Time]


Pablo Picasso’s ‘Homme à l’épée’ via Philippe Sollers estimated to sell for £5-7 million at Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art Sale later this month

Christie’s announces its Impressionist and Modern Art Sale, with important works by Monet, Duchamp, and Picasso as highlights [Auction Publicity] and in other auction news, Latin American sales follow the downward trend [Artinfo]


Terence Koh and Tom Sachs celebrate the release of Koh’s new book at Julian Schnabel’s house via Style

Vito Schnabel holds a dinner party at Palazzo Chupi in honor of Terence Koh’s new book, ‘Flowers for Baudelaire’ [Style]
Eric Fischl is organizing a touring exhibition aimed at involving artists in the evolution of American identity in the wake of post-9/11 politics [LA Times]


Takashi Murakami signing posters for the Vogue Nippon launch via Hint

Comme des Garçons x Vogue Nippon concept shop opens, featuring Takashi Murakami collaborations [Hint]
Controversial modern museum, the Ara Pacis, in the heart of historical Rome, is vandalized [BBC]


Jenny Holzer’s ‘Monument’ via Economist

Daniel Arizona looks at how Jenny Holzer’s early aphorisms stand up now and how her new ‘Redaction Paintings’ capture today’s anxiety [Economist]
Antony Gormley and Sir Peter Blake among judges of Saatchi Gallery-Sunday Telegraph Art Prize for schoolchildren [TelegraphUK]

Magritte Museum opens today in Brussels with largest collection of the artist’s work

Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009


King Albert II and Queen Paola of Belgium looking at René Magritte’s ‘Black Magic’ at the inauguration of the Magritte Museum in Brussels via Artdaily

A museum dedicated to Belgian Surrealist artist René Margritte opens today in Brussels. The Magritte Museum houses the world’s largest Magritte collection, with two hundred and fifty artworks as well as archival material, and is the product of a partnership between the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium, the Magritte Foundation, the Belgian Régie des Bâtiments, the Belgian Federal Science Policy Administration, and the GDF SUEZ Group. Following in the footsteps of other recently built single artist museums, such as the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam or the Zentrum Paul Klee at Berne, the Magritte Museum is intended as a research center for the life and work of the artist.

René Magritte Museum
Who said there weren’t any famous Belgians? Two museums honour country’s most celebrated sons [GuardianUK]
New Magritte Museum Houses the Largest Collection of Magritte Works in the World [Artdaily]
Magritte Museum Opens as Surreal House, Tintin Gets Spaceship [Bloomberg]

Newslinks for Saturday, May 23rd, 2009

Saturday, May 23rd, 2009


Ben Lewis BBC reporter for ‘The Great Contemporary Art Bubble’ via The Age

A video player of the BBC documentary: ‘The Great Contemporary Art Bubble’ which, though scathing, gained extraordinary access to collectors such as Adam Lindemann, Aby Rosen and the Mugrabi’s.  Of note is that the documentary filmmaker Ben Lewis actually admits to being the source that leaked White Cube’s unsold inventory prior to the famous Damien Hirst Sotheby’s Auction of 2008 [BBC]


The Guggenheim Museum via Guggenheim.org

The Guggenheim Museum celebrates its 50th anniversary with an exhibition on Frank Lloyd Wright [NYTimes]
The Wall Street Journal calls a possible art price floor based on NY Spring auction activity being the “smallest in 5 years”
[Wall Street Journal]
A lawsuit is filed against Christie’s over $3.2 million accepted bid alledgedly made after another accepted phone bid
[Bloomberg]
On the austere outlook for recent art school graduates
[Financial Times]

Supermarkets censor Manic Street Preachers album cover by Jenny Saville [BBC]
On Art in America owner Peter Brandt’s new exhibition space / festivities at his Greenwich estate [Art Forum]


A digital rendering of Karl Haendel’s ‘Scribble’ on 441 Broadway via NY Times

Art Production Fund sponsors a by-hand, massive “scribble” (on wall once used by Banksy) on Howard Street in Soho, New York [NY Times]
An article on the effect at auction of the duration of artists’ careers as well as how prolific they are [NYMag]
The Museum of Contemporary Art in LA cuts four exhibitions and 17 more jobs [LATimes]
The Fine Art Fund Group sets up to bid on 2 corporate art collections worth up to $65 million and holding works by Picasso and Cindy Sherman
[Financial Times]


