SOTHEBY'S/PIASA TO SELL ICONIC FABIUS FRERES GALLERY COLLECTION

SOTHEBY'S ANNOUNCED TODAY THAT, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE AUCTION HOUSE PIASA, IT WILL SELL THE FABIUS FRERES GALLERY COLLECTION ON 18-19.OCTOBER IN PARIS. THE 400 SCULPTURES, PIECES OF FURNITURE, WORKS OF ART, DRAWINGS AND 19th CENTURY PAINTINGS, ESTIMATED TO SELL FOR €9 - 14 MILLION, WILL BE ON DISPLAY AT THE GALERIE CHARPENTIER FOR FIVE DAYS PRIOR TO THE SALE. THE FABIUS FRERES GALLERY IN KNOWN WORLDWIDE FOR THE EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY, CONDITION AND PROVENANCE OF WORKS OF ART IN THEIR COLLECTION. THE SELECTION OF SCULPTURE TO BE OFFERED REPRESENTS PERHAPS THE MOST IMPORTANT GROUP OF 19th CENTURY SCULPTURES EVER TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION AND INCLUDES WORKS BY TWO OF THE LEADING EUROPEAN SCULPTORS OF THEIR TIME, ANTOINE-LOUIS BARYE AND JEAN-BAPTISTE CARPEAUX. THE FURNITURE SECTION COMPRISES CLASSICAL 18th CENTURY AND MORE EXUBERANT CREATIONS FROM THE 19th CENTURY. THE CLASSICAL FURNITURE RANGES FROM THE PERIOD OF LOUIS XIV TO EMPIRE STYLE. FOR DECADES THE FABIUS FRERES GALLERY PROMOTED THE FURNITURE OF THE 19th CENTURY, INCLUDING WORKS BY MAJOR CABINETMAKERS SUCH AS GROHE OR DIEHL, AS WELL AS ASTONISHING NEO-RENAISSANCE CREATIONS. IN THE DECORATIVE ART SECTIONS, CERAMICS AND GLASS FROM THE FABIUS FRERES GALLERY COLLECTION ARE REPRESENTED WITH A RICH DIVERSITY OF PIECES, AND UNIQUE AND REFINED WORKS BY THEODORE DECK, EUGENE COLLINOT AND MAURICE MARINOT. THE COLLECTION BRINGS TO SALE AN INTERESTING GROUP OF PAINTINGS AND DRAWINGS BY THE SCULPTORS CARPEAUX AND BARYE, AS WELL AS SOME GREAT 19th CENTURY PORTRAITS, AND GENRE PAINTINGS BY CAROLUS-DURAN, JEAN BERAUD AND ADOLPHE YVON. FOUNDER OF ONE OF THE MOST PRESTIGIOUS PARISIAN ART GALLERIES, ELLE FABIUS BECAME ONE OF THE PRINCIPAL ACTORS OF THE ART MARKET FROM THE 1890s TO THE 1940s. PASSIONATE ABOUT NAPOLEON AND LAFAYETTE MEMORABILIA, AND OBJECTS OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, AS WELL AS SCULPTURE BY BARYE AND CARPEAUX, FABIUS BROUGHT THE 19th CENTURY STYLE BACK INTO FASHION. PIECES WHICH PASSED THROUGH HIS HANDS ARE NOW IN THE COLLECTIONS OF THE MOST IMPORTANT MUSEUMS IN FRANCE AND IN THE UNITED STATES. ELIE FABIUS' WORK WAS CARRIED ON FIRST BY HIS SONS AND THEN WITH THE SAME ELEGANCE AND PASSION BY HIS GRANDSON FRANCOIS, DECEASED IN 2006. SOTHEBY'S AND PIASA ARE VERY PROUD TO HAVE BEEN ENTRUSTED BY MRS ARMELLE FABIUS WITH THE SALE OF SUCH A PRESTIGIOUS COLLECTION.

A LA VIEILLE RUSSIE TO EXHIBIT AT TEFAF MAASTRICHT 2011

A LA VIEILLE RUSSIE, THE NEW YORK ART AND ANTIQUES GALLERY THAT COUNTS AMONG THE WORLD'S LEADERS IN ANTIQUE JEWELRY AND RUSSIAN WORKS OF ART, WILL EXHIBIT EXQUISITE ITEMS BY FABERGE, AS WELL AS A VERY RARE ENGLISH NECKLACE, AT THE TEFAF MAASTRICHT 2011, THE EUROPEAN FINE ART FAIR THAT OPENS ON 18.MARCH. AMONG THE HIGHLIGHTS ARE TWO ELEGANT ENAMEL FABERGE FRAMES, AS WELL AS A FRENCH 18th CENTURY LACQUER BOX, AND A VICTORIAN GARNET AND DIAMOND NECKLACE AND EARRINGS. OTHER HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE A GREAT COLLECTION OF RUSSIAN CLOISONNE ENAMEL, FEATURING SIGNIFICANT COMMEMORATIVE PIECES. 'WE ALWAYS BRING TOP REPRESENTATIVE EXAMPLES OF WHAT WE SELL IN THE GALLERY IN NEW YORK, WITH A FOCUS ON EUROPEAN ANTIQUE JEWELRY, SNUFF BOXES AND OBJECTS DE VERTU, AND OF COURSE FABERGE', SAID MARK SCHAFFER, A PARTNER IN A LA VIEILLE RUSSIE (ALVR) ALVR's STAND IS COMPLETELY RE-DESIGNED AND UPDATED, MEANT TO BE A JEWEL-LIKE MICROCOSM OF ITS NEW YORK SPACE. IN FACT, THIS YEAR IS ITS 17th EXHIBITING AT TEFAF, MAKING IT ONE OF THE LONGEST EXHIBITING US DEALERS AT THE FAIR. IN THE 160 YEARS SINCE ITS FOUNDING ALVR HAS BOUGHT A SOLD COUNTLESS FABERGE PIECES, INCLUDING MANY IMPERIAL EASTER EGGS. ALVR WAS KEY IN CREATING SOME OF THE LEADING FABERGE COLLECTIONS, INCLUDING THE FORBES MAGAZINE COLLECTION, NOW PARTIALLY OWNED BY VICTOR VEKSELBERG. OTHER CLIENTS INCLUDED GRAND DUCHESSES KSENIA AND OLGA, SISTERS OF NICHOLAS II, AND THE DUKE AND DUCHESS OF WINDSOR, AND KING FAROUK. WORKS FROM THE GALLERY ARE LOANED TO MUSEUMS AROUND THE WORLD AND EXHIBITED REGULARLY.

