| The First Art Newspaper on the Net | Established in 1996 | Sunday, November 27, 2011 |
| | Two trial proofs for Andy Warhol's iconic image of a dollar sign for sale at Bonhams
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A Bonham's auction house staff hangs an iconic 'single dollar' print by Andy Warhol at Bonham's in London, Britain, 25 November 2011. The signed prints are estimated to fetch between 20,000 - 25,000 Euros at an auction in London that will take place on 29 November 2011. EPA/ANDY RAIN.
LONDON.- Two trial proofs for Andy Warhol’s iconic image of a dollar sign are for sale at Bonhams Print sale on 29 November in London. The signed prints, estimated at between £15,000- 20,000, date from 1982 - just five years before the artist untimely death - and are based on paintings executed the year before. They are among the most obvious representations of the link he often drew between art and money, underlined by the high prices paid for them by collectors at the time and ever since. Other works by Warhol in the sale include a fine “Campbell’s Soup 1: Pepper Pot” (est £7,000-10,000); ‘Mao’ at £15,000-20,000 and ‘Skull’ at £10,000-15,000. Bonhams Director of Prints, Robert Kennan, said, ““Warhol continues to cast a spell over the contemporary art world and he is regularly voted the most influential artist of the 20th century. The very collectable single dollar si ... More |
| Libya's state antiquities department recovers and displays looted Roman antiquities | | National Institute of Anthropology and History acknowledges 2nd Mayan reference to 2012 | | Ashmolean Museum in Oxford opens new galleries of Ancient Egypt and Nubia | 
Recovered stone heads, ancient Roman artifacts, are seen on display in Tripoli, Libya. AP Photo/Abdel Magid al-Fergany.
By: Vanessa Gera, Associated Press
TRIPOLI (AP).- Moammar Gadhafi's forces tried to flee Tripoli with a sack of ancient Roman artifacts in hopes of selling them abroad to help fund their doomed fight, Libya's new leaders said Saturday as they displayed the recovered objects for the first time. The director of the state antiquities department, Saleh Algabe, hailed the find of 17 pieces, mostly small stone heads, as an important recovery of national treasures. The pieces included a female figurine evocative of ancient fertility symmbols, several small stone human heads and two ornate terracotta fragments. Algabe said the figurines were likely used in pagan worship and dated back to the second and third centuries A.D., when a swathe of North Africa belonged to the Roman Empire. Algabe said the pieces were seized ... More | | 
Most experts had cited only one surviving reference to the date in Mayan glyphs, a stone tablet from the Tortuguero site. Photo: INAH.
By: Mark Stevenson, Associated Press
MEXICO CITY (AP).- Mexico's archaeology institute downplays theories that the ancient Mayas predicted some sort of apocalypse would occur in 2012, but on Thursday it acknowledged that a second reference to the date exists on a carved fragment found at a southern Mexico ruin site. Most experts had cited only one surviving reference to the date in Mayan glyphs, a stone tablet from the Tortuguero site in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco. But the National Institute of Anthropology and History said in a statement that there is in fact another apparent reference to the date at the nearby Comalcalco ruin. The inscription is on the carved or molded face of a brick. Comalcalco is unusual among Mayan temples in that it was constructed of bricks. Arturo Mendez, a spokesman for the ... More | | 
Coffin lid of Djeddjehutyiuefankh. Photo: Ashmolean Museum University of Oxford.
OXFORD.- On Saturday 26 November 2011, the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford opened six new galleries for the collections of Ancient Egypt and Nubia (present day Sudan). Building on the success of the Museum’s extension, which opened in 2009, this second phase of major redevelopment redisplays the world-renowned Egyptian collections to exhibit objects that have been in storage for decades, more than doubling the number of mummies and coffins on display. The galleries take visitors on a chronological journey covering more than 5000 years of human occupation of the Nile Valley. The £5 million project has received lead support from Lord Sainsbury’s Linbury Trust, along with the Selz Foundation and other trusts, foundations and individuals. Rick Mather Architects have led the redesign and redisplay of the pre-existing Egypt galleries and the extension into the restored Ruskin Gallery, previously occupied by the Museum Shop. T ... More |
| Frederik Meijer, billionaire founder of Meijer Inc. retail chain and arts patron, dead at 91 | | Archaeological discovery provides evidence of a celestial procession at Stonehenge | | "The Art of Collecting" exhibition opens at the Flint Institute of Arts in Michigan | 
Fred Meijer talks to a reporter at Frederik Meijer Gardens in this April 1998 photo. AP Photo/Anna Moore - Grand Rapids Press.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH (AP).- Frederik Meijer, who built the regional retail powerhouse Meijer Inc. while nurturing his lifelong love of the arts, died late Friday at a hospital in western Michigan. He was 91. The billionaire passed away at the Spectrum Health System in Grand Rapids after suffering a stroke in his home early Friday morning, according to a statement issued by the company. Meijer was credited with starting the supercenter store format in the 1960s that made Meijer a successful Midwest retailer. By 2009, Meijer had 180 of the giant stores throughout Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio with annual sales of $15 billion. He and his wife also gave millions of dollars to causes in the Grand Rapids area, and arts projects were major benefactors. "The Meijer family thanks everyone for their thoughts and prayers and requests their privacy be respected at this difficult time," the company's statement said. Meijer was 14 when his Dutch immigrant father, Hendrik, open ... More | | 
Stonehenge in Amesbury, Britain. EPA/ROY KILCULLEN.
