Art News Galore » Exhibitions

Exhibition celebrates 60th anniversary of the Venice Biennale

Alan — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 16:17:45 +0000

Even in the depths of an economic recession, art connoisseurs flocked to the occasional auction of fine art, specifically the art of British sculptors. At the Robert Bowman Modern selling exhibition in 2008, Henry Moore’s ‘Draped Reclining Woman’ sold for a record price of more than £4m.

This month (February) will mark the 60^th anniversary of the Venice Biennale, when the works of several young British sculptors were first introduced.

Robert Bowman Modern is a showcase for the finest of the modern British sculptors including Henry Moore, Michael Ayrton, Jacob Epstein, Elizabeth Frink, Kenneth Armitage, Lynn Chadwick, Barbara Hepworth and Leon Underwood. The sales exhibition in February will feature some of the best creations of each, and sales prices will reportedly start at £10,000.

Arguably the most influential public sculptor of the 20th century, Henry Moore, created abstractions of organic shapes, most notably the human body. Much of Moore’s work demonstrates his admiration for primitive art, but in an original and modern style. He was the first British sculptor to receive large public commissions for his work, and over the years he became seriously wealthy, but never lived like a wealthy man. He even turned down a knighthood lest it set him apart from his fellow artists.

The artists who came along after the end of World War II had their own interpretations to offer; joining two or several figures in a single sculpture was a different form of the art that Kenneth Armitage used in some of his most famous creations such as ‘Children Playing’. Armitage won the David E. Bright Foundation Award at his one-man show in 1958 for ‘Diarchy’, and the maquette will be featured in the upcoming RBM show.

The most versatile and well-known portrait sculptor of the last century is probably Jacob Epstein; his portrait bust of Einstein is one of the highlights of the exhibition. This is probably Epstein’s most impressionistic work; Einstein posed for only three days (in 1933) for two hours each day, and left the artist with an impression of a nature “. . . of the humane, the humorous and the profound”. That impression was rendered in a sculptural impasto, with each modelling gesture clearly evident.

Leon Underwood did not get nearly as much recognition as his pupil Henry Moore, but he is considered a pivotal figure in 20th century British sculpture. His bronze creation ‘The Liar’ is another highlight of the show; it was cast by the artist himself and shows the influence of tribal culture that he garnered from trips to ancient Aztec and Mayan sites in Mexico.

Barbara Hepworth and Elizabeth Frink, two of the most outstanding female sculptors of the period, are also represented. Hepworth’s ‘Two Forms (Gemini)’ is the only sculpture executed by the artist in glass; it will be yet another highlight of the February exhibition. Elizabeth Frink’s ‘Horse and Rider’ was originally commissioned as a trophy for the prestigious King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes flat race at Ascot.

dOCUMENTA, Basel Art Fair, Venice Biennale and other must see shows The most exciting way to keep up to date with...
North East artists show at Venice Biennale International Art Fair For the first time at the Venice Biennale International Art...
Former jockey reveals racing art exhibition A former jockey has captured the pageantry of racing in...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The Sculpture Show Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art

Alan — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:42:46 +0000

Running until the 24^th of June 2012, the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is hosting ‘The Sculpture Show’. It has received many additional sculptures in order to make this show a success. With a huge variety, from classic sculptures such as those crafted by Edgar Degas and Auguste Rodin around the start of the 20^th century, to very modern pieces made by Damien Hirst and this year’s Turner Prize winner Martin Boyce.

The pieces are grouped according to their style. The show starts with realistic traditional works focusing on the human body. This demonstrates how sculpture and painting started as rivals, and the show plays on this to demonstrate the evolution of sculpture.

The main focus point of the Show is ‘A Girl’ by Ron Mueck, a 16 foot long sculpture of a baby girl. This piece has travelled the world and is now back home to be admired. Around the main space, the work of Ben Nicholson demonstrates a mixture of painting and sculpture. As Frank Stella said, when discussing the similarities and differences between the two mediums, a painting standing up by itself is a sculpture.

Another painting in this sculpture show is Wall Drawing #1136 created by Sol LeWitt. These rainbow swirls spread across the room, further blurring the line between a painting and a sculpture. David Weiss and Peter Fischli’s 1987 work is a video installation of a domino variant, showing a chain of consequences for 30 minutes; another example of how the lines of sculpture are blurred.

Sculpture can no longer be considered to be simple representations of the facts. There is a lot more representation and interpretation involved in the more modern sculptures. The Sculpture Show in the SNGMA is showing some of the best work from all around the world.

