Artdaily - The First Art Newspaper on the Net

Lesley Hazleton, writer who tackled religion and fast cars, dies at 78
NEW YORK, NY.- Lesley Hazleton, a British-born, secular Jewish psychologist turned journalist and author, whose curiosity about faith and religion led her to write biographies of Muhammad, Mary and Jezebel and examine her own passions in books about agnosticism and automobiles, died on April 29 at her home, a houseboat in Seattle. She was 78. Hazleton announced her death herself, in an email that she scheduled to be sent to friends after she died. She had been diagnosed with terminal kidney cancer and chose to take her own life, as Washington State’s Death With Dignity Act allowed her to do legally, with the assistance of hospice volunteers. “Yes, this is a goodbye letter,” she wrote, “which is difficult for me, because as many of you know, I’m lousy at saying goodbye.” “I’ve been a pro-choice feminist for over six decades, so ... More

Ahlers & Ogletree announces results of Spring Jewelry & Timepieces sale
ATLANTA, GA.- A handsome Rolex Daytona ‘Paul Newman’ watch in 18k yellow gold slipped onto a new wrist for $66,550 in Ahlers & Ogletree’s Spring Jewelry & Timepieces sale, featuring the Bridget and Jerome Dobson collection, held April 25th-26th by Ahlers & Ogletree, online and live in the Atlanta gallery located at 1788 Ellsworth Industrial Boulevard NW. The watch was the sale’s top lot. Over 400 lots crossed the auction block, with Day 1 featuring the jewelry and watch collection of Bridget Dobson (lots 1-93), the co-writer, along with her husband Jerome, of the hit TV soap operas General Hospital, Santa Barbara, As the World Turns and Guiding Light. The April 26th session showcased fine and costume jewelry items, including gemstones, David Yurman and estate jewelry. The 2021 Rolex Oyster Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona 'Paul ... More

Kistefos Museum announces Tatiana Trouvé as 2024 Sculptor of the Year
JEVNAKER.- Kistefos Museum unveiled Tatiana Trouvé, the acclaimed French-Italian artist, as Sculptor of the Year for 2024. Born in Italy in 1968, Trouvé brings her unique vision to life in two captivating sculptures, The Guardian and Bench, specially crafted for the museum's season opening on May 4th. These remarkable pieces find their home within the historic Wood Pulp Mill, enriching the site with layers of history, reflection, and homage. Tatiana Trouvé has created two unique, site-specific sculptures for Kistefos as part of her Guardian series (2013-). The Guardians are not portraits of people, but hollowed, imaginary portraits of individuals, or rather ghosts, who defend or guard worlds, places, and forms of existence. The Guardians protect ideas and are associated with political, ecological, anthropological, and historical challenges. But above ... More

Exhibition brings together four recent series by Al Qadiri
MUNICH.- KÖNIG BERGSON presents the inaugural show SILOED BEINGS by Kuwaiti artist Monira Al Qadiri. The exhibition not only marks the beginning of the new gallery but also the repurposing of the former power plant, specifically the silos where coal was stored. Al Qadiri's exhibition takes up the line of transformation, offering possible interpretations for the future beyond natural fuels and the culture of resource consumption. SILOED BEINGS brings together four recent series by Al Qadiri from 2022–2023. Arranged linearly in the spaces of the silos, they construct several possible narratives. At the entrance, we are greeted by the sculptures ORBITAL, in which Al Qadiri takes the forms of drill heads used in the petroleum industry and transforms them into fantastical, otherworldly objects that dig not downwards into the earth but upwards ... More

Sale will offer an exquisite array of Spanish and Italian art and furnishings
LOS ANGELES, CA.- Abell Auction Co. is rolling out the red carpet with treasures from the estate of debonair stage and screen actor Francis Lederer and his wife Marion Lederer on May 16. The online sale will showcase a coveted collection of Spanish and Italian art and furnishings, from the 14th to 19th centuries, that once adorned the couples’ California mission-inspired residence. Live bidding will start at 10 a.m. PDT. Francis Lederer was a Czechoslovakian-born actor with a successful career in Europe and the U.S. He starred in motion picture productions in the 1920s and 1930s, including “Pandora’s Box,” considered one of the greatest films of the silent era. He went on to achieve success on the Broadway stage and television screens, where he made guest appearances on programs such as "Mission: Impossible," "Ben Casey," "The ... More