BIRMINGHAM.- Archaeologists led by the University of Birmingham with the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Archaeological Prospection have discovered evidence of two huge pits positioned on celestial alignment at Stonehenge. Shedding new light on the significant association of the monument with the sun, these pits may have contained tall stones, wooden posts or even fires to mark its rising and setting and could have defined a processional route used by agriculturalists to celebrate the passage of the sun across the sky at the summer solstice. Positioned within the Cursus pathway, the pits are on alignment towards midsummer sunrise and sunset when viewed from the Heel Stone, the enigmatic stone standing just outside the entrance to Stonehenge. For the first time, this discovery may directly link the rituals and celestial phenomena at Stonehenge to activities within the Cursus. The international archaeological surv ... More | | 
Edmund Lewandowski, Industry. Gouache on board, 1972, 16 x 12 x inches. Courtesy of Franklin Riehlman Fine Art, New York
FLINT, MI.- The Art of Collecting, organized by the Flint Institute of Arts, opened on November 25 and continue through January 8. This exhibition of more than 100 paintings, prints, drawings and sculptures are on consignment from galleries in New York, Chicago and Detroit and have been selected based on comparisons of price and quality. All of the artworks are available for purchase and represent an outstanding value in the art market and an excellent opportunity for seasoned, as well as novice collectors to purchase high quality artwork with confidence. FIA Director, John Henry, and Coordinator of Collections and Exhibition, Michael Martin will conduct a preview tour of the exhibition on Wednesday, November 30 at 5:30 and again on Thursday, December 1. They will discuss trends in the art market and the special characteristics of individual works. Reservations are not necessary to attend these informative tours. “ Th ... More |
| Exhibition at Moderna Museet focuses on non-commercial gallery Ynglingagatan 1 | | Visionary Canadian Jack Chambers Celebrated at the Art Gallery of Ontario | | Sotheby's previews highlights from impressionist & modern and contemporary art sales in Hong Kong | 
Jim Isermann, Cubeweave. Installation view from Galleri Ynglingagatan 1, 1997 © Jim Isermann.
STOCKHOLM.- Following this spring’s events and magazine projects on the 1980s, Moderna Museet moves on in Swedish art history to the 1990s, with the exhibition Moment – Ynglingagatan 1. The non-commercial gallery Ynglingagatan 1 was a vital forum for Swedish contemporary art in the 1990s, featuring international artists such as Pierre Huyghe, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, Takashi Murakami and M/M (Paris), decades before their works were recognised by critics and major institutions all over the world. With modest means and fuelled by a feeling of exasperation with the existing art scene, Ynglingagatan 1 took matters in their own hands in autumn 1993. Their first exhibition was Bjarne Melgaard. The focus on relational aesthetics, cross-disciplinary art, design and fashion, and a distinctly international profile helped to set Ynglagatan 1 apart from other galleries and art institutions in Stockholm. Ynglingagata ... More | | 
Jack Chambers, Untitled [view through trees - numbered 6], 1977. Chalk and graphite on newsprint, 25.3 x 20.4 cm. Gift of the Estate of Jack Chambers, 1997 (97/2096) © 2011 Estate of Jack Chambers.
TORONTO.- The Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) opens an exhibition of Canadian artist Jack Chambers’ work on Nov. 26, 2011. Entitled Jack Chambers: Light, Spirit, Time, Place and Life, the collection surveys the varying styles and media used by the artist to create an incredible range of work. Curated by renowned Canadian art scholar Dennis Reid with art critic Sarah Milroy, the exhibition is based largely on holdings from the AGO’s permanent collection and remains on view until May 13, 2012. Situated in the Signy Eaton gallery, the exhibition is presented within four central themes, each anchored by a representative keystone piece in rooms themed “Light,” “Spirit,” “Time,” and “Place”. More than 100 works in various media make up the exhibition, including 40 paintings, 58 drawings, five films, four prints, as ... More | | 
Gustav Klimt, Seeufer mit Birken (Lakeshore with Birches), 1901. Oil on canvas, 90 x 90 cm, est. £6-8 million / HK$74-98 million. Photo: Sotheby's.
HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s is exhibiting selected highlights of the London Sale Series of Impressionist & Modern and Contemporary Art at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong from 25 to 27 November (Friday to Sunday) 2011. The exhibition offers an early viewing of important highlights from the major London sales of Impressionist & Modern Art which take place on 8 and 9 February 2012, and the Contemporary Art auctions on 15 and 16 February 2012. Prominent works by Gustav Klimt, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Paul Delvaux, Francis Bacon and Gerhard Richter, among others, are featured. Following Sotheby’s recent sale of Gustav Klimt’s Litzlberg am Attersee (Litzlberg on the Attersee) for the remarkable sum of US$40.4 / HK$315 million (est. in excess of US$25 / HK$195 million) in the November Impressionist & Modern Art Evening ... More |
| Abbey House joins forces with the famous Polish art collector Wojciech Fibak | | The photographs of Brett Weston opens at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art | | The most important pair of Russian vases to appear on the market this Autumn | 
Left: Mr Wojciech Fibak, on the right Mr Pawel Makowski.
WARSAW.- On the one hand many years of experience and a well-known name, one the other – innovativeness and a strategy for development which is highly esteemed by foreign institutions operating in the mature art markets. This is a short description of the cooperation between the Abbey House Auction House and Wojciech Fibak, which gives the national art market a chance for the dynamic development worldwide. Joining forces with the famous Polish art collector belongs to the activity model of Dom Aukcyjny Abbey House S.A., which model since the very beginning involved strategic partnerships both in Poland and abroad – which guarantee ample opportunities for the promotion of the contemporary Polish art in the global markets. In May this year, the company was introduced into the prestigious Skate’s Art Index, as one of the biggest global companies operating in the art market. Furthermore, it started the cooperation ... More | | 
Brett Weston, American, 1911-1993. Water Reflection, Logging, Alaska, 1973. Gelatin silver print.
Unframed: 11 x 14 inches (27.94 x 35.56 cm). Gift from the Christian K. Keesee Collection. © The Brett Weston Archive.
KANSAS CITY, MO.- Over his long and prolific career, photographer Brett Weston (1911-1993) exemplified the modernist aesthetic. The son of famed photographer Edward Weston (1886-1958), Brett Weston was a “natural” with the camera: he was still a teenager when he first received high-level, international recognition as a creative artist. The Photographs of Brett Weston, Nov. 23, 2011, through April 1, 2012, at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City, presents a condensed 40-print survey of his long and prolific career. While rare works from the Museum’s Hallmark Photographic Collection are also included, this exhibition celebrates a gift of 260 Weston prints from Christian K. Keesee, owner of the Brett Weston Archive in Oklahoma City. “This generous gift from Mr. ... More | | 
A Christie's auction house staff walks past one of a pair of Russian porcelain vases at Christie's in London. EPA/ANDY RAIN.
LONDON.- A magnificent and important pair of porcelain vases by the Imperial Porcelain Factory will highlight this autumn’s Russian Art Week in London (estimate: £1,700,000-2,200,000). In their 28 November Russian Art Sale, Christie's will offer perhaps the finest and grandest pair of Russian porcelain vases to appear at auction in recent memory. Over the years, Christie's have been entrusted with the sale of numerous important pairs of Russian vases and have achieved the highest price ever paid at auction for a pair of Russian porcelain vases in 2006. These magnificent vases were presented by Emperor Nicholas I to Karl Ludwig Graf von Ficquelmont (1777-1857), who served as the Austrian Ambassador Extraordinaire to the Russian court from 1829-1839. Graf von Ficquelmont was ... More |
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 First major exhibition of works by Cathy Wilkes outside the UK at GAK Gesellschaft für Aktuelle Kunst BREMEN.- The GAK Gesellschaft für Aktuelle Kunst presents the first major institutional solo exhibition of works by Cathy Wilkes to be staged outside the UK. The show is a cooperation with the Kunstverein Munich. The exhibitions in Munich and Bremen will feature two specially commissioned installations as well as selections of previously unseen archive material compiled individually for each institution by the Northern Irish artist. Wilkes’ installations at both sites will be accompanied by varying selections of works highlighting different aspects of her artistic production. While the exhibition staged in Munich in spring 2011 featured older, large-scale installations alongside works which will be shown at both sites, Wilkes’ exhibition in Bremen will feature smaller spatial ensembles of recent origin and include some of her paintings. These small format and predominantly abstract canvases stand in stark ... More Indian links with British military history for sale at Bonhams in London LONDON.