12.6.10

EARL AND COUNTESS OF WESSEX WILL ATTEND SWEDEN'S ROYAL WEDDING


THE EARL AND COUNTESS OF WESSEX WILL BE THE BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY'S REPRESENTATIVES AT THE WEDDING OF VICTORIA OF SWEDEN AND DANIEL WESTLING ON 19.JUNE, BUCKINGHAM PALACE HAS ANNOUNCED. PRINCE EDWARD AND SOPHIE, COUNTESS OF WESSEX WILL HOST AN OFFICIAL RECEPTION FOR THE COUPLE ABOARD HMS KENT, BEFORE REPRESENTING THE QUEEN AT THE CEREMONY ITSELF AT STOCKHOLM'S CATHEDRAL. WITH THE WEDDING COINCIDING WITH ROYAL ASCOT WEEK, OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY HAVE FULL AGENDAS AND WILL BE UNABLE TO ATTEND. PRINCES WILLIAM AND HARRY WILL BE REPRESENTING BRITAIN AT THE WORLD CUP IN SOUTH AFRICA. HOWEVER, OTHER ROYAL FAMILIES FROM EUROPE AND BEYOND HAVE ALSO BEEN CONFIRMING WHICH OF THEIR MEMBERS WILL BE ATTENDING THE MUCH ANTICIPATED NUPTIALS. ONE OF THE BEST REPRESENTED ROYAL HOUSEHOLDS WILL BE THAT OF THE NETHERLANDS. QUEEN BEATRIX, CROWN PRINCE WILLEM-ALEXANDER, CROWN PRINCESS MAXIMA AND THEIR DAUGHTER AMALIA, WHO IS VICTORIA'S GODDAUGHTER AND WILL ACT AS A BRIDESMAID AT THE CEREMONY, WILL ALL BE PRESENT. JOINING THEM WILL BE BEATRIX'S OTHER TWO SONS, PRINCE CONSTANIJN AND PRINCE FRISO, ALONG WITH THEIR WIVES PRINCESS LAURENTIEN AND PRINCESS MABEL. THE ROYAL FAMILY OF DENMARK WILL ALSO BE WELL REPRESENTED, WITH QUEEN MARGRETHE, PRINCE HENRICK, CROWN PRINCE FREDERIK, CROWN PRINCE MARY ALL ATTENDING. FREDERIK AND MARY'S SON WILL ALSO ACT AS A PAGE BOY. COMPLETING THE DANISH ROYAL PARTY WILL BE MARGRETHE'S SISTER PRINCESS BENEDIKTE, HER HUSBAND RICHARD SAYN-WITTGENSTEIN-BERLEBURG AND THEIR CHILDREN AND THEIR PARTNERS. FROM NORWAY, KING HARALD AND QUEEN SONJA WILL GO, ALONG WITH CROWN PRINCE HAAKON, CROWN PRINCESS METTE-MARIT, PRINCESS MARTHA LOUISA AND HER HUSBAND, ARI BEHN. IT'S NOT YET KNOWN WHETHER HAAKON AND METTE-MARIT'S DAUGHTER INGRID ALEXANDER, ALSO GODDAUGHTER TO VICTORIA, WILL MAKE THE TRIP AND BE A BRIDESMAID.

REMY MARTIN CELEBRATES CANNES FILM FESTIVAL


REMY MARTIN FINE CHAMPAGNE COGNAC RECENTLY CELEBRATED ITS SPECIAL ASSOCIATION WITH THE CANNES FILM FESTIVAL BY PRODUCING AN EXCLUSIVE LIMITED EDITION VSOP DRESSED IN A STUNNING RED LIVERY. DURING THE 2010 FESTIVAL LAST MONTH, A JEROBOAM OF REMY MARTIN VSOP CANNES FESTIVAL LIMITED EDITION WAS AUTOGRAPHED BY TIM BURTON, PRESIDENT OF THE JURY, AS WELL AS ALL EIGHT MEMBERS OF THIS YEAR'S JURY. THE THREE LITER BOTTLE WILL BE AUCTIONED IN DIRECT SUPPORT OF REMY MARTIN'S CHARITY OF CHOICE 'KEEP A CHILD ALIVE' , WHICH WORKS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES WITH HIV/AIDS IN AFRICA AND INDIA. ONLY 2,000 OF THE ONE LITER LIMITED EDITION BOTTLES WERE PRODUCED AND MADE AVAILABLE FOR SALE AT SELECT STORES AT SOME OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST AIRPORTS, INCLUDING PARIS, NICE, ATLANTA, LOS ANGELES AND MOSCOW.

DE GRISOGONO RUBY RING


GENEVA BASED LUXURY JEWELERS DE GRISOGONO HAVE CREATED A STUNNING RING OUT OF A UNIQUE ONE OF A KIND RUBY. THE CENTER STONE IS A MARQUISE CUT BURMESE RUBY SET WITH PAVE BLACK DIAMONDS IN EIGHTEEN CARAT WHITE GOLD. THE DESIGN FEATURES AN EXCEPTIONAL PERSONALIZED DESIGN MIX, MODERN LUXURY AND SOPHISTICATION HAS BEEN ADDED TO MAKE THE BURMA RUBY STAND OUT. THE RING IS AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY FROM DE GRISOGONO BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.

11.6.10

BANKSY CREATE 'RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!' MURAL AT PRIMROSE HILL PUB



GRAFFITI ARTIST BANKSY HAS 'STRUCK' IN YET ANOTHER NIGHT-TIME RAID, PRODUCING A MURAL ON THE WALL OF A PRIMROSE HILL PUB. THE MANAGERS OF THE PRINCESS OF WALES, KAREN AND LAWRENCE SANTI, WERE INITIALLY UPSET TO DISCOVER THERE HAD BEEN AN INTRUDER OVERNIGHT BEFORE DISCOVERING THE UNINVITED GUEST WAS NONE OTHER THAN THE FAMOUS MYSTERY ARTIST, WHO PRODUCES MOST OF HIS WORKS UNDETECTED AND CLOSELY GUARDS HIS IDENTITY. BANKSY'S WORK HAS BEEN SOLD FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF POUNDS. SANTO REVEALED HER HUSBAND WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN PAINTING OVER THE OUTDOOR MURAL OF A LION AND LITTLE GIRL, ABOVE WHICH THE MESSAGE 'RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!' IS WRITTEN IN RED PAINT, WHEN THEY LEARNED THE IDENTITY OF THE ARTIST. SHE SAID THE ARTIST HAD MOST LIKELY ENTERED THROUGH A GATE THAT WAS ACCIDENTALLY LEFT OPEN, OR BY USING A STEPLADDER CAPTURED IN THE CCTV FOOTAGE. WHILE THE FOOTAGE OF THE INCIDENT SHOWS BANKSY CLEARLY, HIS FACE IS COVERED BY A HOODED TOP. THE FOOTAGE, WHICH BEGINS AT ABOUT 1am, SHOWS HIM SETTING UP A LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE HIS 'CANVAS' AND STANDING BACK TO APPRAISE HIS WORK. WHILE THERE IS NO CONCRETE PROOF THE WORK BELONGS TO BANKSY, THE SIGNATURE ON A BALLOON STRING IN THE MURAL APPEARS TO BE HIS.

