April 10, 2012
Filed under: Art events,Art News,Exhibitions — Alan @ 8:11 pm
Gunther Von Hagens has previously come under a great deal of criticism after showing the exhibition Body Worlds. Among other attractions, this featured a fetus that was preserved as well as a horseman with his skull split open. Another exhibition has been put together and is on display at the Natural History Museum and it includes 100 exhibits which are this time focusing on animals.
The exhibition is called Animal Inside Out and features, among other things, a red shark, a hairless gorilla and a 50-year-old elephant. The animals in the display have been preserved by the use of the process invented by Von Hagens, called plastination.
This process involves the removal of the fat and water from the specimens before these two fluids are replaced with polymers. Once these substances have been replaced, the skin of the animal is dissolved and the systems that were beneath the skin are able to be seen in their true level of complexity.
The new collection of preserved animals is as much a piece of art as it is a scientific display. The effort that has gone into creating the display is clearly enormous and many of the pieces are enormously complex. One of them shows two reindeer involved in a fight and it is quite incredible to be able to see all the anatomical detail.
The animals that have been used in the exhibition come from enclosures where they have died of natural causes. The most notable item in the collection is a giant Asian elephant and it dominates the final room of the exhibition. It is fascinating to see the muscles and internal organs of this enormous animal. The elephant is supported by a metallic structure that has been designed to also demonstrate the exact path of the blood vessels through the animal.
Filed under: Art events,Exhibitions,sculpture — Alan @ 8:08 pm
A show by Damien Hirst is currently taking place at the Tate modern and it is a retrospective of much of his art from the past few decades. Damien Hirst is the richest artist in the UK and his exhibition is showing off some of his most famous pieces which have only previously been seen together in private collections.
Over 70 other famous works are being featured at the gallery including the shark that was famously preserved in formaldehyde. The show has a simple name and is titled after the artist himself. There are also some new pieces of work on display at the gallery that have never been seen before, including wallpaper that is decorated with diamonds and butterflies.
There are few other artists in the world who have enjoyed such a successful career as Damien Hirst and he has become known for his unusual pieces of art. One of his most famous pieces of work, which he first displayed in the early 90′s, featured a room filled with butterflies that were feeding on fruit. This work has not been put together again until this latest collection, and those who did not get to see the exhibition first time round will be looking forward to it.
Visitors are also likely to be shocked by some of the pieces of art they see. One of the most disturbing is that of a cow’s head which has been left to rot and has many maggots feeding on it. The maggots are frequently turning into flies and then they are quickly electrocuted by an insect killing device.
Many visitors will be coming to see his most famous work, For The Love Of God. This is a human skull that has been covered in over 8000 perfect diamonds and it can be found in the Turbine Hall at the Tate modern.
April 4, 2012
Filed under: Art News,Exhibitions — Alan @ 10:52 am
The free exhibition space at the Barbican is called the Curve and a recent exhibition that has been put on there might leave visitors feeling as if they have accidentally stepped into a storage area that should be off-limits.
Modern art installations have made people somewhat aware of art that looks more like a collection of random objects, but this latest collection goes beyond what has been seen in the past.
In this installation there are a wide variety of different objects including discarded toys, washing-up bowls, and plastic bottle tops. One of the greatest puzzles is the collection of empty toothpaste tubes which have remained a part of the installation since it was first put together in 2005.
The installation was put together by Song Dong, the Chinese artist who has called the collection Waste Not. Dong was born in Beijing and has exhibited work all around the world. His works are very varied in range from sculptures and paintings, to video art. This collection of objects at the Curve is his first show that he has ever put together for the UK.
There are 10,000 objects in the collection and most of them are very small. They are the sorts of things that clutter up homes, such as used up ballpoint pens, strange food containers, and broken crockery.
