30.10.10

LOUIS VUITTON RUBEN TOLEDO POSTCARD COLLECTION


LOUIS VUITTON IS HONORING ILLUSTRATOR RUBEN TOLEDO'S TWELVE YEARS OF ARTISTIC WORK FOR THEIR ACCLAIMED CITY GUIDES WITH A STUNNING BOX SET OF 100 POSTCARDS, EACH FEATURING A DIFFERENT WORLD CITY. ILLUSTRATED IN BLACK AND WHITE AND ACCENTED WITH VIBRANT FLUORESCENT COLOURS, EACH IMAGE AIMS TO CAPTURE THE UNIQUE EXPERIENCE OF THE DEPICTED DESTINATION. THE COLLECTION CONTAINS IMAGES CREATED BY TOLEDO AS FAR BACK AS 1998 AND ABOUT THEM HE SAYS 'MY AIM IS TO PAINT A PORTRAIT OF A CITY AND TO DRAW OUT ITS SPECIAL AND ETERNAL ESSENCE; TO CAPTURE THE UNIQUE TEMPO AND CHARACTER OF EACH.' THE RUBEN TOLEDO 100 POSTCARDS FOR LOUIS VUITTON CITY GUIDE IS AVAILABLE AT LOUIS VUITTON BOUTIQUES FOR $115.

WHISTLER PRINTS SELL FOR RECORD PRICES


SWANN GALLERIES'S AUCTION OF WHISTLER AND HIS INFLUENCE RECENTLY OFFERED APPROXIMATELY 150 PRINTS BY JAMES AM WHISTLER AND HIS FOLLOWERS. NEARLY 20 PRINTS SET WORLD AUCTION RECORDS, INCLUDING THE SALE'S TOP LOT, A VERY EARLY IMPRESSION OF NOCTURNE, ETCHING AND DRYPOINT ON JAPAN PAPER, 1879-80, WHICH BECAME THE MOST EXPENSIVE WHISTLER PRINT EVER SOLD AT AUCTION WHEN IT BROUGHT $282,000. THE LUMINOUS AND RICHLY INKED ETCHING WAS LIKELY ONE OF THE FIRST THE ARTIST MADE UPON HIS ARRIVAL IN VENICE, AND DISPLAYS HIS SOUGHT-AFTER BUTTERFLY SIGNATURE. A SPOKESPERSON FOR SWANN SAID: 'SETTING THE RECORD PRICE FOR ANY WHISTLER PRINT SHOWS THE QUALITY AND SCARCITY OF THE MATERIAL WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GATHER IN THE PAST FEW SEASONS. THIS IS THE HIGHEST PRICE FOR A PRINT EVER SOLD AT SWANN, SOLIDIFYING SWANN'S PLACE IN THE MARKET FOR RARE WORKS ON PAPER.' AMONG THE MANY OTHER WHISTLERS THAT SET RECORDS IN THE SALE WERE A VERY SCARCE FIRST STATE OF 'ROTHERHITHE', 1860, ETCHING AND DRYPOINT, $14,400; 'LITTLE SMITHFIELD', ETCHING ON JAPAN PAPER, WHICH HAD NOT APPEARED AT AUCTION IN THE LAST 20 YEARS, $18,000; 'BATTERSEA: DOWN', DRYPOINT, 1875, WITH SOFT, HAZY TONES AND INKY PLATE EDGES, $13,200; 'FISHING BOATS, HASTINGS', ETCHING AND DRYPOINT ON JAPAN PAPER, $15,600; 'FULHAM', ETCHING, ONE OF THREE ETCHINGS WHISTLER MADE OF THE OLD PUTNEY TOLL BRIDGE IN 1879 BEFORE ITS DESTRUCTION, $14,400; AND 'RUE DES BON ENFANTS, TOURS', ETCHING AND DRYPOINT, CREATED WHILE HE WAS ON HONEYMOON IN THE LOIRE VALLEY, $21,600.

29.10.10

THE FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM ACQUIRES 'YOUNG WOMAN TUNING A FLUTE'