INDIANAPOLIS MUSEUM OF ART TO PRESENT SCULPTURES FROM THE MUSEO NAZIONALE ROMANO


THE INDIANAPOLIS MUSEUM OF ART ANNOUNCES THAT IT WILL RECEIVE A LONG-TERM LOAN OF SEVERAL ANCIENT SCULPTURES FROM THE MUSEO NAZIONALE ROMANO, ROME IN JANUARY 2011. ON LOAN FOR A RENEWABLE TWO YEAR PERIOD, THE OBJECTS INCLUDE THREE LIFE-SIZE PORTRAIT BUSTS AND A MARBLE FUNERARY URN FROM THE VIGNA CODINI COLUMBARIUM II, A MAJOR ROMAN TOMB DISCOVERED IN 1847. THE LOAN OF THE VIGNA CODINI TOMB GROUP IS AN EXAMPLE OF NEW TYPES OF LOANS THAT THE ITALY-US MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING, SIGNED IN 2003, IS INTENDED TO FOSTER. WHILE OTHER MAJOR US MUSEUMS HAVE RECENTLY HAD LONG-TERM LOANS FROM ITALY, MOST HAVE BEEN IN CONNECTION WITH THE RETURN OF OBJECTS DISCOVERED TO HAVE BEEN ILLEGALLY EXPORTED. THE IMA's PRESENTATION OF SCULPTURES FROM THE VIGNA CODINI TOMB WILL ASSEMBLE THE CONTENTS OF THIS REMARKABLE DISCOVERY AND GIVE UNIQUE INSIGHT INTO THE ORIGINAL FIRST CENTURY AD PRESENTATION OF MAJOR EXAMPLES OF ROMAN ART. THE VIGNA CODINI TOMB IS AN INTRIGUING SITE THAT PROVIDES GREAT INSIGHT INTO ROMAN LIFE. DISCOVERED ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF ROME IN 1847, THE TOMB WAS PAID FOR BY A CORPORATION OF FREED SLAVES, WHO SOLD SHARES IN 295 FUNERARY NICHES INTENDED TO HOLD THE ASHES OF THE DEAD. SOME OF THE NICHES WERE ALSO DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE SCULPTURAL COMMISSIONS THAT COMMEMORATE THOSE BURIED WITHIN, THE SURVIVING THREE OF WHICH WILL BE ON VIEW AT THE IMA. THESE PORTRAITS DEPICTS HIGH-RANKING SERVANTS IN THE EMPLOY OF THE FIRST IMPERIAL FAMILY OF ROME, TO JUDGE FROM THE FACT THAT THEY ARE AMONG THE FEW TO MERIT SCULPTED COMMEMORATIONS IN MARBLE.

BOWDOIN COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART RECEIVES LARGE GIFT OF PRINTS


THE BOWDOIN COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART, BRUNSWICK, ME, ANNOUNCED AN EXTRAORDINARY GIFT TO ITS PERMANENT COLLECTION FROM THE LONG-TIME FRIEND AND GENEROUS DONOR CHARLES PENDEXTER. TOTALING MORE THAN 1,500 PRINTS AND EIGHT DRAWINGS, THE PENDEXTER COLLECTION EXPANDS THE BREADTH OF BOWDOIN'S ALREADY RICH PRINT HOLDINGS, INCREASING THEM BY 20%. THE SIGNIFICANT GIFT INCLUDES MASTERPIECES BY ARTISTS SUCH AS ALBRECHT DURER, REMBRANDT VAN RIJN, EDOUARD MANET AND GIORGIO MORANDI, AMONG OTHERS, AND MULTIPLE WORKS BY HENDRICK GOLTZIUS AND HONORE DAUMIER. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE RARE FIRST EDITIONS BY FRANSISCO DE GOYA'S DISASTERS OF WAR AND PROVERBIOS SERIES, BOTH FROM THE EARLY 19th CENTURY. CONSIDERATION FOR THE FUTURE OF HIS PRINTS PROMPTED PENDEXTER TO GIVE HIS COLLECTION TO THE BOWDOIN COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART. HE HAS ALWAYS APPLAUDED THE MUSEUM'S COMMITMENT TO THE COLLECTING AND STUDY OF PRINTS, AN AREA OF FOCUS CULTIVATED BY PREVIOUS DIRECTORS, AND CONTINUED BY THE CURRENT DIRECTOR OF THE MUSEUM. PENDEXTER SEES BOWDOIN AS A FITTING HOME FOR HIS SWEEPING COLLECTION, KNOWING THE VALUABLE RESOURCE IT WILL BECOME FOR TEACHING AND RESEARCH. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE STUNNING GIFT WILL BE SHOWED IN THE SUMMER EXHIBITION 'SCRATCHING THE SURFACE: MASTER PRINTS FROM THE CHARLES PENDEXTER COLLECTION', ON VIEW IN THE BECKER GALLERY FROM 16.JUNE THROUGH 29.AUGUST.

10.6.10

$2.5 MILLION SOCCER BALL


JUST IN TIME FOR THE 2010 FOOTBALL WORLD CUP, SA JEWELERS HAS RECENTLY UNVEILED A UNIQUE $2.5 MILLION SOCCER BALL. WEIGHING IN AT AROUND 2.2 KILOGRAMS, THE SHIMANSKY SOCCER BALL IS MADE FROM 6,620 WHITE AND 2,640 BLACK BRILLIANT CUT SOUTH AFRICAN DIAMONDS, GIVING A TOTAL WEIGHT OF 3,500 CARATS. 'IT TOOK ABOUT THREE MONTHS FROM CONCEPTION OF DESIGN TO MANUFACTURE OF THE FIRST CRYSTAL SOCCER BALL', SAYS MICHELE MEYER. MARKETING MANAGER FOR SHIMANSKY. SHE ADDED: 'THIS HAS NOT BEEN DONE BEFORE. IT IS TOTALLY YAIR SHIMANSKY'S IDEA TO GET ENTHUSIASM FOR THE WORLD CUP AND DO SOMETHING FROM A JEWELER'S PERSPECTIVE TO COMMEMORATE THE EVENT IN SA. IF YOU SEE THE REPLICA IT IS QUITE MESMERIZING, YOU CAN STAND AND WATCH IT FOREVER.' SHIMANSKY IS CURRENTLY IN TALKS WITH A EUROPEAN SOCCER CLUB ABOUT SELLING THE BEJEWELED SOCCER BALL TO THEM AS A 2010 COMMEMORATIVE DISPLAY PIECE FOR THEIR CLUB. APART FROM THEIR STUNNING CREATION, SHIMANSKY IS ALSO OFFERING EXACT REPLICAS MADE IN CRYSTAL ALONG WITH A UNISEX WORLD CUP DOME RING OF 9.3 CARATS OF DIAMONDS AND A PAIR OF SILVER SOCCER BOOT CUFF-LINKS.

