Fine Art

Art News

Rare Guercino and Michelangelo Paintings Acquired by the Kimbell Art Museum

Guercino - 'Christ and the Woman of Samaria', c. 1619–20 - Oil on canvas, 97.2 x 124.8 cm. - Collection of the Kimbell Art Museum, Fort Worth, acquired in 2010 in memory of Edmund P. Pillsbury, director of the Kimbell Art Museum, 1980–1998.

FORT WORTH, TX.- The Kimbell Art Museum of
Fort
Worth, Texas, has acquired the painting Christ and the Woman of Samaria,
dated
to 1619–20, by the Italian artist Guercino, one of the foremost painters
of his
time. The purchase was announced today by the Museum’s director, Eric M.
Lee.
The painting dates from Guercino’s early, rarest, and most desirable
period,
when the artist achieved acclaim for the emotional power of his
compositions. Also on exhibition is
Michelangelo’s first known painting, The Torment of Saint Anthony,
is
now on view among the permanent collection of the Kimbell Art
Museum.

Art News

Denise Grünstein Exhibits Four Series of Photographs at Kiasma

Photographer Denise Grünstein emphasizes the significance of the location in the large colour photograph works of the Figure in Landscape series. The landscape sets the stage for stories with no beginning and no end. - Photo: Finnish National Gallery / Central Art Archives.

HELSINKI.- The
first extensive Finnish
exhibition by Denise Grünstein (b. 1950), one of the best known Swedish
photographic artists, showcases approximately 40 large works of
photographic art
and one video installation. The
show exhibits four series of photographs, offering a cross-section of
Denise
Grünstein’s work in the 2000s. She finds the subject matter that is used
from
her personal experiences, memories, and roots. The lyrical, atmospheric
photographs have a strong relationship with art history, romantic
painting, and
surrealistic photography. The artist works with traditional film and
uses an
analogue large format view camera. She emphasizes stage-like, artificial

ambiance in her photographs.

Art News

Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Makes Over 3,000 Items Available for View Online

Georgia O’Keeffe - 'Black Place, Grey and Pink', 1949 - Oil on canvas, 36 x 48 (91.4 x 121.9) - Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Gift of The Burnett Foundation (1997.06.030) -  © Georgia O’Keeffe Museum

SANTA FE, NM.- The Georgia O’Keeffe Museum
has
introduced on its website a searchable online database with images of
over 3,000
items from the museum’s collection, as well as materials from the
archives of
the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum Research Center. Through the Georgia
O’Keeffe Museum
Collections Online, the public can now view items including, among
others,
images of art and photographs in the Museum Collection and
correspondence from
Research Center Collections. Online availability of these materials was
created
to increase public awareness of and access to the museum’s art and
Research
Center collections.

Art News

Oakland Museum of California Reopens with Dramatic Displays of Collections

Favianna Rodriguez Mural - The Oakland Museum of California - Part of the "Oakland Museum Rebirth" project.

OAKLAND, CA.- On May 1, 2010, the Oakland
Museum
of California (OMCA) welcomes back the public with a dramatically
different
presentation of its renowned collections of California art and history.
Created
in 1969 as a “museum for the people,” OMCA revives its founding vision
by
introducing innovative exhibitions and programming, setting a new
paradigm for
the way a museum engages the public. OMCA’s transformation is enhanced
by a full
renovation and expansion of its iconic building.

Art News

Mario Ybarra Jr. Presents Two Installations at Galerie Michael Janssen

Mario Ybarra Jr. - 'Silver and Blacks', Installation view, 2010. - Courtesy: Galerie Michael Janssen, Berlin.

BERLIN.- Galerie Michael Janssen presents a

selection of Mario Ybarra Jr.’s recent works. In his first solo
exhibition at
the gallery, the American artist will be presenting two installations.
Born in
Los Angeles in 1973 and a graduate of the University of California,
Irvine,
Ybarra’s biography is key to understanding his work, which draws
attention to
forms of culture on the fringe of the mainstream revealing hidden
histories
within their contexts. His Mexican roots permeate his engagement with
the
phenomena of contemporary art, street culture and social reality. On
view April
30 through June 19, 2010.

