State Historical Museum Opens "The Year 1812 in the Paintings by Vasily Vereshchagin"

MOSCOW.- The State Historical Museum opened the exhibition "The Year 1812 in the paintings by Vasily Vereshchagin", a gift given to the museum in 1812 by Emperor Nicholas II. Prior to the celebraton of the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812 the State Historical Museum has organized this exhibition of paintings made by the famous Russian painter of battle scenes, Vasily Vereshchagin. Twenty grandiose picturesque paintings chronicle the events from the Battle of Borodino to the flight of Napoleon from Russia. The artist meticulously studied the events of that era, defending his right to the historical realities of loyalty, purging the myth of Napoleon and the French army. The paintings are exhibited as the artist would have wanted to: with special lighting, music and noise, accompanied, with literary texts of the artist. Vasily Vasilyevich Vereshchagin was born at Cherepovets on October 26, 1842. His father was a Russian

Multifaceted Artist Beat Takeshi Kitano Exhbits at Fondation Cartier

PARIS.- Funny yet touching, unpredictable yet brilliant, Beat Takeshi Kitano is a multifaceted and prolific artist that has captivated the Japanese public. Comedian and host of nine TV shows ranging from the highly comical to the very serious, he is one of the most popular entertainers in his own country. Abroad, Takeshi Kitano is a widely acclaimed author and actor, and has directed 'Sonatine' (1993), 'Hana-Bi' (1997, awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival) and 'Zat�ichi' (2003), among other masterpieces of contemporary film. His compelling work gives beautiful form to the expressions of violence, solitude and childlike playfulness. He also has a love of painting, his first and most private passion. For him, painting is the ideal form of representation and it plays an important role in the creative process of his filmmaking. General Director of the Fondation Cartier, Herv� Chand�s

MoMA Opens "The Modern Myth: Drawing Mythologies in Modern Times"

NEW YORK, NY.- Throughout history, humankind has sought to make sense of their world through myths. These stories, often taking visual forms, have been both preserved and transformed over the years as they have been repictured and retold. Artists have long considered mythology part of their aesthetic language, a tradition continued by modern and contemporary artists who address and reinterpret mythologies in their works. "The Modern Myth" features works on paper from the collection of The Museum of Modern Art that engage elements of ancient mythological narratives, incorporating them into new visual repertoires. Arranged thematically, it includes work by Francisco de Goya from 1797 through work by contemporary artists from 2008. The exhibition unfolds in three chapters, presenting modern depictions of classical

Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Presents "ColorForms"

WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum presents "ColorForms," an exhibition devoted to the exploration of color and abstract form through a variety of media, March 11 through winter 2011. Organized by associate curator Evelyn Hankins and located in the lower-level galleries, the exhibition highlights artworks from the Hirshhorn's collection that date from 1949 to the present, including two major recent acquisitions: Paul Sharits' four-projector film installation, "Shutter Interface" (1975) and Fred Sandback's linear yarn sculpture "Untitled (Sculptural Study, Twelve-Part Vertical Construction)" (1990). Several paintings on loan from the National Gallery of Art's renowned Mark Rothko holdings are also on view. After six months, a selection of works in the exhibition will rotate. "'ColorForms' showcases the breadth of the Hirshhorn's collection by featuring works spanning six decades that demonstrate

Table by Diego Giacometti Makes Top Price at Bonhams

LONDON.- A table designed by Diego Giacometti sold for �106,000 at Bonhams, New Bond Street today (10 March 2010), as part of its Post War and Contemporary Art and Design sale. Entitled Table Torsade, and cast circa 1965, it had belonged to the late English actor James Mason (1909-1984) since the late1960s. Austrian painter Arnulf Rainier’s "Der Psychiatrist" likewise far surpassed its estimate of �8,000 – 12,000, selling for a remarkable �54,000. Following a fierce bidding battle, David Hockney’s "Richard Neville Naked" sold for �27,600. The picture was used, alongside drawings of Neville’s co-editors of 'Oz' magazine, Jim Anderson and Felix Dennis, to raise funds for the Oz obscenity trial in 1971, in which Neville, Anderson and Dennis were prosecuted for publishing a sexual Rupert Bear cartoon parody in an issue of the magazine edited by a group of school kids. Other lots hotly contended for included