HISTORIC DOCUMENT DISCOVERED IN NEW ZEALAND STATUE

THE NEW ZEALAND EARTHQUAKE HAS EXPOSED POTENTIALLY HISTORIC DOCUMENT HIDDEN INSIDE A 19th CENTURY STATUE THAT TOPPLED IN THE RECENT DISASTER. CHRISTCHURCH MAJOR BOB PARKER SAID TUESDAY THAT A HANDWRITTEN PARCHMENT IN A BOTTLE AND A SEALED COPPER CYLINDER BELIEVED TO CONTAIN DOCUMENTS WERE DISCOVERED INSIDE THE STATUE OF THE CITY'S FOUNDER. THE STATUE IS IN THE CITY'S MAIN SQUARE NEAR ITS HISTORIC CATHEDRAL. IT FELL DURING THE 22.FEBRUARY EARTHQUAKE THAT KILLED AT LEST 155 PEOPLE. MUSEUM EXPERTS WERE EXAMINING THE ITEMS. THEY APPEARED TO CONTAIN A MESSAGE FROM THE CITY'S FOUNDERS EXPRESSING THEIR VISION FOR IT. PARKER SAID: 'IT SEEMS ALMOST PROVIDENTIAL THAT THEY HAVE COME TO LIGHT NOW TO PROVIDE THE INSPIRATION WE NEED IN THIS MOST DIFFICULT TIME.'

REMBRANDT PORTRAIT BE OFFERED AT TEFAF MASSTRICHT ART FAIR

A REMBRANDT PORTRAIT, ONE OF THE LAST WORKS FROM THE DUTCH MASTER'S LATE CAREER STILL IN PRIVATE HANDS, WILL BE OFFERED FOR SALE AT THE TEFAF MASSTRICHT ART FAIR LATER THIS YEAR FOR $47 MILLION. 'PORTRAIT OF A MAN WITH ARMS AKIMBO' WAS UNDER THE AUCTIONEER'S HAMMER AS RECENTLY AS 2009, WHEN IT FETCHED AN ARTIST RECORD PRICE OF $33 MILLION, AT CHRISTIE'S LONDON. THE BUYER AT THE TIME WAS REPORTED TO BE CASINO OWNER STEVE WYNN, ALTHOUGH OTHERS, INCLUDING MANHATTAN DEALER OTTO NAUMANN, WERE INTERESTED, ACCORDING TO THE NEW YORK TIMES. IT IS NAUMANN WHO IS NOW EXHIBITING THE WORK AT THE FAIR, ACCORDING TO PR COMPANY CAWDELL DOUGLAS, WHICH REPRESENTS TEFAF. THE EVENT RUNS FROM 18-27.MARCH. SINCE 2009, IT HAS BEEN 'TRANSFORMED BY CLEANING AND CAN NOW BE SEEN IN ITS FULL GLORY', A CAWDELL DOUGLAS STATEMENT SAID. ART EXPERTS SAID THE SHARPLY HIGHER ASKING PRICE COULD REFLECT BOTH THE CLEANING PROCESS AND THE FACT THAT THE ART MARKET VALUES HAVE SOARED IN 2010 DURING WHICH SEVERAL RECORDS WERE SET. THE PAINTING, EXECUTED IN 1658, DATES TO ONE OF THE MOST DIFFICULT PERIODS OF THE ARTIST'S CAREER. HE HAD ENJOYED SUCCESS AFTER ARRIVING IN AMSTERDAM IN THE EARLY 1630s, BUT HIS EXPENSIVE LIFESTYLE AND FINANCIAL MISMANAGEMENT LED TO BANKRUPTCY IN 1656. HIS ART COLLECTION, OTHER POSSESSIONS AND HOUSE WERE SOLD AND THERE APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN FEW COMMISSIONS FOR PAINTINGS TO PROVIDE INCOME. APART FROM PORTRAIT OF A MAN WITH ARMS AKIMBO, ONLY ONE OTHER FULL-SCALE WORK IS KNOWN FROM 1658. TEFAF 2011 WILL SHOWCASE MORE THAN 30,000 WORKS OF ART FROM AROUND THE WORLD FROM OVER 260 EXHIBITORS.

GALERIE MICHAEL SCHULTZ PRESENTS AN EXHIBITION OF WOLFGANG JOOP WORKS

WITH THE ARTISTIC WORK OF WOLFGANG JOOP, GALERIE MICHAEL SCHULTZ PRESENTS AN ASPECT OF THIS CREATIVE MULTI-VERSATILE GENIUS WHICH IS STILL LESS HEARD OF, AS OPPOSED TO HIS WORLD FAME AS A DESIGNER. FOR MORE THAN TEN YEARS NOW, THE ARTIST WHO COMPLETED HIS STUDIOS FOR FINE ARTS AT HOCHSCHULE FUR BILDENDE KUNSTE BRAUNSCHWEIG HAS ALSO BEEN INVOLVED WITH SCULPTURE. HIS COMPLETE BODY OF WORK STANDS OUT DUE TO INTUITION AND THE ULTIMATE MANUAL PERFECTION. THEY ACHIEVED THIS IN QUITE DIFFERENT GENRES OF FINE AND APPLIED ARTS, ALWAYS WITH THE SAME PRECISION THAT CHARACTERIZES HIS WORKS SO DISTINCTLY. FOR JOOP'S THINKING IN TERMS OF GESAMTKUNSTWERK (TOTAL WORK OF ART) THIS APPLIES TO FASHION AS IT DOES FOR EXPRESSING MYTHS, POETRY AND DEATH. THE SCULPTURAL AND TEXTILE WORKS SHOWN IN THE EXHIBITION, WITHIN THEIR STRONG MATERIAL OPPOSITES, FORGE A UNIT IN THEMSELVES, AT FIRST GLANCE BY THEIR WEIGHT. ALTHOUGH, THE SPIRITUAL SUBJECT EXCEEDINGLY UNIFIES THEM HARMONIOUSLY INTO AN ENTITY WITH REGARDS TO CONTENT. WOLFGANG JOOP DOES NOT SHY AWAY FROM PATHOS. WHOEVER CALLS POTSDAM HIS HOME DOES KNOW ABOUT THE POWER OF CLASSICIST INFLUENCES ALL AROUND SACSSOUCI PALACE. BUT WITH THESE ELEMENTS, JOOP INITIATES A DIALOG BETWEEN TRADITION AND EXPERIMENT THAT ACCOMPLISHES MATERIALIZATION WHILE BEING BORN FROM DREAMS. HE WORKS WITH STRONG PICTORIAL QUOTES WHICH COMMEMORATE OF CHRISTIAN AND MYTHOLOGICAL ICONS, SUCH AS THE VEIL OF VERONIKA, OR THE LEGENDARY ANCIENT NIKE OF SAMOTHRACE WHOSE GIANT WINGS ADORN THE LOUVRE TODAY. 'ANGELS ARE CONSOLATORY MESSENGERS BETWEEN MAN AND GOD', THE ARTIST SAYS. HIS ANGELS OCCASIONALLY SCREAM OUT OF LONELINESS AND PAIN THOUGH, OR THEY APPEAR LIKE DEMONS WITH THEIR SOCRATIC FACIAL FEATURES, REMINDING RATHER OF KNOWING HERMES AND THEREFORE READABLE ALSO AS SIGN POSTS THAN AS GRAVE STELES, ESPECIALLY WHEN THEIR SEXUAL AFFILIATION DOES NOT MAKE ITSELF ACCESSIBLE IMMEDIATELY TO THE BEHOLDER.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.galerie-schultz.de

