Andy Warhol, 20 Pink Maos (1979), via Phillips
Complementing the offering of new works across town at Regent’s Park, Phillips London has opened a week of auctions around Frieze Week, closing out its 30-lot sale this evening with a consistent sale, seeing 6 of the evening’s 30 lots go unsold to reach a final tally of £17,867,750. (more…)
Antony Gormley is interviewed in the Financial Times this week, explaining his views on architecture, and how the principles of construction and design factor into his own work.  “We’re dealing with a made world,†he says, “rather than an elemental one, and I’ve set myself the task of trying to make an account of what it feels like to live now.†(more…)
Antony Gormley, EXPANDED FAMILY X2: CHOOSEÂ (2014)
On view at Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac’s Salzburg location through October 31st is Space Out, artist Antony Gormley’s ongoing investigation of physical space and its encapsulation through sculptural intervention.  One of the most recognized and influential sculptors working today, Gormley has always been interested in space and its correspondence to physicality, yet with his recent series, Expansion Field, the artist accentuates his often noticeable tendency towards stripping human figures down to geometrical forms. Divorced from human attributions such as curves or postures, these robust creations bear various references to the history of art including Minimalism and Russian Constructivism. (more…)
Antony Gormley has contributed a special piece to the Financial Times this week, describing his vision for the future of sculpture.  “Our need is to leave a trace: a trace of our living and dying on the face of an indifferent universe,” he writes.  “Sculpture’s central purpose in confronting the body with another materiality is to engage the imagination, to make links with all that lies beyond the palpable and the observable, deep in space or deep in the unconscious mind.” (more…)
Anthony Caro, Sunshine (1964), via Sotheby’s
Curated by Royal Academy Artistic Director Tim Marlow, Sotheby’s  tenth edition of its outdoor sculpture exhibition at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire, titled Beyond Limits, swings for the fences with its studious and somewhat understated take on the impact and influence of Britain’s sculptural greats over the past 65 years.  Tracing lines of exchange and dialogue from the formal innovations of the 1950’s and 60’s through the irreverent inversions of the YBA’s during the 1990’s and on to the present, the exhibition is an intriguing examination on Britain’s own sense of the art historical as much as it is a review of its products. (more…)
One of the sculptures from Antony Gormley’s Land installation at Clavell Tower, Kimmeridge Bay in the UK has been toppled by a storm, the BBC reports.  “We are aware that the “Land” sculpture has come down in the storm at Kimmeridge Bay and we are taking steps to deal with it asap,” says the UK building conservation charity Landmark Trust. (more…)
Antony Gormley will finally debut his Event Horizon in Hong Kong, one year after the suicide of a J.P. Morgan trader delayed the installation of the work. The sculpture will launch this November. (more…)
Sculptor Antony Gormley was honored with knighthood this New Year’s Day. Â “I’m really very humbled and delighted. Â I think Britain has this extraordinary history of people who think through making things that live in our world and are to be shared.” (more…)
Antony Gormley, Meter (Installation View), via Thaddeus Ropac
Antony Gormley’s sculptures continually revisit the human form, using a variety of principles in measurement, position, space and density to chart the human body through sharp angles and jutting lines. Taking this jutting, architectural approach to figuration, the artist’s work poses intriguing questions of how humanity recreates its own inherent forms, and the dissonances that occasionally enter the dialogue between subject and object. (more…)
Artists Jake and Dinos Chapman will bring three monumental dinosaur sculptures to London this summer, part of a series of sculptural installations that will also include work by Antony Gormley and Robert Indiana.  “Art is an essential part of vitality of the City of London, a draw for workers and visitors alike, a major contributing factor in our economic vibrancy and the kernel of the cultural brio of the Square Mile.”  Says John Scott, chairman of the City of London Corporation’s arts advisory board. (more…)
Following a well-attended VIP preview at this year’s Art Stage Singapore, dealers are saying that the Asian art fair is off to a strong start.  The growing wealth of Southeast Asia is reflected in the high number of Asian galleries at the fair, but Western artists have also fared well, with a number of Antony Gormley works already sold, and major interest in the butterfly works of Damien Hirst.  “With the Dow at a four-year high, a lot of people have loosened their purse strings,†said Jasdeep Sandhu, of Singapore-based Gajah Gallery. (more…)
Antony Gormley, Installation View (2012), Courtesy of the White Cube Gallery
With scatterings of futuristic beings juxtaposed against white walls walls and the faded grey floor of  White Cube’s Bermondsey space is Antony Gormley’s new exhibition, Model. Darkened figures lurk in the shadows, emerging from the concrete; domineering inhabitants shun away the seemingly unwelcome spectators. Occupying the South Gallery is the massive work, itself entitled Model, which allows visitors to walk into its complete darkness and allow anything to happen.