New Works by Mel Bochner in Exhibition at Marc Selwyn Fine Art

LOS ANGELES, CA.- Marc Selwyn Fine Art presents an exhibition by Mel Bochner. One of the preeminent figures in the history of conceptual art, Mel Bochner has used verbal, mathematical and geometric systems to influence the content of his work since the mid-1960's. His "thesaurus paintings," which debuted at the Whitney Biennial in 2004, are characterized by experimentation and commentary on language. Each begins with an initial word followed by an array of synonyms ranging from the tame to the perversely slang. The eight paintings in this exhibition vibrate with exuberant, changing colors that interrupt the reading of the text. The viewer's mind goes back and forth between reading the content of the texts and experiencing them as formal compositions of color and shape. The following is the artist's statement on his thesaurus paintings: The tone of these paintings has something to do with the evolution of

Harriet Tubman Collection Unveiled by Smithsonian Museum

WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture has acquired a collection of artifacts documenting the life and work of abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Tubman, born into slavery on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, gained international acclaim as an Underground Railroad operator, Civil War spy and suffragist. Items from the Tubman collection were unveiled today at a ceremony on Capitol Hill coinciding with the anniversary of Tubman’s death March 10, 1913. The collection includes photographs, correspondence, photo-post cards, manuscripts of speeches, souvenir programs from dedication services, household items and clothing accessories. Among the items shedding light on the private life of Tubman are family photographs, a hymn book published in 1876 and signed in pencil by Tubman and a lace shawl (circa 1897) given to her by England’s Queen Victoria. Among the

Jupiter Artland Announces Four New Sculpture Commissions

EDINBURGH.- Jupiter Artland announced four major site specific commissions to be unveiled in May 2010. New works by Turner Prize short-listed artists Cornelia Parker, Nathan Coley and Jim Lambie as well as young British sculptor Peter Liversidge, will be displayed in the 80-acre woodland grounds of Bonnington House on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Since opening in May 2009, Jupiter Artland has quickly established itself as an exciting new addition to the UK art scene, offering visitors a unique opportunity to explore one of Britain’s pre-eminent collections of contemporary sculpture in a constantly-evolving environment. Works on permanent display include iconic pieces by leading international sculptors including Anish Kapoor and Antony Gormley, displayed alongside site specific commissions by artists including Ian Hamilton Finlay, Andy Goldsworthy, Charles Jencks and Marc Quinn. Open from May until the end of

Art of the Islamic and Indian World at Christie's South Kensington

LONDON.- A broad variety of works of art, paintings, manuscripts and an intricate and jewel-like panelled room will be offered at Christie’s sale of Islamic and Indian Art on 13 April 2010. The painted and gilt carved room (estimate: �200,000-300,000) recreates the splendour and beauty of Damascus in the late 18th/early 19th century. The fashion for richly decorated interiors gained popularity in the capital of Ottoman Syria during this period of the late 18th and 19th centuries. Hidden behind plain walls, the palaces of important families were places where the rococo fantasies of their owners came to life. The intricate giltwood mouldings, inset mirrors, carved niches, finely painted landscapes and bouquets of flowers, all contained in this superb interior, reflect the multicultural influences and wealth of the Old City, Damascus. The tradition of these rooms being assembled outside the City stem

Curators Claim "Lost" Emperor Portrait is Largest Mughal Painting Ever Seen

LONDON.- Curators of the National Portrait Gallery's new exhibition The Indian Portrait 1560-1860 - which opens tomorrow - will reveal a six-foot, seventeenth-century life-size portrait of the Emperor Jahangir which they claim is the largest painting to come from the Mughal empire. Jahangir holding a globe, dating from 1617, is opulently painted in gold and watercolour on cotton and includes relief jewellery. Apart from its appearance in an auction-house catalogue in 1995, the epic portrait now on view at the Gallery's exhibition has never previously been seen. It shows the Emperor seated on a European-style chair, his head surrounded by a radiating nimbus of light, balancing a globe in his right hand. These allude to his honorific name, Nur al-Din ('Light of the Faith') and to the name that he took on his accession to the throne, Jahangir, meaning 'world-seizer'. He is dressed in court garments, including a patterned sleeveless