HAMMER GALERIES TO PRESENT 'RENOIR' EXHIBITION

HAMMER GALLERIES, NEW YORK, PRESENTS AN IMPORTANT EXHIBITION OF TEH WORLD RENOWNED FRENCH IMPRESSIONIST ,ASTER PIERRE-AUGUSTE RENOIR FOR ITS INAUGURAL EXHIBITION AT ITS PARK AVENUE LOCATION. RENOIR, CURATED BY GALLERY PRESIDENT AND DIRECTOR HOWARD SHAW, FOCUSES ON THE SECOND HALF OF RENOIR'S DYNAMIC SIXTY YEAR LONG CAREER, A PRODUCTIVE, YET OFTEN OVERLOOKED PERIOD, RECENTLY TEH SUBJECT OF A MAJOR EXHIBITION, RENOIR IN THE 20th CENTURY (GRAND PALAIS, PARIS; LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART AND TEH PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART). RENOIR FEATURES 25 OILS AND PASTELS, RANGING IN DATE FROM THE MID 1880s-1912. FOCUSING ON KEY WORKS FROM TEH LAST THIRTY YEARS OF TEH ARTIST'S LIFE, HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE LARGE OILS AND PASTELS OF CLOSE FAMILY MEMBERS, PORTRAITS OF YOUNG WOMEN AND CLASSICAL NUDES AND BATHERS. LES LAVEUSES IS A MAGNIFICENT EXAMPLE OF RENOIR'S FAVORITE THEME WHICH DOMINATED HIS LATER WORKS, THAT OF FEMALE FIGURES DEPICTED IN A NATURAL ENVIRONMENT. OTHER WORKS INCLUDE, CLAUDE RENOIR DESSINANT AND FEMME AU FAUTEUIL VERT EACH HIGHLIGHTING THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY AND DOMESTIC LIFE WHICH RENOIR GREW TO GREATLY CHERISH IN HIS LATER YEARS. AS RENOIR'S INTERESTS TURNED FROM CAPTURING TEH FLEETING MOMENTS OF MODERN URBAN LIFE, TO THE PURSUIT OF TIMELESS, CLASSICAL SUBJECTS, SPECIFICALLY THE THEME OF THE FEMALE NUDE, HIS FOCUS SHIFTED TO CLASSICAL THEMES INSPIRED BY TEH TRADITION OF RAPHAEL, TITIAN AND RUBENS AS WELL AS THE PAINTERS OF THE FRENCH 18th CENTURY. HIS ENTHUSIASM FOR EXPLORING THEMES AND SUBJECTS BEYOND EXPRESSIONISM IS EVIDENT AS RENOIR STARTED IN 1913, 'I AM JUST LEARNING HOW TO PAINT', SIX YEARS BEFORE HE DIED AT AGE 78. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME RENOIR IS TEH FOCUS OF A SOLO EXHIBITION AT HAMMER GALLERIES, THE FIRST TAKING PLACE IN 1959 AND TEH SECOND IN 1984.

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.

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.

TOMASSO BROTHERS FINE ART PRESENTS SCULTURA III

A TENDER DEPICTION OF THE MADONNA AND CHILD WITH THE YOUNG ST JOHN THE BAPTIST BY BENEDETTO DA MAIANO IS AMONG THE MAJOR PIECES OF EUROPEAN SCULPTURES PRESENTED BY TOMASSO BROTHERS FINE ART, NEW YORK, IN THEIR THIRD ANNUAL NEW YORK EXHIBITION, SCULTURA III, AT OTTO NAUMANN, 22 EAST 80th STREET, FROM 21-31.OCTOBER. THE BEAUTIFULLY PRESERVED STUCCO RELIEF NOT ONLY RETAINS MOST OF ITS ORIGINAL POLYCHROME DECORATION BUT IS ALSO IN ITS ORIGINAL FRAME, AND HAS AN ASKING PRICE OF $225,000. BENEDETTO DA MAIANO WAS ONE OF THE MOST ACCOMPLISHED MARBLE SCULPTORS IN 15th CENTURY FLORENCE, WHOSE WORKS INFLUENCED SUCH HIGH RENAISSANCE ARTISTS AS ANDREA SANSOVINO AND MICHELANGELO. DA MAIANO WAS ASSOCIATED WITH ANTONIO ROSSELLINO AND CONTINUED HIS TRADITION OF FINE MARBLE CARVING FOR CHAPELS, TOMBS, PULPITS AND PORTRAIT-BUSTS. NARRATIVE RELIEFS WERE BENEDETTO'S FORTE, FOR EXAMPLE THOSE ON THE PULPIT OF SANTA CROCE, FLORENCE, AND HE PRODUCED MANY CHARMING COMPOSITIONS OF THE VIRGIN AND CHILD. THE EXTREMELY SKILLFUL LEVEL OF PAINTING ON THE RELIEF SUGGESTS IT WAS BY THE RENOWNED NERI DI BICCI. THE VIRGIN'S CLOTHING HAS STAMPED ORNAMENTS TO ENLIVEN THE GILDING, COMPARABLE WITH THOSE USED ON PANEL PAINTINGS OF THE PERIOD, WHILE OTHER TEXTILES HAVE BEEN PAINTED IN THE TECHNIQUE KNOWN AS AL ESTOFADO, WHEREBY CERTAIN AREAS OF GILDING WERE COVERED WITH FINE LINES OF WAX SO THAT WHEN THE RED PAINT WAS APPLIED OVER THE VIRGIN'S DRESS, OR GREYISH WHITE OVER HER VEIL, THE WEAVE OF THE FABRIC WAS REVEALED AS THE WAX WAS REMOVED. ELSEWHERE AN ALTERNATIVE TECHNIQUE OF DELICATE SCRATCHING WAS USED, FOR EXAMPLE ON THE GREEN HEM OF THE VIRGIN'S GOLDEN CLOAK, AND THE CLOTH IN WHICH SHE HOLDS THE BABY JESUS.

