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MIAMI, FL (AP).- Hundreds of hours of shiny black cassette tape pour through a toothy shark jaw suspended from the ceiling in an untitled artwork by Bahamian artist Blue Curry. This is not the Caribbean art tourists expect to find on their hotel walls or in gift shops. A new exhibit showcasing Curry and 22 other Caribbean-born contemporary artists intends to expand the imagery associated with the archipelago of tropical islands between Florida and South America. “It’s not folk art. It’s not souvenirs

BERLIN.- Max Beckmann’s painting “View of the Outskirts at the Sea near Marseille”, formerly in the possession of the famous collector and friend of the artist Stephan Lackner (California), surpassed all expectations at auction in Berlin; it sold for 2,618,000 Euros, the new world record auction price for a landscape by Max Beckmann. After intense bidding, the work was purchased by a Southern German private collection. This result was only part of the extraordinary sales total of Villa Grisebach’s fall auctions. The Evening Sale alone, consisting of selected works, exceeded its estimate of 5.5 million Euros and achieved a total of 8.6 million Euros. Several artworks doubled their estimates, for example Max Liebermann’s “Flock of Sheep” (392,700 Euros), Karl Hofer’s “Card Players” (333,200 Euros), Gabriele Münter’s “Flower Bouquet in High Vase” (249,900 Euros), Alexej von Jawlensky’s “Large Medit

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA.- Throughout his life Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) was fascinated with the life and work of Edgar Degas (1834-1917). Picasso collected the Impressionist’s pictures, continually re-interpreted his images, and at the end of his life, created scenes that included depictions of Degas himself. “Picasso Looks at Degas”, a ground-breaking exhibition at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute during the summer of 2010 brings together over one hundred works from international museums and private collections. The exhibition is the first to explore Picasso’s direct response to Degas’s work and includes never-before-exhibited archival material that sheds new light on his relationship with the ballet. The Clark is the exclusive North American venue for the exhibition which is curated by well-known Picasso expert Elizabeth Cowling and recognized Impressionist scholar Richard Kendall. “Picasso Looks at Degas” is on view at

WASHINGTON, DC.- The Board of Directors of The American Institute of Architects (AIA) voted today to award the 2010 AIA Gold Medal to Peter Bohlin, FAIA. Bohlin, founder of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, which has five U.S. offices, is renowned for his versatile, contextual use of materials. The AIA Gold Medal, voted on annually, is considered to be the profession’s highest honor that an individual can receive. The Gold Medal honors an individual whose significant body of work has had a lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture. Bohlin will be honored at the 2010 AIA National Convention in Miami. AIA President Marvin Malecha, FAIA, notified Bohlin by telephone immediately after the Board made its decision. “I’m so pleased and I’m surprised,” said Bohlin. “We all believe in architecture. It is our life to a great extent.

LONDON.- The Museum of London Docklands is putting a theatrical foot forward this week with a small display of Shakespearian shoes. From an Elizabethan slip-on uncovered at the site of the Rose Theatre, to a slender silk and leather shoe worn by Sir Henry Irving, the charismatic actor who inspired Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, the footwear on show steps through centuries of Shakespearian players and plays. The earliest shoe was preserved in the damp mud of Southwark and is still decorated with pinked zig-zagged patterning – an embellishment common enough that in The Taming of the Shrew it is remarked upon when a servant’s “pumps were all unpink’d i’ the heel.” The pressures on actors at the time are highlighted by

PASADENA, CA.- The Norton Simon Museum presents “The Familiar Face: Portrait Prints by Rembrandt”, an exhibition of 15 etchings by Dutch master Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669). Rembrandt’s prominence as a painter of portraits, particularly those of the merchants and burghers of Amsterdam, is well known. But the artist’s etched prints also have a place and purpose in recording the visages of his contemporaries. A skilled, innovative printmaker, Rembrandt embraced etching as a means of expression and experimentation. The artworks in The Familiar Face illustrate the artist’s keen power of observation

VIENNA.- For the third occasion the ESSL ART AWARD CEE prize winners will be presented in a group exhibition at the Essl Museum, opening in December 2009. The ESSL ART AWARD CEE was founded in 2005 by the collector couple Agnes and Karlheinz Essl with a view to supporting young artists in the countries where bauMax has a business presence. Since then, the prize has been awarded every second year. Among the prize winners in previous years were artists such as Kateřina Šedá (Documenta 12, Manifesta 2008) and Jakub Nepraš, who have by now achieved international acclaim. In 2009, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia have, for the first time, been joined by Romania. Students at all the art academies in these countries entered their works via the Internet. Ten applicants each were selected by an international jury. In May this year, the works of these nominees were presented in the six

BROOKLYN, NY.- An installation of more than 170 objects selected from the Brooklyn Museum’s world-famous holdings of ancient Egyptian material explores the complex rituals related to the practice of mummification and the Egyptian belief that the body must be preserved in order to ensure eternal life. “The Mummy Chamber” will open at the Brooklyn Museum on May 5 and will remain on long-term view. Included in the installation will be a portion of the nearly 26-foot-long papyrus Book of the Dead of Sobekmose, acquired in 1937 never before on public view,