HIGH MUSEUM OF ART PRESENTS 'SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORK'

A NEW EXHIBITION OPENING EXCLUSIVELY IN ATLANTA EXPLORES ARTIST SALVADOR DALI'S LATE WORKS, INCLUDING SEVERAL MAJOR PIECES THAT HAVEN'T BEEN SEEN IN THE US IN HALF A CENTURY. DALI IS BEST KNOWN AS A SURREALIST, HIS MELTING WATCHES AN ICONIC IMAGE OF THAT MOVEMENT. BUT AFTER ABOUT 10 YEARS, HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE GROUP GREW STRAINED IN THE LATE 1930s FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS BOTH ARTISTIC AND POLITICAL. 'SALVADOR DALI: THE LATE WORK', OPENING AT THE HIGH MUSEUM OF ART IN ATLANTA ON SUNDAY, FOCUSES OF THAT PERIOD FROM 1940 TO 1983. THE EXHIBIT OPENS WITH PHOTOS BY AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER PHILIPPE HALSMAN OF THE MUSTACHIOED ARTIST IN CRAZY POSES SHOWCASING WHAT IS DESCRIBED AS DALI'S ';WACKY SHOWMAN' SIDE. IT THEN MOVES ONTO SOME EARLIER WORKS TO GIVE VISITORS SOME BACKGROUND. FROM THERE, IT PROGRESSES TO DALI'S EXPLORATION OF 'NUCLEAR MYSTICISM', WHICH REFLECTS TWO RECURRING INFLUENCES ON DALI'S LATE WORK, HIS RETURN TO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS. A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF THIS CONCEPT ID 'MADONNA OF PORT-LLIGAT', WHICH SHOWS THE MADONNA AND CHILD FRAGMENTED AND BREAKING INTO PARTICLES. THE LARGE-SCALE PAINTING IS ON LOAN FROM A MUSEUM IN JAPAN AND HASN'T BEEN SEEN IN THE US SINCE 1951. ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS IMAGES IN THE EXHIBITION IS 'CHRIST OF ST JOHN OF THE CROSS', STUNNING IN PART FOR ITS VANTAGE POINT, LOOKING DOWN FROM ABOVE ON THE CRUCIFIED CHRIST. ON AN ADJACENT WALL IS A PHOTO OF DALI WITH BOBBY KENNEDY IN FRONT OF THE PAINTING IN 1965, THE LAST TIME THE PAINTING WAS IN THE US FROM ITS HOME IN SCOTLAND. THE FINAL SECTION OF THE EXHIBITION CENTERS ON WHAT IS CALLED DALI'S POP ART, WHICH CAME WELL BEFORE SIMILAR COMMERCIAL EFFORTS BY ARTISTS LIKE ANDY WARHOL AND JEFF KOONS. THERE ARE BROOCHES SO GAUDY THEY LOOK LIKE COSTUME JEWELRY; A CHESS SET IN WHICH ALL THE PIECES ARE MOLDS OF HIS FINGERS, EXCEPT THE ROOKS WHICH ARE COPIES OF THE SALT SHAKERS FROM THE ST REGIS HOTEL; AND PORTRAITS OF AMERICAN HIGH SOCIETY FIGURES. THE LAST GALLERY HOUSE A HOLOGRAM OF ROCK STAR ALICE COOPER AND THE SISTINE MADONNA PAINTING FROM 1958 THAT SUPERIMPOSES THE IMAGE OF THE VIRGIN AND CHILD OVER A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE POPE'S EAR RENDERED IN A BENDAY DOT PATTERN, PRECEDING SIMILAR POP ART WORKS. A WALL OF TWO DOZEN MAGAZINE COVERS, JUST A FRACTION OF THE MANY HE APPEARED ON OVER THE YEARS, DEMONSTRATES HIS STATUS AS A TRUE CELEBRITY ARTIST.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.high.org

