24.7.10

SOTHEBY'S TO SELL DUCHESS OF WINDOR'S JEWELRY



JEWELS BOUGHT BY BRITAIN'S KING EDWARD VIII FOR HIS AMERICAN WIFE WALLIS SIMPSON ARE EXPECTED TO FETCH UP TO £3 MILLION AT AUCTION IN NOVEMBER, SOTHEBY'S SAID THURSDAY. THE KING, WHO RENOUNCED HIS CLAIM TO TE BRITISH THRONE IN 1936 TO MARRY THE DIVORCEE, SHOWERED HER WITH STUNNING ONE OF A KIND GIFTS OF JEWELRY THROUGHOUT THEIR COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE. MANY OF THE 'MAGICAL JEWELS' HONOR EVENTS IN THE COUPLES' LIVES AND ARE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE AS BOTH WORKS OF ART AND HISTORICAL ARTIFACTS, SAID SOTHEBY'S JEWELRY EXPERT DAVID BENNETT. 'THEY DOCUMENT ONE OF THE GREATEST LOVE AFFAIRS', HE TOLD REUTERS, ADDING THAT IT WAS HARD TO SAY HOW MUCH THE JEWELRY'S HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE ADDED TO ITS VALUE. AFTER EDWARD'S ABDICATION, THE COUPLE WERE GIVEN THE TITLES OF THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF WINDSOR AND LEFT BRITAIN, LIVING ABROAD FOR THE REST OF THEIR LIVES. ONE OF THE PIECES, A CARTIER BRACELET WITH JEWELED CROSSES. COMMEMORATES A SERIES OF EVENTS IN SIMPSON'S LIFE, INCLUDING AN ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT ON THE KING AND HER OWN APPENDECTOMY. THE 20 LOTS, RANGING FROM A CARTIER PANTHER BRACELET TO DIAMOND-ENCRUSTED CUFFLINKS, ARE ONLY A FRACTION OF TE ORIGINAL 'JEWELS OF THE DUCHESS OF WINDSOR' COLLECTION, WHICH SOLD SOON AFTER SIMPSON'S DEATH IN 1986. STILL THE MOST VALUABLE SINGLE-OWNER SALE EVER, THE COLLECTION SOLD FOR £31 MILLION, MORE THAN SEVEN TIMES THE PRE-SALE ESTIMATE. 'WITH JEWELRY SALES GOING FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH, THESE PIECES SHOULD DO VERY WELL ALSO', BENNETT SAID. SOTHEBY'S EXPECTS STRONG INTEREST FROM BUYERS IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND ASIA. THE SELECTION, WHICH INCLUDES SILVERWARE AND ROYAL MEDALS, WILL BE EXHIBITED AROUND THE WORLD BEFORE THE AUCTION IN LONDON ON 30.NOVEMBER.

WORLD CUP FINAL VICTORY BALL SELLS FOR $74,000


THE BALL USED IN SPAIN'S WORLD CUP FINAL VICTORY OVER THE NETHERLANDS HAS RECENTLY FETCHED ALMOST $74,000 IN A CHARITY AUCTION ON EBAY. THE FAMOUS JABULANI BALL WAS SOLD FOR THE '46664' HIV/AIDS CHARITY, NAMED AFTER NELSON MANDELA'S PRISONER NUMBER WHEN HE WAS HELD AT ROBBEN ISLAND. THE CALLS USED DURING THE WORLD CUP WERE CRITIQUED FOR THEIR UNPREDICTABILITY AND WERE NICKNAMED 'SUPERMARKET BALLS'. THE GOLD VERSION USED IN THE FINAL WAS NAMED 'JO' BULANI' BECAUSE THE GAME WAS PLAYED IN JOHANNESBURG, KNOWN COLLOQUIALLY AS JO'BURG. A TOTAL OF 133 BIDS FROM 55 PARTICIPANTS CAME IN FOR THE BALL. IT EVENTUALLY WENT TO A GROUP OF SPANISH FANS.

WHISKEY THAT HAS BEEN FROZEN IN ANTARCTIC ICE BEING THAWED FOR TESTING


A CRATE OF SCOTCH WHISKEY THAT HAS BEEN FROZEN IN ANTARCTIC ICE FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY IS BEING SLOWLY THAWED BY NEW ZEALAND MUSEUM OFFICIALS, FOR ANALYSIS, NOT TO BE TASTED. THE CRATE OF WHISKEY WAS RECOVERED EARLIER THIS YEAR, ALONG WITH FOUR OTHER CRATES CONTAINING WHISKEY AND BRANDY, BENEATH THE FLOOR OF A HUT BUILT BY BRITISH EXPLORER SIR ERNEST SHACKLETON DURING HIS 1908 ANTARCTIC EXPEDITION. FOUR OF THE CRATES WERE LEFT IN THE ICE, BUT ONE LABELED MACKINLAY'S WHISKEY WAS BROUGHT TO TEH CANTERBURY MUSEUM IN CHRISTCHURCH ON NEW ZEALAND'S SOUTH ISLAND, WHERE OFFICIALS SAID RECENTLY IT WAS BEING THAWED IN A CONTROLLED ENVIRONMENT. NIGEL WATSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW ZEALAND ANTARCTIC HERITAGE TRUST, SAID THE WHISKEY MIGHT STILL BE LIQUID. 'WHEN THE GUYS WERE LIFTING IT, THEY REPORTED THE SOUND OF SLOSHING AND THERE WAS A SMELL OF WHISKEY IN THE FREEZER, SO IT IS ALL BODING WELL', HE SAID. AN ANTARCTIC HERITAGE TRUST TEAM WHAT WAS RESTORING THE EXPLORER'S HUT FOUND THE CRATES IN 2006 BUT COULDN'T IMMEDIATELY DISLODGE THEM BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO DEEPLY EMBEDDED IN THE ICE. DRINKS GROUP WHYTE & MACKAY, THE SCOTTISH DISTILLERY THAT NOW OWNS THE MACKINLAY'S BRAND, LAUNCHED THE BID TO RECOVER THE WHISKEY FOR SAMPLES TO TEST AND POTENTIALLY USE TO RELAUNCH THE DEFUNCT SCOTCH. WATSON SAID THE WHISKEY MAY STILL BE DRINKABLE BUT WOULD PROBABLY NOT BE TASTED. 'THIS WAS A BLEND SO THEY ARE HOPEFUL IF THERE IS ENOUGH ALCOHOL LEFT AND IT IS IN GOOD CONDITION THEY MAY BE ABLE TO ANALYZE AND HOPEFULLY REPLICATE THE LIQUID SO IN FACT EVERYONE COULD PARTAKE IN THIS', HE SAID. SHACKLETON'S EXPEDITION RAN SHORT OF SUPPLIES ON ITS LONG SKI TREK TO THE SOUTH POLE FROM THE NORTHERN ANTARCTIC COAST IN 1907-1909 AND TURNED BACK ABOUT 100 MILES SHORT OF ITS GOAL. THE EXPEDITION SAILED AWAY IN 1909 AS WINTER ICE FORMED, LEAVING BEHIND SUPPLIES, INCLUDING THE WHISKEY AND BRANDY.