SWEDEN'S ROYAL FAMILY CELEBRATE NATIONAL DAY



IN TIME HONORED TRADITION, THE PEOPLE OF SWEDEN MARKED THEIR NATIONAL DAY THIS WEEK. AS IS CUSTOMARY, THE MAIN FOCUS OF THE CELEBRATIONS WAS THE PROCESSION OF THE ROYAL FAMILY TO THE OPEN AIR MUSEUM OF SKAGEN IN STOCKHOLM, AND A GRAND RECEPTION IN SOLLIDEN PALACE WHICH BROUGHT THE GALA PROCEEDINGS TO A CLOSE. BUT THERE WAS AN EXTRA SPECIAL ELEMENT ADDED THIS YEAR, AS THE DAY OFFICIALLY KICKED OFF CELEBRATIONS LEADING UP TO THE UPCOMING ROYAL WEDDING OF CROWN PRINCESS VICTORIA AND DANIEL WESTLING. AND ROYAL FANS WERE PARTICULARLY HAPPY TO SEE THE GROOM TO BE ATTENDING THE CELEBRATIONS FOR THE FIRST TIME, ALONGSIDE HIS FIANCEE AND HER PARENTS QUEEN SILVIA AND KING GUSTAF XVI. THE ONLY MEMBER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY MISSING WAS PRINCESS MADELEINE, STILL STAYING OUT OF THE PUBLIC EYE FOLLOWING HER SPLIT FROM FIANCE JONAS BERGSTROM. THE SUBJECT OF THE UPCOMING ROYAL NUPTIALS, WHICH WILL TAKE PLACE ON 19.JUNE, WERE ALSO INCLUDED IN THE TRADITIONAL SPEECH OF THE SWEDISH MONARCH. THE KING RAISED A HUGE WAVE OF APPLAUSE AFTER REMINDING THE CROWDS THAT HIS FIRST-BORN DAUGHTER WOULD WED IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS TIME. 'THIS SUMMER THERE WILL BE A VERY IMPORTANT EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF OUR FAMILY, OUR ELDEST DAUGHTER MARRIES', SAID CARL GUSTAF, BEFORE BEING INTERRUPTED BY RAPTUROUS CLAPPING. HE CONTINUED: 'THE QUEEN AND I FEEL AN ENORMOUS AMOUNT OF HAPPINESS AT THIS TIME.' THE 6.JUNE HOLIDAY MARKED THE START OF THE 'FESTIVAL OF LOVE', WHICH WILL FILL STOCKHOLM WITH A PROGRAM OF CULTURAL EVENTS IN THE LEAD UP TO THE COUPLE'S BIG DAY.

GALILEO MUSEUM TO DISPLAY NEWLY DISCOVERED GALILEO REMAINS


A TOOTH, THUMB AND FINGER CUT OFF FROM THE BODY OF RENOWNED ITALIAN SCIENTIST GALILEO, WHO DIED IN 1642, GO ON DISPLAY THIS WEEK IN FLORENCE AFTER AN ART COLLECTOR FOUND THEM BY CHANCE LAST YEAR. THE BODY PARTS, ALONG WITH ANOTHER FINGER AND A VERTEBRAE, WERE CUT FROM GALILEO'S CORPSE BY SCIENTISTS AND HISTORIANS DURING A BURIAL CEREMONY 95 YEARS AFTER HIS DEATH. 'THE LAYMEN AND MASONS THAT WERE ATTENDING THE CEREMONY THOUGHT THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE SOME SOUVENIR OF GALILEO'S BODY', PAOLO GALLUZZI, DIRECTOR OF FLORENCE'S GALILEO MUSEUM, TOLD REUTERS IN A RECENT INTERVIEW. 'THEY THOUGHT THAT HAVING A PIECE OF THE MAN WOULD HAVE BEEN A HOMAGE TO HIS TRADITION. THE IDEA OF HAVING RELICS OF SCIENCE IS VERY SIMILAR, IS A MIRROR OF THE RELICS OF RELIGION', HE ADDED. THE REMAINS, ALONG WITH TWO TELESCOPES, A COMPASS AND A WEALTH OF OTHER INSTRUMENTS DESIGNED BY GALILEO, ARE THE MAIN ATTRACTION AT THE REFURBISHED, AND RENAMED, GALILEO MUSEUM, WHICH OPENS ON 10.JUNE AFTER TWO YEARS OF RENOVATION. WHILE ONE OF GALILEO'S FINGERS AND THE VERTEBRAE HAD BEEN CONSERVED IN FLORENCE AND PADUA SINCE 1737, THE OTHER FINGER, THE THUMB AND THE TOOTH HAD PASSED FROM ONE COLLECTOR TO ANOTHER UNTIL THEY WENT MISSING IN 1905. ALBERTO BRUSCHI, A RENOWNED FLORENCE ART COLLECTOR, UNKNOWINGLY BOUGHT THEM WITH OTHER RELIGIOUS RELICS LAST OCTOBER AT AN AUCTION, WHERE THEY WERE BEING SOLD AS UNIDENTIFIED ARTIFACTS CONTAINED IN A 17th CENTURY WOODEN CASE. WHEN BRUSCHI AND HIS DAUGHTER NOTICED THAT GALILEO'S BUST TOPPED THE CASE, AND READ A BOOK BY GALLUZZI DOCUMENTING HOW PARTS OF THE SCIENTIST'S BODY HAD BEEN CUT OFF AT HIS BURIAL, THEY CONTACTED THE MUSEUM. TESTS AND STUDIES CONFIRMED THAT THEY HAD FOUND GALILEO'S MISSING REMAINS.

