Art News

PORTLAND, OR.- “Beyond Place: Recent Photography Acquisitions” explores place as a subject in photographs by an international roster of artists. The selected works are mostly free of the human figure and focus instead on the power of the photograph to imaginatively transport the viewer, to inspire emotional musings, and to reveal the unknown. From documentary investigations of contaminated landscapes to sensuous portraits of nature to intimate views of private rooms, these photographs reveal how the experience of a place is commemorated, displaced, ciphered, or changed through the artist’s intervention. Artists include Adam Bartos, Susan Dobson, Beth Dow, Pedro Lobo, David Maisel, Saul Robbins, and Donald Weber. Since 2003, the Portland Art Museum, with the support of patrons James and Susan Winkler, has set about expanding its holdings of contemporary photography and, related to that effort, to chronicle the

OTTAWA, ON.- The National Gallery of Canada (NGC) wishes to clarify its position regarding the December 2, 2009 statement by The Canadian Artists’ Representation/Le Front des artistes canadiens (CARFAC) and le Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels du Québec (RAAV). Canadian artists are directly protected by two areas of legislation: the Status of the Artist Act, 1992, c.33 and the Copyright Act, C-42. The first legislation oversees professional relations and compensation for artists’ services, such as mounting art installations, giving lectures and tours, attending media events, etc. On the other hand, the Copyright Act is a property right legislation that includes governing the use of artworks either on display or in reproduction situations. The NGC is currently negotiating with CARFAC/RAAV under the Status of the Artist Act. CARFAC/RAAV are legally authorized to represent all living Canadian artists under the Stat

NASHVILLE, TN.- “Heroes: Mortals and Myths in Ancient Greece”, an exhibition exploring the human need for heroes through the arts of one of the oldest and most influential cultures in history, will open in the Frist Center’s Upper-Level Galleries January 29, 2010, and remain on view through April 25, 2010. More than 100 works, including statues, reliefs, vases, bronzes and jewelry made between the sixth and first centuries BCE and drawn from prestigious U.S. and European museums illustrate the lives of Greek heroes including their tasks, adversaries, challenges, failures and private moments. Heroes are sometimes portrayed as superhuman protagonists while at other times as average people who rise above the ordinary. Included are both mythological heroes, among them Herakles, Achilles, Odysseus and Helen, and mortal heroes, including warriors, athletes and rulers. The exhibition comes to the Frist Center from the Walt

HOUSTON, TX.- The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, will feature more than 80 paintings, watercolors, and drawings of seascapes and coastal scenes from the early career of the pre-eminent late-19th-century American expatriate painter John Singer Sargent (1856—1925), from February 14 to May 23, 2010. Following a presentation at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., this fall, Houston´s showing is the final stop in the United States before the exhibition travels to London´s Royal Academy. Dr. Emily Ballew Neff, MFAH curator of American Painting and Sculpture, organizes the Houston showing, which is complemented by Houston´s Sargents: a show of some 30 Sargent works from private Houston collections. Sargent and the Sea brings together the artist´s early beach scenes and will be the first to examine, in great depth, the little explored marine paintings and drawings produced during the first five years of the artist´s caree

WASHINGTON, DC.- George H. Miller, FAIA, partner at Pei Cobb Freed & Partners LLP, was inaugurated as the 86th president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) during ceremonies held on December 4th. He succeeds Marvin J. Malecha, FAIA, and will represent the more than 86,000 AIA members in the coming year. Miller was elected at the AIA 2008 annual convention in Boston, and has served as AIA first vice president this past year. His inaugural speech highlighted the need to elevate the voice of architects in their communities and to enhance the public’s understanding of the value of design. His term will be highlighted by the theme, “Design Matters” as a way to draw attention to the core values of design – beauty, sustainability, health, safety and productivity. He also called on AIA members to focus their efforts on designing better schools, affordable housing, mass transportation and sustainable communitie

By: Nicolas Vaux-Montagny, Associated Press Writer

PARIS (AP).- Preliminary charges have been filed against nine employees of Paris’ respected Drouot auction house after police found stolen art, including a painting by 19th-century realist master Gustave Courbet, prosecutors said Monday. An auctioneer and eight commission agents were given preliminary charges, including “organized theft,” the prosecutor’s office said. Three others detained last week in the police raids on Drouot, its warehouses and homes of employees were released with no charges filed against them. When the bust was announced last week, there was initial confusion about which Courbet work had been recovered. The painting — stolen several years ago from a collection whose owner had recently died — was not clearly identified, and the heir had confused it with another work, an official close to the inquiry said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because the case is ongoing. Police initially identifie

STOCKBRIDGE, MA.- Norman Rockwell Museum Director/CEO Laurie Norton Moffatt has been appointed by the American Association of Museums (AAM) to serve as an official delegate on a cultural diplomacy trip to Russia with the United States Department of State and the President’s Committee for the Arts and Humanities. Ms. Norton Moffatt will be joining a delegation of American and Russian officials and several private sector leaders in Moscow from December 7 to 9, to discuss ways to continue fostering positive relations between the United States and Russia, and how various organizations might support the objectives of the commission. Funding to support Ms. Norton Moffatt’s trip has been made possible by The Henry Luce Foundation for American Art, The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, and The Berkshire Taconic Foundation. “I am honored that the AAM has invited me to represent our country through this unique opportunity,” says Nor

LONDON (AP).- A Scotland-based painter known for destroying his large-scale wall murals after they have been exhibited won Britain’s best-known art award, the Turner Prize, on Monday. Richard Wright said he was surprised he beat three other finalists to win the annual 25,000 pound ($40,000) prize, which was announced at London’s Tate Britain gallery. The award was presented by British poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy. “I’m shocked — is there another kind of reaction?” the artist said. “I wasn’t expecting it, not at all.” Wright is known for painting intricate, large-scale patterns on walls or ceilings, as well as for his insistence that his work be destroyed after the exhibitions end. He said he gave up painting on canvas because those paintings were “rubbish” and didn’t represent who he was.

NEW YORK, NY.- On 17 December 2009 at 2pm, Sotheby’s New York will hold its bi-annual sale of Important 20th-Century Design beginning with works from the Art & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and American Modern movements, and concluding with Mid-Century and Contemporary design. Highlighting the sale is an offering of 25 lots collected by Stephen Gray, one of the foremost authorities on the Arts and Crafts movement. The Important Tiffany auction will follow at approximately 3:30pm and features a topcaliber range of objects representing the diverse disciplines of Tiffany Studios.