NATIONAL GALLERY TO PRESENT 'LEONARDO DA VINCI: PAINTER AT THE COURT OF MILAN'


'LEONARDO DA VINCI: PAINTER AT THE COURT OF MILAN' IS THE MOST COMPLETE DISPLAY OF LEONARDO'S RARE SURVIVING PAINTINGS EVER HELD. THE UNPRECEDENTED EXHIBITION, THE FIRST OF ITS KIND ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, BRINGS TOGETHER SENSATIONAL INTERNATIONAL LOANS NEVER BEFORE SEEN IN THE UK, INCLUDING 'LA BELLE FERRONIERE', 'THE MADONNA LITTA' AND 'SAINT JEROME'. WHILE NUMEROUS EXHIBITIONS HAVE LOOKED AT LEONARDO DA VINCI AS AN INVENTOR, SCIENTIST OR DROUGHTSMAN, THIS IS THE FIRST TO BE ADDRESSED TO HIS AIMS AND TECHNIQUES AS A PAINTER. INSPIRED BY THE RECENTLY RESTORED NATIONAL GALLERY PAINTING 'THE VIRGIN OF THE ROCKS', THIS EXHIBITION FOCUSES ON LEONARDO AS AN ARTIST AND IN PARTICULAR ON THE WORKS HE PRODUCED DURING HIS CAREER AS COURT PAINTER TO DUKE LODOVICO SFORZA IN MILAN IN THE LATE 1480s AND 1490s. FEATURING THE FINEST PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS BY LEONARDO AND HIS FOLLOWERS, THE EXHIBITION EXAMINES LEONARDO'S PURSUIT FOR PERFECTION IN HIS REPRESENTATION OF THE HUMAN FORM. AS A PAINTER, HE AIMED TO CONVINCE VIEWERS OF THE REALITY OF WHAT THEY WERE SEEING WHILE STILL ASPIRING TO CREATE IDEALS OF BEAUTY, PARTICULARLY IN HIS EXQUISITE PORTRAITS, AND, IN HIS RELIGIOUS WORKS, TO CONVEY A SENSE OF AWE-INSPIRING MYSTERY. A HIGHLIGHT OF THE EXHIBITION IS A NEAR-CONTEMPORARY, FULL SCALE COPY OF LEONARDO'S FAMOUS 'LAST SUPPER'. ON LOAN FROM THE ROYAL ACADEMY. SEEN ALONGSIDE ALL THE SURVIVING PREPARATORY DRAWINGS MADE BY LEONARDO FOR THE LAST SUPPER, VISITORS WILL DISCOVER HOW MUCH A LARGE-SCALE PAINTINGS WAS DESIGNED AND EXECUTED.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT nationalgallery.org.uk

23.7.10

DAVID MACH CREATES LARGE SCALE 'COAT-HANGER" CRUCIFIXION


DAVID MACH, FAMED FOR HIS DYNAMIC LARGE SCALE COLLAGES, SCULPTURES AND BOLD INSTALLATIONS, TODAY LAUNCHES HIS MAJOR NEW PROJECT TO CELEBRATE THE 400th ANNIVERSARY OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE IN 2011 WITH THE INSTALLATION OF A MASSIVE COAT-HANGER CRUCIFIXION FIGURE, SUSPENDED FROM STEAL SUPPORTS, OUTSIDE ST GILES CHURCH IN EDINBURGH. THIS IS THE FIRST OF FOUR COAT-HANGER CRUCIFIXION FIGURES, INCLUDING A CONTEMPORARY SCULPTURAL VERSION OF CALVARY, WHICH WILL BE DISPLAYED IN THE EXHIBITION AT EDINBURGH'S CITY ART CENTER IN THE SUMMER OF 2011. CENTRAL TO THE PROJECT WILL BE A LARGE-SCALE LIMITED EDITION ARTIST'S VERSION OF THE KING JAMES BIBLE. AN ARRAY OF MACH'S LARGE SCALE COLLAGES WILL BE ON DISPLAY. CINEMATIC IN SCALE, THE COLLAGES WILL BRING A CONTEMPORARY DIMENSION TO BIBLICAL STORIES SUCH AS THE FLOOD, CROSSING THE RED SEA, JESUS' MIRACLES AND THE EPIC VISIONS OF ST JOHN. THE FIRST COLLAGE IN THE PROJECT, TOWER OF BABEL, IS CURRENTLY ON DISPLAY IN THE ROYAL ACADEMY'S SUMMER EXHIBITION, 14.JUNE THROUGH 22.AUGUST. FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES TO SEE ELEMENTS OF THE PROJECT DURING THE YEAR INCLUDE: IN THE AUTUMN A COLLAGE AT ST PAUL'S CATHEDRAL AND A CRUCIFIXION SCULPTURE AT GLOUCESTER CATHEDRAL; ALSO UNDER NEGOTIATION IS A MAJOR EXHIBITION OF THE CRUCIFIXION AT TORRE ABBEY, TOBAY AT EASTER.

FRANK FRAZETTA PAINTING SELLS FOR $1.5 MILLION


A 1971 PAINTING BY FANTASY ARTIST FRANK FRAZETTA HAS SOLD FOR $1.5 MILLION, TWO MONTHS AFTER THE PENNSYLVANIA ARTIST'S DEATH. FRAZETTA'S MANAGERS SAID THIS WEEK THAT A PRIVATE COLLECTOR BOUGHT 'CONAN THE DESTROYER' FROM A FAMILY TRUST. MANAGERS ROBERT PISTELLA AND STEPHEN FERZOCO CALL THE PRICE THE HIGHEST EVER PAID FOR A WORK BY FRAZETTA. THE ILLUSTRATOR DIED IN FLORIDA IN MAY AT THE AGE OF 82. HIS ICONIC ILLUSTRATIONS OF CONAN THE BARBARIAN, TARZAN AND OTHER CHARACTERS OFTEN GRACED COMIC BOOKS, ALBUM COVERS AND MOVIE POSTERS. IN RECENT YEARS, HIS CHILDREN HAVE FOUGHT OVER THE ESTATE ESTIMATED TO BE WORTH TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. THE FEUD BOILED OVER IN DECEMBER WHEN FRANK FRAZETTA JR USED A BACKHOE TO TRY TO BREAK INTO TEH ARTIST'S MUSEUM IN THE POCONO MOUNTAINS.

22.7.10

GODIVA CHOCOLATIERS



OF ALL THE NAMES ASSOCIATED WITH FINE GOURMET CHOCOLATE, THERE ARE FEW AS ICONIC AS GODIVA CHOCOLATIERS. FOUNDED IN 1926 BY JOSEPH DRAPS, THE BELGIAN CHOCOLATIER HAS SINCE BLOSSOMED INTO ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST CELEBRATED AND MOST RECOGNIZED. DRAPS OPENED HIS FIRST STORE ON A COBBLESTONE STREET IN BRUSSELS NEARLY A CENTURY AGO, ITS NAME WAS INSPIRED BY THE LEGENDARY LADY GODIVA. AS THE STORY GOES, THE MEDIEVAL ROYAL BECAME UPSET WITH THE ONEROUS TAXES THAT HER HUSBAND, LORD LEOFRIC, LEVIED UPON HIS SUBJECTS IN COVENTRY, ENGLAND. LEOFRIC PROPOSED A BARGAIN: IF SHE COULD RIDE NAKED THROUGH TOWN WITHOUT ANY CITIZENS LOOKING AT HER, HE'S EASE THEIR FINANCIAL BURDEN. LADY GODIVA DID EXACTLY THAT, AND LEOFRIC RELENTED. THE NAME GODIVA STILL EVOKES IMAGES OF GRACIOUSNESS, LUXURY AND SENSUALITY. DRAPS FIRST EXPANDED THE COMPANY BEYOND BELGIUM IN 1958, OPENING A BOUTIQUE IN PARIS. THE FIRST NORTH AMERICAN STORE FOLLOWED IN 1966; ANOTHER IN TOKYO CAME IN 1972. TODAY THERE ARE OVER 450 GODIVA BOUTIQUES IN 80 COUNTRIES AROUND THE WORLD. THE CHOCOLATES CAN ALSO BE ORDERED AT ITS ONLINE STORE. THOUGH GODIVA IS FAMOUS FOR ITS DECADENT TRUFFLES, THE CHOCOLATIER HAS EXPANDED ITS SELECTIONS TO INCLUDE BAKED GOODS, SUCH AS CHOCOLATE GANACHE LAYER CAKE, CHOCOLATE CHUNK BROWNIES AND CHOCOLATE COCONUT MACAROONS, FLAVORED COFFEES AND HOT COCOAS AND SPECIALTY GIFTS FOR OCCASIONS SUCH AS WEDDINGS AND HOLIDAYS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.godiva.com

