Visitors view the “Doryphoros,” an ancient replica of a treasured Greek statue at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, May 13, 2022. A court in Italy has ordered the return of the classical antiquity that was purchased by the museum almost four decades ago. Jenn Ackerman/The New York Times.
by Elisabetta Povoledo
TORRE ANNUNZIATA.- The account has long been that a shipwreck in the ancient past had sent a precious Roman marble statue — a rare copy of a fifth century B.C. depiction of the “Doryphoros,” or spear bearer — into the depths of the seas off Italy. That was the account given in the late 1970s when the statue materialized out of the blue at the Glyptothek in Munich, the city’s museum of ancient Roman and Greek art. A dealer had lent it to the museum in anticipation of a possible sale, and the story he told then was of a statue that had been rescued from the ravages of seawater and held in a private collection, where for decades it escaped attention. And that was the account endorsed by officials of the Minneapolis Institute of Art when they purchased the statue for $2.5 million in 1986 and installed it as a signature artifact in a showcase gallery. But now Italian authorities are pushing the Minneapolis museum to return the work, asserting it was actually illegally excavated from a ... More
Bernardo Bellotto, called il Canaletto (Venice 1721–1780 Warsaw), A View of Verona with the Ponte delle Navi, about 1745–47 (detail). Oil on canvas, 133.3 x 234.8 cm.
LONDON.- A rare early masterpiece by Italian painter Bernardo Bellotto is at risk of leaving the UK unless a buyer can be found. Dating from the mid-18th century and measuring over two metres wide,View of Verona with the Ponte delle Navi marks an important turning point in the young Bellotto’s career as he began a series of journeys around Italy and received his first royal commission for Charles Emmanuel III (1701-1773), King of Sardinia and Duke of Savoy in 1745. This is the first of Bellotto’s paintings to be recorded in Britain and its pair is now at Powis Castle. None of his works currently in this country represent the artist’s career so dramatically and beautifully, and the importance of the work to British art cannot be overstated. Arts Minister Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay said: This rare painting is a masterpiece for its impressive ... More
The 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé has been sold at auction for a record price of €135 million to a private collector.
LONDON.- A 1955 Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR Uhlenhaut Coupé from 1955 has been sold at auction for a record price of €135,000,000 to a private collector. The car, which is one of two created in 1955, has always been regarded as one of the great jewels of motoring history, but few ever imagined that it would be offered for sale. One of just two prototypes built by the Mercedes-Benz racing department, the car is named after its creator and chief engineer, Rudolf Uhlenhaut, and is considered to be one of the finest examples of automotive engineering and design, often cited as being ‘the most beautiful car in the world’ by automotive experts and enthusiasts worldwide. The remarkable 300 SLR was based on the hugely successful W 196 R Grand Prix car which won two World Championships in the hands of Juan Manuel Fangio, but with its engine enlarged to 3.0 litres for sports car racing. The ... More
OSLO.- This year’s summer exhibition is devoted to Synnřve Anker Aurdal (1908–2000), one of Norway’s foremost textile artists. The presentation features works from the Astrup Fearnley Collection alongside key pieces loaned from other collections in Norway, a number of which have rarely or never before been shown in public. Together, these works illustrate the full breadth of Anker Aurdal’s production from the early 1940s to the late 1990s and provide a unique insight into an important and pioneering oeuvre that was widely acclaimed in its time and remains powerful and relevant today. With her deep knowledge of both Norwegian weaving traditions and contemporary art discourse, Anker Aurdal was a leading figure in the field of textile art. After initially working with traditional craft techniques, she ventured into the realm of fine art, where she found widespread recognition and contributed significantly to the unders ... More
PASADENA, CA.-The Norton Simon Museum presents Alternate Realities, an exhibition focusing on four groundbreaking painters who were active in Los Angeles or the Bay Area in the 1950s and 1960s: John Altoon, Richard Diebenkorn, Frank Lobdell and Emerson Woelffer. Each of these artists worked in a style closely associated with Abstract Expressionism, but they did not reject representation outright. Instead they forged a productive dialogue between the two modes, incorporating references to recognizable imagery and emphasizing the artist’s own process as an alternate approach to realistic depiction. John Altoon (1925–1969), a trained illustrator, developed idiosyncratic arrangements that allude to body parts, organic objects, even a pair of striped pants, while refusing to cohere into legible narratives. His Ocean Park Series #8 (1962), named for the street in Santa ... More
Set to be offered as a star lot of Sotheby’s Asian Arts Auction in Paris on 16 June
with an estimate of €100,000-150,000. Courtesy Sotheby's.
