| The First Art Newspaper on the Net | Established in 1996 | Monday, November 7, 2011 |
| | Artists' fascination with forests is the focus of exhibition at Kunsthalle Wuerth in Germany
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A woman looks at a painting, entitled Thee Trees near Thixendale, by British artist David Hockney as part of the exhibition 'Waldeslust (Passion for Forests)' at the Kunsthalle Wuerth in Schwaebisch-Hall, Germany. The exhibition, which runs until 14 April 2012, presents artworks from the Wuerth Collection associated with the topic of trees and forest. EPA/MICHELE DANZE.
KUNZELSAU.- The fascinations of the forest! Hardly another subject in art history can match the forest for expressive potential and a concomitant multiplicity of meanings. As a favourite setting for fairy tales, forests formed an essential projection screen during childhood. The mostly young heroes and heroines went astray there, encountered unusual creatures, were transformed, enchanted, or gobbled up, only to prevail in the end. The phantasmagorical ideas of Romantic painters, writers, and composers still move us in the twenty-first century and have become embedded in our feeling and thinking. Doesn't a stroll in the woods still hold the promise of time to think and recuperate from humdrum life? In the course of the nineteenth century, Romantic ideas spread so rapidly and widely that something known as the "scientific forest aesthetic" emerged. Woods developed from "untamed wilderness" to sites for an enjoyment of nature and finally into "suburban recreation areas" or even cit ... More |
| Antico's rare Renaissance sculpture goes on view at National Gallery of Art, Washington | | Art restorers find devil in detail of Giotto fresco in Italy's Basilica of St Francis in Assisi | | The Montclair Art Museum presents exhibition dedicated to George Inness: Private Treasures | 
Antico, Hercules, model created by 1496, cast possibly by 1496. Bronze with gilding and silvering, overall without base: 34.57 cm (13 5/8 in.) with base: 38.42 cm (15 1/8 in.) The Frick Collection, New York, Gift of Miss Helen Clay Frick.
WASHINGTON, D.C.- Pier Jacopo Alari Bonacolsi, known as Antico (c. 1455–1528), transformed the art of bronze sculpture. His contributions are celebrated in Antico: The Golden Age of Renaissance Bronzes, the first monographic exhibition in the United States devoted to the Italian sculptor and goldsmith. On view at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from November 6, 2011, through April 8, 2012, the exhibition includes some 40 rare works—medals, reliefs, busts, and Antico's renowned statuettes—more than three-quarters of the sculptor's known works. In 2008–2009, the first monographic exhibition on Antico was presented at the restored apartments of Isabella d'Este in the Ducal Palace in Mantua, Italy. "The late Robert H. Smith, former president of the Gallery, was one of the keenest admirers and collectors of Antico's work, and his vision and ... More | | 
A detail of a fresco by Giotto is seen in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi. REUTERS/Basilica of St Francis in Assisi.
ROME (REUTERS).- Art restorers have discovered the figure of a devil hidden in the clouds of one of the most famous frescos by Giotto in the Basilica of St Francis in Assisi, church officials said on Saturday. The devil was hidden in the details of clouds at the top of fresco number 20 in the cycle of the scenes in the life and death of St Francis painted by Giotto in the 13th century. The discovery was made by Italian art historian Chiara Frugone. It shows a profile of a figure with a hooked nose, a sly smile, and dark horns hidden among the clouds in the panel of the scene depicting the death of St Francis. The figure is difficult to see from the floor of the basilica but emerges clearly in close-up photography. Sergio Fusetti, the chief restorer of the basilica, said Giotto probably never wanted the image of the devil to be a main part of the fresco and may have painted it in among the clouds "to have a bit of fun." The master may have painted it to spite someone he knew by p ... More | | 
George Inness (1825-1894), A Cloudy Day, Milton, ca. 1877-1880. Oil on canvas, 24 x 18 in. Collection of Joseph and Lisa Amato. Photo: Peter Jacobs.
MONTCLAIR, N.J.- The Montclair Art Museum presents George Inness: Private Treasures, which opened Sunday, November 6, as the first special exhibition to be held in the George Inness Gallery, a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Martucci. The gallery is the only space in the world dedicated to the work of George Inness (1825-1894) and customarily houses an installation of rotating selections from the Museum’s renowned collection of America’s greatest landscape painter. George Inness: Private Treasures, on view through April 1, 2012, consists of 10 works, nine from private collections as well as one from the Montclair Historical Society. The local lenders are from various towns in New York and New Jersey, including Montclair, Glen Ridge, Essex Fells, Verona, and Irvington. Additionally, George Inness Sketching Outside His Montclair Studio, a painting from the Museum’s collection ... More |
| Jean Cocteau Severin Wundeman Collection Museum opens in Menton, France | | Actress and film producer Lucy Liu, expands from Charlie's Angels to inspired artist | | Exhibition of new works by Belgian painter Michaël Borremans at David Zwirner | 
An exterior view of the Jean Cocteau Severin Wunderman Collection Museum by night in Menton, France. EPA/PATRICK VAROTTO.
