ArtDaily Newsletter: Thursday, October 8, 2009

The First Art Newspaper on the Net Established in 1996 Thursday, October 8, 2009   Exhibition of Cosmic, Utopian and Experimental Works by Georges Vantongerloo A woman observes the sculpture 'Massen im Universum' (1946), by artist Georges Vantongerloo at the Wilhelm Lehmbruck Museum in Duisburg. Photo: EFE/Roland Weihrauch. DUISBURG.- The artist Georges Vantongerloo, born in Antwerp in 1886 and died in Paris in 1965, is one of the pioneers of geometrical abstraction in Europe, in particular of abstract sculpture. Because of his artistic contributions to the "Stijl" movement, his leading role within the Parisian avant-garde group "Abstraction-Création", and not least due to his innovative sculptural works after 1945 and his theoretical writings, Vantongerloo is considered one of the outstanding artist of the 20th century. The exhibition covers a great diversity of works ranging from the cosmic, utopian and experimental works that he first of all made in the Netherlands in 1915/16, to the universal, energetic works of the 1960s. The figurative and quite successful early work of the pre-War period, which was produced in Brussels, appears in the exhibition in the form of a short prelude. By exemplifying connections to the works of other artists who dealt with similar thematic or stylistic problems in t ... More Egypt Announces It Has Cut Ties with France's Louvre Museum Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass speaks to the media at the site of a newly-discovered pyramid at Saqqara near Cairo, Egypt. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis, File) CAIRO (AP).- The head of Egypt's antiquities department has announced the severing of ties with France's Louvre museum after it refused to return what he says are stolen artifacts. Zahi Hawass issued a statement saying that no archeological expeditions sponsored by France's premier museum would be allowed to work in Egypt due to the disagreement. Hawass told the Associated Press Wednesday that the Louvre had ignored repeated Egyptian requests for the return of four reliefs he says were stolen from a tomb in Luxor's Valley of the Kings in the 1980s. He said the Louvre acquired them last year. Upon taking the helm of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities in 2002, made recovering stolen Egyptian antiquities a priority. ... More   Caravaggio's "Adoration of the Shepherds" to be Restored in Public A detail of Caravaggio's "Adoration of the Shepherds," a 1609 masterpiece, the object of a very public restoration in Italy's lower chamber of parliament, in Rome. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia) ROME (AP).- Caravaggio's "Adoration of the Shepherds," a 1609 masterpiece, is getting a very public restoration in Italy's lower chamber of parliament. Starting next week, small groups of tourists, students and art aficionados will be allowed to watch restorers touch up the painting in its temporary parliamentary home. The restoration is expected to be completed in time for the 400th anniversary of Caravaggio's death in February 2010, when it will be exhibited in the gallery of the Quirinale presidential palace. Restorer Valeria Merlini said Wednesday the aim of the tours is to get the public more involved in a work of art. The work, completed during Caravaggio's brief stay in Messina, Sicily, was transferred ... More   Fashion, Celebrity Photographer Irving Penn Dies at 92 In this 1960s image released by the Irving Penn Studio, photographer Irving Penn is shown. (AP Photo/Irving Penn Studio, Inc., Bert Stern) By: Verena Dobnik, Associated Press Writer NEW YORK, NY (AP).- Irving Penn, whose photographs revealed a taste for stark simplicity whether he was shooting celebrity portraits, fashion, still life or remote places of the world, died Wednesday at his Manhattan home. He was 92. The death was announced by his photo assistant, Roger Krueger. Penn, who constantly explored the photographic medium and its boundaries, typically preferred to isolate his subjects — from fashion models to Aborigine tribesmen — from their natural settings to photograph them in a studio against a stark background. He believed the studio could most closely capture their true natures. Between 1964 and 1971, ... More Gagosian Presents an Exhibition of Selected Illustrated Spreads by Ed Ruscha Book cover. © Ed Ruscha. Courtesy of Gagosian Gallery. LONDON.