6.11.10

CHRISTIE'S SELLS MATISSE SCULPTURE FOR RECORD $48 MILLION


A 6 FOOT HENRI MATISSE BRONZE OF A NUDE WOMAN SEEN FROM BEHIND HAS BEEN SOLD FOR OVER $48 MILLION IN NEW YORK CITY, A RECORD AUCTION PRICE FOR THE ARTIST'S WORK. CHRISTIE'S SAYS 'BACK IV' WAS PURCHASED WEDNESDAY BY GAGOSIAN GALLERY INC. THE PRICE INCLUDED THE BUYER'S PREMIUM. IT HAD BEEN ESTIMATED TO BRING $25 TO $35 MILLION. MATISSE CREATED A SERIES OF FOUR OF THE BRONZE RELIEFS, WHAT SOME CONSIDER HIS MOST AMBITIOUS SCULPTURAL WORK. HE WORKED ON THEM BETWEEN 1908 AND 1931. THE SINGULAR MOTIF OF THE WORKS IS A WOMAN LEANING AGAINST A WALL. SHE'S SEEN FROM BEHIND. MAJOR MUSEUMS HAVE COMPLETE SETS, INCLUDING NEW YORK'S MUSEUM OF MODERN ART. CHRISTIE'S SAID IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT ONE OF THE COLOSSAL BRONZES WAS BROUGHT TO AUCTION.

BONHAMS TO SELL PORTRAIT OF NAPOLEON


BONHAMS ARE TO SELL A NEAR-CONTEMPORARY PORTRAIT OF NAPOLEON PAINTED BY HIS VALET AND CLOSE COMPANION LOUIS-JOSEPH-NARCISSE MARCHAND IN THE BRITISH & CONTINENTAL PICTURES AUCTION IN KNIGHTSBRIDGE ON 30.NOVEMBER. MARCHAND WAS NAPOLEON BONAPARTE'S VALET AND FRIEND. HE BECAME AN IMPERIAL SERVANT IN 1811 AND REMAINED FAITHFUL TO NAPOLEON AFTER HIS ABDICATION AND WAS REWARDED WITH PROMOTION TO MAIN VALET. WHILE NAPOLEON WAS ON HIS DEATHBED HE BESTOWED THE TITLE OF COUNT ON MARCHAND, WHICH WAS CONFIRMED BY NAPOLEON III IN 1869. HE KEPT EXTENSIVE MEMOIRS WHICH PROVIDE HISTORIANS WITH DETAILED AND PERSONAL INSIGHTS INTO THE LIFE OF THE EMPEROR AS WELL AS A SOBER AND MOVING ACCOUNT OF HIS DEATH. THE PEN AND INK WASH PORTRAIT IS DATED 1832, MEASURES 11.5 X 9.5cm AND GIVES AND INTIMATE VIEW OF NAPOLEON AND IS ESTIMATED AT £400-600.