NEW JAMES BOND MUSEUM PLANNED FOR ILLINOIS TOWN



THERE ARE ONLY 3,000 PEOPLE IN THE SMALL TOWN OF MOMENCE, ILLINOIS, BUT THEY'LL SOON BE JOINED BY A HOST OF JAMES BOND FANS COMING TO VISIT A NEWLY PLANNED MUSEUM OF ICONIC BOND VEHICLES AND ESPIONAGE DEVISES. THE MUSEUM IS BEING PUT TOGETHER WITH THE BLESSING OF THE IAN FLEMING FOUNDATION, AN WILL HOUSE THE LARGEST COLLECTION OF BOND VEHICLES ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. THE COLLECTION IS OWNED BY DOUG REDENIUS, A MOMENCE POSTAL WORKER WHO HAPPENS TO BE A VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE IAN FLEMING FOUNDATION. THE MUSEUM FACILITY WILL BE HOUSED IN AN OLD CAR DEALERSHIP, WHICH IS SCHEDULED TO RECEIVE A COMPLETE MAKEOVER, WITH THE FRONT GLASS CLEVERLY SPORTING AN ETCHED "007" LOGO MADE3 UP OF THE NAMES OF THE ACTORS WHO HAVE PORTRAYED JAMES BOND AND THE MOVIES. VEHICLES INCLUDED IN THE COLLECTION ARE THE FAMOUS LOTUS ESPIRIT SUBMARINE FROM THE SPY WHO LOVED ME AND THE ASTON MARTIN IN THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS, AMONG MANY OTHERS. THE DESIGN DIRECTOR ON THE PROJECT IS EAGERLY WORKING ON PULLING EVERYTHING TOGETHER FOR A 2012 OPENING DATE AND GETTING INTO THE SPIRIT, SAYING: 'IT'S IMPOSSIBLE NOT TO HUM THE THEME SONG AS YOU'RE WORKING ON THIS PROJECT.'

PETER BLAKE AT CHRISTIE'S: 60 YEARS OF PRINTMAKING


CCA GALLERIES AND CHRISTIE'S PRESENT A SELLING EXHIBITION OF WORKS BY THE ICONIC BRITISH ARTIST SIR PETER BLAKE; CELEBRATING HIS SIX DECADE PRINTMAKING CAREER. OVER 150 PRINTS SIGNED AND NUMBERED BY THE ARTIST, WILL BE ON VIEW AND AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE AT CHRISTIE'S, SOUTH KENSINGTON BETWEEN 23.JULY AND 12.AUGUST, WITH PRICES RANGING FROM £500 TO £25,000. THE RETROSPECTIVE FEATURES WORKS FROM 1950 TO THE PRESENT DAY. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME WORKS FROM ALL BLAKE'S MAJOR PRINT PUBLISHERS. THE COMPREHENSIVE GROUP OF WORKS EXPLORE ALL OD THE KEY MOTIFS OF BLAKE'S CAREER: HIS LOVE OF COLLAGE AND COLLECTING, HIS FASCINATION WITH HEROES AND 'PIN-UPS', HIS NOSTALGIA FOR THE INNOCENCE OF HIS CHILDHOOD, AND HIS LOVE FOR THE SPECTRUM OF POPULAR ENTERTAINMENT. THE EXHIBITION SHOWCASES HIS SIGNIFICANT EARLY DECISION TO ESCHEW HIS OWN ARTISTIC VISION IN MANY OF HIS WORKS IN ORDER TO USE READY-MADE IMAGERY FROM OUTSIDE FINE ART TRADITIONS; PHOTOGRAPHS, COMMERCIAL DESIGN AND TYPOGRAPHY, CARTOON AND MORE. IN DOING THIS BLAKE'S INTENTION WAS TO CREATE ARE THAT SPOKE TO THE MASSES AND NOT ONLY AND ART WORLD ELITE. BLAKE'S ABIDING INTEREST IN EXPLORING DIFFERENT PRINT MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES IN PRINTMAKING IS REVEALED THROUGH THE EXHIBITION, AND UNDERLINES HIS STATUS AS ONE OF BRITAIN'S MOST POPULAR AND INFLUENTIAL ARTISTS. HIS DEDICATION TO PRINTMAKING GOES HAND IN HAND WITH HIS BELIEF THAT ART SHOULD AVAILABLE TO A WIDE AUDIENCE.

LEOPOLD MUSEUM PAYS $19 MILLION IN PAINTING SETTLEMENT CASE


A 12 YEAR DISPUTE THAT ILLUSTRATED THE DIFFICULTY OF PROVING ART WAS STOLEN BY THE NAZIS IN WORLD WAR II ENDED TUESDAY WITH AN AGREEMENT THAT A 1912 OIL PAINTING ENTITLED 'PORTRAIT OF WALLY' WILL BE RETURNED TO A VIENNA MUSEUM AND DISPLAYED WITH AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT IT WAS STOLEN FROM A JEWISH ART DEALER BY A NAZI AGENT. THE SETTLEMENT CALLS FOR THE LEOPOLD MUSEUM TO OWN THE PAINTING BY AUSTRIAN EXPRESSIONIST EGON SCHIELE AFTER PAYING $19 MILLION TO THE ESTATE OF LEA BONDI JARAY AND ALLOWING IT TO BE DISPLAYED FOR THREE WEEKS AT THE MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE IN LOWER MANHATTAN. THE PAINTING HAS BEEN THE SUBJECT OF COURT PROCEEDINGS IN NEW YORK CITY SINCE IT WAS LENT 12 YEARS AGO TO THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART BY THE LEOPOLD MUSEUM. AT LEAST THREE TIMES, A JUDGE HAD ORDERED IT RETURNED TO AUSTRIA WITHOUT ACKNOWLEDGMENT IT HAD BEEN STOLEN. US ATTORNEY, PREET BHARARA SAID IN A STATEMENT THAT THE SETTLEMENT AMONG THE US GOVERNMENT, JARAY'S ESTATE AND THE LEOPOLD MUSEUM 'MARKS ANOTHER SMALL STEP TOWARD JUSTICE FOR VICTIMS OF PROPERTY CRIMES DURING WWII.' THE DEAL COMES LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER US DISTRICT JUDGE LORETTA A PRESKA REJECTED THE LEOPOLD MUSEUM'S ARGUMENT THAT THE PAINTING WAS NOT STOLEN PROPERTY AND DAYS BEFORE SHE WAS TO PRESIDE OVER A TRIAL TO DECIDE WHETHER THE MUSEUM KNEW IT WAS STOLEN PROPERTY WHEN IT WAS BROUGHT INTO THE UNITED STATES IN SEPTEMBER 1997. IN JANUARY 1998, THE MANHATTAN DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE BEGAN INVESTIGATING CLAIMS THAT THE PAINTING WAS STOLEN MORE THAN A HALF CENTURY EARLIER WHEN JARAY WAS FORCED TO SELL IT ON THE CHEAP TO A NAZI ART COLLECTOR. THE LEOPOLD MUSEUM HAS ALWAYS INSISTED THAT IT ACQUIRED THE PAINTING IN GOOD FAITH FROM LEGITIMATE POSTWAR OWNERS. IN A STATEMENT, REPRESENTATIVES OF THE BONDI ESTATE SAID THE SETTLEMENT REFLECTS THE TRUE VALUE OF THE PAINTING. THEY ALSO SAID THE PUBLIC DISPLAY OF THE PAINTING AT THE MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE WILL LET VISITORS VIEW IT IN A SETTING THAT MEMORIALIZES THE SUFFERING OF HOLOCAUST VICTIMS AND THE RESILIENCE OF THOSE WHO ESCAPED AND SURVIVED.