A HIDDEN PAINTING BY JACOPO TINTORETTO GOES ON DISPLAY


A HIDDEN PAINTING BY JACOPO TINTORETTO, THE LAST OF THE THREE GREAT VENETIAN RENAISSANCE PAINTERS, HAS GONE ON PUBLIC DISPLAY FOR THE FIRST TIME AND CAN BE SEEN AT KINGSTON LACY IN DORSET. THE PAINTING HAS SPENT MOST OF THE LAST 30 YEARS IN STORAGE BUT, FOLLOWING A MAJOR PROGRAM OF CLEANING AND RESTORATION, 'APOLLO (OR HYMEN) CROWNING A POET AND GIVING HIM A SPOUSE' CAN BE SEEN AT LAST. HOWEVER, AS WELL AS GIVING VIVID NEW LIFE TO THE PAINTING AND CONFIRMING ITS ORIGINS, THE CLEANING HAS RAISED AS MANY QUESTIONS AS IT ANSWERS AND THE NATIONAL TRUST IS ASKING FOR HELP TO SOLVE ITS MANY MYSTERIES. THEIR ART EXPERTS BELIEVE THAT THE PAINTING DEPICTS APOLLO, OR POSSIBLE THE GOD OF MARRIAGE, HYMEN, PLACING A CROWN ON AN UNKNOWN FIGURE, PROBABLY A POET WHO IS HOLDING A BOOK. MYTHICAL FIGURES SURROUNDING THEM INCLUDE THE GOD HERCULES AND A WOMAN BELIEVED TO BE THE INTENDED SPOUSE. HOWEVER, IDENTIFICATION OF OTHER FIGURES IS STILL OPEN TO QUESTION ALONG WITH THE SIGNIFICANCE OF VARIOUS OBJECTS WHICH WOULD HAVE HAD A CLEAR MEANING TO THOSE WHO SAW IT WHEN IT WAS PAINTED. THESE INCLUDE A DIE DEPICTING FIVE DOTS AND THE PRESENCE OF A GOLD BOX AND DISH WITH COINS IN IT. ALASTAIR LAING, CURATOR OF PICTURES AND SCULPTURES SAID: 'THIS IS UNDOUBTEDLY A WORK OF GREAT SIGNIFICANCE, TITIAN, VERONESE AND TINTORETTO ARE THE THREE GREAT MASTERS OF THE MID TO LATE 16th CENTURY IN VENICE AND TO HAVE A PAINTING BY TINTORETTO IN AN ENGLISH HOUSE, RATHER THAN STILL IN ITS ORIGINAL LOCATION IN VENICE, OR IN AN ITALIAN MUSEUM, IS EXTRAORDINARY. IT IS ALL TEH MORE FASCINATING THAT WE DO NOT YET KNOW WHO OR WHERE IT WAS PAINTED FOR, OR WHAT THE ACTUAL SUBJECT IS.' THE PAINTING WAS GIVEN TO THE NATIONAL TRUST AS PART OF THE CONTENTS OF KINGSTON LACY IN 1981 BUT IT WAS IN SUCH POOR CONDITION THAT IT REMAINED IN STORAGE. FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL FUND-RAISING, IT HAS NOW BEEN FULLY CLEANED AND RESTORED. LAYERS OF DARKENED VARNISH AND DISCOLOURED OVER PAINT HAD CAUSED DIFFICULTY IN IDENTIFYING THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THE PAINTING, AND EVEN WHETHER IT WAS BY TINTORETTO HIMSELF. THE CLEANING AND RESTORATION, UNDERTAKEN BY THE HAMILTON KERR INSTITUTE NEAR CAMBRIDGE, INCLUDING X RAYS AND INFRARED ANALYSIS THAT HELPED TO IDENTIFY THE UNQUESTIONABLE STYLE AND BRUSH STOKES OF TINTORETTO. THEY ALSO REVEALED ORIGINAL UNDER-DRAWINGS THAT SHOW CHANGES HE MADE TO FACES, CLOTHING AND POSITIONING OF SUBJECTS IN THE FINAL VERSION. THE PAINTING PROBABLY DATES FROM THE 1560s OR 1570s FROM A PALAZZO IN VENICE WHERE IT WAS ACQUIRED IN 1849 BY WILLIAM JOHN BANKES, THEN OWNER OF KINGSTON LACY. THE PAINTING WAS LAST KNOWN TO HAVE BEEN DISPLAYED IN THE DINING-ROOM AT KINGSTON LACY. IT IS HERE THAT IT WILL BE REINSTATED.

9.6.10

CITY OF LEEDS ACQUIRES ITS FIRST FRINK SCULPTURE


THE CITY OF LEEDS, KNOWN FOR ITS RICH COLLECTION OF 20th CENTURY BRITISH SCULPTURE, HAS ACQUIRED ITS FIRST PIECE BY ACCLAIMED BRITISH ARTIST ELISABETH FRINK (1930 - 1993) THANKS TO A MAJOR GIFT. THE LIFE-SIZE PLASTER MAQUETTE, ENTITLED BIRDMAN, HAS BEEN GIFTED TO LEEDS ART GALLERY THROUGH MEMBERSHIP CHARITY THE ART FUND BY THE FRINK ESTATE AND BEAUX ARTS, LONDON. LEEDS ART GALLERY REPRESENTS SOME OF THE GREATEST BRITISH SCULPTORS OF THE 20th CENTURY AND THE ADDITION OF A SIGNIFICANT FRINK SCULPTURE TO THE COLLECTION IS A MAJOR COOP. THE SCULPTURE HAS BEEN VALUED AT £250,000. ELISABETH FRINK IS WIDELY RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF THE UK's MOST IMPORTANT POST-WAR SCULPTORS, AND BIRDMAN IS A WONDERFUL ILLUSTRATION OF SOME OF THE ARTIST'S KEY CONCERNS. BIRDMAN REPRESENTS A HALF MAN, HALF BIRD FIGURE. MADE IN PLASTER ON A STEEL ARMATURE, IT IS 190cm TALL. THE MALE FORM, ALONG WITH ANIMALS SUCH AS DOGS, HORSES AND BIRDS, WAS A MAJOR PREOCCUPATION FOR FRINK THROUGHOUT HER CAREER. IN PARTICULAR, THE ARTIST WAS RENOWNED FOR REPRESENTING BOTH THE STRENGTH AND VULNERABILITY IN THE MALE FORM. WITH ITS THIN SPINDLY LIMBS AND SLIGHT TORSO, BIRDMAN CAPTURES THE FRAIL, VULNERABLE SIDE OF MAN. ALTHOUGH ITS CREATION DATER IS UNCERTAIN, IT IS THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN MADE AROUND 1958/9. IT IS THOUGHT THAT FRINK COULD HAVE BEEN INSPIRED TO CREATE THE BIRDMAN MOTIF AFTER READING IN PARIS-MATCH THE STORY OF THE DEATH OF A REAL-LIFE 'BIRDMAN', LEO VALENTIN, WHO HAD FALLEN TO EARTH WEARING WOODEN WINGS IN AN ATTEMPT TO FLY. A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE ART FUND SAID: 'WE THANK THE FRINK ESTATE AND BEAUX ARTS FOR CHOOSING TO GIVE BIRDMAN THROUGH THE ART FUND, AND WE ENCOURAGE ANYONE, WHETHER A GALLERIST OR A PRIVATE COLLECTOR, WHO MIGHT BE DONATING A WORK OF ART TO CONSIDER DOING SO THROUGH US. WE WORK HARD TO ENSURE THAT EACH GIFT IS PLACED IN A PUBLIC COLLECTION THAT WILL LOOK AFTER IT WELL AND PRESENT IT TO ITS BEST ADVANTAGE.'

