Nationalmuseum announces acquisition of Cactus Exhibition vase by Edward Hald

STOCKHOLM.- Nationalmuseum has acquired one of four known examples of Edward Hald’s Cactus Exhibition vase dating from 1926. This is a superb example of the high-quality glass, decorated in contemporary style, for which Orrefors was known in the early 20th century. One of the other examples is owned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Nationalmuseum has bolstered its collection of art glass with Cactus Exhibition, a vase designed in 1926 by Edward Hald (1883–1980). This example was produced by Orrefors in 1927 [...]

Yale Center launches fall season with premiere of Zoffany exhibition that re-evaluates artist

NEW HAVEN, CT.- This fall the Yale Center for British Art will be the first and only US venue for a major retrospective of Johan Zoffany, considered one of the most fascinating and visually captivating artists of the eighteenth century. Opening October 27, Johan Zoffany RA: Society Observed will feature sixty-fi ve oil paintings and a selection of drawings and prints—many of which have rarely or never been exhibited—from public and private collections around the world, including Britain, India, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, [...]

Rijksmuseum is largest loaning institution to exhibition at Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna

AMSTERDAM.- Providing a total of 17 paintings, the Rijksmuseum is making the largest contribution of loaning institutions to the exhibition Winter Tales: Depictions of Winter in European Art from Bruegel to Beuys, which was organised by former Rijksmuseum Director in Chief Ronald de Leeuw on behalf of Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. More than 180 objects, ranging from paintings to a sleigh, tell the story of European winters from 1450 to the present. Hendrick Avercamp, Winterlandschap bij een stad, 1620 For centuries, artists have [...]

Bonhams Knightsbridge to sell iconic Terence Cuneo image of Golden Arrow train

LONDON.- Bonhams are to sell The Golden Arrow by Terence Cuneo in their Modern Paintings auction on 20th September 2011 at Bonhams Knightsbridge. The painting is estimated to sell for £40,000-60,000. The Golden Arrow was a luxury boat train that ran between London’s Victoria station and Dover. Passengers would then take the ferry across the Channel to Calais and complete their journey from there to Paris by another train, the Fleche d’Or. The train was initially entirely for first-class passengers, before later [...]

National Portrait Gallery Announces a Touring Exhibition “The Queen: Art and Image”

LONDON.- To mark The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the National Portrait Gallery will stage an innovative touring exhibition bringing together 60 of the most remarkable and resonant images of Elizabeth II spanning the 60 years of her reign – some on public display for the first time. The Queen: Art and Image will tour to British venues before being shown in London, opening in Edinburgh in June, Belfast in October and Cardiff and London in 2012. From Beaton and [...]

World Museums Unite for Dulwich Picture Gallery’s 200th Anniversary

LONDON (REUTERS).- London’s Dulwich Picture Gallery turns 200 in January, and the museum is in for a birthday treat of 12 masterpieces from around the world, one for every month of its anniversary year. The paintings to be loaned to the gallery in the south of the capital including major works by Velazquez, Vermeer, El Greco, Veronese, Rembrandt, Ingres, Van Gogh, Gainsborough, Constable and Hockney. “Dulwich is recognized internationally as a really important museum in the history of museums,” said [...]

Portraits of First World War Veterans Presented to The Queen Go on Display at Windsor Castle

LONDON.- First World War veterans will be remembered at Windsor Castle in portraits by the artist Dan Llywelyn Hall. Two of the longest-surviving veterans, Henry Allingham (1896-2009) and Harry Patch (1898-2009), whose lives spanned three centuries and six monarchs, will be the subject of a small display in the Castle’s Drawings Gallery from 3 November (until 6 February 2011). The two studies for oil paintings and a limited-edition print will be shown alongside the poem Last Post by the Poet Laureate, [...]

New Book by the Royal Collection Explores the Impact of the Royal Portrait

LONDON.- Portraits have played a central role in shaping the image of Monarchy. They have helped legitimise claims to the throne, reinforced dynastic ambitions, cemented political alliances, accompanied proposals of marriage, and even offered a glimpse into the private life of the royal family. The Royal Portrait: Image and Impact brings together iconic images of kings and queens by some of the most celebrated portrait artists, including Holbein, Van Dyck, Gainsborough, Lawrence and Freud. It looks at the creation of [...]

Utah Artist Arnold Friberg, Known for Washington Painting, Dies

SALT LAKE CITY (AP).- Arnold Friberg, a Utah artist best known for his painting of George Washington in prayer at Valley Forge, died Thursday, his family said. He was 96 Jayna Friberg-Cleamons said her father-in-law died at a Salt Lake City rehabilitation center following hip replacement surgery. Friberg, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also painted portraits of figures from the Book of Mormon. “He didn’t want to be known as Mormon artist,” Friberg-Cleamons told [...]

Sotheby’s to Sell Four Important Works by British Master L.S. Lowry

LONDON.- The work of L.S. Lowry (1887-1976) holds a special place in the heart of the British public and Sotheby’s sale of 20th Century British Art on Wednesday, 26 May 2010, will present four exceptional works by the much celebrated British master. The pictures come from three different private collections and have never been seen on the auction market before. With a combined pre-sale estimate of £920,000-1,480,000, the four paintings are instantly recognisable as Lowry compositions as they incorporate all [...]

George IV’s Tastes in Dutch Art on Show in Edinburgh, Scotland

EDINBURGH.- The French Revolution of 1789 and the Napoleonic wars opened up a massive European art market, and some of the British royal purchases of the time are featured in a new exhibition of Dutch landscape and marine paintings in Edinburgh. The exhibition of 42 works by 17th century Dutch artists from the royal collection runs at the Queen’s Gallery at the Palace of Holyroodhouse from Thursday through to January 9 2011. Desmond Shawe-Taylor, surveyor of the Queen’s pictures who [...]

First Museum Display Dedicated to Philip de Laszlo in Over 70 Years

LONDON.- Rarely seen works by the celebrated portrait painter, Philip de László, will be brought together for the first solo museum display of the artist’s work since his death over 70 years ago. This new display will include special loans from The Royal Collection and Chequers and will mark the completion of indexing of the de László archive at the National Portrait Gallery. Philip de László will run from 27 March until 5 September 2010 and provide an opportunity to [...]

The Speed Art Museum Presents The Most Famous People in the World: Karsh 100

LOUISVILLE, KY.- The Speed Art Museum presents The Most Famous People in the World: Karsh 100 on view until June 27, 2010. Organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, this exhibition presents iconic portraits of many of the 20th-century’s most famous people taken by world-renowned photographer Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002). “The minute I saw this exhibition on its international tour in Seoul, South Korea, I knew the Louisville public would love it,” said Dr. Charles L. Venable, Director of the [...]

Margaret Thatcher Returned to London’s Downing Street to Unveil Portrait

LONDON (AP).- Former British leader Margaret Thatcher returned to London’s Downing Street Monday as she unveiled her own portrait, which has been installed in the official residence of Britain’s prime minister. Thatcher, British leader from 1979 to 1990, joined current Prime Minster Gordon Brown and David Cameron, a successor to Thatcher as Conservative Party leader, at 10 Downing Street to unveil the new the work. The 84-year-old former leader — nicknamed “The Iron Lady” for her uncompromising stance against the [...]