WALLACE COLLECTION TO PRESENT FRENCH DRAWINGS EXHIBITION


AN OUTSTANDING COLLECTION OF FRENCH DRAWINGS, WHICH INCLUDES WORKS BY POUSSIN, BOUCHER, INGRES, COROT, PISSARRO, AND SEURAT; IMPORTANT WORKS BY LESSER-KNOWN MASTERS SUCH AS JEARURAT, LANCRENON, HESSE AND DULAC, AND ARTIST WRITERS EUGENE FROMENTIN AND GEORGE SAND, IS AT THE WALLACE COLLECTION, FROM 23.SEPTEMBER. OVER THE LAST THIRTY YEARS THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF SCOTLAND HAS CAREFULLY AND DELIBERATELY STRENGTHENED ITS HOLDINGS OF FRENCH DRAWINGS TO RIVAL ITS HOLDINGS OF FRENCH PAINTINGS. THIS QUIET BUT ONGOING ACQUISITIONS PROGRAM BEGAN WHEN MANY OF THE ARTISTS WERE CONSIDERED UNFASHIONABLE. AS A RESULT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF SCOTLAND WAS ABLE TO ACQUIRE WORKS FOR WHAT WOULD NOW BE CONSIDERED BARGAIN PRICES. ADDITIONALLY VERY FEW UK NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS HAVE BUILT A COLLECTION OF FRENCH DRAWINGS MAKING THIS ONE ALL THE MORE SIGNIFICANT. THE SUBJECTS IN THE EXHIBITION RANGE FROM THE COURTLY ART OF FONTAINEBLEAU IN THE 16th CENTURY TO THE MORE DOWN TO EARTH IMAGERY OF THE REALISTS AND IMPRESSIONISTS IN THE 19th CENTURY. THERE ARE PREPARATORY DRAWINGS FOR TAPESTRIES AND FOR AMBITIOUS SALON PICTURES, AS WELL AS FIGURE STUDIES MADE IN THE STUDIO OR LANDSCAPE SKETCHES INSPIRED BY STUDY IN THE OPEN AIR. THERE IS A PARTICULARLY STRIKING AND PERSONAL IMAGE OF A PREGNANT JEWISH WOMAN FROM ALGERIA WEARING AN EXTRAORDINARY METAL, CONE SHAPED HEADDRESS. POUSSIN'S EXCEPTIONAL PREPARATORY DRAWING FOR ONE OF THE GREATEST PAINTINGS IN THE WALLACE COLLECTION, DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME, WILL GO ON DISPLAY AT THE MUSEUM FOR ONLY THE SECOND TIME SINCE IT WAS SEEN IN POUSSIN'S STUDIO IN 1640. THE SELECTION FOR THE EXHIBITION, WHICH WILL LATER BE SHOWN IN EDINBURGH, HAS BEEN MADE SO AS TO RELATE TO PAINTINGS ON DISPLAY AT THE WALLACE COLLECTION, HENCE THE CHOICE OF DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME AND ALSO DRAWINGS BY WATTEAU, SCHEFFER, DECHAPMS AND DELAROCHE, ALL MASTERS WHO ARE PARTICULARLY ASSOCIATED WITH THE COLLECTING OF LORD HERTFORD AND SIR RICHARD WALLACE.

21.7.10

UK CULTURE MINISTER HAS PLACED A TEMPORARY EXPORT BAR ON MURILLO PAINTING


THE CULTURE MINISTER HAS PLACED A TEMPORARY EXPORT BAR ON A PAINTING BY THE SPANISH ARTIST MURILLO. THIS WILL PROVIDE A LAST CHANCE TO RAISE THE MONEY TO KEEP THE PAINTING OF THE VIRGIN AND CHILD IN THE UK. THE MINISTRY'S RULING FOLLOWS A RECOMMENDATION BY THE REVIEWING COMMITTEE ON THE EXPORT OF WORKS OF ART AND OBJECTS OF CULTURAL INTEREST, ADMINISTERED BY THE MUSEUMS, LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES COUNCIL (MLA). THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED THAT THE EXPORT DECISION BE DEFERRED ON THE GROUNDS THAT THE PAINTING IS OF OUTSTANDING AESTHETIC IMPORTANCE. BARTOLOME ESTEBAN MURILLO WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST ARTISTS OF THE SPANISH GOLDEN AGE, POPULAR WITH HIS CONTEMPORARIES FOR HIS RELIGIOUS IMAGERY, PORTRAITS AND GENRE PAINTINGS. HE MADE NUMEROUS VERSIONS OF THE VIRGIN AND CHILD, BUT IN MOST OF THEM THE FIGURES LOOK STRAIGHT OUT TOWARDS THE VIEWER AND THE EFFECTS IS OFTEN REGARDED AS OVERLY SENTIMENTAL. THIS EARLY WORK IS A PARTICULARLY FINE EXAMPLE OF THE SAME SUBJECT WHICH IS UNIQUE BECAUSE OF THE TENDER WAY IN WHICH THE FIGURES GAZE AT EACH OTHER, GIVING IT AN INTIMACY IN THE LATER WORKS. THE CHRIST CHILD SEEMS TO BE COMFORTING HIS MOTHER IN A PORTRAIT PREMONITION OF HIS FATE. THE BEAUTIFULLY-LIT FIGURES HAVE A STRONG SCULPTURAL PRESENCE, FORMING A GRACEFUL 'S' CURVE AGAINST THE DARK BACKGROUND. THE DECISION ON AN EXPORT LICENSE APPLICATION FOR THE PAINTING WILL BE DIFFERED FOR A PERIOD ENDING ON 18.SEPTEMBER.2010 INCLUSIVE. THIS PERIOD MAY BE EXTENDED UNTIL 18.JANUARY.2011 INCLUSIVE IF A SERIOUS INTENTION TO RAISE FUNDS WITH A VIEW TO MAKING AN OFFER TO PURCHASE THE PAINTING AT THE RECOMMENDED PRICE OF £3,000,000 EXPRESSED.

