Italian Governor Gian Mario Spacca Wants Shared Custody of Statue with the Getty Museum

LOS ANGELES (AP).- An Italian lawmaker offered a cultural exchange proposal Monday that sounded a little like an ultimatum, saying officials at the J. Paul Getty Museum should behave ethically and return knowingly looted art. Gov. Gian Mario Spacca of the Marche region on the Adriatic Sea made the comment three days after officials at the Southern California museum told him they could not talk about the disputed “Victorious Youth” statue because the case was still in Italian court. Gian [...]

Zoom: Italian Design and the Photography of Aldo and Marirosa Ballo at the Vitra Museum

WEIL AM RHEIN.- In the second half of the 20th century, Italian design attained worldwide recognition. The Milanese photographers Aldo Ballo and Marirosa Toscani Ballo played a considerable part in this success – there is hardly a design icon from that era which was not photographed in their studio. The exquisitely precise, dispassionate shots of the Ballos emphasized the beauty and functionality of the objects. This helped to convey their message: in the context of discussion of the relationship between [...]

Rare Work that Sheds Fascinating Light on British Delegation to China in 1954 to Be Shown at Sotheby’s

HONG KONG.- Sotheby’s announces the Hong Kong exhibition, between 1 – 6 April 2011, of a rare work that sheds fascinating light on a little-known British delegation to China in 1954 – just five years after the new People’s Republic of China was established – and well before the famous Nixon visit of 1972. The painting, Ming Tombs (estimated at £80,000-120,000/ HK$1-1.5 million), by celebrated British artist Stanley Spencer – who came to be regarded in China as an English [...]

The Whitney Explores New Narratives through a Multi-Year Series of Collection Exhibitions

NEW YORK, N.Y.- This spring, the Whitney Museum of American Art inaugurates a multi-year exhibition initiative aimed at reassessing the Museum’s collection and, by extension, the history of twentieth- and twenty-first-century American art. As we approach groundbreaking for our downtown building project, the Whitney’s curatorial team has devised a series of collection installations that will serve as a laboratory for possible approaches to displaying the Museum’s holdings in its new building. From late April 2011, through the end of 2013, [...]

Exhibition at Jacquemart-André Museum Evokes the Private World of the Caillebotte Brothers

PARIS.- Through 11 July 2011, the Jacquemart-André Museum is presenting The Caillebotte Brothers’ Private World. Painter and photographer. An encounter between Impressionism and photography, this exhibition evokes the artistic and private world of the Caillebotte brothers. This original perspective of Gustave’s paintings and Martial’s photography invites the visitor to enter the private world of a large Parisian family and explore the new urban lifestyle which was taking hold at the dawn of the XXth century. The Caillebotte brothers became witnesses [...]

Exhibition of Paintings, Drawings, and Prints by James Siena at the Pace Gallery

NEW YORK, NY.- The Pace Gallery presents an exhibition of paintings, drawings, and prints by James Siena, featuring new works created by the artist over the past three years. The exhibition focuses on the artist’s methodology, from his use of repeated systems to figurative drawings that explore alternate means of creating an image. The show is on view at 510 West 25th Street from March 25 through April 30, 2011. James Siena is known for his unique process, creating intricate [...]

Sotheby’s London Presents Beautiful and Rare Objects from Its April Sale of Arts of the Islamic World

LONDON.- Sotheby’s sale of the Arts of the Islamic World to take place in London on the 6th April will offer an array of beautiful and rare objects, paintings and manuscripts which highlight the achievements of artists and craftsmen from across the Muslim world. The sale is particularly rich in works which reveal the cultural efflorescence which took place during the Middle Ages on the Mediterranean seaboard from Islamic Spain to the Levant. A pre-sale exhibition will take place at [...]

‘Stations of a Pause’ by Jitish Kallat at Gallery Chemould Prescott Road in Mumbai

MUMBAI.- After a gap of over three years since his last solo exhibition in his hometown Mumbai, Jitish Kallat opened ‘Stations of a Pause’ on 22nd March at Chemould Prescott Road. The show will be on view until 10th May 2011. For this exhibition the gallery space at Chemould Prescott Road is split into three separate units; of which a large portion of the gallery is shaped like a maze. Here Kallat is showing a 753-part photographic work, titled “Epilogue”, [...]