Maria Baibakova via WWD

24-year old Russian Heiress Maria Baibakova is launching new contemporary shows in Moscow [WWD]
The Obama family redecorates the White House with works by Jasper Johns,Richard Diebenkorn, Jasper Johns and Robert Rauschenberg
[Wall Street Journal]


Deitch Projects director Nicola Vassell in her Soho loft via NYMag

On the salon-like atmosphere at Deitch Projects director Nicola Vassell’s Soho, New York apartment [NYMag]
Steve McQueen has lunch with the FT, speaks on his film ‘Hunger’ and the Venice Biennial [Financial Times]


The Museum Brandhorst in Munich via Cubeme.com

Munich’s Brandhorst Museum opens, housing works by Joseph Beuys, Bruce Nauman, Damien Hirst and Gerhard Richter [The Art Newspaper]


A trip photo by Rita Ackermann in Marfa via Blackbook

Rita Ackermann documents her artist in residence in Marfa, home of Donald Judd’s Chianti Foundation [BlackBook]


101 Spring Street, the former home and studio of artist Donald Judd in Soho, New York

In related, the Judd Foundation will restore 101 Spring Street, a cast iron building that was the home and studio of artist Donald Judd. [ArtDaily]


The artist Dash Snow in his Bowery Studio via the Fashionisto

Artist Dash Snow profiled in Muse Magazine [Muse]
Nearly 11,000 people have applied to be part of Antony Gormley’s interactive sculpture on London’s Fourth Plinth, to run from July to October
[Independent]
‘Sold Out,’ the original title for ‘The Warhol Effect,’ the Tate Modern’s autumn show featuring Hirst, Koons and Haring , was rumored to have been vetoed by one of the artists due to its double meaning
[GuardianUK]
Damien Hirst is the Art Curator for ‘Boogie Woogie,’ a new fictional film on the inside of the art world [TimesUK]
And Hirst opens a show of his work in Prague
[RadioPrague]


The Torment of Saint Anthony, reportedly by Michelangelo

The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas purchases what it believes to be Michelangelo’s first painting, which he completed when he was 12 or 13 years old [DallasNews]
The Hermitage and the State Russian Museum are accused of tax evasion by the Federal Tax Police [The St. Petersburg Times] via ArtinAmerica


The Art Institute of Chicago’s Modern Wing via ArtInfo

The 264,000 square foot Renzo Piano designed Modern Wing of The Art Institute of Chicago opens, making the museum the second largest in the US [ChicagoTribune]
A £3 million, 2-ton Henry Moore sculpture stolen in 2005 was most likely melted down and sold for £1,500 worth of scrap metal
[GuardianUK]
President Sarkozy will attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the controversial Louvre in Abu Dhabi
[ArtNewspaper]


Richard Prince’s ‘After Dark’ Tapestry on the Hong Kong Museum of Art via Wallpaper

Richard Prince covers the Hong Kong Museum of Art in pulp-fiction novel covers to commemorate the exhibition “Louis Vuitton : A Passion for Creation” [ArtDaily]
In related, with a 31%
attendance increase and strong sales, the 2nd Hong Kong International Art Fair is deemed a success [HongKongArtFair]


The New home of Hauser and Wirth New York at 32 East 69th Street via ArtInfo

Gallerist David Zwirner will open a new gallery in Shigeru Ban’s Metal Shutter House on West 19th Street and, uptown, Hauser & Wirth New York (following last month’s debut of Swallow Street, its London exhibition space for emerging artists) will open an Annabelle Selldorf-designed space in the building that was formerly occupied by Zwirner and Wirth on 32 East 69th Street [ArtReview]
The Albion Gallery in London closes in bankruptcy
[Artinfo]
Roughly 25 out of 388 galleries in Chelsea have closed but at least 10 new galleries have opened, with more are on the way [Crain’s]

GO SEE: BEATRIZ MILHAZES AT FOUNDATION CARTIER POUR L’ART CONTEMPORAIN IN PARIS THROUGH JUNE 21ST, 2009

Sunday, May 17th, 2009

Beatriz Milhanes at Fondation Cartier via WSJ

For her exhibition at the Fondation Cartier, Brazilian born artist Beatriz Milhanes presents a focused selection of large format acrylic paintings, chosen from her work of the past decade, as well as a monumental collage created especially for the show.  She was also commissioned to produce a monumental installation of the building’s glass facades.  Beatriz Milhanes emerged on the Brazilian art scene in the mid-1980s.  Her vibrant and colorful paintings intertwine colonial baroque, high modernism, and popular Brazilian art.  Her bold and bright installations play with natural light to compliment the architecture of Jean Nouvel and the surrounding garden.