Art News

National Maritime Museum Launches Toy Boats Exhibition

Steam-propelled battleship, Salamandre , France , late 19th century - © Musée national de la Marine.

LONDON.- For more than 100 years miniature ocean
liners, paddle steamers and battleships captured the imagination
of
generations of children, creating a sense of adventure and
excitement. At
a time when Britain was the world’s great industrial and maritime
power
toy boats were as fascinating to children as computer games are
today. On
exhibition 1 May through 31 October 2010.
The National
Maritime
Museum (NMM) launches Toy Boats. The exhibition features over 100
toys,
games, catalogues and photographs to reveal how the craze for all
things
maritime drove toy companies to make toy boats of every size and
description.

Art News

Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Retrospective of Jazz Musician Miles Davis

Two painting by the late jazz legend Miles Davis are on display at the preview of the "We Want Miles: Miles Davis vs. Jazz" exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal. The exhibit is a multimedia retrospective that traces the life and career of the jazz musical icon. -  AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson

MONTREAL.- Initiated
and organized by the Musée de
la musique with the support of the artist’s family represented through
Miles
Davis Properties, LLC, in association with the
Montreal Museum of Fine
Arts
(MMFA), “We Want Miles:
Miles Davis vs.
Jazz” is a multimedia retrospective exhibition devoted to one the
greatest jazz
artists of the twentieth century: Miles Davis (1926-1991). Bearing the
same
title as Davis’s 1982 live album, “We Want Miles” explores many of the
greatest
highlights of Davis’ exceptional life and career. On exhibition 30
April through 29 May,
2010.

Art News

The Queen’s Gallery shows George IV’s Tastes in Dutch Art in Edinburgh

Jacob van Ruisdael (c. 1628/9- 1682) - "Evening Landscape: A Windmill by a Stream", 1650s. - Royal Collection. ©2010, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

EDINBURGH (REUTERS).- The French
Revolution of
1789 and the Napoleonic wars opened up a massive European art market,
and some
of the British royal purchases of the time are featured in a new
exhibition of
Dutch landscape and marine paintings in Edinburgh. The exhibition of 42
works by
17th century Dutch artists from the royal collection runs at the Queen’s
Gallery
at the Palace of Holyroodhouse from Saturday through to January 9,
2011.
Desmond Shawe-Taylor, surveyor of the Queen’s pictures
who
curated the exhibition, said 34 of the paintings were bought by the
Prince
Regent (subsequently King George IV) between 1809 and 1820.

Art News

Breathtaking Dale Chihuly Exhibition Among Frederik Meijer Gardens

Dale Chihuly - “Blue Moon” and “Walla Wallas” in the Hekman Pond at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, MI. Photo: Parks Anderson

GRAND RAPIDS, MI.- Few American artists
can
capture the attention of millions the way Dale Chihuly can, and Frederik
Meijer
Gardens & Sculpture Park, one of the nation’s most significant
sculpture and
botanic experiences, will celebrate the masterwork of Chihuly with a
breathtaking and exclusive outdoor sculpture exhibition, “Chihuly at
Frederik
Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: A New Eden” will include thousands
of
pieces of glass in 15 different settings across the 132-acre grounds.
Each
site-specific sculpture will harmonize with the surrounding natural
environment,
and bright, bold horticulture designs will change with the seasons.
April
30 through September 30, 2010. 

Art News

Shanghai Opens Multi-Billion-Dollar Expo with Dazzling Display of Fireworks

Fireworks light up the Shanghai skyline during the opening ceremony for the Shanghai 2010 World Exhibition, Friday April 30, 2010. AP Photo/Ian Langsdon

SHANGHAI
(REUTERS).-
Shanghai officially opened its
multi-billion-dollar Expo Friday with a dazzling display of fireworks,
lasers
and dancing fountains, amid tight security and the virtual shutdown of
its main
Pudong financial district. After a rather low-key performance by singers
and
dancers in an indoor arena, the ceremony moved outside, with fireworks
exploding
off bridges and fountains shooting water up as high as 80 meters (263
ft). Some
6,000 LED fuchsia, red and yellow balls floated into the murky Huangpu
River,
creating a bright sea of balloons against the black water.