- In 1951, Jack Kerouac wrote On the Road on his typewriter as a continuous 120 foot-long scroll, feverishly recording in twenty days his experiences during road trips in the United States and Mexico, which he began with Neil Cassady in the late 1940s. On the Road was finally published in 1957, and Kerouac was immediately acknowledged as the voice of the Beat Generation, a new group of writers, including Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs, who became known for their embracing of radical free-verse style. Ed Ruscha's singular art has recorded the shifting emblems of American life in the form of Hollywood logos, stylized gas stations, and archetypal landscapes. His wry ... More   Hirshhorn Museum Opens Exhibition of Pioneering Figure in American Abstract Art Anne Truitt, A Wall for Apricots, 1968. Acrylic on wood, 72 5/8 x 14 x 14 in. The Baltimore Museum of Art: Gift of Helen B. Stern, Washington, DC. Artwork © Estate of Anne Truitt/The Bridgeman Art Library. WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden presents the first retrospective of the work of Anne Truitt (1921–2004), a pioneering figure in the development of American abstract art. "Anne Truitt: Perception and Reflection," on view Oct. 8–Jan. 3, 2010, is organized by Hirshhorn associate curator Kristen Hileman. The exhibition features more than 35 two-dimensional works alongside 49 examples of the radically reduced and evocatively painted sculptures that were the hallmark of the artist's 50-year career. ... More   Newseum Recreates Journalist Tim Russert's Office in Exhibit His office was "very homey, very much reflects his wide array of interests." Photo: Erin Fogarty Owen/courtesy Newseum. By: Bret Zongker, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON, DC (AP).- Longtime "Meet the Press" moderator Tim Russert's office, complete with Buffalo Bills pennants and a journalist's clutter, will go on display next month at the Newseum. The office will be reassembled to look as it did June 13, 2008, the day Russert died of a heart attack at age 58 while recording voiceovers for his next show at NBC's Washington bureau. The exhibit at the journalism museum opens Nov. 20 and will remain through 2010. "After Tim's death, it became very clear to us that ... More Stunning Safavid Rug from Late 16th Century Sold for $4.34 Million A Safavid silk, wool and metal thread prayer rug is displayed at Sotheby's auction rooms in London. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth) LONDON.- A stunning Safavid rug from late 16th or early 17th century Persia sold for £2,729,250 ($4.34M US) this afternoon at Sotheby's in London . The rug was purchased by an anonymous buyer after a prolonged contest in which at least five bidders vied for the piece. The price of the silk and metal-thread prayer rug was over 20 times the pre-sale estimate of £80,000 - £120,000. The inscriptions on this fabulous prayer rug of remarkable quality and condition suggest that it may have been a diplomatic gift from the Safavid Persian court to the Ottoman Turks, indeed possibly even on the occasion ... More   Major Retrospective of Hungarian Artist László Moholy-Nagy at the Schirn Hungarian artist László Moholy-Nagy became known in Germany through his seminal work as a teacher at the Staatliches Bauhaus. FRANKFURT.- The Hungarian artist László Moholy-Nagy (1895–1946) became known in Germany through his seminal work as a teacher at the Staatliches Bauhaus in Weimar and Dessau (1923–1928). His pioneering theories on art as a testing ground for new forms of expression and their application to all spheres of modern life are still of influence today. Presenting about 170 works – paintings, photographs and photograms, sculptures and films, as well as stage set designs and typographical projects – the retrospective encompasses all phases of his oeuvre. On the occasion of the ninetieth anniversary ... More   Landmark Sheeler Painting Acquired by Amon Carter Museum Charles Sheeler (1883–1965), Conversation—Sky and Earth, 1940. Oil on canvas. Amon Carter Museum, Fort Worth, Texas 2009.7 FORT WORTH, TX.- The Amon Carter Museum announces that it has acquired a major American painting by the artist Charles Sheeler: Conversation—Sky and Earth, painted in 1940. "This superb example of Sheeler's work is a vital addition to our holdings of this important and versatile artist, who until now has been represented in our collection by one drawing, five prints, and six photographs," says Dr. Ron Tyler, director. Sheeler, long recognized as a founder of American modernism, was inspired and influenced by the country's changing industrialism in the first half of the 20th ... More Molten Color: Glassmaking in Antiquity Returns to the Getty Villa Unknown, Oinoche, 6th-4th century B.C. Glass. Object H: 8 cm. 2003.166 The J. Paul Getty Museum, Villa Collection, Malibu, California. LOS ANGELES, CA.