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Monday, December 26, 2011

Pollution detectors installed in the Sistine Chapel



Fifty ultra-sensitive pollution detectors with the capability of measuring temperature, humidity, pollution rate (with particular focus on carbon dioxide) and speed as well as direction of air flows, have been installed in the Sistine Chapel.

These sensors have been installed following the discover in July 2010 of a concentration of chemical particles in the walls of the chapel, capable of damaging the frescoes. Antonio Paolucci, director of the Vatican museums, formed an experts comité to debate the issue and find a way that will permit the visit by near 4 million people every year with the least damage as possible to the paintings.

The sensors have already supplied some clues, namely about the air conditioner installed in 1993 when of the restauration of Michelangelo's Last Judgement, which can be in part responsible for some air quality deficiency.

Friday, December 23, 2011

Joana Vasconcelos at Versailles 2012



The Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos, will be the guest artist to exhibit at the Estate of Versailles in 2012.

"Marilyn" ( two shoes with stiletto heels, made of stainless steel pans, lids and cement), the Perruque (a sort of Fabergée Egg furniture) and the black and red versions of Coração Independente (made with plastic forks imitating filigree or filigrane), are some of the works to be exhibited.

Joana has also created a drawing for a tapestry, especially for this event, which will be manufactured at the Tapestry Factory of Portalegre and will measure approximately 13 sqm.

Since 2008, the surroundings of the Palace of Versailles (Chateâu de Versailles) have assisted to narratives between great artists of the Baroque period - André Le Nôtre, Ange-Jacques Gabriel, Charles Le Brun, Jules Hardouin-Mansart - and contemporary artists: Jeff Koons in 2008, Xavier Veilhan in 2009, Takashi Murakami in 2010 and Bernar Venet in 2011.

From June 19 to September 30, 2012, the public will have the opportunity to see the works of one of the most successful Portuguese contemporary artists and the first woman to exhibit in this project, as well as the youngest until today.

Joana Vasconcelos was born in Paris in 1971.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Manifest Gallery: International Drawing Annual 7 (INDA 7)

The Manifest Gallery is accepting submissions for the International Drawing Annual 7 (INDA 7) award, open to all artists submitting original works of art or design, completed within the last three years (2009-2011).

Participants are invited to submit a wide range of themes and subjects, including but not limited to fine art, illustration, graphic, digital, architectural, design, technical, etc.
Works can be completed in any media applicable to the practice of drawing, such as painting, installation, sculpture, photography, printmaking, etc.

Although the award is open to all artists, independently of their experience, it's important to stress that all submited works must evidence a high quality drawing.
Artists who previously exhibited at Manifest or had work included in our publication projects are perfectly eligible to submit.

INDA 7 also includes call for writing about drawing, where entrants are invited to write an essay directly relevant to the practice of drawing.
The essay can be in any form or style (poetic, historical, technical, philosophical) and must be original, with proper citation for quoted material. Length of written entries should be limited to a max. of approximately 1500 words.
It's possible to participate in both entries, drawing and writing, keeping in mind that written entries should not be an artist statement nor referring to specific works.

Each work submitted (drawn or written) must be accompanied by a $10 non-refundable entry fee, paid by U.S. check or money order made payable to MANIFEST, or by credit card via PayPal.
The number of entries is unlimited, although the average number of works submitted to typical Manifest calls is three. Detail images may be included at no additional cost but should only be provided when necessary to reveal accurate understanding of the artwork. Images must have print-quality.
Written entries, in either Word or PDF format, must be submitted electronically via e-mail attachment and file names must follow the same guidelines provided for images.
Careful refer to the participating guidelines to make sure that your submission is accepted by the juri.

The International Drawing Annual (INDA 7) will offer three cash prizes of $700, $200, and $100 for first, second, and third place winners of the drawing entries.
Artists selected for inclusion in the INDA 7 publication will also be considered for the Selections from the International Drawing Annual exhibit, scheduled for April/May 2012.

Each artist/author selected for inclusion in the INDA will receive one complimentary copy of the publication. The books produced for this ongoing project have increased in page count and print quality each year, with the most recent publication reaching over 180 pages in length.

An Internet-based online International Drawing Annual Resource website will be published to accompany the printed Annual. This will feature statements, bios, contact info., and professional information for each person included.

INDA 7 will be juried by a 9-12 member panel of professional and academic advisors with a broad range of expertise. The jury will then pass along their scores to the project curator who will assemble the final selections from the jury-approved pool.

Materials can be sent via e-mail or regular mail.
The deadline for entry is December 31, 2011.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Cesária Évora (1941-2011)



Cesária Évora was born on the 27th August 1941 in Mindelo, São Vicente, Cape Verde.
She would become the most well known singer of "Morna" and quite probably the most famous Cape Verdean singer.
Known as the "barefoot diva", Cesária Évora passed away on 17 December 2011, in São Vicente.

Friday, December 16, 2011

"Portugal Connosco" A photography exhibition through the eyes of postmen



Last spring, near six thousand postmen were given a disposable camera to photograph what they see during the mail distribution.
The project, called "Portugal Connosco" (Portugal With Us), resulted in approximately eighty thousand photos, from which two hundred were selected by a team of curators.

From the most common situation to the most peculiar one, including some humorous ones, this unlosable exibition shows the genuine Portugal through the eyes of those who, in a world where social networks get so much hype, contact with the individual in loco.



The photos of "Portugal Connosco" can be seen in the CTT building located at Rua de São José, in Lisbon, until January 8, 2012. After which, a yearlong itinerant exhibition will take place throughout the country.



A book with the two hundred photos is available in every post office of the CTT (Correios de Portugal).

Photos (from top to bottom): Nelson Paiva; Paulo José Rodrigues; José António Pombo

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Gerardo Rueda Modern Art Center in Matosinhos





The Gerardo Rueda Modern Art Center (Centro de Art Moderna Gerardo Rueda) was inaugurated today in the portuguese city of Matosinhos, Oporto district.
Exhibiting near 500 items from the Fundación Gerardo Rueda and others belonging to the heir José Luis Rueda, the permanent collection includes 35 pieces of several art genres completed by Gerardo, of which only 16 are showing, and artworks by Antonio López, Carmen Laffón, Doukopil, Manuel Millares, Miró, Palazuelo, Sempere and Zobel, among others.

The Center results from a three year protocol, renewable for another five, signed between the Fundación Gerardo Rueda and the City Hall of Matosinhos, where the first, besides lending the works of art, commits itself to organize eight temporary exhibitions per year in the Gerardo Rueda Modern Art Center and two exhibitions of portuguese art in Madrid, while the second one grants an annual subvention to the Foundation. Private sponsors are also involved in this project.





The first temporary exhibition will be dedicated to the portuguese artist Noronha da Costa, of whom José Rueda owns 200 works of art. After which will follow one that compares Gerardo Rueda and Viera da Silva and another one with works by Mapplethorpe and Warhol

Located inside the building of the Town Hall of Matosinhos, the Centro de Arte Moderna de Matosinhos is open from Tuesday to Sunday (1 pm - 7 pm) and has an admission price of €3.5.

In the future, the collection will move to the 30,000 sqm building of the former Real Vinícola, much better than the actual 6,000 sqm.
An association of friends of the Center and a Gerardo Rueda prize for the arts and sciences will also be created.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Pockets Warhol turns Art into a Monkey Business



A small capuchin monkey named Pockets, alias Pockets Warhol, is causing sensation in Toronto and abroad.
The primate, a resident at the Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary (Sunderland, ON), started expressing his creative muse through paintings that remind the works of Jackson Pollock. The Warhol nickname comes from the fact that volunteer Charmaine Quinn found resemblances between him and the pop artist, which led her to introduce Pockets to non-toxic paint as a way of keeping him entertained: “He looked a bit like Andy Warhol with that wild, white hair,” she said.



Pockets' paintings are already being exhibited at the Sadie's Diner & Juice Bar in Toronto, until February 6, 2012.
The proceeds will go to the Story Book Farm sanctuary, a facility opened by Sherri Delaney 11 years ago with he purpose of rescuing primates from pet stores, private homes, entertainment, research labs and zoos across the country.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

No buyer for Goya's Portrait of Don Juan López de Robredo

Last month, the fact that the Spanish authorities didn't meet the price asked by a private collector for Goya's Portrait of Don Juan López de Robredo, Embroiderer to King Carlos IV of Spain, and that little time was given for particulars or private institutions to make an offer, caused controversy when it was announced that the painting would be sold at auction.

