2.10.10

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON, TO PRESENT 'TUTANKHAMEN: THE GOLDEN KING AND THE GREAT PHARAOHS'


THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, HOUSTON (MFAH), WILL HOST 'TUTANKHAMEN: THE GOLDEN KING AND THE GREAT PHARAOHS', AN ACCLAIMED EXHIBITION FEATURING MORE THAN 100 ARTIFACTS, MOST OF WHICH HAVE NEVER BEEN SHOWN IN THE US PRIOR TO THIS HISTORIC TOUR. THE EXHIBITION OPENS 13.OCTOBER.2011 AND WILL BE ON VIEW THROUGH 15.APRIL.2012. VISITORS WILL HAVE A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW THE SPECTACULAR TREASURES, MORE THAN HALF OF WHICH COME FROM THE TOMB OF TUTANKHAMEN. THESE INCLUDE THE GOLDEN SANDALS THAT WERE FOUND ON THE BOY KING'S MUMMY, A GOLD COFFINETTE THAT HELD HIS STOMACH, GOLDEN STATUES OF THE GODS, HIS RINGS, EAR ORNAMENTS AND GOLD COLLAR. THE EXHIBITION IS ORGANIZED UNDER THE DIRECTION OF THE EGYPTIAN SUPREME COUNCIL OF ANTIQUITIES AND ITS SECRETARY GENERAL, DR ZAHI HAWASS, BY THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY, ARTS AND EXHIBITIONS INTERNATIONAL AND AEG EXHIBITIONS. MAJOR PROCEEDS FROM THE TOUR WILL SUPPORT THE PRESERVATION AND CONSERVATION OF ANTIQUITIES AND MONUMENTS IN EGYPT, AS WELL AS THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE NEW GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM IN CAIRO. TUTANKHAMEN: THE GOLDEN KING AND THE GREAT PHARAOHS' FEATURES TREASURES ASSOCIATED WITH THE MOST IMPORTANT RULERS OF THE 30 DYNASTIES THAT RULED EGYPT OVER A 2,000 YEAR SPAN. THE EXHIBITION EXPLORES THE SPLENDOR OF THE PHARAOHS, THEIR FUNCTION IN BOTH THE EARTHLY AND DIVINE WORLDS AND WHAT 'KINGSHIP' MEANT TO THE EGYPTIAN PEOPLE. VISITORS WILL ENCOUNTER MASTER SCULPTURES OF POWERFUL EGYPTIAN RULERS, INCLUDING KHAFRE, BUILDER OF THE GREAT SPHINX AND ONE OF THE PYRAMIDS AT GIZA; HATSHEPSUT, THE QUEEN WHO BECAME A PHARAOH; STATUES OF THE WARRIOR PHARAOHS, TUTMOSIS AND RAMESSES THE GREAT; AS WELL AS KING TUT'S FATHER AKHENATEN, THE PHARAOH WHO CHANGED EGYPT'S RELIGION TO THE WORSHIP OF ONE OMNIPOTENT SUN GOD. THE MAGNIFICENT GOLDEN DEATH MASK OF PSUSENNES I WILL ALSO BE ON DISPLAY. THE SPECTACULAR EXHIBITION ALSO SHOWCASES THE LARGEST LIKENESS OF KING TUT EVER DISCOVERED, A 10 FOOT STATUE OF THE PHARAOH FOUND AT THE REMAINS OF A FUNERARY TEMPLE. TUTANKHAMEN WILL BE ON VIEW IN THE 22,000 SQUARE FOOT UPPER BROWN PAVILION OF THE CAROLINE WIESS LAW BUILDING AT THE MFAH. ITS INTRODUCTION FEATURES A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC DOCUMENTARY NARRATED BY AWARD WINNING ACTOR HARRISON FORD. THE FINAL GALLERIES ARE DEDICATED TO KING TUT'S TOMB, INCLUDING AN AREA DEVOTED TO ITS DISCOVERY BY BRITISH EXPLORER HOWARD CARTER IN 1922. THERE, VISITORS, WILL ENCOUNTER LEGENDARY TREASURES FROM THE TOMB'S ANTECHAMBER, ANNEX, TREASURY AND BURIAL CHAMBER IN CORRESPONDING GALLERIES.

SOBIESKI VODKA LAUNCHES THREE NEW FLAVORS


SOBIESKI VODKA, THE BRAND PARTIALLY OWNED AND PROMOTED BY BRUCE WILLIS, HAS ANNOUNCED THREE NEW FLAVORS INTO THEIR LINE UP. THEY ALREADY HAD CYTRON AND VANILLA FLAVORS BUT NOW HAVE CREATED SOBIESKI ORANGE, SOBIESKI KARAMEL AND SOBIESKI RASPBERRY. THEY ARE ALL NATURALLY FLAVORED, AND MADE, LIKE OTHER SOBIESKI FLAVORS, WITH DANKOWSKI RYE AT THE STARIGARD GDANSKI DISTILLERY. SOBIESKI KARAMEL CAN BE PAIRED WITH CREAM LIQUEURS OR ADD A KICK TO COFFEE. RASPBERRY AND ORANGE ARE MORE FAMILIAR FLAVORS MEANT TO CHALLENGE OTHERS IN THE MARKETPLACE. 'WE'D PUT OUR RASPBERRY AND OUR ORANGE AGAINST ANY OF OUR COMPETITORS IN A TASTES COMPETITION. KARAMEL IS A VERY UNIQUE FLAVOR THAT NOT MANY BRANDS HAVE EXPERIMENTED WITH, AND WE ARE PROUD TO ADD IT TO THE SOBIESKI COLLECTION', SAYS TIMO SUTINEN, VP MARKETING & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, IMPERIAL BRANDS INC. THE VODKAS ARE PRICED AT $10.99 FOR A 750ml BOTTLE AND ARE AVAILABLE AT SELECT STORES WORLDWIDE.

