A view of “Cuerpo: Carlos Martiel” at El Museo del Barrio. The flag resembles the stars and stripes of the United States, except the blue and red are black, and the white has been dyed pink. It’s hard to look away from Carlos Martiel’s feats of endurance and self-harm. Does his sacrifice help us understand a legacy of racist violence? (Matthew Sherman/El Museo del Barrio via The New York Times)
NEW YORK, NY.- Confronting you head-on are a hanging flag, and a man in danger of hanging. The flag, unfurled vertically between two white structural columns in a gallery at El Museo del Barrio, resembles the stars and stripes of the United States, except the blue and red are black, and the white has been dyed a grisly pink — stained with blood, according to the exhibition materials, given by immigrants without permanent legal status living in New York. The man is Carlos Martiel, an Afro-Cuban performance artist known for putting his body through ... More
A fragment of an exhaust manifold recovered at an archaeology site in eastern England. (Rosanna Price/Cotswold Archaeology via The New York Times)
LONDON.- The blackened site of the plane crash, overgrown with rhododendron bushes and hidden in the quiet woodlands of eastern England, had for 80 years been the final resting place of a missing American pilot. Now a group led by British archaeologists is carefully searching through the tangled branches, the soil and the mud with a hopeful ... More
LONDON.- A royal bridesmaid’s dress and headdress by Norman Hartnell, 1947, will be among the captivating highlights offered in The Exceptional Sale on 2 July, during Christie’s Classic Week (estimate: £30,000-50,000). The dress was worn by the late Lady Elizabeth Longman (née Lambart), a childhood friend of the late Queen. Having been ... More
NEW YORK, NY.-Gagosian is presenting By the Love of Those Unloved, the gallery’s first exhibition of work by Stanley Whitney in New York. Featuring new paintings and works on paper, the exhibition is on view at 980 Madison Avenue from May 8 through June 22. A master colorist, Whitney takes an exploratory and lyrical approach to painting. Each ... More
Marcel Dyf, La Seine a Vernon (Île-de-France) detail. Oil on canvas, signed lower right ‘Dyf’, 46.2 x 55.2 cm.
LONDON.- The likes of Manet, Renoir, and Morisot remain amongst the public’s favourite artists, but so often their works are beyond reach, selling for millions at auction. Often ignored, however, are the lesser-known painters working in similar Parisian circles whose canvases remain affordable for entry-level buyers. Two such paintings are due to sell at Roseberys Auctioneers in London on Tuesday 4 June, as part of the George ... More
NEW YORK, NY.-Christie’s presents The Eden Rose, a 10.20 carat Round Brilliant Fancy Intense Pink Diamond as the leading highlight of New York Magnificent Jewels auction on June 11, 2024, during Christie’s Luxury Week. This exceptionally rare gemstone, estimated at US $9,000,000-12,000,000, is the most significant round brilliant internally flawless fancy intense pink diamond to be offered ... More
Artist Joe Zucker signing the back of a cotton-ball painting, in 2019. (Britta Le Va, via David Nolan Gallery via The New York Times)
NEW YORK, NY.- Joe Zucker, an influential painter who took his obsession with process and materials to unique extremes, died May 15 at his home in East Hampton, New York. He was 82. His wife, Britta Le Va, said the cause was multiple organ failure. Zucker had suffered numerous health problems since being injured in a car crash in 2022, including, near the end of his life, metabolic encephalopathy ... More
Many photographs of the time show him with one of his round wooden bars, which he took everywhere with him, even to exhibition openings.
PARIS.- On 19 June, at Hôtel Drouot, the French auction house of Pescheteau-Badin, together with experts Agnès Sevestre-Barbé and Amaury de Louvencourt, will be presenting a wooden bar by the Romanian artist André Cadere (1934-1978). Rarely seen at auction, this large-scale work, emblematic of conceptual art, is estimated at ... More
U.S. Artillery Model Colt Single Action Army Revolver.