MENTON.- Jean Cocteau first visited, and fell in love with, Menton while staying with his friend Francine Weissweiller in Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat, in the summer of 1955. He would return to the town on a regular basis. In 1956, at the mayor's request, he began painting a huge fresco in the Town Hall's Wedding Room, completing the work in 1958. He was subsequently declared an honorary citizen of Menton. While out walking one day, Cocteau came upon the Bastion, an abandoned seventeenth-century fort, built into the jetty. He decided he would transform it into a setting for his work, designing its interior himself. The Bastion Museum opened in 1966, three years after Cocteau's death. It is still home to some of his "Mediterranean" works from the period 1950 to 1963. Born in Belgium in 1938 and exiled to the United States during the Second World War, Severin Wunderman made his career in luxury watches. An art lover ... More | | 
A series of illustrations by actress Lucy Liu entitled "Seventy Two Series". REUTERS.
By: Piya Sinha-Roy
LOS ANGELES (REUTERS).- Actress and film producer Lucy Liu is expanding her talents into the art world with a new book of illustrations that explores Kabbalah and meditation. Liu, 42, best known for roles in television series "Ally McBeal" and in the "Charlie's Angels" movies, worked out of her Chelsea studio in Manhattan to create a series of abstract black-and-white illustrations using ink and acrylic paint on watercolor paper that were compiled into a book, "Lucy Liu: Seventy Two," released last month. The series of paintings was based on a chart of 72 names of God in the Kabbalah, a mystical branch of Judaism. While not a practitioner of Kabbalah, Liu was inspired by the names. "I felt drawn to the chart because I thought it was so fascinating," Liu told Reuters. "I love the way they categorize everything into boxes, I love the organization of that." The Kabbalah ... More | | 
Michaël Borremans, The Knives, 2010. Oil on canvas, 19 5/8 x 16 1/2 inches. 50 x 42 cm. Photo: Courtesy David Zwirner.
NEW YORK, NY.- David Zwirner presents an exhibition of new works by Michaël Borremans, The Devil’s Dress, on display at the gallery’s 525 West 19th Street space. Borremans’ drawings, paintings, and films present an evocative combination of solemn-looking characters, unusual close-ups, and unsettling still lifes. There is a theatrical dimension to his works, which are at once highly staged and ambiguous, just as his complex and open-ended scenes lend themselves to conflicting moods—simultaneously nostalgic, darkly comical, disturbing, and grotesque. His paintings display a concentrated dialogue with previous art historical epochs, however their unconventional compositions and curious narratives defy expectations and lend them an indefinable yet universal character. This exhibition, the artist’s fourth solo show at the gallery, brings together paintings and a three-part work on paper that each seem ... More |
| Center for Chinese Studies at University of Michigan rediscovers rare Chinese art collection | | Lehmann Maupin Gallery presents exhibition by artist and musician Billy Childish | | German artist Cosima von Bonin's Cut! Cut! Cut! at Museum Ludwig in Cologne | 
Detail of "Chairman Mao is the Reddest Sun in Our Hearts," is shown in a Chinese papercut. AP Photo/University of Michigan News Service.
By: Jeff Karoub, Associated Press
ANN ARBOR (AP).- Propaganda pieces produced in China four decades ago during the Cultural Revolution have been unearthed in a storage room at the University of Michigan — a rare find in either the U.S. or its country of origin, experts said. The rediscovery of the 15 poster-sized papercut images illustrating the political upheaval of the era is a pleasant surprise to scholars studying a society that was largely closed off from the West. The images are cut out of red paper in the same way that artists customarily create decorations for Chinese New Year celebrations and other festivities. They include glowing portrayals of late Chinese leader Mao Zedong and Red Guards burning books and trampling on a Buddhist statute. The handmade images were stored at the university's Center for Chinese Studies, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Carol Stepanchuk, the ... More | | 
Billy Childish, (Fallada) Man with Blue Bottle, 2010 oil and charcoal on linen 59.84 x 39.76 inches 152 x 101 cm Courtesy the artist and Lehmann Maupin Gallery, New York.