Francisco de Goya's painting, a 42 5/8 x 32 3/8 in. (108.3 x 82.3 cm.) oil on canvas depicting a Portrait of Don Juan López de Robredo, Embroiderer to King Carlos IV of Spain, seated, half-length, holding an embroidery design, was auctioned in yesterday's Old Master & British Paintings (Evening Sale) at Christie's London, King Street.
However, the painting with an estimate price of £4,000,000 - £6,000,000($6,248,000 - $9,372,000), did not find a buyer.

Nonetheless, the December 7, Old Master & British Paintings (Evening Sale) saw some new world record prices for artists at auction: " The Battle between Carnival and Lent" by Pieter Brueghel II, £6,873,250 ($10,722,270 / €8,021,083); " Dutch men-o'-war and other shipping in a calm" by Willem van de Velde II, £5,921,250 ($9,237,150 / €6,910,099); "An old man at a casement" by Govaert Flinck, £2,337,250 ($3,646,110 / €2,727,571); "The Holy Family" by Francesco Zaganelli da Cotignola, £1,015,650 ($1,584,414€ /1,185,264); "Portrait of a gentleman, possibly Richard Salwey, half-length, in a fur-trimmed red coat and a turban, leaning on a plinth" by Andrea Soldi, £825,250 ($1,287,390 / €963,067). The prices include buyer's premium.

Monday, December 5, 2011

X-ray scanning reveals hidden Rembrandt unfinished self-portrait



An X-ray fluorescence spectrometry scan, performed at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York and the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) light source in Grenoble, France, revealed an unfinished self-portait of Rembrandt, according to specialists.

In roughly 8 hours, the new Maia detector system, mapped the chemical elements in the colours used to paint the "Old Man With a Beard." The detected elements included copper for blue and green, iron for yellow, orange and brown, and mercury for red.

The 15cm x 20cm painting, hidden under the work "Old Man With a Beard", until now attributed to a Rembrandt's pupil, was supposedly painted when the artist was near 24 years of age and his reputation started to develop, leading him to move from Leiden to Amsterdam.



According to art historian Ernst van de Wetering, head of the Rembrandt Research Project, the discovered self-portrait, although not completed and lacking facial details, revealed contour lines of a beardless, seemingly younger male wearing a collar and beret, showing a typical posture characteristic of Rembrandt's early self-portraits.
Similarities with two denoted self-portraits, one of them dated from 1630, are also evident.
The attribution is attested by a 1633 print of the composition, with an inscription stating it was made by Rembrandt.

Authenticating Rembrant's works can reveal itself a complex task, as the old master encouraged his students to copy his works and he himself would perform final corrections in their works.

Between May 1 and July 1, 2012, the Rembrandt House Museum will stage a special exhibition of research into 10 paintings by Rembrandt and his contemporaries using XRF technology, including the investigation results about the unfinished self-portrait mentioned on this article.

Developed by Joris Dik of Delft University and Koen Janssens of Antwerp University, the X-ray fluorescence spectrometry enables the mapping of different chemical elements, revealing pigments in hidden layers of paint and allowing different views of the hidden image.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

How Art Can Help People With Disabilities

Proclaimed in 1992, the annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons takes place on the 3rd of Decemmber.
The theme for 2011 is “Together for a better world for all:
Including persons with disabilities in development
.”

We live in a society where laws and benefits fall far behind the needs of disable people and their families, and in many countries those laws are constantly disrespected without any sanction. Moreover there's a gap in terms of educating people in their relation with each other, especially between the so-called normal and those with disabilities - People with disabilities make up an estimated 15 per cent of the world’s population. Almost one-fifth of the estimated global total of people living with disabilities, or between 110-190 million, encounter significant difficulties. Furthermore, a quarter of the global population is directly affected by disability, as care-givers or family members.

One of the most successful methods of providing disabled people with personal development and social integration is through the arts, especially in the case of children.
Art enables dexterity development, a better perception of space (including negative space and relation), colour, form and many other things. It is also a great opportunity to end individual isolation, as art projects can be completed in group.
Several resources for those working with special needs students in the arts, can be found online or by contacting official and private institutions.

Several art projects for children can be found at Julie Voigt's blog Art for Small Hands.

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Stephanie from NY is the winner of a brand new Kindle Touch offered by The Art Inquirer !



Last October, The Art Inquirer announced the offer of a brand new Kindle Touch (with special offers) worth $99 to one of its readers.
The draw took place yesterday and the winner was found.

Today, The Art Inquirer is delighted to announce that the Kindle Touch will be sent to Stephanie, resident in New York.

The Art Inquirer would like to thank to all who have entered this giveaway and wish better luck next time.

Sign the newsletter to receive interesting art news and opportunities for artists and art appreciators.

The exhibition "Frida Kahlo - As Suas Fotografias" will be open during December 1st

The photography exhibition "Frida Kahlo - As Suas Fotografias" will be open during this holiday, December 1st.
A selection of 257 photos can be seen at the Museu da Cidade in Lisbon until January 29, 2012.

Sunday, November 27, 2011

"Leonardo. The genius, the myth" in Turin



An exceptional exhibition featuring near thirty original drawings on loan from leading Italian and international museums, and several writings on the famous Leonardo's Self-Portrait from the Royal Library of Turin, is taking place at the Scuderie Juvarriane della Reggia di Venaria (Venaria Reale) in Turin, Italy.
This is the third time that the master's self-portrait is shown to the public.

The introductory section of the exhibition presents a biography of the artist and references to Leonardo’s social context, his cultural background and training, as well as an overview on his various fields of activity.
A video curated by Piero Angela, entitled “What did the young Leonardo look like?”, illustrates Leonardo’s work with particular emphasis on the artist’s appearance.
At the end of the exhibition, a multimedia display designed and produced by Haltadefinizione, features a digital replica on a 1:1 scale of The Last Supper, on which an indepth analysis takes place concerning the physical appearance and expressions on this masterpice.
Leonardo's legacy is shown through a number of films representative of his Genius, curated by Arnaldo Colasanti.

Curated by Carlo Pedretti, Paola Salvi and Clara Vitulo, the drawings section presents the Codex on the Flight of Birds (Codice sul volo degli uccelli) and a complete set of near thirteen original works by Leonardo that are part of the collections of the Royal Library of Turin, including the famous Self-Portrait. Italian and international loans provide additional context and further integrate the subjects present in the Turin collection, with a special focus on the human face,
nature, human anatomy and machines.

Selected works by artists from the late 15th to the 19th century, curated by Pietro C. Marani, provide an overview of the figure of Leonardo in literature and figurative art, as the very appearance of the artist becomes an icon of the Renaissance genius.
Starting in the 1500s the image of the Master was associated with that of Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher who led the way into the investigation of nature.

With curatorship of Roberto Barilli, the figure of Leonardo in contemporary art, opens with the Vitruvian Man by Mario Ceroli and the famous tribute Mosa Lisa with moustache by Marcel Duchamp.
The Last Supper has served an inspiration for many artists, reprised by Andy Warhol as well as many other recent protagonists of the art scene like Spoerri, Nitsch, Recalcati and David La Chapelle.
Leonardo’s Notes from the Treatise on Painting describe stains on the walls as forms of arcane passages, a theme that was embraced by Informal Art and specifically Tachisme, including Tàpies, Rotella, Bendini and Novelli.

The exhibition is organised in the vast spaces of the 18th-century Great Stables by Filippo Juvarra of the Reggia di Venaria.
The display is designed by the Academy-Award winner Dante Ferretti, who presents Leonardo’s imposing machines as spectacular settings that contain original works.
Elaborate video projections on the walls celebrate the Self-Portrait.
A catalogue is available through Silvana Editoriale.

"Leonardo: The genius, the myth" (Leonardo. Il genio, il mito) can be visited from November 17, 2011 to January 29, 2012 at the Juvarra Stables of the Reggia di Venaria, Turin Italy. Tuesday - Friday (9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m.), Saturday and Sunday (9.00 a.m. to 8.00 p.m.). Closed on Mondays (except for any public holidays, in which the visiting hours are the same as Sunday).
The exhibition is closed on December 25.
On January 1st, opens at 11.00 a.m.

Given the exceptional nature of the exhibition and the extraordinary measures required for the conservation and the safety of the works on display, only 120 visitors are allowed inside the Stables every 30 minutes.

This major exhibition marks the end of the celebrations for the 150th anniversary of
Italy’s Unification, a tribute to the brightest example of the Italian creative genius.

Arte Lisboa 2011: Video Footage



This 11th edition of Arte Lisboa 2011 - Feira de Arte Contemporânea (Contemporary Art Fair) brings to the public, some of the best portuguese contemporary artists, as well as artists from Spain, a country that has consistently marked its presence in this contemporary art fair in the city of Lisbon.