Lucian Freud unfinished piece at National Portrait Gallery The National Portrait Gallery has recently announced that it will...
Glasgow sports trophies art show Glasgow next year will be a hosting new art exhibition...
Nelson & Forbes Sculpture at Country Living Christmas Fair Shopping at a Christmas fair is a wonderful way to...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

The Art of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

Alan — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 10:58:59 +0000

The Art of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark

Arken will be opening the doors for their latest exhibition on January 28th 2012. Entitled ‘The Essence of Colour – The Art of Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, this is the biggest ever showcase of the Queens’s art, and allows visitors to follow her artistic progress over the past 35 years. There will be over 130 water colours, acrylics and decoupages on display, including several new woks that have never been seen before in public.

Christian Gether is the director of Arken, and he says of ‘The Essence of Colour’ that is a unique insight into Margrethe II, the artist. He added that we meet a vulnerable human being who is searching for ways of converting her reflections of live into lucid, yet simple, works of art’.

Colour first and foremost
In 1969 the Danish Queen read Tolkien’s epic fantasy, which inspired among other things the series of water-colours Landscapes for Lost Legends. Since then, nature has been a central theme in the Queen’s art. “It is not only charming, it is also vast and frightening – and most fascinating of all when it is vast and frightening,” explains the Queen in conversation with Christian Gether about her sombre, depopulated landscapes. This is a mythical universe where the intensity, depth and atmosphere of the subject are created by colours. At the same time the tones in the Queen’s water-colours and paintings express emotions beyond the reach of words. The Queen herself says to Christian Gether: “For me it is always the colour, first and foremost”.

Humour as an artistic ploy
The Queen’s works reflect a special relationship with history and the present. This is most clearly seen in the découpages; incredible compositions of cuttings from art periodicals and art sale catalogues, teeming with references to the history of style and architectural details that create a setting for a burlesque sense of humour. The découpages have been used among other ways as scenery in the filming of The Snow Queen and The Wild Swans by Hans Christian Andersen, where they have evoked a fascinating, highly distinctive pictorial universe.

Traces of lived life
In her most recent works the Queen moves from the large landscapes to small natural fragments and ‘zooms in’ on individual elements such as rocks, carcases and bones. The bone series is brand new and has never been exhibited before. The urge to paint bones came irresistibly, just as the urge to paint stones and carcases was something inherent that simply had to come to expression through the brush.

The bone pictures are not ‘true to life’ and the Queen describes them as “large, strange pictures of imaginary bones on a yellow ground.” There is something latently eerie about them, and reflections on mortality inevitably spring to mind. There are both humour and seriousness in these raw Vanitas symbols with forms so organic that you feel like reaching out and touching them.

As a viewer one can simply enjoy the insight into the artistic universe that the Queen has so generously chosen to share with the public.

Former jockey reveals racing art exhibition A former jockey has captured the pageantry of racing in...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

David Hockney the greatest living artist in the UK

Alan — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:55:03 +0000

Newspapers have been describing David Hockney as the greatest living artist in the UK. He has rebutted these claims saying that it is just media hype, saying “It doesn’t really mean that much to me and doesn’t bother me. I don’t leave the house a great deal and I’m not very social so I find media speculation about me rather dull.”

Mr Hockney is due to have a new exhibition at the Royal Academy this January. The work is going to feature the area of East Yorkshire and these are the first works that he has painted of the UK since he returned from the United States in 2005.

In a recent interview with the BBC, Mr Hockney said that he feels landscapes are much less appreciated in the art scene than they once were. He commented, “People think that photographs can do everything and therefore they do not paint landscapes so much. Instead a drawing, or painting, allows you to present the world in the way you see it, and this is something that photography is just not capable of doing.”

The Royal Academy first approached Mr Hockney about doing another major exhibition over four years ago and they initially wanted it to be launched in 2011. Mr Hockney said that he would not be able to prepare an exhibition in such a short time and said that he needed an extra year.

Mr Hockney, who is now in his mid-70s and is suffering from a degree of deafness has said that loud cities are now a challenging place for him to be in and this is why he has returned to East Yorkshire to paint in a more quiet environment. Mr Hockney is also someone who has embraced new technology and often uses an iPad is to create his works.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Damien Hirst travelling exhibition

Alan — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 09:39:16 +0000

The United States dealer of Damien Hirst works has been Larry Gagosian for some time now, and the pair have recently come together to create an exhibition of Hirst’s work that is going to shown right across the globe. His ‘Spot’ paintings are going to be shown at Gagosian’s galleries all around the world, from New York to Hong Kong.

The works in the exhibition are all going to be the sale, but they are going to be far out of reach for most people. In the past, his works have sold for a minimum of about £600,000. For those who are unable to afford this, there are plenty of other products available based on the Spot artworks, including cufflinks and even tea towels. One of the more expensive items in the collection is a clock that is based on the artworks and retails for nearly £500.

The worldwide exhibition will showcase around 300 paintings which have been painted over the last 25 years. Many critics have criticised these works for being trivial and uninteresting, but Mr Hirst hopes they are still going to be welcomed by the world and sell for his typically high prices.