PAUL STOLPER GALLERY PRESENTS 'TEH SOULS' BY DAMIEN HIRST

PAUL STOLPER AND OTHER CRITERIA PRESENT THE LAUNCH OF 'THE SOULS' BY DAMIEN HIRST. FOR THIS LANDMARK PROJECT, HIRST HAS INTENSIFIED HIS CAREER-LONG FASCINATION WITH BEAUTY, FRAGILITY AND SYMBOLISM OF BUTTERFLIES TO CREATE A SPECTACULAR AND MULTI-ALLUSIVE EVOCATION OF MORALITY. MORE THAN THAT OF ANY CONTEMPORARY ARTIST, AND IN A MODERN LINEAGE THAT INCLUDES THE WORKS OF ANDY WARHOL AND FRANCIS BACON, THE ART OF DAMIEN HIRST CONFRONTS THE BALANCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH, VANITY AND TRANSIENCE, VALUE AND WORTH, FAITH AND EXISTENTIAL ALIENATION WITHIN A VISCERAL AND TERRIFYING IMMEDIACY. HIRST'S CHOICES OF MEDIA, HIS INNOVATIONS WITHIN THEM AND THE SHEER SCALE ON WHICH HE WORKS, ARE INTEGRAL TO THE PHILOSOPHICAL DEPTH AND EMPATHETIC CHARGES OF HIS ART; AND TO THIS END, HIRST HAS ALWAYS PIONEERED IN HIS WORK THE USES, AESTHETICS AND ALLEGORICAL MEANINGS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, AS WELL AS REFINING A HIGHLY SOPHISTICATED ENGAGEMENT WITH CRAFT AND TECHNIQUE. TO REALIZE 'THE SOULS', HIRST HAS FILLED THE PAUL STOLPER GALLERY WITH 120 FRAMED, FOIL BLOCK BUTTERFLY PRINTS. IN TOTAL 'THE SOULS' IS MADE UP OF 4 BUTTERFLIES, IN 80 DIFFERENT COLOURWAYS, EACH ONE IN AN EDITION OF 15. VIBRANT WITH HUE, THE FINISHED EFFECT OF EACH PRINT IS THAT OF A RESONANT TENSION BETWEEN THE STILLNESS OF DEATH AND THE TREMBLING, IRIDESCENT LIFE THAT THE INDIVIDUAL BUTTERFLIES CONVEY. 'THE SOULS' IS THEREFORE QUINTESSENTIALLY HIRSTIAN, COMBING THE IMPACT OF VISUAL SPECTACLE WITH POWERFULLY ELOQUENT CONFLUENCE OF MEDIUM AND VISUAL LANGUAGE. HIRST'S FASCINATION WITH BUTTERFLIES DERIVES IN LARGE PART FROM THE WAY IN WHICH THESE BEAUTIFUL INSECTS EMBODY BOTH THE BEAUTY AND THE IMPERMANENCE OF LIFE, BECOMING SYMBOLS OF FAITH AND MORALITY. OF 'THE SOULS' HE HAS SAID: 'I LOVE BUTTERFLIES BECAUSE WHEN THEY ARE DEAD THEY LOOK ALIVE. THE FOIL BLOCK MAKES THE BUTTERFLIES HAVE A FEEL SIMILAR TO THE ACTUAL BUTTERFLIES IN THE WAY THAT THEY REFLECT THE LIGHT. AFTER 'THE DEAD' I HAD TO DO THE BUTTERFLIES BECAUSE YOU CAN'T HAVE ONE WITHOUT THE OTHER.'

TASENDE GALLERY PRESENTS 'BOTERO IN LOS ANGELES'

NEW WORK BY FERNANDO BOTERO IS THE SUBJECT OF THE EXHIBIT BOTERO IN LOS ANGELES PRESENTED BY TASENDE GALLERY, WEST HOLLYWOOD, THROUGH 15.SEPTEMBER THROUGH 30.OCTOBER. THE NINE PAINTINGS, SIX DRAWINGS AND FOUR SCULPTURES COMPRISING THE SHOW WERE CREATED DURING THE LAST FEW YEARS. THEY INCLUDE FAMILY PORTRAITS, CIRCUS THEMES, WOMEN, HORSES AND STILL LIFES. EARLY IN HIS CAREER BOTERO FOUND INSPIRATION IN THE WORK OF RENAISSANCE PAINTER PIERO DELLA FRANCESCA. 'THE WAY IN WHICH THIS GREAT ARTIST ACHIEVED FULLNESS OF FORM, SPATIAL ORGANIZATION AND PERFECT CHROMATIC HARMONY ASTONISHED ME...COLOUR MARRIED WITH FORM TO TRANSMUTE INTO AN IDEAL ABSTRACTION.' VOLUME SUGGESTED BY FORM IS THE ESSENCE OF THE ARTIST'S PAINTING AND SCULPTURE. IN HIS CATALOG ESSAY, PETER SELZ DESCRIBED THE ARTIST'S STYLE: 'FOR BOTERO HIS UNIQUE PLASTIC DISTORTION BECAME HIS PERSONAL STYLE. ITS CALM AND VOLUMINOUS MONUMENTALITY TO WHICH HE REFERS AS 'SENSUAL EXUBERANCE' REMAINED A CONTRAST THAT HE EMPLOYED. NO MATTER WHAT THE SUBJECT.'

