ArtNews Magazine – Artists, Museums, Galleries, Exhibitions

KANSAS CITY, MO.- The Board of Trustees and staff members of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art are deeply saddened by the loss this past weekend of Harry C. McCray, Jr., Chair of the Board since May 1. McCray died Saturday, Nov. 28, after an intense struggle with cancer. “Harry will be missed very much,” said Marc F. Wilson, the Menefee D. and Mary Louise Blackwell Director/CEO of the Nelson-Atkins. “As I think about our future, I am profoundly grateful for all he did to bring us to where we are today.” McCray was chairman of the board of McCray Lumber Co., Kansas City, and was a philanthropic leader of the community. He was devoted to supporting the Nelson-Atkins for many years, including his roles as chair of the Museum’s Society of Fellows, the Steering Committee for the Business Council, and the Trustee Development Committee, serving as co-chair of the Major Gifts Subcommittee. He was also chair

NEW YORK, NY (REUTERS).- A signed four-page letter from George Washington to his nephew is expected to break sales records in one of two manuscript auctions at Christie’s in New York this week. The letter, which will be sold on Friday, could fetch up to $2.5 million dollars which would smash the previous record of $834,500 set in 2002 for a Washington document. The letter by the first president of the United States was written from Mount Vernon, Washington’s home for more than 45 years, on November 9, 1787. “It is far and away the most significant and the richest in terms of content,” of Washington’s letters, said Chris Coover, an expert at Christies. This is the first time the letter has been publicly exhibited, although it has already been reproduced. In the letter, Washington shared his firm support for the ratification of the American Constitution. “The letter is one of the most explicit and strongly worded letters regardi

SALT LAKE CITY, UT.- The Utah Museum of Fine Arts (UMFA) announced Ms. Lisa A. Arnette as the institution’s new Director of Development and External Relations. Arnette assumed her new position at the Museum on November 23, 2009. A highly motivated professional with over 19 years of comprehensive development experience, Arnette is no stranger to Museum management or nonprofit fundraising. From 1998 to 2003, she served as a development officer at the Utah Museum of Natural History (UMNH) on the University of Utah campus, where she was responsible for overseeing all aspects of fundraising and membership, including raising funds for the UMNH capital campaign for a new facility. After a successful tenure at the UMNH, Arnette accepted a position as Director of Advancement at Judge Memorial Catholic High School, where she built a thriving development program. Arnette’s time at Judge resulted in an 89% increase in annual

ATLANTA, GA.- The High Museum of Art will premiere the first major exhibition dedicated to the work of the Danish-born American photographer Peter Sekaer in June 2010. Consisting of approximately 75 vintage gelatin silver prints, several of which have never been on public view, the works in this exhibition span the years 1935 through 1945, and represent the first comprehensive assessment of Sekaer’s life and work in photography. The majority of works in the exhibition are new acquisitions—giving the High the largest museum holding of Sekaer’s photographs in the United States —complemented by selected loans from other public collections and the artist’s estate. Organized by the High, “Signs of Life: Photographs by Peter Sekaer” will be on view from June 5, 2010, to January 9, 2011. “While Peter Sekaer is not a household name, his photographs are among the finest produced in the Depression era

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (AP).- El Greco’s vision of the veil of Veronica hangs near a golden crown with 447 emeralds. Just a few steps away, a recumbent sculpture of the crucified Jesus Christ rests before its return to a Spanish hermitage in time for Holy Week. “Sacred Spain: Art and Belief in the Spanish World” at the Indianapolis Museum of Art is drawing visitors from around the world for an unprecedented exhibition of 71 pieces from 45 lenders — many of them private — in Spain, Mexico, Peru and other countries. Madrid’s Prado has loaned five works alone.

NEW YORK, NY (AP).- Two stolen ancient artifacts are being returned to Italy from New York City. An Italian government representative is taking possession of them at a ceremony Wednesday. The artifacts are a Pompeii plaster wall painting and a Corinthian vase for mixing water and wine. They were recovered by immigration and customs officials in June. Both items had been scheduled for auction in New York before they were discovered to have been stolen. Immigration officials said the vase may have been illegally introduced into the art market by Giacomo Medici (JAH’-kuh-moh meh-DEE-chee) in 1985. The art dealer was convicted in Rome in 2004

NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s Important American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture sale achieved a total of $32,358,750, with works by Andrew Wyeth, Mary Cassatt, and Charles Prendergast commanding the highest prices. Two new world auction records were set for American artists Guy Pène Du Bois and John Joseph Boyle, and a second highest price was achieved for a work by Andrew Wyeth. Eric Widing, Head of American Paintings at Christie’s noted: “Our December 2 sale saw collectors returning to the saleroom to bid with vigor and enthusiasm on many of our top lots. Our sale results were by far the best we have seen in American

LAS VEGAS, NV.- CityCenter presents the first major permanent collection of art in Las Vegas to be integrated into a public space, and one of the world’s largest and most ambitious corporate art collections in existence today. The CityCenter Fine Art Collection features works by acclaimed artists, sculptors and visionaries including Maya Lin, Jenny Holzer, Nancy Rubins, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Frank Stella, Henry Moore and Richard Long, among others. Validating CityCenter’s status as a cultural destination of worldwide significance, the Fine Art Collection is designed to become a benchmark for

HONG KONG.- Christie’s Hong Kong completed its five-day Autumn sales with strong results across the board in Asian art, watches, jewelry and wine. Totaling HK$1.65 billion/US$ 212.5 million/£ 128 million, the results show a robust recovery of the art and auction market, giving Christie’s a 58% market share for the year in Asia. Records were achieved in a range of categories, including Chinese modern paintings and works of art, Asian contemporary art, watches and jewelry, reaffirming the consistent demand by collectors for the best and rarest. As confidence returns to the global economy, collectors – the majority being