Partnership of UK museums saves Constable’s Salisbury Cathedral masterpiece

EDINBURGH.- One of the greatest masterpieces of British art, Constable’s Salisbury Cathedral from the Meadows 1831, has been secured for the British public through major grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund (£15.8 million), the Art Fund (£1 million), a very substantial donation from The Manton Foundation, and Tate Members. The acquisition is part of a ground-breaking new partnership, called Aspire, between five national and regional galleries: Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales; the National Galleries of Scotland; Colchester and Ipswich Museums; Salisbury [...]

Metropolitan’s expanded and reinstalled new European Paintings Galleries, 1250-1800, open

NEW YORK, NY.- The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s galleries for its world-renowned collection of European Old Master paintings from the 13th through the early 19th century reopened on May 23 after an extensive renovation and reinstallation. This is the first major renovation of the galleries since 1951 and the first overall reinstallation of the collection since 1972. Increased in size by almost one-third, the space now accommodates the display of more than 700 paintings in 45 galleries, including one rotating special [...]

Art Basel highlights Hong Kong’s new status as arts hub with an array of international art

HONG KONG (AFP).- The first Art Basel fair to be hosted by Hong Kong boasts a prestigious array of international art, highlighting the city’s new role as a global arts hub amid an explosion of personal wealth in mainland China. The four-day annual show is the world’s premier art fair and has until now only been held in Switzerland and the United States. On Wednesday wealthy VIPs flocked to the waterfront exhibition centre hosting the fair, which opens to the wider public [...]

Even more rediscovered masterpieces to be unveiled during Master Paintings Week 2013

LONDON.- Master Paintings Week, now in its fifth year and already an important event in the London art calendar, takes place from 28 June to 5 July 2013 and, for the first time, will have the support of The Crown Estate. The successful collaboration between twenty leading dealers and three international auction houses highlights the extraordinarily wide selection of European paintings dating from the 15th to the 20th centuries available in London . A number of newly rediscovered works will be [...]

China’s most influential portrait artist, Mao Yan exhibits at Pace Gallery in Beijing

BEIJING.- Pace Beijing is presenting the solo exhibition of China’s most influential portrait artist, Mao Yan. This exhibition is also the first exhibition of Mao Yan since his representation by Pace Beijing. Mao Yan is well known by his portrait art. His artworks reveal the momentary glory of peace and attract audience into his artworks through the very straight expression without any metaphor. Mao Yan insists the spiritual dominance in his paintings and depicts the same object though years, in which he [...]

Netherlandish masterpieces highlight Christie’s Sale of Old Master Paintings in New York

NEW YORK, NY.- Christie’s Old Master Paintings sale in New York on June 5 will present works from private collections and institutions, many of which are fresh to the market. With more than 100 works by great French, Italian, Flemish, Dutch and British masters of the 15th through the 19th centuries, the sale includes exceptional works by Gerrit van Honthorst, Pieter Brueghel II, and Jacques-Louis David among others. The sale will be led by Gerrit van Honthorst’s The Duet (estimate: $2,000,000-3,000,000), a [...]

Landmark exhibition returns Sir Horace Walpole’s collection to its original setting

LONDON.- The magnificent art collection amassed by Great Britain’s first Prime Minister, Sir Robert Walpole, has been reassembled in its original home of Houghton Hall for the first time in over 200 years. The most celebrated British collection of the 18th century, it was acquired in 1779 by Catherine the Great in a landmark private sale negotiated by James Christie, founder of Christie’s. The core of the collection went on to adorn the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. Christie’s is sponsoring Houghton Revisited which [...]

Louvre-Lens opens first international exhibition with works by painter Peter Paul Rubens

LENS.- Born near Cologne, living in Antwerp after a long period in Italy, and active in the courts of Spain and England, Rubens (1577-1640) was an artist of European dimension. A renowned artist but also a diplomat, letter writer and entrepreneur, his work was very much determined by the European context in political, social, religious and economic terms. The first international exhibition at the Louvre-Lens aims to shed light on Rubens’ time through over 170 works by the artist, by his models and [...]

