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Arts Promo: NEA chair to tour country
Boston Globe 2 / October 21st, 2009
The country's top arts official is going on the road. Rocco Landesman, chair of the National Endowment of the Arts, announced Wednesday that he will spend six months visiting towns and cities nationwide, starting Nov. 6. He called it the "Art Works" tour, a triple entendre referring to works of ...
New Documentary: "Rembrandt J'Accuse" spins tales of murder, intrigue
New York Times / October 21st, 2009
“One must always apologize for talking about painting,” the French poet Paul Valéry wrote. To which, I suspect, the British filmmaker Peter Greenaway would say, “Nonsense.” In “Rembrandt’s J’Accuse,” his generally absorbing feature-length documentary on the mysteries of the Rembrandt painting ...
Renaissance Genius on the Block: Raphael drawing may break world record
Guardian / October 20th, 2009
Christie's says "Head of a Muse," drawn by Raphael as a study for a figure in one of his most famous frescoes at the Vatican, is expected to achieve its estimate of £12m-£16m at the firm's December 8 Old Masters auction in London. If so, it will easily break the auction record for an old master ...
Weekend Auction: Modern design stars at Sollo Rago
Auction Central News / October 20th, 2009
Wharton Esherick, Wendell Castle, Gio Ponti, Campo & Graffi, Richard Blow, George Nakashima, and Albert Paley are just some of the modern masters whose furniture is offered in Sollo Rago's much anticipated Modern Auction Weekend, October 24-25, in Lambertville, New Jersey. Studio furniture ...
Lawyers Not Amused: Shepard Fairey changes story on Obama poster source
Unbeige / October 20th, 2009
Just when we thought we had a firm grasp on Shepard Fairey's legal wrangling with the Associated Press comes a new and confusing development: Fairey has changed his tune on what photo he used as the source material for the iconic HOPE poster that is at the center of the legal dispute, which ...
Animated Art: Walt Disney's train artwork and memorabilia to go on display in L.A.
LA Times Arts / October 20th, 2009
Walt Disney's lifelong fascination with trains is well documented. His personal collection of train memorabilia, rare animation sketches and cells, historic photography and artwork opens today in an exhibition at the Travel Town Museum in Griffith Park.
Celebration Time: 18,000 bottles of wine go to auction
Times Online / October 19th, 2009
Four bottles of 1875 Armagnac Vieux, covered in a black fungus that looked like matted cat fur, were unearthed from storage last week. Paris' landmark Tour d'Argent restaurant, established in 1582, is cleaning out its 450,000-bottle winecellar — one of the best in the world — and putting 18,000 ...
Frieze is Over: Art collectors step up, but demand discounts at London fairs
Bloomberg / October 19th, 2009
London’s contemporary art and design fairs closed Sunday with many dealers upbeat after achieving more sales than last year, even though buyers were taking their time and pressing for discounts. Among the browsers was Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. While collectors passed on a $9 million ...
David Hockney in New York: The celebrated artist exhibits his English works
New York Times / October 19th, 2009
In 2005 David Hockney left Hollywood, where he had lived full time since 1978, to transform the manicured slopes, woods and farmland of the East Yorkshire landscape into spare, quickly worked compositions charged with pink, orange and violet. In the next two weeks 28 of these paintings will go on ...
Rediscovering Julia Morgan: California's first female architect
Huffington Post / October 18th, 2009
The first woman admitted into the Ecole des Beaux Arts, Julia Morgan, designed an astounding 700 buildings during her career. What makes Ms. Morgan's life truly groundbreaking was that she was also California's first female architect. Author John Mark Wilson has written a tribute to her entitled ...
Angered over Antiquities: Egypt demands return of Nefertiti
New York Times Art / October 18th, 2009
Celebrations of the reopening of the Neues Museum in Berlin have been marred by a dispute over a 3,300-year-old bust of Queen Nefertiti. Egypt is demanding the return of antiquities from major museums worldwide, including the Louvre and British Museum...
New Art Hub: The Hammer Museum's striking rise
LA Times Arts / October 18th, 2009
The Westwood, California, museum has become a hive of contemporary art and ideas, and Ann Philbin has been at the center of it all. The L.A. museum's prominence in the international art world is largely due to Philbin.
Fairey's "HOPE": Artist admits using AP photo for his own artwork
NPR 1 / October 18th, 2009
Artist Shepard Fairey, who recently admitted concealing a key mistake in a lawsuit over his use of an Associated Press photo in his famous Barack Obama "HOPE" poster, said Saturday that the error should not be viewed as "premeditated and sinister."
Julien's Weekend Auction: Barbra Streisand sells items for charity
Boston Globe 2 / October 18th, 2009
A robe worn by Barbra Streisand in "The Way We Were" sold for nearly $6,000 at a California auction of hundreds of the entertainer's personal items. Among the antiques, a Stickley china cabinet brought in $15,000, a Dirk Van Erp lamp fetched $30,000, and a coastal painting by William Louis Otte ...
Castle Available: Nicolas Cage unloads historic property
Daily Mail / October 15th, 2009
He is one of Hollywood's most bankable stars, but it seems Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage's Midas touch doesn't extend to his own finances. The actor faces claims for millions of dollars in unpaid taxes. Cage, 45, is selling his vast property portfolio, and the latest to be unloaded is Midford Castle, ...
At Buckingham Palace: Exhibition exposes Queen Victoria's passions
Daily Mail / October 15th, 2009
By Victorian standards, it is rather daring. Even more so when one realises that the lovely young woman languorously baring her shoulders is none other than Queen Victoria. The Winterhalter portrait, known as ‘the secret picture’, was commissioned by the young Queen in 1843 as a 24th birthday ...
Collecting Halloween: Vintage postcards more sweet than scary
About.com / October 15th, 2009
Vintage Halloween cards are among the most collected in the postcard collecting field. About.com's Pamela Wiggins created a gallery of desirable images for this popular holiday, including Ellen Clapsaddle's early 20th century cards featuring adorable children...
Power 100: ArtReview's list of movers and shakers released
Bloomberg / October 15th, 2009
ArtReview's annual list of the 100 most influential art world people ranks highest: 1. Serpentine Gallery co-director Hans Ulrich Obrist 2. MoMA director Glenn D. Lowry 3. Tate director Nicholas Serota 4. Curator Daniel Birnbaum 5. Art dealer Larry Gagosian 6. French collector ...
Remembrance: Antique toy collector Donald Kaufman
Auction Central News / October 14th, 2009
Donald Kaufman, 79, co-founder of K-B (Kaufman Brothers) Toys and one of the world's great collectors of antique toys, has passed away at his Massachusetts home yesterday. Last year Mr. Kaufman made the decision to sell his 60-year collection of primarily antique automotive and comic character ...
Sotheby's Flings Bling East: Blue diamond sells for record $5.6 million
Internet Stones / October 14th, 2009
An 8.74 carat blue diamond was sold for 5.7 million U.S dollars at Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong on Wednesday the 7th of October. The diamond was emerald cut fancy intense blue with VVS1 grade (which is the third best grade). The stone was bought by an anonymous phone bidder. Four ...