PRINCESS DIANA'S FIRST OFFICIAL DRESS SELLS FOR £192,000


THE STUNNING BLACK TAFFETA GOWN, DESIGNED BY ELIZABETH AND DAVID EMANUEL, WHICH CATAPULTED THE THEN 19 YEAR OLD DIANA ON TO THE WORLD STAGE WHEN SHE WORE IT JUST WEEKS AFTER BECOMING ENGAGED TO PRINCE CHARLES, SOLD AT AUCTION FOR £192,000, NEARLY FOUR TIMES WHAT IT WAS EXPECTED TO ACHIEVE. THE PRINCESS OF WALES, WHO WAS THEN LADY DIANA SPENCER, WORE THE DRESS TO A BLACK-TIE EVENT AT GOLDSMITHS' HALL IN LONDON IN MARCH 1981, HER FIRST OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENT WITH HER FIANCE, CHARLES. THE COUPLE WERE ATTENDING AN EVENT IN AID OF THE ROYAL OPERA HOUSE DEVELOPMENT APPEAL AND IMAGES OF THE ROYAL BRIDE TO BE STEPPING OUT OF A LIMOUSINE IN THE BLACK GOWN WITH A PLUNGING NECKLINE MADE NEWSPAPER HEADLINES AND IMMEDIATELY ESTABLISHED DIANA AS THE MOST GLAMOROUS MEMBER OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. AS THE ROYAL WEDDING APPROACHED THE PRINCESS RETURNED TO THE DESIGNERS TO HAVE IT ALTERED AS SHE HAD LOST WEIGHT, BUT IT WAS EASIER TO MAKE ANOTHER AND THE ORIGINAL REMAINED FORGOTTEN FOR MANY YEARS. THE DRESS, WHICH HAD BEEN EXPECTED TO SELL FOR AROUND £50,000,, WAS BOUGHT AT AN AUCTION IN LINDON BY A FASHION MUSEUM IN CHILE. DESIGNER ELIZABETH EMANUEL WRITING IN HER BOOK ABOUT THE BRIDAL GOWN, DESCRIBED HOW THE INFAMOUS BLACK DRESS BEGAN LIFE AS A SAMPLE THAT HAD BEEN LOANED OUT TO THE ACTRESS LIZA GODDARD. SPEAKING ABOUT DIANA, SHE ADDED: 'THE TRANSFORMATION WAS INCREDIBLE. SHE ARRIVED LOOKING LIKE THE NURSERY SCHOOL TEACHER SHE WAS, BUT NOW SHE LOOKED LIKE A MOVIE STAR. WE GAVE HER THE DRESS, MADE A LITTLE SHAWL TO GO WITH IT SO SHE COULD COVER UP ON THE NIGHT AND AWAY SHE WENT. WE HADN'T CONSIDERED THE FACT THAT WHEN DIANA BENT OVER, AS SHE WOULD HAVE TO DO WHEN GETTING OUT OF THE CAR, SHE WOULD SHOW QUITE A LOT OF CLEAVAGE. WE JUST THOUGH SHE LOOKED FABULOUS.' THE DRESS WAS THE STAR LOT AT AN AUCTION OF ITEMS FROM THE EMANUEL'S ARCHIVE HELD AT LA GALLERIA, IN CENTRAL LONDON, BY SPECIALIST VINTAGE FASHION AUCTIONEERS KERRY TAYLOR AUCTIONS.

BARONESS THATCHER RETURNS TO NUMBER 10



BARONESS THATCHER WAS WELCOMED BACK TO 10 DOWNING STREET YESTERDAY FOR AN A HISTORIC PRIVATE MEETING WITH THE NEW PRIME MINISTER. DAVID CAMERON CAME TO THE DOOR OF NUMBER 10 TO WELCOME THATCHER AND HELPED THE VISIBLY FRAIL FORMER PRIME MINISTER FROM HER LIMOUSINE. THE 84 YEAR OLD 'IRON LADY' WAVED TO WAITING PHOTOGRAPHERS BUT MADE NO COMMENT AS SHE ENTERED THE ADDRESS FROM WHICH SHE LED THE UK BETWEEN 1979 TO 1990. WEARING A POWDER BLUE DRESS AND COAT, THE FORMER PM BRIEFLY HELD ON TO THE RAILINGS OUTSIDE NUMBER 10 AS SHE MOUNTED THE DOORSTEP TO POSE FOR PICTURES OUTSIDE THE ICONIC FRONT DOOR. SHE WAS LAST IN 10 DOWNING STREET IN NOVEMBER LAST YEAR WHEN SHE ATTENDED THE UNVEILING OF HER PORTRAIT, THE FIRST PAINTING OF A LIVING POLITICIAN TO BE HUNG IN THE OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF THE PRIME MINISTER. LADY THATCHER ENJOYED A CUP OF TEA AND A CHAT WITH THE NEW PRIME MINISTER BEFORE HEADING HOME.

