VIENNA.- On the occasion of the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Principality of Liechtenstein in 2019, the Albertina Museum is presenting a comprehensive selection of the most outstanding works from the Princely Collections under the title From Rubens to M akart. The museum is also devoting a simultaneous, separate jubilee exhibition to the Viennese watercolor, an important and central category of works within the Princely Collections, in an exhibition entitled Rudolf von Alt and his Time. Well over 100 of the most important paintings and sculptures from the exquisite collection of this family, rich in tradition like few others in Europe, span an impressive range from the Early Renaissance in Italy to the Baroque period, from Viennese Biedermeier to the historicism of the Makart era. Iconic works such as Antico’s Bust of Marcus Aurelius, which was acquired for the Princely Collections just recently, the life-size bronze sculptures o ... More
Maximilien Luce, Factory in the Moonlight, 1898. Courtesy of the AGO.
TORONTO.- Pulsing with life, Paris in the 1870's was transforming – thanks to wider streets, increased traffic, an explosion of factories in the suburbs, and faster and more frequent steam-powered trains. No one in France was immune to the rapid pace of change, least of all artists. This winter the AGO presents a groundbreaking new exhibition, exploring how French Impressionist artists and their contemporaries, famous for their lush landscapes and sea vistas, were equally obsessed with capturing the spirit of the industrial age. Impressionism in the Age of Industry: Monet, Pissarro and More features over 120 artworks, including numerous loans from across Europe and North America. The exhibition is curated by Dr. Caroline Shields, Assistant Curator, European Art. “This exhibition invites us to journey ... More
NEW YORK, NY.-Sotheby’s announced that they will offer Mark Rothko’s Untitled, 1960 on behalf of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) this May in New York, sold to benefit the institution’s Acquisitions Fund. An important work completed at the apex of Rothko’s artistic powers, Untitled, 1960 is one of just 19 paintings completed by the artist in 1960. This year marks a critical juncture in the iconic Abstract Expressionist’s career, following his defining commission of the Seagram Murals (1958-59) and his representation of the United States in the XXIX Venice Biennale (1958) – organized by the Museum of Modern Art, New York, which would subsequently hold Rothko’s first and only major lifetime ... More
“Alluring” by Jenness Cortez.
NAPLES, FLA.- A new exhibition by internationally acclaimed painter Jenness Cortez will honor a group of illustrious artists including Johannes Vermeer, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam and Winslow Homer. On view February 17 through March 8, 2019 at the Harmon-Meek Gallery in Naples, Florida, this one-person show represents the latest installment in the Cortez series of thought-provoking paintings depicting art in art. Historically, the tradition of “art in art” was most notably employed by such 17th-century Dutch artists as Johannes Vermeer. In her own painting “Alluring,” Cortez pays homage to the genius of Vermeer by incorporating his iconic ”Girl with a Pearl Earring“ into her own original composition. In “Alluring” Cortez continues to reexamine the classic paradox of realism: the painting both as a “window” into an imagined space ... More
LOS ANGELES, CA.-The Los Angeles County Museum of Art presents the West Coast premiere of Charles White: A Retrospective, the first major exhibition of the artist Charles White (1918–1979) in over 30 years. Charles White created powerful interpretations from African American history and culture throughout his 40-year career. A gifted draftsman and printmaker as well as a talented mural and easel painter, White almost exclusively portrayed black subjects. A lifelong social activist, he championed racial pride and condemned the institutionalized racism faced by African Americans in all areas ... More
PARIS.- The Impressionist and Modern Art department will host its next sale on Friday March 29th. Around 100 works of art will be offered at auction which will take place during the Salon du Dessin (that will be held from Wednesday March 27th to Monday April 1st). This sale will occur in parallel with the Old Master Drawings and the Impressionist and Modern Works on Paper auctions, which both include a selection of works from the remarkable collection of Jean Bonna. Led by a seminal sculpture by Alberto Giacometti, and a 1917 oil on canvas by Pablo Picasso, this auction will offer artworks from all the main artistic movements of the turn of the 20th century such as Impressionism, Fauvism, Divisionism, Pointillism, Nabis, ... More
Seven Keys to Modern Art by Simon Morley, published by Thames & Hudson. Price: £19.95 hardback.