NEW YORK, NY.- Lehmann Maupin Gallery presents I Am The Billy Childish, curated by Matthew Higgs, on view 3 November, 2011 – 21 January, 2012 at 201 Chrystie Street. A modern day renaissance man, prolific artist, writer and musician Billy Childish is the pinnacle representation of the expression “walking to the beat of his own drum.” Over thirty-five years of continual creative activity, Childish has gained a cult status world-wide writing and publishing over forty volumes of confessional poetry, five novels, recorded over one hundred LPs, and painted several hundred paintings, all the while refusing to conform to the contemporary art world’s standards and placed importance on the market. As a poet, novelist and painter, Childish has explored throughout his work, and often with a startling honesty, his struggles in coming to terms with addiction, abuse, and a childhood spent in a dysfunctional family ... More | | 
Cosima von Bonin, Installation view, Arnolfini, Bristol 2011. COSIMA VON BONIN'S BONE IDLE for Arnolfini's sloth section, loop # 02 of the Lazy Susan Series, a ro-tating exhibition 2010 - 2011. Courtesy Galerie Daniel Buchholz, Cologne/Berlin.
COLOGNE.- The exhibition devoted to the artist Cosima von Bonin (*1962) at Museum Ludwig is part of a work in progress that has developed across four European cities. It began in Rotterdam, continued to unfold in Bristol, and then in Geneva. For each station, the artist collaborated with the respective institution to create a singular version of the show. And now the whole show will reach its high point, and come to a dynamic conclusion in Cosima von Bonin’s own hometown. Cologne thus forms the final “loop” in this circular exhibition concept, a form already indicated in its title: Lazy Susan, a colloquial term referring to a rotating platter placed in the middle of a dining table for easy access to food. The choice of a household accessory that bears a female name is no coincidence, and just as significant here is the idea of laziness, a recurring motif ... More |
| San Francisco museum illuminates Haas atrium with new work by media artist Jim Campbell | | Swann Galleries announces sale of American art & Contemporary art this November | | American People, Black Light: Faith Ringgold's paintings of the 1960s at the Miami Art Museum | 
Jim Campbell, Exploded Views, 2011 (installation detail); 2880 LED lights, custom electronics; Commissioned by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, courtesy the artist and Hosfelt Gallery, San Francisco – New York; ©Jim Campbell, photo: Sarah Christianson.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- From November 5, 2011, to September 25, 2012, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art presents Jim Campbell: Exploded Views. This new work, conceived for SFMOMA's Haas Atrium, features hundreds of flickering LED lights creating the illusion of figurative images that explore and reflect the human experience. As visitors move through the space, the vantage point alters and the shadow-like figures begin to take shape, blurring the boundaries between image and object. Both abstract and representational, sculptural and image based, Campbell's suspended installation illuminates the atrium like a chandelier as well as function as a cinematic screen when seen from the museum's second-, third-, and fourth-floor landings. This exhibition marks a ... More | | 
Robert Gwathmey, Southern Farmer, oil on canvas, 1966 ($40,000 to $60,000).
NEW YORK, NY.- Swann Galleries’ November 17 auction of American Art & Contemporary Art offers outstanding unique works and prints by choice American artists and those working in the late 20th century. The Contemporary Art portion of the auction features some highly desirable prints by Andy Warhol, including his 1967 color screenprint of Marilyn Monroe, his earliest print of the blonde icon, who is depicted in shades of gray and black (estimate: $100,000 to $150,000). Also by Warhol are Flowers, offset color lithograph, 1964 ($10,000 to $15,000); New England Clam Chowder, color screenprint, 1969 ($10,000 to $15,000); Cow, color screenprint in purple and black on wallpaper, 1976 ($12,000 to $18,000); and Untitled (Sex Parts), unique screenprint in black on green cloth cut from a man’s work shirt, circa 1980—the proceeds from this lot will benefit the non-profit Lifelong AIDS Alliance ($15,000 to $20,000). O ... More | | 
American People #18 The Flag is Bleeding, 1967 (detail). Oil on canvas, 72 x 96 in. Courtesy of Faith Ringgold and ACA Galleries, New York© Faith Ringgold 1967. Photo courtesy ACA Galleries, New York.