- Bonhams sale of Modern Sporting Guns on December 13 in Knightsbridge features a number of items with fascinating and historic Indian links - a cartridge-magazine, a shotgun case, a pair of Purdey shotguns and a Colt revolver, all with histories linking them to the period of the Raj. A fascinating item thanks to its Indian ownership and history is Lot 18, a brass-mounted oak and leather cartridge-magazine. Formerly the property of His Highness The Maharajah of Patiala estimated to sell for £350 - £550. The magazine lid bears the impression: H.H. The Maharajah Sir Bhupindra Singh Of Patiala G.C.I.E. G.C.B. His Highness The Maharajah Sir Bhupindra Singh of Patiala GCSI GCIE GCVO GBE (1891-1938) was educated at Aitchison College, Lahore, he succeeded to the throne at the age of 9 upon the death of his father, a Council of Regency governing in his place until he reached his majority in 1909, being ... More Museum celebrates the spirit of the season with "Norman Rockwell and the Ghost of Dickens" STOCKBRIDGE, MA.- Norman Rockwell is well known for his enduring illustrations of the holidays, which brought good cheer to millions of Americans. In his autobiography, “My Adventures as an Illustrator,” the artist described important memories from his youth that were seminal to his later work. Of particular importance were Rockwell’s recollections focused on his father reading Charles Dickens stories aloud to his sons in the evening after they finished their homework. Throughout his life, Rockwell would cite the significance of those nightly readings and the influence of Dickens on his art. This holiday season Norman Rockwell Museum celebrates the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth, with a spirited new exhibition that explores the literary giant’s influence on the artist’s work—”Norman Rockwell and the Ghost of Dickens” is on view at the Museum from November 19, 2011 through ... More Unique 'Great Escape' Motorcycle for sale at Bonhams WEYBRIDGE.- A unique motorcycle created for the 2011 Great Escape 2 – a charity motorcycle ride across Europe to commemorate the 50 RAF officers who met their demise after the so-called ‘Great Escape’ from the German prisoner of war camp Stalag Luft III in March 1944 – is to be sold in Bonhams auction of Collectors’ Motorcars and Motorcycles on Thursday 1st December at Mercedes Benz World, Weybridge, Surrey. The 2011 Triumph Bonneville T100 ‘Great Escape’ on offer is a modern version of the one ridden by Steve McQueen in epic 1963 film The Great Escape which immortalised the heroic exploits of these prisoners of war and starred Richard Attenborough, James Garner and McQueen. It is being sold with the registration ‘WW11 POW’ and is estimated to fetch £9,000-12,000. The ‘Great Escape 2’ charity ride was held in June 2011. The 3,200-mile journey took in 12 European countri ... More 1945 Bric a Bac Santa Anita Racing Trophy, jockey silks and archive to cross the block at H.A. DALLAS, TX.- A Shreve & Co. 14K Gold Santa Anita Racing Trophy, presented to the legendary sprint horse Bric a Bac after his dramatic win in the 1945 San Juan Capistrano Handicap, the first race run at the famed racetrack after World War II, is expected to bring $30,000+ as part of Heritage Auctions' Dec. 7 Silver & Vertu Signature(r) Auction at the company's Dallas Design District Annex. "Bric a Bac was one of the great race horses in the history of the sport, tracing his blood line through his sire, the renowned War Admiral to his grandsire, Man-O-War, considered by many to be the greatest horse to ever run," said Karen Rigdon, Consignment Director for Silver & Vertu at Heritage. "After winning the San Juan Capistrano Handicap and another $60,000 in winnings earlier that year, Bric a Bac was sold by his owner, Sam Freeman, for $50,000, the highest price at that time ever paid for a race ... More Czech architect Karel Hubacek dies at 87 PRAGUE (AP).- Architect Karel Hubacek, whose bold hyperboloid design for an elegant mountain-top hotel was named the most significant Czech building of the 20th century, has died. He was 87 Liberec City Hall in the Czech Republic's north — where Hubacek lived and designed his famed tower building — said in a statement Wednesday that he had died. No more details were given. Hubacek moved from his native Prague to Liberec in 1951. His famed tower hotel, that also serves as a television transmitter, is situated on the nearby Jested mountain. The building, whose silhouette has become the symbol of the city, was completed in 1973. Hubacek was awarded the prestigious Auguste Perret Prize by the International Union of Architects in 1969 for the design. ... More |
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 | The First Art Newspaper on the Net | Established in 1996 | Saturday, November 26, 2011 |
| | A rich offering of rare and rediscovered Russian works of art at Christie's in London
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A Christie's auction house staff looks over a pair of Russian porcelain vases at Christie's in London, Britain, 25 November 2011.' The pair of vases painted by Shchetinin after pictures in the manner of German painter Jacob Hackert are expected to fetch between 600,000 - 900,000 Euros at an auction in London that will take place on 28 November 2011. EPA/ANDY RAIN.