LONDON.-Seven Keys to Modern Art explores modern and contemporary masterpieces – from Matisse’s Red Studio to Louise Bourgeois’ Maman – in terms of seven different approaches: Historical, Biographical, Aesthetic, Experiential, Theoretical, Skeptical and Market. Together, these ‘keys’ represent different ways of looking at the same work of art. The goal of this innovative new illustrated publication is to suggest that there is never a ‘right’ way to understand a work of art: the richly varied, and sometimes contradicting, approaches presented through the seven ‘keys’ invite active collaboration in an on-going process of understanding and appreciation. Rather than proceeding on the basis of art ‘movements’ or individual artist’s careers, Simon Morley focusses on only twenty works of art. Each chapter begins with ... More
William Adolphe Bouguereau (French, 1825–1905), Portrait of Frances and Eva Johnston, 1869. Oil on canvas, 40 × 31 7/8 in. (101.6 × 80.96 cm) Private Collection California.
MILWAUKEE, WIS.- The work of French academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825–1905), who enjoyed remarkable popularity throughout America’s Gilded Age, is the focus of a new exhibition co-organized by the Milwaukee Art Museum and the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art. Bouguereau & America is the first major exhibition of the artist’s work in nearly 30 years. “Bouguereau is a defining figure in the history of French art, and an extraordinary painter whose masterful canvases evoke delight and wonder. In addition to that, however, Bouguereau’s work can teach us much more,” said Tanya Paul, Isabel and Alfred Bader Curator of European Art, Milwaukee Art Museum and co-curator of the exhibition. “The story of Bouguereau is the story of the way art rises and falls in popularity; the role dealers, collectors and patrons play in shaping art and taste; and, in many ways, the way art was collected as members ... More
SCHIEDAM.- Why use paint when there are so many other materials? So Piero Manzoni did the latter. In the sixties he made art with his breath, canned his own crap, autographed bodies and invited people to stand on a pedestal. On that magic plinth everyone became a work of art, a living sculpture. His revolutionary approach made him one of the great innovators of the 20th century and his can of crap became an icon of avant-garde art. Manzoni (1933-1963) died of a heart attack at the age of 30. For the first time in this country in 50 years the Stedelijk Museum Schiedam presents an extensive retrospective of his work under the title Manzoni in Holland. Not only does the exhibition - from 16 February to 2 June 2019 – examine his artistic development, but Manzoni's collaboration with artists in the Netherlands and other countries also receives ample treatment. An exceptional feature is that visitors are welcome to stand ... More
In this file photo taken on February 02, 2014 Swiss actor Bruno Ganz poses with his prize during the awarding ceremony of the 49th Golden Camera in Berlin. BRITTA PEDERSEN / POOL / AFP.
GENEVA(AFP).- Bruno Ganz, the Swiss actor who gave masterful performances as Adolf Hitler in "Downfall" and an angel seeking mortality in divided Berlin, died Saturday aged 77, his agent said. Ganz, who was suffering from cancer, died "in the early hours of the morning" at his home in Zurich, the agent said. Considered one of the greatest German-speaking actors in the post-World War II era, Ganz had a distinguished career on screen and stage before his 2004 appearance in "Downfall", which unfolds over the final, suffocating days inside Hitler's underground bunker. For many critics, his nuanced portrayal of the fascist tyrant that veers between explosive and sombre was unparallelled. Hitler is a figure that German-speaking actors have historically been reluctant to take on and the Zurich-born Ganz conceded that being Swiss provided a necessary buffer. Ganz won acclaim, and some criticism, ... More
David Moreno, Floating favelas V, 2019. Carbon Steel, Silver, Paint, 17 x 11 x 25. Unique artwork.