Beatriz Milhanes, Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain April 4th-June 21st [ArtSlant]
Beatriz Milhanes, Fondation Cartier
[Artnews]
Events, Paris, Beatriz Milhanes
[Abitare]
Pop Goes Paris
[WSJ]

(more…)

Eva Rothschild to create 200-foot-long sculpture for Tate Britain

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009


–>
‘Mass mind (steel version) by Eva Rothschild via Artdaily

Irish artist Eva Rothschild will create a sculpture for the Tate Britain Duveens Commission 2009.  The planned single work will span the whole of the Duveen Galleries, over 200 feet long. Speaking of the commission, Rothschild said, “I’m hoping to create something that will agitate the architecture of the Duveens Galleries, tangling with your perception of the space.” The neo-classical galleries will provide an engaging background for the artist, whose works are typicaly geometric, light, and spare.  Last year’s Duveens Commission was Martin Creed’s ‘Work No. 850,’ where runners ran as fast as they could through the galleries every thirty seconds. Rothschild’s work will be on view at Tate Britain June 29 – November 29, 2009.

Tate Britain Duveens Commission: Eva Rothschild [Tate]
–>
Tate Britain to get 200ft mega-sculpture [Telegraph]
–>
Artist Eva Rothschild takes on annual Tate display [Reuters]

Edible Arrangements Unveils Italy Expansion Plans.

Food & Beverage Close-Up February 27, 2012 Edible Arrangements, a company involved in hand-sculpted, fresh-fruit arrangements, announced that Dr. Fausto Petruzziello, MD, has secured the rights to develop Edible Arrangements stores throughout Italy. go to website edible arrangements coupon code

According to a release, Petruzziello plans on opening the first Edible Arrangements location outside of Rome in Varese (Milan area) within two months and at least 30 stores over the next five years. All of the locations will carry the Edible To Go extended product line that includes fruit sundaes, smoothies, parfaits, and natural, fresh-squeezed fruit beverages.

A native of Italy, Petruzziello’s team has already opened three Edible Arrangements stores in Rome with a fourth ready to open its doors in the next few days. When not overseas managing the business, he is a full-time physician in the New Haven, Connecticut area, an assistant professor of Medicine at Yale University, and heads a professional, skilled and dedicated corporate management team operating in both Italy and the United States.

“Edible Arrangements has been greatly received in Rome, even in these hard economic times, and we are thrilled to be opening in the Milan area, the country’s business capital, and other regions across Italy,” said Petruzziello. “Upon first learning about the beautifully designed, fresh fruit arrangements I knew the business could easily be adapted to Italian culture, tastes and holidays. We look forward to expanding the brand so that more communities across Italy can enjoy a healthier, unique alternative to traditional gifts.” Earlier this month, Edible Arrangements launched a 2012 aggressive development strategy to sign 185 new franchise agreements and open 125 total new stores, including 18 international units. web site edible arrangements coupon code

“We admire the incredible contributions Fausto has made to the Edible Arrangements brand in just two years of operation and could not be more excited for his continued expansion in Italy,” said Kamran Farid, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Edible Arrangements, Inc. “Constant business flow from foot traffic and a love for fresh fruit, combined with Fausto’s passion for our products and business acumen, have made Edible Arrangements incredibly successful in Rome.” ((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

AO Auction Results: Sotheby’s New York Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale Posts Anemic Results

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009


Martin Kippenberger’s ‘Untitled’ via Sotheby’s sold for $4.1 million, falling within estimates of $3.5-4.5 million and setting a new record at auction for the artist.

Sotheby’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale resulted in another disappointment for the beleaguered auction house following last week’s thin Impressionist and Modern Art sales. Total sales were estimated at $51.8-72.4 million for 49 lots, but the total came up short at $47 million, with 9 lots failing to sell. However, the auction is not viewed as disastrous, considering Sotheby’s put very little money up front, and the star of the show, a Jeff Koons sculpture from his ‘Celebration’ series, did manage to sell, unlike at last week’s auction.  However, ‘Baroque Egg With Bow (Turquoise/Magenta)’ fell short of its $6 million low-estimate, selling for $5.4 million to Larry Gagosian.  The piece was put up by hedge fund manager Daniel S. Loeb, who originally bought it from Gagosian in 2004 for what is believed to be around $3 million.

While the dollar amounts were nothing compared to a year ago, the auction did sell 81.2% of its lots, with 78.1% of total value realized. Still, the auction comes on the heels of Sotheby’s 1st quarterly earnings report, posting a loss of $66.7 million with the market looking tepid for some time to come.

