This file photo taken on May 21, 1927 shows US aviator Charles Lindbergh posing in front of his monoplane Spirit of St-Louis at Paris-Le Bourget, after having achieved the first solo non-stop transatlantic flight New York - Paris Le Bourget. The flying hat aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh lost while doing loop-the-loops over Paris after becoming the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic is to be auctioned in the French capital. The leather and sheepskin cap which Lindbergh managed to lose twice in the space of a week after making history in May 1927, could make 80,000 euros ($88,000), Hotel Drouot auction house said on November 7, 2016. STRINGER / AFP.
PARIS(AFP).- The flying hat aviation pioneer Charles Lindbergh lost while doing loop-the-loops over Paris after becoming the first person to fly solo across the Atlantic is to be auctioned in the French capital. The leather and sheepskin cap which Lindbergh managed to lose twice in the space of a week after making history in May 1927, could make 80,000 euros ($88,000), Hotel Drouot auction house said Monday. The "Lone Eagle" first lost the hat when he was mobbed after his plane, the Spirit of St Louis, landed at the Bourget airstrip near the French capital on May 21, 1927. A mechanic handed the hat in to the US embassy that evening only for Lindbergh to lose it again seven days later when he was given special permission to perform aerobatic feats over the city in a borrowed French fighter. The next morning a woman near Bourget found it in her vegetable patch. The hat, which will go under the hammer on November 16, has been kept by the same family since. It wasn't actually identified as Lindbergh's ... More
LONDON.-Dominique Lévy presents an exhibition of Pat Steir’s paintings in London, marking the artist’s first solo exhibition in the city in twenty-six years. A selection of works from 1990 to 2011 will be on view, including canvases from her celebrated Waterfall series. The Waterfall paintings, which bridge the sensibilities of Conceptual art and Eastern philosophy, are contemplative investigations of space and chance. In this series, which the artist began in the 1980s and continues to produce today, Steir explores the technical possibilities available in paint, pouring and flinging it onto the canvas. This technique constituted an influential breakthrough in her style. To make the Waterfall paintings, Steir first applies oil pigment to canvases using thick brushes and slow, methodical strokes, ... More
Félix Vallotton, Au Marché. Oil on canvas. Est. CHF 1.5 – 2 million. Photo: Sotheby's.
ZURICH.- This November, the return of Swiss Art / Swiss Made at Sotheby’s will feature Félix Vallotton’s stunning painting “Au Marché”, leading a group of exceptional works from the highly sought-after Nabi movement. Alongside this masterwork, the sale will include Vallotton’s exquisite interior scene, “La cuisinière” and a beautifully evocative portrait by Cuno Amiet, “Schlafende Bretonin”. Sotheby’s Swiss Art team also celebrate 100 years of Dada and Switzerland’s take on surrealism with a selection of works – led by Le Corbusier - exploring the development of these key movements in Switzerland’s art history. The contemporary era is highlighted thanks to fascinating Constructivist works by Swiss artists including Max Bill, Fritz Glarner and Camille Graeser. Once again with Swiss Art / Swiss Made, Sotheby’s is delighted to bring together a broad variety of works illustrat ... More
These brilliant limited edition photographs by Lawrence Schiller capture the eternal spirit of a true icon.
PALM DESERT, CA.- Heather James Fine Art offers special Lawrence Schiller Marilyn Monroe photography auction benefitting FIND Food Bank. Lawrence Schiller, renowned photographer, director and author, famously photographed Marilyn Monroe multiple times near the end of her life. Hollywood starlet. Sex symbol. American icon. Marilyn Monroe’s status as an enduring figure of glamour made her one of the most famous women in American history. Of all the images shot of the incomparable movie star, the most iconic were those taken by Schiller. Printed from film that was lost for decades, Schiller made only 75 editions of these breathtaking photographs, and none will ever be created again. From the 1960 candid image shot during the filming of Let’s Make Love, to the legendary poolside photoshoot on the set of Something’s Got To ... More
RAMALLAH(AFP).- A museum dedicated to Yasser Arafat, including the room where the Palestinian leader spent much of his final years under Israeli siege, will open on Wednesday ahead of the anniversary of his death. Current Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas will formally open the Yasser Arafat Museum next to the gravesite of the fighter-turned-statesman in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. The museum, which cost $7 million, is the first of its kind dedicated to the longtime leader, according to the Yasser Arafat Foundation. The opening comes two days before Palestinians commemorate the 12th anniversary of his death in a hospital near Paris on November 11, 2004 from unknown causes. On display over two floors are a range of Arafat's possessions, including the famous sunglasses he wore when addressing the United Nations in 1974. The interactive museum also features videos and photographs of key moments in ... More
Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn, Self-portrait, wearing a Feathered Bonnet, 1635, National Trust, Buckland Abbey, gift from the estate of Edna, Lady Samuel of Wych Cross.