PARIS.- An imperial seal, commissioned by the Emperor Qianlong some centuries ago and inscribed with a special motto, has been discovered in a family home in France – where it was sitting on the bookshelf for many years. It will now make its debut at auction as one of the leading lots of Sotheby’s Asian Arts auction in Paris on 16 June. The jade seal had been gifted to the current owner by her godmother – whose family had passed it down to her – and had been safely stowed in their bookcase for more than thirty years. It was not until the owner was preparing to move to a new house – and the bookcase was to be sold – that they made the decision to value a few of the objects that had adorned its shelves. Among them, this magnificent dragon, an object she could always remember owning but one that she thought was simply a more commonplace Asian sculpture. However, upon contacting Sotheby’s specialist ... More
A master of the synthesizer, he won an Oscar for that film’s score, and his memorable theme song became a No. 1 pop hit.
NEW YORK, NY.- Vangelis, a Greek film composer and synthesizer virtuoso whose soaring music for “Chariots of Fire,” the 1981 movie about two British runners in the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, won the Academy Award for best original score, died Tuesday in Paris. He was 79. The cause was heart failure, said Lefteris Zermas, a frequent collaborator. A self-taught musician, Vangelis, who was born Evangelos Odysseas Papathanassiou, recorded solo albums and wrote music for television and for films including “Blade Runner” (1982), “Missing” (1982) and “1492: Conquest of Paradise” (1992). But he remains best known for scoring “Chariots of Fire.” The most familiar part of that score — modern electronic music composed for a period film — was heard during the opening credits: a blend of acoustic piano and synthesizer that provided lush, pulsating accompaniment to the sight of about two dozen young men running ... More
WEIL AM RHEIN.- Luis Barragán (1902–1988) is widely regarded as the most important Mexican architect of the twentieth century. Since 1996, the architect’s professional estate has been in the care of the Barragan Foundation, located in Birsfelden, Switzerland. Over the past two decades, a small team of researchers under the leadership of architectural historian Federica Zanco has systematically evaluated and catalogued the archival documents within the framework of a thorough analysis of Luis Barragán’s oeuvre. As part of a newly established partnership between the Barragan Foundation and the Vitra Design Museum, this material is now moving to new premises on the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany. With the aim of facilitating further scholarly investigation and cooperation with other institutions, the Barragán Archive joins the museum’s archival holdings from the estates of such pro ... More
LOS ANGELES, CA.-Regen Projects is presenting On site, the gallery's first exhibition with Kevin Beasley. This is Beasley’s first solo gallery show in Los Angeles. With a multidisciplinary practice that incorporates sculpture, drawing, installation, sound, music, and performance, Beasley probes the material and cultural conditions that shape our perception of history. His ability to alchemize ordinary material— specifically personal artifacts and articles of clothing—into sculptures that are simultaneously transcendent and familiar has placed him at the vanguard of artistic and cultural thought. This exhibition presents an ambitious new sound sculpture in the form of a modified utility pole that rises high into the gallery. A focal point of the exhibition, the work provides a source of light as well as sound, which emanates from a network of speakers placed throughout the space and on the rooftop. Consisting of field recordings ... More
Royal Throne, 1911. Molded and carved silver sheet, wrapped around a wood core, with silk velvet, brocaded silk and horse or ox tail. 59 1/16 x 31 1/2 x 35 7/16 inches (150 x 80 x 90 cm). Purchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust through the George H. and Elizabeth O. Davis Fund. 2013.10.2.1
KANSAS CITY, MO.- A pair of ornate silver thrones with an intriguing history have ben revealed at The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City. Silver Splendor: Conserving the Royal Thrones of Dungarpur, India presents the dazzling royal assemblage following a multi-year conservation effort to bring them to their original glory, a process that is documented for visitors with a video in the exhibition. “These magnificent thrones demonstrate the power and grandeur of India’s historical rulers,” said Julián Zugazagoitia, Menefee D. and Mary Louise Blackwell CEO & Director of the Nelson-Atkins. “Yet along with tradition, we also see change. Created by an Indian king during the British Colonial era in India, the thrones combine both European and Indian design and imagery.” In 1911, King George V was crowned Emperor of India in a lavish ceremony in Delhi. Also in 1911, this pair of silver thrones was ... More
In an image provided by Meg Laubi, the prolific painter and illustrator Marshall Arisman with some of his works in 2014. Meg Laubi via The New York Times.