LAS VEGAS DIAMOND


A MASTER DIAMOND CUTTER AT WORK IN THE FRIGID TEMPERATURES OF SASKATCHEWAN IS BEHIND ONE OF THE MOST STUNNING NEW DIAMOND CUTS IN RECENT HISTORY, MAKING IT ONE OF THE MOST INTRICATE AND LIGHT-REFLECTING IN THE WORLD. THE NEW LAS VEGAS DIAMOND WAS CREATED BY MIKE BOTHA AND ONLY BOTHA AND TWO APPRENTICES HAVE THE TALENT TO CREATE THE STONES WHICH BEAR A STAGGERING 111 FACETS. AN AVERAGE BRILLIANT CUT DIAMOND HAS 57 FACETS, AND ALTHOUGH BOTHA SAYS MORE FACES COULD HAVE BEEN ADDED TO HIS DESIGN, HE'S CONVINCED IT HITS THE 'SWEET SPOT'. 'IT REACHED OPTIMAL BRILLIANCE. THIS STONE REALLY CAME UP TRUMPS AND WE KNOW THAT WE'RE IN THIS SWEET SPOT FOR A DIAMOND THAT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL', HE SAID. 'ONE MORE FACET AND THE DIAMOND'S CUT COULD LOSE ITS SPARKLE AND DEFINITION', HE ADDED. AND HE KNOWS HIS DIAMONDS, HE HAS ALREADY HANDLED THOUSANDS OF THE SPARKLING GEMS IN OVER 40 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA, MAURITIUS, RUSSIA AND CANADA. BOTHA'S DESIGN HAS ALREADY BEEN BRANDED BY CALGARY-BASED LUXURY FIRM, KIMBERLIGHT BRANDS. IT'S CO-OWNER LAURA SERENA AND HEATHER KIRK, NAMED THE DESIGN THE LAS VEGAS CUT AFTER LAYING EYES ON BOTHA'S FINISHED PRODUCT. 'WHAT BETTER PLACE TO BRAND A DIAMOND AFTER LAS VEGAS? DIAMONDS ARE ABOUT LIGHT AND LAS VEGAS IS ABOUT LIGHT', SERENA SAID. THE ONLY OTHER DIAMOND CUT TO BE NAMED AFTER A CITY IS THE DUBAI, A GLEAMING RIVAL WITH 99 FACETS. THE LAS VEGAS CUT WAS LAUNCHED IN JUNE AND WILL LIKELY CATCH THE ATTENTION OF SOME OF THE WORLD'S WEALTHIEST PEOPLE WHEN THE CANADIAN DESIGN IS FEATURED AS THE LATEST 'MUST-HAVE' ITEM IN AN EXCLUSIVE MAGAZINE GIVEN TO READERS WHO HAVE ONE SPECIFIC THING IN COMMON: THEY ALL OWN PRIVATE JETS. FOR NOW THE DIAMONDS ARE SOLD LOOSELY AND ALTHOUGH PRICES VARY BASED ON CARAT, COLOUR AND CLARITY, THE APPROXIMATE STARTING PRICE FOR ONE CARAT LAS VEGAS CUT DIAMOND IS $10,000

ROMANTIC SUMMER TOURS OF HOLYROODHOUSE


THE ABBEY WAS FOUNDED IN 1128 BY KING DAVID I OF SCOTLAND FOR THE AUGUSTINIAN CANONS. ACCORDING TO MEDIEVAL LEGEND, A VISION OF A STAG WITH A CROSS GLOWING BETWEEN ITS ANTLERS CAME TO DAVID WHILE HUNTING IN THE AREA. INTERPRETING THIS AS AN ACT OF GOD, THE KING DECLARED THAT AN ABBEY SHOULD BE BUILT ON THE SAME SPOT. HOLY ROOD, THE NAME OF THE ABBEY AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE PALACE, MEANS 'HOLY CROSS'. A FRAGMENT OF WHICH HAD BEEN BROUGHT TO SCOTLAND BY DAVID I's MOTHER, ST MARGARET, AND KEPT AT THE ABBEY UNTIL THE 14th CENTURY. THE AUGUSTINIAN CANONS WERE AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE BURGH OF CANANGATE, SUPPORTING THE SICK AND POOR WITHIN THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY. THEY WERE ENTIRELY SELF-SUFFICIENT, GROWING THEIR OWN FOOD, VEGETABLES AND PLANTS, AND GRAZING SHEEP TO TRADE AND EXPORT THEIR WOOL. EXTENSIVE MONASTIC BUILDINGS, REVEALED DURING EXCAVATIONS IN 2006, WERE ADDED TO ACCOMMODATE THE LARGE COMMUNITY. THEY INCLUDED CLOISTERS, A CHAPTER HOUSE, A REFECTORY AND MONASTIC AND ROYAL GUEST HOUSES. TODAY ONLY THE PROCESSIONAL DOOR LEADING FROM THE CLOISTERS SURVIVES FROM THE PERIOD. MOST OF THE REMAINING STRUCTURE DATES FROM THE EARLY 13th CENTURY, WHEN THE ORIGINAL BUILDING WAS REMODELED INTO A MORE MAGNIFICENT CATHEDRAL-LIKE EDIFICE. THE ABBEY WAS A THRIVING AND PROFITABLE RELIGIOUS INSTITUTION UNTIL THE MID 16th CENTURY, WHEN IT SUFFERED BADLY FROM A NUMBER OF RAIDS. AMONG THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE WERE THESE BY HENRY VIII's ARMY IN 1544 AND 1547. AFTER THE REFORMATION, THE ABBEY'S MONASTIC BUILDINGS WERE ABANDONED BY THE CANONS, AND IN 1570 THE EASTERN PARTS OF THE CHURCH AND THE OUTBUILDINGS WERE DEMOLISHED. IN 1768 THE ROOF OF THE ABBEY COLLAPSED, AND THE BUILDING WAS LEFT RUINED. THE PICTURESQUE REMAINS OF THE HOLYROOD ABBEY HAVE INFLUENCED NUMEROUS ARTISTS AND WRITERS, AMONG THEM FELIX MENDELSSOHN. THEIR MELANCHOLY GRANDEUR INSPIRED THE COMPOSER'S GREAT SCOTTISH SYMPHONY. TOURS OF HOLYROOD ABBEY ARE PART OF A VISIT TO THE PALACE OF HOLYROODHOUSE FROM 18.JULY THROUGH 30.SEPTEMBER. THEY TAKE PLACE ON THE HOUR AND LAST APPROXIMATELY 30 MINUTES.

MUSEO THYSSEN-BORNEMISZA PRESENTS MARIO TESTINO EXHIBITION


fOR THE FIRST TIME IN SPAIN, THE MUSEO THYSSEN-BORNEMISZA IS PRESENTING THE WORK OF PERUVIAN PHOTOGRAPHER MARIO TESTINO. THE EXHIBITION TODO A NADA BRINGS TOGETHER 54 PHOTOGRAPHS THAT REVEAL THE TWO OPPOSING CONCEPTS TO BE FOUND IN HIS WORK; FASHION AND THE NUDE. THESE CONCEPTS ARE PRESENT BOTH IN HIS BETTER KNOWN ACTIVITIES AS A FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER, INCLUDING THE IMAGES THAT HE CREATED FOR VOGUE, VANITY FAIR, V MAGAZINE, ALLURE AND THE FACE, AS WELL AS IN HIS MORE PERSONAL CREATIONS, INCLUDING A NUMBER OF UNPUBLISHED PHOTOGRAPHS SPECIALLY TAKEN FOR THIS EXHIBITION. FOR MARIO TESTINO, THE ESSENCE OF THE EXHIBITION LIES IN CONTEMPLATING THE PROCESS AND IMPLICATIONS INVOLVED IN THE ACT OF REMOVING ONE'S CLOTHES TO BECOME NAKED: 'A VOYAGE FROM HAUTE COUTURE TO NUDITY, INCLUDING THE INTERMEDIARY PROCESS THAT IMPLIES BARING THE FORM.' IN THIS SENSE, THE EXHIBITION INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS IN WHICH THE MODEL WEARS EXTRAVAGANT DRESSES, ENVELOPED IN A SETTING SPECIFICALLY CREATED FOR THE SHOT AND CHARACTERIZED BY THE DELIBERATE DESIRE FOR THEATRICALITY, AS WELL AS OTHERS IN WHICH SHE IS SEEN UNCLOTHED, CLEARLY REFERRING TO FAMOUS IMAGES OF SPANISH ART SUCH AS GOYA'S MAJAS. THE EXHIBITION ALSO EXAMINES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PHOTOGRAPHER AND HIS MODELS, WHO ARE ALWAYS WOMEN, FROM THE GLAMOR OF TOP MODELS, EITHER NUDE OR WEARING HAUTE COUTURE AND ON OCCASIONS PHOTOGRAPHED WITH A TOUCH OF IRONY AND A SENSE OF HUMOR, TO PHOTOGRAPHS OF FRIENDS AND ANONYMOUS INDIVIDUALS. TODO A NADA IS AN ODE TO 'TESTINO'S WOMAN' , AN ICONIC IMAGE OF WOMAN THAT HE HAS DEFINED AND REDEFINED OVER THE COURSE OF HIS CAREER.