THE ART FUND HAS HELPED THE FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM, CAMBRIDGE ENRICH ITS WORLD-CLASS COLLECTION WITH A CARAVAGGIO-INSPIRED OIL ON CANVAS. 'YOUNG WOMAN TUNING A LUTE (1626-27) BY HENDRIK TER BRUGGHEN, IS NOW ON PUBLIC DISPLAY WITHIN THE FITZWILLIAM'S FINE COLLECTION OF DUTCH PAINTINGS. THE ART FUND GAVE £225,000 TO MAKE THE ACQUISITION POSSIBLE, ALONGSIDE THE MLA/V&A PURCHASE GRANT FUND WHICH GAVE £50,000. THIS IS THE MUSEUM'S FIRST ACQUISITION OF A WORK BY TER BRUGGHEN, ONE OF THE LEADING PAINTERS AMONGST THE UTRECHT FOLLOWERS OF CARAVAGGIO. IT IS ONE OF ONLY A HANDFUL OF WORKS BY THIS ARTIST IN THE UK. TER BRUGGHEN, WHO DIED AT A YOUNG AGE, WAS AN IMPORTANT INNOVATOR FOR LATER DUTCH 17th CENTURY GENRE PAINTINGS. MORE RECENTLY HE HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED AS AN UNORTHODOX BUT SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE ON THE WORK OF ARTISTS SUCH AS VERMEER. THE WORK WAS PREVIOUSLY ON LOAN TO THE FITZWILLIAM BUT THE PURCHASE MEANS THAT GENERATIONS TO COME WILL BE ABLE TO ADMIRE THE SKILL AND SUBTLETY OF TER BRUGGHEN'S ART. 'YOUNG WOMAN TUNING A LUTE' CAN NOW BE SEEN IN GALLERY 15 AT THE FITZWILLIAM MUSEUM.

TIFFANY & CO RELEASES 2010-2011 BLUE BOOK


TIFFANY & CO HAS RELEASED THE 2010-2011 BLUE BOOK COLLECTION, THE JEWELER'S ANNUAL PRESENTATION OF SPECIAL BEAUTIFUL CREATIONS. THIS YEAR'S STUNNING COLLECTION INCLUDES THE TIFFANY MAJESTIC NECKLACE. IT TOOK MORE THAN A YEAR TO PROCURE THE MORE THAN 300 PEAR-SHAPED AND ROUND BRILLIANT STONES AND OVER 700 HOURS TO CREATE THE NECKLACE ITSELF. THE SMALLER STONES ARE SET INTO DIAMOND FLORETS SURROUNDING A 30.31 CARAT, E-COLOUR, INTERNALLY FLAWLESS DETACHABLE DROP. THE PLATINUM MOUNTINGS WERE INDIVIDUALLY CRAFTED AND LINKED TO CREATE A FLEXIBLE SETTING THAT SPARKLES WITH EVERY MOVEMENT. THE BLUE BOOK COLLECTION ALSO INCLUDES COLOURED DIAMONDS. A NECKLACE BASED ON ART DECO JEWELS IN THE TIFFANY & CO ARCHIVES HAS A TRIPLE-DROOP PENDENT WITH THREE EXTRAORDINARY RARE FANCY VIVID YELLOW DIAMONDS, A RECTANGULAR SHAPED 13.09 CARAT YELLOW DIAMOND AND TWO APPROXIMATELY 6 CARAT YELLOW DIAMONDS SURROUNDED WITH A TOTAL OF 642 ROUND BRILLIANT WHITE DIAMONDS.

NEWLY DISCOVERED HONUS WAGNER CARD TO BE AUCTIONED


THE SCHOOL SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME IN BALTIMORE ARE ABOUT TO RECEIVE A LITTLE DIVINE LOVE FROM THE HOLY GRAIL OF BASEBALL CARDS. A NEWLY DISCOVERED T206 HONUS WAGNER CARD, LEFT TO THE CONVENT BY THE BROTHER OF A MEMBER OF THE ORDER WHEN HE PASSED AWAY, WILL BE AUCTIONED OFF ON 4.NOVEMBER IN DALLAS AS PART OF HERITAGE AUCTIONS' SIGNATURE SPORTS MEMORABILIA EVENT. THE CARD IS ESTIMATED TO BRING AT LEAST $100,000. 'THE PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THIS CARD WILL GO BENEFIT THE WORK OF THE SCHOOL SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME ALL OVER THE WORLD, IN ABOUT 35 COUNTRIES', SAID SISTER VIRGINIA MULLER, TREASURER FOR THE BALTIMORE CONVENT. 'WHEREVER THE NEED IS, WE WILL SHARE IT.' NEW T206 WAGNER CARDS TURN UP ABOUT AS OFTEN AS BOTTLES OF 1921 DOM PERIGNON, AUCTION COMICS #1 OR A DIAMOND AS BIG AS YOUR FIST. NONETHELESS, THIS EXAMPLE TURNED UP IN MID-SUMMER 2010 WHEN THE CARD WAS LEFT TO THE CONVENT. WHILE THE CONDITION IS NOT GREAT, FAR BELOW THE MOST FAMOUS OF T206 EXAMPLES, WHICH SOLD FOR $2 MILLION, IT IS STILL QUITE VALUABLE, HAS CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF COLLECTORS EVERYWHERE AND REPRESENTS A REMARKABLE FIND IN THE WORLD OF HIGH-END CARDBOARD. IT CAME, PRESENTED SIMPLY IN PLASTIC, WITH A NOTE THAT READ: 'ALTHOUGH DAMAGED, THE VALUE OF THIS BASEBALL CARD SHOULD INCREASE EXPONENTIALLY THROUGHOUT THE 21st CENTURY.' 'FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, THIS COPY OF THIS COVETED RARITY IS BEING PLACED ON THE AUCTION BLOCK', SAID CHRIS IVY, DIRECTOR OF HERITAGE SPORTS COLLECTIBLES. IT WAS WAGNER HIMSELF WHO PULLED THE PLUG ON THE USE OF HIS IMAGE ON THE CARD, CREATING HISTORY'S MOST FAMOUS BASEBALL CARD, THOUGH THE REASON IS A SUBJECT OF GOOD-SPIRITED DEBATE AMONG AFICIONADOS EVERYWHERE. 'THE MOST POPULAR STORY IS THAT WAGNER WANTED NO ROLE IN THE PROMOTION OF TOBACCO USE TO KIDS', SAID IVY. 'ANOTHER THEORY ARGUES THAT IT WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A FAILURE TO AGREE ON MONEY THAT LED THE AMERICAN TOBACCO COMPANY TO END PRODUCTION OF WAGNER'S CARD SOON AFTER IT STARTED.' 'I HAD NO IDEA WHO HONUS WAGNER WAS BEFORE WE SAW THIS BASEBALL CARD', SISTER VIRGINIA, 'BUT I'VE CERTAINLY TRIED READ EVERYTHING I CAN ABOUT HIM NOW.' EITHER WAY, THE BOON TO THE SCHOOL SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME IS OBVIOUS, AND THE POTENTIAL GOOD WORK DONE AS A RESULT OF THE SALE WILL ONLY ADD TO WAGNER'S LEGEND.