The Art Inquirer shoot some footage where is evident the quality of the artworks and the creativity of the participating artists.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Arte Lisboa 2011 - Contemporary Art Fair



Now in its 11th edition and back again to the Pavilion 1 of the International Fair of Lisbon, Arte Lisboa will have its preview & vernissage tomorow, 23th November, from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.

This year's edition gathers 21 galleries from Portugal and 12 from Spain, with the objective of promoting the national and international contemporary art among the general public, with particular focus on potential buyers. It is also a meating between artists, gallerists, art critics and other people involved in the art business.

Included in the fair's programme and in partnership with "AntiFrame Independent Curating Project", a series of discussion panels will take place, where participating artists, gallerists, curators, museum directors, art collectors and other art related professionals, will discuss themes such as the relation between the artist, the gallerist, the curator and the collector, or the eventual need of emigrating for artists.

Kids will have their own space to express their creativity, thanks to an initiative by the Museu Colecção Berardo (Berardo Collection Museum) and Nintendo.

Arte Lisboa 2011, will open to the general public from 24th to 27th November (4 p.m. - 11 p.m.).
Individual Tickets: €8,00
Student / Child / Pensioner: €4,00
A catalogue will be available for €20.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

"Youth and Beauty: Art of the American Twenties" at the Brooklyn Museum



Through January 29, 2012, the Brooklyn Museum, NY, is showing a major exhibition about the art in the American 1920's, a decade that followed the horrors of World War I and has indelibly marked the popular imagination as the age of flappers and Fords. It was also the time of Jazz, Prohibition and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The "Youth and Beauty: Art of the American Twenties" offers not only a chance to see the work of celebrated artists, but also a comprehensive look at the themes and subjects painted at the time - often causing surprise to the viewer - and how artists expressed their opinions and interpretated through their works, a decade fuelled by a growing economy but also a riotous one.

Organized by Teresa A. Carbone, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of American Art, Brooklyn Museum, the exhibition shows 140 works by sixty-eight painters, sculptors, and photographers who explored a new mode of modern realism, including the names of Thomas Hart Benton, Imogen Cunningham, Charles Demuth, Aaron Douglas, Edward Hopper, Gaston Lachaise, Yasuo Kuniyoshi, Luigi Lucioni, Gerald Murphy, Georgia O’Keeffe, Alfred Stieglitz, George Bellows and Edward Weston.

Free tours lead by a Museum Guide will take place on the 26 and 27 of November, and a panel discussion on "Gender and Sexuality in the Harlem Renaissance" can be attended on December 10.
A free evening tour of the exhibition lead by Curator of American Art Teresa A. Carbone, will take place on December 15 and on the 22 of the same month, visitors will have the opportunity to attend a free evening tour of the exhibition.

A teacher resource packet is available for download.

Friday, November 18, 2011

Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2013



The Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery is accepting entries for its third “Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition”, open to all artists, 18 years of age and older (as of January 1, 2011), who are legal residents of the United States or its territories with an address in the United States at the time of the competition.

Entries will be accepted in all visual arts media, including, but not restricted to: painting, drawing and watercolor, sculpture, weaving, ceramics, photography, prints, video, film, and other digital or time-based media. Works must have been completed after January 1, 2010 and not previously submitted for this competition.

The work entered should be understood as a portrait in the broadest sense, either a traditional, representational work or a more experimental portrait (for example, an entry might not include a face). However it must be based on the artist’s direct contact with any living individual (s). Self-portraits will be accepted.

Each artist may participate with only one entry, which must be submited online until November 30, 2011 (midnight MT(Mountain Time). There's a $35 fee, payable by credit card. All fees are nonrefundable.

The grand prize is $25,000. The winner will also have an opportunity for a commission to create a portrait of a remarkable living American for the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection. The artist and the National Portrait Gallery will work together to select the subject of the portrait and the fee for the commission.

The second prize will be $7,500. The third prize will be $5,000. The judges may commend up to four additional works with prizes of $1,000 each. The People’s Choice Award winner will receive $500.

Winners of cash prizes are responsible for all taxes due on such awards.

The Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2013 is currently scheduled to be on view at the National Portrait Gallery from March 22, 2013 until January 26, 2014, and may travel at the conclusion of the exhibition.

Before submiting their entries, participants should carefully read the rules and pay attention to the calendar.

First-prize winners in a previous Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition, are not elligible for participation.

Saturday, November 12, 2011

New auction record for Roy Lichtenstein with "I Can See the Whole Room…and There's Nobody in It!"



The Christie’s Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale (New York, Rockefeller Center), which took place on November 8, resulted in 16 new world records at auction, including: Paul McCarthy's "Tomato Head (Green)" (1994) sold for $4,562,500 (£2,828,750/€3,285,000); Charles Ray’s Table, a multimedia sculpture, which fetched $3,106,500 (£1,926,030/€2,236,680); Louise Bourgeois’s 21-foot wide bronze, Spider, soared beyond its pre-sale estimate of $4-6 million to achieve a new world auction record for the artist at $10,722,500 (£6,647,950/€7,720,200).

However, in a sale where thirty-three works sold for over the $1 million mark, including the first part of the Peter Norton Collection, which achieved $247,597,000 (£153,510,140/ €178,269,840), the star of the evening sale was Roy Lichtenstein's "I Can See the Whole Room…and There's Nobody in It!", a graphite and oil on canvas, measuring 48 x 48 in. (121.9 x 121.9 cm.), painted in 1961 and sold for $43,202,500 (₤26,785,550/€31,105,800), setting a new auction record for the artist.



"I Can See the Whole Room…and There's Nobody in It!" is one of the earliest and most important of Lichtenstein's Pop Art pictures, formerly in the collection of the pioneering collectors Emily and Burton Tremaine.

The previous record for a Lichtenstein work was for "Ohhh ... Alright..." (1964), sold at Christie’s New York in November 2010 for $42.6 million.

Image by Peter Macdiarmid (Getty Images)

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Goya escapes from Spain and goes to auction at Christie's



A portrait painting by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, depicting Don Juan López de Robredo, embroiderer to King Carlos IV of Spain, is going to be auctioned at Christie's London.

Before the impossibility of the painting being acquired by the Museo del Prado or by the Patrimonio Nacional, the Spanish Ministry of Culture has authorized its exportation, a fact that has cause great controversy and has receive unfavorable opinions by the Spanish media.
According to official sources, the public institutions weren't capable of meeting the price asked by the owner of the painting, a private collector from Madrid.

Although not one of the most important paintings from the artist, it's a painting from one of the most important Spanish masters and a renowned artist worldwide.

The portrait of Don Juan López de Robredo, Embroiderer to King Carlos IV of Spain (El bordador Juan López de Robredo), an oil on canvas measuring 42⅝ x 32⅜ in. (108.3 x 82.3 cm) and with an estimated value of £4,000,000 – 6,000,000, will go on sale during the Old Master and British Paintings Evening Sale on 6 December 2011, at Christie's London.

Other 36 paintings, spanning near 500 years of European art history, will be offered up for auction during the same sale, including The Battle between Carnival and Lent by Pieter Brueghel II (1564/5-1637/8) (estimate: £3.5 million to £4.5 million); a full length Portrait of Philip Stanhope, 5th Earl of Chesterfield (1755-1815), by Thomas Gainsborough, R.A. (1727-1788) (estimate: £2.5 million to £3.5 million); Dutch men-o'-war and other shipping in a calm by Willem van de Velde II (1633-1707) (estimate: £1.5 million to £2.5 million); An old woman spinning in an interior by Nicolaes Maes (1632-1693), 1658 (estimate: £1 million to £1.5million) and An old man at a casement, 1646, by Govaert Flinck (1615-1660) (estimate £700,000 to £1,000,000).

Friday, November 4, 2011

Artissima 18 - International Fair of Contemporary Art

After yesterday's presentation to the press and collector's preview, the public can now visit the Artissima 18 - International Fair of Contemporary Art, through November 6, 2011, in the Oval, Lingotto Fiere, Turin, Italy.

With 161 participating galleries (58 Italian and 103 foreign), Artissima 18 presents itself in 4 sections:

Main Section, which includes some of the most representative galleries from the international art scene, chosen by the Selection Committee.

New Entries, with a selection of 25 galleries from 11 countries, that have been working for less than five years, and that are taking part in Artissima for the first time, chosen by the Selection Committee.
This year, an international jury will confer the Guido Carbone Award to the gallery in this section, that showed the best initiatives to discover and promote young artists.

