art

Edward Hopper's Maine Paintings to be Exhibited at Bowdoin College

Filed under: Art

In July the Bowdoin College Museum of Art in Brunswick, Maine will stage an exhibition of paintings and watercolors produced by famed American realist Edward Hopper during his many sojourns in Maine. Hopper spent several summers there beginning in 1914 and painted many Maine scenes, including the lighthouse at Two Lights, above, in Cape Elizabeth, from 1929. For Edward Hopper such weather-beaten landmarks "symbolized the solitary individual stoically facing the onslaught of change in an industrial society." Organized with the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, which has a major Hopper show running through April, the Bowdoin exhibition includes over 80 works from both public and private collections.

Tags: art, Bowdoin College, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, colleges, Edward Hopper, Maine, museum, New England, painting

Top Cartier Art/Jewelry Watches For 2011

by Ariel Adams (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Timepieces / Watches

Cartier has long been known for making a variety of lovely creations. 2011 is a year where they really flexed their creative muscles offerings a load of high-end, beautiful jewelry and art watch pieces. You'll of course notice a distinct "animal" theme in most of these. Lots of reptiles this year, and of course a few panthers as well. Many of these items are "order only" while I believe others will be parts of limited editions available in Cartier boutiques. Either way, it is always pleasing to see what the Parisian house can come up with. See the gallery below for the best items of 2011 (as presented at the SIHH 2011 in Geneva).

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch reviews site aBlogtoRead.com.

Gallery: 2011 Cartier jewelry watches

Tags: 2011, animals, art, cartier, jewelry, watch, watches

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Major Botero Exhibit In Miami Runs Through The End Of The Month

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

You only have another week or so to check out a comprehensive display of the work of Fernando Botero's work in Miami, Florida. Gallerist and art book publisher Gary Nader has gathered together a collection of the Colombian artist's work in order to celebrate the launch of a new art book on Botero.

Botero's rounded forms are immediately recognizable. He's famous for his corpulent figures but has also done still life paintings and bronze sculptures that showcase his range as well as a series of paintings depicted prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison. Recent works reflect his enduring fascination with circus performers and circus life. In a culture that often sees fat as a four-letter word, Botero's paintings normalize roundness giving it dignity.

Nader gathered pieces from collectors around the world. The show is up only through January 31 and includes a chronological assortment of more than 100 paintings, sculpture and drawings dating from the 1950s to the present day. Nader's gallery houses $200 million of the most impressive collections by U.S, Latin and European masters. Accompanying the Botero Retrospective is a hard cover edition of 224 pages with close to 200 full color page illustrations, published by Nader and priced at $150.

Tags: art, art exhibit, art gallery, fernando botero, miami art

1932 Picasso Portrait of Young Mistress Going Up for Auction

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

A 1932 nude portrait by Picasso of his young lover and muse Marie-Therese Walter went on display this week at Sotheby's in Paris and will be auctioned off next month with an expected sale price of $19-$29 million. "La Lecture" or "Reading" was painted during Picasso's "lovestruck" period and depicts Marie-Therese sleeping in an armchair with her head back and an open book on her lap. "In the early 1930s he was very lyrically in love and reflected that in these gorgeous colors, and lovely compositions," said Philip Hook, Director of the Impressionist and Modern Picture Department at Sotheby's in London. "This period is just about the most desirable of all Picasso's (periods), certainly in market terms."

The painting will be the premier offering at next month's Impressionist and Modern Art sale in London.

Source

Tags: art, pablo picasso, picasso, sothebys

Early Works by Edward Hopper Exhibited at Mark Murray Fine Paintings in New York

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Early Works by Edward Hopper Exhibited at Mark Murray Fine Paintings in New York

In conjunction with the Whitney Museum of Art's acclaimed Edward Hopper exhibition, Mark Murray Fine Paintings on Manhattan's Upper East Side is holding an exhibition of original works of art by the groundbreaking Ashcan School artist. All of the works are available for purchase.

