Tag: News

MADRID.- The most noteworthy new introduction at ARCOmadrid_ 2010 is the focus on Los Angeles , one of the world’s epicentres for art right now, as the fair’s special invited guest. This is a new twist to its Panorama section, shifting from its usual focus on a country to a single city. The idea is present a more homogeneous portrait of what’s happening in a specific urban area that is, in itself, one of the major art capitals of the USA . It is L.A. ‘s dynamism energy and creative diversity that has situated it at the forefront of the world’s art market. With the support of the City Council of Los Angeles and a selection of 17 galleries chosen by Kris Kuramitsu y Christopher Miles, PANORAMA: Los Angeles brings together “a huge variety of works in terms of technique, genre and

PARIS.- The French Ministry of Culture and the Louvre have acquired the painting “Saint Peter’s Denial,” by French painter Antoine or Louis Le Nain, attributed to the 17th century Lorraine School. The painting is the museum’s latest acquisition and was purchased by a private patronage for 11,500,000 euros.(16,560,000 dollars). The painting “was found in an attic in Luneville” and sold at auction in Nancy on 19 March 2000. Estimated at 200,000 francs, it was acquired by the Parisian dealer Charles Bailly for 9.2 million francs. The painting was denied an export permit and was acquired by insurance company AXA.

BELLEVUE, WA.- The Board of Trustees of Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM) announced the appointment of Stefano Catalani as Director of Curatorial Affairs/Artistic Director. Catalani has served as BAM’s Curator since 2005 and will transition into his expanded role on February 12, 2010. “Stefano has the vision and leadership to ensure the Museum’s continued vitality,” says Susan Edelheit, President of the Board of Trustees. “He has established a track record at BAM of developing thought-provoking, engaging exhibitions and programs that transform our understanding of art, craft and design. We are thrilled he has accepted the position, and look forward to his continued contributions as the leader of our curatorial team and our artistic programs.” A highly regarded figure in his field, Catalani has an extensive background in curating exhibitions and educational programs

NEW YORK, NY (AP).- A New York City auction house says a human skull that had been used as a ballot box by Yale’s elite Skull and Bones society has been withdrawn from sale. Christie’s said Friday that the 19th century skull was being removed from the Jan. 22 sale due to a title claim. The auction house declined further comment. The skull had been expected to sell for $10,000 to $20,000. Christie’s only identified the seller as a European art collector. The skull is fitted with a hinged flap and is believed to have been used during voting at the mysterious society’s meetings. The club was founded in 1832 and publicly known members, called Bonesmen, include both presidents Bush and Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry.

WASHINGTON, DC.- In the first exhibition devoted to Dutch landscape artist Hendrick Avercamp (1585–1634), scenes of ice skating, sleigh rides, and outdoor games on frozen canals and waterways bring to life the lively pastimes and day-to-day bustle of the Golden Age of the Dutch Republic. On view in the West Building Dutch Cabinet Galleries at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, from March 21 through July 5, 2010, “Hendrick Avercamp: The Little Ice Age” will feature some 15 paintings and 15 drawings that capture the harsh winters of the period and the activities they made possible. “Avercamp’s images capture a timeless quality that resonates to this day, making his winter landscapes quintessential representations of 17th-century Holland,” said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. “We are grateful to the museums and private collectors in Europe and the United States who graciously agreed to lend their delic

PHILADELPHIA, PA.- Auguste Rodin’s “The Thinker”, one of the artist’s most famous works and a familiar fixture of Philadelphia’s Rodin Museum, will be reinstalled on its pedestal outside the Museum’s entrance on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway on Wednesday, January 13th. Since June, the sculpture has been on display in the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s Great Stair Hall, while the Rodin Museum’s limestone façade, known as the Meudon Monument, underwent restoration. Modeled after the 18th-century façade of the Château d’Issy, which Rodin had installed at his estate at Meudon, France, the structure was cleaned to remove the layer of vehicular grime and pollution that had accumulated on its surface during the past 80 years. Its façade was also repointed and its stone repaired where necessary. The large French wrought-iron gate and transom, fashioned in Paris in 1926-7 after the gates at the Châtea

PORTLAND, ME.- This spring, the Portland Museum of Art will feature an exhibition of the graphic work of Max Beckmann, one of the most significant German artists of the modern era. “Modernism and Masquerade: Max Beckmann (1884-1950)”, on view March 13 through May 23, 2010, will present approximately 40 prints from the Museum’s permanent collection and private collections. Focusing predominantly on Beckmann’s portraits, this exhibition will provide important insights into the artist whose powerful approach to the human condition continues to move and inspire viewers. The exhibition also highlights Beckmann’s treatment of scenes of both gaiety—the circus and theatre—and alienation. The exhibition will juxtapose masterpieces such as “Self-Portrait” (1911), a haunting lithograph in which the artist’s face emerges from darkness; and “Self-Portrait” (1922), a later woodcut which has the look of a R

LONDON.- Now in its fourth year, the Catlin Art Prize has established itself as the annual showcase for graduates one year on from their degree exhibitions. The prize is recognised amongst collectors and artists alike as being one of the most exciting for British early-career artists. It is unique in the breadth of its scope and in providing the artists with the time and opportunity to develop their practice, encouraging them to demonstrate their progress by producing a new body of work. Curator, gallerist and art writer, Justin Hammond’s search for the most promising artists of tomorrow takes him the length and breadth of the UK, to graduate BA and MA shows. For the first time the forty exceptional talents uncovered through this wide ranging process have been documented in The Catlin Guide. The only guide to emerging art in the UK, this highly sought after limited edition book introduces the work and upcoming exhibitions

MEXICO CITY (EFE).- A 1000-year-old stele with the sculpted image of a Mayan ruler was found in the archaeological area of Lagartero in the southern Mexican state of Chaipas, the National Anthropology and History Institute, or INAH, said. In the bas-relief sculpture the Mayan ruler rises above an individual who lies at his feet, “a scene representing the seizing of power by one Maya group from another,” INAH said, adding that the archaeological area of Lagartero will be open to the public this year. INAH experts found the stone monument in late 2009 at the 10th section of Pyramid 4 in Lagartero, the source said. Archaeologist Sonia Rivero Torres, who heads the Lagartero archaeological project, said that the stele or commemorative monument – the first to be found complete on the site – measures 2 meters (6 1/2 feet) long, 55 centimeters (22 inches) wide and 6 centimeters (2 1/3 inches) thick. The stele was sculpted in metamorphic rock, known locally as “heart of stone.” “In the p

KODIAK, AL (AP).- A World War II relic that was displayed outside an Alaska bar for years turned out not to be a dud. Soldiers on Wednesday detonated the 1,263-pound aerial bomb. Radio station KMXT reports it lost some of its boom after 60 years, but it did go with a bang. The ordnance was recently donated to the Kodiak Military History Museum by a local resident, but the museum director determined it was more than just an interesting artifact. Soldiers from the Fort Richardson Explosive Ordnance detail inspected the bomb and determined it still had Dunnite, a highly explosive material also known as “Explosive D.” They recorded the detonation and salvaged a piece of the “Da Bomb,” as it was known, for display at the museum.