MARLBOROUGH GALLERY PRESENTS A DALE CHILHULY EXHIBITION

MARLBOROUGH GALLERY PRESENTS AN IMPORTANT EXHIBITION OF NEW YORK BY RENOWNED SCULPTOR AND GLASS ARTIST DALE CHILHULY WILL OPEN AT MALBOROUGH CHELSEA ON 16.SEPTEMBER AND CONTINUE THROUGH 16.OCTOBER. CALLED THE 'GREATEST LIVING MASTER OF THE ANCIENT MEDIUM OF GLASS', THIS WILL BE CHILHULY'S FIRST GALLERY EXHIBITION IN NEW YORK SINCE 2006. ON THE OCCASION OF HIS FIRST CHOW AT MARLBOROUGH CHELSEA, CHILHULY WILL CREATE A SPECTACULAR SITE-SPECIFIC INSTALLATION ENTITLED CHELSEA PERSIANS FEATURING OVER ONE HUNDRED PERSIAN BLOWN GLASS ELEMENTS WHICH ARE OPEN, DISC LIKE FORMS WITH STRIATIONS (CALLED 'BODY WRAPS'). THE PERSIAN GLASS ELEMENTS ARE MOUNTED ON CURVILINEAR STAINLESS STEEL ARMATURES THAT DRAMATICALLY MOVE ACROSS THE WALLS, CEILINGS AND COLUMNS OF THE GALLERY. THE NEW ENVIRONMENTALLY-SCALED WORK FUNDAMENTALLY ALTERS THE ARCHITECTURAL SPACE THROUGH THE USE OF LIGHT, COLOUR, LINE AND GESTURE. IN ADDITION TO CHELSEA PERSIANS, CHILHULY WILL EXHIBIT A GROUP OF SILVERED SCULPTURES THAT CONTINUE HIS EXPLORATION OF GLASS AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH LIGHT AND REFLECTION. THE WORKS, SPECIFICALLY SILVERED VENETIAN WITH GOLD AMBER HORNS AND SILVERED VENETIAN WITH TRIO OF HORNS ARE ESSAYS IN LIGHT AND, ACCORDING TO THE ARTIST, WERE INSPIRED BY HIS SERIES GRANDE VENETIANS EXECUTED IN 2009. HE HAS ALSO APPLIED THE TECHNIQUE TO A SERIES OF JERUSALEM CYLINDERS, ALSO IN THE SHOW, TO GREAT EFFECT. CONCURRENT WITH MARLBOROUGH'S EXHIBITION, CHILHULY'S WORK CAN BE SEEN IN NUMEROUS SOLO SHOWS AT MUSEUMS ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, INCLUDING AT THE FREDERICK MEIJER GARDEN AND SCULPTURE PARK IN GRAND RAPIDS THROUGH 30.SEPTEMBER AND THE CHEEKWOOD GARDENS AND THE FRIST CENTER FOR THE ARTS, BOTH IN NASHVILLE, ON VIEW THROUGH 2.JANUARY.2011.

GOGASIAN GALLERY TO OPEN IN PARIS

ON 20.OCTOBER GAGOSIAN WILL INAUGURATE A NEW GALLERY IN PARIS. GAGOSIAN GALLERY OF PARIS IS LOCATED IN THE 8tH ARRONDISSEMENT, BETWEEN AVENUE MATIGNON AND THE CHAMPS ELYSEES, IN WHAT IN KNOWN AS THE 'TRIANGLE D'OR'. OCCUPYING 900 SQUARE METERS ON FOUR LEVELS, IT HAS OVER 350 SQUARE METERS DEDICATED TO PUBLIC EXHIBITION SPACE ON TWO FLOORS. THE SECOND FLOOR WILL BE USED AS A 'PROJECT SPACE' WHERE SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS AND COLLABORATIVE PROJECTS WILL BE PRESENTED. ONE OF THE GALLERY'S OUTSTANDING FEATURES IT ITS RECTANGULAR MAIN GALLERY MEASURING 12 METERS BY 9 METERS WITH A CIRCA 5 METERS HIGH AND A SKYLIGHT OF 6.50 BY 3.50 METERS. THE GALLERY WAS DESIGNED BY THE PARIS BASED ARCHITECT JEAN-FRANCOIS BODIN IN COLLABORATION WITH THE LONDON BASED PRACTICE CARUSO ST JOHN. THE RENOVATION OS THE FORMER HOTEL PARTICULAR HAS TRANSFORMED THE SPACE INTO A STATE OF THE ART CONTEMPORARY GALLERY WHILE RETAINING ITS DISTINCTIVE PARISIAN CHARACTER. LARRY GAGOSIAN SAID: 'I LOVE THE CITY OF PARIS AND AM DELIGHTED TO BE OPENING A GALLERY HERE. IT IS AN HISTORICAL CAPITAL OF ART AND IS RECLAIMING ITS POSITION WITHIN THE INTERNATIONAL ART CIRCUIT THROUGH ITS HIGH QUALITY MUSEUM EXHIBITIONS AND A GROWING ART MARKET.' OPENED IN 1979 IN LOS ANGELES BY LARRY GAGOSIAN, GAGOSIAN GALLERY IS CONSIDERED AS ONE OF THE WORLD'S FOREMOST MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERIES. WITH THE ADDITION OF THE PARIS GALLERY, THERE ARE NOW NINE GALLERIES WORLDWIDE, INCLUDING THREE IN NEW YORK, ONE IN BEVERLY HILLS, TWO IN LONDON, ONE IN ROME AND ONE IN ATHENS.