REMAINS OF ROMAN GLADIATORS EXCAVATED IN NORTHERN ENGLAND


DOZENS OF HEADLESS SKELETONS EXCAVATED FROM A NORTHERN ENGLISH BUILDING SITE APPEAR TO BE THE REMAINS OF ROMAN GLADIATORS, ONE OF WHOM HAD BITES FROM A LION, TIGER BEAR OR OTHER LARGE ANIMAL, ARCHAEOLOGISTS SAID MONDAY. EXPERTS SAID NEW FORENSIC EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THE BONES BELONG TO THE PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS, WHO WERE OFTEN KILLED WHILE ENTERTAINING SPECTATORS. MOST OF THE SKELETONS WERE MALE AND APPEARED STRONGER AND TALLER THAN THE AVERAGE ROMAN, WITH SIGNS OF ARM-MUSCLE STRESS THAT SUGGEST WEAPONS TRAINING THAT BEGAN IN THE MEN'S TEENAGE YEARS. THE TEAM INVESTIGATING THE REMAINS SAID THAT ONE OF THE BEST CLUES WAS CARNIVORE TOOTH MARKS FOUND ON THE HIP AND SHOULDER OF ONE OF THE SKELETONS. 'THE PRESENCE OF BITE MARKS IS ONE OF THE STRONGEST PIECES OF EVIDENCE SUGGESTING AN ARENA CONNECTION. IT WOULD SEEM HIGHLY UNLIKELY THAT THIS INDIVIDUAL WAS ATTACKED BY A TIGER AS HE WAS WALKING HOME', SAID MICHAEL WYSOCKI, A LECTURER IN FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY AND ARCHAEOLOGY WHO STUDIED THE SKELETONS. THE BITES WERE BELIEVED TO HAVE CAUSED THE PERSON'S DEATH, HE SAID. YORK, ABOUT 200 MILES NORTH OF LONDON, WAS ONE OF THE LARGEST CITIES IN ROMAN BRITAIN, AND EXPERTS BELIEVE BANDS OF GLADIATORS TOURING THE ROMAN EMPIRE OCCASIONALLY TRAVELED TO THE CITY TO PUT ON FIGHTING SHOWS. WYSOCKI SAID GLADIATORS WERE OFTEN BEHEADED AS AN ACT OF MERCY AFTER SUFFERING HORRIFIC INJURIES DURING THEIR FIGHTS. ALL OF THE SKELETONS WERE BURIED WITH POTTERY, ANIMALS OR OTHER OFFERINGS, SUGGESTING THEY WERE RESPECTED PEOPLE, NOT CRIMINALS. BUT SOME EXPERTS SAID MORE EVIDENCE WAS NEEDED TO PROVE THAT THE YORK BURIAL SITE WAS EXCLUSIVELY FOR GLADIATORS. THE YORK ARCHAEOLOGICAL TRUST SAID THAT THE BURIAL GROUND WAS NOT THE FIRST OF ITS KIND TO BE UNCOVERED BUT IT WAS AMONG THE BEST PRESERVED. THE ONLY OTHER COMPARABLE GLADIATOR CEMETERY IS IN EPHESUS, TURKEY, SAID WYSOCKI. THE HUMAN REMAINS FOUND THERE WERE FRAGMENTED AND NOT AS COMPLETE AS THOSE UNEARTHED IN YORK HE ADDED. ARCHAEOLOGISTS STUMBLED UPON THE YORK SKELETONS IN 2003, WHEN THEY WERE ASSESSING AN AREA FOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENT. THE SITE WAS PART OF A LARGE CEMETERY ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF THE ROMAN TOWN. AN EXCAVATION PROJECT FOLLOWED, EVENTUALLY UNCOVERING 80 ROMAN SKELETONS, INCLUDING 23 THAT WERE FOUND IN A LOCAL RESIDENT'S BACK GARDEN. THE REMAINS WERE BELIEVED TO DATE FROM THE LATE 1st CENTURY TO THE 4tH CENTURY AD.

8.6.10

BEAU JOIE CHAMPAGNE


BEAU JOIE IS A UNIQUE NEW LUXURY CHAMPAGNE LAUNCHING IN LAS VEGAS THIS MONTH. THE CHAMPAGNE, WHICH HAS THE SLOGAN OF 'TONIGHT'S THE KNIGHT' COMES IN A BOTTLE ENCASED IN A 100% COPPER, HAND-CRAFTED SUIT OF ARMOR. BEAU IS MADE OF 60% PINOT NOIR AND 40% CHARDONNAY DERIVED FROM THE FINEST GRAPES OF EPERNAY, FRANCE. THE ZERO-DOSAGE BRUT CHAMPAGNE HAS NONE OF THE ADDED SUGARS COMMON IN OTHER CHAMPAGNES. THE SUIT OF ARMOR NOT ONLY KEEPS THE CHAMPAGNE COLDER LONGER, BUT PROVIDES IMPROVED GRIP WHEN OPENING AND SERVING. IT HAS A RUBBER PUNT TO ENSURE ENHANCED STABILITY WHEN POURING. 'BEAU IS A STATEMENT MAKING LUXURY CHAMPAGNE UNLIKE ANYTHING PREVIOUSLY AVAILABLE', SAID JOHN DEITELBAUM, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF TOAST SPIRITS, CREATOR OF THE CHAMPAGNE. 'INFUSING QUALITIES LIKE ROMANCE, CHIVALRY AND FUN INTO A STAGNANT CHAMPAGNE CATEGORY, BEAU PRESENTS CONSUMERS AN UNPARALLELED LUXURY EXPERIENCE. THE ALLURE AND SEXINESS OF THE PRODUCT IS UNMISTAKABLE, AND ITS PRICE POINT DELIVERS OBTAINABLE LUXURY. WHEN YOU ORDER A BOTTLE OF BEAU, EXPECT HEADS TO TURN.' THE CHAMPAGNE WILL RETAIL FOR $79.99

PRINCE WILLIAM TO SPEARHEAD NEW CHARITY FOUNDATION


PRINCE WILLIAM WILL BE SPEARHEADING A NEW PROJECT TO CREATE 2,012 PLAYING FIELDS AROUND THE COUNTRY AS A PERMANENT MEMORIAL TO THE QUEEN IN HER DIAMOND JUBILEE YEAR. ANNOUNCING HIS PATRONAGE OF THE QUEEN ELIZABETH II FIELDS PROGRAM, THE YOUNG PRINCE SAID HE COULD NOT THINK OF A 'MORE FITTING TRIBUTE TO MY GRANDMOTHER'S 60 GLORIOUS YEARS ON THE THRONE', WHICH COINCIDE WITH THE 2012 LONDON OLYMPICS. MORE THAN 6,000 PLAYING FIELDS HAVE BEEN LOST SINCE 1992. UNDER THE PREVIOUS GOVERNMENT THEY WERE, AT ONE POINT, VANISHING AT THE RATE OF ALMOST ONE A DAY, DESPITE LABOR PROMISING TO END THE SELL-OFF 'TRAGEDY' WHEN IT FIRST CAME TO POWER. THE ISSUE BECAME A MAJOR POLITICAL FOOTBALL WITH PRESSURE GROUPS DESCRIBING THE NATIONWIDE LOSS OF PUBLIC AMENITIES AS 'SHAMEFUL'. HOWEVER, OFFICIALS HOPE THAT THE QUEEN'S DIAMOND JUBILEE WILL HELP CAPTURE THE PUBLIC'S IMAGINATION TO SAVE THE VITAL GREEN SPACES FOR THE NATION. THE CHARITY FIELDS IN TRUST, FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE NATIONAL PLAYING FIELDS ASSOCIATION, HAS ALREADY EARMARKED 550 SITES ACROSS THE UK TO BECOME QUEEN ELIZABETH II FIELDS, AND WANTS LOCAL AUTHORITIES TO NOMINATE A FURTHER 1,462 NEW PLOTS. IN A VIDEO MESSAGE RECENTLY, PRINCE WILLIAM SAID: 'PLAYING FIELDS ARE NOT A LUXURY. THEY ARE A VITAL COMPONENT OF ANY HEALTHY AND HAPPY COMMUNITY. THE SAD TRUTH IS THAT, OVER THE YEARS, THOUSANDS OF PLAYING FIELDS HAVE BEEN LOST TO DEVELOPMENT, AND MANY MORE ARE UNDER THREAT TODAY. BEING ABLE TO PLAY OUTDOORS IS A BASIC RIGHT OF CHILDHOOD. THE QUEEN ELIZABETH II FIELDS WILL GUARANTEE THAT MILLIONS MORE CHILDREN ARE ABLE TO ENJOY THAT RIGHT BOTH NOW AND IN THE FUTURE. ON A PERSONAL NOTE, I SINCERELY HOPE THAT THESE FIELDS WILL BECOME A LIVING REMINDER TO ALL OF THE QUEEN'S STEADFAST DUTY, DEDICATION AND LOVE FOR THIS COUNTRY.' IT IS THE FIRST TIME THAT WILLIAM, WHO IS CURRENTLY TRAINING TO BECOME AN RAF SEARCH AND RESCUE PILOT, HAS BECOME INVOLVED IN SUCH A HIGH PROFILE NATIONAL SCHEME. AIDES SAY HE WAS INSPIRED NIT JUST BY THE QUEEN, BUT ALSO BY HIS GRANDFATHER, THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH, WHO HAS BEEN PRESIDENT OF THE FIELDS IN TRUST FOR 63 YEARS.