20.7.10

GETTY MUSEUM PRESENTS FROM LINE TO LIGHT: RENAISSANCE DRAWING IN FLORENCE AND VENICE


ITALIAN RENAISSANCE DRAWINGS FROM THE CORE OF THE GETTY MUSEUM'S CELEBRATED DRAWINGS COLLECTION, ON VIEW FROM 20.JULY THROUGH 10.OCTOBER, AT THE GETTY CENTER. FROM LINE TO LIGHT: RENAISSANCE DRAWING IN FLORENCE AND VENICE BRINGS TOGETHER SPECTACULAR DRAWINGS FROM THE MUSEUM'S EXTENSIVE HOLDINGS TO EXPLORE INFLUENTIAL TRENDS IN ITALIAN DRAWING BEFORE 1550. VISITORS WILL HAVE A RARE OPPORTUNITY TO EXAMINE MORE THAN 40 STUNNING WORKS ON PAPER EXECUTED BY ITALY'S GREATEST PRACTITIONERS OF DRAWINGS, WITH RAPHAEL (RAFFAELLO SANZIO), FRA BARTOLOMMEO, ANDREA DEL SARTO AND JACOPO PONTORMO REPRESENTING VENICE AND THE VENETO. THE COMPREHENSIVE INSTALLATION PROVIDES A GREATER UNDERSTANDING OF THE ARTISTS' INDIVIDUAL APPROACHES TO DRAWING WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THEIR TIMES, AGAINST A BACKDROP OF HOW THEY EACH USED DRAFTSMANSHIP TO SOLVE ARTISTIC PROBLEMS. FROM 1480 TO 1550, DRAWING CAME OF AGE, REPRESENTING A FUNDAMENTAL SHIFT IN STYLE AND ARTISTIC THINKING IN THE USE OF PREPARATORY DRAWINGS ON PAPER. WHILE IT BEGAN AS A MEANS OF PRESERVING ARTISTIC IDEAS FOR THE DESIGN OF PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURE, DRAWING THEN EVOLVED FROM A PART OF THE DESIGN PROCESS TO AN ESTEEMED INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY. BY 1550 THE WRITER ARTIST GIORGIO VASARI WOULD DECLARE DRAWING THE 'FATHER OF THE ARTS'. ARTISTIC STRIDES WERE MADE IN DIFFERENT ITALIAN REGIONS AND CITIES: THE CENTRAL ITALIAN SCHOOL, REPRESENTED BY FLORENCE AND ROME, FOCUSED ON THE STUDY OF THE HUMAN FIGURE LIFE THROUGH DRAWING AND THE DETAILED EXAMINATION OF NATURE, WHILE THE PRACTITIONERS OF THE NORTHERN ITALIAN SCHOOL, WITH VENICE AS THE DOMINANT ARTISTIC CENTER, CONCENTRATED ON THE SEARCH FOR TONAL AND COLOURISTIC EFFECTS, EMBRACING THE USE OF BLUE PAPER AND THE KEEN STUDY OF LIGHT AND COMPOSITION.

PAINTING BY BAROQUE MASTER RESTORED AFTER BEING HIDEN FOR CENTURIES


THE OLD CHURCH OF SAN ESTEBAN, ON COLON DE VALENCIA STREET, HAD BEEN ITS HIDING PLACE FOR CENTURIES. THE PIECE, WHICH WAS COMPLETELY BLACKENED, HAD GONE UNNOTICED FOR MANY YEARS. THE WEATHER HAD HARMED THE PAINTING, IN FACT, 40% OF THE PAINT WAS GONE. FOR SEVEN MONTHS, THREE CONSERVATORS FROM THE FUNDACION LA LUZ DE LAS IMAGENES FIXED THEIR EYES AND HANDS ON THE WORK. AFTER THE CLEANING, STUCCO AND CHROMATIC REINTEGRATION, TECHNICIANS FOUND A WORK OF 'HIGH QUALITY' ACCORDING TO THE CONSERVATOR RESPONSIBLE FOR THE STUNNING RESTORATION. BUT THE SURPRISE WAS NOT THE DISCOVERY OF AN EXQUISITE PIECE OF BAROQUE VALENCIA, BUT ITS AUTHORSHIP: IT IS 'CALVARY', BY FRANCISCO RIBALTA. THE ADVISER FROM THE CONSORCIO DE MUSEOS DE LA COMUNITAT VALENCIANA EXPLAINED THAT THE COLOURS, THE QUALITY OF THE MATERIALS AND THE POSITION OF THE FIGURES OF THE VIRGIN AND CHRIST 'MAKES IT CLEAR THAT THE CANVAS IS BY RIBALTA', THAT THE AUTHOR IS NOT FROM VALENCIA BUT LINKED TO THE CITY. THE BAROQUE PAINTER, BORN IN SOLSONA LEFT HIS BEST WORK IN ALGEMESI AND VALENCIA. AFTER THE EXHIBITION 'THE GLORY OF BAROQUE', THAT HAS BEEN VISITED BY MORE THAN 350,000 PERSONS, THE CANVAS WILL RETURN HOME AFTER THE RESTORERS HAVE REGAINED THE COLOUR AND TEXTURE OF A 'GREAT PIECE', WHICH ALSO LOST 30 INCHES IN SIZE.

LOUIS VUITTON OPENS STORE IN BEIRUT



FRENCH LUXURY DESIGNER LOUIS VUITTON RECENTLY OPENED ITS FIRST BOUTIQUE IN THE LEBANESE CAPITAL BEIRUT. 'FOR MANY YEARS, THE MAISON HAS MAINTAINED STRONG RELATIONS WITH LEBANESE CLIENTELE AND IS PROUD TO REITERATE ITS ENGAGEMENT BY OFFERING A NEW STORE WHICH RESPECTS THE BEIRUTIS' HERITAGE AND PATRIMONY', SAID BRAND EXECUTIVE MANAGER YVES CARCELLE AT THE GRAND OPENING, WHICH WAS ATTENDED BY PRIME MINISTER SAAD HARIRI. LOUIS VUITTON COMMISSIONED LOCAL ARTIST MARWAN RECHMAOUI TO CONSTRUCT A SPECIAL INSTALLATION DEPICTING IMAGES OF BEIRUT FOR ITS STOREFRONT DISPLAY WINDOWS. AS FOR THE INTERIOR, LOUIS VUITTON'S NEW BEIRUT BRANCH FEATURES A 'MALLE BOBINE', A COWHIDE TRUNK DESIGNED TO CONTAIN THE ORIGINAL REELS OF NADINE LABAKI'S FILM 'CARAMEL'.

