DEBEERS TALISMAN ICE WATCH

DEBEERS HAS RECENTLY ADDED A NEW ADDITION TO THEIR ICONIC TALISMAN COLLECTION. THE NEWEST CREATION, DUBBED THE TALISMAN ICE WATCH IS FOR THOSE WHO TRULY APPRECIATE DIAMONDS. THE BESPOKE WATCH IS INSPIRED BY THE BEAUTY OF DIAMONDS AND THE WAY THEY WERE ORIGINALLY WORN AS SYMBOLS OF POWER AND BEARERS OF GOOD LUCK. THE BEJEWELED WATCH FEATURES ICY ROUGH WHITE DIAMONDS SIT WITHIN STUDDED POLISHED DIAMONDS, FLOATING ON A MESH OF WHITE GOLD. EACH ROUGH DIAMOND HAS BEEN PAINSTAKINGLY PICK TO CREATE THE LOOK OF THIS STUNNING TIMEPIECES. IN ALL, THE PRECIOUS CREATION BOASTS 445 DIAMONDS WEIGHING AN AMAZING 86.70 CARATS IN TOTALITY.

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.

SOTHEBY'S TO SELL SCULPTURES DISCOVERED IN IRELAND

ON 8.JULY IN A SALE OF EUROPEAN SCULPTURE AND WORKS OF ART, SOTHEBY'S, LONDON WILL OFFER THREE SPECTACULAR SCULPTURES RECENTLY DISCOVERED IN IRELAND. WHEN SOTHEBY'S SCULPTURE SPECIALIST ERIK BIJZET FIRST SAW THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE SCULPTURES THAT HAD BEEN BROUGHT INTO SOTHEBY'S DUBLIN OFFICE, HE WAS IMMEDIATELY STRUCK BY THEIR INTRINSIC QUALITY AND IMPORTANCE. CREATED IN 19th CENTURY ROME, THE WORKS ARE SEMINAL EXAMPLES OF NEO-CLASSICAL SCULPTURE AND PROVIDE A RARE OCCASION TO ACQUIRE FRESH TO THE MARKET PIECES IN MINT CONDITION. UNDOUBTEDLY, THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE GROUP OF THREE FIGURES IS AN EXCEPTIONAL SCULPTURE BY THE NORTHERN ARTIST RUDOLPH SCHADOW ENTITLED DIE SPINNERIN, ESTIMATED AT £120,000-180,000. THE MARBLE IS CONSIDERED TO BE THE ARTIST'S BREAKTHROUGH ACHIEVEMENT AND THE WORK WITH WHICH HIS REPUTATION RESTS. SCHADOW HAD ARRIVED IN ROME IN 1812 TO FULLY ABSORB THE LEGACY OF SCULPTURE FROM CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY AND WORK WITH THE MASTER ANTONIO CANOVA. THE SCULPTURE OF A YOUNG GIRL SPINNING WAS FIRST CONCEIVED IN 1816 AND SCHADOW WENT ON TO PRODUCE VERSIONS FOR SUCH EMINENT PATRONS AS THE THE PRUSSIAN KING, PRINCE LUDWIG OF BAVARIA, AMONG OTHERS. THE IRISH GRAND TOURIST HENRY PATTEN WAS ONE OF MANY WHO FOLLOWED THE FASHIONABLE EXAMPLE SET BY THE WEALTHY AS THEY TOURED EUROPE, COMMISSIONING WHILE ON THEIR TRAVELS WORKS OF ART FROM ARTISTS RESIDING ABROAD. PATTEN COMMISSIONED THE WORK IN 1819 FOR HIS HOUSE IN WESTPORT. THE TWO REMAINING SCULPTURES TO EMERGE FROM THE HOUSE ARE A PAIR OF MARBLE FIGURES, VENUS ITALICA AND HEBE, FROM THE WORKSHOP OF ANTONIO CANOVA. THEY WERE CARVED DURING CANOVA'S LIFETIME, A YEAR FOLLOWING PATTEN'S COMMISSION. THEY ARE ESTIMATED AT £60,000-80,000

MARLBOROUGH FINE ART PRESENTS PABLO PICASSO: CELEBRATING THE MUSE

MARLBOROUGH FINE ART, LONDON, IS PRESENTING AN IMPORTANT EXHIBITION OF PRINTS BY PABLO PICASSO CELEBRATING THE THEME OF WOMEN AS MUSE IN VARIOUS GRAPHIC MEDIA, RANGING FROM ETCHING AND DRYPOINT, LINOCUT AND LITHOGRAPHY. IT IS THE SECOND AND FINAL VENUE FOR THIS AMAZING SHOW, WHICH WAS HIGHLY ACCLAIMED BY THE NEW YORK TIMES DURING ITS INSTALLATION AT MALBOROUGH GALLERY, NEW YORK. IT IS THE FIRST COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF THE SUBJECT AS SPECIFICALLY DEPICTED IN PICASSO'S GRAPHIC OEUVRE. THE FEATURES WORKS SPANNING HIS ENTIRE CAREER FROM HIS FIRST PRINT, LE REPAS FRUGAL, TO SELECTIONS FROM THE TOUR DE FORCE OF HIS LATE PERIOD, THE SUITE 347 OF 1968.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.marlboroughfineart.com

SMITHSONIAN CASTLE PRESENTS 'READ MY PINS: THE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT COLLECTION'