LONDON.- On 28 November, Christie's will present an exceptional auction, offering the strongest selection of Russian paintings and works of art on the market this season. The sale will offer rediscovered treasures by many of the most celebrated artists in the field, including Natalia Goncharova, Vasily Vereshchagin, Boris Grigoriev, Filipp Maliavin and Alexander Volkov. This selection is led by Vasily Vereshchagin‟s undisputed masterpiece Crucifixion by the Romans offered on behalf of the Brooklyn Museum and by two pairs of exquisite vases produced by the Imperial Porcelain Factory under Emperor Nicholas I. The sale will also feature over forty works of art by Fabergé, many distinguished by their rare Imperial provenance. Highlighted by masterpieces of tremendous importance and scale, the sale brings together outstanding examples of Russian art, much of which is appearing on the market for the ... More |
| Historic 17th century items from rulers of Southern China for sale at Bonhams in Hong Kong | | Wright auction house announces sale of Frank Lloyd Wright's Kenneth Laurent House | | London's Natural History Museum returns 19 ancestral remains to Torres Strait Islands | 
The personal seals from the renowned revolutionary Hu Hanmin (1879-1936). Photo: Bonhams.
HONG KONG.- Historically important objects relating to Guangdong province in Southern China will go on sale at Bonhams' 2011 Autumn Auction of Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art on November 28, 2011 at the Island Shangri-la Hotel. Located in Guangdong province, the economic powerhouse in Southern China, Hong Kong is the ideal place for these important artefacts to be auctioned. First up is the magnificent lacquered eight-leaf screen showing the earliest depiction of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton), the provincial capital of Guangdong province. The screen was commissioned circa 1690 by the governor of Guangdong province, Lord Ren of the Dong clan from Liaoning province in northeast China. This appears to be the earliest known screen accurately depicting the major Southern Chinese walled city of Guangzhou, which in a few years would be officially appointed as the principal trading centre in the whole of mainland China. ... More | | 
In 1948 Mr. Laurent commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to build a home that integrated his needs as a wheelchairbound disabled veteran.
CHICAGO, IL.- On December 15, 2011 Wright will auction the Frank Lloyd Wright designed Kenneth Laurent House and furnishings. The property has been consigned to the Chicago‐based auction house by the original owner, Mr. Laurent. In 1948 Mr. Laurent commissioned Frank Lloyd Wright to build a home that integrated his needs as a wheelchairbound disabled veteran with Wright’s signature open plan designs. Wright used to opportunity to develop his elliptical plan for the first time, the resulting soft curves, open floor plan and flowing space were utilized in later houses in the 1950s. The Laurents became friendly with Wright and traveled often to Taliesin commissioning interior furnishing for the home and a later addition to the property. In conversation with Edgar Kaufmann, Jr., Frank Lloyd Wright referred to the Laurent House as a serene masterpiece and his “little gem.” “We are interested in the pres ... More | | 
The return of remains to Traditional Owners from the community was acknowledged in a ceremony at the Museum. ©Natural History Museum.
LONDON.- London's Natural History Museum has returned 19 ancestral remains to the Torres Strait Island community in the next step of a collaborative agreement. This is the second group of items to be returned to the Islands and follows the Museum’s announcement in March to begin discussions with community representatives regarding the return of 138 ancestral remains and their future care. The return of remains to Traditional Owners from the community was acknowledged in a ceremony at the Museum. The delegation of 8 Traditional Owners also presented the Museum with a letter expressing the community’s wish for the Museum to continue as guardians of some of the remaining poorly provenanced remains and hold them in trust. In May this year the Museum returned 3 ancestral remains following a landmark collaborative meeting with representatives from the TSI. The ... More |
| The BMW Guggenheim Lab and BMW i will be present at Art Basel Miami Beach | | Comprehensive exhibition of photographs by Helmut Newton's wife at Kestnergesellschaft | | After visiting Ai Weiwei exhibition, Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou calls for artistic freedom in China | 
BMW Guggenheim Lab. New York City. Design architect: Atelier Bow-Wow. Evening exterior view from Houston Street. Photo: Paul Warchol © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
MIAMI, FL.- The 10th edition of Art Basel Miami Beach, the most prestigious art show in the Americas, takes place from December 1st to 4th. More than 260 leading galleries from North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa will showcase works by more than 2,000 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. This year, BMW will be in the show and also be in attendance as a guest with the BMW Guggenheim Lab. In addition, the carmaker will provide the VIP car service for visitors. On Tuesday November 29th from 7 to 9 p.m. BMW and Art Basel Miami Beach host a VIP reception to celebrate the BMW Guggenheim Lab. Those attending the event are invited to become acquainted with the six-year initiative launched by BMW and the Guggenheim Museum and Foundation. During its tour, the ... More | | 
Alice Springs, Robert Mapplethorpe, Paris 1977. Courtesy Helmut Newton Foundation © Alice Springs.
