NEW YORK, NY.- The New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, The Broadway Mall Association, Marlborough Gallery, and the New York City Department of Transportation are pleased to announce a public exhibition of monumental sculptures by Spanish artist Manolo Valdés from May 20, 2010 through January 23, 2011. The exhibition will include sixteen bronze sculptures along Broadway from Columbus Circle to 166th Street. Each sculpture will include signage that displays mobile phone access numbers for an English and Spanish language audio tour with informative descriptions of the works. Manolo Valdés is one of the most important and respected Spanish artists working today. Best known for his passion for past masters from Zurbarán to Velázquez, Matisse
Hirshhorn Present First U.S. Retrospective of Yves Klein’s Work in Nearly 30 Years
WASHINGTON, DC.- One of the 20th century’s most influential artists, Yves Klein (French, b. Nice, 1928; d. Paris, 1962) took the European art scene by storm in a prolific but brief career that lasted only from 1954 to 1962. “Yves Klein: With the Void, Full Powers,” on view at the Hirshhorn May 20 through Sept. 12, 2010, is the first major retrospective of the artist’s work in the United States since 1982. Co-curated by the Hirshhorn’s deputy director and chief curator Kerry Brougher and Dia Art Foundation director Philippe Vergne, formerly chief curator and deputy director at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, the exhibition is co-organized by the Hirshhorn and the Walker and developed in full collaboration
At New Pompidou Center-Metz Designed by Shigeru Ban, the Building Steals the Show
METZ, FRANCE (AP).- It’s France’s newest architectural wonder, and it looks something like an enormous white floppy sun hat. Or a giant swimming manta ray, or maybe an alien spacecraft. The new Pompidou Center art museum in the eastern French city of Metz has generated a big buzz in the architecture world, largely for its complex free-form roof. When it opens to the public this week, the strange and arresting building will likely overshadow the Picassos, Dalis and Warhols it is exhibiting. The building is all the more surreal for its setting amid the stern gray clocktowers and church steeples of Metz, chosen for its strategic location near France’s borders with Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium. Reporters got a preview of the museum, an outpost of Paris’ Pompidou Center for modern and contemporary art, on Monday, two days before the opening. Even many of those who find the exterior absurd will appreciate the galleries and how they interact with the art. On the ground floor, a hang
Asia’s Premier Annual Art Fair to Present a Unique Combination of Art and Antiques
HONG KONG.- The annual Hong Kong International Art and Antiques Fair will return to the prestigious Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from 3-6 October 2010, with a new name: FINE ART ASIA 2010. The new title reflects its status as Asia’s premier annual art fair presenting a unique combination of Art and Antiques. Last year the fair was attended by 16,500 visitors from all over the world, showcased 4,000 superb works of art exhibited by 60 leading Asian, European and American galleries, and recorded sales of over HK$ 230 million, an increase of 130% over 2008. This premier art event presented a wide range of collecting categories, from museum-quality ancient bronzes, outstanding Chinese ceramics and works of art, furniture, textiles and jades, to exceptional modern and contemporary art. Andy Hei, Founder and Director of HKIAAF, said: “We are delighted to announce that this year our fair will have a new n
Two Cities, 20 Designers, and 90 Days to Complete an Exercise in Creativity
LONDON.- The Art of Conversation: London—Berlin is a unique exhibition shown in London and Berlin. The content is generated through a visual game of ‘Chinese whispers’ between the designers in the two cities. Curated by the two design studios BANK in Berlin and INVENTORY Studio in London, the exhibition calls upon the talents of some of the most exciting new and established designers from across Europe. Over the course of 90 days, 20 entirely original works will be created, each in response to the previous piece, in a fascinating chain of communication that will at once reveal and demystify the designer’s thought process. Their piece can take any form; from sculpture to performance, photograph to text. The resulting show will demonstrate that creativity is never predictable and infinitely varied. To kick off the process, the first design team were gifted a hot air balloon flight by the curators, setting a precedent and giving the studio “space to think”