Russia propels Old Masters at Auction of Fine Art from the 15th to the 19th Century in Munich

MUNICH.- With the result of more than € 2,9 million in the auction Old Masters & Art of the 19th Century with the Collection Harry Beyer, the figures could have hardly been better. Last year’s result for the same period was topped by more than € 2 million. A total of 80% of all lots were sold, realizing an average increase of 265% per sold object. The auction’s most expensive work was the “Porträt einer eleganten Dame mit Fächer” by Konstantin [...]

Ai Weiwei creates giant map of China from baby formula at Para Site art space in Hong Kong

HONG KONG (AFP).- A map of China made from more than 1,800 cans of baby formula created by dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei went on show in Hong Kong Friday, reflecting the controversy over mainland demand for milk powder. A surge in demand for formula in China sparked by fears over the safety of domestic milk powder has seen shop shelves around the world cleared out by Chinese buyers and unofficial exporters. The Ai Weiwei exhibit entitled ‘Baby Formula 2013′ uses 1,815 [...]

Exhibition at Pompidou Metz considers works of art made from an elevated perspective

METZ.- Views from above considers how an elevated perspective, from the first aerial photographs of the nineteenth century to the satellite images of Google Earth, has transformed artists’ perception of the world. Covering more than 2,000 square metres, the exhibition gives us the power of Icarus and in over 400 works (paintings, photographs, drawings, films, architecture models, installations, books, reviews…) offers a singular and spectacular view of modern and contemporary art. There has been a considerable regain in interest in the [...]

Jackson Pollock work “Number 19, 1948″ sells for record $58.4 million at Christie’s

NEW YORK (AFP).- A Jackson Pollock drip painting sold Wednesday at Christie’s in New York for a record $58.4 million and a work by one-time graffiti artist Jean-Michel Basquiat set another record at $48.8 million. “Number 19, 1948″ features Pollock’s iconic drip-paint style, creating a shimmering mixture of silver, black, white, red and green. It had been expected to sell for between $25 million and $35 million, but shot up to set a new auction high for the artist. The previous top [...]

Christie’s to offer a spectacular selection of paintings and works of art in its Russian Art sale

LONDON.- Confirming its position as the auction house specialising in Russian masterpieces, Christie’s will offer a spectacular selection of paintings and works of art in its Russian Art sale, which will be held in London on 3 June 2013. This summer auction will present an impressive array of paintings, ranging from avant-garde masterpieces to unique works, offered directly from the families of the artists, including Chekhonin, Iakunchikova, Indenbaum and Masterkova. With the majority of lots from private sources and many with prestigious provenance, [...]

New Tate Britain display offers an extensive survey of art in Britain over the past 500 years

LONDON.- A new Tate Britain will be unveiled during 2013. In May, a new chronological presentation of the world’s greatest collection of British art opens, and in November, the building project by Caruso St John Architects will be completed. From 14 May, visitors can experience the national collection of British art in a continuous chronological display – a walk through time from the 1500s to the present day. BP Walk through British Art will comprise around 500 artworks over a newly configured sequence of [...]

Complete Andy Warhol Endangered Species and Ads 1985 portfolios offered at Heritage Auctions

DALLAS, TX.- A portfolio of 10 screen prints from Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species, 1983, may bring $250,000 to lead Heritage Auctions‘ May 22 Modern and Contemporary Art Signature® Auction in Dallas. Each signed and numbered in pencil, the portfolio is presented in a single lot and is one of eight lots featuring the Master of Pop Art, to include Ads, 1985, ($200,000+), Liz, 1967, ($5,000+) and Teddy Roosevelt, from the Cowboys and Indians portfolio, ($12,000+). “The fine Warhols are just a few [...]