WILTSHIRE.- The Art & Exhibitions Committee at Salisbury Cathedral have invited artist and lighting designer Bruce Munro to exhibit two large installations in and around the Cathedral. Salisbury Cathedral is known to many as the most glorious building in Britain. Designed by Elias de Derham it was built by a team of 300 men over a period of 38 years and was finally consecrated in 1258. Over the centuries it has inspired some of England’s finest artists: Turner, Constable, and Whistler. Bruce Munro would never claim to be in their league. But he is honoured to be invited to show his work in this extraordinary, historic and holy place. Munro’s first piece is Light Shower, essentially a huge chandelier like a magical cloud of light which will be installed in the middle of the cathedral during the winter months of 2010/2011. A massive fibre optic installation with 2,000 clear ‘Tear Drop’ diffuser
Book Asks Who’s Greater, Michelangelo or Leonardo?
LONDON (REUTERS).- A new book focuses on a 16th century competition that set out to discover who was the better artist — Michelangelo or Leonardo Da Vinci, and says the outcome profoundly influenced the Renaissance titans’ legacies. Jonathan Jones, a British art critic who has been a Turner Prize judge, said the contest was familiar to art historians but to his knowledge had not been treated as the subject for a book. “The Lost Battles: Leonardo, Michelangelo and the Artistic Duel that Defined the Renaissance,” published by Simon & Schuster,” hits stores on Thursday and describes a dramatic and defining moment in art history. The decision by Florence officials that Michelangelo was the victor helped launch the younger artist’s career and set him on a path to glory with key commissions in Rome. Leonardo, meanwhile, was sidelined despite having a more established reputation, and ended up in the French court, which would have been looked down upon by Italy’s art patrons. “You are
Philadelphia Museum of Art Announces Exhibition that Surveys Renoir’s Final Decades
PHILADELPHIA, PA.- The Philadelphia Museum of Art will present the first exhibition to survey the achievement of the great Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) during the last three decades before his death. From June 17 through September 6, some 80 of the artist’s paintings, sculpture, and drawings will be on view, accompanied by a selection of works by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Pierre Bonnard, and others who were inspired by the master. A landmark exhibition, Late Renoir examines new directions that the artist explored several decades after he and others such as Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro created the new style of painting known as Impressionism. This new and widely admired phase in Renoir’s career propelled him into the modern age and, at the same time, enabled him to recapture a classical past with expressive brushwork and a palette of sensuous colors that were both lyrical decorati
Bruce Lee’s Wife, Daughter Open Hong Kong Exhibit
HONG KONG (AP).- Bruce Lee’s wife and daughter on Tuesday unveiled an exhibition of the late kung fu star’s personal items, photos and movie posters in Hong Kong. The exhibit, which includes a boxing head guard and a pair of sunglasses used by Lee, is part of a tribute to the late actor at the 34th Hong Kong International Film Festival. The festival is also hosting a seminar on his work this Sunday and screening nine of his movies in honor of what would have been his 70th birthday later this year. “I think that he would be thrilled to know that his legacy has gone on and on for as long as it has and that it will continue to go on and inspire people for many, many more years to come,” said Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee Keasler, who attended the opening ceremony with her mother, Linda Lee Cadwell. Lee became a chest-thumping source of Chinese pride by portraying characters that defended the Chinese and the working class from oppressors in films like “Return of the Dragon.” He died i
Contemporary Peruvian Artist Kukuli Velarde Exhibits at Barry Friedman Ltd.