LONDON.- Am I Rembrandt? (8 Nov – 5 March 2017), the final display in Dulwich Picture Gallery’s Making Discoveries series brings the Dutch Master’s flamboyant Self-Portrait, Wearing a Feathered Bonnet, 1635, (on loan from Buckland Abbey, National Trust) to London for the first time. The display also delves deeper into the Gallery's own works by the painter with Girl at a Window, 1645, shown for the first time with its surviving preparatory study. The status of the self-portrait as an authentic work by Rembrandt has been questioned in the past, but following extensive technical analysis and investigative work by the National Trust and leading Rembrandt specialists, it was firmly attributed to the Master in 2014. The self-portrait inspires a wider display, exploring how curators and conservators worked together to authenticate the painting. It also examines the authorship of other works by Rembrandt, acquired by ... More
Visitors walk past a portrait of the German industrialist who saved more than a thousand Jews. GALI TIBBON / AFP.
PRAGIE(AFP).- A disused factory in the Czech Republic where German industrialist Oskar Schindler employed more than a thousand Jews to save them from the gas chambers is to host a Holocaust memorial, officials said Tuesday. Parts of the complex in Brnenec (Bruennlitz in German), close to Schindler's birthplace in Svitavy (Zwittau), were given the status of cultural monument earlier this month, according to the Czech culture ministry. Built in the 19th century, the laboratory, mill, chemical depot, front door and a square used for roll call "have close historical links... to the Gross-Rosen concentration camp in Brnenec," the ministry's spokeswoman, Simona Cigankova, told AFP. During World War II, Schindler (1908-1974), saved the lives of 1,200 Jews by employing them in his enamelware and munitions factories in Nazi-occupied Poland and Czechoslovakia. His tale was enshrined in the bestselling 1982 novel "Schindler's Ark" and its ... More
LONDON.- The market for important works of design has gone from strength to strength in recent months, with outstanding results at Sotheby’s design sales in New York and Paris in 2016. The May sale at Sotheby’s Paris, led by 18 works by Alberto and Diego Giacometti, achieved €7.8 million (est. £4.15.7m), the highest-ever total for a Design auction in France. The second-edition of a dedicated Design sale for London is underpinned by pioneering works of Post-war Scandinavian, Italian, French, American and Contemporary Design, including superb examples by Studio Job, Nacho Carbonell, Gio Ponti, Arne Jacobsen and Gerrit Rietveld. The sale takes place just days ahead of the landmark opening of a major new home for London’s Design Museum, further evidence of the city’s evergrowing status as an influential hub for the international design scene. Designed the same year as his iconic ‘Ant’ chair, the ... More
BATH.-The Holburne Museum announces the UK’s first exhibition devoted to the Bruegel dynasty, including recent attributions for two paintings from the Museum’s own collection. Bruegel: Defining a Dynasty will unravel the complex Bruegel family tree, revealing the originality and diversity of Antwerp’s famous artistic dynasty across four generations through 35 works, including masterpieces from the National Gallery, Royal Collection Trust, the National Trust, the Fitzwilliam Museum, the Ashmolean Museum and the Barber Institute of Fine Arts. Jennifer Scott, the Holburne’s Director and co-curator of the exhibition notes, ‘This exciting new exhibition not only shines a light on the quality of the Holburne Museum’s Flemish paintings, but also on the wealth of paintings by the Bruegel dynasty in the UK.’ A key work in the exhibition will be Wedding Dance in the Open Air, an oil ... More
Chinese buyer wins out against ten phone bidders for prize.
STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET.- This highly carved c.1600 late Ming Dynasty libation cup has sold for £200,000 hammer at Sworders Fine Art auctioneers of Stansted Mountfitchet. An exceptional design for such a piece, the 7½ wide by 5½in high (19 x 14cm) cup sold to a Chinese buyer in the room battling it out against ten phone bidders on Tuesday (November 8). Made from rhinoceros horn, the 400-year-old carving is subject to strict international laws, drawn up to protect endangered species, that allow for the sale and export of such pieces under highly restricted conditions. The sale at Sworders, which included a number of other highlights, is part of a wider celebration of works of art from China, Japan, Korea and India that has grown up the ten-day Asian Art in London festival of auctions, gallery shows, museum exhibitions and talks that bring in collectors and academics from all over the world. Sworders’ ... More
Sean Scully (b. 1945), Barcelona, 1999. Oil on canvas, 20 x 16 inches. Estimate: $200,000 - $300,000.
NEW YORK, NY.- Fresh to market consignments of works by Morris Louis and Sean Scully, and a rare collection of works on paper by Fernand Léger and George Grosz headline Heritage Auctions' two-session Modern & Contemporary Art Auction Nov. 11 in New York. The auction's morning and afternoon sessions span paintings, works on paper, sculpture and three important single-owner collection of Post War Contemporary Art. "We've spent the season consulting with single-owner collections and the amount of fresh-to-market discoveries we're offering is truly impressive," said Frank Hettig, Director of Modern & Contemporary Art at Heritage Auctions. "It is a career highlight to bring personal, family-owned items from three different yet equally impressive, collections to market." Starting at 11 a.m. Eastern ... More
Elaborate craftsman-made model of a circa-1900 horse-drawn fire pumper with hoses, steam gauges on boiler, steel-rimmed wood wheels, and maker’s plate reading ‘F.W. Balcom, 1955,’ est. $12,000-$18,000.
DOWNINGTOWN, PA.-Pook & Pook, in association with Noel Barrett Antiques and Auctions, will conduct their first joint toy auction on December 2-3, 2016. The sale will be held at Pook & Pook’s gallery in suburban Philadelphia, with phone, absentee and Internet live bidding available on both days. The Friday session, which starts at 6 p.m. Eastern Time, includes an array of Schoenhut wood toys, dolls, china dish sets, dollhouses, and beautifully outfitted antique European shops. The bulk of the sale will be offered during the Saturday session, starting at 10 a.m. The widely varied selection includes trains, high-quality mechanical and still banks; automotive toys, European and ... More
Tomas Saraceno, Sonic Cosmic Webs, 2016.
