15th Century Wooden Crucifix by Michelangelo Displayed at Diocesan Museum of Naples

NAPLES.- The crucifix, attributed to Italian sculptor Michelangelo four years ago, measures 41.3 cm (16.52 inches) and was bought by the Italian State for 3,250,000 million euros (4,347,997 dollars). The crucifix was displayed at the Italian Lower Chamber before it was put up in a Florence Museum. The Crucifix is a polychrome wood sculpture thought to be by High Renaissance master Michelangelo, finished in 1492. It is located at the high altar of the Church of Santa Maria del Santo [...]

St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts to display Monumental Work of Fernando Botero

ST. PETERSBURG, FL.- Fernando Botero is one of Colombia’s and the world’s most popular artists. His monumental bronzes have been seen on Park Avenue in New York, the National Mall in Washington, D.C., and the Champs Élysées in Paris. The Baroque World of Fernando Botero, on view from January 9-April 4, 2010, is the first time such a large exhibition of his work has been featured in the Tampa Bay area. This is also the first retrospective of the artist’s [...]

Claremont Museum of Art to Discontinue Operation in The Packing House

CLAREMONT, CA.- On December 21, the Claremont Museum of Art Board of Directors voted to discontinue operation of the Museum in The Packing House and place the permanent collection in a secure storage facility. The board will continue working to rejuvenate the Claremont Museum of Art in the next few years as the economy improves. As you know, the Claremont Museum of Art nearly closed its doors in October. Thanks to funding from the City of Claremont, the Museum has [...]

The Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum Celebrates its 75th Anniversary Print E-mail Written by Raymond Garrison

SPRINGFIELD , Mass. – The Michele and Donald D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts will celebrate its 75th anniversary with a multi-gallery exhibition that highlights the history of the museum through the artwork it has acquired, exhibited, and loaned through the years. A Tradition of Excellence: The D’Amour Museum of Fine Arts Celebrates 75 Years will be on view through February 21, 2010. In addition to the artwork on display, a montage of vintage photos of museum activities with information about [...]

New Frank Gehry Designed Theater Set for 2012 Opening in NYC

NEW YORK, NY.- A nonprofit theater selling tickets for just $20 is bringing one of the world’s most renowned architects to New York’s pricey theater district. An arts center designed by Frank Gehry and originally intended for ground zero will anchor a new complex that will also include apartments with some low-income housing, a hotel, a cafe and a bookstore, the city announced Tuesday. Despite the recession, the $800 million, 59-story Signature Center “is an example of how our city [...]

Marc Chagall Exhibit Pulled from Troubled Metropolitan Museum in Fresno, CA

FRESNO, CA.- Trouble keeps coming to Fresno’s cultural centerpiece as an exhibitor pulled 65 etchings by Marc Chagall over the weekend fearing the Metropolitan Museum is about to shut for good. Reilly Rhodes arrived unannounced Sunday to claim the pieces on behalf of the Laguna Niguel-based Contemporary and Modern Print Exhibitions. He says the Met owes him nearly $10,000 for the exhibit, titled “Chagall for Children.” But Rhodes said he’s more afraid that he’d be unable to retrieve the art [...]

New Series of Sapphire Blue Paintings by Danny Rolph at Poppy Sebire

LONDON.- For his first show at Poppy Sebire, Danny Rolph presents a new series of sapphire blue backed triplewall paintings. These new works are a continuation of Rolph’s investigation into his discourse with space. They are taking on a more direct relationship with painting’s topology. The deep blue plastic ground upon which the actions occur offer up an infinite recessional space that resembles the night sky. This blue ground is where Rolph performs his analysis on forms and on colours [...]

Exhibition of Art by Offenders to Debut in the North West

MANCHESTER.- Arts by Offenders is an exhibition of artwork produced in prisons, special hospitals and by people on probation in the North West of England. This evocative and thought-provoking collection of fine art, craft and creative writing was selected from hundreds of the area’s entries to the 2009 Koestler Awards – a charitable scheme which has been rewarding artistic achievement in the penal and secure sectors for over 45 years. Anonymous from HM Prison Forest Bank, Assorted Personalities. Inl on [...]