PRINCE CHARLES PAID TRIBUTE TO FROMELLES SOLDIERS


PRINCE CHARLES PAID TRIBUTE TO THE FORGOTTEN MEN OF FROMELLES. THE LAST OF 250 BRITISH AND AUSTRALIAN TROOPS FOUND IN A MASS GRAVE NEAR THE FIRST WORLD WAR BATTLEFIELD OF FROMELLES HAS BEEN REBURIED WITH FULL MILITARY HONORS IN NORTHERN FRANCE. THE PRINCE OF WALES JOINED DESCENDANTS OF SOLDIERS AS A COFFIN BEARING THE REMAINS OF THE UNIDENTIFIED SOLDIER WERE TAKEN TO THE NEW CEMETERY ON A MILITARY WAGON DRAWN BY HORSES FROM THE KING'S TROOP ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY. HE SAID: 'I AM PROFOUNDLY HUMBLED BY THE OUTSTANDING BRAVERY OF THESE MEN, WHO FOUGHT SO VALIANTLY.' THE DISCOVERY OF THE SOLDIERS' REMAINS BY A HISTORIAN TWO YEARS AGO LED TO THE BIGGEST SINGLE EXCAVATION SINCE THE FIRST WORLD WAR. DNA SPECIALISTS IDENTIFIED 205 OF THE BODIES AS AUSTRALIAN, 96 OF THEM BY NAME. THREE WERE IDENTIFIED AS BRITISH, ALTHOUGH THEIR FULL IDENTITIES HAD NOT YET BEEN DISCOVERED, AND A FURTHER 45 REMAIN UNKNOWN. TESTS DISCLOSED THAT MOST OF THE SOLDIERS WERE TEENAGERS, SOME OF WHOM LIED ABOUT THEIR AGE WHEN THEY SIGNED UP. ANOTHER 249 SOLDIERS FROM FROMELLES SITE WERE BURIED IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY IN CEREMONIES AT THE NEW MILITARY CEMETERY IN THE VILLAGE, WHICH IS THE FIRST TO BE BUILT SINCE THE SECOND WORLD WAR. MANY OF THE BRITONS WERE THOUGHT TO HAVE COME FROM GLOUCESTERSHIRE AND WARWICKSHIRE REGIMENTS. FROMELLES WAS THE SCENE OF A POORLY PLANNED AND FUTILE BATTLE ON 19.JULY.1916. IN AN ATTEMPT TO CAPTURE 400 YARDS OF GROUND, 5,553 AUSTRALIANS AND 1,547 BRITISH SOLDIERS WERE KILLED IN A 'LATTICE OF DEATH' OF GERMAN CROSSFIRE. THE BATTLE IS LITTLE KNOWN IN BRITAIN BECAUSE IT TOOK PLACE AT THE SAME TIME AS THE NEARBY BATTLE OF SOMME, FROM WHERE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO DIVERT GERMAN TROOPS.

19.7.10

CHRISTIE'S TO SELL DENNIS HOPPER COLLECTION


CHRISTIE'S ANNOUNCED THE SALE OF ARTWORKS FROM THE PROPERTY OF THE COLLECTION OF DENNIS HOPPER DURING ITS POST-WAR & CONTEMPORARY SALES IN NOW YORK ON 10-11.NOVEMBER. THE LATE HOPPER, WHO FUSED FILM WITH FINE ART THROUGHOUT HIS INFLUENTIAL 60 YEAR CAREER, CULLED A COMPREHENSIVE COLLECTION OF CONTEMPORARY ART; INCLUDING PRIZED WORKS BY ANDY WARHOL AND JEAN-MICHAEL BASQUIAT. THE COLLECTION IS EXPECTED TO REALIZE OVER $10 MILLION. UNDER THE TUTELAGE OF JAMES DEAN, WHO HE ACTED ALONGSIDE IN REBEL WITH OUT A CAUSE IN 1955, HOPPER TOOK AN INTEREST IN THE ARTS EARLY ON, FROM PHOTOGRAPHY TO PAINTING, ASSEMBLAGE AND SCULPTURE. WITH DEAN'S ENCOURAGEMENT, UNDERSCORED BY VIGOR FOR ALL ANTI-ESTABLISHMENT, HOPPER PURSUED HIS OWN ART AS WELL AS C0LLECTED THE WORKS OF THEN-FLEDGLING ARTISTS SUCH AS WARHOL, BASQUIAT, CLAES OLDENBURG, JULIAN SCHNABEL AND RICHARD PRINCE. HE COUNTED MANY CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS AS FRIENDS AND CREATIVE PEERS. HOPPER'S SEMINAL EASY RIDER, THE 1969 FILM ABOUT TWO COUNTERCULTURE BIKERS THAT TRAVEL CROSS COUNTRY IN SEARCH OF AMERICA, WHICH HE WROTE STARRED IN AND DIRECTED ALONGSIDE PETER FONDA AND A YOUNG JACK NICHOLSON, EARNED HIM RESPECT IN BOTH ACTING AND ARTISTIC CIRCLES. HE WENT ON TO ACT IN SEVERAL PARADIGM-SHIFTING FILMS, SUCH AS BLUE VELVET OPPOSITE ISABELLA ROSSELLINI AND APOCALYPSE NOW, OPPOSITE MARLON BRANDO. HOPPER WAS ON THE FOREFRONT OF THE POP ART MOVEMENT, AND WAS NOTED FOR BUYING WARHOL'S FIRST CAMPBELL SOUP CAN FOR $75, AT THE ARTIST'S FIRST SHOW IN LOS ANGELES. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE COLLECTION INCLUDE BASQUIAT'S UNTITLED 1987, EXECUTED IN ACRYLIC, OIL STICK AND GRAPHITE, WHICH IS ESTIMATED AT $500,00 TO $700,000, AS WELL AS WARHOL'S PORTRAIT OF HOPPER, 1971 IN SYNTHETIC POLYMER AND SILKSCREEN INK, WITH AN ESTIMATED VALUE OF $800,000 TO $1,200,000. CHRISTIE'S WILL HOST A SALE OF PRINTS, SMALLER WORKS AND OTHER MEMORABILIA FROM THE COLLECTION, IN JANUARY 2011 DURING CHRISTIE'S INTERIORS SALE.

DECORDAVA SCULPTURE PARK AND MUSEUM TO PRESENT LICHTENSTEIN SCULPTURE


DECORDAVA SCULPTURE PARK AND MUSEUM, LINCOLN MA, ANNOUNCED THE ARRIVAL OF ROY LICHTENSTEIN'S FIVE BRUSHSTROKES, A MONUMENTAL ADDITION TO THE SCULPTURE PARK. THE 2010 FABRICATION ON LICHTENSTEIN'S ICONIC FIVE BRUSHSTROKES SHOWCASES HIS BOLD, COLOURFUL GRAPHICS AND HUMOROUS PORTRAYAL OF THE BRUSHSTROKES, AN INTEGRAL YET UNCOMMON SUBJECT IN ART. RISING 20 FEET HIGH, FIVE BRUSHSTROKES PAYS HOMAGE TO LICHTENSTEIN'S POSITION AS A CENTRAL FIGURE OF THE 1960s POP ART MOVEMENT. LICHTENSTEIN'S DYNAMIC, STYLIZED BRUSHSTROKES WILL ENLIVEN DECORDOVA'S CAMPUS FOR THE NEXT TWO YEARS. ROY LICHTENSTEIN EMERGED AS AN INNOVATIVE ARTIST DURING THE 1960s POP ART MOVEMENT, A MOVEMENT CHARACTERIZED BY BRIGHT, BOLD GRAPHICS AND THEMES FROM POPULAR CULTURE. LICHTENSTEIN FIRST GRABBED THE ATTENTION OF THE ART WORLD WITH HIS BENDAY DOTS, FLAT COLOURS AND HARD BLACK OUTLINES DERIVED FROM COMICS. THE SCULPTURES HE PRODUCED THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER ARE LITTLE KNOWN COMPARED TO HIS TWO DIMENSIONAL GRAPHIC WORKS. LICHTENSTEIN BEGAN MAKING MULTI-COLOURED, PLANAR SCULPTURES BASED ON HIS GRAPHIC WORK IN THE 1970s. FIVE BRUSHSTROKES IS A 20ft HIGH STACK OF THREE LARGE STROKES AND TWO SMALL GLOBS. HE MADE THE SCULPTURE LATE IN HIS CAREER, LONG AFTER HE HAD ABANDONED COMIC STRIP SUBJECT MATTER IN FAVOR OF RE-MAKING PICASSO, MATISSE, MONDRIAN AND EVEN HIS OWN 'MASTERWORKS'. THE POP ART MOVEMENT WAS, IN PART, A REBELLION AGAINST THE IMPROVISED, EMOTIONAL STYLE OF THE 1940s AND 1950s ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISM. FIVE BRUSHSTROKES SATIRIZES ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONIST STROKES OF PAINT BY SEPARATING, AMPLIFYING AND EXAGGERATING THEM WITH HARD EDGES AND BOLD PAIRINGS.