Present Future is devoted to 16 emerging artists invited by a team of international curators, and represented by their galleries. This section presented in partnership with the illycaffè, which will be offering the illy Present Future Award to the artist considered to be the most engaging one by a jury of three distinguished experts. The winner will receive a €10,000 prize and will have the opportunity to present a design for the “illy Art Collection” of auteur coffee cups.

Back to the Future, launched in 2010 with the aim of focusing on artists who worked in the 1960s and ’70s and who have enjoyed little recognition in recent decades, but whose work is particularly significant today, is an authentic museum-style exhibition of works by a group of artists chosen by an international Committee. This year's edition shows 20 artists (10 from Italy, 10 from abroad).

Artissima 18 will also bring to the public a curatorial programme comprising two projects:

Simple Rational Approximations, a project for a museum, conceived
by the Turin-born artist Lara Favaretto in cooperation with Francesco Manacorda, happening at the centre of the Artissima pavilion. This project consists in a “provisional institution” which is modelled on some of the traditional
functions of contemporary art museums:

a permanent collection inspired by Eat Art with masterpieces of contemporary art, consisted of a complete series of 80 works of art reproduced as cakes.
Exhibited in four groups of 20 cakes on each day of the fair, the pieces start out complete at the beginning of the day and are freely available for the public to eat.

a temporary exhibition devised by Pierre Bal-Blanc in the form of a series of performances followed by a conversation;

an auditorium with the screening of films recently produced by the Chisenhale Gallery of London, followed by three days of conferences, debates, and screenings on the circulation of knowledge, and more besides, organised by Bétonsalon, Triple Canopy, and Salon Populaire;

a bookshop arranged in accordance with the bizarre taxonomy of the Bureau of Loose Associations;

a storage of fundamental exhibitions of the twentieth century, which will be on display in the Hypnotic Show curated by Raimundas Malašauskas;

an education department which is also a scientific laboratory for the production of ink, created by France Fiction;

a publishing department which gives real-time data on the Fair and on the curatorial project, created by the Artissima 18 graphic designer Sara De Bondt studio.

It is also a fictitious, ephemeral and nomadic organisation, rethinking its characteristics through a selection of existing projects or new proposals submitted by individuals, collectives, and institutions.

Artissima LIDO is a first time programme of exhibitions and events in the centre of
Turin, outside the fair and out of its opening hours.
In the mediaeval district of the “Roman Quadrilateral”, a number of not-for-profit spaces run by artists from all over Italy will temporarily move out to a series of city spaces, where they will work on their various experimental activities, at the same time and in the same place. Artissima LIDO is curated by three Italian artists, Christian Frosi, Renato Leotta, and Diego Perrone, and it offers a very full, varied calendar of exhibitions, performances, screenings, concerts, and conversations in specially chosen places. The starting point for a walk through the neighbourhood is the Artissima Social Club, a temporary bar where the art world and visitors to the fair will be able to meet each evening.

The 2011 edition of Artissima also counts with the participation of museums, foundations and art institutions from the region in an exclusive event that illustrates what is on offer in terms of contemporary art displays in Turin and Piedmont.
This year, the initiative is enriched by the collaboration of the Education Departments of the network zonarte.
Workshops, laboratories, meetings and a discussion area, are open to all different types of public (children, students, families, professionals, and experts) ‘to reconsider art spaces as places for encounter and interaction, as well as of knowledge’.

For the first time, events for visitors to Artissima include a special series of Collector's Walk guided tours in the fair pavilion, led by renowned international collectors who comment on the works in terms of their own personal passion for contemporary art.
To book your free visit call +39 011 19744106 or email segreteria@artissima.it

Curated by Francesco Manacorda, Artissima 18 can be visited from 4 to 6 November 2011, between 11 am and 7 pm.

Tickets:
Full: € 15,00
Reduced: € 10,00 *
* Ages 12-18. Over 65 anni. University students, upon presentation of university student record book. Military, in uniform.
Free admission upon presentation of the Torino Musei card and Torino Piemonte Card, from 4 to 6 November. Free admission for disabled individuals and one accompanying person.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

“Frida Kahlo - As Suas Fotografias” in Lisbon



A major photography exhibition presented by the Casa da América Latina, opens today at the Museu da Cidade, in Lisbon.

“Frida Kahlo - As Suas Fotografias” (Frida Kahlo - Her Photos) shows a selection of 257 photos from the 6,500 that are part of Frida Kahlo museum's patrimony.

Curated by Pablo Ortiz Monasterio, the exhibition testifies the importance of photography in Frida's life not only as an exhibition of memories, but also as tool for her artistic career.
Showing a selection of photos from Frida's personal collection, most of them previously unknown, the exhibition is divided in six essential parts: Os Pais: Guillermo e Matilde (The Parents: Guillermo and Matilde); A Casa Azul (The Blue House); O Corpo Acidentado (The Injured Body); Os Amores de Frida (Frida’s Lovers); A Fotografia e a Luta Política (The Photography and the Political Struggle).

This exhibition intends to make the public familiarized with the artist's personal life and her intimacy, as well as offering an idea of what was going on in her country during that time, with all the inherent repercussions on her life, and at the same time inviting the viewer to discover new features of one of the most enigmatic personalities of the 20th century.

Included in the selection of photos, visitors will be able to see photos of Frida Kahlo, taken by famous photographers, namely: Man Ray, Martin Munkácsi, Fritz Henle, Adward Weston, Brassai, Tina Modotti, Pierre Verger, Lola y Manuel Álvarez, among others.

This is the first international exhbition of “Frida Kahlo Sus Fotos," named here in Portugal “Frida Kahlo - As Suas Fotografias” and will be on view at the Pavilhão Preto (Black Pavillion) of the Museu da Cidade, Lisbon, between November 4 and January 29, 2012, Tuesday-Sunday between 10h00 - 13h00 and 14h00 - 18h (until 22h00 on Friday). Closed on Sunday and holidays.
Admission is €3.

Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón was born on July 6, 1954 at her parents home, known as La Casa Azul, in Coyoacán, Mexico, and would pass away on July 13, 1954 in the same home.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

VI Biennial of São Tomé and Príncipe: Heritage(s)



This November 1, was inaugurated in the CACAU - CASA DAS ARTES CRIAÇÃO AMBIENTE UTOPIAS museum/art gallery, the VI Biennial of São Tomé and Príncipe (6ª Bienal de São Tomé e Príncipe).

Organized by CIAC - Centro Internacional de Arte e Cultura, with the colaboration of João Carlos Silva, and curatorship of Adelaide Ginga from the Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea -- Museu do Chiado, this year's biennial arrives to the public under the theme: Heritage(s).

Inspired in the former role of São Tomé and Príncipe (St. Thomas & Prince), not only as a slave commerce entrepôt, but also as a place of gathering between different people and cultures, the VI Biennial of São Tomé and Príncipe aims to become a cultural place of reference in Africa and an alternative to other biennials.

To stimulate artistic experiments through artistic residencies, sharing cultural experiencies between artists, curators, gallerists, critics, historians, and to incentivate the art lab concept, will be some of the characteristics of this biennial.

The VI Biennial of São Tomé and Príncipe will show the work of artists from Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, France, Guiné-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor Leste.
An international colective exhibition centred on the architectural heritage - "Inventar(iar) as Roças de São Tomé e Príncipe"; and Roça Língua a project about portuguese linguistic universe and heritage, which will happen betwwen 1 and 8 of November, are some of the several initiatives offered to the public and taking place along the archipelago.

Also included will be a documentary and film cycle about Africa and its heritage(s), by African authors, a homage to the artist Almada Negreiros, two projects of photography in public spaces about Tchiloli, workshops and educational ateliers, as well as entertainment events that value traditional performing arts.

In February 2012, through a partnership with the City Hall of Lisbon, the White and Black halls of the City Museum (Pavilhões Branco e Preto do Museu da Cidade), will host a selection of works completed during the artistic residencies, as well as the project "Inventar(iar) as Roças de São Tomé e Príncipe.
The São Jorge Cinema (Lisbon) will show the Cine Africa Cicle and in the Ordem dos Arquitectos, will take place a seminary entitled "Patriomónio(s). Portugal - África" (Patrimony(s). Portugal - Africa).

The VI Biennial of São Tomé and Príncipe: Heritage(s), can be visited through November 30, 2011.

The Andy Monument on view until May 2012

Rob Pruitt "The Andy Monument" from Public Art Fund on Vimeo.


Commissioned by Public Art Fund, NY, and created by Rob Pruitt, The Andy Monument was unveiled on March 30, 2011.
The nearly ten-foot-tall chrome finished sculpture is a tribute to Andy Warhol.