5.11.10

SOTHEBY'S SELLS 'THE FINDING OF MOSES' FOR $35,922,500


YESTERDAY AT SOTHEBY'S IN NEW YORK, 'THE FINDING OF MOSES', A 19th CENTURY MASTERPIECE BY SIR LAWRENCE ALMA-TADEMA, SOLD FOR A REMARKABLE $35,922,500, MORE THAN SEVEN TIMES THE PRE-SALE HIGH ESTIMATE OF $5 MILLION. THE MONUMENTAL CANVAS WAS SOUGHT-AFTER BY THREE DETERMINED BIDDERS WHO BATTLES FOR NEARLY EIGHT MINUTES. SOON AFTER AUCTIONEER AND VICE CHAIRMAN BENJAMIN DOLLAR OPENED THE BIDDING ON THE SPECTACULAR PAINTING, IT QUICKLY ROSE TO MORE THAN $20 MILLION IN A BATTLE BETWEEN TWO CLIENTS PARTICIPATING BY PHONE. SUDDENLY, A NEW BIDDER IN THE ROOM ENTERED INTO THE FRAY, RAISING A PADDLE FOR $23.5 MILLION. AFTER SEVERAL MORE MINUTES THE PAINTING SOLD TO ONE OF THE ORIGINAL PHONE BIDDERS FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY $35.9 MILLION, A NEW RECORD FOR THE ARTIST AT AUCTION. THE PREVIOUS RECORD FOR THE ARTIST HAD IN FACT BEEN SET BY THIS EXACT PAINTING WHEN IT WAS SOLD IN 1995 FOR $2.8 MILLION. THE PAINTING WAS INCLUDED IN A SALE OF 19th CENTURY EUROPEAN ART WHICH BROUGHT A TOTAL OF $61,536,125. 'THE FINDING OF MOSES' STANDS AS ONE OF SIR LAWRENCE ALMA-TADEMA'S GREATEST MASTERPIECES. IN NOVEMBER 1902, THE ARTIST LEFT LONDON TO TRAVEL TO EGYPT FOR THE OPENING OF TEH ASWAN DAM AS A GUEST OF SIR JOHN AIRD, THE RENOWNED ENGINEER AND HEAD OF THE PROJECT. IN HIS PERSONAL LIFE, AIRD WAS KNOWN AS A GREAT PATRON OF THE ARTS, AND HE LIKELY BROUGHT ALMA-TADEMA ON THE TRIP TO COMMISSION ANOTHER PAINTING FROM THE ARTIST FOR HIS COLLECTION. ALMA-TADEMA IN TURN FOUND HIMSELF AS INSPIRED BY EGYPT AS HE HAD BEEN 50 YEARS EARLIER IN HIS TRAVELS TO POMPEII. HE PROVIDED AIRD WITH THREE SUBJECT OPTIONS, FROM WHICH HE QUICKLY CHOSE 'THE FINDING OF MOSES'. THE PAINTING ONCE BELONGED TO ALLEN FUNT, CREATOR OF THE POPULAR PRANK SHOW CANDID CAMERA. HIS COLLECTION OF MASTERWORKS BY ALMA-TADEMA WAS EXHIBITED IN A LANDMARK SHOW AT THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART IN 1973. IF THE SETTING OF THE 'FINDING OF MOSES' LOOKS FAMILIAR, IT IS BECAUSE PRINTS OF THE PAINTING WERE LATER USED BY CECIL B DEMILLE'S SCRIPT WRITERS AND DESIGNERS AS INSPIRATION FOR SCENES FROM CLEOPATRA AND THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

THE SABRE GH MUMM BY PATRICK JOUIN


ONCE AGAIN THE HOUSE OF GH MUMM PRESENTS A SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION CREATION FOR THE HOLIDAYS: THE SABRE GH MUMM BY PATRICK JOUIN. PATRICK JOUIN WRAPPED A STAINLESS STEEL CHAMPAGNE SWORD WITH A BEAUTIFUL RED LEATHER HANDLE RESEMBLING MUMM'S SIGNATURE CORDON ROUGHE. A UNIQUE ITEM THAT COMBINES THE SENSUALITY OF RED LEATHER WITH THE RESISTANCE OF A STEEL BLADE, BUT WITH A SQUARE END THAT WON'T CUT. THE LIMITED EDITION IS PRESENTED IN A BOX OF PURE WHITE, OF LACQUERED WOOD AND LEATHER, INCORPORATING A TRAY, SPECIALLY DESIGNED TO HOLD ICE AND KEEP A BOTTLE OF CORDON ROUGE AT THE IDEAL TEMPERATURE.

5.NOVEMBER, GUY FAWKES DAY


Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t’was his intent
To blow up the King and Parli’ment.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England’s overthrow;
By God’s providence he was catch’d
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holla boys, Holla boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!
And what should we do with him? Burn him!

4.11.10

BRITAIN HALTS EXPORT OF TURNER PAINTING


BRITAIN HAS TEMPORARILY HALTED THE EXPORT OF A RECORD-BREAKING PAINTING BY ENGLISH MASTER JMW TURNER WHICH SOLD AT AUCTION IN JULY FOR £29.7 MILLION. 'MODERN ROME, CAMPO VACCINO' WENT UNDER THE HAMMER AT SOTHEBY'S IN LONDON AND SET AN AUCTION RECORD FOR THE ARTIST. THE 1839 LANDSCAPE WAS TURNER'S LAST PAINTING OF ROME. CULTURE MINISTER ED VAIZEY ANNOUNCED THE DECISION ON WEDNESDAY, AND GAVE INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS UNTIL 2.FEBRUARY.2011 TO DEMONSTRATE SERIOUS INTENT TO KEEP THE MASTERPIECE IN THE COUNTRY BY MEETING ITS MARKET VALUE. IF IT APPEARS TO BE A REAL POSSIBILITY THAT THE FUNDS CAN BE RAISED, THE DEADLINE WILL BE EXTENDED TO 2.AUGUST NEXT YEAR, HE SAID IN A STATEMENT. HIS DECISION FOLLOWS A RECOMMENDATION FROM THE REVIEWING COMMITTEE ON THE EXPORT OF WORKS OF ART AND OBJECTS OF CULTURAL INTEREST, ADMINISTERED BY THE MUSEUMS, LIBRARIES AND ARCHIVES COUNCIL. 'IF ONE NEEDED EVIDENCE OF TURNER'S GREATNESS AS AN ARTIST, THIS IS IT', SAID LORD INGLEWOOD, CHAIRMAN OF THE REVIEWING COMMITTEE. 'MODERN ROME, CAMPO VACCINO IS AN ASTONISHINGLY BEAUTIFUL PAINTING THAT UNDERLINES TURNER'S THOUGHTS AND EXPERIENCES OF ROME, AND IN TURN IT HAS PLAYED A FUNDAMENTAL PART IN FORMING OUR PERCEPTION OF TURNER AND HIS WORK.'

THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY ACQUIRES WILKIE PAINTING


THE HUNTINGTON LIBRARY, ART COLLECTIONS, AND BOTANICAL GARDENS, SAN MARINO, CALIFORNIA, ANNOUNCED TODAY THE ACQUISITION OF SANCHO PANZA IN THE DAYS OF HIS YOUTH, BY BRITISH PAINTER DAVID WILKIE. THE PAINTING, WHICH PREVIOUSLY WAS HELD IN THE COLLECTION OF CHRISTOPHER FORBES, WAS PURCHASED IN SEPTEMBER AND HAS JUST GONE ON DISPLAY IN THE HUNTINGTON ART GALLERY AMONG WORKS BY OTHER BRITISH ARTISTS OF THE 19th CENTURY. ONE OF THE GREATEST PRACTITIONERS OF GENRE PAINTING IN BRITAIN, AND, ALONG WITH JMW TURNER AND JOHN CONSTABLE, ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL BRITISH ARTISTS OF THE 19th CENTURY, THE SCOTTISH-BORN WILKIE MADE HIS CAREER IN LONDON, WHERE HIS LIST OF PATRONS INCLUDED THE TOP MEMBERS OF BRITISH SOCIETY, SUCH AS THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON, AND JOHN JULIUS ANGERSTEIN, WHOSE COLLECTION FOUNDED THE NATIONAL GALLERY, LONDON. A FAVORITE OF KING GEORGE IV, WILKIE PAINTED A LARGE NUMBER OF WORKS THAT REMAIN IN BRITAIN'S ROYAL COLLECTION TODAY. WHILE THE HUNTINGTON OWNS NOTABLE PAINTINGS BY TURNER AND CONSTABLE, UNTIL NOW IT HAS LACKED A MAJOR PICTURE BY WILKIE. SANCHO PANZA IN THE DAYS OF HIS YOUTH IS ONE OF WILKIE'S LITERARY SUBJECTS, A SCENE INSPIRED BY THE NOVEL DON QUIXOTE BY MIGUEL DE CERVANTES. IT REVEALS THE LUSH, PAINTERLY STYLE HE DEVELOPED ON AN EXTENDED VISIT TO SPAIN FROM 1827 TO 1828 AND WAS SHOWN AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY EXHIBITION OF 1835 ALONG WITH OTHER SPANISH SUBJECTS. THE PAINTING HAS BEEN INSTALLED ON THE SECOND FLOOR WEST WING OF THE HUNTINGTON ART GALLERY.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.huntington.org