SHANGHAI.- Power Station of Art announced the complete list of 92 participating artists and artist groups for the thematic exhibition of 11th Shanghai Biennale. Details were also revealed for key sections extended from the thematic exhibition, including ‘Infra-Curatorial Platform’, ‘51 Personae’ and the ‘City Projects’ as well as 25 additional artworks. Curated by the Delhi-based artist group Raqs Media Collective, the 11th Shanghai Biennale will run from 11 November 2016 through 12 March 2017. Titled “Why Not Ask Again: Arguments, Counter-arguments, and Stories,” the Shanghai Biennale thematic exhibition will occupy the first three floors of Power Station of Art, exhibiting works by 92 international artists and artist groups from 40 countries worldwide, including 27 Chinese artists,32 female artists, 48 male artist and 12 artist groups. “Terminals” are an important feature of the 11t ... More
Quote In life beauty perishes, but not in art. Leonardo da Vinci
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Pangolin London presents a selection of sculptures and works on paper by Ann Christopher LONDON.- To celebrate the publication of Ann Christopher’s recent monograph, and solo exhibition at the Royal Academy, Pangolin London is presenting a selection of sculptures and works on paper spanning all four decades of her oeuvre. New sculptures and series of drawings inspired by the West Coast of Ireland bring the exhibition up to the present. Ann Christopher’s sculptures have a familiar yet mysterious presence. Much like ancient standing stones that signal lives lived and histories unknown, Christopher’s work is imbued with soul and humanity while remaining distinctly in the realm of the abstract and belonging to a visual language all of its own. Her artistic process is fuelled by an instinctual approach to making. On first observation the sculptures seem to form organically in the studio through a series of formal decisions and aesthetic concerns. A basic shape ... More
Alexander Newley announces 'Portraits in Character - supporting St Martin-in-the-Fields' LONDON.- Artist Alexander Newley announces his solo exhibition ‘Portraits in Character – supporting St Martin-in-the-Fields’, in the Crypt of St Martin’s, Trafalgar Square from 7th to 21st November. The exhibition runs in partnership with St Martin-in-the-Fields, a fitting location for the exhibition, with its proximity to the National Portrait Gallery and National Gallery, and marks Newley’s return to the London art world after several years in New York. In Spring 2017 the paintings and drawings featured in ‘Portraits in Character – supporting St Martinin-the-Fields’, will be auctioned to benefit the work of St Martin-in-the-Fields, including their outreach with homeless people. Newley collaborated with Kenneth Branagh to create a unique series of portraits of several of the leading cast from the Plays at the Garrick season, which comes to a close this November. Alexander Newley spent time with t ... More
CAB opens collective exhibition around the 6x6 Demountable House by Jean Prouvé BRUSSELS.-CAB announces its first collective exhibition around the 6x6 Demountable House by Jean Prouvé. This protagonist of CAB’s 2016-2017 programme was conceived in 1944, and is now brought in dialogue with sculptures and installations by contemporary artsists (both Belgian and international). Playing at the same time with both the interior and and the exterior of the Prouvéhouse, Inhabited by Objects departs from a certain architecture to challenge our expectations, perception and interaction in engaging with objects. The artworks on show blur the lines between architecture, furniture, abstract objects and living creatures. Its confusion aims to ignite questions regarding our preconceived ideas connected to context, and to consider the consequences of our mental categorisations in perceiving objects. Additionally, it tends to reflect on objects within the spectrum ... More
Swedish government appoints Sara Arrhenius as the new Vice Chancellor of the Royal Institute of Art STOCKHOLM.- The Swedish government has appointed Sara Arrhenius as the new Vice Chancellor of the Royal Institute of Art, with effect from spring 2017. By appointing Arrhenius to this position, the government thereby approves the proposition put forward by the Royal Institute of Art’s unanimous board earlier this autumn. Sara Arrhenius has been Director and curator at Bonniers Konsthall since the institution was first established in 2005. As Director, she has led the gallery through its initial construction and opening, to the position it currently holds in the art world, with a series of acclaimed exhibitions, programmes and projects on its roster. Arrhenius has curated a great number of exhibitions, including Laura Lima, The Naked Magician (2014), Ylva Ogland, She in Four Acts (2015), and most recently Insomnia (2016-17), with artists including Kate Cooper and Carsten ... More