28.10.10

QUEEN ACCEPS HELPING HAND FROM EMIR OF QATAR


THE QUEEN ACCEPTED A HELPING HAND FROM THE EMIR OF QATAR AFTER WELCOMING HIM TO WINDSOR CASTLE AT THE START OF A THREE-DAY STATE VISIT INTENDED TO CEMENT BRITAIN'S TRADE LINKS WITH THE GULF STATE. AFTER WATCHING A MARCH PAST OF THE HOUSEHOLD CAVALRY AND ROYAL HORSE ARTILLERY SOLDIERS, SHEIK HAMAD BIN KHALIFA AL THANI GUIDED THE QUEEN DOWN A SHORT FLIGHT OF STEPS FROM A DIAS. THE EMIR, WHO FLEW TO LONDON WITH HIS CONSORT, SHEIKA MOZAH BINT NASSER AL-MISSNED, ONE OF HIS THREE WIVES, WILL ALSO MET DAVID CAMERON IN DOWNING STREET AS PART OF THE GOVERNMENT'S DRIVE TO STRENGTHEN TRADE WITH QATAR AND OTHER GULF EMIRATES. QATAR, A BRITISH PROTECTORATE UNTIL 1971, IA A KEY ENERGY SUPPLIER TO THE UK, AND IS EVENTUALLY EXPECTED TO PROVIDE UP TO ONE FIFTH OF THE COUNTRY'S GAS SUPPLY IN THE FORM OF LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS, WHICH IS SHIPPED TO A TERMINAL IN MILFORD HAVEN, PEMBROKESHIRE. IT IS ALSO A MAJOR INVESTOR IN THE UK, WITH HIGH-PROFILE ASSETS INCLUDING THE HARRODS DEPARTMENT STORE IN LONDON, WHICH THE QATARI ROYAL FAMILY BOUGHT IN MAY FOR AN ESTIMATED £1.5 BILLION. THE PRINCE OF WALES AND THE DUCHESS OF CORNWALL HAD A PRIVATE MEETING WITH THE EMIR AND HIS CONSORT BEFORE ESCORTING THEM TO WINDSOR CASTLE.