Its deinstallation was intended for October 2, 2011, however due to the amazing response to the monument, Rob Pruitt's creation will be on view in the pedestrian mall at the northwest corner of Union Square at 17th Street and Broadway, until May 13,2012

A free audio guide is available by calling 646.862.0945 and a free iPhone app may be downloaded at the Public Art Fund.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Portalegre tapestry in Rome

Between the 3rd and the 27th of November 2011, the Istituto Portoghese di Sant’Antonio in Roma, will be hosting the exhibition “L’Arazzo di Portalegre – Espressione Contemporanea di un’Arte Secolare” (Portalegre Tapestry - A Contemporary Expression of a Secular Art).

For the first time in Rome, a rare Portalegre tapestry of Bruno Munari, dated from 1985, will be exhbited.

The manufacture of Portalegre is one of the few and oldest, dedicated to the wall tapestry and reproducing the works of famous artists through the close collaboration between the original artist, the draughtsman/woman, and the womanweaver.
Some of the most well-known names include Almada Negreiros, Graça Morais, Jean Lurçat, Júlio Pomar, Le Corbusier, Menez and Vieira da Silva.

L’Arazzo di Portalegre – Espressione Contemporanea di un’Arte Secolare” can be visited at the gallery of the Istituto Portoghese di Sant’Antonio in Roma, until November 27, Wednesday-Sunday (16.00 - 19.00).
The inauguration willl take place 3 novembre 2011 at 18.00.
Admitance is free.

A recent exhibition showing a couple of tapestries reproducing the artwork of famous portuguese artists, took place in Lisbon.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Pablo Picasso etching stolen from Museo Iberoamericano de Arte Moderno de Popayán MIAMP (Casa Museo Negret) in Colombia



This October 21th, between 5:30pm and 5:45pm, a limited edition etching (6/50) entitled "Homme nu avec Femme ivre et Jeune Flûtiste" by Pablo Picasso, measuring 37cm x 47, dated from 1955, and numbered 18.9.55 II, was stolen from the Sala de Dibujo y Grabado (Drawing and Engraving Room) of the Museo Iberoamericano de Arte Moderno de Popayán MIAMP (Casa Museo Negret) in Colombia. The engraving/etching was donated in 1994 by master Edgar Negret Dueñas.

According to Christie's the etching has an estimaded value of £1,500 - £2,500 ($2,357 - $3,928)

Any information that may help the Colombian authorities to find the piece, should be communicated to (0057)3213947778 (cell phone).

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Vieira da Silva painting "Saint-Fargeau" sold for 1.54 Million Euro



This October 22nd, the oil painting "Saint-Fargeau" (162 x 114 cm) by the portuguese artist Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (1908-1992), and completed between 1961-1965, was sold for € 1,544,701 (includes buyer premium) during the auction of the Jorge de Brito collection at the Tajan auction house. This result marks a new record for a portuguese artist at auction.

From a total of 57 auctioned pieces, 37 were sold, totalizing near 8 million euro.
The sale included 20 Vieira da Silva paintings, Chinese porcelains, a "Buffalo" jade statue from Ming Dynasty (17th century), and the painting "Cariatide" (1916) by Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920), sold for € 858,589, among other important pieces.

A catalalogue is available for download.

The Jorge de Brito collection, now managed by the heirs, is considered the most important portuguese collection of the second-half of the 20th century. The collection includes 6 Vieira da Silva paintings, which are in the Fundação Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva, in Lisbon.
During the following 5 years, the Portuguese State has buying preference.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

2011 Contemporary Art Fair NYC & American Craft Show NYC at the Javits Convention Center



The 2011 edition of Contemporary Art Fair NYC & American Craft Show NYC, will take place at the Jacob Javits Convention Center, Hall 1A, from 18th through 20th November.

With near 200 exhibitors, the event will include paintings, sculptures, photography and mixed media by emerging and established artists, as well as jewelry, furniture, fashion, ceramics, glass, wood, metal and textile from new and acomplished artisans.

The 2011 Contemporary Art Fair NYC & American Craft Show NYC can be visited during the following schedule:

Friday November 18, 2pm - 7pm
Saturday November 19, 10am - 7pm
Sunday November 20, 10am - 4pm

Admission prices (one ticket includes both shows):

Adult: $16 Seniors: $14: Students: $8 Children: Free under 10

Richard and Joanna Rothbard of American Art Marketing, are the producers of the event.

For the artists who wish to participate, the applications are open until filled.
You can download the 2011 application forms for the Contemporary Art Fair NYC and for the American Craft Show NYC.
There's also the option to enter online.

For updated information about American Art Marketing events, please refer to this page.

Friday, October 21, 2011

In The Presence of Things. Four Centuries of European Still-Life Painting - Part Two: 19th - 20th Centuries



Today inaugurates one of the most expected exhibitions organized by the Gulbenkian Museum and curated by Neil Cox PhD.

Exhibiting the works by some of the most prominent names, with particular focus on modern still life in the 19th century and on the fundamental changes which occurred during the first half of the 20th century, "In the Presence of Things. Four Centuries of European Still-Life Painting (1840 - 1955)", invites the viewer to observe the different approaches to still-life painting through different ages and geographical places.

The exhibition, which in portuguese is entitled "A Perspectiva das Coisas. A Natureza-Morta na Europa 1840-1955," includes 93 paintings from 70 artists, including those of Realists and Impressionists such as Claude Monet, with his painting Still-life with Melon, one of the most important pieces owned by the Gulbenkian museum, the paintings of Post-Impressionist painters like Cézanne, Van Gogh, Manet and Gauguin, as well as works by Picasso, Duchamp, Braque, Matisse, Magritte, Dalí, Man Ray and Max Ernst.



This is a unique opportunity to observe in person, works of art which were gently loaned by some of the most important museums in the world, in a total of 37, including Centres Georges Pompidou (Paris), Kunstmuseum (Basel), Musée D'Orsay (Paris), Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza (Madrid), Philadelphia Museum of Art (USA), Tate (London), National Gallery of Art (Washington), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), and The Museum of Modern Art (New York).



In The Presence of Things. Four Centuries of European Still-Life Painting - Part Two: 19th - 20th Centuries (1840 - 1955), can be visited between 21 Oct 2011 to 8 Jan 2012 at the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Temporary Exhibition Gallery:
Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 - 18:00
Thursday and Saturday 10:00 - 20:00
Admission: 5€ | Admission + audio-guide: 6€

The first part (17th - 18th Centuries) took place last year, with curatorship supervised by the Prof. Peter Cherry.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Palácio do Correio Velho - 270 Modern and Contemporary Art Auction

A modern and contemporary art auction featuring works by some of the most famous portuguese artist is taking place at the Palácio do Correio Velho, Lisbon, Portugal.

Divided in two sections (19th and 20th October at 21h00), the 270 Modern and Contemporary Art Auction (Leilão 270 - Arte Moderna e Contemporânea) comprises 325 lots with prices estimates ranging between €40 and €120,000.

Between the renowned names represented in the auction, are those of: Amadeu de Sousa-Cardozo, Eduardo Viana, Paula Rego, Abel Salazar, Graça Morais, Júlio Resende, Ângelo de Sousa, Vieira da Silva, Arpard Szenes, Artur Bual, Malangatana Ngwenya, Mário Cesariny, Cargaleiro, Almada Negreiros, Júlio Pomar, José de Gumarães, and João Cutileiro.

Catalogues for the first and second sessions, as well as a virtual gallery of the auction, are available.

A document for absentee/telephone bidding is also available for download.

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Win a visit to Danny Heller's studio in L.A.



Born in Northridge, CA in 1982, Danny Heller holds a B.A. in art with an emphasis in painting by the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
After capturing Santa Barbara’s surf landscapes during his formative years, Danny started focusing his attention into the retro iconography characteristic of mid-century Los Angeles.
Now working in his studio located in Silver Lake, Danny concentrates on chronicling Modern American imagery, depicting the architecture, design, and car culture found in Southern California.



His paintings have been shown through individual and colective exhbitions and published in art magazines.
Danny Heller's work has been acquired by the Foundation Colas, Boulogne-Billancourt, France and by the Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA.

In 2008, Danny gave an interview to the Art Inquirer, sharing his approach to art and part of his techniques.

Now, after three years, The Art Inquirer and Danny Heller are collaborating again to provide a magnificent experience for two readers of this blog: a visit to his studio in Silver Lake, LA.