PARIS.-Danysz gallery’s latest discovery, the young Barcelona artist David Moreno, creates delicate floating cities composed of steel rods and piano strings. From February 16th, Moreno presents his first solo show in Paris at Danysz Gallery. Moreno's works are light and seem to float in the air, as if they were levitating against the wall. His work is meticulous : each line is welded with finesse and precision. The piano strings blend with the metal rods in a clever balance between flexibility of the curve and straightness of the structure. Depending on the perspective, the lines are either crossing or simply juxtaposed. Moreno shares that through his art he "aims at drawing sculpture". Moreno strongly believes that sketch and sculpture are similar ; he creates fully graphic three-dimensional works that could be reminiscent of architects' sketches. He uses metal as one would use pencil to draw on paper, yet adding a third dimension ... More
Installation view.
LOS ANGELES, CA.-Parrasch Heijnen Gallery is presenting Alteronce Gumby / Al Loving: Catching the Holy Ghost, an exhibition of new works by New York-based artist Alteronce Gumby (b.1985, Harrisburg, PA) in direct conversation with historic paper collage material from 1976 to 1993 by the late Abstract Expressionist painter Al Loving (b. 1935, Detroit, MI, d. 2005, New York, NY). Alteronce Gumby paints dynamic works subverting traditional understanding of light and color through nuanced application of pigment applied to his surfaces directly with his palms and fingers. The artist’s intensely textured works balance shadow with light and form with material. Using nonobjective expression, Gumby’s ethereal objects are abstractions of emotions given tangible form where colors vanish and reappear. The lustrous tetraptych paintings are filled with subtle distinctions in color with each added shade mirroring unique moments that become part o ... More
Israeli director Nadav Lapid poses with the Golden bear for best film for “Synonymes“ during a press conference following the awards ceremony of the 69th Berlinale film festival on February 16, 2019 in Berlin. Odd ANDERSEN / AFP.
BERLIN(AFP).- A critical drama about an Israeli expatriate in Paris wrestling with his identity, "Synonyms" by director Nadav Lapid, won the Golden Bear top prize at the Berlin film festival Saturday. Lapid said the sexually explicit, semi-autobiographical movie, which deals with a young man who has fled Israel over its fraught political situation, might "scandalise" many in his home country as well as France. "I hope that people will not look only at this film as a kind of harsh or radical political statement because it's not," he told reporters after accepting the prize from jury president Juliette Binoche. "First of all, it's a human and existential and artistic statement. The film is also a celebration and a party, a celebration of cinema." The runner-up jury prize went to French filmmaker Francois Ozon ... More
Quote How much time we lose in seeking our daily bread! Paul Gauguin
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Solo exhibition of works by the Venezuelan-born artist Ricardo Alcaide opens at von Bartha S-CHANF.-Von Bartha presents their second solo exhibition of works by the Venezuelan-born artist Ricardo Alcaide. Running from 17 February to 16 March at the gallery’s S-chanf space, the exhibition displays Alcaide’s new installation Sunset. Alcaide’s fascination with the sunset stems from his childhood - an experience he recalls as “the most mesmerizing of memories”. Unlike many of the artist’s previous works, this new installation is not comprised of found objects from the streets of São Paulo, rather Alcaide has created a ‘fictionalised’ system out of MDF, made up of a series of seven rectangular units, or (non) shelves. Alcaide has removed most of the shelving to create a shallow depth which implies that - like the sunrise’s descent into the horizon - nothing is ever fixed. Reflecting on the process of deterioration, Sunset explores the failure in striving ... More
Marianne Boesky Gallery opens exhibition of works by designer Hugo França and artist Thiago Rocha Pitta ASPEN, COLO.-Marianne Boesky Gallery is presenting Tropical Molecule, an exhibition featuring the work of designer Hugo França and artist Thiago Rocha Pitta at Boesky West in Aspen, Colorado. Distinct in their conceptual and aesthetic approaches, Rocha Pitta and França are nonetheless united by a shared commitment to engaging with and honoring the natural environment, especially in their home country of Brazil. On view from February 15 through March 31, 2019, the exhibition includes França’s characteristic sculptural furniture alongside a selection of Rocha Pitta’s watercolors, frescos, and photographs. A new sculpture by Rocha Pitta has also been installed on the exterior of the gallery. Together, the works, which are being shown together for the first time, capture the continuously blurring boundaries between art and design and highlight ... More