007-MODIFIED ASTON MARTIN SELLS FOR $4.1 MILLION


ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS JAMES BOND CARS, THE SPECIALLY EQUIPPED SILVER ASTON MARTIN FIRST DRIVEN BY SEAN CONNERY IN 'GOLDFINGER', WAS AUCTIONED OFF WEDNESDAY IN LONDON FOR $4.1 MILLION. THE UNIQUE CAR, WHICH BOASTS AN EJECTOR SEAT, MACHINE GUNS, ROTATING LICENSE PLATES AND OTHER SPY GEAR, WAS INITIALLY EXPECTED TO GO FOR MORE THAT $5.5 MILLION. 'THIS IS THE ONLY GENUINE, 007 JAMES BOND CAR', SAID MICK WALSH, EDITOR IN CHIEF OF CLASSIC AND SPORTS CAR MAGAZINE. IT WAS BOUGHT BY HARRY YEAGGY, AN AMERICAN CLASSIC CAR COLLECTOR WHO HAS A SMALL PRIVATE MUSEUM IN OHIO. 'WE'D RIDE IT AROUND THE STREETS OF LONDON TONIGHT', HE TOLD THE BBC. HE SAID THE FACT THE ICONIC ASTON MARTIN HAS NEVER BEEN AUCTIONED BEFORE MEANT IT HAD TREMENDOUS APPEAL TO COLLECTORS. BOND'S CREATOR, NEWSPAPERMAN AND NOVELIST IAN FLEMING, HAD ORIGINALLY PLACED BOND IN A BENTLEY, WHICH WAS HIS OWN PERSONAL CAR CHOICE. BUT THE FILMMAKERS PUT HIM IN THE ASTON MARTIN, WHICH THEN COMPETED MAINLY WITH THE JAGUAR E-TYPE FOR THE LUCRATIVE BRITISH AND AMERICAN SPORTS-CAR MARKET. ASTON MARTIN WAS SEEN AS A HEADY MIX OF ITALIAN DESIGN AND BRITISH ENGINEERING. THE SILVER ASTON MARTIN DB5 COUPE AUCTIONED WEDNESDAY WAS USED BY CONNERY TO ELUDE VARIOUS VILLAINS IN BOTH 'GOLDFINGER' AND 'THUNDERBALL', GENERALLY REGARDED AS EARLY CLASSICS IN HOLLYWOOD'S LONGEST RUNNING AND MOST SUCCESSFUL FILM FRANCHISE. THE USE OF THE ASTON MARTIN, WITH A REAR BULLETPROOF SHIELD THAT COULD BE ACTIVATED WITH THE PUSH OF A DASHBOARD BUTTON, PROVIDED A MAJOR BOOST FOR THE BRITISH CAR-MAKER, WHICH RECEIVED WORLDWIDE PUBLICITY WHEN THE CAR WAS FEATURED IN 'GOLDFINGER' IN 1964. THE CAR AUCTIONED BY RM AUCTIONS AUTOMOBILES OF LONDON IS ONE OF TWO ASTON MARTINS FACTORY-MODIFIED FOR USE IN THE EARLY BOND FILMS, AND IT IS THE ONLY SURVIVING EXAMPLE. THE CAR, WHICH CONTAINS AND EARLY VERSION OF THE MODERN-DAY NAVIGATION SYSTEM, IS DESCRIBED AS BEING IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THE OTHER 007-MODIFIED ASTON MARTIN WAS REPORTED STOLEN IN 1997 AND HAS NEVER BEEN RECOVERED. MANY BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN DESTROYED.

THE GETTY VILLA TO PRESENT AGRIGENTO YOUTH


THE AGRIGENTO YOUTH, ONE OF THE MASTERPIECES OF THE MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO REGIONALE DI AGRIGENTO IN SOUTHWESTERN SICILY, GOES ON VIEW TODAY AT THE GETTY VILLA IN A GALLERY DEVOTED TO IMAGES OF ATHLETES AND ATHLETIC COMPETITION (GALLERY 211). ON LOAN TO THE GETTY MUSEUM THROUGH 19.APRIL.2011, THE FIGURE IS A RAE EXAMPLE OF AN EARLY CLASSICAL MARBLE STATUE CALLED A KOUROS, OR IDEALIZED NUDE YOUNG MAN. TO THE ANCIENT GREEKS, SCULPTURES SUCH AS THESE REPRESENTED THE FINEST CIVIC IDEALS AN ARISTOCRAT COULD ATTAIN UPON REACHING MANHOOD. THEY WERE MADE TO SERVE AS COSTLY DEDICATORY OBJECTS WHICH COULD FUNCTION AS DEDICATIONS TO GODS, REPRESENTATIONS OF GODS, OR TO HONOR THE MEMORY OF A FALLEN MORTAL AS PART OF HIS FUNERARY RITUAL. THE FIGURE WAS CARVED BY AN UNKNOWN ARTIST AROUND 480 BC, JUST AT THE ARTISTIC TURNING POINT BETWEEN THE ARCHAIC AND CLASSICAL PERIODS. THE STYLE HAS BEEN TERMED BY THE SCHOLARS THE SEVERE STYLE DUE TO THE SOLEMN FACIAL FEATURES AND ERECT STANCE FAVORED AT THE TIME. UNDER LIFE-SIZE AT 40 INCHES IN HEIGHT, THE AGRIGENTO YOUTH IS COMPARABLE TO THE HIGHEST QUALITY CONTEMPORARY ATHENIAN KOUROI, WITH WHOM IT SHARES MANY TRAITS, SUCH AS THE SENSITIVELY RENDERED MODELING OF THE ANATOMY, THE ERECT STANCE WITH ONE LEG FORWARD, AND THE SERENE AND STRAIGHTFORWARD GAZE. BUT UNLIKE THE MAJORITY OF STATUES FROM THE PERIOD, THE FIGURE'S RIGHT ARM IS RAISED AS IF HOLDING OUT AN OBJECT. THE STONE FROM WHICH IT WAS CARVED IS A WHITE MARBLE IMPORTED FROM GREECE, WHICH INDICATES THAT THE AGRIGENTO YOUTH WAS AN EXPENSIVE AND NOTEWORTHY DEDICATION. BEFORE ITS INSTALLATION AT THE VILLA, THE MUSEUM'S CONSERVATION TEAM COLLABORATED WITH CONSERVATORS FROM THE MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO REGIONALE TO CONSTRUCT A CUSTOM SEISMIC ISOLATION BASE AND PEDESTAL FOR THE STATUE. WHEN THE SCULPTURE RETURNS TO SICILY, IT WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY ITS NEW PEDESTAL AND EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT MOUNT FOR DISPLAY IN ITS HOME MUSEUM. THIS IS THE LATEST IN A SERIES OF COOPERATIVE EFFORTS BETWEEN THE GETTY AND THE SICILIAN MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND SICILIAN IDENTITY ARISING FROM A 2010 AGREEMENT THAT CALLS FOR A NUMBER OF COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS, INCLUDING OBJECT CONSERVATION, SEISMIC PROTECTION OF COLLECTIONS, EXHIBITIONS, SCHOLARLY RESEARCH AND CONFERENCES. THE AGRIGENTO YOUTH IS THE SECOND MAJOR LOAN TO ARISE FROM THE 2010 AGREEMENT.