Whether you are an emerging or seasoned artist, or an art lover, this will be a great opportunity to get directly in touch with an artist at his studio.
During the visit you'll be able to ask Danny about his development as an artist, how he approaches his favourite themes and subjects, and even get some tips on how to improve your painting techniques.

As mentioned before, the visit is for two readers of The Art Inquirer.
Here's how it's going to work:

If you're interested in participating in this visit, just leave your comment here and a link to a simple post on your blog about this event, so that I may easily contact you in case you win. That's all you have to do.

The two winners of this event cannot be relatives.

After randomly selecting the winners, The Art Inquirer will contact them directly and will ask them to provide a contact.

The visit will take place in November, during the morning or afternoon, and at the same time for both winners. The specific day and timing will be arranged between Danny and the winners, with whom he'll get in touch.

Danny Heller and The Art Inquirer will do their best to provide you the best possible experience during your visit to his studio.

As long as all the parties agree, they are free to arrange the visiting parameters as they wish, including changing the month of the visit. The Art Inquirer does not pose any final conditions.

Eventual traveling and personal expenses are responsability of the winners.



The artist's latest individual exhibition, entitled "The LAX Series," was inaugurated yesterday at the George Billis Gallery in LA and will run until November 12.

Disclaimer: This studio visit is not a sales visit. Danny Heller's paintings can be acquired through galleries that represent him.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

2011 Edition of ArtReview’s Power 100 is headed by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei

This month, Art Review has issued its tenth annual ranking of whom their editors consider to be the contemporary art world’s most powerful players. In their own words: "...a guide to the general trends, networks and forces that shape the artworld."

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who was detained and imprisoned by the Chinese authorities during 81 days earlier this year, comes first on Art Review’s Power 100. This choice results from the artist's art practice and activism, manifesting his artistic independence from the system.

Besides Weiwei, the 2011 Edition of ArtReview’s Power 100 includes a few artists, being Cindy Sherman, Takashi Murakami, Marina Abramovic and Anish Kapoor
, four of them.

Names such as Hans Ulrich Obrist & Julia Peyton-Jones, Glenn Lowry, Larry Gagosian, Nicholas Serota, David Zwirner, Klaus Biesenbach, Eli Broad, François Pinault, Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, Victor Pinchuk, Artangel, Creative Time, artists Anton Vidokle, Julieta Aranda & Brian Kuan Wood (all three from e-flux), Boris Groys and Kaja Silverman, are among the list of curators, museum directors,gallerists, art patrons, collectors, distribution agencies and thinkers who influence and dynamize the art world.

The November issue of ArtReview's magazine includes full profiles, analysis, features, photography portfolios and commissioned artwork by Matt Mullican.

Friday, October 14, 2011

MAXXI presents: Indian Highway



Presented by the MAXXI museum in Italy, the Indian Highway itinerant collective exhibition brings to the public, a selection of 60 works by 30 artists, including 4 site-specific installations conceived for MAXXI Art and a series of works exhibited for the first time, offering a comprehensive panorama of the Contemporary Indian artistic scene.

This constitutes the first investigation by an Italian museum about the art of this fascinating country and reflects the economic, social and cultural developments of the past twenty years. In the likeness of the highway as a supporting element of the migratory flows moving from the periphery towards the city, Indian Highway is about technological development, the economic boom and the growing global relevancy and influence of this subcontinent in the world of the arts since the 1990s.

The exhibition can essentially be divided into three macro areas:

Indian Identity and Histories: investigates political, social and religious themes such as the war between India and Pakistan, the religious struggles, the transience of the national borders.

Exploding metropolises: examines urban expansion and chaos and the abandonment of the rural areas.

Contemporary Tradition: explores the revisiting of ancient forms of expression in Indian culture such as miniatures, ceramics and ink paintings.

The Indian Highway exhibition can be visited between 22 September 2011 – 29 January 2012, at the MAXXI (Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Secolo) in Rome, Italy.

Indian Highway is curated by Julia Peyton-Jones, Hans-Ulrich Obrist and Gunnar B. Kvaran together with Giulia Ferracci, Assistant Curator MAXXI Arte, and organised in collaboration with the Serpentine Gallery, London and the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art, Oslo, Norway.

Curated by Amar Kanwar for the ‘Exhibition Within The Indian Highway Exhibition’, The News shows a selection of three news extracts of news footage: The first is filmed in the early 1930’s and shows us glimpses of protests against British rule in India; the second is from 2004, of Manipuri activists under attack from the police, while demanding the removal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act [AFSPA], a law that gives the army the right to search, arrest and even kill with impunity (across the North East of India) since 1958; and the third clip, shot in 2011 shows the people of Jagatsinghapur District, Orissa, protesting against the police attempt to forcibly enter their villages to acquire land for the South Korean Steel Company POSCO.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Carrousel du Louvre – Paris: Art Shopping 2011



Under the motto "L'Art Contemporain à Moins de 5000€," the 9th edition of the Art Shopping salon will take place at the Carrousel du Louvre, Paris, during the days of 22 and 23 October 2011 (11h – 20h).

The event aims to provide an opportunity to new generation galleries and emerging artists to show their art to the public in a friendly and accessible atmosphere, while at the same time offering visitors the chance to contact directly with the artists and eventually purchasing contemporary art within reasonable prices.

Each edition of Art Shopping at Carrousel du Louvre is usually attended by near 10000 visitors who spend between 1000 and 2000€.

Tickets for the Salon Art Shopping automne will cost €10 (€7 when purchased in advance over the internet). Entry is free for under 12 years old.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Register for the Learning & Product Expo: Art!

Registration is open for the Learning & Product Expo: Art!
The event will take place in the Hall B of the Pasadena Convention Center, CA, between the 28th and the 30th October 2011.

Visitors will be able to learn about the latest news from their favourite art materials manufacturers, try and buy products at discounted prices, assist to demonstrations provided by renowned artists and attend workshops.
A juried art show will also take place during the expo.

The Learning & Product Expo: Art! (7th Annual Pasadena, CA expo) is a major art event for all those involved in the art world, from emerging to more seasoned artists, passing through those who dedicate themselves to the business side of the arts.

Saturday, October 1, 2011

New Kindle Touch Giveaway for Christmas

Christmas is approaching and to celebrate the soon to achieve 100000 visits, The Art Inquirer will offer a new Kindle Touch (with special offers) valued at $99 to one of its readers.



In order to be elegible to enter this promotion, you need to complete the following simple tasks:

a) Write a simple article on your blog about this promotion, with a link to this post.

b) Stumble any article of The Art Inquirer (this one is optional)

c) Leave a "I want the new Kindle Touch" comment with a link to your article and an optional link to the stumble.

d) Subscribe The Art Inquirer's newsletter through Feedblitz (see right column)

e) Follow this blog

You can enter this Christmas promotion until November 30, 2011 (GMT time).

Each participant will be attributed a number (two numbers for those who have stumbled an article).

On December 1st, the winner of the new Kindle Touch will be announced.

Due to Amazon's price policies, this promotion is only valid for residents in the USA.

A list of free ebooks for artists, compiled by Briggsy, can be found at the Conceptart forum.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Dia EPAL at the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga



To celebrate the Water's National Day, EPAL and the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (Lisbon, Portugal) invite the population to visit the museum on September 30, between 10h00 and 24h00, free of charge.

The EPAL Day (Dia EPAL) at the MNAA will include guided tours through all day.

This event marks the restore of the most famous piece of the Portuguese goldsmithery, the Custódia de Belém (a gold and enamel ostensory dated from 1506 and attributed to goldsmith Gil Vicente), and the continuity of EPAL's successful programme started in 2010, now supporting the Tesouro da Vidigueira.

For more information, you can call the museum at: +351 21 391 2800

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

"Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus" at the Philadelphia Museum of Art



The Philadelphia Museum of Art is showing a major exhibition of works by the acclaimed Dutch old master Rembrandt van Rijn (1606–1669).

Gathering an exceedingly rare and singular series of seven portraits depicting the head of Christ and complemented by more than fifty related paintings, prints, and drawings, some of them rarely exhibited or lent due to their light-sensitivity and fragility, the "Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus" exhibition invites the viewer to grasp the religious, historic, and artistic significance of these works, while at the same time witnessing Rembrandt's iconoclasm and his search for a meditative ideal.

These bust-length portraits portraits of Jesus mark a new step in the history of Christian art, which had previously relied on rigidly copied prototypes for Christ, by making use of a human model.

The "Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus" exhibition can be visited until October 30, 2011.

Friday, September 23, 2011

LUMINA Light Festival in Sintra



Today, September 23rd at 21h00, will be inaugurated at the National Palace in Sintra (Palácio da Vila), the LUMINA light festival.