1.10.10

IMA TO PRESENT MATERIAL WORLD


FROM COURT DRESSES TO COUTURE, THE OBJECTS IN MATERIAL WORLD, ON VIEW AT THE INDIANAPOLIS MUSEUM OF ART (IMA), FROM 22.APRIL.2011 THROUGH TO 5.FEBRUARY.2012, WILL FEATURE EXTRAVAGANT ORNAMENTATION OF TEXTILES AND PERSONAL ADORNMENT FROM CULTURES AROUND THE WORLD WHILE HIGHLIGHTING THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TEXTILES IN DISPLAYING WEALTH, STATUS AND POWER. THE EXHIBITION WILL SHOWCASE ITEMS ADORNED WITH LUXURIOUS MATERIALS INCLUDING GOLD AND METALLIC THREADS, BEADS, SHELLS, MIRRORS, SEMI-PRECIOUS STONES, BONES, FUR AND FEATHERS, RANGING FROM A BUDDHIST BONE APRON TO DIOR AND CHANEL COUTURE PIECES, SPANNING SEVERAL CENTURIES TO THE PRESENT DAY. 'MATERIAL WORLD JUXTAPOSES EXOTIC TEXTILES FROM THE IMAs EXTENSIVE COLLECTION THAT ARE NOT TYPICALLY EXHIBITED TOGETHER, PROVIDING A RARE OPPORTUNITY FOR VISITORS', SAID A MUSEUM SPOKESMAN. 'THIS EXHIBITION UNITES SOME OF THE MUSEUM'S MOST DAZZLING PIECES TO ILLUSTRATE A THEME PREVALENT IN CULTURES AROUND THE WORLD, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MATERIALISM AND WEALTH.' REPRESENTING A VARIETY OF CULTURES FROM ASIA, AFRICA, EUROPE AND THE AMERICAS, MATERIAL WORLD TRACES HOW DIFFERENT SOCIETIES USE LUXURIOUS MATERIALS IN RITUALS AND CUSTOMS. THE EXHIBITION WILL FEATURE ROYAL GARMENTS, PERSONAL ATTIRE AND FURNISHINGS, CEREMONIAL COSTUMES AND RELIGIOUS GARMENTS. AMONG THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXHIBITION ARE AN INTRICATELY EMBROIDERED RUSSIAN COURT GOWN DESIGNED BY CHARLES FREDERICK WORTH, A NORMAN NORELL SEQUIN MERMAID DRESS, AN INDONESIAN SKIRT ADORNED WITH SHELLS, A BILL BLASS SNAKESKIN EVENING JACKET AND A GROUP OF FASHION AND CEREMONIAL FEATHERED HATS.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.imamuseum.org

BONHAMS TO SELL 'WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE HAT'


BONHAMS & BUTTERFIELDS, SAN FRANSISCO, WILL BE HOSTING ITS FIRST SALE DEVOTED SOLELY TO OPALS, THE GEMSTONE KNOWN FOR ITS SOMETIMES FIERY, SOMETIMES MILKY HUES. ON 10.NOVEMBER, THE NATURE OF OPALS SALE WILL FEATURE A DIVERSE GROUP OF DISTINCTIVE JEWELRY, LOOSE STONES, MINERAL SPECIMENS, LAPIDARY WORKS OF ART, DECORATIVE OBJECTS, DECOR AND FOSSILS, ALL MADE FROM THE LUMINOUS GEM. THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE SALE, HOWEVER, ISN'T A PRICEY PIECE OF JEWELRY, BUT RATHER A HAT, ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST VALUABLE TO BE OFFERED AT AUCTION, BONHAMS SAID IN A RECENT STATEMENT. DUBBED THE 'DEEP BLUE SEA', THE HAT IS CRAFTED FROM HAND-BLOCKED AUSTRALIAN FELT, EMBELLISHED WITH FEATHERS AND BEJEWELED WITH 26 OPALS WEIGHING APPROXIMATELY 1,447 CARATS AND MINED AT AUSTRALIA'S FAMED LIGHTING RIDGE. A COLLABORATION BETWEEN AUSTRALIAN MASTER MILLINER ANN MAREE WILLETT AND OPAL MINERS VICKI AND PETER DRACKETT, THE HAT WAS ALSO WORKED ON BY ACCLAIMED OPAL CARVERS DANIELA L'ABBATE AND CHRISTINE ROUSSEL AND FEATURES STERLING SILVER AND 18 CARAT GOLD SETTINGS BY MASTER GOLDSMITH GERD GEROLD SCHULZ. IT IS ESTIMATED AT BETWEEN $150,000 AND $200,000.

NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART TO PRESENT 'GAUGUIN: MAKER OF MYTH'


THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, WASHINGTON, WILL BE PRESENTING 'GAUGUIN: MAKER OF MYTH' THE FIRST MAJOR EXHIBITION OF HIS WORK SINCE 'THE ART OF PAUL GAUGUIN', THE GALLERY'S BLOCKBUSTER RETROSPECTIVE OF 1988-89 THAT TRAVELED TO CHICAGO AND PARIS. SOME 120 WORKS BY PAUL GAUGUIN (1848-1903), WHOSE USE OF POETIC NARRATIVE, MYTH AND FABLE THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER CONTINUES TO MESMERIZE AUDIENCES WORLDWIDE, WILL BE ON VIEW IN THE EAST BUILDING, 7.FEBRUARY THROUGH 5.JUNE.2011. THE STUNNING EXHIBITION EXPLORES THE MYTHS BEHIND THE MAN. THESE INCLUDE THE ROLE OF GAUGUIN AS STORYTELLER AND MYTH MAKER THROUGH HIS REINVENTION OR APPROPRIATION OF NARRATIVES AND MYTHS DRAWN FROM BOTH HIS EUROPEAN CULTURAL HERITAGE OR FROM MAORI LEGEND, HIS USE OF RELIGIOUS AND MYTHICAL SYMBOLS, AND THE MANIPULATION OF HIS OWN LIFE-CYCLE MYTHS, THE FEMME FATALE, VENUS, EVE AND TEMPTATION, THE NATIVITY AND THE NOBLE SAVAGE. REFLECTING GAUGUIN'S REMARKABLE BREATH, THE EXHIBITION WILL INCLUDE EXAMPLES FROM EVERY PERIOD (CIRCA 1880-1903), MEDIUM (PAINTING, WATERCOLOR, PASTEL, DRAWINGS AND PRINTS, CERAMIC AND WOODEN SCULPTURES, DECORATED FUNCTIONAL OBJECTS, WRITINGS, AND BOOKS), AND GENRE (PORTRAITURE, STILL LIFE AND LANDSCAPE). GAUGUIN WAS THE ULTIMATE GLOBAL TRAVELER, NOT JUST SAILING THE SOUTH SEAS BUT LIVING IN PERU, PARIS, MARTINIQUE AND TAHITI, AMONG OTHER PLACES. THE EXHIBITION FEATURES MANY OF HIS ICONIC PAINTINGS ON LOAN FROM AROUND THE WORLD, INCLUDING THOSE OF DAILY VILLAGE LIFE FROM THE ARTIST'S COLONY OF PONT-AVEN IN BRITTANY, SCENES OF CHRISTIAN WORSHIP IN THE BRETON LANDSCAPE, AND DECORATIVE WORKS SUCH AS THE CARVED WOODEN DOOR PANELS FROM GAUGUIN'S HUT IN THE MARQUESAS ISLANDS IN FRENCH POLYNESIA, WHERE HE WENT TO ESCAPE EUROPEAN CIVILIZATION. INSPIRED BY TAHITI'S TROPICAL FLORA, FAUNA AND ISLAND LIFE, HE IMMERSED HIMSELF IN ITS FAST-DISAPPEARING MAORI CULTURE TO INVEST HIS ART WITH DEEPER MEANING, RITUAL AND MYTH.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.nga.gov