Legendary baseball player contracts among sports memorabilia up for auction BOSTON, MASS.-RR Auction’s February 21st Sports Auction features the most significant collection of history-making baseball player contracts ever offered at auction, along with graded cards, a fantastic collection of signed baseballs, and autographed vintage photographs. Among the player contracts is Ted Williams 1960 Boston Red Sox signed contract for his final season with the team. The four-page contract, signed “Theodore Williams,”dated March 1, 1960. Ted Williams's last contract, in which he agrees to render "skilled services as a baseball player during the year 1960" for the Boston Red Sox, for a salary of $60,000. Signed at the conclusion in ink by Ted Williams, "Theodore Williams"; American League President, former Red Sox Star, and fellow Hall of Famer Joe Cronin, "Joseph E. Cronin"; and Boston General Manager and fellow Hall of Famer Bucky ... More
Zimbabwean legendary novelist Charles Mungoshi, dies at 71 HARARE(AFP).- Zimbabwean revered and internationally celebrated novelist and poet Charles Mungoshi has died aged 71, after a long illness, his family said on Saturday. "He had been ill for 10 years, from a neurological condition to which he succumbed this morning at Parirenyatwa Hospital (in Harare)," the family said in a statement. He published 18 books including "Coming of the Dry Season", a 1972 collection of short stories which was banned under colonial rule in the then Rhodesia. His novel "Waiting for the Rain" 1975 won him the International PEN Award. Twice he won the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize of Best Book in Africa and also received the Noma Award for Writing from Africa four times. His works included novels, plays, poetry and short story collections in English and his native Shona language. Some of his works have been translated into various ... More
Heritage Auctions Currency remains No. 1, topping $44 million in annual sales DALLAS, TX.- A massive surge in demand for high-grade notes from around the world spurred annual sales for 2018 for Heritage Auctions' Rare Currency department to $44,075,071. Only once has any auction house in the world surpassed the total: the all-time record for auction sales came in 2008, when Heritage cleared $45 million. The 2018 total continues Heritage's status as the top currency auction house in the world, beating its nearest competitor by nearly 50 percent. "The strong results we had in 2018 reflected the superior quality we offered throughout the year, and were led by the growth in popularity of the top World notes," Heritage Auctions Vice President Dustin Johnston said. "There is incredible interest for top-grade world banknotes from around the globe. "In the U.S. markets, type prices are moving higher, and fresh collections always ... More
Beck & Eggeling opens exhibition of paintings by Stefan à Wengen DUSSELDORF.- Knowledge of one’s mortality is part of the human condition. But how does one paint the unfathomable, the unknown? One of the most impressive examples of the artistic exploration of death is Arnold Böcklin's famous work »Die Toteninsel« (Isle of the Dead). The gloomy and mysterious romantic painting was so rapidly popular in the fin de siècle that Böcklin painted five versions of this motif between 1880 and 1886, four of which are still preserved today. It was one of the most reproduced works of its time. The extraordinary effect of »Die Toteninsel« influenced both contemporaries and later painters, and led to a stream of new interpretations to this day. This painting also captivated Stefan à Wengen in such a way that from 2016 to 2017 he repainted all of Arnold Böcklin’s »Toteninseln« in his own unmistakable style. And in the impressive format ... More