LOUIS VUITTON HOTEL LABELS POSTCARD BOX SET


OVER THE COURSE OF HIS LIFE, LOUIS VUITTON'S GRANDSON, GASTON-LOUIS, ASSEMBLED A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF OVER 3,000 HOTEL LABELS THAT ARE TODAY PRESERVED IN THE HOUSE'S ARCHIVE. AFFIXED TO TRUNKS AND LUGGAGE, THE COLOURFUL, UNIQUELY DESIGNED LABELS PROVIDED INSIGHT INTO THEIR OWNERS' TRAVELS. TO THE INFORMED, THE LABELS' PRECISE PLACEMENT REVEALED AN UNSPOKEN LANGUAGE THAT ENABLED HOTEL PERSONNEL TO SHARE GUST TIPPING HABITS WITH ONE ANOTHER. TO TE REST OF THE WORLD, THESE MEMENTOS FROM FAR-OFF PLACES SUGGESTED TRAVELERS OF MEANS AND, POSSIBLY, ADVENTURE. IN ADDITION TO THE DELUXE HARDBOUND EDITION OF LOUIS VUITTON: 100 LEGENDARY TRUNKS, WHICH CELEBRATES THE HOUSE'S FAMED TRUNKS, LOUIS VUITTON HAS RECENTLY RELEASED A COLLECTION OF 30 POSTCARD DESIGNS THAT ARE REPRODUCED HOTEL LABELS FROM THE PRIVATE COLLECTION. PACKAGED IN AN ATTRACTIVE BOX SET FEATURING THE SAME MOTIFS AS THE 100 LEGENDARY TRUNKS SLIPCOVER, EACH POSTCARD EVOKES THE ART OF TRAVEL AND THE GREAT HOTELS OF THE WORLD WITH HOTEL LABELS FROM L'HOTEL DE CRILLON IN PARIS TO THE MANDARIN ORIENTAL HOTEL IN BANGKOK. THE LOUIS VUITTON HOTEL LABELS POSTCARD BOX SET IS AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY AT LOUIS VUITTON BOUTIQUES WORLDWIDE FOR $80.

3.11.10

PRADA FOUNDATION PRESENTS 'THE GIACOMETTI VARIATIONS'


THE PRADA FOUNDATION PRESENTS 'THE GIACOMETTI VARIATIONS', AN ORIGINAL PROJECT BY JOHN BALDESSARI, FEATURED AT ITS SPACE IN VIA FOGAZZARO 36, MILAN, FROM 29.OCTOBER TO 31.DECEMBER. 'THE GIACOMETTI VARIATIONS' IS AN INSTALLATION CONCEIVED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE EXHIBITION SPACES OF THE PRADA FOUNDATION AND CONSISTS OF NINE SCULPTURES MADE OF RESIN AND STEEL AND SPRAYED WITH BRONZE, EACH 4.5 METERS TALL. INSPIRED BY THE IMAGERY OF THE SWISS SCULPTOR, THE HUGE, OVER SIZED FEMALE FIGURES TAKE THE SLENDER, EMACIATED CHARACTER OF THEIR BODIES TO AN EXTREME: A VISION OF A MONUMENTAL MANNEQUIN. ARRANGED IN A ROW BETWEEN THE SPACE'S COLUMNS AND UNDER ARCHES, THE FIGURES AS A WHOLE, IN THEIR STASIS AND LINEARITY, RECALL A SNAPSHOT OF A FASHION SHOW. TAKING THEIR CUES FROM LA PETITE DANSEUSE DE QUATORZE ANS BY EDGAR DEGAS, THE ORIGINAL BRONZE OF WHICH FEATURED A CLOTH BODICE AND A TUTU OF WHITE TULLE, EVERY FIGURE OF 'THE GIACOMETTI VARIATIONS' IS DRESSED IN GARMENTS AND OBJECTS DESIGNED BY BALDESSARI HIMSELF.

BRITISH MUSEUM PRESENTS EXHIBITION ON EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD


AS SELF-HELP MANUALS GO, THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN BOOK OF THE DEAD HAS CERTAINLY STOOD THE TEST OF TIME. FOR CENTURIES, THE 3,500 YEAR OLD GUIDE OFFERED EGYPTIANS A STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO THE JOURNEY FROM THIS LIFE TO THE NEXT. A STUNNING NEW EXHIBITION AT THE BRITISH MUSEUM HOPES TO SHED NEW LIGHT ON THE BOOK, WHICH WAS NOT A SINGLE VOLUME, BUT A SERIES OF SPELLS AND ILLUSTRATIONS INKED ONTO PAPYRUS SCROLLS AND DESIGNED TO HELP THE DEAD MAKE THE PERILOUS JOURNEY TO THE AFTERLIFE. THE SHOW SEEKS TO DISPEL THE MODERN NOTION, PARTLY CREATED BY ALL THE TOMBS, MUMMIES AND FUNERAL MASKS, THAT ANCIENT EGYPTIANS WERE OBSESSES WITH DEATH. THE SHOW, WHICH OPENS THURSDAY AND RUNS TO 6.MARCH, IS THE FIRST OF THREE BRITISH MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS LOOKING AT DEATH AND SPIRITUALITY THROUGH THE AGES. A SHOW NEXT YEAR LOOKING AT DEVOTION IN MEDIEVAL EUROPE. THE EGYPTIAN EXHIBITION REVEALS A HIGHLY DEVELOPED SOCIETY WITH A COMPLEX THEOLOGY, AND AN EYE FOR COMMERCE. IT WINDS, LABYRINTH-LIKE, THROUGH THE MUSEUM'S CIRCULAR READING ROOM, MIRRORING THE JOURNEY HUMANS WERE THOUGHT TO TAKE AFTER DEATH. IT WAS A SPIRITUAL OBSTACLE COURSE THAT SAW THE SOUL LEAVE THE MUMMIFIED BODY OF THE DEPARTED AND TRAVEL THROUGH THE NETHER WORLD. THERE IT COULD BE WAYLAID BY SCORCHING FIRES, POISONOUS SNAKES, WILD ANIMALS AND WORST OF ALL THE DEVOURER, A DEMON WITH THE HEAD OF A CROCODILE, THE BODY OF A LION AND THE HINDQUARTERS OF A HIPPOPOTAMUS. THE FINAL OBSTACLE WAS A TRAIL, AT WHICH THE HEART WAS PLACED ON A SET OF SCALES AND WEIGHED AGAINST A FEATHER. A LIGHT HEART MEANT SUCCESSFUL PASSAGE TO THE AFTERLIFE. A HEAVY HEART, WEIGHED DOWN WITH SIN, MEANT BEING THROWN TO THE DEVOURER. THE BOOK'S SPELLS AND ILLUSTRATIONS, DEVELOPED OVER CENTURIES FROM ABOUT 1,500 BC, WERE INTENDED AS A GUIDE TO OVERCOMING THESE OBSTACLES. THERE WERE 200 SPELLS IN ALL, FROM WHICH WEALTHY EGYPTIANS COULD PICK AND CHOOSE FOR THEIR OWN CUSTOM-MADE BOOKS OF THE DEAD. THE EXHIBITION BRINGS TOGETHER SOME OF THE TREASURES FROM THE MUSEUM'S WORLD-FAMOUS COLLECTION OF EGYPTIAN ARTIFACTS. THERE ARE MUMMIES, GILDED FUNERAL MASKS AND CEDAR COFFINS COLOURFULLY DECORATED IN RED AND BLUE. THE STAR OBJECTS ARE THE SCROLLS THEMSELVES, LONG ROLLS OF PAPYRUS COVERED WITH NEAT BLACK AND RED HIEROGLYPHIC COLUMNS AND ILLUSTRATED WITH SCENES OF THE AFTERLIFE. THEY WERE ROLLED UP AND PLACED ALONGSIDE MUMMIES IN THEIR COFFINS. SPELLS ALSO WERE INSCRIBED ON COFFIN WALLS. MUMMIES' SHROUDS AND EVEN THEIR LINEN BANDAGES. FRAGILE AND EASILY DAMAGED BY LIGHT, THE SCROLLS ARE RARELY DISPLAYED. THE LONGEST, A 120 FOOT SCROLL MADE FOR THE DAUGHTER OF A HIGH PRIEST ABOUT 3,000 YEARS AGO, HAS NEVER BEEN SHOWN IN PUBLIC BEFORE.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.britishmuseum.org

2.11.10

MATISSE DRAWINGS ON EXHIBITION AT NYC's MAISON FRANCAISE


HENRI MATISSE WRITERS ON PAPER: SELECTED DRAWINGS AND PRINTS FROM THE PIERRE AND TANA MATISSE FOUNDATION IS THE FIRST EXHIBITION DEDICATED EXCLUSIVELY TO MATISSE'S LITTLE-KNOWN DRAWINGS OF MEN. THE EXHIBITION, ON VIEW AT THE NEW YORK UNIVERSITY'S MAISON FRANCAISE FROM 2.NOVEMBER TO 21.DECEMBER, INCLUDES A SELECTION OF INTIMATE DRAWINGS AND PRINTS OF WRITERS, INCLUDING MATISSE'S FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES, AND A YOUNG POET AND MARTYR, ROGER BERNARD, WHOM MATISSE ADMIRED. SEVERAL OF THE WORKS IN THE EXHIBITION, CREATED BETWEEN 1937 AND 1946, ARE BEING SHOWN FOR THE FIRST TIME. CENTRAL TO WRITERS ON PAPER ARE SEVEN LARGE PEN AND INK PORTRAITS OF LOUIS ARAGON, ONE OF FRANCE'S FOREMOST POETS, WHO BECAME ONE OF MATISSE'S MOST PASSIONATE ADVOCATES. OTHER DRAWINGS AND LITHOGRAPHS IN THE JEWEL LIKE EXHIBITION PORTRAY HENRI DE MONTHERLANT, PAUL LEAUTAUD, AND MATISSE'S MYSTERIOUS NEIGHBOR, FRANZ THOMASSIN, AN AVENT-GARDE WRITER WHO PUBLISHED UNDER THE NAME FRANZ VILLER. THE IMAGES IN THE EXHIBITION OFFER INSIGHTS INTO THE PERSONALITIES OF THE WRITERS. INDEED, MATISSE'S SPONTANEOUS PORTRAITS ARE LIKE FRAMES FROM CANDID DOCUMENTARY FILMS. RENDERED IN HIS HALLMARK STENOGRAPHIC STYLE, THE ARTIST'S OBSERVATIONS ARE IMBUED WITH CLARITY, ELEGANCE AND STRONG EXPRESSIVE POWER.

ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO REINSTALLS CHAGALL'S AMERICA WINDOWS


AFTER A FIVE YEAR ABSENCE, THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO WILL REINSTALL ONE OF THE MOST BELOVED TREASURERS IN THE MUSEUM'S COLLECTION, MARC CHAGALL'S AMERICA WINDOWS. FOLLOWING AN INTENSIVE PERIOD OF RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION TREATMENT, THE AMERICA WINDOWS RETURN TO PUBLIC VIEW, AS THE STUNNING CENTERPIECE OF A NEW PRESENTATION OF PUBLIC ART IN CHICAGO ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE MUSEUM'S ARTHUR RUBLOFF BUILDING. THE MONUMENTAL PANELS OF STAINED GLASS, WHICH COMMEMORATE THE AMERICAN BICENTENNIAL AND WERE CREATED BY CHAGALL ESPECIALLY FOR THE ART INSTITUTE IN HONOUR OF CHICAGO'S MAYOR RICHARD J DALEY, HAVE BEEN ENJOYED BY MILLIONS OF MUSEUM VISITORS SINCE THEIR ORIGINAL DEDICATION ON 15.MAY.1977. THE WINDOWS WERE REMOVED IN MAY 2005 TO PROTECT THEM DURING THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MUSEUM'S MODERN WING, WHICH OPENED IN 2009. CURATORS AND CONSERVATORS WERE ABLE TO WORK EXTENSIVELY ON THE WINDOWS DURING THESE YEARS TO CLEAN, EXAMINE, RESTORE AND RESEARCH CHAGALL'S MASTERPIECE. THE RE-INSTALLATION OF THE AMERICA WINDOWS WILL BE A CAUSE FOR CELEBRATION AMONG CHICAGOANS AS WELL AS MUSEUM VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD. MARC CHAGALL FIRST CONCEIVED OF THE IDEA FOR THE AMERICA WINDOWS IN 1974 WHEN HE VISITED CHICAGO FOR THE UNVEILING OF HIS MOSAIC IN THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK PLAZA. AT THE TIME, CHAGALL LEARNED THAT A GALLERY IN HIS HONOR WAS BEING PLANNED AS PART OF THE ART INSTITUTE'S 1970s EXPANSION PROGRAM AND OFFERED TO CREATE THE WINDOWS FOR THE GALLERY. AFTER WORKING ON THE WINDOWS' DESIGN, CHAGALL ANNOUNCED THAT THE THEME FOR THE WINDOWS WOULD BE THE AMERICAN BICENTENNIAL, AND, WHEN HE LEARNED OF MAYOR DALEY'S DEATH IN 1976, HE DECIDED THAT THE WINDOWS WOULD ALSO SERVE AS A MEMORIAL TO THE LATE MAYOR. CHAGALL DESIGNED THE AMERICA WINDOWS EXPRESSLY FOR THE ART INSTITUTE AND CREATED THEM IN COLLABORATION WITH THE FRENCH STAINED-GLASS ARTIST CHARLES MARQ. MARQ FABRICATED 36 COLOURED GLASS PANELS TO CHAGALL'S SPECIFICATIONS, AND CHAGALL HIMSELF PAINTED HIS DESIGN ONTO THE GLASS PANELS USING METALLIC OXIDE PAINTS THAT WERE PERMANENTLY FUSED TO THE GLASS THROUGH A SUBSEQUENT HEATING PROCESS. THE WINDOWS, MEASURING MORE THAN EIGHT FEET IN HEIGHT AND MORE THAN THIRTY FEET IN WIDTH, ARE EACH MADE UP OF THREE PARTS, EACH WITH TWELVE SEPARATE SECTIONS.