27.10.10

THE ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM PRESENTS 'MARILYN MONROE: LIFE AS A LEGEND'


THE ANDY WARHOL MUSEUM, PITTSBURGH, PA, IS PRESENTING ITS LATEST SPECIAL EXHIBITION. 'MARILYN MONROE: LIFE AS A LEGEND'. EMPLOYING A DYNAMIC RANGE OF ARTISTS AND MEDIA, MARILYN MONROE: LIFE AS A LEGEND' VISUALLY EXPLORES BOTH THE CELEBRITY OF, AND THE WOMAN BEHIND, ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST RECOGNIZABLE ICONS. THE EXHIBITION IS INTENDED NOT ONLY FOR THOSE WHO APPRECIATE THE ARTS AND DIVERSITY IN MEDIA AND STYLE, BUT ALSO FOR THE ULTIMATE MARILYN FAN. LIFE AS A LEGEND IS ON VIEW FROM 23.OCTOBER THROUGH 2.JANUARY.2011. MARILYN MONROE: LIFE AS A LEGEND CELEBRATES THE MANY SIDES OF THE FAMOUS 1950s GLAMOR GODDESS AND IMMORTAL LEGEND THROUGH SHOTS OF MOVIE SCENES AND FAMILIAR PUBLICITY PHOTOS, BIOGRAPHICAL GLIMPSES INTO MARILYN'S PRIVATE MOMENTS AS WELL AS MORE ABSTRACT INTERPRETATIONS OF MARILYN. THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER MARILYN MONROE AS SHOWN BY THIS ALL-STAR LIST OF RENOWNED AND DIVERSE ARTISTS PAYING TRIBUTE TO AMERICA'S FAVORITE SEX SYMBOL.