EUROPA GALLERY PRESENTS 'A CENTURY OF OLYMPIC POSTER'

'A CENTURY OF OLYMPIC POSTER', WHICH FEATURES MORE THAN 100 POSTERS CHARTING THE HISTORY OF THE OLYMPIC GAMES, WILL BE ON DISPLAY IN THE EUROPA GALLERY IN SUTTON'S CENTRAL LIBRARY DURING SEPTEMBER AND OCTOBER. DRAWN FROM THE VICTORIA AND ALBERT MUSEUM'S INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED COLLECTION OF POSTERS, THE EXHIBITION INCLUDES MANY RARE AND BEAUTIFUL EXAMPLES, MOST OF WHICH ARE DISPLAYED TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME. THE FREE EXHIBITION, WHICH HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN DISPLAYED IN BEIJING AND WILL BE MOVING ON TO OTHER INTERNATIONAL VENUES, WILL ALSO FEATURE OLYMPIC MEMORABILIA, INCLUDING THE OLYMPIC TORCH FROM THE 1948 GAMES IN LONDON. IT IS BEING HELD TO COINCIDE WITH THE BUILD UP TO LONDON 2012. HIGHLIGHTS WILL INCLUDE THE PIONEERING OFFICIAL OLYMPIC POSTER PRODUCED FOR THE 1912 STOCKHOLM OLYMPICS, AND IMPORTANT WORKS BY DAVID HOCKNEY, R B KITAJ, ANDY WARHOL AND VICTOR VASARELY. ALSO FEATURED IS FRANZ WURBEL'S DESIGN FOR THE BERLIN OLYMPICS IN 1936, WHERE JESSE OWENS WON FOUR GOLD MEDALS AND A SOVIET ERA DESIGN FOR THE 1980 MOSCOW GAMES. AS WELL AS THE DESIGNS FOR THE SUMMER GAMES, THERE WILL BE WINTER OLYMPIC POSTERS AND PROTEST POSTERS AND DESIGNS USED BY CITIES TO SUPPORT THEIR BIDS TO HOST THE GAMES. THE POSTERS' BROAD POPULAR APPEAL AND ABILITY TO RELAY MESSAGES THROUGH EYE-CATCHING AND MEMORABLE IMAGERY MEANS THAT MANY OF THEM ARE NOW PRIZED SOUVENIRS OR COLLECTIBLE WORKS OF ART AND DESIGN.

MORETTI FINE ART TO PRESENT 'BODY AND SOUL'

IN THEIR FIRST COLLABORATIVE EXHIBITION, TWO RENOWNED RENAISSANCE AND BAROQUE FINE ART SPECIALISTS, ANDREW BUTTERFIELD OF ANDREW BUTTERFIELD FINE ARTS AND FABRIZIO MORETTI OF MORETTI FINE ART, WILL PRESENT 'BODY AND SOUL: MASTERPIECES OF ITALIAN RENAISSANCE AND BAROQUE SCULPTURE' FROM 21.OCTOBER THROUGH 18.NOVEMBER AT MORETTI FINE ART, 24 EAST 80th STREET NEW YORK. 'WE ARE VERY PLEASED TO PRESENT THIS GROUP OF TWELVE RARE MASTERPIECES OF ITALIAN SCULPTURE, WHICH ARE ON VIEW FOR THE FIRST TIME', SAID ANDREW BUTTERFIELD. 'WE HAVE ASSEMBLED THE BEST OF THE BEST OF MUSEUM-QUALITY WORKS OF ART THAT REPRESENT THE EPITOME OF RENAISSANCE AND BAROQUE ARTISTRY.' ACCORDING TO BUTTERFIELD, SCULPTURE IS ONE AREA OF THE MARKET WHERE IT IS STILL POSSIBLE FOR A COLLECTOR TO ASSEMBLE A GREAT COLLECTION WORTHY OF A TOP INTERNATIONAL MUSEUM. THE WORKS THAT BUTTERFIELD AND MORETTI HAVE ACQUIRED FOR THE EXHIBITION, INCLUDE SCULPTURES BY RICCIO (THE SUBJECT OF A RECENT EXHIBITION AT THE FRICK COLLECTION), VERROCCHIO (LEONARDO DA VINCI'S TEACHER) AND ALGARDI, COMBINE IDEALISM AND NATURALISM OF FORM WITH INTENSITY AND DEPTH OF EXPRESSION. IN THE SELECTED WORKS THE ARTISTS AIMED TO GRASP NOT ONLY THE OUTER APPEARANCE BUT ALSO THE INNER LIFE OF THE FIGURES THEY REPRESENT, HENCE THE EXHIBITION'S TITLE, BODY AND SOUL. THE RANGE OF EMOTION DEPICTED IS EXTRAORDINARY, FROM THE PEACE AND SERENITY OF SANSOVIN'S CHARITY, LITERALLY AN EMBODIMENT OF DIVINE LOVE, TO THE FEAR AND ANGER OF VERROCCHIO'S MEDUSA, A MANIFESTATION OF OLYMPIAN TERROR. ONE OF THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE EXHIBITION IS MADONNA BY ANDREA RICCIO, A LIFE-LIKE SCULPTURE, WHICH IS THE FIRST SCULPTURE BY THE ARTIST TO BE REDISCOVERED IN MANY YEARS, AND IS THE FIRST WORK BY HIM IN TERRACOTTA TO COME ON THE MARKET SINCE THE THYSSEN MADONNA AND CHILD WAS ACQUIRED BY THE J PAUL GETTY MUSEUM IN 2002. 'THIS IS A SCULPTURE OF EXTRAORDINARY POWER', SAID BUTTERFIELD. 'IT IS LIKE A GREAT BELLINI MADONNA, ONLY IN 3-D.'

MAISON EUROPEENNE DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE TO PRESENT KARL LAGERFELD EXHIBITION

A STUNNING NEW EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHS BY CHANEL CREATIVE DIRECTOR KARL LAGERFELD IS OPENING IN PARIS THIS SEPTEMBER JUST IN TIME FOR THE CITY'S FASHION WEEK. THE SHOW AT THE MAISON EUROPEENNE DE LA PHOTOGRAPHIE IN THE HISTORIC HEART OF THE CITY WILL FEATURE A MIX OF FASHION PHOTOS, PORTRAITS, LANDSCAPES, ARCHITECTURAL IMAGES AND PERSONAL SHOTS, INCLUDING SEVERAL OF HIS LONGTIME MUSE, CLAUDIA SCHIFFER. LAGERFELD, WHO SHOOTS ALL OF CHANEL'S AD CAMPAIGNS HIMSELF, HAS PUBLISHED SEVERAL BOOKS OF HIS PHOTOGRAPHS, AND HAS HIS OWN ART PUBLISHING IMPRINT AND BOOK SHOP CALLED 7L. 'WHAT I ADMIRE MOST IS THE PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO HAVE GONE DOWN TO POSTERITY WITH A SINGLE IMAGE', THE DESIGNER TELLS LA PARISIENNE. 'AN IMAGE, I PREFER THIS WORD TO THE WORD PICTURE, WHICH WENT DOWN IN THE COLLECTIVE MEMORY OF THE CIVILIZED WORLD . . . TODAY THE PICTURE IS PART OF MY LIFE. IT CLOSES THE CIRCLE OF MY ARTISTIC AND PROFESSIONAL LIVES. I LOOK AT THE FASHION WORLD WITH THE EYE OF THE CAMERA. THIS GIVES MY WORK A BASIC CRITICAL DETACHMENT THAT HELPS MORE THAN I WOULD HAVE SUSPECTED.' THE EXHIBITION RUNS FROM 10.SEPTEMBER TO 15.OCTOBER.

JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY TO SELL ARTWORK TO BENEFIT OIL SPILL FAMILIES

JONATHAN FERRARA GALLERY, NEW ORLEANS, HAS ANNOUNCED A LIMITED UNIQUE EDITION PRINT BY ARTIST BRIAN BORRELLO THAT WILL BENEFIT THE EXPANSION OF RESOURCES AND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES AFFECTED BY THE BP OIL SPILL. BRIAN BORRELLO IS A PORTLAND-BASED ARTIST WHO WAS BORN AND RAISED IN NEW ORLEANS. BORRELLO IS WELL-KNOWN FOR HIS ENVIRONMENTAL WORKS AND PUBLIC ART PROJECTS. 'NEW ORLEANS SKYLINE' IS A HIGH-RESOLUTION DIGITAL PRINT ON ARCHIVAL PAPER WITH OIL COLLECTED FROM THE BP DEEPWATER HORIZON SPILL. BORRELLO HAS BEEN INTEGRATING MOTOR OIL AND OTHER MATERIALS OF A DEADLY BEAUTY IN HIS ARTWORK SINCE 1993. THE LIMITED UNIQUE EDITION PRINT WILL BE SOLD DIRECTLY FROM THE GALLERY WITH A PORTION OF THE PROCEEDS TO BENEFIT THE ST BERNARD PROJECT IN COLLABORATION WITH LSU HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHIATRY TO PROVIDE SERVICES FOR FAMILIES IMPACTED BY THE OIL SPILL.

CHARLES SAACHI DONATES COLLECTION TO THE NATION

CELEBRATED ART COLLECTOR CHARLES SAATCHI IS GIFTING MORE THAN 200 WORKS, INCLUDING TRACEY EMIN'S UNMADE BED, AND HIS SAATCHI GALLERY TO THE NATION. THE WORKS, BY ARTISTS INCLUDING MISS EMIN, JAKE 7 DINOS CHAPAM AND GRAYSON PERRY, ARE WORTH MORE THAN £25 MILLION. THE SAATCHI GALLERY I CHELSEA WILL BECOME THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, LONDON (MOCA LONDON). THE WORKS WILL BE DONATED TO THE MOCA LONDON FOUNDATION AND THE SAATCHI IS IN DISCUSSIONS WITH GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS, WHICH WOULD OWN THE COLLECTION ON BEHALF OF THE NATION. THE PERMANENT COLLECTION THAT SAATCHI IS GIFTING INCLUDES THE RICHARD WILSON OIL ROOM INSTALLATION AND EMIN'S SIGNATURE WORK 'MY BED'. THE CHAPMAN BROTHERS' WORK TRAGIC ANATOMIES, WITH MUTATED MANNEQUINS FROLICKING IN A GARDEN SETTING, LAST SEEN IN THE SENSATION EXHIBITION, WILL BE ANOTHER MAJOR HOLDING. THESE AND OTHER WORKS GIFTED TO THE GOVERNMENT WOULD BE LENT TO OTHER GALLERIES FOR EXHIBITION. A STATEMENT ISSUED ON THE COLLECTOR'S BEHALF SAID: 'SAATCHI'S VIEW IS THAT IT IS VITAL FOR THE MUSEUM ALWAYS TO BE ABLE TO DISPLAY A 'LIVING' AND EVOLVING COLLECTION OF WORK, RATHER THAN AN ARCHIVE OF ART HISTORY.' ALONGSIDE A PERMANENT COLLECTION, THE GIFT WILL INCLUDE SEVERAL WORKS THE MUSEUM CAN SELL, USING THE MONEY RAISED TO ACQUIRE NEW WORKS. NEW ACQUISITIONS WILL BE ADDED TO THE FOUNDATION'S HOLDINGS TO ENABLE THE MUSEUM TO REMAIN INVOLVED IN SPEARHEADING THE 'NEWEST DEVELOPMENTS IN CONTEMPORARY ART'. THIS WOULD CONTINUE IN THE TRADITIONS FOLLOWED BY THE SAATCHI GALLERY SINCE IT BEGAN PRESENTING PUBLIC EXHIBITIONS A QUARTER OF A CENTURY AGO. THE LONDON GALLERY SAT IN FIRST PLACE OUT OF THE UK ATTRACTIONS IN A RECENT LEAGUE TABLE OF GLOBAL EXHIBITION AND MUSEUM ATTENDANCE FIGURES CARRIED OUT BY THE ART NEWSPAPER. THE STATEMENT SAID THE SAATCHI GALLERY'S MANAGEMENT TEAM WILL ENSURE THAT THE MUSEUM WILL CONTINUE TO BE FREE TO THE PUBLIC, AND RUN AS IT IS TODAY BY SECURING SPONSORSHIP, AND BY USING REVENUES FROM ITS FACILITIES AND EVENTS. THE MUSEUM WILL AIM TO CONTINUE COLLABORATIONS WITH OTHER GALLERIES IN THE UK AND AROUND THE WORLD, INCLUDING THE STATE HERMITAGE IN ST PETERSBURG, RUSSIA, FOR WHICH IT HAS PRODUCED EXHIBITIONS OF RECENT US AND UK ART.