Dana Lixenberg Portrays Amsterdam in a Series of Landscapes and Interiors at Foam

AMSTERDAM.- In Set Amsterdam, Dana Lixenberg portrays the city in a series of landscapes and interiors. These photographs depict Amsterdam as a kind of film set, fashioned by its current and former residents. The absence of people in the images turns the viewer’s gaze to the space itself and to the myriad details which define these environments. In Set Amsterdam only traces of human activity hint at inhabitants and at lives fully lived. The exhibition Set Amsterdam, by Dana Lixenberg [...]

Yinka Shonibare Announces Kazuya Tsuji Winner of The Grange Gardens Sculpture Prize

LONDON.- GALERIE8 announces the artist Kazuya Tsuji as the winner of the Grange Garden Sculpture project 2011. Kazuya Tsuji’s installation entitled Ripples has been chosen as the winning artwork for the new sculpture prize dedicated to the aesthetic transformation of Bermondsey in South London. The award includes prize money of £5,000 as well as up to £35,000 for materials to bring the proposal into fruition. Yinka Shonibare, the artist behind Trafalgar Square’s current Fourth Plinth commission and head judge for [...]

SKMU Sorlandets Kunstmuseum Presents Eija-Liisa Ahtila: Where is Where?

KRISTIANSAND.- SKMU Sørlandets Kunstmuseum presents Where Is Where?, a multi-screen installation by Finish artist and filmmaker Eija-Liisa Ahtila (b. 1959). Ahtila’s masterfully crafted narratives and touching portrayal of characters have captured the public’s interest and won critical acclaim worldwide. Her films and multi-screen installations explore and experiment with storytelling, creating extraordinary tales out of ordinary human experiences. The exhibition is on view from March 26 through May 15, 2011. Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Where is Where?, 2008. HD installation for 6 projections [...]

Thomas Dane Gallery in London Presents Artist Anya Gallaccio’s Where is Where It’s At

LONDON.- Thomas Dane Gallery presents Anya Gallaccio: Where is Where it’s at, on view from 23 March through May 7, 2011. Where is Where it’s at is a journey through space and time, for which Anya Gallaccio culled sand from the stratified deposits of the deserts of Nevada, Utah and Arizona, and transported it to London. The trans-North American and transatlantic voyages of the sand evokes the personal journey of the artist herself, since she left the UK three years [...]

Author Jeffrey Archer to Auction Works of Art from His Collection at Christie’s in June

LONDON (REUTERS).- British author and former parliamentarian Jeffrey Archer expects to raise over 5 million pounds ($8 million) when he sells works from his art collection including paintings by Claude Monet and Andy Warhol. “I recently celebrated my 70th birthday — an event which prompts a certain degree of thought and realization. As a result, I have begun to restructure my art collection with a view to the future,” Archer said in a statement. Claude Monet (1840-1926), La Seine près [...]

Christie’s Offers One of the Finest Private Collections of Early 20th Century Decorative Art

PARIS.- Christie’s presents the sale of the Gourdon Collection, one of the finest private collections of early 20th century decorative art and design ever to be offered at auction, on 29, 30 and 31 March 2011, at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. The collection is estimated to achieve between 35 and 50 million euros. Housed in the spectacular medieval Château de Gourdon near Grasse, towering majestically over the Gorges du Loup, this collection of masterpieces has focused principally on [...]

Direct carving

Press release 2011 is seeing the price upsurge of British sculptor Christopher Stone’s work. Best known for his stone and marble carvings Christopher has been around art for many years, seemingly always on the fringe of complete success in his field of art, however now seems to be his finest hour, his maturity in art, and his humor are reflected in the wide range of styles / materials used in his sculptures. Christopher’s list of fore filled exhibitions is endless having shown in most European cities [...]