A who's who of the Los Angeles art world bids farewell to a champion
LOS ANGELES, CA.- Actor Owen Wilson chatted with artist Ed Ruscha. Artist Kara Walker spoke of art and activism. k.d. lang brought the house down singing “Hallelujah.” It was Ann Philbin’s final gala as she prepared to step down after 25 years as the director of the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, an institution she transformed into a contemporary art destination, helping reshape the city’s art scene. The crowd that toasted her accomplishments Saturday night was a testament to the strength of that scene: major artists, Hollywood royalty, well-heeled collectors and fellow museum directors. Even the celebrity roast was A-list. “I know we are all gathered here to sing the praises of Annie Philbin,” actor Will Ferrell said during dinner. “I, for one, am not. I hate the fact that I’m here — can’t stand this place.” “She would put artists at the table at galas ... More

Scientists find an 'Alphabet' in whale songs
NEW YORK, NY.- Ever since the discovery of whale songs almost 60 years ago, scientists have been trying to decipher their lyrics. Are the animals producing complex messages akin to human language? Or sharing simpler pieces of information, like dancing bees do? Or are they communicating something else we don’t yet understand? In 2020, a team of marine biologists and computer scientists joined forces to analyze the click-clacking songs of sperm whales, the gray, block-shaped leviathans that swim in most of the world’s oceans. On Tuesday, the scientists reported that the whales use a much richer set of sounds than previously known, which they called a “sperm whale phonetic alphabet.” People have a pho-ne-tic alphabet too, which we use to produce a practically infinite supply of words. But Shane Gero, a marine biologist at Carleton ... More

CCS Bard to double capacity of library and archives with new Keith Haring Wing
ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, NY.- The Center for Curatorial Studies, Bard College today announced the expansion of its Library and Archives with a new 6,000-square-foot addition. Supported by a $10M capital project, the Keith Haring Wing will be named in recognition of a lead $3M gift from the Keith Haring Foundation. The expansion responds to the continued growth of CCS Bard’s research center and collections, encompassing art and archival holdings, which have seen an infusion of materials from key contemporary art figures, including gallerist Gavin Brown, scholar and art historian Eddie Chambers, and curator and art historian Robert Storr. The addition will more than double the current capacity of CCS Bard’s Library and Archives, significantly increasing the number of students, scholars, and researchers it can support. ... More

Arnaldo Pomodoro. Il movimento possibile on view at Cortesi Gallery
MILAN.- At its Milanese site in Palazzo Morigi, the Cortesi Gallery is presenting the exhibition Arnaldo Pomodoro: il movimento possibile, curated by Alberto Salvadori, realized in collaboration with the Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro. The exhibition is a fascinating incursion into the extraordinary career of one of the most significant artists of our time, through an itinerary exploring less well-known aspects of the sculptor’s work. Both the bronze sculptures representing the elementary forms of geometric solids and works with various formats and materials are present in the exhibition, the latter enabling Pomodoro’s research to be examined in constant relations starting from the micro-dimension, from the planning and realization of the first jewellery items, to interventions of an architectural and landscaping nature. The exhibition offers the public ... More

Make time for Rolexes and Omegas commemorating transfer of Panama Canal at Heritage's Watches & Fine Timepieces Auction
DALLAS, TX.- For many, any mention of the turn of the millennium brings to mind the anxious predictions of computer errors related to the formatting and storage of calendar data for dates that somehow was supposed to (but didn’t) turn people’s lives inside-out and upside down. Viewed through a geopolitical lens, however, the date meant the United States no longer controlled the Panama Canal, having turned over the strategic man-made channel connecting the Atlantic and Pacific oceans to the Central American nation it bisected. An exceedingly rare Rolex Submariner leads a group of four beautiful watches celebrating the return of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama that will be available in Heritage’s ... More