Antony Gormley, Model (2012), Courtesy of the White Cube Gallery
Antony Gormley, Shore II (2012). All images courtesy Sean Kelly Gallery.
To inaugurate Sean Kelly Gallery’s new location, designed by Toshiko Mori, is an exhibition of new works by Antony Gormley. Bodyspace continues Gormley’s decades-long exploration of the body, and specifically addresses the body in relation to the newly re-designed interior.
Sean Kelly Gallery, Los Carpinteros, Kosmaj Toy (2012).
All images by A.M. Ekstrand for ArtObserved, on location at Art Basel Miami Beach Fair.
Art Basel returned once again in Miami Beach this past week for the 11th annual Art Basel Miami Beach Fair. Featuring over 300 galleries representing 36 countries around the world, the show has exhibited marked growth from last year’s event, with well over 2,000 artists flocking to exhibit at what has become the internationally-renowned closing party for the world art market each year.  It is of course always an irony that tens of thousands will fly down for the events and parties, with many of them never visiting the vast aggregation of what it said to be roughly $1.5 billion worth of art in one (large) room, a collection that few museums in the world could compete with.  Below is a selection of some of the works we thought to be notable from the fair.
Helly Nahmad Gallery, Mark Rothko No. 1 (1957) and Alexander Calder, installation view
Art Basel Miami Beach 2011 photo by ArtObserved
Despite the large number of exhibitors from New York who are in recovery from Hurricane Sandy, almost  every Chelsea gallery scheduled to exhibit will be at this year’s 11th edition of Art Basel Miami Beach week. Events begin as early as today, Monday, December 3rd and run through Sunday, December 9th. Exhibitors and artists are preparing for a flurry of activity, with a multitude of fairs, some old, some new; public installations, exhibitions, collaborations and of course, parties centering around the Delano, The W, Soho Beach House, The Deauville, The Raleigh, The Standard and others. Check out the detailed schedule of events below.
Visionaire Magazine party at Delano Hotel 2011 photo by ArtObserved
A massive Antony Gormley sculpture, his largest to date, will go on view at White Cube next week. It is so enormous that visitors enter through one of the sculpture’s feet.  It is a direct response to the space afforded by White Cube’s South Galleries at Bermondsey. (more…)
FIAC Grand Palais, photo courtesy We Want Contrast for Art Observed
FIAC, one of Europe’s main three art fairs, held its vernissage last night in Paris at the Grand Palais. Dealers saw strong blue chip sales, including an $8 million Joan Miro panting, despite concerns over France’s proposed increase in wealth taxes and a strong Frieze and Frieze Masters in London the week before.
Gilles Fuches, President Prix Marcel Duchamp
All photos by Tiphaine Popesco for Art Observed unless otherwise noted
The crowd at FIAC
FIAC has added more contemporary work from the second half of the 20th century in the last two years, attracting big collectors like Francois Pinault, Bernard Arnault, Alberto Mugrabi and Omer Koc.
