September 30, 2009
Filed under: Exhibitions — Alan @ 8:59 am
The Tate Modern is premiering a new exhibition entitled Pop Life that is based around the premise that all art since the 1980s is nothing more than a ‘footnote’ to the works created by Andy Warhol.
The exhibition will contain some of the 2008 Damien Hirst Sotheby’s auction as well as some of the explicit works from Jeff Koons’s collection in which the artist is seen with his ex wife La Cicciolina in some porn-esque settings.
The common thread among all the pieces in the show is that most of good art has its roots in good business.
Of course, the viewpoint is highly controversial given that the entire collection could be described as commercial given the fact that the work by Hirst collected 110million quid at auction.
Koons defends his pieces however as well as the entire theme of Pop Life by stating that artists do not primarily think about making money, as that is just a simple part of life, but instead it is the power of creating art that draws artists in the field.
He stated that artists have always made money and gained political as well as economic power since the time of the monarchs and churches and that to see any type of non-commercial art you have to look back prior to the 19th century.
Pop Life will open on Thursday to the public and also contains work from Cosey Fanni Tutti who for a short time was a pornographic model as part of her artistic expression.
September 23, 2009
Filed under: Exhibitions — Alan @ 9:40 am
Along with the new CD release ‘21st Century Breakdown,’ Green Day the rock band has commissioned the work of 21 pieces of art that were inspired by the album’s music.
The paintings will be shown from October 22nd through November 1st which is the dates that span the UK concert tour by the band. They will be seen only at the StolenSpace Gallery, which is located in Shoreditch, East London.
The band has already set the momentum for the opening by selling out two back to back performances in London, at the O2 Arena, which will kick off the tour.
Lead singer of Green Day, Billie Joe Armstrong, said that the band is excited about the opening of the art show, and that they are thrilled that their album has spawned artwork, since they feel that the music they make is a form of creative expression that fans are connecting too.
The artists behind the commissioned works include French stencil artist C215 and Ron English who were sent album and lyrics and asked to create art that captured the essence of the album.
September 21, 2009
Filed under: Exhibitions — Alan @ 10:47 am
Anish Kapoor’s latest sculpture is now up in The Royal Academy of Arts courtyard with an official unveiling set for Tuesday to mark the upcoming exhibition of his work in the gallery.
The statue in the courtyard was inspired by a quote from the poet Rainer Maria Rilke and is made of steel shiny spheres that bubble up around steel statue Palladian buildings to the height of 15 metres.
Kapoor stated that the design is created to enthral viewers due to the fact it looks almost weightless and leaves viewers wondering how it is composed. He also stated that although it bears a resemblance to DNA that is not what he intends the piece to portray.
In 1992 Kapoor was the recipient of the Turner Prize and since then has become known widely throughout the public art world in particular in 2002 when his Marsyas statue was on display in the Tate Modern Turbine Hall.
Kapoor will be given all of the main galleries that are located at the Royal Academy making him the first artist to ever receive the honour of an exclusive solo show.
He stated that the institution houses some of the best artwork throughout the world so he is aware of the honour that he academy bestowed on him by deciding to host a show of his work.
There will be 50 new sculptures included in the show as well as some of his most well known and controversial pieces of work.
September 19, 2009
Filed under: Art Sales — Alan @ 9:39 am
The Southampton City Council has voted to sell their art in order to raise fund to a new quarter of culture in the city in a work that has been very controversial down to the vote which saw 25 in favour and 20 against the plan.
The City Council estimates that by selling items by British painter Sir Alfred Munnings and the French sculptor Auguste Rodin it will be able to get at least £5m in funds if the plan is approved by the Attorney General.
Opponents who compose the Southampton Save Our Collection Group are afraid that if the plan goes successfully in the future more works will be sold off for less suitable reasons. Directly before the meeting took place the group staged a protest and gave councilmen a petition before the vote occurred.
Protester Sue Mullen stated that the council does not need to start selling art work and that it hurts the reputation of the city following up with the question that once the city starts by selling two works when will it stop?
The city on the other hand plans to use the funds it raises to create a £15m heritage centre with the help of a £4.5m Heritage Lottery Fund grant for the building of the new centre.
In response to protesters Councillor John Hannides said that the city is not planning on selling any more pieces of art outside of the two planned pieces. He continued to say that the construction of the new centre would allow the city to display more work from the British 20th and 21st century.
September 18, 2009
Filed under: Art crime — Alan @ 5:40 am
10 silkscreen paintings were stolen from the home of Richard L. Weisman in West Los Angeles in a case that has the LA Police looking for clues as well as asking for assistance from anyone who else is a prominent member of the art world.
The paintings are all Andy Warhol’s and images of athletes such as OJ Simpson, Tom Seaver, Chris Evert, Muhammad Ali, Jack Nicklaus, and Dorothy Hamil and were originally on display in the dining room of Mr. Weisman. A housekeeper reported their theft and Mr. Weisman has put up a million dollar reward for anyone who has information about the paintings.
Detective Donald Hrycyk from the LADPD art theft department said that the paintings were stolen either on September 3rd when they were reported missing or a day before.
Hyryck stated that it is hard to say what the motive for the crime could be since they would not be able to be resold easily, but it does appear that the person who took the pieces must have known they were in the dining room. Additionally, he stated that nothing else in the home was missing and that there were not any signs of forced entry.
The paintings were commissioned by Mr. Weisman in 1977 and measure about 40 inches square with a signature on them from Warhol and each of the athletes that are portrayed in the paintings according to Vincent Fremont who is the sales agent for the Andy Warhol Foundation.
The prices for these paintings have fallen over the last few decades along with the prices of other pieces of work by contemporary artists due to the fact that the ‘hero’ time period of the subjects has passed.
While art industry spectators are confused as to why anyone would steal Warhol paintings due to the fact they are easy to trace, Detective Hrycyk said that private collection theft is common in LA.
September 17, 2009
Filed under: Art events — Alan @ 7:10 am
Obviously trying to rebuild some bridges with the artistic community Pope Benedict XVI has sent out invitations to several hundred prominent artists requesting that they come to a meeting which is aimed at restoring a quality relationship between the Catholic Church and artists.
Included under art are not only painters and sculptors but also notable figures from music, acting and the written word. The Pope has selected an emotive and presumably inspirational location for this get-together under the roof of the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s stunning religiously inspired works.
The November 21 meeting will be chaired by the Pontifical Council for Culture president, Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi who has stated that this is just the first event in what will be a long-term goal of bringing together all kinds of artistic interpretation and Catholic spirituality.
He goes on to say that a good example of how the church and the artistic world have separated over the last hundred years is seen in the many functional, but ugly, church buildings that have been constructed.
He compares these buildings with the stark contrast to Michelangelo’s incredible frescoes that adorn the ceiling of where, poignantly, the meeting will take place. The incredibly diverse list of attendees may include Ennio Morricone, Bono and Bob Wilson.
September 4, 2009
Filed under: Uncategorized — admin @ 5:00 am
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