University of Kentucky Museum invites viewers to go gonzo for Ralph Steadman illustrations LEXINGTON, KY.- From the pages of Hunter S. Thompson’s work and The New York Times to classics like “Alice in Wonderland” and “Animal Farm,” visual storyteller Ralph Steadman has made an undeniable mark on the world of illustration. Art enthusiasts are being treated to an exhibition of works from the artist’s 65-year career as the University of Kentucky Art Museum brings “Ralph Steadman: A Retrospective” to the Bluegrass Feb. 16-May 5. Combining expressive lines and emphatic ink splatters, Ralph Steadman’s work is an immediately recognizable style that has spanned decades. Featuring more than 100 original artworks and prints of Steadman’s, this retrospective examines the range of his projects in literature, theatre, television and product design. “With a sardonic eye, and the whip of his pen, Ralph Steadman challenges us to see the world ... More
Catinca Tabacaru Gallery opens an exhibition of works by Pat Phillips NEW YORK, NY.- I grew up in a middle-class suburb among four other black families. Relatively blue collar, many of our parents worked in the few local industries in and around town. Out of the folks who looked like myself, we had a bus driver, janitor, factory worker, a Baptist preacher/lawyer, and my dad…a Corrections Officer at the local prison. SubSuperior is a narrative exploring my own life, as well as the experiences of others stuck between racial and social classes. In an era that conveys progress, but only demonstrates marginal economic advancement, the struggles of the nuclear black family can create an illusion that things are better for everyone. Between the, “Y’all made it, so can everyone else” and the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality that is whole-heartedly regurgitated within the working middle class, many can simply overlook ... More
Asian Art, the engravings of Karl Bodmer and diverse estate jewelry at Michaan's in March ALAMEDA, CA.- The San Francisco Bay area, gateway to the Pacific, has long played an important role in the trade of Asian art treasures. At Michaans’s Auctions, high quality Asian art and antiques have been a core business since the company’s inception. In the March Gallery Auction, Michaan’s offers precious Chinese snuff bottles, a delightful bronze elephant, and Japanese woodblock prints by Hiroshige. Also among the March highlights is the large collection of engravings by Karl Bodmer, whose body of work forms an important historical record of the American West. Bodmer’s exquisite 19th century scenes of Native Americans will thrill collectors of fine art as well as American history buffs. Estate jewelry, period furniture and many more fabulous finds are also offered at Michaan’s on March 9. A good snuff bottle collection is a survey of Chinese art, in ... More
Hannah Perry's first institutional solo exhibition in Germany opens at the Kunstverein in Hamburg HAMBURG.-The Kunstverein in Hamburg is presenting the first institutional solo exhibition by British artist Hannah Perry in Germany. Perry’s artistic practice encompasses sculptures, installations, videos, and performances and often draws on her own memories and experience. By layering and superimposing various materials and content, she presents multiperspectival works that dissect the essence of personal memories in today’s hyper technological and networked society. A Smashed Window and an Empty Room deals with the impact of trauma on mental and emotional health as well as conditions and consequences of human interactions. Perry’s visual language utilizes coded and gendered industrial materials which reflect on the landscape and demographics that shaped her upbringing in the North of England. She is particularly drawn ... More
1708 Gallery opens multifaceted exhibition 'The Afterlife of Jim Crow' RICHMOND, VA.-1708 opened The Afterlife of Jim Crow, a multifaceted exhibition of photography, historical research, and volunteer programming. The Afterlife of Jim Crow explores the restoration of East End Cemetery through the journalism, activism, and artistic perspective of Brian Palmer and Erin Hollaway Palmer. The Palmers moved to Virginia in 2013 to produce Make the Ground Talk, a documentary centered on a vanished black community near Williamsburg that was settled by formerly enslaved people. It was this project that led them to East End Cemetery, an African American burial ground in Henrico County that has suffered from decades of neglect. The Palmers are members of the Friends of East End, the volunteer group leading the reclamation effort, and are documenting the history and restoration of the cemetery. ... More
First Look: Mark Rothko at the Apex of his Career
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Flashback
On a day like today, German-American painter Hans Hofmann died