Antony Gormley – Still Standing Installation View, White Cube Gallery
Coming off a a major exhibition of work in Sao Paulo, Antony Gormley returns to the White Cube in Hoxton with a selection of works from the past two years, continuing his explorations into the displacement of human space through architectural practice.
Antony Gormley, Proppers (Gallery View)
With a major exhibition of work at the Centro Cultural Banco de Brasil in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Brasilia, British sculptor Antony Gormley has made his first foray into the South American art world in grand fashion.  To accompany this showing, the White Cube Gallery has sponsored its own show of new work by Gormley, in conjunction with his solo exhibition.
‬Agata Olek yarn bombs Antony Gormley iron men sculptures, part of his Another Place series on Crosby beach, UK. “By covering them and giving them a new skin, I made them more alive,†says Olek.
Louise Bourgeois, Untitled (2004). All photos on site by Art Observed.
The last of the throng at the first Frieze Art Fair on Randall’s Island in New York City petered out Monday afternoon yet, the most avid collectors simply shifted course to the remainder auction sales at Christie’s and Philips de Pury. Overall, gallerists at the fair appeared to be immensely pleased with the inaugural event, some booths claiming blowout sales, while others were content with merely executing reserve transactions.
John Ahearn casts a fairgoer in plaster as part of Frieze Projects
Gavin Brown and Mark Ruffalo cooking sausages. All photographs by Aubrey Roemer for Art Observed.
The always fresh but now venerable Frieze Art Fair of Regent’s Park, London, has successfully completed its maiden voyage to this side of the Atlantic. The pavilion, designed by Brooklyn-based SO-IL Architects, places Frieze New York on Randall’s Island Park from May 4-7, 2012. The fair is being held in a distinctly snakelike structure that houses 180 leading contemporary galleries presenting works by more than 1,000 artists. There are a number of culinary options as well: Roberta’s, The Fat Radish Café, Frankie’s Spuntino Restaurant, Sant Abroeus Café and the Standard Biergarten.
Zhang Huan, 49 days nO. 1 (2011). Blum & Poe. All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse.
Collins Park, located just outside of The Bass Museum of Art on Collins Avenue just off the ocean, held the Art Public sector of Art Basel Miami Beach 2011, including artists such as Antony Gormley, Glenn Kaino, Thomas Houseago, and Zhang Huan,.  The following is a photoset of the works.
Artist Glenn Kainto participating in his Levitating the Fair piece
Allora & Calzadilla, Umbrella and Bell (2011), front; Anish Kapoor, Untitled (2011), behind. At Lisson Gallery, booth J1. All photos on site for Art Observed by Caroline Claisse.
International collectors and art enthusiasts filled the Miami Beach Convention Center for the Wednesday preview of Art Basel Miami Beach 2011. While the maze of gallery booths could seem overwhelming, buyers were able to navigate through for a solid day of sales and works placed on reserve. Larger galleries such as Gagosian, David Zwirner, and Sprüth Magers sold several works and editions thereof. Speaking with Neil Wenman of Hauser & Wirth, “We’ve had a great response on the opening day. In particular for works by Thomas Houseago, Rashid Johnson, Paul McCarthy, Matthew Day Jackson, Richard Jackson—all works sold and all available editions.” Jenny Holzer’s new paintings at Sprüth Magers sold for upwards of $300,000, as well as Condos and Krugers at the booth. Lesser-known galleries were pleased to gain the exposure the fair offers; if not selling right away, interest was high and therefore also prospects for the remainder of the fair. Gallery Arratia Beer said the crowd was very engaged and informed, also saying, “The fair feels very international. It’s also good to see young internationals here too.” The newer Latin American presence was reportedly strong, both exhibiting and buying, as expected in Miami as opposed to the Frieze or FIAC fairs across the Atlantic earlier this year. Celebrities on hand included Julian Schnable, Eli Broad, Brett Rattner, Naomi Campbell, and Sean Combs/P. Diddy.