MIAMI.- Today, Faith Ringgold is well known as the progenitor of the African American story quilt revival that began in the late 1970s. The once influential paintings she created during the previous decade, with only a few notable exceptions, disappeared from view, omitted from critical, art historical discourse for more than forty years. This is the first comprehensive survey of these paintings, organized on the occasion of Ringgold's 80th birthday. The exhibition will include the landmark series American People (1963-1967) and Black Light (1967-1971), along with related murals and political posters. Taken together, these works represent an unprecedented artistic exploration of the intersections of race, gender and class, made in direct response to the social upheavals of the 1960s. American People, Black ... More |
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 Mark Wolfe Contemporary Art presents Castigation SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Mark Wolfe Contemporary Art presents Castigation, an exhibition of new sculptural works by gallery stalwart Jud Bergeron, alongside peers Albert Dicruttalo and Wayne Shaffer. Castigation is the culmination of a three-way, decade-long creative conversation among three mature, mid-career artists framed within the visual syntax of steel, bronze, ceramic, and wood. Viewed individually, each work on display represents a highly expressive, thoroughly probed and deeply personal reaction to the uncertainty and impermanence – often welcomed, sometimes dreaded – that suffuses everyday life in the 2010s. Viewed as a whole, this assembled body of sculpture simultaneously argues for and exemplifies a careful balance of the cerebral with the visceral, the formal with the naïve, and the deliberate with the reflective as a strategy for approaching the creative experience. Jud Bergeron has exhibited exte ... More Exhibition of new work by Rome Prize winner George Stoll at Maloney Fine Art LOS ANGELES, CA.- Maloney Fine Art presents an exhibition of new work by George Stoll. According to the artist, “From the invention of zero 2,500 years ago in India to the use of the Golden Section in classical architecture, the world of mathematics fascinates me even if I’m no more than a tourist. Yet despite my rudimentary understanding of math and geometry, the abstract possibilities intrigue me because its patterns are so often surprising and elegant. Catenary curves have occurred in my work by default or design for years. They show up in the Mother’s Day Pearls and aluminum foil Christmas garland sculptures. They are also the source material for many of my Tupperware pieces. “ The sculptures in the show are hung 1 1/8 inches away from the wall on steel pins and are created with materials usually used for making jewelry. These include beading wire, silver rings and glass beads. The artist selecte ... More Small sculpture, drawings and jewelry by Claire Falkenstein at Jack Rutberg Fine Arts LOS ANGELES, CA.- Claire Falkenstein - Intimate Relations presents rarely seen drawings, small sculpture and her highly prized jewelry. Transcending the traditional definition of the genre, Falkenstein’s jewelry was the subject of her 1961 solo exhibition at the Louvre’s Musée des Arts Decoratifs. When Claire Falkenstein (b.1908, North Bend, Oregon - d.1997, Los Angeles) moved to Los Angeles in 1963, she had already achieved considerable critical recognition; not only in California, but in post-war Paris between 1950 and 1963. In Paris, Falkenstein pushed the boundaries of sculpture and was at the core of the circle of international artists there as her studio was a conduit for artists ranging from Henry Moore to Sam Francis. She was soon recognized as one of the most daring sculptors of that epoch by the renowned French critic, Michel Tapié who recognized her inventive use of materials; particularly ... More Patricia Piccinini and Victoria F. Gaitan open solo exhibitions at Conner Contemporary Art. WASHINGTON, DC.- Conner Contemporary Art presents Patricia Piccinin’s first solo exhibition in Washington, DC: “The Welcome Guest.” The selection of works ranges in date from 1997 to the present, including video and small- to large-scale sculptures (made of silicone, fiberglass, human and animal hair, taxidermied peacocks, polyester, nylon, wool, plastic and bronze). Using natural and artificial media to create realistic and grotesque forms, the world renowned Australian artist visualizes humanity’s challenges in navigating between nature and biotechnology. The exhibition title comes from its signature piece, “The Welcome Guest” (2011), Piccinini’s most recent creation, which recalls Goethe’s statement, ‘Beauty is everywhere a welcome guest.’ The artist explains that this work “reflects on the beauty and strangeness of nature.” In this compelling sculptura ... More New series of large-scale photographs by Anna & Bernhard Blume at Buchmann Galerie BERLIN.- The Buchmann Galerie presents an exhibition with a new series of large-scale photographs by Anna & Bernhard Blume. TRANS-SKULPTUR is the latest group of works realized together by the husband-and wife artists; sadly, it will also be the last one, since Bernhard Blume died unexpectedly several weeks ago. As its title suggests, TRANS-SKULPTUR treats concepts of space, sculpture, and transcendence, in the humorous, ironic, and philosophical way so typical of the two artists. TRANS-SKULPTUR was created as part of a staged performance by Anna & Bernhard Blume. They wrote the following statement about TRANS-SKULPTUR: Transcendence—how is it articulated today, at the “end of the grand narratives,” after the end of metaphysics? Is there perhaps still today for sentimental references to something somehow completely different and beyond? ... More Astronomers say City lights could reveal extraterrestrial civilization WASHINGTON, DC.- In the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, astronomers have hunted for radio signals and ultra-short laser pulses. In a new paper, Avi Loeb (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics) and Edwin Turner (Princeton University) suggest a new technique for finding aliens: look for their city lights. "Looking for alien cities would be a long shot, but wouldn't require extra resources. And if we succeed, it would change our perception of our place in the universe," said Loeb. As with other SETI methods, they rely on the assumption that aliens would use Earth-like technologies. This is reasonable because any intelligent life that evolved in the light from its nearest star is likely to have artificial illumination that switches on during the hours of darkness. How easy would it be to spot a city on a distant planet? Clearly, this light will have to be distinguished from the glare from the parent star. Loeb and Turner suggest ... More |
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