30.9.10

TONY CURTIS DIES AGED 85


TONY CURTIS, WHO STARRED ALONGSIDE MARILYN MONROE IN 'SOME LIKE IT HOT', HAS DIED AT TEH AGE OF 85. HOWEVER, HE WAS ALMOST AS WELL KNOWN FOR HIS COULOURFUL PRIVATE LIFE, DURING WHICH HE MARRIED SIX TIMES AND BATTLED AN ADDICTION TO COCAINE AND ALCOHOL. HE ONCE DESCRIBED HIMSELF AS 'THE BEST-LOOKING KID IN TOWN' ADDING 'IT'S NOT WHAT YOU HAVE BUT WHAT YOU DO WITH IT THAT COUNTS'. CURTIS TOOK ON BOTH DRAMATIC AND COMEDIC ROLES AND WAS OSCAR-NOMINATED FOR HIS PART IN THE DEFIANT ONES ALONGSIDE SYDNEY POITIER. HE ALSO APPEARED IN 'SPARTACUS' WITH KIRK DOUGLAS AND HIS HOLLYWOOD PEERS INCLUDED CARY GRANT AND FRANK SINATRA. SIR ROGER MOORE, WHO STARRED ALONGSIDE CURTIS IN 'THE PERSUADERS', LED TRIBUTES TO HIM SAYING: 'HE WAS A FINE ACTOR. I SHALL MISS HIM. WE HAD A FEW LAUGHS TOGETHER FOR ABOUT 15 MONTHS, WORKING TOGETHER EVERY DAY. HE WAS GREAT FUN TO WORK WITH, A GREAT SENSE OF HUMOR AND WONDERFUL AD LIBS.' THE HOLLYWOOD STAR HAD BEEN IN FAILING HEALTH FOR SOME YEARS AND IN JULY HE WAS HOSPITALIZED AFTER BEING TAKEN ILL IN LAS VEGAS WITH AN ASTHMA ATTACK. HE UNDERWENT HEART BYPASS SURGERY IN 1994 AND NEARLY DIED FOLLOWING A BOUT OF PNEUMONIA IN 2006. IN HIS LATER YEARS CURTIS BEGAN A SECOND CAREER AS A SUCCESSFUL ARTIST AND ONCE CLAIMED: 'PAINTING IS MORE MEANINGFUL TO ME THAN ANY PERFORMANCES I'VE EVER GIVEN.' HIS DAUGHTER JAMIE LEE CURTIS, BY THE ACTRESS JANET LEIGH, SAID: 'MY FATHER LEAVES BEHIND A LEGACY OF GREAT PERFORMANCES IN MOVIES AND IN HIS PAINTINGS AND ASSEMBLAGES. HE LEAVES BEHIND CHILDREN AND THEIR FAMILIES WHO LOVED HIM AND RESPECTED HIM AND A WIFE AND IN LAWS WHO WERE DEVOTED TO HIM. HE ALSO LEAVES BEHIND FANS ALL OVER THE WORLD. HE WILL BE GREATLY MISSED.'

MACALLAN LALIQUE CIRE PERDUE TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION


THE WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE BOTTLE OF WHISKEY, A ONE OF A KIND CRYSTAL LALIQUE DECANTER HOLDING THE OLDEST AND RAREST MACALLAN SINGLE MALT EVER, WILL BE AUCTIONED OFF BY SOTHEBY'S IN NEW YORK ON 16.NOVEMBER FOR AN ESTIMATED $150,000 OR MORE. THE MACALLAN IN LALIQUE CIRE PERDUE IS FILLED WITH 64 YEARS AND OLDER MACALLAN SINGLE MALT SCOTCH, VATTED TOGETHER FROM THREE SHERRY SEASONED SPANISH OAK CASKS. THE FAMED SPEYSUDE DISTILLERY COMMISSIONED THE LEGENDARY CRYSTAL ARTISAN TO CREATE THE STUNNING DECANTER USING THE ANCIENT 'CIRE PERDUE' OR 'LOST WAX' METHOD. PAINSTAKINGLY HAND CRAFTED BY LALIQUE EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE MACALLAN, AND INSPIRED BY THE BEAUTY OF THE MACALLAN'S 150 HECTARE ESTATE IN NORTH EASTERN SCOTLAND, IT'S BASED UPON A SHIP'S DECANTER OF THE 1820s. PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE WILL BE DONATED TO CHARITY: WATER, A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION BRINGING CLEAN WATER AND SAFE DRINKING WATER TO PEOPLE IN DEVELOPING NATIONS.

ART FUND LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN TO SAVE BRUEGHEL PAINTING


TODAY, THE NATIONAL TRUST AND THE ART FUND ARE LAUNCHING A £2.7 MILLION FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN TO SAVE AN ICONIC OLD MASTER PAINTING FOR THE NATION. 'THE PROCESSION TO CALVARY' BY PIETER BRUEGHEL THE YOUNGER IS THE STAR ATTRACTION AT NOSTELL PRIORY IN YORKSHIRE, OWNED BY THE NATIONAL TRUST SINCE 1954, WHERE IT HAS HUNG FOR OVER 200 YEARS. NOW, HOWEVER, THE PAINTING, WHICH IS STILL OWNED BY LORD ST OSWALD, HAS BEEN PUT UP FOR SALE, WITH THE RISK THAT NOSTELL'S GREATEST WORK WILL NO LONGER BE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC. COMPLETED IN 1602, AND AMONGST BRUEGHEL THE YOUNGER'S FINEST WORKS, THE PROCESSION TO CALVARY SHOWS CHRIST CARRYING THE CROSS ON THE WAY TO HIS CRUCIFIXION. HE IS SURROUNDED BY OVER TWO HUNDRED FIGURES IN A VIBRANT NARRATIVE, SET IN A CONTEMPORARY FLEMISH LANDSCAPE. THE PAINTING INCLUDES A HOST OF CAREFULLY OBSERVED INDIVIDUAL PORTRAITS: RELIGIOUS FIGURES, PEASANTS, CHILDREN, ANIMALS, GENTRY AND SOLDIERS. REMARKABLE FOR BOTH ITS COMPOSITIONAL DEXTERITY AND ITS DETAILED CHARACTERIZATIONS, THE PICTURE ALSO INCLUDES AMBIGUOUS SOCIAL AND POLITICAL NARRATIVES: 'THE PROCESSION TO CALVARY' IS ONE OF BRUEGHEL'S MOST INTRIGUING AND FASCINATING WORKS. THE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN GIVEN AN INITIAL MAJOR BOOST WITH £500,000 DONATION FORM THE ART FUND, BUT IT IS HOPED THAT THE REMAINING £2.2 MILLION CAN BE RAISED BY CHRISTMAS TO SECURE THE PAINTING'S FUTURE. TO ENABLE AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE TO SEE 'THE PROCESSION TO CALVARY' DURING THE FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN, THE PAINTING WILL BE DISPLAYED IN LONDON, AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY FROM 5.NOVEMBER AND THEN AT THE YORK ART GALLERY FROM 18.NOVEMBER UNTIL CHRISTMAS.