1.11.10

WELLENDORFF OPENS BOUTIQUE IN SAN FRANCISCO


GERMAN LUXURY JEWELRY BRAND WELLENDORFF OPENED ITS FIRST BOUTIQUE IN NORTH AMERICA RECENTLY, A SHOP-IN-SHOP LOCATED WITHIN RETAIL JEWELER SHREVE & CO IN SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA. WELLENDORFF IS A 115 YEAR OLD JEWELER FAMOUS FOR ITS RINGS WHICH FEATURE DETAILED ENAMELED DESIGNS AND FOR ITS LONG GOLD 'SILKROPE' NECKLACE. NATIONAL JEWELER REPORTS THAT JENNIFER SIEBEL NEWSOM, WIFE OF SAN FRANCISCO MAYOR GAVIN NEWSOM, CUT THE PURPLE RIBBON TO THE NEW BOUTIQUE. THE NEW SHOP HAS ITS OWN SEPARATE JEWELRY VIEWING AREA AND A COFFEE BAR. WELLENDORFF HAS CREATED A SPECIAL 'SAN FRANCISCO FLOWER' RING THAT IS ONLY AVAILABLE AT THE BOUTIQUE. IT IS AVAILABLE IN TWO COLOUR STYLE; PINK AND PURPLE, AND A NEUTRAL GOLD AND BEIGE, AND CAN COME WITH A DIAMOND BAND. WELLENDORFF JEWELRY RANGES IN PRICE FROM $3,600 TO $100,000.

THE JEWISH MUSEUM PRESENTS 'HOUDINI: ART AND MAGIC'


HANDCUFFS, SHACKLES, A TORTURE CHAMBER AND STRAITJACKET USED BY RENOWNED ESCAPE ARTIST HARRY HOUDINI WILL BE PART OF A MAJOR EXHIBIT THAT DELVES INTO THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF THE WORLD FAMOUS MAGICIAN. 'HOUDINI: ART AND MAGIC', WHICH OPENS ON 5.NOVEMBER AT THE JEWISH MUSEUM, NEW YORK, WILL FEATURE A RECREATION OF THE CHINESE WATER TORTURE CELL, WHICH HOUDINI USED TO ENTHRALL HUGE AUDIENCES WITH HIS DARING, DEATH-DEFYING ESCAPES. HARRY HOUDINI, WAS BORN EHRICH WEISS IN BUDAPEST IN 1874, IMMIGRATED WITH HIS FAMILY TO RURAL APPLETON, WISCONSIN WHEN HE WAS A CHILD. AFTER A STINT AS A CIRCUS PERFORMER IN THE 1890s HE BECAME A MAGICIAN AND CHANGED HIS NAME AS A TRIBUTE TO THE FRENCH MAGICIAN JEAN EUGENE ROBERT-HOUDIN. HE WENT ON TO BECOME THE MOST FAMOUS ESCAPE ARTIST OF HIS DAY, CAPTIVATING MASSIVE AUDIENCES BY ESCAPING DURING STAGE PERFORMANCES FROM THE GLASS CHINESE WATER TORTURE CELL WHILE SUSPENDED UPSIDE DOWN AND CONFINED BY A STRAIGHT-JACKET. IN ANOTHER FAMOUS FEAT A HANDCUFFED HOUDINI FREED HIMSELF FROM A PADLOCKED CRATE THAT HAD BEEN THROWN INTO A RIVER. PHOTOGRAPHS, ART NOUVEAU-ERA POSTERS, AS WELL AS HIS PRIVATE DIARIES, WHICH HAVE NEVER BEEN SHOWN BEFORE, AND SILENT FILMS OF HIS PERFORMANCES WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE EXHIBITION THAT WILL RUN UNTIL NEXT MARCH WHEN IT WILL TRAVEL TO SAN FRANCISCO, AND IN 2012 TO MADISON, WISCONSIN. BUT VISITORS LOOKING FOR THE SECRETS OF HOUDINI'S MAGIC AND ESCAPIST PERFORMANCES, WHICH INSPIRED OTHER ILLUSIONISTS SUCH AS DAVID COPPERFIELD, DAVID BLAINE AND DOUGH HENNING, WILL BE DISAPPOINTED. 'THE EXHIBITION IS NOT A HOW-TO SHOW. THERE IS A TRADITION IN THE MAGIC FIELD THAT PERFORMANCE SECRETS AREN'T REVEALED AND WE ARE RESPECTING THAT', A MUSEUM SPOKESPERSON SAID. HOUDINI, WHO WAS PORTRAYED BY ACTOR TONY CURTIS IN THE 1953 FILM 'HOUDINI', DIED ON HALLOWEEN IN 1926. ALTHOUGH THERE IS A COMMON BELIEF THAT HE PERISHED IN THE WATER CHAMBER, THE SPOKESPERSON SAID IT IS NOT TRUE. HIS DEATH WAS MORE LIKELY DUE TO APPENDICITIS. REGARDLESS OF HOW HE DIED, IT WAS HIS LIFE, HIS TALENTS AND HIS SHOWMANSHIP THAT INSPIRED THE PUBLIC.

TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS EGYPT EXPERIENCE: SECRETS OF THE TOMB


DISCOVER AN ANCIENT CIVILIZATION'S FASCINATING APPROACH TO LIFE AND THE AFTERLIFE AT THE EGYPT EXPERIENCE: SECRETS OF THE TOMB, A NEW EXHIBITION AT THE TOLEDO MUSEUM OF ART (TMA). THE INSTALLATION OF MORE THAN 150 OBJECTS SPANNING 3,000 YEARS OF HISTORY ARE ON DISPLAY IN A SPECIALLY DESIGNED LOWER LEVEL EGYPTIAN GALLERY IN THE MAIN MUSEUM. TMA'S POPULAR MUMMIES RETURN TO PUBLIC VIEW FOR THIS EXPLORATION OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN BELIEFS ABOUT LIFE AND THE AFTERLIFE. BELIEVING THAT IF THEY LIVED GOOD LIVES THEY WOULD LIVE AGAIN IN A BETTER WORLD AFTER DEATH, EGYPTIANS SPENT GREAT EFFORT TO ENSURE THE PRESERVATION OF BOTH BODY AND SPIRIT. TOMBS WERE BUILT AS 'HOUSES OF ETERNITY', PLACES FOR LIVING AFTER DEATH WITH THE AID OF RITUAL PRAYERS, FOOD AND DRINK, AND ALL THE GOOD THINGS OF LIFE. THE EGYPT EXPERIENCE: SECRETS OF THE TOMB INTRODUCES VISITORS TO THE CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN THE LIVING AND THE DEAD THAT FORMED A FUNDAMENTAL PART OF LIFE IN EGYPT FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. SPECIALLY BUILT CHAPELS AND TOMB-LIKE SPACES DISPLAY ARTIFACTS FROM THE FUNERAL CEREMONIES AND FINAL RESTING PLACES OF BOTH ROYAL AND NON-ROYAL EGYPTIANS. VISITORS MEET A SERIES OF INDIVIDUAL EGYPTIANS AND LEARN ABOUT THEM FROM THE EVIDENCE OF THEIR TOMBS, MUMMIES, INSCRIBED BIOGRAPHERS AND PERSONAL POSSESSIONS. AMONG THEM ARE: COURT OFFICIAL AKHET-HOTEP, OVERSEER OF THE PALACE OF KING SNEFERU; RARAMU, PRIEST OF THE MORTUARY CULT OF KING KHUFU, AND HIS WIFE ANKHET; ZEZEN-NAKHT, HEREDITARY PRINCESS AND OVERSEER OF THE ARMY OF THE NINTH NOME; THE ROYAL PHYSICIAN AMUNHOTEP, CHIEF PHYSICIAN AND ROYAL SCRIBE OF KING RAMSES II; HENUT-WEDJEBU, SINGER IN THE TEMPLE OF AMUN AND HER HUSBAND HATIAY, GRANARY OVERSEER OF THE TEMPLE OF ATEN; AND TAMESIA, DAUGHTER OF TASHENANOUP, WHO WAS BURIED BY HER MOTHER. ELEGANTLY CARVED AND PAINTED SCULPTURES, THE COFFIN OF THE LADY ANKH-TESH, A BOAT MODEL, CANOPIC JARS, SHABTIS, AND BEAUTIFUL YET HEART-RENDERING GRAVE GIFTS ARE DISPLAYED IN THE DRAMATIC SERIES OF GALLERIES. OBJECTS FROM THE MUSEUM'S OWN ANTIQUITIES COLLECTION, ENHANCED BY BEAUTIFUL AND SIGNIFICANT LOANS FROM THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY ART MUSEUMS, THE FIELD MUSEUM AND THE ORIENTAL MUSEUM INSTITUTE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, AMONG OTHERS, REVEAL THE SECRETS OF THE TOMB.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.toledomuseum.org