DALI SCULPTURE DONATED TO ANDORRA

THE SALVADOR DALI SCULPTURE, THE 'NOBILITY OF TIME' HAS BEEN PLACED IN ANDORA'S CAPITAL CITY, IN THE PIAZZA ROTONDA ANDORRA LA VELLA. IT WAS DONATED TO THE ANDORRAN GOVERNMENT BY ENRIC SABATER, WHO WAS DALI'S AGENT, COLLABORATOR AND CONFIDENT BETWEEN 1968 AND 1982. THE STUNNING FIVE METER HIGH SCULPTURE HAS BEEN PLACED IN THE CITY'S MOST PRESTIGIOUS AND HISTORIC SQUARE, IN THE TOWNS OLDEST QUARTER WHICH DATES FROM THE 12th CENTURY. THE BRONZE SCULPTURE IS ONE OF THE MELTED WATCH SERIES OF SCULPTURES WHICH WAS CREATED BY DALI TO SYMBOLIZE THE PASSAGE OF TIME. THE SOFT MELTING WATCH IS DRAPED AROUND A TREE TRUNK; ATOP THE WATCH FACE IS A CROWN, SYMBOLIZING TIME'S MASTER OVER HUMANITY. BANIAMINO LEVI, PRESIDENT OF THE STRATTON FOUNDATION AND CURATOR OF OVER EIGHT DALI EXHIBITIONS WORLDWIDE, HAS EXPRESSED HIS APPROVAL OF THE DONATION AND IS DELIGHTED THAT THE SCULPTURE IS NOW THE MAIN ARTISTIC ATTRACTION IN ANDORRA LA VELLA.

V&A TO PRESENT PICASSO'S LE TRAIN BLEU CURTAIN

IT'S SO LARGE THAT IT HAS HAD TO SPEND THE BEST PART OF 80 YEARS IN STORAGE. BUT RECENTLY, PABLO PICASSO'S LARGEST WORK WAS UNROLLED IN ALL ITS AMAZING GLORY AT THE VICTORIA & ALBERT MUSEUM. STRETCHING OVER MORE THAN 34ft (FAMED MURAL GUERNICA IS JUST 11ft BY 26ft), IT'S LITTLE WONDER STAFF WONDERED WHERE TO PUT THE CANVAS, WHICH WAS CREATED FOR RUSSIAN BALLET IMPRESARIO SERGE DIAGHILEV. IT TOOK A TOWER OF SCAFFOLDING, FIVE RIGGERS PULLING IT UP AND TEN MUSEUM STAFF UNROLLING IT DOWN TO HANG THE FRONT CLOTH. A FRONT CLOTH IS A THEATRICAL CREATION, DESIGNED TO HANG JUST BEHIND THE RED VELVET CURTAIN AND TO BE VIEWED BY AN AUDIENCE WHILE MUSICIANS PLAY THE OVERTURE. THIS PARTICULAR PIECE WAS DESIGNED FOR THE BALLETS RUSSES PERFORMANCES OF LE TRAIN BLUE, IN PARIS, IN 1924. PICASSO, A GREAT FRIEND OF INFLUENTIAL ARTISTIC DIRECTOR DIAGHILEV, PAINTED A MUCH SMALLER PAINTING TITLED DEUX FEMME COURANT SUR LA PLAGE, SHOWING TWO ROTUND WOMEN ON THE BEACH, TWO YEARS EARLIER IN 1922. DIAGHILEV LIKED IT AND PICASSO AGREED THE DESIGN COULD BE ENLARGED TO AN ENORMOUS STAGE CANVAS. IT WAS DULY PAINTED IN GOUACHE, FLAT ON THE FLOOR AND SQUARE BY SQUARE, BY THEATER ARTIST PRINCE ALEXANDRE SHERVASHIDZE IN JUST 24 HOURS. IMPRESSED BY THE COPY, WHICH WAS MADE DURING THE YEAR PARIS HOSTED THE OLYMPICS, PICASSO ADDED HIS SIGNATURE AND A DEDICATION. THE ARTWORK WAS UNFURLED FOR PERFORMANCES OF LE TRAIN BLEU OVER TWO SEASONS. IN BETWEEN PERFORMANCES IT WOULD BE FOLDED UP (HENCE THE LINES MARKING THE CANVAS) AND PACKED AWAY IN A TRUNK, A SET DESIGNER PATCHING UP ANY DAMAGED AREAS WITH FRESH PAINT AS REQUIRED. IT EMERGED FROM STORAGE AGAIN IN 1939 FOR AN EXHIBITION, AND THEN REMAINED TUCKED AWAY OUT OF SIGHT UNTIL AN AUCTION IN 1968 WHEN IT WAS ACQUIRED FOR THE NATION BY THE V&A. THE PUBLIC WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL 25.SEPTEMBER TO SEE THE STUNNING WORK, WHEN AN EXHIBITION ENTITLED 'DIAGHILEV AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF THE BALLETS RUSSES 1909-1929' OPEN. THE EXHIBITION WILL ALSO FEATURE COSTUMES WORN BY CHARISMATIC DANCER VASLAV NIJINSKY, WORKS BY HENRI MATTISE, COCO CHANEL'S BATHING COSTUMES FOR LE TRAIN BLEU AND WORKS OF ARTISTS AND MUSICIANS DIAGHILEV KNEW.