'HARRY POTTER: THE EXHIBITION' TO VISIT SEATTLE


A FEW LUCKY VISITORS ARE INVITED TO TRY ON THE SORTING HAT, WHICH COMPLIMENTS THEM ON THEIR BRAVERY, INTELLIGENCE OR CUNNING. THEN, A FEW STEPS DOWN A CORRIDOR, YOU ARE SURROUNDED BY A CLOUD OF STEAM. AHEAD IS THE TRAIN STATION, WHERE THE HOGWORTS EXPRESS HAS JUST ARRIVED. YOU HAVE ENTERED 'HARRY POTTER: THE EXHIBITION', A SHOWCASE FILLED WITH THE IMAGERY EVOKED IN JK ROWLING'S SEVEN-PART SERIES ABOUT AN ORPHAN NAMED HARRY WHO DISCOVERS HE IS PART OF A MOSTLY HIDDEN MAGICAL WORLD. THE TRAVELING SHOW OPENS IN SEATTLE ON SATURDAY. WHAT HARRY POTTER FAN HASN'T WANTED TO SIT FOR A BIT IN GIANT CHAIR AT HAGRID'S COTTAGE, WATCHING TO SEE IF THE DRAGON'S EGG SHAKING AND RATTLING ON THE TABLE IS GOING TO OPEN. THE SHOW ALSO GIVES FANS A CHANCE TO TEST THEIR QUIDDITCH SKILLS AND SEE UP CLOSE THE BEAUTIFUL GOWNS THE ACTORS WORE TO THE YULE BALL IN 'HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE'. COSTUMES AND PROPS FROM THE SEVEN MOVIES ARE IN SEATTLE FOR AN EXHIBITION AT THE PACIFIC SCIENCE CENTER, INCLUDING A FEW THAT WEREN'T SHOWN WHEN THE SHOW STOPPED PREVIOUSLY IN CHICAGO, BOSTON AND ONTARIO. SEATTLE IS THE LAST STOP, FOR NOW, IN THE UNITED STATES FOR THE 10,000 SQUARE FOOT EXHIBIT. 'THE FILMMAKERS HAVE BEEN GREAT. THEY LOVE THE EXHIBITION AND LOVE SHARING THINGS WITH THE FANS', SAID EDDIE NEWQUIST, CHIEF CREATIVE OFFICER OF GLOBAL EXPERIENCE SPECIALISTS, AN EXHIBITION AND TRADE SHOW COMPANY BASED IN LAS VEGAS. NEWQUIST SAID IT TOOK TWO YEARS TO CREATE THE EXHIBIT, AND IT CONTINUES TO EVOLVE AS THE FILMMAKERS RELEASE MORE PROPS. THE SEVENTH MOVIE OPENS 19.NOVEMBER AND ONE MORE FILM IS PLANNED. FROM THE SEVENTH MOVIE, THE EXHIBITION INCLUDES A DECOY DETECTOR, RITA SKEETER'S BIOGRAPHY OF ALBUS DUMBLEDORE, AND A COSTUME WORN BY HELENA BONHAM CARTER, WHO PLAYS BELLATRIX LESTRANGE. AS YOU ENTER THE CASTLE, THE FAT LADY, WHO USUALLY SITS IN A PICTURE FRAME THAT BLOCKS THE ENTRANCE TO THE GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOM AND HARRY'S DIGS AT HOGWORTS INVITES THE VISITOR TO STOP AND ENJOY HER SINGING. WHEN YOU START TO WALK AWAY, SHE SIGNALS THE VISITOR TO GIVE HER JUST A LITTLE MORE TIME. IN THE END, SHE BREAKS HER WINE GLASS ON THE WALL WHEN SHE CAN'T BREAK IT BY SINGING, JUST LIKE IN THE MOVIE. JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING THE FAN HAS EVER WANTED TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT IS ON DISPLAY: FROM THE TAPESTRY OUTSIDE THE ROOM OF REQUIREMENT, IT'S PAINTED NOT WOVEN, TO THE CREEPY, CRAWLERS STORED IN JARS IN THE POTIONS CLASSROOM PLUS THE MARAUDER'S MAP, HARRY'S BROOMSTICK, VARIOUS SCHOOL UNIFORMS, EVERYBODY'S WANDS AND DOBBY THE HOUSE ELF. NEWQUIST SAID THE EXHIBIT IS APPROPRIATE FOR CHILDREN OLD ENOUGH TO READ ONE IF THE BOOKS OR SEE THE FIRST MOVIE, AND THE SCARY PARTS OF THE EXHIBIT WERE NOT AS SCARY AS THE LATER MOVIES.

26.10.10

BONHAMS TO SELL ART DECO TREASURE


A CERAMIC SCULPTURE WHICH SAT FOR YEARS UNRECOGNIZED IN A FAMILY HOUSE IN EDINBURGH HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A MASTER WORK BY THE ITALIAN ART DECO DESIGNER SANDRO VACCETTI. IT WILL BE OFFERED FOR DALE AT BONHAMS 'DESIGN FROM 1860' AUCTION IN LONDON ON 17.NOVEMBER, WITH AN ESTIMATED PRICE OF £8,000–10,000. THE SCULPTURE, KNOWN AFFECTIONATELY TO THE FAMILY AS, 'BUTTERCUP AND DAISY', SHOWS A SAUNTERING, BARE BREASTED WOMAN IN STYLISH FLARED ORIENTAL PRINT SKIRT LEADING A LARGE TIGER-LIKE CREATURE. IT WAS BROUGHT INTO BONHAMS EDINBURGH OFFICE FOR VALUATION AND SENT TO LONDON FOR FURTHER RESEARCH. DIRECTOR OF 20th CENTURY DECORATIVE ARTS, MARK OLIVER SAID, 'WHEN I HEARD I WAS TO RECEIVE A SCULPTURE FROM SCOTLAND CALLED 'BUTTERCUP AND DAISY' I IMAGINED TWO HIGHLAND COWS. I WAS DELIGHTED WHEN IT TURNED OUT TO BE SUCH A STYLISH EXAMPLE OF VACCETTI'S WORK.' THE TRUE TITLE OF THE PIECE IS 'LE DUE TIGRI'. IT WAS MANUFACTURED BY THE LENCI CERAMIC COMPANY IN TURIN AROUND 1930. SANDRO VACCHETTI, WHO WAS BORN IN 1889 INTO AN ARTISTIC FAMILY. WAS A KEY FIGURE IN 20th CENTURY ITALIAN CERAMIC DESIGN. HIS WORK FOR LENCI AND SUBSEQUENTLY AT HIS OWN COMPANY, ESSEVI, (NAMED AFTER HIS INITIALS) IS NOW RECOGNIZED AS AMONG THE FINEST AND MOST INFLUENTIAL OF THE INTER WAR YEARS.