PERRIER-JOUET BY KAREEM ILIYA


PERRIER-JOUET, THE ICONIC FRENCH CHAMPAGNE BRAND IS PAYING HOMAGE TO ITS BELLE EPOQUE CUVEE WITH A STUNNING NEW CREATIVE COLLABORATION WITH AMERICAN ARTIST KAREEM ILIYA. ONCE AGAIN, PERRIER-JOUET DEMONSTRATES ITS TASTE FOR ARTISTIC CREATION, IN AN AESTHETIC APPROACH THAT EXALTS THE LUXURY BRAND'S ART DE VIVRE VALUES. IN THE ILLUSTRATION, ILIYA, FOR WHOM THE BELLE EPOQUE CUVEE 'INSPIRES LIGHTNESS, FESTIVE ELEGANCE AND A SORT OF INHERENT REFINEMENT', RELATES THE ENCOUNTER BETWEEN A MUSE AND A DANDY, OVER A GLASS OF BELLE EPOQUE, AT AN EXTRAORDINARY BALL. HIS DELICATE COMPOSITIONS IN INK PERFECTLY RENDER THE SPIRIT OF THE BALL: FROM THE RITUALS OF PREPARATION THROUGH THE DUEL OF SEDUCTION, THE ARTIST DEPICTS, THROUGH LINES AND CONTOURS OF EACH OF HIS PICTURES, A WORLD THAT AWAKENS THE IMAGINATION AND THE SENSES.


29.9.10

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION UNVEILS CULLINAN DIAMOND NECKLACE


RECENTLY THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION'S NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY UNVEILED ITS LATEST ADDITION TO THE NATIONAL GEM COLLECTION, THE CULLINAN DIAMOND NECKLACE, A PIECE DATING BACK TO 1910 AND COASTING A HISTORY NEARLY AS RICH AS ITS FAMOUS NEIGHBOR, THE HOPE DIAMOND. A 30 CARAT PIECE IS CRAFTED IN THE EDWARDIAN STYLE, AND BOASTS A UNIQUE STRUCTURE WHICH ALLOWS IT TO BE WORN AS BOTH A BROOCH AND NECKLACE. THE CENTERPIECE STONE IS A LARGE 2.6 CARAT 'FANCY BLUE' DIAMOND WITH A CHAIN OF A SMALLER BLUE AND WHITE DIAMOND PIECES. JEFF POST, CURATOR OF THE COLLECTION, CALLS THE PIECE: 'VERY IMPORTANT...PEOPLE GET A BIT JADED HERE, WITH THE HOPE DIAMOND SO CLOSE BY, BUT THERE'S NOW WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD YOU CAN GO, TO SEE TWO SUCH DIAMONDS TOGETHER.' THE GEM'S RICH HISTORY DATES BACK TO THE LATE 19th CENTURY WHEN SIR THOMAS CULLINAN, OWNER OF THE FAMOUS PREMIER DIAMOND MINE IN SOUTH AFRICA, FOUND THE FAMED CULLINAN WHITE DIAMOND, A GEM WEIGHING A MASSIVE 3,106 CARATS. THE DIAMOND WAS PRESENTED TO KING EDWARD VII FOR HIS BIRTHDAY AND EARNED CULLINAN HIS KNIGHTHOOD. CUT INTO VARIOUS PIECES, THE FOUR LARGEST STONES HARVESTED FROM THE MAIN STONE ARE NOW THE MAIN GEMS IN THE BRITISH CROWN JEWELS. THE CULLINAN BLUE NECKLACE, HOWEVER, REMAINED IN THE FAMILY AFTER ITS ORIGINAL GIFTING FROM SIR THOMAS TO HIS WIFE, BEING PASSED FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION UNTIL ITS SALE BY SIR THOMAS' GREAT-GRANDDAUGHTER. GIFTED TO THE MUSEUM AFTER REMAINING IN THE CASE OF SAN FRANCISCO-BASED JEWELER STEPHEN SILVER FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES, THE CULLINAN NECKLACE IS CURRENTLY DISPLAYED IN BROOCH FORM NEXT TO THE HOPE DIAMOND IN A TEMPORARY EXHIBIT. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE BROOCH WILL BE RE-SET INTO NECKLACE FORM AND DISPLAYED IN A PERMANENT EXHIBIT NEAR THE NATIONAL GEM COLLECTION'S OTHER PRIZED JEWELS LATE NEXT WINTER.

RALPH LAUREN RELAUNCHES RHINELANDER MANSION STORE


RALPH LAUREN HAS RECENTLY RELAUNCHED HIS FAMED FLAGSHIP IN THE HISTORIC RHINELANDER MANSION ON MADISON AVENUE IN NEW YORK, TRANSFORMING IT INTO THE WORLD'S FOREMOST MECCA OF MEN'S STYLE. SPANNING NEARLY 16,000 SQUARE FEET, THE MANSION, ORIGINALLY CONVERTED INTO AN OPULENT RETAIL PALACE BY LAUREN IN 1986, NOW EXCLUSIVELY HOUSES THE DESIGNER'S VARIOUS MEN'S COLLECTIONS WITH THE COMPANY'S FIRST WOMEN'S AND HOME FLAGSHIPS DUE TO OPEN ACROSS THE AVENUE LATER THIS FALL. ORIGINALLY DESIGNED IN THE 1890s BY KIMBALL & THOMPSON, THE LARGE FRENCH RENAISSANCE REVIVAL MANSION IS AN ARCHITECTURAL TREASURE AS WELL WITH A CLASSIC BEAUX ARTS FACADE EXEMPLARY OF THE UPPER EAST SIDE's GRAND ARCHITECTURE. THE NEW SPACE SHOWCASES THE PURPLE LABEL, BLACK LABEL, POLO, RRL AND RLX RALPH LAUREN COLLECTIONS OF MEN'S APPAREL AND ACCESSORIES, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE MOST LUXURIOUS ELEMENTS. SERVICE HAS BEEN STEPPED UP AS WELL, WITH BUTLERS TO SERVE SNACKS AND DRINKS ON SILVER TRAYS AND A FLEET OF MERCEDES-BENZES TO CHAUFFEUR IMPORTANT CLIENTS ON SHOPPING TRIPS. EVERY ROOM IN THE MANSION HAS BEEN UPDATED WITH CINEMATIC DECOR IN KEEPING WITH THE NEOCLASSICAL STYLE OF THE ORIGINAL GRAND RESIDENCE, FROM ANTIQUES AND FIXTURES TO FURNITURE AND ART, INCLUDING 18th AND 19th CENTURY OIL PORTRAITS AND NOTEWORTHY PHOTOGRAPHS FROM RALPH LAUREN'S PERSONAL COLLECTION.