Bonhams to Sell ANC Charter that Recalls Century of Struggle in South Africa

LONDON.- A fascinating item for anyone interested in South Africa’s recent history, is a copy of the ANC Freedom Charter of 1955 which is estimated to sell at Bonhams South African Art Sale on March 24th in London for �20,000-�30,000. Nelson Mandela recalled in his autobiography: "The Freedom Charter captured the hopes and dreams of the people and acted as a blueprint for the liberation struggle and the future of the nation." The document is notable for its demand for and commitment to a non-racial South Africa, and this has remained the platform of the ANC. The new 'Constitution of South Africa' included in its text many of the demands called for in the Freedom Charter. In this way the Freedom Charter can be seen as a foundation for the current South African Constitution. Because of the huge historical significance of this document it will be sold without a South African export licence, ensuring that it remains

The Ducks are Back! Duckomenta II-New Works and Finds

NEWHARDENBERG.- Despite all of the quacking going on about demographic decline: the ducks – all those Daisys and Donalds – are mulptiplying and Duckburg, at least, has grown considerably. Following the Neuhardenberg exhibition in 2003, they travelled the world, were celebrated wherever they went and have now returned to their place of departure to show and astound their many new colleagues at Neuhardenberg with the many sensational things they found along the way. Did you know, for example, that Carl Spitzweg’s The Sunday Stroll, Caspar David Friedrich’s Wanderer above the Sea of Fog or Antoine Wateau’s Gilles also have ducklike originals? Visitors are invited to view around one hundred and twenty works of art, among these seventy new discoveries, that set the history of European art in a completely new light. This idiosyncratic and the only true collection of artworks has

Works by Degas, Delacroix to Visit AGO in North American Exclusive

TORONTO.- Lust. Passion. Murder. Many of the greatest artists of the 19th century shared a profound fascination with the theatre and its themes of triumph and destruction, love and despair. This summer, the Art Gallery of Ontario gives centre stage to key artworks by these artists in a major international exhibition titled "Drama and Desire: Artists and the Theatre", opening June 19 and continuing through September 26. Conceived by Guy Cogeval, president of the Mus�e d’Orsay in Paris, the exhibition includes over 100 paintings, drawings and theatrical maquettes, by masters such as Edgar Degas, Eug�ne Delacroix, Jacques-Louis David, Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres, William Blake, Aubrey Beardsley, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, and �douard Vuillard. The works were selected from the collections of some of the world’s greatest museums, including the Louvre, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Mus�e d’Orsay, the British Museu

Musical Million is Made at Bonhams: Plague Survivor's 1692 Violin Sells for 54,000

LONDON.- A packed saleroom saw much enthusiastic bidding for a selection of Fine Musical Instruments at Bonhams auction this morning, with 86% sold by value to make a magnificent total of �1,026,768. An outstanding example of early craftsmanship was a violin attributed to Nicolo Amati which raised �54,000. Amati was an Italian violin maker from Cremona who was the early teacher of the great Antonio Stradivari. He single-handedly preserved and passed on the tradition of Cremonese violin making when he was the only violin maker in the city to survive the famine and plague of 1630. Violins of all periods, from 17th century Venice to 19th century Milan, were available and made good prices. The top lot was an Italian violin made in Venice in 1692 by Matteo Goffriller which fetched �144,000. A violin by Ferdinando Garimberti made in Milan in 1926 sold for �50,400 easily beating its estimate of �20,000-30,000. There had been much pre-

Dozen Centuries-Old Shipwrecks Found in Baltic Sea

STOCKHOLM (AP).- A dozen centuries-old shipwrecks — some of them unusually well-preserved — have been found in the Baltic Sea by a gas company building an underwater pipeline between Russia and Germany. The oldest wreck probably dates back to medieval times and could be up to 800 years old, while the others are likely from the 17th to 19th centuries, Peter Norman of Sweden's National Heritage Board said Tuesday. "They could be interesting, but we have only seen pictures of their exterior. Many of them are considered to be fully intact. They look very well-preserved," Norman told The Associated Press. Thousands of wrecks — from medieval ships to warships sunk during the world wars of the 20th century — have been found in the Baltic Sea, which doesn't have the ship worm that destroys wooden wrecks in saltier oceans. The latest discovery was made during a search of the seabed east of the Swedish island of Gotland by the Nord Stream consortium, which is building