by Annabelle Williams
NEW YORK, NY.- Marshall Arisman, an illustrator whose provocative and often violent work appeared in The New York Times, Playboy and other major periodicals from the 1960s onward, died April 22 in Manhattan. He was 83. His wife, Diane Ito Arisman, said the cause was heart failure. Arisman was also the founder of the Illustration as Visual Essay program (formerly Illustration as Visual Journalism) at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan. He started teaching at the school in 1964, began the program in 1984 and was its chair until his death. Both Arisman’s art and his teaching practice were characterized by his capacity for storytelling, his friend and colleague Steven Heller, a former art director at the Times, said in an interview. He was, Heller said, “the kind of teacher ... More
Raphael Montańez Ortiz, Children of Treblinka, 1962.
NEW YORK, NY.-El Museo del Barrio is presenting Raphael Montañez Ortiz: A Contextual Retrospective, from April 14 to September 11, 2022, the first large-scale exhibition dedicated to the artist, activist, educator, and founder of El Museo del Barrio, since 1988. Curated by El Museo’s chief curator, Rodrigo Moura, and guest curator Julieta González, the exhibition spans several decades of his production, from the 1950s to the early-2020s, in different media such as film, painting, photography, video installations, documents, and assemblages. This is the largest exhibition-to-date dedicated to the artist. “This show offers an especial opportunity to experience a full arc of Montańez Ortiz trajectory and attests the radicality of his oeuvre. Throughout his career, this true pioneer bridged his artistic practice with a unique vision as an educator and activist, of which El Museo is the most lasting result,” says Moura. Raphael Mo ... More
Model of RCA Building by Owen H. Ramsburg. Wurts Brothers, March 27, 1934. Reproduction Museum of the City of New York. Wurts Bros. Collection. Gift of Richard Wurts,
NEW YORK, NY.- A new exhibition at Museum of the City of New York takes visitors on a visit to pre-digital New York, where analog innovations, professions, and industries fueled the city's growth and status. On view from May 20, 2022-December 31, 2022, Analog City: New York B.C. (Before Computers) presents more than 100 photographs and once-pioneering objects, from rotary phones to pneumatic tubes, offering an opportunity for visitors to reflect on the city’s history of progress and interact with many of the inventions that led the way for contemporary networks and industries. “New York has always been a city on the cutting edge, and this exhibition allows us to marvel at both how advanced these analog tools were in their time, and how far we’ve now progressed in the Internet era,” ... More
Quote I think perhaps there would be more anxiety in my work if I lived in New York. Edward Ruscha
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Museum of London opens new display celebrating city's sporting hero Harry Kane LONDON.-The Museum of London celebrates one of the city’s sporting heroes with the opening of a new display on world-leading striker and England captain Harry Kane. Through his story of persistence, hard work, resilience, and sporting achievement, the free display curated in collaboration with Harry Kane will aim to inspire the next generation and encourage visitors of all ages to be their best and never give up on their dreams. Harry Kane: I want to play football features rarely seen personal items, family photos and iconic objects to document Harry's career so far: from his first club, to winning golden boot awards and being named England captain. Kane grew up in in Chingford, east London and lived just 15 minutes away from the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in north London. He began his football journey at the age ... More
Templon opens an exhibition of works by Valerio Adami PARIS.- At 87, Valerio Adami is unveiling a new series of introspective and poignant canvases at Templon, the result of over two years of work. The exhibition plunges visitors into the artist's striking universe, a world of vivid colours, yet more thoughtful than ever, haunted by the artist-philosopher’s elegant hand-writing. Although long associated with Narrative Figuration, here Valerio Adami evokes the neo-classical drawing tradition, returning to his roots when he studied at the Accademia di belle arti di Brera a Milano. He created most of the dozen previously unseen new works in his Montmartre studio. They feature complex compositions where his famous wavy black line encircles and dissects each shape as the nomadic artist continues to explore his favourite themes: travel, music, literature and theatre. While some pieces have autobiographical ... More