HANNOVER.- In a comprehensive show entitled »people«, the kestnergesellschaft presents around 150 works taken over the past 40 years by the photographer Alice Springs (b. 1923 in Melbourne, proper name June Newton, née June Brown). Using the pseudonym Alice Springs, Helmut Newton’s wife began to develop her own photographic oeuvre in 1970. Although international stars take centre stage in the kestnergesellschaft show, Alice Springs’ friends and acquaintances also feature centrally. The exhibition is a joint venture in conjunction with the Helmut Newton Foundation, Berlin. The featured list of artists, actors and musicians photographed by Alice Springs reads like a veritable »Who’s Who« of the international cultural scene on both sides of the Atlantic over the past four decades. The exhibition in the kestnergesellschaft brings together iconic photographs of Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld ... More | | 
Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou shares comments with media after visiting the “Ai Weiwei, Absent” exhibition. AP Photo/Wally Santana.
TAIPEI (AP).- Taiwan's president urged China on Friday to respect the artistic freedom of outspoken Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who was detained for nearly three months earlier this year and is currently confined to Beijing. "He's an artist and should have the freedom to express his artistic views," President Ma Ying-jeou said after viewing Ai's exhibition at a Taipei museum. "This is also the core value of Taiwan." Ma said he deplored that Chinese police detained Ai at the Beijing airport on April 3 as the conceptual artist was about to depart for Taiwan to prepare for the exhibit. The detention came during a sweeping Chinese crackdown on activists and sparked an international outcry over China's deteriorating human rights situation. Ai was released in June but is prohibited from leaving Beijing. China's government says Ai was detained on tax evasion charges. However, activists say he ... More |
| New unit of the Moderna galerija, the Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova opens in Ljubljana | | French cultural identity through design at the Wolfsonian-Florida International University | | Bernd and Hilla Becher: Mines and Mills-Industrial Landscape at the Fotomuseum in Winterthru | 
The new museum houses the collection of contemporary art (the national and the international Arteast 2000+ collections). Photo: Dejan Habicht.
LJUBLJANA.- More than 15 years after the time Moderna galerija was allotted the use of one of the buildings in the former Yugoslav People's Army barracks in Metelkova Street, the Museum of Contemporary Art Metelkova, the new unit of the Moderna galerija in Ljubljana, is finally opening. The MSUM will house the collection of contemporary art (the national and the international Arteast 2000+ collections) and stage a related exhibitions program. Located in MSUM there are also some of the expanded institution's professional services: the archives, the library and the restoration-conservation studio. We are inaugurating the new museum with two exhibitions: The Present and Presence. A selection of works from the Arteast 2000+ collection and the national collection of Moderna galerija; the show concept deals with various forms of time and is curated by Zdenka Badovinac, Bojana Piškur and Igor Španjol. The Museum of Affects ... More | | 
Martin Szekely (French, b. 1956), Chaise lounge, Pi, 1984. Galerie Néotù (Paris), producer. Steel, aluminum paint, leather, foam. Centre national des arts plastiques, France.
MIAMI BEACH, FL.- The Wolfsonian–Florida International University presents Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, an exhibition exploring French cultural identity through design produced from the mid-twentieth century to the present. The exhibition will be on view from November 25, 2011 through March 26, 2012 and is organized by The Wolfsonian from the collection of the Centre national des arts plastiques, France (National Center for Visual Arts or CNAP). The opening of the exhibition will coincide with the celebration of Art Basel Miami Beach/Design Miami 2011. “The French motto—liberté, egalité, fraternité—serves as the conceptual framework for this intriguing exhibition,” notes Marianne Lamonaca, The Wolfsonian’s associate director for curatorial affairs and education. “For Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity, we took an entirely new approach to our curatorial practice by ... More | | 
Bernd and Hilla Becher, Gutehoffnungshütte, Oberhausen, D, 1963 (detail). Gelatin silver print, 50 x 60 cm © Bernd and Hilla Becher / Courtesy of Schirmer/Mosel.