Mr Hirst has commented, “I am an artist who is not afraid to try things and take risks. Often I go against the flow in the art world and do things that most people think will not work. For example, in 2008 when I sold 200 works at Sotheby’s, it was something that people thought was far too over the top but it worked and the sale was very successful. This is something that people can resent, especially the English.”

The sale in 2008 netted Mr Hirst over £100 million in the first two days of the auction, but there were rumours that he was manipulating the bids by having friends and business associates bid large amounts of money on the items to raise their value.

Damien Hirst For the Love of God Opinions about the diamond encrusted skull that was created by...
Former jockey reveals racing art exhibition A former jockey has captured the pageantry of racing in...
My Bunny Art Exhibition is Full of Teeth and Other Stories Heavily influenced by her background in theatre and literature and...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Ulster Museum street artists

Alan — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:02:18 +0000

The Ulster Museum is going to be hosting some of the best work by street artists from the United Kingdom, and there is to be a special exhibition that will open before the touring exhibition of Street Art. This is a tour featuring exhibits from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. Local street artists from Ulster have also been selected to have some of their work shown alongside some of the biggest names in the street art scene.

At the exhibition, some of the various street art from around the city of Belfast will be shown through photography. Street artists are now working with paint as well as digital mediums and one of the artists to be featured at the event is Marian Noone, who is also known as Friz. She is best known for her work as part of the SPOOM Collective, which is a group of artists who work together to create murals on a very large scale.

Another piece of work that Friz is particularly known for is the creation of the artworks for MTV that were used during the European Music Awards, recently held in Belfast. She recently commented, “To have work displayed in the Ulster Museum is a huge joy, it is a very prestigious gallery and a fantastic opportunity for me to display my work to the general public.

My style has been influenced by what I studied in college, which was classical animation, and I get a lot of inspiration from these old styles. I first became interested in street art because it was a way for me to display my style on a much larger scale. The street art scene is particularly enjoyable for me because it is such a strong community and people are always looking to help each other out and give tips about how they achieve their unique style.”

The Head of National Museums for Northern Ireland is Kim Mawhinney who has said, “This display of art is designed to show off what some of our most capable Street artists are doing and we have selected some of their best works that we feel will be most appealing to the public and we are very excited to welcome them into our galleries.

Some of the submissions have been outstanding and they are very different to what we normally offer the visitors of our museum. We hope that this collection of street art will also attract a younger audience to the museum and get them interested in all sorts of art.”

The winning artists at the event have been selected by a special panel assembled from representatives of various museums in Northern Ireland. Adam Turkington was one of the judges and he has said, “This is a wonderful exhibit because it shows off some of the best international street art and also welcomes local talent.”

Ulster Museum is finalist for European Museum of the Year In addition to the 2010 Art Fund Prize, the Ulster...
Halcyon Galleries New Bond Street A new gallery on New Bond Street is to be...
Leighton House Museum reveal Black Panther’s Son and Churchill The work of two vastly different artists are brought together...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Henry Wood is US bound

Alan — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:41:13 +0000

Since his move to London, Henry Wood has been chosen to go to the United States to showcase art in Los Angeles. He will be showcasing his work at the Orange County Centre for Contemporary Art. He is one of the few artists that will be going to the USA to display his work there as part of a programme organised by a Notting Hill school.

Mr Wood recently graduated from Kingston University and was invited to attend the school as he was identified as having a particular talent. About being selected to go to the United States he has recently commented, “It is very exciting to go and put on a display in Los Angeles.

To be able to travel to California is a wonderful opportunity and I’m very grateful to the school who is choosing to back the project. The platform is wonderful for young artists and it is a great way for us to display our work in another country. “The flavour of the exhibition will definitely be British and most of the pieces are about the culture of the capital city.”

Most of the artwork that Mr Wood produces is created using primitive and raw materials such as bone and salvaged wood. A new piece of art has been created from objects that he has gathered from the River Thames. He said he chose the River Thames together with the items as it is such an essential part of the capital city.

The pieces of work that he has created are certainly interesting and explore the idea of the people of London having a shared history with the River. It also explores the idea of how the river has been controlled by the population into how this has changed over time.

The group of artists heading to America have been described as some of the best young artists in the United Kingdom. When you consider the artists who are going out there to exhibit you can understand why they have been selected.

Nicola Anthony is another one of the artists and she was the recipient of a scholarship from the Tate Britain. She has also recently had pieces of art displayed at the Tate Modern gallery and both Banksy and Saatchi are said to be collectors of her art. Rosie Emerson is another artist and she is most known for her work at The Southbank Centre.

The trip is especially unusual because currently there is a significant lack of funding in the art world due to the economic recession. Many people have said that this is a good sign that funding for the art world is back on track and marks a great day for art culture in Britain.