HAY HILL GALLERY TO PRESENT WARHOL EXHIBITION

FIFTY IMPORTANT WORKS BY ANDY WARHOL ARE ON VIEW AT THE HAY HILL GALLERY, LONDON, THIS SUMMER. THE EXHIBITION OFFERS A RARE AND FASCINATING INSIGHT INTO WARHOL'S CREATIVE MIND AND WORKING PROCESSES, WITH AN UNPRECEDENTED NUMBER OF WORKS JUXTAPOSED WITH THEIR PREPARATORY DRAWINGS. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE A UNIQUE COLLECTION OF ANDY WARHOL'S INDIANS (NATIVE AMERICANS)(1986), EXHIBITED ALONGSIDE THE WORKING DRAWINGS. THESE SEVENTEEN WORKS OF ART FORM AN IMPORTANT PART OF WARHOLS' OEUVRE. THEY PROVIDE A ROUNDED STUDY OF WARHOL'S GRAPHS PROCESS IN THE 1980s AND A FITTING MANIFESTATIONS OF HIS LATER OBSESSION WITH AMERICAN CULTURE, PARTICULARLY THE STORIES, MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF THE AMERICAN WEST. BASED ON PUBLICITY AND ARCHIVAL PHOTOGRAPHS AS WELL AS POSTCARDS, WARHOL ROMANTICIZES STEREOTYPED AND EXPLOITED IMAGES OF AMERICAN INDIANS INCLUDING MOTHER AND CHILD, INDIAN HEAD NICKELS, PLAIN INDIAN SHIELD, KACHINA DOLLS, SITTING BULL, GERONIMO AND NORTHWEST COAST MASK. THERE IS ALSO A RANGE OF HIGHLY COLLECTIBLE WORKS INCLUDING THE SCREAM (AFTER EDVARD MUNCH)(1984), PART OF A SERIES OF WORKS BASED ON THE PAINTINGS OF THE NORWEGIAN ARTIST, AND SHADOWS (1978), FROM WARHOL'S MONUMENTAL SHADOWS SERIES. IN THE 1970s WARHOL EMBARKED ON A REMARKABLE AND AMBITIOUS PROJECT, CREATING 102 PAINTINGS BASED ON EIGHT PHOTOGRAPHS OF SHADOWS THAT HE HAD TAKEN IN HIS STUDIO. THE RESULT IS A COMPELLING AND ALMOST HYPNOTIC SERIES, DRIFTING INTO THE ABSTRACT.
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PHOTOGRAPHERS' GALLERY PRESENTS 'THE FAMILY AND THE LAND: SALLY MANN'

AN OUTSTANDING NEW EXHIBITION AT THE PHOTOGRAPHERS' GALLERY IN LONDON IS AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER SALLY MANN'S FIRST SOLO EXHIBITION IN THE UK. COMBINING SEVERAL SERIES FROM HER LONG PHOTOGRAPHIC CAREER, 'THE FAMILY AND THE LAND: SALLY MANN' REFLECTS MANN'S ARTISTIC IMPULSE TO DRAW ON THE WORLD AROUND HER AS SUBJECT MATTER. TEH 'FAMILY' ELEMENT OF THE TITLE COMPRISES MANN'S EARLY SERIES 'IMMEDIATE FAMILY' AND THE NEWER SERIES 'FACES', BOTH OF WHICH DEPICT HER CHILDREN AT VARIOUS AGES. THE SERIES DEEP SOUTH REPRESENTS THE LANDSCAPE, PORTRAYING IMAGES MADE ACROSS THE SOUTH. THE MORE RECENT BODY OF WORK, 'WHAT REMAINS' BRINGS TOGETHER BOTH STRANDS OF THE EXHIBITION, THROUGH ITS EXAMINATION OF HOW BODIES, AS THEY DECOMPOSE, MERGE INTO THE LAND ITSELF. SALLY MANN FIRST GAINED PROMINENCE FOR 'IMMEDIATE FAMILY' A SERIES OF INTIMATE AND REVEALING PORTRAITS OF HER THREE YOUNG CHILDREN, EMMETT, JESSIE AND VIRGINIA. TAKEN OVER A TEN-YEAR PERIOD, MANN DEPICTS THEM PLAYING, SWIMMING AND ACTING TO THE CAMERA IN AND AROUND THEIR HOMESTEAD IN LEXINGTON, VIRGINIA. BORN OUT OF A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS BETWEEN MOTHER AND CHILD, THE WORK ENCAPSULATES THEIR CHILDHOOD IN ALL ITS RAWNESS AND INNOCENCE. MANN FOLLOWED 'IMMEDIATE FAMILY' BY FOCUSING ON THE LAND ITSELF IN HER SERIES 'DEEP SOUTH'. HERE SHE IS DRAWN TO LOCATIONS STEEPED IN HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE FROM THE CIVIL WAR, WHICH LEFT BOTH LITERAL AND METAPHORIC SCARS ON THE TREES AND THE LAND ITSELF. USING ANTIQUE CAMERAS AND PROCESSES THROUGHOUT, MANN ACCENTUATES THE SENSE OF AGE IN THE SUBJECT WHILE EMBRACING THE IMPERFECT EFFECTS CREATED BY HER PRINTING PROCESS. 'WHAT REMAINS' SEEKS TO FURTHER CONNECT HUMAN CONTACT TO THE LAND AND HOW THE BODY EVENTUALLY RETURNS TO AND BECOMES A PART OF THE LAND ITSELF. THIS CONCEPT LED MANN TO PHOTOGRAPH DECOMPOSING CADAVERS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE ANTHROPOLOGICAL RESEARCH FACILITY, KNOXVILLE, WHERE HUMAN DECOMPOSITION IS STUDIED IN A VARIETY OF, MAINLY OUTDOOR, SETTINGS. WHAT REMAINS SEALS DIRECTLY WITH THE SUBJECT OF DEATH, STILL A SOCIAL TABOO. AS WITH HER OTHER WORK, MANN'S SUBJECTS ARE SENSITIVELY HANDLED AND BEAUTIFULLY PRESENTED, ENCOURAGING US TO REFLECT UPON OUR OWN MORTALITY AND PLACE WITHIN NATURE'S ORDER. IN THE MOST RECENT SERIES 'FACES', MANN TURNS THE CAMERA ONCE MORE ON HER CHILDREN. CLOSING IN ON THEIR FACES AND USING SEVERAL MINUTES OF EXPOSURE TIME, THESE WORKS ACT AS A COMMEMORATION OF THE LIVING. AGAIN MANN TAKES THE ACCIDENTAL DRIPS AND MARKS BY THE WET COLLODIAN PROCESS AND MAKES THEM A KEY FEATURE OF HER WORK.