ALEXANDRIA (AP).- Egyptian archeologists have lifted out of the Mediterranean Sea an ancient granite temple pylon from the palace complex of Cleopatra, submerged in the waters of Alexandria’s harbor. Divers and underwater archeologists used a giant crane and ropes to lift the 9-ton, 7.4-foot-tall pylon from the murky waters Thursday. The tower was originally part of the entrance to a temple of Isis, a pharaonic goddess of fertility and magic. The temple is believed to have been near the palace that belonged to the 1st century BC Queen Cleopatra in the ancient city of Alexandria, submerged in the sea centuries ago.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago Presents Picturing the Studio
CHICAGO, IL.- Curated by Michelle Grabner (SAIC) and Annika Marie (Columbia College), Picturing the Studio is presented in conjunction with the College Art Association’s 98th Annual Conference in Chicago, February 10-13, 2010. With works by more than 30 artists spanning the past two decades, the exhibition is testament to the compelling nature that the studio itself holds as subject as well as place of production. Picturing the Studio features site-specific works by New York artist Ann Craven, SAIC alumna and Los Angeles based artist Amanda Ross-Ho, and SAIC faculty Judith Geichman and Frank Piatek. Major,
Exhibition Offers Journey into the Most Enigmatic and Mysterious Artist of the Renaissance
CASTELFRANCO VENETO.- An ardent journey of discovery into the most enigmatic and mysterious artist of the Renaissance. An exhibition which brings together in Castelfranco Veneto, his native town, an incredible collection of the works of this great artist, who, more than any other, has aroused controversy among scholars and art historians in search of the documented facts, still lacking, giving rise to some very diverse and sometimes far-fetched interpretations of his life and works: GIORGIONE. Torrents of words and ink have flowed in the attempt to understand and interpret the man, the poetics and the true history of Giorgione. Yet this Castelfranco master, to whom some of the most important masterpieces of the Italian Renaissance have been attributed, has evaded all attempts to construct a definite biography, a definite catalogue of his works, or a generally agreed interpretation of the significance of some of his works. A
Stolen Painting by Leonardo Goes Back on View at the National Galleries in Scotland
EDINBURGH.- The National Gallery of Scotland announced that the painting, “The Madonna of the Yarnwinder” by Leonardo da Vinci will go on display in the Gallery from today. In 2003 it was stolen from Drumlanrig Castle, the Dumfriesshire home of the Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry. The painting was recovered in 2007. “The Madonna of the Yarnwinder” is the only painting by Leonardo da Vinci in Scotland and is on loan to the Gallery from the Duke and the Trustees of the Buccleuch Heritage Trust. In this pioneering and influential composition, an unusually large Christ Child is shown perched on a
Anniversary Benefit Exhibition Announced at the Guggenheim
NEW YORK, NY.- Since its opening in 1959, the Frank Lloyd Wright–designed Guggenheim building has served as an inspiration for invention, challenging artists and architects to react to its eccentric, organic design. The central void of the rotunda has elicited many unique responses over the years, which have been manifested in both sitespecific solo shows and memorable exhibition designs. For the building’s 50th anniversary, the Guggenheim Museum invited more than two hundred artists, architects, and designers to imagine their dream interventions in the space for the exhibition “Contemplating the Void:
Getty Museum Acquires a Bronze Vase by Jean-Désiré Ringel d’Illzach
LOS ANGELES, CA.- The J. Paul Getty Museum announced the acquisition of a nine-foot bronze vase by the French sculptor Jean-Désiré Ringel d’Illzach (1847-1916) that was exhibited at the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris, the 1893 World Columbian Exhibition in Chicago, and the 1910 Universal Exposition in Brussels. “The acquisition of this monumental vase is an inspirational addition to the Getty Museum’s permanent collection, it’s scale and audacious ambition bringing a new focus to our 19th-century Belgian and French paintings and sculptures, as well as our collection of Roman antiquities at the Getty Villa,” said
Vibrant New Arts and Cultural Centre Announced at Regent Park
TORONTO.- Toronto Community Housing Corporation, The Daniels Corporation and Artscape announced that they will be working collaboratively with the local community on the development and operation of a vibrant new arts and cultural centre in Regent Park. The announcement comes on the heels of the commitment made today by the Honourable John Baird, Canada’s Transport and Infrastructure Minister, and the Honourable Aileen Carroll, Minister of Culture for Ontario, on behalf of the Honourable Gerry Phillips, Minister of Energy and and Infrastructure for Ontario that the Governments of Canada and Ontario will invest up to $12 million
Two Prints by Ansel Adams were Top Lots at Swann Galleries’ Auction
NEW YORK, NY.- Two versions of Ansel Adams’s iconic image of “Moonrise, Hernandez, New Mexico”, 1941, sold to collectors at Swann Galleries‘ auction of Photographic Literature & Fine Photographs on December 8. A very rare vintage print created in 1948 that was signed and inscribed by Adams to Valentino Sarra, a photographer and W.P.A. poster designer and friend of Adams, sold for $360,000. It was one of only approximately 10 vintage prints Adams rendered with a delicate tonal quality. The other version of the image, printed in the 1960s, showed greater contrast and a dramatically dark sky. It brought
Silkeborg Museum of Art: In the Process of Being Transformed and Revitalized
SILKEBORG.- After devoting the winter to reinventing itself, Silkeborg Museum of Art will open its doors on March 4, 2010 to a set of refurbished galleries and spaces that offer both a broader and a more multi-layered presentation and interpretation of the Jorn collection. In addition to, among other features, an introduction space that will acquaint the visitor with Jorn’s universe, the new interior fit-out will incorporate the CoBrA Forum space, a facility providing opportunities for a deeper engagement with the museum’s extensive holdings of materials about and by Asger Jorn. The museum will therefore be closed for three months from December 1, 2009. On reopening in the spring, Silkeborg Museum of Art will be equipped to appeal to a broader public while at the same time making opportunities for a deeper engagement with Jorn’s oeuvre and Jorn scholarship available to all. In future, visitors to t
Impressionist Painting to Contemporary Photography Juxtaposed in Exhibition at the Dallas Museum of Art
DALLAS, TX.- The Dallas Museum of Art will premiere an exhibition exploring how modern and contemporary artists—from Childe Hassam and Edward Hopper to Willem De Kooning, Gerhard Richter and Catherine Opie—have drawn upon coastal landscapes as a source of inspiration, metaphor and mystery in their work. Through selections from the Museum’s rich collections and important local holdings, “Coastlines: Images of Land and Sea” will juxtapose coastal landscapes from around the world and from a range of different artistic traditions. Featuring approximately 60 paintings, photographs and works on paper from 1850 to the present day, the exhibition will examine the symbolism and complex cultural significance of these environments as sites for both commerce and leisure. On view from April 25 through August 22, 2010, “Coastlines: Images of Land and Sea” will be enhanced by an evocative sound installation relating