Thirty rare early drawings, watercolors and a landscape in oil are on view at the gallery, all of which were formerly in the collection of the artist's widow, Jo Hopper, and subsequently given to the Reverend Arthayor R. Sanborn. Interestingly, Sanborn was a close friend of the Hopper family and served as the minister who officiated at the burial ceremonies for Hopper in 1967.

Mark Murray Fine Paintings' exhibition reveals Hopper's early mastery of drawing, particularly the human form, his fondness for literary sources, and his admiration for the paintings of the Old Masters. A subtle psychology can also be seen taking shape, especially in the many subjects he approached as an illustrator.

Gallery: Edward Hopper Exhibit at Mark Murray Fine Paintings

Three highlights of this collection include a large and bold drawing depicting the artist's mother, Elizabeth Griffiths Smith Hopper, executed c. 1900; an early landscape in oil titled "Country Road" (1897) (seen above), one of only 32 paintings by Hopper remaining in private hands; and a striking illustration depicting firemen at work titled "Under Control" (1907-10). A selection of drawings from this collection were included in the catalogue for an exhibition titled "The Early Drawings of Edward Hopper" (with an essay by Hopper scholar Gail Levin), held at Kennedy Galleries, New York in 1995.

Tags: art, art gallery, Ashcan, edward hopper, exhibition, Mark Murray, Mark Murray Fine Paintings, whitney museum, Whitney Museum of Art

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Large Roman Micromosaic Up For Auction

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Auction Central News drew my attention to a stunning micromosaic that is being auctioned off by Myers Auction Gallery in St. Petersburg, Florida as part of their January 30 European & Asian Antiques auction.

The massive piece is 32 by 59 inches and weighs more than 100 pounds. The piece is attributed to master mosaicist Cesare Roccheggiani, who was active at the Vatican workshops from 1856 to 1864. These micro mosaics were just part of the massive industry of selling art to tourists embarking on their Grand Tour of Europe but most were far smaller than this one. The piece depicts the ancient Roman Forum and since the 1920s this piece has been in the home of a Tampa businessman. When the home was sold in the 1980s, the new owners purchased the piece but now the estate artwork is up for sale.

This piece is unsigned but bears a striking resemblance to a signed work of very similar size and subject that sold at Christie's London in December for £337,250 ($533,192) against an estimate of £100,000 - £200,000. The Auction Central News article quotes Michael Myers, founder and co-owner of Myers Auction Gallery who says that his firm believes that although unsigned it is "almost certainly the work of Roccheggiani."

It is being offered with a $100,000-$200,000 estimate. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com. Check out detailed images of this extraordinary piece here.

Tags: art, auction, micromosaic, mosaic, myers auction gallery

New Dali Museum Opens In Florida

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art, Architecture & Design

On January 11 at 11:11 a.m., the new Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida had its official opening marked with an exuberant parade featuring Salvador Dali lookalikes with curving mustaches and a whole carnival of characters. The $36 million museum took two years to build and replaced an older museum that had long drawn Dali aficionados around the world. The museum has over 2,140 pieces, including 96 oil paintings and eight master works and is the largest collection of Dali's work outside his home country, Spain. The new larger museum also has a cafe, patio and garden. In between the galleries a 75-foot spiral staircase that takes patrons to the third floor. HOK and the Beck Group designed the museum which has reinforced concrete walls that can protect the artwork from a category 5 hurricane. As Annie Scott reported back in September, the Dali Museum will be occupied throughout 2011 with a special exhibit called Viva la Revelacion!, displaying all paintings and highlighting other major works from the permanent collection to celebrate the new building. Today marks the first day the new museum is open to the public. Admission is $21.

Tags: art, art museum, salvador dali, st petersburg

Damien Hirst Draws Fire for $50 Million Diamond and Platinum Baby Skull

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Art world provocateur Damien Hirst's latest work, an authentic baby's skull covered in platinum and diamonds, is causing controversy in the UK. The sculpture (above), entitled For Heaven's Sake, is a follow-up to the Brit artist's astounding $100 million diamond covered skull which he debuted in 2007. The new work is based on an infant's skull believed to be that of a newborn less than two weeks old from a 19th-century pathology collection that Hirst has acquired, the London Telegraph reports. Cast in platinum and set with more than 8,000 white and pink diamonds by royal jewelers Bentley & Skinner, the skull will be exhibited later this month at the Gagosian Gallery's new space in Hong Kong and will be shown in London later this year.