ZURICH.- For more than forty years, the photographer couple Bernd (1931-2007 and Hilla Becher (*1934) worked on creating an inventory of industrial architecture. Warehouses, shaft towers, gas tanks, blast furnaces as well as half-timbered houses are among the subjects they photographed throughout Germany, England, France, Central Europe, and the USA. Calling these buildings “anonymous sculptures,” they refer to the artistic quality of the constructions, which played no role for the buildings’ largely unknown builders and users. Their photographs attempt to draw attention to these hidden sculptural qualities and to document them historically as a building tradition in decline. Bernd and Hilla Becher have always held particular interest for the industrial architecture in the Ruhr region. The exhibition Mines and Mills – Industrial Landscapes ... More |
| Autum sales at Koller Geneva: Auctions with solid values for sought-after works | | Scientists at University of York unlock the mystery surrounding a tale of shaggy dogs | | Sotheby's sale of Fine Books and Manuscripts to include items from the Raymond Chandler Library | 
Emile Gale (1846-1904), "Verrerie parlante" vase with iris decoration. Circa 1900. Engraved and gilt inscription "Soyez toujours joyeux". Signed Gallé. H 35 cm. Sold for CHF 46 360.
GENEVA.- At the autumn auctions at Koller Geneva on 18 November over 70 % of the objects found new owners. The top lots were successfully auctioned. Good results were achieved especially for the 20th century painters from the West of Switzerland, large format sculptures and design objects made of gold and silver. As ever, classic Art Deco pieces by Gallé and Bugatti were sought after. The wine sale proved a good auction with only a few unsold items. In the Art Nouveau / Art Deco sector Koller Geneva counted on targeted bidding by collectors in the salesroom. A green glass vase by Emil Gallé, decorated with a multi-coloured iris motif and inscribed “Soyez toujours joyeux” brought a price of CHF 46 360 and thereby proved to be the highest priced item in the sale (Lot 7). Further sought-after works by Gallé were the four stacking tables circa 1900 ... More | | 
Colonial blanket 144864. National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) Smithsonian Institution; photograph by Ernest Amoros.
YORK.- Researchers from the University of York have produced the first clear evidence that textiles made by the indigenous population of the Pacific coast of North America contained dog hair. In recent years, scientists have hotly debated whether textiles such as blankets and robes made by the skilful Coast Salish weavers before contact with Europeans were made of dog hair as oral histories have claimed. Coast Salish oral tradition refers to a special dog which was bred locally until the mid 19th century for its woolly hair or fleece for use in the textile industry. Using highly sensitive equipment at the University’s Centre for Excellence in Mass Spectrometry, York researchers from BioArCh (Departments of Biology, Archaeology and Chemistry) analysed the protein composition of 11 textiles in different locations, representing 25 samples in total. The samples were taken from artefacts in the Smithsonian’s National Mus ... More | | 
Goldfinger. London: cape 1959. Est. $60/80,000. Photo: Sotheby's.
NEW YORK, N.Y.- On 13th December 2011 Sotheby’s Fine Books and Manuscripts sale in New York will include The Jean-Vounder Davis Collection of the Raymond Chandler Library - a unique group of books from the collection of one of America’s greatest detective fiction writers. Many of the titles are personalized by the author and offer a fascinating insight to his closest relationships. The writer rarely inscribed his works and this is by far the most important Chandler collection to have appeared on the market. After Raymond Chandler’s death all of these books, manuscripts, and screenplays entered the library of his secretary and fiancé Jean Vounder-Davis, whose daughter has consigned the collection. Despite a 30 year age gap, Jean cared for the author keeping him healthy, sober, and focused on his writing. In turn he helped to care for her children, becoming their legal guardian. The group is led by a rem ... More |
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 German artist Sabine Hornig's "Through the Window" at Pinakothek der Modern MUNICH.- Sabine Hornig, born in 1964, is one of the most internationally celebrated German artists of her generation. Her photographic and sculptural work, created at the crossroads between photography, sculpture and site-specific installation, is both artistically independent and artistically unconventional at once and makes a vital contribution to our understanding of photography as a contemporary art form. At the heart of the show, which has been created in close collaboration with the artist herself, is the ‘Windows’ work group, begun in 2001 and which now comprises some fifty large-scale photographs, several of which featured in a show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 2003. The artist constantly re-examines the subtle relationship between picture and space, between image and reality, as seen in the context of the windows of vacated shopfronts in the Berlin district of Mitte. ... More Thanksgiving fare goes multi-legged at insectarium By: Janet McConnaughey, Associated Press