- Molten Color: Glassmaking in Antiquity, which opened this week at the Getty Villa, features more than 350 pieces of beautiful and rare ancient glass, acquired from the collection of Erwin Oppenländer. The 2003 acquisition of this collection placed the Getty Museum among the nation's leading institutions for the display and study of ancient glass. The exhibition features approximately 180 pieces of glass and explores all facets of glassmaking in antiquity, presenting some of the earliest glass objects made, including perfume flasks, bowls, and beads. It highlights the remarkable quality ... More   Arts of the Samurai Sale at Christie's New York on October 23 Red-and-blue laced gold-lacquered Honkozane Nimai Do Gusoku armor Edo Period (17th century) Estimate: $250,000-300,000. Photo: Christie's Images Ltd. 2009. NEW YORK, NY.- Christie's New York is pleased to announce a dedicated sale of Arts of the Samurai on October 23, which exemplifies the outstanding craftsmanship and visual splendor of the Samurai culture. The collection includes over 80 lots comprising of armor, helmets, and most importantly, swords dating from the thirteenth to nineteenth centuries. The Samurai have a major presence in New York this autumn: the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition entitled Art of the Samurai: Japanese Arms and Armor, 1156-1868 opens on October 21 and the Japan Society will stage a sword drawing demonstration on October 22. ... More   Exhibition of the May Queen's Wedding Chest on View at Bismarck Foundation Exhibition view. Photo: Kim Powell © Mona Bismarck Foundation. PARIS.- Marie=Jose was briefly Queen Consort of Italy. She earned her affectionate nickname "the May Queen" from her short 24-day reign – from May 9th, the day her father-in-law, King Victor Emmanuel III abdicated, to June 2nd, 1946, when the Italian monarchy was abolished by referendum. Marie-José is said to have been rather touched by this title, remarking "I was called the May Queen. It is a name which does not displease me... for May is certainly a beautiful season in this Italy of ours." The Queen was born Marie-José Charlotte Sophie Amelie Henriette Gabrielle de Saxe Coburg-Gotha, Princess of Belgium on August 4th, 1906, at a royal villa near Ostend. She was the last child of Prince ... More More News Miami's Bacardi Buildings Win Historic Protection MIAMI (AP).- Two iconic Miami office buildings erected in the 1960s and 1970s as the headquarters of Bacardi USA are now historic sites. City officials voted unanimously Tuesday to protect the examples of modernist and abstract architecture and a plaza that links them. The historic designation prohibits changes in their outward appearance and allows for grants and tax breaks. One of the buildings is an eight-story tower graced by blue and white Spanish tiles. The other is a perfect square covered in an abstract glass mural. The city preservation board waived the usual 50-year threshold for protection after calls from Miami officials, architects and preservationists. Still unclear is how the buildings will be used after Bacardi's scheduled move to suburban Coral Gables. ... More Scribe will Write Out the Entire Text of the Torah at San Francisco Museum SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- It begins with parchment, ink, a hand-sharpened feather quill, and a scribe who states out loud the intention to write a Torah scroll, the most holy and important object in Judaism. One year, 62 sheets, 248 columns, 10,416 lines, and finally 304,805 letters later, it is written. Starting this October, the Contemporary Jewish Museum presents As It Is Written: Project 304,805, an exhibition centered around a soferet (a professionally trained female scribe) who while on public view will write out the entire text of the Torah over the course of a full year. She will be one of the few known women to complete an entire Torah scroll, an accomplishment traditionally exclusive to men. As the soferet works within the gallery, she will actively engage in dialogue during a scheduled time each day, answer questions, and share the mysteries and tools of her trade. In this groundbreaking, living exhibition, the Museum will b ... More The Heckscher Museum of Art Appoints Judith A. Jedlicka Interim Executive Director HUNTINGTON, NY.- The Board of Trustees of The Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington, New York, have appointed Judith A. Jedlicka to serve as Interim Executive Director effective October 12, 2009. H. E. (Skip) Show, Jr. will continue in his role as Deputy Executive Director. A nationally-recognized leader in the not-for-profit sector and a resident of Huntington, Jedlicka was the President of the Business Committee for the Arts, Inc., founded by David Rockefeller to promote business support of the arts throughout the United States, for more than 25 years before establishing Solutions for Arts & Culture, a management and fundraising consulting firm serving arts and cultural organizations. "These are challenging times for all arts organizations, including The Heckscher," said Margy Hargraves, Chair of the Heckscher Board of Trustees. "We are delighted and indeed fortunate that Judi has agreed to lead the Museu ... More An Insightful Look Into an Important Canadian Photographer's 50 Years Career OTTAWA.