VMFA TO PRESENT 'PICASSO: MASTERPIECES FROM THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO, PARIS'


THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HAS RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THE MOST IMPORTANT EXHIBITION IN ITS HISTORY, 'PICASSO: MASTERPIECES FROM THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO, PARIS'. VMFA IS THE EXCLUSIVE EAST COAST VENUE FOR THE EXHIBITION'S SEVEN CITY INTERNATIONAL TOUR. THE EXHIBITION, WHICH WILL BE ON VIEW FROM 19.FEBRUARY.2011 THROUGH 15.MAY.2011, IS CO-ORGANIZED BY THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO, PARIS AND THE VIRGINIA MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS. DRAWN FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE MUSEE NATIONAL PICASSO IN PARIS, THE LARGEST AND MOST SIGNIFICANT REPOSITORY OF THE ARTIST'S WORK IN THE WORLD, THE EXHIBITION REPRESENTS WORKS PRODUCED DURING EVERY MAJOR ARTISTIC PERIOD OF PABLO PICASSO'S EIGHT-DECADE CAREER. IT INCLUDES 176 WORKS FROM PICASSO'S PERSONAL COLLECTION, ART THAT HE KEPT FOR HIMSELF WITH THE PURPOSE OF SHAPING HIS OWN LEGACY. IN ADDITION TO SHOWCASING SOME OF PICASSO'S MOST OUTSTANDING WORKS, THE EXHIBITION TELLS A COMPELLING STORY ABOUT THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE ARTIST'S CAREER, HIS ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS, AND HIS PROFOUND IMPACT ON MODERN ART. THE EXHIBITION WILL SHOWCASE MOMENTS AND ART THE DEFINED PICASSO'S EARLY CAREER, INCLUDING A DEATHBED PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST'S CLOSE FRIEND CARLOS CASAGEMAS. HIS FRIEND'S SUICIDE PARTIALLY INFLUENCED PICASSO'S FAMED BLUE PERIOD, DEFINED BY SOMBER PAINTINGS IN SHADES OF BLUE AND GREEN. CELESTINA (THE WOMAN WITH ONE EYE), A MASTERPIECE FROM THE BLUE PERIOD, WILL BE FEATURED IN THE EXHIBITION.

DALI'S 'THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY' TO JOIN DALI EXHIBITION



ON 16.NOVEMBER SALVADOR DALI'S ICONIC SURREALIST PAINTING 'THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY' FROM THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, NEW YORK, WILL JOIN THE HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL EXHIBITION 'SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORK'. THE EXHIBITION BRINGS TOGETHER MANY WORKS FROM DALI'S LATER CAREER AS WELL AS SEVERAL WORKS OF ART NOT SEEN IN THE UNITED STATES SINCE THE 1950s. THE EXHIBITION WILL BE ON VIEW THROUGH 9.JANUARY.2011. 'THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY' REPRESENTS DALI IN WAYS FEW PAINTINGS HAVE FOR OTHER ARTISTS' SAID EXHIBITION CURATOR AND DALI SCHOLAR ELLIOTT KING. 'IT'S NO EXAGGERATION THAT THIS '10 X 14 INCHES OF DYNAMITE' IS THE IMAGE THAT MADE HIM A CELEBRITY, SETTING THE STAGE FOR ALL THE ART AND ANTICS THAT FOLLOWED.' PAINTED IN 1931, 'THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY' IS WIDELY RECOGNIZED AS ONE OF SALVADOR DALI'S MOST FAMOUS PAINTINGS. ACCORDING TO HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY 'THE SECRET LIFE OF SALVADOR DALI', THE PAINTING WAS DONE ONE EVENING AFTER DINNER WHILE HIS WIFE GALA WAS OUT. DALI WAS LOOKING AT A LANDSCAPE THAT HE HAD PAINTED, TRYING TO THINK OF SOMETHING MEMORABLE AND FANTASTIC TO INSERT INTO THE LANDSCAPE. NEARBY WAS A PIECE OF CAMEMBERT CHEESE THAT HAD BEGUN TO MELT. AS HE LOOKED AT THE MELTING CHEESE, HE GOT THE IDES TO PAINT A SOFT CLOCK. WHEN GALA CAME HOME DALI PUT HIS HANDS OVER HERS EYES, REVEALED THE PAINTING AND ASKED WHAT SHE THOUGHT. HER RESPONSE WAS THAT ONCE SOMEONE HAD SEEN IT, THEY WOULD NEVER FORGET IT, HENCE THE TITLE 'THE PERSISTENCE OF MEMORY.' 'SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORK', AT THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ATLANTA, IS THE FIRST EXHIBITION TO FOCUS SPECIFICALLY ON DALI'S ART AFTER 1940. THE EXHIBITION FEATURES 115 WORKS, INCLUDING 40 PAINTINGS AND A RELATED GROUP OF DRAWINGS, PRINTS AND OTHER DALI EPHEMERA. WHILE DALI IS BEST KNOW AS A LEADING MEMBER OF THE SURREALIST MOVEMENT OF THE LATE 1930s, 'SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORK' REASSESSES HIS CAREER FROM 1940 TO HIS DEATH IN 1989. DALI'S LATE WORK, WHICH MAKES UP MORE THAN HALF OF HIS TOTAL ARTISTIC OUTPUT, DREW INSPIRATION SIMULTANEOUSLY FROM THE OLD MASTERS AND TEH CONTEMPORARY WORLD, RESULTING IN WORKS THAT WERE MARKEDLY OUT OF STEP WITH THE PREVAILING STYLES OF THEIR DAY, BUT TODAY APPEAR STRIKINGLY CONTEMPORARY.

MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON, PRESENTS 'SCAASI: AMERICAN COUTURIER'


ARNOLD SCAASI HAS DRESSED THEM ALL, FROM BROADWAY ACTRESSES AND HOLLYWOOD STARS TO THE LADIES WHO LUNCH AND AMERICA'S FIRST LADIES. EPITOMIZING THE 'LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH AND FAMOUS', HIS CUSTOM-MADE CLOTHING EVOKES THE HEIGHT OF ELEGANCE AND CRAFTSMANSHIP FROM THE LATE 1950s TO THE PRESENT. IN CELEBRATION OF THE ACCLAIMED FASHION DESIGNER AND HIS RECENT GIFTS TO THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS, BOSTON (MFA), OF MORE THAN 100 OUTFITS (TO COMPLEMENT THE MFAs ACQUISITION OF HIS ARCHIVE), THE MUSEUM PRESENTS 'SCAASI: AMERICAN COUTURIER', FROM 25.SEPTEMBER THROUGH 11.JUNE.2011, IN THE LORING GALLERY. THE EXHIBITION SHOWCASES 28 OF SCAASI'S FABULOUS OUTFITS AND EXPLORE HIS PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH FOUR WOMEN FROM AMONG HIS EXTENSIVE CLIENTELE, INCLUDING BARBRA STREISAND, FOR WHOM HE DESIGNED THE SEEMINGLY TRANSPARENT BLACK TULLE PANTS ENSEMBLE THAT SHE WORE WHEN ACCEPTING HER 1969 OSCAR FOR FUNNY GIRL. THE ENSEMBLE, NOW PART OF THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION, IS DISPLAYED, ALONG WITH ADDITIONAL OUTFITS CREATED FOR THE ACTRESS. SCAASI'S RICHLY TAILORED SUITS, COCKTAIL DRESSES AND LAVISH EVENING GOWNS WERE STATEMENT PIECES, OFTEN MADE FOR WOMEN WITH BIG PERSONALITIES WHO LIVES GRAND LIVES, SUCH AS CELEBRITIES ELIZABETH TAYLOR, MARY TYLER MOORE, SOPHIA LOREN AND BARBRA WALTERS, AND SOCIALITES BROOKE ASTOR, AUSTINE HEARST, EVELYN LAUDER, IVANA TRUMP AND GAYFRYD STEINBERG. IN ADDITION, HE CREATED BEAUTIFUL CLOTHES FOR WOMEN WHO WERE SUDDENLY THROWN ONTO THE WORLD STAGE, FIRST LADIES BARBRA BUSH, HILLARY CLINTON AND LAURA BUSH, WHOSE ELEGANT SCAASI GOWNS HELPED THEM ESTABLISH A STRONG PUBLIC IMAGE. BORN ARNOLD ISAACS ON 8.MAY.1930, THE MONTREAL NATIVE STUDIED AT THE PRESTIGIOUS COTNOIR-CAPPONI SCHOOL OF DESIGN IN MONTREAL AND THE CHAMBRE SYNDICALE DE LA HAUTE COUTURE PARISIENNE IN PARIS, WHERE HE APPRENTICED AT THE HOUSE OF PAQUIN BEFORE MOVING TO NEW YORK CITY TO WORK WITH RENOWNED DESIGNER CHARLES JAMES. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, 'ISAACS' WAS TURNED BACKWARDS AND BECAME SCAASI. HE GAINED RECOGNITION FOR HIS DESIGNS, AND IN 1955, THE DECEMBER COVER OF VOGUE PICTURED A COAT HE DESIGNED FOR DRESSMAKER CASUALS, CREATING THE BUZZ THAT HELPED SCAASI LAUNCH HIS READY-TO-WEAR LINE THE FOLLOWING YEAR. IN 1958, THE DESIGNER WON THE PRESTIGIOUS COTY FASHION CRITICS AWARD AND HIS SUCCESS WAS ASSURED. IN 1964, HE OPENED HIS COUTURE SALON.

28.9.10

CHINESE JADE FIGURES PACKED IN HALLWAY CUPBOARD SELLS FOR £1.5 MILLION



A MENAGERIE OF TINY ANIMAL ORNAMENTS KEPT IN A CARDBOARD BOX IN A HALL CUPBOARD FOR YEARS CREATED A BIDDING FRENZY WHEN THEY WENT FOR AUCTION AND SOLD FOR A STAGGERING £1.5 MILLION. AND A SMALL WOODEN CARVING STORED IN THE SAME BOX WENT FOR £380,000 AS IT WAS PROVED TO ONCE BELONG TO CHINESE EMPEROR QIANLONG 240 YEARS AGO. IN ALL THE SALE OF MORE THAN 1,500 ITEMS FROM THE HOME OF ANTIQUE ENTHUSIASTS TIM AND FRAN LEWIS FETCHED MORE THAN £4 MILLION. BUT IT WAS THEIR COLLECTION OF ABOUT 50 PIECES OF JADE AMASSED OVER DECADES AND STORED IN TWO BOXES IN A HALLWAY CUPBOARD FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS THAT SET THE AUCTION ALIGHT. FRAN LEWIS RECENTLY EMIGRATED FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF HER HUSBAND EARLIER THIS YEAR AND SHE INSTRUCTED THAT A WHOLE HOST OF ANTIQUES TO BE SOLD OFF. THE JADE ITEMS WERE UNEARTHED BY THEIR HOUSEKEEPER WHO SHOWED THEM TO THE AUCTIONEER DURING A VALUATION VISIT AT THE PROPERTY IN DORSET. THEY WERE FOUND TO DATE BACK BETWEEN 250 AND 800 YEARS AND WERE FROM IMPERIAL CHINA. AS A RESULT THE COUNTRY AUCTIONEERS WERE BESIEGED BY MILLIONAIRE BIDDERS FROM THE FAR EAST, BOTH OVER THE PHONE AND IN THE ROOM. THE ESTIMATE FOR THE OBJECTS VARIED BETWEEN £500 TO £2,000 BUT THE FIERCE COMPETITION FOR THEN SAW THE PRICES ROCKET TO FIVE AND SIX FIGURE SUMS. A THREE-INCH YELLOW JADE LION DATING BACK TO THE 16th CENTURY MING DYNASTY SOLD FOR £216,000, MORE THAN 100 TIMES ITS ESTIMATE OF £2,000. AND A THREE-INCH HORSE VALUED AT £500 MADE £132,000, 264 TIMES ITS ESTIMATE, AND A BLACK JADE ELEPHANT FROM THE EARLY MING PERIOD FETCHED £72,000. IN ALL, THE COMBINED VALUE OF HIDDEN TREASURES SOLD FOR MORE THAN £4 MILLION AT THE AUCTION OF DUKES OF DORCHESTER, WITH THE JADE SELLING FOR £1.5 MILLION. AUCTIONEER GUY SCHWINGE SAID: 'THE HOUSE WAS JUST AN ALADDIN'S CAVE OF ANTIQUES, ART WORK AND OTHER COLLECTIBLE ITEMS. THERE WERE IMPRESSIVE PAINTINGS ALL AROUND THE PROPERTY INCLUDING AN OIL PAINTING ABOVE THE FIREPLACE THAT WAS THE WORK OF RENAISSANCE ARTIST ABEL GRIMMER.'FRAN LEWIS IS THE DAUGHTER OF HAROLD SCANLON FOLEY, A MEMBER OF THE HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL FOLEY FAMILY WHO RAN THE POWELL RIVER COMPANY AND BUILT 25,000 MILES OF RAILROADS ACROSS AMERICA AND CANADA. THE LEWISES EMIGRATED TO THE UK IN THE 80s AND LIVED AT THE GRADE II LISTED 17th CENTURY MELPLASH COURT, NEAR BRIDPORT.