DALLAS, TX.- A Colt pistol issued to the 7th Cavalry will be the target of eager bidders in Heritage’s Arms & Armor, Civil War & Militaria Signature® Auction June 10. The offered U.S. Artillery Model Colt Single Action Army Revolver bears serial numbers consistent with those issued to the 7th Cavalry in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars. One of the letters accompanying the revolver, from John Kopec, a renowned Colt ... More
The Warner brothers. (Margaret Herrick Library/Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences via The New York Times)
LOS ANGELES, CA.- The Jews who founded Hollywood — and make no mistake, the big studio heads were overwhelmingly Jewish — shared several things: ambition, creative vision and killer business instincts. But more than anything else, the men who were the driving forces behind Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., Universal, ... More
Matthew Hansel, A Midnight Vigil Everlasting, 2024. Oil on canvas, 152.4 x 121.9 cm (unframed) 60 x 48 in. 154.5 x 124.2 cm (framed) 60 7/8 x 48 7/8 in.
BRUSSELS.-rodolphe janssen is presenting the first solo show at the gallery of American-artist Matthew Hansel, on view from 23 May to 13 July 2024. The paintings of Matt Hansel traverse a liminal terrain located between the morbidly beautiful and the gruesomely delightful. Employing a menagerie of art historical tropes ranging from 16th Century European painting to American modernism, Hansel meticulously constructs surreal tableaus that contort the very logics of dreamscape. Working ... More
Yun-Fei Ji, Woven Basket and Other Stuff, 2023. Oil on canvas, 23 7/8 x 18 in. 60.7 x 45.7 cm.
NEW YORK, NY.-James Cohan is presenting From One Place to Another, an exhibition of new paintings by Yun-Fei Ji, on view from May 11 through June 15, 2024. This is the artist’s sixth solo exhibition with the gallery. From One Place to Another features oil paintings and acrylic on paper studies that chart a material exploration for the artist while expanding upon his longstanding interest in issues of migration and labor, both in the US and China. Ji brings a poetic visual sensibility to his depictions of the lived realities of communities ... More
Installation view of A&A’s The Kissing Cabinet presented by A&A and Tolarno Galleries on display from 25 May – 1 June at Tolarno Galleries in Melbourne Design Week 2024. Image courtesy of A&A and Tolarno Galleries. Photo: Andrew Curtis; Arthur Seigneur and Adam Goodrum.
MELBOURNE.- Australian industrial designer Adam Goodrum and French marquetry artisan Arthur Seigneur have been awarded the 2024 Melbourne Design Week Award presented by Mercedes-Benz. Announced on the opening day of Melbourne Design Week, Goodrum and Seigneur working together as A&A, are the recipients of the annual ... More
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Tems, R&B's golden child, dials in NEW YORK, NY.- When the ground began to shake, rocking her bed to-and-fro like a raft in a current, Temilade Openiyi briefly wondered if she was dreaming. It was a bright April morning and she was still jet lagged from a flight — 12 hours from Lagos, Nigeria, to New York. It seemed unlikely that her hotel could actually be vibrating. And yet there she was, eyes wide open, bobbing along with everything else in the room. Openiyi, better known as Tems, had stopped on the East Coast on her way to Los Angeles, where she would soon begin rehearsals for her debut appearance at the Coachella music festival. It would be one in a swiftly multiplying series of firsts for the singer, songwriter and producer, whose music slides between R&B, pop and Afrobeats: her first album, “Born in the Wild,” due June 7 from RCA; its first single, the blissful party starter “Love ... More
Holocaust death toll on English Channel island is raised by hundreds NEW YORK, NY.- A long-running debate about a small part of Britain’s Holocaust history has been settled. A panel of historians tasked with investigating the death toll in Alderney, a British Crown Dependency and one of the Channel Islands in the English Channel, has adjusted the island’s historical record, adding several hundred people to an official count from the 1940s. Lord Eric Pickles, Britain’s special envoy for post-Holocaust issues, announced last July that a panel of experts would try to settle the — at times heated — debate. On Wednesday, he presented the findings with members of the panel in a packed room at the Imperial War Museum in London. The panel did not come to an exact number. It concluded that the likely range of deaths was between 641 and 1,027, with a maximum number of 1,134 people. A previous estimate had put the number of deaths below 400. ... More