NEW YORK, NY.- Barry Friedman Ltd. presents contemporary Peruvian artist Kukuli Velarde in her first solo show since joining the gallery. Recently awarded the prestigious USA Knight Fellowship by the Knight Foundation and the United States Artists organization, Velarde exhibits an installation of ceramic sculptures from her Plunder Me Baby series, figurative paintings on aluminum from her Cadavers series, and a video/drawing performance, Apple of his Eye, that took place during the first two weeks of the exhibition. Inspired by pre-Columbian terracotta figures, Velarde’s Plunder Me Baby sculptures reveal folk tradition, evoke histories of ornament and craft, and disrupt normal aesthetic hierarchies. Removed from their natural environment and installed as if in an anthropological museum, these figurative characters appear as
Vintage World Cup Posters on Offer at Christie’s in May
SOUTH KENSINGTON.- The Vintage Posters sale at Christie’s South Kensington on 13 May 2010 will offer approximately 200 lots, embracing the best of illustrative and graphic poster design. With a particular emphasis on football and the World Cup as the 2010 South African tournament prepares to commence in June, estimates range from £600 to £15,000, offering the chance to indulge in original vintage artwork from a variety of years and countries. An exceptional example offered for sale is an extremely rare original poster produced in order to promote the first ever edition of the world championship for international association football teams – the FIFA World Cup – which was held over seventeen days in Uruquay in July 1930 (estimate: £15,000-20,000) illustrated above left. Uruguay was selected as the host nation to further celebrate the
A Rare Imperial Presentation Charger Highlights Christie’s Russian Art Sale
NEW YORK, NY.- Offering rare works of exceptional provenance and historical importance, Christie’s April 23rd auction of Russian Art (separate release available) will present the finest and freshest Russian works of art to recently come to market. Among the major sale highlights is an extraordinary silver and enamelled Imperial presentation charger by Sazikov (estimate: $400,000-600,000). The sale will be preceded by a public exhibition at Christie’s Rockefeller Center Galleries from 17 April-22 April. Mark Moehrke, Director of Russian Works of Art at Christie’s, stated: “Imperial presentation chargers rarely appear on the auction market and it is our privilege to offer a work of such historical importance.” Such large chargers, or bread and salt dishes, were offered on coronation day during the reigns of Emperors Alexander II,
Poster Auctions International to Offer More than 500 Lots
NEW YORK, NY.- On Sunday, May 2, Poster Auctions International will offer more than 500 lots of rare, vintage posters in its 50th semi-annual auction of Art Nouveau and Art Deco masterpieces. As this is its Golden Anniversary auction, only the world’s finest and most important posters were chosen to be in this sale, gathered from some of the most prestigious private collections from around the globe. This unmatched gathering of rare posters will be on view from April 9 – May 1, open and free to the public for three weeks. Beginning this auction is a stellar gathering of over 40 rare automobile posters, from the classic car ads for Chrysler and Bugatti to the exhilaration announcements for the early races at Monaco and Le Mans. Immediately following this section are three specialty categories, featuring some of the finest examples of historic aviation posters, posters on silk, and exceptionally rare Buffalo Bill p
2,000-Year-Old Ceiling Partially Collapses at Nero’s Fabled Golden Palace
ROME (AP).- A huge chunk of a 2,000-year-old gallery in the complex that includes the infamous Emperor Nero’s fabled Golden Palace collapsed Tuesday, Rome’s art officials said. Officials said they believed nobody was inside when the collapse took place at around 10 a.m., bringing down part of a garden above, but firefighters cordoned off the area as they checked no one was trapped. Nero’s Palace had been closed as workers were doing repairs. Built by Roman emperor Nero in the first century A.D., the sumptuous palace is known to many by its Latin name Domus Aurea. With its frescoed halls and gold-encrusted ceilings, it was meant as a fabled residence for one of Rome’s most depraved emperors. Umberto Broccoli of Rome’s artistic superintendency said the vaulted
Gleeson O’Keefe Foundation Provide Funds to Acquire Sidney Nolan Painting
SYDNEY.- In 2000, in association with the Olympics in Sydney, the Art Gallery of New South Wales staged a special display of its Australian collections under the title, Australian Icons. Central to the display was the work of Sidney Nolan, whom many consider to be the most influential painter in the history of 20th century Australian art. The selected Nolan works from the collection demonstrated that Nolan was inadequately represented in the Art Gallery of New South Wales. Thus the Gallery embarked on analysing, editing and enhancing that representation and identified a number of key works as potential acquisitions. First-class marksman was one of these. With the support of Art Gallery Society and the generous funding of the Nelson Meers Foundation, the Gallery has, over the last decade, greatly enhanced its Nolan representation. ‘The acquisition of this painting for Sydney fulfils a long-held