Jorge Pardo’s Newest Installation Transforms Friedrich Petzel Gallery into a Labyrinth
NEW YORK, NY.- Friedrich Petzel Gallery presents the eighth solo exhibition of new work by Los Angeles-based artist Jorge Pardo. Jorge Pardo’s newest installation transforms the gallery space into a labyrinth of interlocking structures. Like a three-dimensional library, the images, which are amassed from the internet, depict unlimited categorical scenes of nature and culture. Pardo views art largely through the perspective of design and architecture, making no hierarchical distinctions between his paintings, sculptures, installations, buildings or lamps. This work continues Pardo’s interest in appropriating domestic architectural elements that are alluring, practical, and continuously question the viewer’s definition and expectation of what one may consider traditional fine art. Jorge Pardo is among the first generation of artists to utilize fully the advancement in computer technologies to explore virtual spaces, utopias and the
Fantasy Artist Frank Frazetta, 82, Dies in Florida
PHILADELPHIA (AP).- Pioneering fantasy artist Frank Frazetta has died in a Fort Myers, Fla., hospital. He was 82. Manager Rob Pistella says Frazetta died Monday morning, a day after suffering a stroke. He says Frazetta had been out to dinner with his daughters Sunday before falling ill. Frazetta is renowned for his sci-fi and fantasy art. He created covers and illustrations for more than 150 books and comic books, including Conan the Barbarian and Tarzan. His daughter, Heidi Frazetta Grabin, says she is hopeful that a dispute among siblings over their father’s artwork has been resolved through recent negotiations. His son, Frank Frazetta, was charged in December with using a backhoe to break into the artist’s museum in the Poconos and trying to remove dozens of paintings.
South African-Based Photographer Roger Ballen Exhibits at Stills Gallery
PADDINGTON, AUSTRALIA.- South African-based photographer Roger Ballen is included in the 17th Biennale of Sydney line up of artists. Ballen’s disquieting images, which combine challenging social commentary and dream-like surrealism, will be exhibited on Cockatoo Island. To coincide with the Biennale exhibition Ballen’s most recent series Boarding House will be on show at Stills Gallery through 29 May 2010 alongside a selection of works from his earlier Outland series. Roger Ballen’s photographs are like images from a waking dream: compelling and thought-provoking, with layers of rich details, flashes of dark humour, and an altered sense of place. They blur the boundaries between documentary photography and art forms such as painting, theatre and sculpture, challenging the ways in which we perceive the ‘reality’ of photography. Similar to his critically acclaimed series Outland and Shadow Chamber, Boarding
Aaron Johnson and Barnaby Whitfield at Irvine Contemporary
WASHINGTON, DC.- Irvine Contemporary presents an exhibition of new paintings by Aaron Johnson and Barnaby Whitfield, Don’t Be Afraid, You’re Supposed to Be, May 1 – June 5. This extraordinary exhibition is the result of an artistic friendship and a personal dialog about being artists intensely engaged in new directions for painting. Roberta Smith recently observed, “Few modern myths about art have been as persistent or as annoying as the so-called death of painting.” Johnson and Whitfield are part of a generation of artists who know all the arguments and counterarguments about painting, and have made stunningly convincing moves that reinvent the game. Their paintings and mediums are formally very different and highly individuated–Johnson working with acrylics in a multi-layered reverse painting process, and Whitfield in pastels on paper–but they share important strategies and interests: setting
Westchester Artist to Exhibit at Historical Muscoot Farm
CHAPPAQUA, NY.- Renowned Chappaqua watercolor artist Cindy Sacks has been asked back to exhibit her work in Muscoot Farm’s beautiful 19TH century farmhouse every weekend in June, with an Opening Reception on June 5 from 12:00-3:00PM. This show marks her third exhibition at Muscoot. “If we had an artist in residence, it would probably be Cindy,” said Sue Moga, Muscoot Farm’s Farm Manager. “Her work is really lovely. She fits who we are.” Ms. Sacks agrees and adds that Muscoot Farm inspires her work. “Muscoot conjures up harmony, calm, beauty, and tranquility for me. The venue truly informs my creativity. We live or visit Westchester for a reason—peace and calm—and Muscoot embodies the beauty of the county and the spirit that makes Westchester so special.” “Home at last” is how Ms. Sacks relates he