Rare first edition of John James Audubon ‘s ‘The Birds of America’ to be sold at Christie’s

NEW YORK (AP).- A rare first edition of John James Audubon’s sumptuously illustrated “The Birds of America,” depicting more than 400 life-size North American species in four monumental volumes, is going on the auction block for an estimated $7 million to $10 million. Considered a masterpiece of ornithology art, the 3½ -foot-tall books feature hand-colored prints of all the species known to Audubon in early 19th century America. Audubon insisted on the book’s large format — printed on the largest hand-made [...]

Kunstverein Hamburg curates exhibition with works by American graphic designer Charley Harper

HAMBURG.- Kunstverein Hamburg goes Berlin: On invitation by the Volksbühne the Kunstverein Hamburg curates an exhibition with works of the American graphic designer Charley Harper at the pavilion at RosaLuxemburg-Platz, Berlin. The exhibition presents a collection of app. 35 works that had been shown at the Kunstverein Hamburg in Summer 2011. Charley Harper, The Name is Puffin, 1971. © Charley Harper Art Studio. Birds, mammals, insects, reptiles, fish, the artwork of wildlife artist Charley Harper (1922 –2007) is a visual ecosystem in [...]

Exhibition of nine new, large-scale watercolor paintings by Walton Ford at Paul Kasmin Gallery

NEW YORK, N.Y.- Paul Kasmin Gallery presents an exhibition of nine new, large-scale watercolor paintings by Walton Ford, on view for the first time, at 293 Tenth Avenue. The most monumental watercolors that Ford has painted to date, three of the works measure approximately 9 x 12 feet on a single sheet of paper. These nine paintings are grouped into two series of work: one comprising three portraits of King Kong; and the other six meditations on a passage from the memoirs [...]

Researchers Unveil “Holy Grail” of Audubon Illustration

PHILADELPHIA (REUTERS).- Researchers have found the first published illustration by John James Audubon, America’s most famous bird artist, ending decades of searching for the prized but elusive work. Audubon had made two references to the illustration in his diaries, but it had never been seen until it was found on a sheet of sample images produced in 1824 by a New Jersey engraver who specialized in illustrations for banknotes. Eric Newman, a numismatic, or currency, historian working with Robert Peck, [...]

John James Audubon: American Artist and Naturalist at the Boise Art Museum

BOISE, ID.- John James Audubon (1785 – 1851) is known throughout the world for setting the standard against which all wildlife art is measured. He assured his place in art history by changing forever the way birds are illustrated. While replicating physical features with uncanny reality, he incorporated narrative elements and aesthetic touches that made the birds come alive in their natural environments and elevated the images to the status of fine art. The exhibition John James Audubon: American Artist [...]

Art Exhibition Celebrates New Orleans Cultural History

HARTFORD, CT.- A new exhibition featuring the works of contemporary artists entitled, High Water Marks: Art & Renewal After Katrina, opened at The Amistad Center for Art & Culture at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art. The exhibition explores the legacy of Black artisans in New Orleans and the achievements of a range of artists who have documented the city’s devastation and are committed to the city’s recovery. High Water Marks is on view from May 1- September 19, 2010. [...]

Walton Ford Shows Paintings in Europe for the First Time

BERLIN.- A troop of monkeys celebrate a feast, a panther wanders across a snowy Alpine landscape and a pack of white wolves surround a buffalo dripping blood in a manicured French garden. At first glance Walton Ford’s large-scale animal watercolour paintings evoke prints by French and British colonial-era illustrators from the 19th century. After closer examination however, they reveal a pictorial universe of complex and disturbing allusions. The various tigers, lions, birds and primates that populate the life-size pictures appear [...]