The gallery has not named a price for the new work but we expect it to fetch at least $50 million if not more. The work has angered parenting groups who claim that it is offensive to those who have suffered the bereavement of a child, the newspaper reports, raising the specter of protests. That of course is only likely to increase its value. "When you look at a skull, you think it represents the end, but when you see the end so beautiful, it gives you hope," Hirst commented regarding his earlier skull work. "Diamonds are about perfection and clarity and wealth and sex and death and immortality. They are a symbol of everything that's eternal, but then they have a dark side as well."

Tags: art, Bentley Skinner, Damien Hirst, diamond, diamonds, Gagosian Gallery, gemstones, jewelry, platinum, skull, UK

Dennis Hopper's Furniture On Offer at Christie's

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Auctions, Celebrity Shopping, Art, Architecture & Design

Last summer my colleague Deirdre Woollard covered the sale of Dennis Hopper's house and major works from his impressive collection of contemporary art. Now Christie's is offering a number of prized pieces of furniture that belonged the late actor, artist and aesthete. Tops among Hopper's design classics in Christie's Interiors sale in New York on Jan. 11 – 12 is a chrome and black leather chaise by Le Corbusier, estimated at $1,000 – $1,500; a cardboard "bubble chair" designed by architect Frank Gehry, estimated at $3,000 – $5,000; and an oak and black leather Eames chair with ottoman, estimated at $1,000 – $1,500. Also included are various photographs and works of art, including an Andy Warhol silkscreen of Marilyn Monroe estimated at $40,000 – $60,000, and even the actor's set of Tiffany & Co. teacups and desert plates, estimated at $200 – $300. A number of the items are being offered without reserve, so it's a good chance for Hopper fans to score a memento.

Tags: actor, Andy Warhol, art, auction, celebrity, Christies, contemporary art, Dennis Hopper, Eames, Frank Gehry, furniture, Le Corbusier, Tiffany Co.

$14 Million Francis Bacon Stars in Sotheby's Sale

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions, Art

A triptych portrait of artist Lucian Freud by Francis Bacon is the starring attraction at Sotheby's' Looking Closely sale of 20th century works in London on February 10. Three Studies for a Portrait of Lucian Freud (above) is estimated at up to $14 million. However, now that Bacon enthusiast Roman Abramovich has a new $230 million mega-mansion to decorate, we bet it could go much higher. Other top lots in the sale, said to have belonged to the low-profile Geneva collector George Kostalitz, who died last year, include works by Freud himself, Salvador Dali and Marc Chagall. "The works were bought between the 1960s and the 1990s," Helena Newman, Sotheby's European chairman of Impressionist and Modern Art, tells Bloomberg. "It's a personal collection of pieces that can be lived with on a domestic scale." The total high estimate for the works on offer is $85 million.

Tags: art, auction, contemporary art, Francis Bacon, London, Lucian Freud, Roman Abramovich, Salvador Dali, Sothebys

Haworth Enters the Art and Design World with the Innovative Clouds Collection (with Video)

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Art, Architecture & Design

Haworth, the world's leading manufacturer of high-end organic office furniture and work spaces, has entered the art and design world with the launch of an innovative, interlocking fabric tile that can be used as a sculptural art installation. Called "Clouds", the tiles add design and color to any space and make an ideal replacement or supplement to more traditional forms of art.

Clouds is the result of a collaboration between Kvadrat (a Danish textile manufacturer) and the French-born Bouroullec brothers---Ronan and Erwan, who are leaders in industrial design. Kvadrat's textiles are used worldwide by renowned architects, designers and furniture manufacturers for upholstery and curtains.

The soft-sided tiles are easy to assemble as they are attached to each other by special rubber bands. They are simple to mount, move, change and maintain and can be rearranged as often as you'd like to bring new ideas into a space. The tiles can be hung from a wall or ceiling, placed on the floor, or attached to railings and stairs, adding color, texture, and warmth, in addition to providing sound insulation.