REMY MARTIN VSOP HOLIDAY 2010


THE FAMED FRENCH COGNAC HOUSE OF REMY MARTIN, FOUNDED BACK IN 1724, HAS BEEN PART OF COUNTLESS HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS OF THE CENTURIES. THIS SEASON THE VENERABLE FINE CHAMPAGNE COGNAC'S VSOP EXPRESSION, THE BEST-SELLING VSOP COGNAC IN THE UNITED STATES, IS GETTING A GLOWING MAKEOVER FOR THE HOLIDAYS. THE NEW LIMITED EDITION REMY MARTIN VSOP HOT HOLIDAY BOTTLE IS APPROPRIATELY DRESSED IN RED FOR THE HOLIDAYS. THE COLOURFUL DRESSING ALSO RECALLS THE FACT THAT REMY MARTIN VSOP HAS BEEN A SYMBOL OF STYLE AND SOPHISTICATION SINCE ITS INTRODUCTION IN THE EXUBERANT PARIS CABARET SCENE OF 1927. THE COGNAC ITSELF IS AMBER IN COLOUR WITH RICH FLAVOR AND REFINED AROMA. SMOOTH AND EASY TO DRINK WITH APPEALING NOTES OF VANILLA, VIOLET, APRICOT, PEACH AND LICORICE, IT'S SILKY AND WARM ON THE PALATE WITH A WELL-BALANCED TASTE AND LONG FINISH.

MARIANNE BOESKY GALLERY PRESENTS JEWELRY DESIGNER SUZANNE SYZ'S CREATIONS


SWISS JEWELRY DESIGNER SUZANNE SYZ, RENOWNED FOR HER INIMITABLE CREATION WHICH COMBINE WHIMSICAL AIRINESS WITH SOPHISTICATED REFINEMENT, WILL SHOW OVER THIRTY PIECES OF HAUTE COUTURE JEWELRY AT THE MARIANNE BOESKY GALLERY IN NEW YORK FROM 25.OCTOBER TO 29.OCTOBER. THE OCCASION MARKS THE FIRST TIME CONTEMPORARY ART COLLECTOR SUZANNE SYZ WILL PUBLICLY SHOW HER EXCLUSIVE JEWELRY CREATIONS IN THE CITY WHICH MORE THAN ANY OTHER PLACE HAS IMPACTED HER LIFE AND WORK IN A MAJOR WAY. BORN IN ZURICH AND EDUCATED IN PARIS, SYZ MOVED TO NEW YORK CITY IN THE 1980s, AN ERA WHICH ART HISTORY WOULD EQUATE ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY WITH THE CITY. ANDY WARHOL, JEAN-MICHAEL BASQUIAT, JULIAN SCHNABEL AND JEFF KOONS BECAME NEW YORK'S BODY AND SOUL AND IT WAS IN THEIR MIDST THAT SYZ FIRST DISCOVERED AND THEN RAPIDLY DEVELOPED HER TASTE AND EYE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART. SHE BECAME AN ARDENT SUPPORTER AND COMMISSIONER OF THEIR WORKS AND FORMED A COLLECTION WHICH TODAY, MORE THAN THREE DECADES LATER, NOT ONLY CAPTURES HER COLLECTOR'S NATURE BUT ALSO SERVES AS AN INFINITE SOURCE OF INSPIRATION FOR HER JEWELRY CREATIONS. RADIANT COLOURS, AUDACIOUS COMPOSITIONS AND UNUSUAL MATERIALS CREATE A GENERAL SENSE OF STRONG INDIVIDUALITY AND SPIRIT WHICH IS AS MUCH PART OF HER JEWELS AS IT IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF HER ART COLLECTION. ALL OD SYZ'S PIECES ARE UNIQUE AND HER FINAL DESIGNS MORE OFTEN THAN NOT ARE THE RESULT OF AN EXPLORATORY JOURNEY WHEREBY SHE PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES AND TECHNICAL KNOW-HOW AND CRAFTSMANSHIP WHILE EMPHASIZING THE UNIQUE AND EXCEPTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SEMI-PRECIOUS STONE SHE ACQUIRES ALL OVER THE WORLD. A STUNNING HIGHLIGHT ON VIEW AT THE MARIANNE BOESKY GALLERY INCLUDES A RING MADE WITH AN EXCEEDINGLY RARE 180 CARAT YELLOW SAPPHIRE.