With Luis Camnitzer Exhibition, Daros Latinamerica Focuses on Conceptual Art

ZURICH.- Luis Camnitzer has been until very recently an insider’s tip in the field of conceptual art. He may be considered one of the art world’s key figures in the second half of the 20th century. This solo exhibition, with some 70 pieces created by the Uruguayan artist between 1966 and the present day, offers visitors a close look at his work. Luis Camnitzer was born in Germany in 1937, grew up in Montevideo, and has lived and worked in New York since 1964. He has made his mark internationally not only as an artist but as a critic, educator and art theorist as well. Formally allied with the American Conceptualists of the 1960s and 1970s, over the past 50 years Camnitzer has developed an essentially autonomous œuvre, unmistakably distinguished from that of his colleagues in the US by its acutely observed detail, its acerbic wit, its ludic-lyrical qualities and its ironically metaphorical polyvalence, as well as by its solid socio-political commitment.

Museum of Contemporary Art Presents Ceal Floyer's First Solo Museum Exhibition

MIAMI, FL.- The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), North Miami will present Ceal Floyer: Auto Focus from March 11 through May 9, 2010. This mid-career survey is Floyer’s first solo museum exhibition in the United States, featuring multi-media works from the late 1990s to the present. The exhibition is part of MOCA’s Knight Exhibition Series and is curated by MOCA Executive Director and Chief Curator Bonnie Clearwater. Floyer’s deceptively, minimal conceptual works emerge from her daily experiences rather than from theory. Many of her trigger points result from peripheral observations of everyday non-events and her work often deals with the structure and syntax of the English language. Her works elegantly reveal her thought process and heighten our awareness to the way our mind perceives and comprehends the moments she creates.

Marina Abramovic: Three Historic Films Presented by Creative Time

NEW YORK, NY.- At 44 1/2, Creative Time's presentation of video art on MTV's outdoor, gilded screen located in the heart of New York City's Times Square, will showcase the work of groundbreaking performance artist Marina Abramovic from March 14–April 14, 2010. Opening concurrently with her retrospective at The Museum of Modern Art, Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present, Creative Time's presentation includes Light/Dark (1977), Rest Energy (1980), and Dissolution (1997). Marina Ambramovic is a performance artist whose groundbreaking work has influenced other artists for more than three decades. "In her stunning work, Marina Abramovic—along with her former collaborator, Ulay—has made powerful works that courageously probe conditions of gender, power, sexuality, war, and peace," said Anne Pasternak, President and Artistic Director of Creative Time. "Among the most influential artists of her time, it is exciting to show a small survey of her work on the MTV screen in

Jennifer Russell to Rejoin Metropolitan Museum as Associate Director for Exhibitions

NEW YORK, NY.- Thomas P. Campbell, Director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, announced today that Jennifer Russell will return to the Museum as Associate Director for Exhibitions. She is currently Senior Deputy Director of Exhibitions, Collections, and Programs at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She had worked at the Metropolitan Museum as Associate Director for Administration from 1993 to 1996, and will rejoin the Museum in her new role effective April 26. She was formally elected at the March 9 meeting of the Board of Trustees. "I am delighted to welcome back a colleague with extensive experience in the New York museum community and in exhibition planning on a local as well as national and international scale," commented Thomas P. Campbell, Director of the Metropolitan Museum. "She brings significant managerial experience, sound sense, and wide-ranging contacts, all of which are essential to sustaining and develo

National Postal Museum Announces Design and Architectural Firms for the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery

WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum has selected two firms to create the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery: the exhibit-design firm Gallagher & Associates of Silver Spring, Md., and the architectural and historic preservation firm Cho Benn Holback + Associates of Baltimore. Gallagher & Associates will be responsible for translating the curatorial selection of stamps, objects and information into exciting displays and exhibits for the public in the multimillion dollar expansion. The firm will bring the stories of stamps and mail to life by using interactives, graphics, signage and educational tools, which will allow visitors to explore and interpret these new objects on exhibit. Gallagher & Associates is a professional design-services firm serving clients throughout the United States and abroad. The firm creates successful visitor experiences through museum master planning and exhibition design, br

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