18.7.10

A NEW CARAVAGGIO PAINTING MAY HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED


THE VATICAN NEWSPAPER REPORTED RECENTLY THAT A NEW CARAVAGGIO PAINTING MAY HAVE BEEN FOUND IN ROME, BUT CAUTIONED THAT FURTHER ANALYSIS ARE REQUIRED BEFORE IT CAN BE ATTRIBUTED FOR CERTAIN TO THE ITALIAN MASTER. THE FRONT-PAGE STORY IN L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO CAME OUT AS ITALY CELEBRATES THE 400th ANNIVERSARY OF CARAVAGGIO'S DEATH. THIS WEEKEND, CHURCHES AND A GALLERY IN ROME HOUSING WORKS BY THE PAINTER STAYED OPEN OVERNIGHT TO MARK THE HISTORIC ANNIVERSARY. THE PAINTING IN QUESTION DEPICTS 'THE MARTYRDOM OF ST LAWRENCE' AND BELONGS TO THE JESUITS IN ROME, THE PAPER SAID. IT DID NOT SAY WHERE THE PAINTING WAS BEING STUDIED OR WHO WAS EXAMINING IT. AN IMAGE OF THE WORK PUBLISHED ABOVE THE HEADLINE 'A NEW CARAVAGGIO' SHOWS A SEMI-NAKED YOUNG MAN, HIS MOUTH OPEN IN DESPERATION, ONE ARM STRETCHED OUT AS HE LEANS OVER AMID FLAMES. IT IS UP TO FURTHER ANALYSIS AND AN IN-DEPTH DOCUMENTARY, STYLISTIC AND CRITICAL EXAMINATION TO PROVIDE US WITH ANSWERS', L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO SAID. CARAVAGGIO DIED IN THE TUSCAN COAST TOWN OF PORTA ERCOLE IN 1610 AT THE AGE OF 39. HE HAD BEEN HUGELY INFLUENTIAL AND FAMOUS, BUT HAD ALSO LED A DISSOLUTE LIFE OF STREET BRAWLS AND ALCOHOL. ITALY HAS BEEN MARKING THE ANNIVERSARY WITH A VARIETY OF EVENTS, AND AN EXHIBIT IN ROME EARLIER THIS YEAR DREW OVER HALF A MILLION VISITORS. IN ITS ARTICLE, L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO POINTED OUT THAT THE MARTYRDOM OF ST LAWRENCE PRESENTED FEATURES OF CARVAGGIO'S STYLE, SUCH AS THE USE OF CHIAROSCURO FOR DRAMATIC EFFECT AND UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE FROM THE SUBJECT IS SEEN. THE REPORT ALSO HIGHLIGHTED SIMILARITIES WITH OTHER CARAVAGGIO PAINTINGS, FOR EXAMPLE IN THE SAINT'S HAND OR BODY MOVEMENT. HOWEVER, THE NEWSPAPER ALSO NOTED THAT NO KNOWN DOCUMENT MENTIONS ST LAWRENCE AS A SUBJECT FOR CARAVAGGIO. MAURIZIO MARINI, A LEADING CARAVAGGIO SCHOLAR, CONCURRED THAT ST LAWRENCE, A MARTYR BURNED TO DEATH DURING ROMAN PERSECUTIONS IN 258, WAS NOT A KNOWN CARAVAGGIO SUBJECT. MARINI SAID STYLISTIC SIMILARITIES ARE INCONCLUSIVE AND HE EXPRESSED SKEPTICISM, SAYING THAT CLAIMS OF NEW CARAVAGGIOS OFTEN SURFACE BUT SELDOM HOLD UP.

CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM TO PRESENT THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH AND THE MODERN WOMAN


THE PORTRAITS OF THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH MADE HIM PERHAPS THE MOST FAMOUS BRITISH ARTIST OF THE LATE 18th CENTURY. NOBLES, STATESMEN, MUSICIANS AND THE RANGE OF MEN AND WOMEN OF THE PERIOD'S MERCHANT CLASS ALL SAT FOR HIM. BUT IT IS HIS PORTRAITS OF NOTORIOUS SOCIETY WOMEN, WIDELY CONSIDERED AMONG THE GREATEST OF THE WESTERN TRADITION, WHICH ATTRACTED THE MOST ATTENTION. 18th CENTURY VIEWERS APPRECIATED THE STUNNING PAINTINGS DIFFERENTLY THAN WE DO TODAY. IN HIS OWN TIME, GAINSBOROUGH'S PORTRAITS OF ACTRESS, PERFORMERS AND COURTESANS WERE SEEN AS UNCONVENTIONAL, IF NOT RADICAL, NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF THE TYPE OF WOMAN THEY PORTRAYED BUT ALSO BECAUSE OF THE UNCONVENTIONAL WAY THEY WERE PAINTED. ORGANIZED BY THE CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART, 'THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH AND THE MODERN WOMAN' IS THE FIRST EXHIBITION DEVOTED TO THOMAS GAINSBOROUGH'S FEMININE PORTRAITURE, AND THE FIRST TO FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON MODERNITY AND FEMININITY IN GEORGIAN ENGLAND FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF GAINSBOROUGH'S GROUNDBREAKING PORTRAITS OF WOMEN. COINCIDING WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE CLEANING AND RESTORATION OF THE CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM'S ICONIC GAINSBOROUGH PORTRAIT ANN FORD (MRS THICKNESSE), THE EXHIBITION UNITES A CHOICE SELECTION OF THIRTEEN PAINTINGS FROM THE RENOWNED MUSEUM COLLECTIONS IN THE UNITED STATES AND BRITAIN TO ILLUMINATE THE ROLE OF GAINSBOROUGH'S EXTRAORDINARY PORTRAITURE PLAYED IN DEFINING NEW, PROGRESSIVE FEMININE IDENTITIES. THE EXHIBITION WILL BE ON VIEW 18.SEPTEMBER THROUGH 2.JANUARY.2011. THE EXHIBITION WILL ALSO FEATURE A SMALL SELECTION OF PERIOD DRESS FROM CINCINNATI ART MUSEUM'S RICH FASHION ARTS AND TEXTILE COLLECTION, THEREBY FURTHER CONTEXTUALIZING GAINSBOROUGH'S PORTRAITS WHILE AFFORDING VISITORS A VIEW OF THE MATERIAL ACCESSORIES OF THE 'MODERN WOMAN'.