- Gabor Szilasi is on a constant quest to capture the ordinary people and places of the present day. He finds beauty in the banal and is interested in documenting a society that is in constant flux. Gabor Szilasi: The Eloquence of the Everyday is co-organized by the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography (CMCP) and the Musée d'art de Joliette. Presented by Pratt & Whitney Canada, this exhibition of 124 photographs taken by the artist over the past 50 years is on view until January 17, 2010 in the CMCP galleries of the National Gallery of Canada (NGC). "Gabor Szilasi's photography has held a prominent place at the CMCP since its early days of collecting prints in the 1960s," said CMCP director Martha Hanna. "Szilasi as a person was and continues to be a catalyst for photographic activity in the province of Quebec, particularly in Montreal. It is with great enthusiasm that we present this ... More Aperture Foundation 2009 Benefit and Auction to be Held at The Lighthouse NEW YORK, NY.- Aperture Foundation, a New York-based non-profit arts institution that is a leading force in the field of photography, will hold its 2009 Benefit and Auction on Monday, November 2, at The Lighthouse, Pier 61, Chelsea Piers, New York. This year's event honors three individuals: Howard Greenberg, one of the world's top photography dealers, and an authority on nineteenth- and twentieth-century photography; Susana Torruella Leval, curator, arts advocate and Aperture trustee; and master photographer Joel Meyerowitz, whose latest monograph, Legacy: The Preservation of Wilderness in New York City Parks, with a foreword by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, is being published by Aperture in October 2009. This year's auction is Aperture's biggest ever, with over seventy donated artworks ranging from classic to contemporary photographs by masters through emerging stars. This year's benefit is co-chaired ... More William Kentridge and Oleg Kudryashov at The Kreeger Museum WASHINGTON, DC.- The Kreeger Museum is presenting an exhibition of works by South African artist, William Kentridge and Russian artist, Oleg Kudryashov. As two of the most significant printmakers in the world today, both artists use bold technical elements to express forceful imagery that comments directly and indirectly on important contemporary issues while exploring human values under totalitarian regimes. Though the printmakers have never met, this exhibition joins them together in a demonstration of the nature of thought and feelings in similarly repressive societies. Kentridge and Kudryashov: Against the Grain will be on view through December 30, 2009 and consists of 40 to 50 works drawn from Washington area collectors. "William Kentridge and Oleg Kudryashov share in their works a surprising commonality of interests: in media – love of drawing, film performance and installation; in style – use of figuration ... More Center Stage Exhibition Commemorates New AT&T Performing Arts Center DALLAS, TX.- The work of six contemporary artists who have adapted elements and characteristics of theater, opera, and performance in their work will be featured in a new exhibition, Performance/Art, opening October 8. Along with the Dallas Museum of Art's companion exhibitions All the World's a Stage: Celebrating Performance in the Visual Arts, which opened on August 30, and A Dream Come True: The Dallas Arts District, opening September 25, the DMA is set to honor and commemorate this fall's opening of Dallas's new AT&T Performing Arts Center and the completion of the Dallas Arts District. Encompassing painting, sculpture, video, and installation, Performance/Art will present the work of Argentine painter Guillermo Kuitca, Canadian sculptor David Altmejd, Finnish video artist Eija-Liisa Ahtila, British-Nigerian sculptor and media and installation artist Yinka Shonibare, MBE, and the Dallas-based sculptors an ... More This is not unsolicited email. You were sent this ezine because you entered your email in our list at http://www.artdaily.org To unsubscribe from this Newsletter please send us an e-mail from the address you want to cancel to newsletter-request@list.artdaily.com with subject Unsubscribe.