Jacquelyn Sawyer appointed Chief Learning Officer at the Cleveland Museum of Art CLEVELAND, OH.-The Cleveland Museum of Art today announced the appointment of Jacquelyn Sawyer to the position of chief learning officer following an extensive national search. Sawyer comes to the CMA with a wealth of experience, having served in museum leadership positions, overseeing education, interpretation, and community engagement. In her role at the CMA, she is responsible for all public and academic engagement and outreach, including academic programs, collection and exhibition programming, school and teacher programs, and the museum’s Education Art Collection. As chief learning officer, Sawyer also leads the museum’s initiatives to engage broad and diverse audiences with the museum’s global collections. “I am immensely pleased to welcome Jacquelyn as our chief learning officer,” said William M. Griswold, ... More
Global bidding frenzy shatters records at Heffel auction TORONTO.-Heffel Fine Art Auction House hosted its highly-anticipated spring auction, showcasing more than 90 outstanding works of art to a packed sale room, buzzing with excitement. The auction was nothing short of spectacular, leading the market with three sessions of record-breaking sales of artworks that helped shape Canadian art history. A breathtaking Jean Paul Riopelle painting from the esteemed collection of Torben V. Kristiansen headlined the event, joined by masterpieces from Tom Thomson, Emily Carr and other art giants, collectively fetching an astounding $22.6 million. The event took place in Heffel’s Toronto cutting-edge auction venue, expertly blending live action with a remote audience through their Digital Saleroom, uniting collectors from across the globe in a shared celebration of art. (All prices are in Canadian dollars and include ... More
Bob Dylan's rare 1960s abstract painting sold for $196,156 at auction BOSTON, MASS.- A rare abstract painting by Bob Dylan has been sold for $196,156, according to Boston-based RR Auction. This extraordinary piece, dating back to Dylan's Woodstock years circa 1968, features a vibrant abstract composition filled with musical notes, animals, and a prominent central figure of a bull. A red outline of a man in a brimmed hat, reminiscent of Dylan's self-image during that era and evocative of his appearance on the "Nashville Skyline" album cover, adds a personal touch to the artwork. "Dylan's artistry knows no bounds, evident in this vibrant piece that melds music, symbolism, and personal reflection. With his 83rd birthday upon us, this sale highlights the enduring impact of his multifaceted talent,” explained Bobby Livingston, Executive Vice President at RR Auction. The painting holds a unique provenance, having ... More
Young V&A unveils its first major creative installation LONDON.- Inspired by Young V&A’s current exhibition, Japan: Myths to Manga, which runs until 8 September, Young V&A has invited contemporary artists and designers from a host of disciplines to joyously transform umbrellas previously forgotten on London’s transport networks, and donated via Transport for London’s Lost Property office, into yōkai, as part of Young V&A’s new major installation, Lost and Found Yōkai. The free indoor installation takes visitors on a journey through Kasa-obake Alley, where umbrellas once lost around the bustling streets of London, now dance with life at Young V&A. The installation draws from traditions of yōkai, a class of supernatural beings and entities that abound in Japanese folklore, literature, art and popular culture, in particular, the kasa-obake or umbrella monster. These playful spooks are a type of tsukumogami, ... More
Stephenson's May 31 auction features antiques, old silver, midcentury goods from fine Philly, NJ & MidAtlantic estates SOUTHAMPTON, PA.- This year’s edition of Stephenson’s popular Spring Decorative Arts Auction will be held live at the company’s Southampton (suburban Philadelphia) gallery on Friday, May 31, with absentee and Internet live bidding available exclusively through LiveAuctioneers. The nearly-500-lot sale features fine and decorative artworks; Tiffany and other American silver; fine jewelry, and period furniture, including coveted midcentury modern productions. There are many other treasures for collectors to discover, mostly sourced from Philadelphia and other Mid- ... More