NEW ORLEANS, IL (AP).- The Audubon Insectarium's Thanksgiving turkey has a lot more legs than usual, but they're all in the stuffing. During Thanksgiving week, the cornbread stuffing at the "Bug Appetit" kitchen will be studded with mealworms — beetle larvae more often used as fishbait or reptile treats. It's part of seasonal fare to be served at a spot where creepy crawlies are always on the menu. Most of the year, you'll find the mealworms in salsa, along with such delicacies as deep-fried, spiced or sugared waxworms — wax moth caterpillars — and crickets in cream cheese spread or "chocolate chirp cookies." Insectarium employees work at a stove and counter in full view of patrons, and anyone brave enough can have a taste. "We don't make them all every day. Some things keep for ... More World record for a De Chirico "Muse inquietanti" series, brilliant results for Morandi, Savinio and Severini. MILAN.- Raphaelle Blanga, Sotheby's Sale Director: “Tonight has been confirmed the positive trend of Italian Art Sales in accordance with a highly active market even to the quality/price ratio.”. The small collection Identità Italiana, further to the result for Savinio Savinio La mère et l’enfant has given good results for the Maestri of Novecento, with a particular attention to the still life genre, with a great quality works, fresh to the market; to be note the sale of Natura Morta by Felice Casorati sold at €84.750 and the still life executed in 1922 by Mario Mario Sironi Sironi sold at € 82.250; furthermore Sironi has registered a very good price with his Evocazione Ritmica, sold at €99.150 despite the pre-sale estimate of €50-70.000. The beautiful Personaggio by Licini Licini dated 1945, from the same private collection, with a presale estimate of €130-180-000 has been ... More Sotheby's Hong Kong presents highlights from its diamond sales HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s Hong Kong presents once again in the territory important diamonds and stunning contemporary diamond jewellery from its unique retail offering, SOTHEBY’S DIAMONDS, and introduce to Asia London’s leading dealer in antique jewellery S. J. Phillips Ltd. Highlights will be exhibited from 25 to 27 November (Friday to Sunday), 2011 at Grand Hyatt Hong Kong where collectors and connoisseurs in the region will have an opportunity to acquire rare gems and beautiful jewels from a diverse range of styles and periods. Patti Wong, Chairman of Sotheby’s Asia, enthuses, “Hong Kong is truly the international jewellery hub of Asia. In view of the increasing demand from discerning jewellery collectors in the region to acquire extraordinary treasures, Sotheby’s Hong Kong again brings to the city our unique retail offering: SOTHEBY’S DIAMONDS, featuring top quality diamonds and di ... More Phillps de Pury & Company announces the opening of the London pop-up shop at Brook street location NEW YORK, N.Y.- To coincide with the approaching holiday season, Phillips de Pury & Company will present a pop-up shop of unique works, limited-editions and prints by artists and designers such as Max Lamb, Martino Gamper, Michael Anastasiades, Tauba Auerbach, Faye Toogood, Bethan Laura Wood, DavidDavid, Snarkitecture, Brunno Jahara, Humans Since 1982, Victoria Wilmotte, Jonathan Muecke, Oeuffice, and Ben Adams. This exclusively curated selection includes original works such as Dominic Wilcox’s Watch Sculptures, Bethan Laura Woods Push + Pivot Rings, and DavidDavid’s hand-painted, graphic t-shirts, prints and accessories. London based designer Martino Gamper has curated a special Martino and Friends section especially for the Phillips de Pury Pop-up Shop. Gamper has made a bespoke shelving unit to display his selection. Highlights from the Martino and Friends section include ... More Crazy Horse Memorial hits $5M Sanford match goal SIOUX FALLS (AP).- Fundraising for the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota has hit the $5 million goal set by a philanthropist who agreed to match donations to speed progress on the mammoth mountain carving, officials said. Work on the project has been going on since 1948. While Crazy Horse's face had been peering across the southern Black Hills since 1998, retired South Dakota banker T. Denny Sanford said he wanted to see work on the famed Oglala Lakota leader's horse completed in his lifetime. Sanford pledged the $5 million match in 2007. The memorial hit the fundraising mark Oct. 21 — the anniversary of sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski's 1982 death — with a $170,000 donation from San Diego investment consultant Richard Woltman, memorial spokesman Pat Dobbs said. Dobbs said the memorial has had its share of large donations but there also have been numerous smaller gifts ranging from kids' lemonade ... More Biennale of Sydney announces appointments to the NSW Aboriginal Professional Development Program SYDNEY.- The Biennale of Sydney announces the appointment of Anthony Hayward, Aboriginal Emerging Arts Administrator and Emily McDaniel, Aboriginal Emerging Curator, as part of the NSW Aboriginal Professional Development Program. Over the next two years, Anthony and Emily will have the unique opportunity to work across the development and delivery of Australia’s international contemporary art festival, the 18th Biennale of Sydney: all our relations. Through the NSW Aboriginal Professional Development Program, Anthony and Emily will develop their skills with an internationally recognised arts organisation. The new positions are jointly funded by the Australian and NSW Governments. Federal Arts Minister, Simon Crean welcomed the appointments, saying: ‘This is a fantastic opportunity for Anthony and Emily to develop their experience and skills in the arts sector by being involved in the planning and stagi ... More |
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