PARIS- Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, expressed her deep sadness at the death of Professor Ikuo Hirayama, UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, on December 2, at the age of 79. “UNESCO has lost a friend,” she said. “For more than 20 years, Professor Hirayama lent his tireless support to the Organization’s projects, especially in the fields of education, emergency relief and reconstruction. He was particularly concerned with making people aware of the value of cultural heritage as a basis for mutual understanding. He will be missed and remembered fondly by all at UNESCO.” Professor Hirayama, a survivor of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945, became an eminent painter and public figure. Campaigning for the preservation and restoration of the world’s cultural heritage, he publicized the activities of what he called the “Red
Christie’s Expects to Break Auction Records with Rembrandt and Raphael Sale Next Week
LONDON (REUTERS).- Christie’s is confident the recession is well and truly over in the world of fine art, with a record old masters sale in London next week that includes important works by Rembrandt, Raphael and Il Domenichino. The world’s largest auctioneer is calling its December 8 old masters and 19th-century auction a “landmark,” and pre-sale estimates range from 45-63 million pounds ($75-105 million), its highest ever for such a sale. “This auction promises to be a landmark sale for the art market,” said Richard Knight, international co-head of old masters at Christie’s. “The (old masters) market has shown great stability over the last year and … collectors continue to seize opportunities to acquire works which rarely appear on the market.” Unlike other sectors of the art market, notably contemporary and Russian, values of old master works have held up relatively well during the financial downturn.
Invited Work at the Museo del Prado: The Company of Captain Reijnier Reael
MADRID.- “Just to see that painting would make the journey to Amsterdam worthwhile,” wrote Vincent van Gogh in 1885, after having seen this work in the Rijksmuseum. He particularly liked the “orange banner in the left corner”, he had “seldom seen a more divinely beautiful figure”. The painting that caused such a sensation was the group portrait of the crossbowmen’s militia under Captain Reijnier Reael, painted by Frans Hals and Pieter Codde in 1633 – 1637. Together with Rembrandt and Vermeer, Frans Hals is one of the most important and celebrated 17th-century
Major Outdoor Exhibition by Internationally Acclaimed Artist Yayoi Kusama
MIAMI, FL.- This December, the world famous Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden will present Yayoi Kusama at Fairchild as part of its annual visual art program. The Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, known for her distinctive sculptures and paintings that involve hand-worked repetition and bold patterning, will be exhibiting works from the exuberant new sculptural ensemble “Flowers that Bloom at Midnight” (2009), a group of her classic Pumpkins, as well as “Guidepost to the New Space”, a multi-part floating work specifically conceived for Fairchild’s Panandus Lake. This will be the first time anywhere in the world that all these
National Gallery of Australia Opens Exhibition of Post-Impressionist Art
CANBERRA.- One of the most extraordinary international art events ever held in Australia opens tomorrow at the National Gallery of Australia, with the world premiere of “Masterpieces from Paris: Van Gogh, Gauguin, Cézanne and Beyond—Post-Impressionism from the Musée d’Orsay”. This exceptional exhibition brings together 112 of the best known works of modern art from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Included are iconic works such as Vincent van Gogh’s beautiful “Starry Night”, 1888 and Van Gogh’s “Bedroom at Arles”, 1889, Paul Gauguin’s “Tahitian Women”, 1891, Paul Cézanne’s “Beloved Mount Saint-Victoire”, c. 1890 as well as many works by
D. Wigmore Fine Art Explores Black and White: The 1930s through the 1960s
NEW YORK, NY.- “Explorations in Black and White: The 1930s through the 1960s” brings together paintings and constructions in the reductive palette of black and white to show the developments and connections among American abstract artists over the four decades covered in the exhibition of 34 works of art. Significant artists of the 1930s and 1940s period in the exhibition include: Burgoyne Diller (1906-1965), Balcomb Greene (1904-1990), Gertrude Greene (1904-1956), Alice Trumbull Mason (1904-1971), Irene Rice Pereira (1902-1971), Rolph Scarlett (1889-1984), and Charles Green Shaw (1892-1974). Artists
Long-Lost Painting by John Sloan now on View at Detroit Institute of Arts
Detroit, MI – It’s been an unusual journey from Fourteenth
Street in New York to Woodward Avenue in Detroit for a painting created by
American artist John Sloan. Sloan painted Fourteenth Street at
Sixth Avenue in 1934 for the Public Works of Art Project (PWAP), created to
employ artists during the Great Depression. The painting, which had been
officially missing since 1938, has been located and is now on long-term loan to
the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA). It is on view outside the exhibition
Government Support for the Arts: WPA Prints from the 1930s through
March 21, 2010.
From Coal to Culture: Louvre Museum at Lens Site Inaugurated
LENS, FRANCE (AP).- It’s an abandoned coal mining site in a depressed corner of northern France that was pummeled by the two world wars. Soon, a branch of the Louvre Museum will rise up on this unlikely site. Work is to start soon on a sleek glass-and-aluminum building that will house hundreds of the Louvre’s treasures, from Egyptian artifacts to Renaissance paintings to Islamic art. Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Annex in New York City Closing
CLEVELAND, OH (AP).- The year-old New York City annex to Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum will shut down Jan. 3. A news release issued Thursday by S2BN Entertainment, a partner in the venture, gave no reason for the closing. Rock hall CEO Terry Stewart tells The Plain Dealer newspaper in Cleveland the decision was made by corporate partners who had backed the $10 million annex in downtown Manhattan. Backers had hoped to attract up to a half-million visitors annually but have not said what attendance was. Messages were left Friday for both S2BN Entertainment and rock hall officials.
Renowned Soviet-Era Statue by Vera Mukhina Back in View
MOSCOW (AP).- A gigantic sculpture that is one of the most admired examples of Soviet socialist realism is back on view in Moscow after six years of restoration. The stainless-steel sculpture, called “Worker and Collective Farm Woman,” was unveiled Friday in a nighttime ceremony with fireworks attended by thousands. The 24.5-meter (80-foot) sculpture depicts the two figures striding forward purposefully, their raised arms holding a hammer and sickle to replicate the Communist symbol. The worker’s sash and the woman’s skirt float behind them, as if they were moving at high speed. The 72-year-old sculpture by Vera Mukhina