Everyday until the 25th, between 21h00 and 24h00, the public will be able to watch several light based artistic events such as performances, multimedia projections and installations. These events will take place in several venues throughout a "Light Path" (Caminho da Luz).

Lumina Light Festival is promoted by the SINTRARTES 2011 – Artes de Rua, an initiative of Sintra's City Hall.
The city of Sintra is part of UNESCO's World Heritage Site.

Admission is free to all events. Don't forget to bring your flashlight !

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Portuguese artist Júlio Resende died at the age of 93




The Portuguese artist Júlio Resende passed away this 21 September 2011 in Valbom, Gondomar (Portugal) with 93 years of age.

Júlio Martins Resende da Silva Dias was born in the city of Oporto, on 23 October 1917. He graduated by the Escola Superior de Belas-Artes do Porto (Oporto School of Fine Arts) in the year of 1945, where he studied under the instruction of Dúrdio Gomes. Júlio made his first public appearence at the exhibition "Os Independentes" in 1944.

In 1948, the artist travels to Paris, where he receives instruction by Duco de la Haix and Otto Friez.

Júlio Resende was nominated member of the Académie Royale des Sciences, des Letres et des Beauz-Arts de Bélgique in 1972 and in 1982 he was awarded with the insignia of "Orden del Mérito Civil" attributed by the king of Spain. In Portugal he was distinguished in 1985 with the AICA award (Associação Internacional de Críticos de Arte).

His funeral will take place tomorow, September 22. Mass will be celebrated at 16h00 in the Igreja Matriz (mother church) of Valbom and the funeral will follow to cemetery in Valbom at 16h45.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

12th ArtNîm - International Contemporary Art Fair

From the 23rd through the 26th of September 2011, the Parc des Expositions de Nîmes (France) will host the 12th edition of ArtNîm - International Contemporary Art Fair (12ème édition d'ArtNîm - Foire Internationale d'Art Contemporain).

Since its start that ArtNîm aims to be a mark in the South of France in what contemporary art is concerned, bringing some of the most prestigious names, such as Paul Rebeyrolle, Dado, Karel Appel or Witkin, in contact with the French public.
Counting with near 40 participating galleries, the contemporary art fair will also offer the chance of discovering some new talent from emerging artists, as well as providing these artists with an important experience.

For the second year in a role, an online drawing contest under the theme "Du spirituel dans l'Art" (The spiritual in art), resulting from a parnership between ArtNîm and Canson, will select through the vote of the members of the latributedesartistes website, 30 works which will be exhibit in the stand of La Tribu at the Foire d’Art Contemporain Méditerranée à Nîmes, taking place between 22nd and 26th September 2011.
The three overall winners of this drawing constest, will be rewarded with 500€ to 1000€ of Canson paper will and offer the opportunity to exhibit at the 2012 edition of ArtNîm for two between them.
The selection will take place today, September 21.

Also on the same day, following this year's participation of Le Livre d'Art, the winner of the Prix du jury Lelivredart will be selected and receive 40 copies of a catalogue featuring his/her artworks. A targeted announcement of the catalogue will be made to the near 17000 readers of the Lelivredart publications.

ArtNîm 2011 welcomes the MIAM, Musée International des Arts Modestes, that will celebrate its 10th anniversary in the center of the fair.

Visitors will not want to miss the letters and correspondance of Charles Baudelaire, Jacques Prévert, Prosper Mérimé, Céline, among others, presented for the first time by the disciple of the collector Clayeux, Alain Corté. also a collector himself.

La Maison de la Gravure returns to ArtNîm to present artistic performances.

CRAC Médias Forum will show during its "ARTS Video Forum", a selection of videos created by the French art scene and by foreign guest artists, including the names of: Jochen DEHN, John DENEUVE, Malachi FARRELL, Karl GIETL, Franck GOURDIEN, Frédéric LAVOIE, Renaud PERRIN, Nath SAPIN...

Every morning, at 11h00, a videographer will be given carte blanche to show one of his/her creations.

Conferences will take place, including one based on the theme of the drawing contest: "Du spirituel dans l'art...et dans la peinture en particulier."

The 12th edition of ArtNîm promisses to offer to all its visitors a rewarding artistic experience under several aspects.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Open Call for Entries for the 2011 FWCAC 9 x 12 Works on Paper Show

The Fort Worth Community Arts Center, Texas, has announced the open call for the 2011 FWCAC 9 x 12 Works on Paper Show.

Artworks must be original, including unmatted, unframed photography, drawing, painting, printmaking, collage, mixed media, cast or folded paperworks or digital prints. Art not on/of paper will not be displayed (although other materials may be attached to the paper). No reproductions allowed.

The artworks can be any size, but they MUST fit in a 9” x 12” (23cm x 30cm) envelope to be mailed, although they may be folded, 3D or multi-part.

Since there is no entry form, participating artists should mark the back of each artwork with their name, adress/e-mail, title, date of completion and medium, as well as mentioning if the work is for sale or to be returned.

Artists are welcomed to provide a CV/Bio/Artist Statement, which will be placed in a binder in alphabetical order.

The postmark deadline for the 2011 FWCAC 9 x 12 Works on Paper Show is November 15, 2011.

All artwork will be for sale for $100US and the artist will receive 80%. Unsold works sent with an appropriate size self-addressed STAMPED envelope (SASE) will be returned. Envelopes with metering or insufficient postage will not be returned. Name/s on envelope must match name/s on artwork. Unsold artworks and checks will be mailed to artists by January 31st, 2012.

Entrants of all ages and geographic locations can participate with up to five entries and more than one work may be mailed in each envelope. Entry fee is $5US/piece.

Send entries and entry fee by check or Money Order to:

9 x 12
Fort Worth Community Arts Center
1300 Gendy
Fort Worth, TX 76107

Artwork MUST be mailed - no drop-offs.

November 15, 2011: Postmark Deadline
December 9: Reception, 6 - 9PM
December 9 - 29: Exhibition
January 31, 2012: Checks and unsold works mailed

All artworks will be shown.

More information is available at
galllerymanager@fwcac.org

Monday, September 12, 2011

The "Werner Jägers collection" Art Forgery Scam

The main character of this true story is Wolfgang Beltracchi, owner of a €1.1 million villa that he acquired together with his wife Helene, situated in the hills above Freiburg among the city's high society. It appears that another €4 million were spent remodeling it.

Where all this money was coming from, no one knew. Some would say that Beltracchi was an artist with a high-end clientele, others thought that he was a successful art dealer or the owner of a valuable collection, or even that he had discovered a number of unknown masterpieces on flea markets.

Such was the mood at the party held at the Beltracchis' new house on September 22, 2007, where Champagne was served out of Magnum bottles and even a Flamenco band had been brought in from Spain.

But on Aug. 27, 2010, at 7:35 p.m., the Beltracchis were detained by the authorities, not far from their villa as they were going out to dinner.
The police officers had been sent by the district attorney's office in Cologne, which also had a theory about how Wolfgang and Helene Beltracchi had amassed their fortune. It can be found in file number 117 Js 407/10, and if confirmed in a court of law, the Beltracchis will officially become the main characters in one of the greatest ever art forgery scandals in Germany and with serious repercussions abroad.

The couple has been held in pre-trial detention, accused of organized professional fraud. Prosecutors are also investigating Jeanette S., the sister of Helene Beltracchi, who is also currently in pre-trial detention, as well their mother and an art dealer from Krefeld identified only as Otto.

The defendants are accused of consistently provide the art market with paintings by famous artists, claiming to be undiscovered works. This went over a period of more than 14 years, in a market where 20th century classics have attained impressive auction records. This case centers on the alleged forgery of at least 35 paintings dating back to the first decades of the 20th century and sold through auction houses in Germany, as well in London and Paris galleries via art traders. The investigators estimate the total damage at more than €15 million.

While only one of the paintings has been confirmed beyond a doubt by two analyses as being fake, a number of similarities such as similar frames, yellowed stickers from famous galleries on their backs and the absense of photographs of any of them, leeds the investigators to suspect that the other 34 paintings are also fakes. Moreover all allegedly come from two mysterious art collections.

After acquiring a Campendonk work at the Cologne-based auction house Lempertz, Maltese company Trasteco had the work scientifically tested for authentication purposes. It turned out that one of the colors used in the painting had not been invented by 1914, the year the work was allegedly painted.