Dreweatts & Bloomsbury announces Fine Furniture and Works of Art auction NEWBURY.-Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions have a rich and varied selection of Fine Furniture and Works of Art for auction on the 30th of November at Donnington Priory, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2JE. The sale will offer a range of interesting and unique pieces from all over the world, many fresh to market from private UK and European vendors as well as a selection from The Geoffrey Oxborrow Collection and The Peter Arlidge Collection. From Asia, a late 17th century Goan cedar, ivory and ebony inlaid cabinet on stand (Lot 21, Est: £30,000-£50,000) is an impressive highlight. Decorated overall with an ebony strung design of interlacing circular motifs, the design is embellished with ebony and ivory inlay and features an arrangement of twelve drawers. The stand includes three further drawers and is flanked on all four corners by a carved female term figure ... More
Spink announces sale of Bonds and Share Certificates of the World LONDON.-Spink announced that the 17th and 18th November will see a superb sale of Bonds and Share Certificates of the World in London. The sale will feature, amongst others, the Helmut Stahl Collection of Casinos, the third part of the Duppa-Miller Collection of Gold Mines, and selected items from the Menzel collection. The long awaited Austrian bonds and share certificates from the German Ministry of Finance (BADV) is also on offer, with over 750,000 items in 260 lots. There are nearly 1,000 different bonds and shares dating from 1855-1945. After the ‘Anschluss’, the unification with Germany in 1938, these papers were transported to and stored in the impenetrable vault of the Reichsbank in Berlin and survived all of the Second World War bombs and subsequent Soviet occupation. Following the German reunification, the German Ministry undertook ... More
Myanmar gets first glimpse of most famous director's film YANGON(AFP).- Myanmar's only internationally recognised director, Midi Z, has shown his work in his home country for the first time, calling the screening a "historical moment" for a nation emerging from decades of military oppression. "The Road to Mandalay," a tragic love story about two Myanmar workers who travel illegally to Thailand in search of a better life, was shown to a packed cinema in Yangon on Monday night. Midi Z, who at age 33 has collected numerous international awards and been nominated for an Oscar, said he felt nervous showing the film to his compatriots. Born in Myanmar's Shan state, he moved to Taiwan when he was 16 but has frequently returned to Myanmar to shoot films -- often in secret from the former junta. "Maybe it's just one screening but for me it's very important -- a historical moment," the rising star told AFP on Tuesday. "For ... More
Freeman's Jewelry & Watches Sale brings $1.5 million PHILADELPHIA, PA.- Iconic pieces, private collections and prominent diamonds set the stage for Freeman's November 7 auction of Jewelry & Watches. Realizing just over $1.5 million, the sale saw an impressive 91% sell-through rate. The remarkable selection of jewelry and watches brought collectors from near and far; with enthusiastic bidders from Philadelphia to Russia competing in the room, on the phone, and internet. "Having our sale the day before the Presidential election was a bit daunting, but it proved to be a healthy distraction for bidders - which resulted in healthy prices. I think this demonstrates a sense of optimism," remarked Jewelry & Watches department head Virginia Salem after the sale. "Well, that was a nail-biter!" exclaimed one onlooker during the heated bidding for the top lot of the day, a rare 1969 Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, better known as the "Paul ... More
Fort Wayne Museum of Art announces its largest gift of art to date FORT WAYNE, IN.-The Fort Wayne Museum of Art announced a major gift to its permanent collection, over 200 paintings and more than 500 prints from the estate of internationally-acclaimed American artist David Shapiro. The gift, with an estimated value of $6.2 million, is the largest in scope and value in the history of the Fort Wayne Museum of Art. His paintings and prints, according to the author Mason Riddle, "comprise a highly personal language of signs and symbols. Circles, spirals, dots, wave and knot patterns, stylized flames and textures resonate on richly hued, tactile surfaces of Nepalese and Japanese papers, burlap, nylon screening, and canvas evoking a subtle mood of contemplation.” FWMoA CEO and Chief Curator Charles Shepard adds, “Before his untimely death in 2014, David Shapiro had already secured his place in the history of contemporary ... More
25 Blythe Road announces Film Poster & Memorabilia online auction LONDON.- With the fast onset of digitalisation in cinemas, film posters may be a dying breed, but poster specialist Bruce Marchant is ensuring there are still many quality pieces coming to the market this November. In the region of 100 posters, lobby cards and production stills from the 1920s to the 1990s will be for sale at the online auction from 9th – 11th November, with the catalogue viewable on www.25BlytheRoad.com from the 26th October. This is an ideal auction for entry level/first time collectors; estimates start at £150, going up to £5,000. SciFi, Horror, Comedy, Drama, Romance – all these categories are represented in this film posters and memorabilia sale spanning 40 years; something to everybody’s ‘Big Screen’ taste. Highlights from the 1950s include a poster advertising the well known film Rebel Without a Cause (1955). This has a poignant association, ... More
Wim Delvoye: This Shit is Art
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Flashback
On a day like today, Swiss-American photographer Robert Frank was born