Some of the objects in the collection, such as the toothpaste tubes, could have been returned for money, and it is likely this is why the collection built up. However, as is often the case with these things, the objects were never returned. The items have all come from China, however this does not mean that they will be unrecognisable to a Western audience. You are sure to recognise some items as you walk around the exhibition.
April 3, 2012
Filed under: Art events,Art News — Alan @ 10:50 am
The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne is a masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci that has recently undergone some restoration work. The restoration work has been met with a great deal of controversy as it is a major change to the work, which will restore the original colours as they were painted in the 16th century.
However, when the work was first released to the public at the Louvre yesterday, the response has been very positive. The results are quite remarkable and the piece of art looks better than it has ever done before. The overwhelmingly good result suggests that many other works by Leonardo da Vinci will undergo a similar sort of restoration in coming years. There has been some degree of speculation that even the Mona Lisa could be subject to restoration.
There is an exhibition taking place at the Louvre until 25 June which will allow visitors to see both this restored work as well as the Leonardo da Vinci painting, Cartoon, which is leaving its home at the National Gallery in London for the first time in around 300 years.
This is the first time that the two masterpieces have been shown in the same collection for 500 years and the one from London is a charcoal drawing which was created around 20 years before the painting held at the Louvre. 50 years ago, someone attempted to purchase the paintings but they were bought by the National Gallery so the public can enjoy them for decades to come.
The painting which has recently been restored became discoloured over time by varnishing and a failed attempt to restoration in the 19th century. In modern times, a restoration was attempted around 15 years ago, but it was abandoned because the project was too challenging. Digital techniques have made accurate restoration more possible in recent years.
April 2, 2012
Filed under: Art News,Exhibitions — Alan @ 6:37 pm
Sheep set to create unique portrait of the Queen
A moving portrait of the Queen, that literally moves, will be achieved on the Malvern Hills thanks to 200 sheep. Will Halford is a performance artist and sheep farmer, and will work with his flock, with the assistance of a few sheep dogs, as part of the Worcestershire Art Trail that is to be held over 1st-4th June, the Jubilee celebration bank holiday weekend.
Starting from the north end of the Malverns, Will will be initially creating a portrait of the Queen as she was when she first came to the throne. The sheep will then be herded across the hills to form a final portrait of how her majesty looks now. The process will last the full 4 days of the Jubilee celebrations.
More than 74 artists across 48 locations have signed up for this year’s Worcestershire Arts Trail. Over 10 of the artist’s involved are creating unique portraits of the Queen which will be on display to the public completely free of charge during the event.
Commenting on the unusual portrait, Worcestershire Arts Trail, organiser Sarah Jones said: ‘Anything that gets people talking about art is a good thing. Worcestershire is a farming county so it seems fitting that one of our tributes to the monarch should reflect our heritage. It’s great to put a different spin on things”.
One of the main aims of the Worcestershire Arts Trail is to debunk some of the myths about art such as it being expensive or out-of-reach for most people.
To find out more about what else is on offer on this year’s trail, visit www.worcsartstrail.org
March 29, 2012
Filed under: Art events,Art News,Exhibitions — Alan @ 12:01 am
The Arts Newspaper has recently made the announcement at the Louvre Museum in Paris was the most visited art museum in the world in 2011. It estimated that throughout the year nearly Nine million people visited the museum, which is a significant increase on the figures from the previous year.
Second place is held by the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum came in at third place. In fourth place was the National Gallery and fifth place was held by the Tate Modern, both museums located in London.
The list was first put together by the newspaper in 2007 and since this time it has always been led by the Louvre. The deputy editor of the newspaper, Javier Pes commented that, “The Louvre is so popular because it is the home of the Mona Lisa as well as numerous other remarkable pieces of art.”
Despite the global recession, more people than ever before are attending art galleries. This is despite many galleries having a budget cut as they look for ways to save money. Museums are having to rely on their great collections and putting them back on the shelves has proved an excellent low-cost alternative.