DIANA DORS' 1949 DELAHAYE TYPE 175 S ROADSTER UP FOR AUCTION

AS CURVACEOUS AS ITS OWNER, THE 1949 DELAHAYE TYPE 175 S ROADSTER IS GOING UP FOR AUCTION ON 4,AUGUST IN MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA FOR BETWEEN $4 AND $6 MILLION. THE STUNNING CAR WAS ONCE OWNED BY DIANA DORS, AN ENGLISH ACTRESS AND SEX SYMBOL WHO IS ALSO REFERRED TO AS BRITAIN'S ANSWER TO MARILYN MONROE. THE CAR IS ONE OF ONLY 51 EVER MADE AND FLAUNTS FRENCH CURVES OF THE 1930s, SEE THROUGH STEERING WHEEL AND BIRD MOTIFS ON THE INSIDE OF THE DOORS. DELAHAYE'S BEAUTY IS CLEARLY VISIBLE IN THE DETAILS, SUCH AS CHROME ACCENTS THAT HIGHLIGHT THE CURVES, THE EMBEDDED TURN SIGNALS FLANKING THE SIDES AND THE ELEGANT FACADE. PARISIAN COACH-BUILDING COMPANY SAOTCHIK CREATED THE BODY OF THE UNIQUE BEAUTY. SIR JOHN GAUL, A GOOD FRIEND OF PRINCE RAINIER, PURCHASED THE CAR NEW IN PARIS AND AFTER ABOUT FIVE YEARS OF OWNERSHIP, HE SOLD IT TO DIANA DORS FOR £5,000.SHE WAS JUST 17 YEARS OLD AT THE TIME AND DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A DRIVERS LICENSE. THE CAR HAS BEEN COMPLETELY RESTORED AND DELIVERS 165bhp WITH ITS 4.5 LITER SIX-CYLINDER ENGINE.

ABSOLUT CELEBRATES BRAZILIAN FATHER'S DAY

WORLD RENOWNED VODKA BRAND ABSOLUT HAS RECENTLY COLLABORATED WITH DESIGNERS PEDRO BRANDO, STONE BONKER AND OPTICA VENTURA TO CREATE A STUNNING COLLECTION OF SWAROVSKI-STUDDED BOTTLES TO CELEBRATE THE FATHER'S DAY IN BRAZIL, 8.AUGUST. THE NEW LIMITED-EDITION LINE OF 'ABSOLUT 100' ARE BEING SOLD EXCLUSIVELY IN SAO PAULO. THE COLLECTION INCLUDES THREE UNIQUE BOTTLE DESIGNS. FAMED JEWELRY DESIGNER PEDRO BRANDO HAS CREATED TWO DESIGNS, ONE WITH A SILVER SKULL PENDENT ON THE NECK OF THE BOTTLE AND ANOTHER WITH A SILVER RING, WITH AN ESTIMATED PRICE OF $650 EACH. STONE BONKER, BRAND OF DESIGNER JOAO HENRIQUE CORREIA, DESIGNED TWO BOTTLES FOR THE OCCASION. THE BOTTLES WERE DONE BY STONE BONKER'S DESIGNER JOHN HENRY COOPER, AND SPORT A TIE MADE OF ITALIAN SILK AROUND THEIR NECKS IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS AND SELL FOR AROUND $350. FINALLY THERE IS THE DESIGN FROM OPTICA VENTURA WHICH FEATURES TWO BOTTLE WITH BIG SUNGLASSES AND A BLACK CASE THAT READS 'ABSOLUTE 100' AND ARE PRICED AR $490 EACH.