Sotheby’s Sale Fails to Meet Low Expectations [WSJ]
In ‘a Recalibrated Market,’ Auction Buyers Take Over [NY Times]
Bidders respond to lower prices for contemporary art [Reuters]
Sotheby’s Contemporary Sale Solid but Subdued
[ArtInfo]
Loeb Sells Koons Egg for $5.5 Million at Sotheby’s in New York [Bloomberg]
Sotheby’s Tax Benefit Offsets Average Daily Loss of $1 Million [Bloomberg]
Sotheby’s shares tumble after weak auction [Crain’sNewYork]
(more…)

Go See: Gerhard Richter's Portraits at the National Portrait Gallery in London through May 31st 2009

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Lesende (1994) by Gerhard Richter, via The National Portrait Gallery

Gerhard Richter Portraits currently at the National Gallery in London is the first major exhibition devoted to one of the greatest living painters. The selection of works date from the 1960s to the present including important early black and white paintings made by looking at magazine photographs, private snapshots, and a special installation of his renowned series 48 Portraits featuring images of modern culture heroes such as Wilde, Mann, Kafka, and Stravinsky.

RELATED LINKS
–>
Exhibition Page[National Portrait Gallery]
–>
Murdered Aunt, Ghostly Nude Star in Gerhard Richter Exhibit [Bloomberg]
–>
Photos and Fantasy: Gerhard Richter’s Portraits
[The Independent]
–>
Groundbreaking Exhibition of Portraits by Gerhard Richter opens at the National Portrait Gallery UK [Artdaily]
–>
The Painted Illusions of Gerhard Richter [The Guardian]
–>
Faces from an Abstract Life [FT]
–>

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Takashi Murakami releases preview of ‘Superflat First Love’ for Louis Vuitton

Sunday, May 10th, 2009

–>–>–>
Preview of Takashi Murakami’s animated short ‘Superflat First Love’ for Louis Vuitton via Hypebeast

In 2003, Japanese artist Takashi Murakami and Marc Jacob collaborated on a new multicolor monogram for Louis Vuitton, resulting in a runaway hit.  Murakami made an animated short for the line, ‘Superflat Monogram.’ In the fall of 2007, ‘©Murakami’ opened at LAMOCA, complete with a Louis Vuitton store in the museum, to the ire of museum purists. The show later traveled to the Brooklyn Museum. Murakami has partnered with Louis Vuitton for a new line, called ‘Multicolore Spring Palette,’ and made a new video for this line, too, titled ‘Superflat First Love.’ The five-minute video is currently available in Japan as a mobile download, but a preview has been uploaded to YouTube and can be seen above.


View of the Louis Vuitton store in Omotesando, Japan via aarting

Louis Vuitton Animation – SUPERFLAT FIRST LOVE Premiering Soon!! [Kaikai Kiki]
Superflat First Love – Takashi Murakami For Louis Vuitton [High Snobiety]
Takashi Murakami | Superflat First Love [Hypebeast]
Louis Vuitton Superflat First Love – Takashi Murakami [Weekly Drop]
LOUIS VUITTON x TAKASHI MURAKAMI “MULTICOLOR SPRING PALLET” STORE DESIGN [aarting]
Greater Tokyo [Hint Mag]

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Go See: Wassily Kandinsky at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris through August 10th, 2009

Monday, May 4th, 2009

Kandinsky’s “First Abstract Watercolor 1910” via abcgallery

After showing at Munich’s Städtische galerie im Lembachhaus and before moving to New York’s Guggenheim Museum (autumn 2009) the international retrospective of Wassily Kandinsky will spend the spring and summer months at the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris (8 April – 10 August 2009).  The exhibition, showcasing some hundred of Kandinsky’s paintings, will offer a comprehensive chronological survey of the Russian Artist’s contribution to modern art while investigating his formal and conceptual offerings to the course of 20th century abstraction.  Kandinsky is noted for striving to give painting the freedom from nature he felt in music.

Pompidou Offers Comprehensive Overview of the Work of Russian Artist Wassily Kandinsky [Art Daily]       
–>
“Kandinsky” at Centre Georges-Pompidou, April 8–August 10, 2009
[ArtInfo]
–>
Kandinsky’s Squiggles, Amoeba Delight in Paris Show: Review [Bloomberg]                                                                    
–>
Landmark Kandinsky Retrospective Planned for Guggenheim Museum’s 50th
[Guggenheim]

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