7.6.10

PRINCE CHALES WILL MISS ROYAL ASCOT RO RECOVER FROM ILLNESS


THE PRINCE OF WALES WILL MISS ROYAL ASCOT NEXT WEEK ON DOCTORS' ORDERS, SO HE CAN RECOVER FROM AN ONGOING ILLNESS. HE IS TO TAKE THREE DAYS OFF NEXT WEEK, CANCELING ALL PLANNED ENGAGEMENTS, SO HE CAN TRY TO SHAKE OFF A PERSISTENT CHEST INFECTION. BUT THE HEIR TO THE THRONE DECIDED AGAINST REST AND RECUPERATION THIS WEEK BECAUSE HE HAD SO MANY IMPORTANT EVENTS TO ATTEND. A SPOKESMAN FOR CLARENCE HOUSE SAID: 'ON DOCTORS' ADVISE, THE PRINCE OF WALES WILL BE TAKING THREE DAYS OFF AT THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK. THE PRINCE IS SUFFERING FROM A PERSISTENT CHEST INFECTION FOR OVER A MONTH AND DOCTORS HAVE ADVISED HIM TO FIND A NUMBER OF CONSECUTIVE DAYS IN WHICH TO HAVE A COMPLETE REST.' THE PRINCE'S COMMITMENTS THIS WEEK INCLUDE TAKING PART IN THE QUEEN'S BIRTHDAY PARADE, HOSTING TWO MILITARY RECEPTIONS, VISITING THE ROYAL CORNWALL SHOW AND GIVING A LECTURE ON ISLAM AND THE ENVIRONMENT TO MARK THE 25th ANNIVERSARY OF THE OXFORD CENTER FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES. THE PRINCE WILL TRAVEL TO BIRKHALL, HIS PRIVATE HOME ON THE QUEEN'S BALMORAL ESTATE IN SCOTLAND, WITH HIS WIFE, THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL. HE WILL MISS ROYAL ASCOT, THE WEEK LONG RACE MEETING AND HIGHLIGHT OF THE SOCIAL CALENDER THAT DATES BACK TO 1711. THE PRINCE WILL ALSO MISS THE GARTER SERVICE AND PROCESSION, WHICH ALWAYS TAKES PLACE AT WINDSOR CASTLE ON THE MONDAY OF ROYAL ASCOT WEEK AND WHICH IS TRADITIONALLY ATTENDED BY ALL SENIOR MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY. IN HER THRONE ROOM, THE QUEEN WILL FORMALLY INVEST NEW COMPANIONS OF THE ORDER OF THE GARTER, THE SENIOR BRITISH ORDER OF CHIVALRY, FOUNDED IN 1348. FOLLOWING LUNCH, THERE IS A PROCESSION OF THE KNIGHTS TO ST GEORGE'S CHAPEL FOLLOWED BY AN INSTALLATION CEREMONY. THE PRINCE'S ILLNESS IS NOT BELIEVED TO BE SERIOUS AND HE IS SCHEDULED TO RETURN TO WORK ON THURSDAY. IT IS BELIEVED HE HAS ATTENDED EVERY GARTER CEREMONY SINCE 1989, AND ASCOT EACH YEAR FOR MOST OF THE PAST DECADE.

THE PHILBROOK MUSEUM PRESENTS 'TO LIVE FOREVER: EGYPTIAN TREASURES FROM THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM'


ON 6.JUNE, THE NILE CAME TO TULSA WITH THE DEBUT OF 'TO LIVE FOREVER: EGYPTIAN TREASURES FROM THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM'. THIS BLOCKBUSTER SHOW, ON VIEW THROUGH 12.SEPTEMBER PROMISES TO BE ONE OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY EXHIBITIONS THAT THE PHILBROOK MUSEUM EVER HAS HOSTED. AS ITS TITLE SUGGESTS, TO LIVE FOREVER EXPLORES THE AGE-OLD QUESTIONS OF IMMORTALITY AND LIFE AFTER DEATH. FOR ANCIENT EGYPTIANS, DEATH WAS AN ENEMY THAT COULD BE OVERCOME THROUGH A BIT OF INGENUITY, THE END OF LIFE ON EARTH WAS MERELY A PORTAL TO THE NEW BEGINNING. FOR ITS SPECIAL EXHIBITION OF EGYPTIAN ANTIQUITIES, THE PHILBROOK HAS DRAWN FROM THE EXTENSIVE HOLDINGS OF THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM, RENOWNED AS ONE OF THE RICHEST COLLECTIONS OF SUCH ART IN THE WORLD. MORE THAN 120 RARE OBJECTS, INCLUDING MUMMIES, COFFINS, SARCOPHAGI, STATUARY, JEWELRY AND FUNERARY SHROUDS, TRACE THE EGYPTIANS' ALL-CONSUMING EFFORTS TO OUTFIT THEIR TOMBS TO PLEASE THE GODS, SUBDUE DEATH AND ALLOW THEM TO 'LIVE FOREVER' IN THE AFTERLIFE. AS TO LIVE FOREVER MOVES THROUGH THE PRACTICAL PROCESS OF PREPARING FOR DEATH, THE FOCUS SHIFTS TO MUMMIFICATION, FUNERALS AND TOMBS. THE EXHIBITION FEATURES THE ACTUAL SILK-SHROUDED MUMMY OF A MAN NAMED DEMETRIOS, AS WELL AS THE WIDE VARIETY OF EVERYDAY AND EXTRA-SPECIAL ITEMS THE TIMELESS TRAVELER WOULD NEED TO SURVIVE IN ETERNITY. THE EXHIBITION SHOWS THE REALITIES FACED BY RICH AND POOR ALIKE IN CREATING OR APPROPRIATING SUCH EXPENSIVE MATERIALS TO OUTFIT THEIR TEMPLES OR TOMBS AS ETERNAL RESTING PLACES.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON PRESENTS 'CHARLES M RUSSELL: A RETROSPECTIVE OF PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURE'