Morgan Spurlock, documentarian known for 'Super Size Me,' dies at 53 NEW YORK, NY.- Morgan Spurlock, a documentary filmmaker who gained fame with his Oscar-nominated 2004 film “Super Size Me,” which followed him as he ate nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days — but later stepped back from the public eye after admitting to sexual misconduct — died Thursday in New York City. He was 53. His brother Craig Spurlock said the cause was complications of cancer. A self-described attention hound with a keen eye for the absurd, Spurlock was a playwright and television producer when he rocketed to global attention with “Super Size Me,” an early entry into the genre of gonzo participatory filmmaking that borrowed heavily from the confrontational style of Michael Moore and the up-close-and-personal influences of reality TV, which was then just emerging as a genre. The film’s approach was straightforward: Spurlock would eat nothing ... More
Caleb Carr, author of Dark Histories, dies at 68 NEW YORK, NY.- Caleb Carr, a military historian and author whose experience of childhood abuse drove him to explore the roots of violence — most famously in his 1994 bestseller, “The Alienist,” a period thriller about the hunt for a serial killer in 19th-century Manhattan — died on Thursday at his home in Cherry Plains, New York. He was 68. The cause was cancer, his brother Ethan Carr said. Carr was 39 when he published “The Alienist,” an atmospheric detective story about a child psychiatrist — or an alienist, as those who studied the mind were called in the 1890s — who investigates the murders of young male prostitutes by using forensic psychiatry, which was an unorthodox method at the time. Carr had first pitched the book as nonfiction; it wasn’t, but it read that way because of the exhaustive research he did into the period. He rendered the dank horrors of Manhattan’s tenement life, its sa ... More
The Rolling Stones really might never stop EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ.- “This song’s for Manhattan!” Mick Jagger told the crowd on Thursday night at MetLife Stadium, before launching into a punchy rendition of “Shattered,” that agitated ode to late-70s New York City that closes out the band’s 1978 album “Some Girls.” In the ensuing 46 years, the city has changed in some superficial ways but somehow remained essentially the same — much, as they showed throughout an impressively energetic two-hour set, like the Rolling Stones. The Stones’ first New York-area stadium gig in five years was sponsored, without a hint of irony, by AARP. It was appropriate: At times what transpired onstage felt not just like a rock concert but a display of the evolutionary marvel that is aging in the 21st century. (Albeit aging while wealthy, with every possible technological and medical advantage at one’s disposal. I’ll have ... More
Gamelan Dharma Swara finds its authentic self NEW YORK, NY.- On Mother’s Day in the main hall of the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church in Queens, a handful of members of Gamelan Dharma Swara, an ensemble that plays traditional and contemporary Balinese music, practiced its new piece, “Pagar Ayu.” It was a joyous cacophony — a melding of metallophones, other percussive instruments and flute — though it was still in need of refinement. “You’re giving away some part of yourself to the people,” Victoria Lo Mellin, Dharma Swara’s president, directed the musicians. Lo Mellin, 38, who has been with the ensemble since 2007, tried to communicate a sense of urgency. The world premiere of “Pagar Ayu” — a moment to celebrate the group’s rebirth in the wake of the pandemic with a work created expressly for its members — was less than two weeks away. ... More
The Oldest Book in Private Hands - The 'Crosby-Schøyen Codex'
Flashback
On a day like today, Russian painter Lyubov Popova died
June 25, 1924. Lyubov Sergeyevna Popova (April 24, 1889 - May 25, 1924) was a Russian avant-garde artist (Cubist, Suprematist and Constructivist), painter and designer. In this image: Air+Man+Space, 1912, Oil on canvas, 125 x 107 cm, The State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg.