NEW MARILYN MONROE BOOK PRESENTS UNSEEN PHOTOS


A COLLECTION OF MORE THAN 100 PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED PHOTOS OF MARILYN MONROE CAN BE SEEN FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A NEW BOOK 'MARILYN: AUGUST 1953'. THE BOOK, PUBLISHED THIS WEEK BY CALLA EDITIONS, FEATURES DIGITALLY RESTORED BLACK AND WHITE IMAGES TAKEN DURING THE SUMMER OF 1953 OF A THEN 27 YEAR OLD MONROE. THE PHOTOS WERE SHOT BY JOHN VACHON, ON ASSIGNMENT FOR LOOK MAGAZINE IN ALBERTA, CANADA, WHERE MONROE WAS FILMING 'RIVER OF NO RETURN' WITH ROBERT MITCHUM. AN ANKLE INJURY PREVENTED MONROE FROM FILMING, ALLOWING VACHON TO HAVE SEVERAL DAYS TO SHOOT THE HOLLYWOOD ICON. ONLY THREE PHOTOS FROM THE HISTORIC SESSIONS WERE PUBLISHED IN AN OCTOBER 1953 LOOK STORY. THE BOOK WILL FEATURE PHOTOS OF MONROE AND THEN FIANCE, BASEBALL LEGEND JOE DIMAGGIO SNUGGLING. VACHON IS THOUGHT TO BE THE ONLY PHOTOGRAPHER THE PAIR FORMALLY POSED FOR. IN ANOTHER OF THE PICTURES, A COMICALLY FRIGHTENED-LOOKING MONROE IS IN THE CLUTCHES OF A TAXIDERMY BEAR. VACHON'S IMAGES OF MONROE WERE INCLUDED IN THE FIVE MILLION PHOTOGRAPH ARCHIVE DONATED TO THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS AFTER LOOK FOLDED IN 1971.

27.9.10

LACMA CELEBRATES NEW EXHIBITION HALL


THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART CELEBRATED THE OPENING OF ITS NEWEST EXHIBITION HALL RECENTLY WITH A GLITZY PARTY, COMPLETE WITH HOLLYWOOD HEAVYWEIGHTS, ART ICONS AND ENTERTAINMENT BY CHRISTINA AGUILERA. AMONG THE ACTORS IN THE STAR-STUDDED CROWD WERE TOM HANKS AND WIFE RITA WILSON, TERRI HATCHER, JAMES FRANCO, JOAN COLLINS, MOLLY SIMS AND OLIVIA WILDE. PRODUCERS BRIAN GRAZER AND MARK BURNETT AND REALITY STARLETS NICOLE RICHIE AND KIM KARSASHIAN ALSO ATTENDED THE FUND RAISING EVENT, WHICH HAD THE GLAMOR OF A FILM PREMIER AND GENERATED NEARLY $5 MILLION FOR LACMA. MUSEUM TRUSTEE JANE NATHANSON CALLED IT 'THE MOST SPECTACULAR AND SUCCESSFUL FUNDRAISER FOR ART IN LOS ANGELES.' LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS CLAD IN COLOURFUL 18th CENTURY COSTUMES WELCOMED GUESTS TO THE PRIVATE BLACK-TIE AFFAIR, CALLED 'THE UNMASKING' AS IT REVEALED THE SPRAWLING NEW BUILDING THAT BROKE GROUND IN 2008. GUESTS WERE GIVEN GOLD AND SILVER MASKS AS THEY WALKED DOWN A LONG RED CARPET ON THEIR WAY TO THE LYNDA AND STEWART RESNICK EXHIBITION PAVILION. DESIGNED BY FAMED ARCHITECT RENZO PIANO, THE WINDOW-LINED, NATURALLY LIT 45,000 SQUARE FOOT SPACE WAS DIVIDED TO HOUSE A TRIO OF INAUGURAL EXHIBITS: 'OLMEC:COLOSSAL MASTERWORKS OF ANCIENT MEXICO', WITH GREAT BASALT CARVINGS RARELY SEEN OUTSIDE OF MEXICO; 'EYE FOR THE SENSUAL: SELECTIONS FROM THE RESNICK COLLECTION', WHICH FEATURES EUROPEAN PAINTINGS AND SCULPTURES FROM THE BUILDING'S BENEFACTORS' OWN PERSONAL COLLECTION; AND 'FASHIONING FASHION: EUROPEAN DRESS IN DETAIL, 1700-1915', A LOOK AT THE EVOLUTION OF MODERN DRESS AND THE BUSTLES AND PETTICOATS OF FASHION'S PAST. THE RESNICKS, WHO DONATED $45 MILLION TOWARD THE CONSTRUCTION OF THEIR NAMESAKE BUILDING, WERE THE GUESTS OF HONOR AT A DINNER THAT FOLLOWED. AN ADJACENT TENT BECAME AN ELEGANT SUPPER CLUB FOR THE 1,000 OR SO GUESTS, WITH A SMALL ROTATING PLATFORM IN THE CENTER AND A WALL AT ONE END THAT FELL AWAY TO REVEAL A FULL STAGE. THAT'S WHERE AGUILERA, BACKED BY A 20-PIECE ORCHESTRA AND TWO SINGERS, PERFORMED HER SET. LOOKING LIKE A HOLLYWOOD SIREN IN LONG PLATINUM HAIR AND A CURVE-HUGGING CREAM GOWN, AGUILERA SANG HER HIT SONG, 'BEAUTIFUL', FOLLOWED BY WHAT SHE CALLED 'MY FAVORITE SONG OF ALL TIME', JOHN LENNON'S 'IMAGINE'. THE LYNDA AND STEWART RESNICK EXHIBITION PAVILION OPENS TO THE PUBLIC ON 2.OCTOBER.