THE MASTERWORKS OF 'CHARLES M RUSSELL: A RETROSPECTIVE OF PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURE' WILL BE PRESENTED AT THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON, BEGINNING IN JUNE. THE STUNNING EXHIBITION WILL SHOW MORE THAN 60 MAJOR WORKS IN OIL, BRONZE AND MIXED MEDIA BY THE RENOWNED 'COWBOY ARTIST' CHARLES M RUSSELL, AS WELL AS A SELECTION OF PERSONAL OBJECTS THAT PORTRAY THE ARTIST IN HIS OWN WORDS AND IMAGES. VIRTUALLY SELF-TAUGHT, RUSSELL BEGAN TO PAINT EARLY IN HIS CAREER AS A COWBOY, AFTER HE LEFT HIS PRIVILEGED ST LOUIS FAMILY AT SIXTEEN TO WORK AS A NIGHT WRANGLER ON A RANCH IN THE MONTANA TERRITORY. LATER ON, HIS ICONIC IMAGES WOULD HELP DEFINE THE AMERICAN WEST IN THE POPULAR IMAGINATION. WITH FIRST-HAND KNOWLEDGE OF COWBOYS AND OUTLAWS, NATIVE AMERICANS, TRAPPERS AND HUNTERS, AND WESTERN WILDLIFE AND WILDERNESS, RUSSELL PRESENTED AN UNPARALLELED VIEW OF A BYGONE AMERICAN CULTURE, RICH IN AUTHENTIC DETAIL AND INFUSED WITH PERSONAL PASSION. BY THE TIME OF HIS DEATH, IN 1926, RUSSELL HAD SEEN THE WESTERN CULTURE THAT HE LOVED RADICALLY CHANGE. THROUGH HIS ANIMATED ARTWORKS, HOWEVER, HE BECAME A WESTERN LEGEND IN HIS OWN RIGHT AND PROVIDED ENDLESS INSPIRATION TO HOLLYWOOD'S FIRST FILMMAKERS. DESPITE BEING ONE OF THE BEST-KNOWN NAMES IN AMERICAN ART, THIS EXHIBITION IS THE FIRST MAJOR RETROSPECTIVE FEATURING BOTH RUSSELL'S PAINTING AND SCULPTURAL WORKS. THE MASTERWORKS OF CHARLES M RUSSELL WILL BE ON VIEW AT THE MFAH UNTIL 29.AUGUST, HOUSTON IS THE FINAL VENUE FOR THE AMERICAN TOUR.

6.6.10

GUARD FAINTS DURING REHEARSAL FOR TROOPING THE COLOUR



IT WAS A PERFECT DAY FOR BASKING ON THE BEACH OR RELAXING IN A PARK. BUT YESTERDAY CLEARLY WASN'T IDEAL FOR STANDING PERFECTLY STILL WHILE WEARING A 21lb BEARSKIN HAT, AS THE UNFORTUNATE SCOTS GUARDSMAN FOUND WHEN HE FAINTED AT THE FINAL REHEARSAL FOR NEXT WEEK'S TROOPING THE COLOUR. EVEN PRINCE PHILIP WAS LOOKING A TOUCH HOT AND BOTHERED AS TEMPERATURES IN LONDON HIT 80F. TRADITION DICTATES THAT GUARDS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO MOVE THEIR HEADS OR EYES WHILE ON PARADE, SO THE SOLDIERS WERE UNABLE EVEN TO ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR FALLEN COMRADE'S PLIGHT. THE MOD SAID THE GUARD HAS RECOVERED.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA PRESENTS 'AUSTRALIAN MADE: 100 YEARS OF FASHION'


THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF VICTORIA IS PRESENTING A STUNNING AND REMARKABLE COLLECTION OF CLOTHING AND ACCESSORIES FROM THE 1850s TO 1950s IN 'AUSTRALIA MADE: 100 YEARS OF FASHION'. DRAWN ENTIRELY FROM THE NCV'S COLLECTION OF AUSTRALIAN FASHION AND TEXTILES, THE EXHIBITION EXPLORES THE RISE OF FASHION IN AUSTRALIA. ON DISPLAY ARE RARE EARLY EXAMPLES OF LABELED GARMENTS FROM THE MID-19th CENTURY AND A RANGE OF DRESSES, TAILORED ITEMS AND ACCESSORIES THAT WERE MADE AND RETAILED IN AUSTRALIA. PAINTINGS AND PHOTOGRAPHS SHOWING HOW GARMENTS WERE WORN ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THE EXHIBIT. LAURA JOCIC, CURATOR, AUSTRALIAN FASHION AND TEXTILES, SAID: 'FROM THE FIRST EUROPEAN SETTLEMENT, THE WAY AUSTRALIANS PRESENTED THEMSELVES IN THE NEW COLONIES WAS OF VITAL IMPORTANCE. WHETHER REFLECTING STATUS AND POSITION IN A NEWLY FORMED SOCIETY, OR EXHIBITING NEW FOUND WEALTH AND FLAMBOYANCE, THE LANGUAGE OF FASHION WAS OF PARTICULAR CONCERN FOR THE BURGEONING AND DIVERSE SOCIETY.' WITH THE DISCOVERY OF GOLD IN THE 1850s, DRAPERS, TAILORS, DRESSMAKERS AND DEPARTMENT STORES WERE FOUNDED TO RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF A GROWING SOCIETY. AMONG THESE WERE FARMER AND CO IN SYDNEY AND BUCKLEY & NUNN IN MELBOURNE WHICH RAN DRESSMAKING DEPARTMENTS THAT PROVIDED FOR A FASHIONABLE CLIENTELE. AUSTRALIAN MADE BEGINS WITH LATE 19th CENTURY DRESSMAKERS SUCH AS MISS SCOTT IN BRISBANE AND MRS EELES IN MELBOURNE WHO WERE PRECURSORS TO THE HIGH END BOUTIQUES OF THE FIRST HALF OF THE 20th CENTURY, SUCH AS LE LOUVRE IN COLLIN ST, MELBOURNE. THE EXHIBITION CONCLUDES WITH WORKS FROM THE EARLY 20th CENTURY FROM THE INDEPENDENT FASHION HOUSES, SUCH AS GHV THOMAS AND LUCY SECOR WHO WERE BEGINNING TO MAKE THEIR MARK ON THE AUSTRALIAN FASHION SCENE. 'AUSTRALIAN MADE: 100 YEARS OF FASHION' WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT THE IAN POTTER CENTER: NGV AUSTRALIA FROM 28MAY THROUGH 23.JANUARY.2011.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.ngv.vic.gov.au