Maureen Paley opens 'An Apparent Brightness' by Esther Pearl Watson at Morena di Luna HOVE.-Maureen Paley is presenting An Apparent Brightness by Esther Pearl Watson at Morena di Luna, Hove. This is her second exhibition at the gallery and her first to be featured at the Hove space. “In this new body of work, I have concentrated on assorted drawings, paintings and ceramics anchored in an immersive mixed media installation. This work uses folk vernacular and abstraction to make a fragile gesture towards a perhaps hopeful new reality. The focal point of the exhibition is a bright and colourful immersive walk-in screen structure that is also the source of the show’s title, An Apparent Brightness. Many of the paintings in the show include serene moments as children run through fields of dandelions. Metallic objects as well as flattened angels reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts hover in the atmosphere. We find ... More
Huis Marseille opens an exhibition of polaroids by Dana Lixenberg AMSTERDAM.- In May 2022, Dana Lixenberg (1964, Amsterdam) returns to Huis Marseille, where in 2015 she received much praise for her exhibition Imperial Courts, 1993-2015. Her new exhibition, Polaroid 54/59/79, is based on the eponymous publication, in which Lixenberg’s hundreds of Polaroids offer an insight into her photo shoots for prominent magazines and personal projects in the United States from 1993 until 2010. In 1989, Lixenberg, then still a novice photographer, moved to New York, where she quickly gained international recognition for her work for magazines such as Newsweek, Vibe, New York Times Magazine, The New Yorker and Rolling Stone, as well as with personal projects. After returning to Amsterdam in 2018, Lixenberg revisited the Polaroids she had made between 1993 as 2010 as a regular part ... More
Heritage, diversification and breakthrough: Poly Auction Hong Kong celebrates its 10th auctions anniversary HONG KONG.- To mark its first 10th anniversary, Poly Auction Hong Kong is presenting the 10th Anniversary Auctions, to be held between 9 and 14 July. This celebration will be its first auction in the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. An array of exquisite and rarely seen masterpieces will be offered at the anniversary auctions – including Modern and Contemporary Art, Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Fine Chinese Paintings and Calligraphy, Magnificent Jewels and Important Watches, Noble Handbags and Hype Collectibles, and Rare Wine, Whisky and Chinese Tea, this dedicated anniversary celebration is a world-class art feast that coincides with Poly Auction Hong Kong’s significant milestone. ... More
Kenneth Welsh, memorable as a villain on 'Twin Peaks,' dies at 80 NEW YORK, NY.- Kenneth Welsh, a prolific Canadian stage and screen actor best known for his portrayal of the murderous, unhinged villain Windom Earle on the hit early-1990s television series “Twin Peaks,” died May 5 at his home in Sanford, Ontario. He was 80. His longtime agent, Pam Winter, said the cause was cancer. Welsh appeared in 10 episodes of “Twin Peaks” in its second season, playing the vengeful, maniacal adversary and former FBI partner of the protagonist, Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan). The series, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, follows Cooper as he investigates the murder of the high school student Laura Palmer in the seemingly sleepy town of Twin Peaks, Washington. Earle featured in some of the darker, more sadistic scenes and storylines in a series that was known for bending genres, mixing ... More