VIENNA ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS REOPENS AFTER RENOVATION


AFTER ITS RENOVATION AND RESTRUCTURING, THE VIENNA ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS' GALLERY OF PAINTINGS IS NOW ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC AGAIN. SURROUNDED BY THE ARTISTS' STUDIOS AND WORKSHOPS ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF THE ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS IS A WORLD-RANKING COLLECTION OF EUROPEAN PAINTING FROM THE 14th TO THE 19th CENTURIES. A CENTRAL FOYER ON THE SECOND FLOOR AFTER PLANS BY ARCHITECT GEORG TOPFER CONNECTS THE EXISTING GALLERY OF PAINTINGS WITH THE NEW EXHIBITION AREA 'X HIBIT' FOR CHANGING EXHIBITIONS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ACADEMY'S STUDY PROGRAMS. IN ITS CHARTER AS A PINACITECA, A GALLERY EXCLUSIVELY DEDICATED TO PAINTINGS, AND A TRADITION, THE PAINTINGS GALLERY IS COMPARABLE TO COLLECTIONS OF INTERNATIONAL STANDING AT HISTORICAL ACADEMIES OF ART SUCH AS THE PINACOTECA DI BRERA IN MILAN OR THE GALLERIA DELL'ACCADEMIA IN VENICE. UNLIKE THESE, HOWEVER, IT STILL CONSTITUTES PART OF THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE VIENNESE ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS AND IS INSEPARABLY LINKED TO ITS PROFILE. THE ACADEMY'S INITIAL HOLDINGS CONSISTED OF PRIZE-WINNING WORKS FROM THE ACADEMY'S ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY AND PIECES PAINTED FOR ADMISSION TO MEMBERSHIP OF THE ACADEMY DURING THE 18th CENTURY. IT WAS NOT UNTIL 1822, WHEN THE IMPERIAL DIPLOMAT COUNT LAMBERG-SPRINZENSTEIN DONATED HIS INTERNATIONALLY-RENOWNED COLLECTION OF ABOUT 800 PAINTINGS TO THE ACADEMY, THAT THE PAINTINGS GALLERY AS SUCH WAS ESTABLISHED. ACCORDING TO THE TERMS OF THE COUNT'S GENEROUS BEQUEST, THE COLLECTION WAS OPENED TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, THUS BECOMING THE FIRST ART MUSEUM IN AUSTRIA. OVER THE YEARS THE HOLDINGS HAVE BEEN EXTENDED BY FURTHER SMALLER DONATIONS. TODAY ABOUT 250 PAINTINGS FROM THE COLLECTION ARE PERMANENTLY EXHIBITED. THE WORKS ON DISPLAY INCLUDE HIGHLIGHTS OF EUROPEAN PAINTINGS SUCH AS THE TRIPTYCH OF THE LAST JUDGMENT BY HIERONYMUS BOSCH AS WELL AS A SERIES OF EXUBERANT SMALL-SCALE OIL SKETCHES BY RUBENS. DUTCH PAINTING OF THE 17th CENTURY IS REPRESENTED IN ALMOST ALL OF ITS MANY FACETS FROM REMBRANDT TO RUISDAEL AND DE HOOCH, WHILE THE ITALIAN, FRENCH AND SPANISH SCHOOLS ARE SHOWCASED IN WORKS BY BOTTICELLI, TITIAN, MURILLO, CLAUDE, TIEPOLO AND GUARDI.

BONHAMS TO SELL RARE IMPERIAL RUSSIAN TABLE


A STRIKING, CIRCULAR TABLE ORIGINALLY PLACED IN THE GOLDEN DRAWING ROOM IN THE WINTER PALACE, THE MAIN RESIDENCE OF THE RUSSIAN IMPERIAL FAMILY IN ST PETERSBURG, WILL BE SOLD IN THE RUSSIAN SALE AT BONHAMS NEW BOND STREET ON 1.DECEMBER. ESTIMATED AT £150,000 - £200,000, THE INTRICATE DESIGN AND RANGE OF MATERIALS, FROM CORAL TO ONYX AND TURQUOISE, REFLECTS THE LEGENDARY OPULENCE OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE. THE TABLE WAS ORIGINALLY COMMISSIONED AS A GIFT FOR THE EMPRESS ALEXANDRA, THE WIFE OF TSAR NICHOLAS I AND THE TABLE BECAME PART OF THE ORIGINAL FURNISHINGS OF THE IMPERIAL WINTER PALACE. THE TABLE WAS THEN PLACED WITHIN THE GOLDEN DRAWING ROOM, WHICH WAS USED BY THE FUTURE EMPRESS MARIA ALEXSANDROVNA, AND WAS RENOWNED AS THE MOST LAVISHLY DECORATED ROOM IN HER PERSONAL SUITE. THE GOLDEN DRAWING ROOM WAS USED FOR PRIVATE RECEPTIONS AND CHRISTMAS CELEBRATIONS FOR THE IMPERIAL FAMILY. THE STORMING OF THE WINTER PALACE BECAME AN ICONIC SYMBOL OF THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION. IN THE LATE 1920s MANY PRIVATE ROOMS OF THE IMPERIAL FAMILY WERE STRIPPED OF THEIR ORIGINAL FURNISHINGS AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT MIGHT REMIND THE PUBLIC ABOUT RUSSIA'S IMPERIAL PAST. MOST OF THE FURNISHINGS, INCLUDING THE TABLE, WERE SOLD THROUGH ANTIKVARIAT, WHICH WAS A STATE-RUN COMMISSION SHOP THAT CATERED TO FOREIGNERS AND DIPLOMATS. THE TABLE ULTIMATELY ENDED UP IN GERMANY. TODAY THE GOLDEN DRAWING ROOM IN THE WINTER PALACE HOUSES PART OF THE HERMITAGE MUSEUM COLLECTION. THOUGH THE ROOM HAS RETAINED ITS ORIGINAL DECOR, FEW OF ITS ORIGINAL FURNISHINGS HAVE SURVIVED. A SPOKESPERSON FOR BONHAMS SAID: 'ITEMS FROM FORMER RUSSIAN IMPERIAL PALACES ARE INCREDIBLY RARE, AND A FEW COME WITH SUCH REMARKABLY DOCUMENTED PROVENANCE. THIS TABLE IS AN EXCEPTIONAL OPPORTUNITY FOR INTERNATIONAL COLLECTORS TO NOT ONLY ACQUIRE A RUSSIAN DECORATIVE MASTERPIECE, BUT TO PROCURE THEIR VERY OWN PIECE OF RUSSIAN HISTORY.'