AFTER SEVEN YEAR FACE-LIFT CAIRO MUSEUM TO REOPEN

THE WORLD'S LARGEST MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART WILL REOPEN IN CAIRO IN COMING WEEKS AFTER A SEVEN-YEAR FACE-LIFT, MUSEUM OFFICIALS SAID RECENTLY. TOURISTS FLOCK BY THE MILLIONS TO THE PYRAMIDS AT GIZA AND THE TEMPLES OF LUXOR DATING BACK MORE THAN 3,000 YEARS, BUT THE WEALTH OF ART AND DESIGN HERALDED BY THE ARRIVAL OF ISLAM TO EGYPT IN THE 7th CENTURY TENDS TO TAKE SECOND PLACE. BEFORE IT CLOSED IN 2003, ONLY A FEW THOUSAND CURIOUS TRAVELERS WERE VENTURING EACH MONTH INTO THE MUSEUM, SET BY A NOISY ROAD IN THE HEART OF EGYPT'S FRENETIC CAPITAL. THE BUILDING DESIGNED BY ITALIAN ALFONSO MANESCALO DATED FROM THE EARLY 20th CENTURY AND WAS JAMMED WITH SOME 3,000 TREASURES FROM A COLLECTION OF OVER 80,000, MANY POORLY LABELED, INCLUDING CERAMICS, TOMBS, DOORS, WOODEN SCREENS, ROBES AND RUGS. DURING THE CLOSURE, A RIVAL MUSEUM OF ISLAMIC ART OPENED IN THE GULF STATE OF QATAR DESIGNED BY CELEBRATED CHINESE-AMERICAN ARCHITECT I M PEI. 'OUR MUSEUM WAS OLD AND NEEDED ITS WALLS STRENGTHENING OR IT WOULD BE AT RISK OF COLLAPSE', MOHAMMED ABBAS SELIM, GENERAL DIRECTOR OF THE CAIRO MUSEUM TOLD REUTERS IN A RECENT INTERVIEW. AMONG THE 80,000 OBJECTS THAT SELIM AND HIS TEAM HAD TO CHOOSE FROM, SOME 1,700 ARE ON DISPLAY IN THE REFURBISHED MUSEUM. THEY INCLUDE AN EWER FOUND BESIDE THE TOMB OF EGYPT'S LAST UMMAYAD DYNASTY CALIPH AND DOORS COMMISSIONED BY THE FATIMID CALIPH AL HAKIM FOR THE AL AZHAR MOSQUE. THE NEW MUSEUM IS BRIGHTER, CLEANER AND LESS CLUTTERED. IT TELLS A STORY OF THE NUMEROUS ISLAMIC EMPIRES THAT PASSED THROUGH EGYPT OVER 1,400 YEARS AND HOW THEY INFLUENCED ART AND DESIGN ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN AND AS FAR AS BRITAIN.

MULLIN MUSEUM TO PRESENT $30 MILLION 1936 BUGATTI

A 1936 BUGATTI THAT RECENTLY SOLD FOR MORE THAN $30 MILLION WENT ON DISPLAY AT THE MULLIN AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM IN OXNARD. THE MUSEUM SAY THE 1936 BUGATTI TYPE 57SC ATLANTIC IS ONE OF ONLY THREE EVER MADE AND WAS FIRST PURCHASED BY LORD VICTOR ROTHSCHILD OF LONDON. IN 1939, IT WAS SENT BACK TO THE FACTORY TO BE SUPERCHARGED. THE OWNERS HAVE INCLUDED DR PETER WILLIAMSON, WHO BOUGHT THE CAR IN 1971 FOR $59,000 AND RESTORED IT. THE CAR SOLD IN MAY IN A DEAL BROKERED BY GOODING & CO. IT SAYS THE UNIDENTIFIED BUYER PAID BETWEEN $30 AND $40 MILLION. THE MUSEUM SAYS IT IS NOT SURE HOW LONG IT WILL BE DISPLAYED. THE MULLIN MUSEUM IS AN HOMAGE TO THE ART DECO AND MACHINE AGE, ERAS THAT PRODUCED EXQUISITE ART AND MAGNIFICENT AUTOMOBILES. THE MUSEUM IS HOME TO EXAMPLES OF THE FINEST OF HISTORIC FRENCH AUTOMOBILES FROM THE BUGATTI TO THE VOISIN AS WELL AS SIGNIFICANT AND REPRESENTATIVE DECORATIVE ART.
FOR MORE INFORMATION VISIT www.mullinautomotivemuseum.com