In Milan, an iconic stadium isn't going down without a fight MILAN.- As he watched the soccer game playing out on television, Milanese writer and actor Gianfelice Facchetti felt an emotional tug that he thought might be leading him toward his next book. It was during Italy’s first coronavirus lockdown, and Facchetti’s favorite team, Inter Milan, had been forced to play its matches behind closed doors. The decision left its longtime home, the 80,000-seat Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, more commonly known as San Siro, devoid of atmosphere, and amid the silence Facchetti’s mind began to drift. He thought back not only to fond memories and tense moments in the arena where his father, Giacinto, had represented Inter and Italy but also to news stories that had been circulating for months describing plans by the teams that share the nearly century-old stadium, Inter and AC Milan, to abandon ... More
Scientists uncover a shady web of online spider sales NEW YORK, NY.- At first, it seems like any other unboxing video on YouTube: A young man presents the viewer with a sealed box, expresses his excitement at what might be inside and peels away the packing tape. But instead of pulling out a collectible toy or signature sneaker, he carefully unpacks seven live tarantulas, zooming in close enough to showcase the wispy bristles on their multijointed legs. The tarantulas were the highlight of a mail-order spider “mystery box,” a biological grab bag that has become a popular offering in the thriving arachnid economy, much of which now exists, fittingly, on the web. “You can buy yourself a mystery present of mystery spiders,” said Alice Hughes, a conservation biologist at the University of Hong Kong. “It’s like getting your deck of Pokemon cards: You might get a super rare one, or you ... More
Maison Caillebotte opens the door to a little known, even secret, history of modernism in Portugal YERRES.- The “Modernist Portuguese Art” exhibition which is being presented from 21 May to 30 October 2022 at the Maison Caillebotte opens the door to a little known, even secret, history of modernism in Portugal. This history took place between Portugal and Paris, attracting artists, intellectuals and writers worldwide. From the XIXth Century Paris, the international art capital, was THE destination for Portuguese artists in search of modernism. It covers a huge period from the 1910s to the 1970s and brings together artists of different generations and with very different styles, all of whom have lived in Paris. It clarifies some areas in a long history with many exchanges. The “Modernist Portuguese Art” exhibition enables the public to discover artists they have never heard of and look at those they know from a new perspective. ... More
New monograph by Finbarr O'Reilly, Carmignac Photojournalism Award laureate: 'Congo, A Sublime Struggle' NEW YORK, NY.- The 11th Carmignac Photojournalism Award — which focuses on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — was awarded to British-Canadian photographer Finbarr O’Reilly. His reportage started in January 2020, but due to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, O’Reilly and the Award team reframed their approach and launched ‘Congo in Conversation’, a collaborative reportage produced in conjunction with Congolese photographers and journalists, which was published in a monograph and exhibited internationally. As the borders reopened, O’Reilly resumed his reportage. The Fondation Carmignac is honored to present his work in a new monograph ‘Congo, A Sublime ... More
Michael Armitage debuts an ambitious group of new paintings at Kunsthalle Basel BASEL.- Note the velvet lushness, the peculiar atmospheres, and the multiple, sometimes contradictory, perspectives. Note the highly textured surfaces from which emanates an unearthly glow, wrought from the layering of sumptuous but hard-to-name hues (salmon pink beneath a powdery purple-green, for example, might be one possible approximation). Note how viridian forest landscapes meet East African urban life; how recent events tangle with myth; how a 1970s Senegalese film, just like a street conversation, or a news story, or a music video, can inspire a depiction. Note the way the transparency of a face rendered in outline can call into question everything it is surrounded by. Note, as well, the sort of space and time travel that these images consistently perform. Note, perhaps most significantly, the singular aliveness that ... More
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Flashback
On a day like today, Belgian author and illustrator Hergé was born