25.10.10

NATIONAL MUSEUM REAQUIRES 'THE SOWER' SCULPTURE


AN IMPORTANT BRONZE SCULPTURE IN THE HISTORY OF EUROPEAN MODERN ART HAS BEEN SUCCESSFULLY REACQUIRED ON BEHALF OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM'S NATIONAL GALLERY, BERLIN, THANKS TO THE SUPPORT FROM THE KULTURSTIFTUNG DER LANDER (A NATIONAL CULTURAL FOUNDATION) AND THE HERMANN REEMTSMA FOUNDATION. THE MUSEUM'S ISLAND COLONNADE COURTYARD, OFFICIALLY OPENED IN JUNE 2010, NOW BOASTS ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE SCULPTURE, CONSTANTIN MEUNIER'S 'THE SOWER' FROM 1896. MANY BERLINERS WILL ALREADY BE FAMILIAR WITH THE FIGURE, AS FOR ALONG WHILE IT STOOD BENEATH THE ALTE NATIONALGALERIE WHICH HAD PRESIDED OVER THE WORK SINCE THE FIFTIES. MEUNIER'S BRONZE SCULPTURE 'THE SOWER' ORIGINALLY FORMED PART OF THE ART COLLECTION OF DR OTTO KREBBS. AFTER THE WAR, THE BULK OF HIS COLLECTION WAS CONFISCATED AND REMOVED BY THE SOVIET OCCUPYING FORCES, WITH ONLY A FEW WORKS IN THE COLLECTION REMAINING IN GERMANY, (AMONG THEM 'THE SOWER') THE WORKS WERE DECLARED THE PUBLIC PROPERTY OF THE GERMAN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC AND HANDED OVER TO THE STAATLICHE MUSEEN BERLIN (THE EAST GERMAN PRECURSOR ORGANIZATION TO TODAY'S NATIONAL MUSEUM'S IN BERLIN). BECAUSE WORKS IN KREBS' COLLECTION WERE TAKEN INTO SAFEKEEPING IN THURINGIA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR, THE THURINGIAN AUTHORITY FOR THE SETTLEMENT OF UNRESOLVED PROPERTY ISSUES OVERSAW DISPUTES OVER THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERSHIP. IN 2008 THEY DECIDED THAT THE WORKS IN QUESTION SHOULD BE RETURNED TO THE FOUNDATION OF PRUSSIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE, AFTER A CLAIM WAS FILED BY THE HAIR OF OTTO KREBS' ESTATE: A FOUNDATION FOR CANCER AND SCARLET FEVER RESEARCH IN MANNHEIM. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE WISHES OF THE LEGITIMATE OWNERS, THE FOUNDATION OF PRUSSIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE RETURNED THE OBJECTS IN 2010. BESIDES MEUNIER'S BRONZE, THE WORKS IN QUESTION INCLUDED AUGUSTE RODIN'S BRONZE CAST 'THE AGE OF BRONZE', A SMALL BRONZE FROM THE 'DANCER' SERIES BY EDGAR DEGAS, ARISTIDE MAILLOL'S BRONZE 'STATUE OF RENOIR WEARING A HAT', 'WOMEN'S HEAD', A GILDED BRONZE BY ERNESTO DE FIORI, AND THREE WORKS BY UNKNOWN ARTISTS. DURING AN AUCTION HELD SHORTLY AFTER ITS RETURN, MEUNIER'S 'THE SOWER' WAS REPURCHASED FOR THE FOUNDATION OF PRUSSIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE, ENABLING IT TO TAKE UP ITS PLACE IN THE NATIONAL GALLERY'S COLLECTION ONECE AGIN.

RARE BLUE DIAMOND SELLS FOR $15.7 MILLION


A RARE, TWO-STONE RING SET A NEW RECORD PRICE PER CARAT FOR A BLUE DIAMOND AT AUCTION WHEN IT SOLD FOR $15.7 MILLION TO AN ASIAN COLLECTOR. THE RING FEATURING A 9.87 CARAT COLOURLESS TRIANGULAR-SHAPED DIAMOND PAIRED WITH A TRIANGULAR 10.95 CARAT 'FANCY VIVID' BLUE DIAMOND, THE LARGEST SUCH BLUE DIAMOND OF THIS CUT EVER OFFERED AT AUCTION. THE JEWEL HAD BEEN BOUGHT IN ROME IN 1972 FOR $1 MILLION, WHICH IS THE EQUIVALENT OF ABOUT $5 MILLION TODAY, CHRISTIE'S AUCTION HOUSE SAID. IT HAD BEEN GIVEN AS A GIFT FROM TEH COLLECTOR TO HIS WIFE TO CELEBRATE THEIR FIRST SON'S BIRTH, ACCORDING TO CHRISTIE'S.