Gallery: Clouds by Haworth

Tags: art, art+design, artdesign, Bouroullec Brothers, Clouds, design, Haworth, haworth+furniture, haworth+furniture+video+clip, haworth+office+furniture, haworthfurniture, haworthfurniturevideoclip, haworthofficefurniture, interior design, Kvadrat, KvadratClouds

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Jelly Babies Have New London Home

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Seven members of the appealing Jelly Baby Family have new digs. They were recently moved to London's Marble Arch where they will delight locals and visitors alike until April 2011. The family - a father, mother, two teenagers, a child and young twins-- are heavy weights, tipping the scales at a total of 3.2 tons so that a crane installation was required. Sculptor Mauro Perucchetti explains he created a body of work 12 years ago that was inspired by the dilemma between cloning and religion, and cloning and medical ethics. With this sculpture he says" "I decided to use the jelly baby as an impersonation of cloned mankind. On first glance, they seem very sweet, but from certain angles, they can look slightly sinister, especially on a large scale."

Tags: art, halycon gallery, Jellybabyfamily, london, Marble Arch sculpture, Mauro Perucchetti, Westminster Council

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No Art Censorship in Bern Museums

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Art

Last November, an 11-second clip of ants crawling over a crucifix in a four-minute video by artist David Wojnarowicz was attacked as blasphemous and removed from the Smithsonian Museum's National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC. Imagine what those same critics would say about a terrific show in Bern, Switzerland, called "Lust and Vice: The 7 Deadly Sins from Dürer to Nauman." The show is jointly organized by the Art Museum of Bern and the Zentrum Paul Klee, a multi-function glass and steel space by Renzo Piano. Located a short bus ride from the city center, it resembles three rolling hills. In the "hill" that houses Lust, Sloth, and Gluttony, a very conspicuous sign advises visitors the show "is not suitable for adolescents." The art museum, which is located in the city center, presents Pride, Envy, Anger, and Avarice.

Tags: Andreas Gursky, art, art museum, art museum bern, Bern, Cardinal sins, Cindy Sherman, switzerland, Yinka Shonibare, Zentrum Paul Klee

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Winners of Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series Chosen

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Art

Bombay Sapphire Gin and Russell and Danny Simmons' Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation teamed up to create the Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series, a nationwide search to discover new talents in urban photography and multi-media art. During a series of regional gallery events, twenty artists from these two categories were shortlisted and invited to Miami for a grand finale event during Art Basel. A jury panel which included Rush Philanthropic co-founders Russell and Danny Simmons, the program's national curator Andre Guichard, photographer Eric Henderson and Marc Ecko chose Washington, DC photographer Stan Squirewell and Miami artist Jorge Cavalier as the first ever winners of the series. Both artists will have their work installed at the Rush Arts Gallery in Manhattan from Jan. 13 to 27, 2011. Squirewell's acrylic on pigment print is titled The Carbon Anomaly and Cavalier's three piece sculpture comes from a series titled Labyrinths. The two winners were chosen from nearly two thousand artists who submitted work for consideration.

Tags: art, art basel, bombay sapphire, jorge cavalier, stan squirewell

Eden Rock "Uncovers" Latest Art Exhibition

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Art

The year is coming to an end, and that means the art gallery at Eden Rock is filling up. As peak season hits down on St. Barths, the gallery becomes home to endless excitement, and it should be higher than in the past few years, as the art market bounces back from its late 2008 and early 2009 depths.

This year, the Eden Rock Gallery will be home to an exhibition called "Uncovered," running from December 22, 2010 through January 31, 2011. Hosted in partnership with the New York Academy of Art and curated by Eileen Guggenheim, Peter Drake and David Kratz, it will include 24 pieces by artists affiliated with the academy, with work by faculty and members of the Artists' Advisory Board of the Academy on the walls, too. Rosson Crow, Kurt Kauper, Natalie Frank, Alyssa Monks, Robert Feintuch, Julie Heffernan and Margaret Bowland are among the artists being featured.

Gallery: "Uncovered" at the Eden Rock Gallery