Mr Wood commented, “We are currently raising funds so that we can get as many artworks out there as possible, it is not an easy task in these times but it is something we are very dedicated to. This is going to be an empowering exhibition for all of us young artists.”

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Gina Czarnecki Palaces

Alan — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 07:09:11 +0000

Palaces is a new piece of art by Gina Czarnecki and is something that is going to make viewers of the piece of art think as well as smile. The new artwork has been constructed from teeth that have been donated by children. The new piece of art will be on display in a retrospective of the artist’s work, and is part of a collaboration with Imperial College London.

The piece of art is a work in progress and more teeth are being added to the structure all the time. The artist has said she hopes it will stimulate debate in the country about the benefit of stem cell research. Ms Czarnecki has commented, “The idea behind this piece of work is to make people start thinking about recycling and waste and it should also tackle some of the taboos in society.

“I’ve always been fascinated with science and art and in this work I have managed to combine the two.” Her father was a survivor from the Second World War concentration camps and her interest in the ethics of biology extends back to childhood.

The piece of art is being displayed at the Bluecoat Gallery, which is located in Liverpool. She has said that Liverpool is the perfect city to show off this piece of work because it is a place where medicine and art come together. She commented, “There is a huge integration between healthcare and art in the city and the funding the city received as the Capital of Culture is really helping to stimulate art in Liverpool.” The exhibition will start this month and will continue until late February.

‘Liverpool Discovers’ art trail Musical lampposts are just one of the attractions at ‘Liverpool...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Athletes and Olympians Shipley Art Gallery Gateshead

Alan — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:59:42 +0000

21 January 8 April 2012

Athletes and Olympians Shipley Art Gallery Gateshead

To coincide with the 2012 Olympic and paralympic games, a brand new exhibition that brings together a whole host great British sporting stars will be on display next year at the Shipley Art Gallery.

Athletes and Olympians will be drawn from the collection at the National Portrait Gallery and will feature portraits of many famous sportsmen and women, many of whom are winners of medals from previous Olympic and Paralympic games.

Some of the highlights of the exhibition will be photographic portraits of past Olympic champions Seb Coe and Dame Kelly Holmes, as well as the now boxing world champion Amir Khan.

There will also be a digital portrait of the champion swimmer Duncan Goodhew, a series of 24 drawings by famed artist Dryden Goodwin of multi Olympic Gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave, and the renowned video portrait by Sam Taylor-Wood that shows a sleeping David Beckham.

Amy Barker, Curator at the Shipley Art Gallery, says:

“I am thrilled that the Shipley Art Gallery will have the opportunity to display these unique portraits of British sporting champions in a year when the whole of the UK will be celebrating the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

“We are looking forward to working with the National Portrait Gallery to deliver this exhibition and we hope it will attract many new visitors to the Gallery, both local residents and visitors to the North East.”

Unique vintage prints of Kitty Godfree, a world top ten tennis player in the 1920s and Cecilia Colledge, a 1930s Olympic figure skater, will also be on display.

Athletes and Olympians will open at the Shipley Art Gallery on 21 January and will be on display until 8 April 2012. For further information, visit www.shipleyartgallery.org.uk.

Lucian Freud unfinished piece at National Portrait Gallery The National Portrait Gallery has recently announced that it will...
Hayward Gallery to become art school Next summer the Hayward Gallery which is located in London...
Art on TV screens at Ruskin Gallery A new way of viewing art will soon be available...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.

Wembley Willie Horne statue moves forward

Alan — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 13:25:13 +0000

Rugby officials as well as dignitaries and community leaders have all put their support behind the campaign which will give Willie Horne a well-deserved statue at Wembley National Stadium. Horne was responsible for being the captain of his hometown club in the 1950s and led them to many victories.

The Rugby Football League recently announced a list of 10 sporting greats who would have statues erected of them but once they open voting to the public, they decided to add another three names to the list, and one of these was Willie Horne.

The Rugby legend already has a statue erected at Willie Horne Gardens which are located in South Cumbria. Emlyn Hughes will have a statue of himself erected on the corner of Holker Street and Abbey Road in Barrow. The statue of the town’s first may, James Ramsden will also be erected in Ramsden Square.

People from the local area around Barrow have said they would very much like to see the statue of Horne erected outside Wembley Stadium, but they admit that it is unlikely to happen. There are a great many rugby stars from the 1950s as well as stars from the more modern era. He is definitely not the favourite for the statue but a former councillor from Barrow has urged people to go online and vote for him.

Terry Waiting, a former council leader for Barrow has commented, “I think it would be very fitting to see a statue of Horne erected outside Wembley Stadium. He was a model for sportsmen and richly deserves having a statue erected in his honour at such a prominent location.”

Statue of Yuri Gagarin unveiled in London A statue of the world’s first cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin, has...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.