Wales Acquires Joyful Painting for the Christmas Season

CARDIFF.- In time for Christmas, Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales announced its acquisition of Crazy Gondolier (1960), a bright, jubilant painting by Scottish artist Alan Davie. The work was acquired with the generous support of the Derek Williams Trust (£30,000) and The Art Fund, the UK’s leading independent art charity (£20,000). Crazy Gondolier (1960) is on display at National Museum Cardiff’s popular The Sight of Sound exhibition. The exhibition features works of art influenced by music and music inspired [...]

San Antonio Museum of Art Director Returning to Curatorial Role

SAN ANTONIO, TX.- After more than 5 years of service as the first Betty and Bob Kelso Director of the San Antonio Museum of Art, Dr. Marion Oettinger, Jr. has chosen to return to his position as SAMA’s full-time Curator of Latin American Art. Dr. Oettinger previously served as curator for twenty years before assuming the Directorship. “While we are very grateful to Marion for his years of service as Director, we respect and support his decision to finish out [...]

First UK Solo Show of Bengali-American Artist Rina Banerjee Announced

LONDON.- In April 2010 Haunch of Venison London will present Forever Foreign – the first UK solo show of Bengali-American artist Rina Banerjee, introducing the New York-based artist’s complex, seductive, corporeal oeuvre. Banerjee’s drawings, sculptures and assemblage depict mythical, visionary worlds, reflecting the artist’s Western and Indian backgrounds with intense colours and hybrid flora and fauna. The fantastical floating world Banerjee creates is reminiscent of Indian miniature paintings, and comes from an interest in Victorian culture; the thirst for exploration [...]

Perpetual Appoints Sculpture by the Sea to Manage Helen Lempriere Scholarships

SYDNEY.- Perpetual today announced Sculpture by the Sea Inc. as the new manager of a series of scholarships funded by the Helen Lempriere Bequest (Lempriere). Lempriere is a charitable trust managed by Perpetual, with the purpose of providing scholarships for students of applied arts and crafts. Early in 2009 Perpetual began searching for a new partner to deliver an annual scholarship program in line with the wishes of the original bequest. In December 2009 after an extensive review, including consultation [...]

Group Exhibition at Frankfurter Kunstverein to Revolve Around Questions of Mimesis

FRANKFURT.- The probing of nature and the world of things through representation and imitation in order to gain a deeper understanding of the worlds being, runs like a thread throughout the history of fine art. The central theme in the group exhibition “The Inner Life of Things” revolves around questions of mimesis, which is understood as the simulated representation of reality, and traces the role it takes today in artistic production. Nina Canell, Temporary Encampment (Five Blue Solids), 2009. (Detailansicht) [...]

X-Ray Group Exhibition Gets Under Your Skin at ArtCenter/South Florida

MIAMI BEACH, FL.- ArtCenter/South Florida (“ACSF”) is proud to present X-Ray, a radiating exhibition by artists Bill Burke, Jacek Kolasinski and Orlando Jacinto Garcia. Sculptures by Burke and video images by Kolasinski serve as the backbone of Garcia‘s haunting sound composition. Combining stimulating visual imagery and evocative sonic explorations, X-Ray produces a series of invigorating sensations. The opening reception slated for January 9, 2010, from 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m (800 Lincoln Road, Miami Beach), coincides with Lincoln Road’s monthly [...]

Cambridge Museum Buys a Painting with Bite

CAMBRIDGE.- The Art Fund has helped Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology buy an important work by one of the pre-eminent artists of Papua New Guinea. Biting the Doctor’s Arm by Mathias Kauage was acquired for £25,000 with a £9,000 grant from The Art Fund. Mathias Kauage (c.1944 – 2003) was one of the founding figures of modern art in the Pacific, and remains to date the most internationally celebrated Papua New Guinean artist to have worked in modern media. [...]