A UNIQUE TRAVELING EXHIBITION OF JEWELRY FROM THE PERSONAL COLLECTION OF MADELEINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER US SECRETARY OF STATE, WILL RECENTLY OPENED AT THE SMITHSONIAN CASTLE. 'READ MY PINS: THE MADELEINE ALBRIGHT COLLECTION' FEATURES MORE THAN 200 PINS, MANY OF WHICH SHE WORE TO COMMUNICATE MESSAGES DURING HER DIPLOMATIC TENURE. THE EXHIBIT EXAMINES THE COLLECTION FOR ITS HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE AND THE EXPRESSIVE POWER OF JEWELRY AND ITS ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE THROUGH A STYLE AND LANGUAGE OF ITS OWN. THE EXHIBITION WILL BE ON VIEW THROUGH 11.OCTOBER. WHEN SHE WAS NAMED THE FIRST FEMALE SECRETARY OF STATE IN 1997, ALBRIGHT BECAME, AT THAT TIME, THE HIGHEST RANKING WOMAN IN THE HISTORY OF THE US GOVERNMENT. WHILE SERVING UNDER PRESIDENT CLINTON, FIRST AS US AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED NATIONS AND THEN AS SECRETARY OF STATE, SHE BECAME BEST KNOWN FOR WEARING PINS THAT CONVEYED HER VIEWS ABOUT THE SITUATION AT HAND. 'I FOUND THAT JEWELRY HAD BECOME PART OF MY PERSONAL DIPLOMATIC ARSENAL', ALBRIGHT SAID. 'WHILE PRESIDENT GEORGE HW BUSH HAD BEEN KNOWN FOR SAYING 'READ MY LIPS', I BEGAN URGING COLLEAGUES AND REPORTERS TO 'READ MY PINS'. A HIGHLIGHT OF THE EXHIBITION INCLUDES A BROOCH THAT BEGAN ALBRIGHT'S USE OF PINS AS A DIPLOMATIC TOOL. AFTER SADDAM HUSSEIN'S PRESS REFERRED TO HER AS AN 'UNPARALLELED SERPENT', SHE WORE A GOLDEN SNAKE BROOCH PINNED TO HER SUIT FOR HER NEXT MEETING ON IRAQ. THE EXHIBITION FEATURES THE FAMOUS SNAKE BROOCH AMONG OTHER PINS WITH SIMILAR STORIES, SOME ASSOCIATED WITH IMPORTANT WORLD EVENTS, OTHERS GIFTS FROM INTERNATIONAL LEADERS OR VALUED FRIENDS. IN ADDITION, THE EXHIBITION SHOWCASES A GROUP OF AMERICAN PINS THAT ARE AT THE CENTER OF ALBRIGHT'S COLLECTION.

BANKSY 'RAT' ART STOLEN IN MELBOURNE

THIEVES HAVE STOLEN A VALUABLE PAINTING OF A RAT CARRYING A SUITCASE, BY THE ANONYMOUS GRAFFITI ARTIST BANKSY, FROM A METER BOX OUTSIDE A HOUSE IN THE AUSTRALIAN CITY OF MELBOURNE, POLICE SAID THURSDAY. POLICE SAID THE UNIQUE ARTWORK WAS STOLEN BETWEEN 24.APRIL AND 15.MAY FROM THE DOOR OF A METER BOX OUTSIDE THE MELBOURNE HOME OF UNDERWEAR DESIGNER MITCH DOWD, BUT THE THEFT WAS ONLY DISCOVERED RECENTLY BECAUSE DOWD HAD BEEN OUT OF TOWN. THE THEFT CAME SHORTY AFTER THE VALUE OF THE ARTIST'S WORK HIT THE HEADLINES WHEN STREET CLEANERS IN MELBOURNE PAINTED OVER A STENCIL OF A RAT BY BANKSY ELSEWHERE IN THE CITY. DOWD SAID IT WAS DISAPPOINTING THAT THIEVES HAD TARGETED THE ARTWORK BY THE SECRETIVE BANKSY, ONE OF THE WORLD'S TOP STREET ARTISTS WHOSE REAL IDENTITY REMAINS UNKNOWN. 'THE HOUSE FACES RIGHT ONTO THE PAVEMENT SO EVERYONE WOULD WALK BY AND SEE IT ALL THE TIME AND NOW ALL THAT'S THERE IS A BLACK BOX', DOWD SAID IN A RECENT STATEMENT. BANKSY IS FAMOUS FOR ILLEGAL OUTDOOR GRAFFITI, INCLUDING PAINTING THE WEST BANK BARRIER AND LEAVING A LIFE-SIZE FIGURE OF A GUANTANAMO BAY DETAINEE AT CALIFORNIA THEME PARK DISNEYLAND. FROM A SMALL-TIME GRAFFITI ARTIST TO A GLOBAL STAR, BANKSY'S WORK HAS BECOME SO VALUABLE THAT SEVERAL OF HIS STREET WORKS HAVE BEEN SALVAGED AND SOLD, INCLUDING A PAINTING ON A LONDON WALL THAT FETCHED $340,000 IN 2008.

LIMITED EDITION GOYARD BOOK

FRENCH TRUNK MAKER GOYARD HAS RECENTLY RELEASED A STUNNING BOOK WITH PUBLISHER DEVAMBEZ WHICH ILLUSTRATES THE BRAND'S HERITAGE. THE GOYARD BOOK FEATURES MORE THAN 200 PAGES FEATURING PHOTOGRAPHS AND DESCRIPTIONS OF ALL THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENTS BY GOYARD SINCE STARTING IN 1792. THE BOOK COMES IN A SPECIALLY DESIGNED MADE TO ORDER GOYARD TRUNK AVAILABLE IN ANY OF GOYARD'S STANDARD COLOURS. ONLY 233 EDITIONS WILL BE PRINTED AND IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE THROUGH PRIVATE APPOINTMENT ONLY.