March 28, 2012
Filed under: Art News,sculpture — Alan @ 10:29 am
A sculpture that was originally made in memory of the glorious aviation history of Kingston is currently dumped in a car park. It was made by an artist named Carole Hodgson in 1987 in celebration of the town’s association with British Aerospace which was more than 75 years at that time. The factory was closed in 1992, marking the end of a glorious history of 80 years or manufacture and design of aircrafts.
After 20 years of closure of the factory, the sculpture has been found languishing in the Cattle Market car park. Harry Hawker, who was born in Australia, became an established aviator just before the start of World War I with many years of experience of managing hangars in aerodrome of Brooklands. He went on to become the chief test pilot for an already acknowledged aircraft designer Tom Sopwith. One of his famous creations was Sopwith Camel.
Both of them finally became the owners of Hawker Aircraft Limited when Sopwith Aviation Company filed for bankruptcy as a result of World War I. The company was again renamed as Hawker Siddeley Aircraft and produced some renowned aircraft like Demon and Hard and then Hunter and Harrier in the post war period.
Filed under: Art News,Exhibitions — Alan @ 9:29 am
A display of British paintings from the 19th century is going to be shown in the UK for the first time this year thanks to an Australian businessman. 23 paintings are going to be shown at Leighton House Museum located in Kensington. The paintings are going to include works by artists John William Waterhouse, GF Watts, and William Holman Hunt.
The art is being lent by businessmen John Schaeffer and many of the works held in his collection of not been seen for 100 years. Mr Schaffer was born in the Netherlands but moved to Australia during the 1950s and became a successful businessman running a cleaning firm with a staff of nearly 24,000 people.
In a recent interview with the Observer newspaper he commented, “I started my business just when outsourcing was becoming a big deal. For the first time ever companies were not doing the cleaning themselves and they wanted a company to do it for them, and that’s when my business came into its own.”
The reason I started collecting Pre-Raphaelite paintings was because of an exhibition I saw at the Tate in 1984. It was a life changing moment and it galvanised my collecting of art.
March 23, 2012
Filed under: Art events,Art News,Exhibitions — Alan @ 12:35 am
The UK is abuzz with anticipation of the Olympic Games, which is coming to the capital city this summer. It is not just bought that is going to be a very important part of the events and culture is also going to be an important element.
As well as watching Michael Phelps collect even more gold medals, people are going to be able to enjoy fantastic pieces of art in some of London’s best galleries.
Damien Hirst is having his first retrospective event which is taking place at the Tate Modern. This features over 70 of his pieces including one of his most famous, the shark in formaldehyde. Also included in the exhibition is the famous diamond skull which has been valued at over £50 million.
The director of the Tate galleries is Nicolas Serota and he has commented, “We think the Olympic Games is the perfect time for us to showcase British artists and we are delighted to be able to host Hirst’s retrospective event.”
Other cultural events that are taking place include the World Shakespeare Festival which is going to be the largest Shakespeare festival ever created. There are over 50 organisations from around the world involved in the event
March 22, 2012
Filed under: Art News,Exhibitions — Alan @ 5:48 pm
Many people think that most modern art is just random bits and pieces stuck together and nothing more. If you’re wondering why people find this sort of art interesting, then you should look into the Italian artist Alberto Burri.
Although he died in 1995, he was involved in the revolution in the art world which led to the creation of abstract art. He became famous for his use of strange as well as everyday objects including wood, rubber and even burnt plastic.
If you are interested in getting to know his work a little better then you should visit the Estorick Gallery in Canterbury, which is holding the first retrospective of his work in the UK. The event is running from this month until April and describes him as one of the great masters of last century.
This gallery in Canterbury has a focus on Italian art and the director of the gallery has commented, “Burri’s work is something that doesn’t often come on display in the UK but he should be recognised as one of the great artists who revolutionised art after the war.” Burri was born in Italy and served in the military as a doctor before becoming an artist
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