One of these collections is said to have belonged to Werner Jägers, a businessman from Cologne, born in Belgium in 1912, and the grandfather of the two sisters awaiting trial.
In a letter that Helene Beltracchi sent to an art historian, Jägers had acquired a number of paintings in the "late 1920s and early 1930s," particularly works by Rhenish expressionists artists "like Campendonk, Pechstein, Nauen, Mense, Ernst" as well as French painters "like Braque, Derain, Dufy, Marcoussis." She claimed several "important works in his collection" had been bought from the Jewish art dealer Alfred Flechtheim, "who owned display rooms near one of her grandfather's business premises" and had been a "good friend" of Werner Jägers.
When the Nazis arrived to power, Jägers was allegedly loath to give up his precious artworks -- officially derided as "degenerate" during the Third Reich -- so he hid the pictures at a property in the Eiffel region of Germany.
"A few years before his death," Helene claims, he had passed on "a part of his collection" to her and her sister Jeanette.

However, according to his last wife and a close business associate, Jägers had only purchased a few paintings, but these were not considered valuable at the time and it seems that he didn't own an art collection. Besides nothing suggests that he was acquainted with the Jewish art dealer Alfred Flechtheim.
Werner Jägers married four times and lived mainly in Cologne, where he died in 1992.

Helene Beltracchi was 34 years old at the time and had recently started runing an antiques store in Cologne.

Years earlier, more precisely in 1978, her future husband Wolfgang, who's surname was still Fischer, had three of his acrylic-on-canvas works exhibited at the Haus der Kunst museum in Munich.
Wolfgang spent some time in Morocco during the 1980s and then returned to Germany.
He organized theme parties, including a baroque fete at a castle in the Dutch town of Renesse, where guests paid a few hundred German marks for the privilege of dressing up in period costume and re-enacting 18th-century life.

Later on he decided to write the "Die Himmelsleiter" (The Ladder to Heaven), a screenplay for a road movie set in the Moroccan desert. A documentary about the pirates in the South China Sea became his next project, but was never realized.
In October 1990 Wolfgang and a friend paid 305,000 deutschmarks (€156,400) at a bank auction for an old farm in Viersen in the Lower Rhine region of Germany.
Neighbors remember a "first-floor warehouse converted into an artist's studio."

It's in the year of 1992 that Wolfgang meets his future wife Helene Beltracchi, who had moved to his farm.
Together they start their art business and, with no surprise, Helene assumes the serious side of things.

Now married and with Wolfgang's last name changed to Beltracchi, the couple owed several hundred thousand marks on their property.
In the year of 1995 Helene contacted the Lempertz art dealership in Cologne and offered the long-established auction house a painting by Hans Purrmann, a friend and student of the great French painter Henri Matisse. She said the work belonged to her maternal grandfather, the aforementioned Werner Jägers. But a Purrmann expert doubted the authenticity of the painting, entitled "Southern Landscape," whereupon Lempertz declined to put the work up for auction.

But the couple does not give up their intentions and eight months later, at the "German and Austrian Art" sale in October 1995, Christie's offered a painting by Heinrich Campendonk entitled "Girl with Swan," informing its clients that the art historian Andrea Firmenich "has been kind enough to confirm the authenticity of this work." The origin of the painting was stated by Christie's as "Alfred Flechtheim, Dusseldorf; Werner Jägers, Cologne."
It sold for £67,500.

A sticker on the back of the painting, which bore the inscription "Flechtheim Collection" and a rough portrait of the legendary art dealer, was also shown in the catalogue. Nobody appeared to be too bothered by the fact that the sticker, which looked like a potato print, simply didn't match the style of the elegant gallerist. Such stickers have only appeared on the paintings that are now suspected of having been forged, with particular focus for the "Werner Jägers collection."

Wolfgang sold the farm in Viersen to a firm of realtors for 2.6 million deutschmarks (€1.3 million) in July 1996 and traveled with his wife to Marseillan, 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Montpellier, where they rented a vacation home with studio.

Former visitors to his studio mention a "large piece on a mythological theme" onto which he copied faces with the aid of a projector. The fake Purrmann that Lempertz had refused to sell at auction, hung in the Beltracchis' living room.
During their stay, Wolfgang and Helene researched the local art scene, visited antique stores, art trade fairs and galleries.

In June 1998 Lempertz in Cologne auctioned a painting professedly from the "Werner Jägers collection": "Le Havre Beach" by the French painter Raoul Dufy. "For once, it was a real one," Lempertz Managing Director Henrik Hanstein says today. Hanstein says the couple had been particularly devious by selling a genuine picture in addition to the fakes. A Lempertz spokesman is similarly shocked about the couple's crafty stratagem. He says the auction house had been "the victim of an extraordinarily clever and mean gang of forgers."



Should the allegations prove to be true, then the modus operandi was indeed remarkably astute: The alleged forgers didn't forge names like Picasso or Beckmann, but those of Max Pechsteinand, Heinrich Campendonk, Fernand Léger and Max Ernst. They kept well away from the truly great artists, whose works was renowned and had been researched in minute detail. Instead they concentrated on second-tier painters, whose works can still fetch more than a million euros.
Besides the paintings, the fake documents that authenticated them were also of high quality.
"They produced incredibly well-made paintings, including a complete provenance that took familial background and the historical art context into account," said Henrik Hanscheid, head of Lempertz, a 150-year-old art dealership based in Cologne that was duped into selling some of the fakes.

It appears they began by studying old catalogues of exhibitions by artists in whose names they wanted to create paintings, preferably catalogues of the gallery of Alfred Flechtheim, one of the most important art dealers of the Weimar Republic, the period from the end of World War I to the Nazis' ascent to power. Flechtheim fled from the Nazis in 1933, moved first to Paris, dying later in London in 1937. Large parts of his collection have been lost to this day, and documents from his gallery have never been recovered.

The list of pictures from the Flechtheim catalogs was compared to the lists of paintings by the relevant artists. Were any of the paintings listed as missing, ones that had not been photographed?

Such forged paintings had been traded in increasing numbers since the late 1990s, and it is believed that some of the profits from the sales landed in the bank account the Beltracchis held with the discrete Credit Andorra in the tax-shelter principality of the same name, where Wolfgang Beltracchi was also registered as having a residence.

Otto and the German art historian, journalist and organizer of exhibitions Werner Spies, exchanged letters about one Max Ernst painting the Krefeld based art dealer was particularly proud to possess. Spies took a look at the piece, entitled "The Forest," at an art gallery in Berlin. Later it was even exhibited at a major Max Ernst retrospective held at the New York Metropolitan Museum.

Werner Spies certified a total of seven alleged Max Ernst pictures from the collections of Knops and Jägers. "From a stylistic point of view I still believe the pictures given to me to authenticate were the works of Max Ernst," Spies says.

The majority of the suspicious paintings weren't auctioned off, but rather sold to private collectors - in some cases with Spies' assistance. They apparently fetched up to €4.6 million. "If the pieces are forgeries," Spies says, "they can only be described as the work of a brilliant forger."

An old friend of Beltracchi's says the itinerant artist was "touched by God," adding: "He is extremely talented, and can paint everything from memory."

In June, after the lawyer von Brühl had pressed charges, officers at the art crime division of the regional criminal investigation bureau in Berlin began looking into the case. At the same time, private investigators from the Munich-based ADS detective agency started researching Werner Jägers' life. Within a matter of days, they discovered what the art world had refused to see for 15 years: Werner Jägers may have been a businessman, but he was never an art collector.

Monte Carlo Art sued Max Ernst expert Werner Spies and Parisian Galerie Cazeau-Béraudière in French court.
The gallery sold the fake painting to Monte Carlo Art in 2004, and Spies authenticated it. Monte Carlo Art later sold the painting at Sotheby's for $1.1 million.

Another victim from this art scam was the renown American actor Steve Martin, who sold his painting to a Swiss collector for €500,000 ($600,000 at the time). Martin took a loss from the original €700,000 ($850,000 at the time) that he paid for it in 2004. Martin did not become aware his painting was inauthentic until after he sold it.

The trial relates specifically to 14 fake works and is expected to take at least 40 days, as the prosecution has reportedly called over 170 witnesses, including a number of prominent art dealers and experts.

Work is now underway to determine whether Wolfgang Beltracchi did indeed forge the pictures, who he may have been assisted by, and how many paintings really are fakes. It also remains to be seen whether he can still be punished for acts beyond the decade laid down in the statute of limitations.

The public attorney's office recently entered two debt-securing mortgages on the renovated villa in Freiburg that Wolfgang Beltracchi had unveiled so lavishly. The total value of the mortgages: €2,545,577.20.

This article contains excerpts from spiegel.de, thelocal.de and artinfo.com. Image courtesy of Lempertz