Major Exhibition of Spanish Art at the Dawn of the 20th Century at Fondation de l’Hermitage

LAUSANNE.- The Fondation de l’Hermitage in Lausanne is organizing a major exhibition devoted to Spanish art at the dawn of the 20th century. Focusing on painters of “The Generation of 1898” who emerged from the severe upheavals endured by Spain throughout the 19th century, the exhibition highlights how these artists evolved. Oscillating between respect for Hispanic traditions and modernity, their works were part of the contemporary surge to broaden horizons that arose among the Spanish avant-garde. Although it is extraordinarily rich [...]

Christie’s 2010 Global Art Sales Total $5.0 Billion, Highest Sales Total in History

LONDON.- Christie’s International, the world’s leading art business, today announced worldwide sales for 2010 of £3.3 billion/$5.0 billion, up 53% by £ on last year’s figure of £2.1 billion (Figures include buyer’s premium). The highest sales total in the 245 year history of the firm, the figure is also the highest annual sales total ever recorded in the industry. Sales totals include private sales of £369.3 million/$572.4 million, an increase of 39% by £ on 2009 figures. In a year [...]

Lucie Kout, Photography from Czech Republic

Lucie Kout isn’t fear to use the camera and takes provocative pictures. Lucie Kout is from Czech Republic, and works as a freelance photographer.

From North Korea Propaganda to Art Exhibit in Seoul, Defector Song Byeok Shows His Work

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA (AP) —.- The face in the painting is North Korean leader Kim Jong Il’s, smiling beneath his trademark sunglasses and wall of black hair. But the body is Marilyn Monroe’s, pushing down her white dress in an updraft. This striking image, part of an art exhibition by North Korean defector Song Byeok opening Wednesday in Seoul, would have been unthinkable at the artist’s old job making propaganda posters in the North with slogans like “Let us Exalt [...]

Clark Art Institute to Launch First International Tour of Masterpieces from the Collection

WILLIAMSTOWN, MA.- Continuing its commitment to global outreach and cultural exchange, the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute will tour masterpieces from its collection of nineteenth-century European paintings to leading museums around the world beginning this spring. The Clark’s first-ever international tour of masterpieces from its collection will include many of the greatest works from its extraordinary holdings of French Impressionism and European paintings. The exhibition features 73 paintings, including works by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Édouard Manet, [...]

Mile-Long Floating Walkway Above the Thames to Open Up London’s Hidden Past

LONDON (REUTERS).- A mile-long floating walkway on London’s River Thames is being planned in the heart of the capital, allowing views of the city’s hidden alleys, wharves and landmarks dating back to medieval times. The pontoon, known as the “London River Park,” will connect Blackfriars Bridge, on the western edge of the ancient city, and the Tower of London in the east. Suspended a few feet above the water on the north bank, the walk will be interspersed with five [...]

Plate Painted by Pablo Picasso Donated to Ransom Center by Photojournalist Duncan

AUSTIN, TX.- The Harry Ransom Center, a humanities research library and museum at The University of Texas at Austin, has received a plate painted by Pablo Picasso from David Douglas Duncan, a photojournalist whose archive resides at the Ransom Center. Duncan donated the plate in honor of his friendship with Stanley Marcus, who suggested that Duncan donate his archive to the Ransom Center in 1996. The archive includes more than 36,000 prints, 87,000 negatives and 21,000 transparencies, in addition to [...]

Christie’s Two-Part Sale of Old Master & 19th Century Art Totals a Combined $36,671,625

NEW YORK (REUTERS).- An iconic 19th-Century painting depicting an Ottoman Empire reserve soldier and his hunting dogs sold for $1.65 million on Wednesday at Christie’s Old Master and 19th-Century paintings auction. “Master of the Hounds,” by Jean Leon Gerome, had generated significant buzz during exhibitions due to the reviving popularity of Orientalist art, Christie’s said. It had been estimated to sell for between $700,000 and $1 million. Several bidders competed for the diminutive work, which measures only 13 inches by [...]

SFMOMA’s 2011 Auction Features Work by Artists with Strong Ties to the Museum

SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) will hold its biennial Art Auction at the museum on April 6, 2011. This highly anticipated fund-raising event organized by the Modern Art Council (MAC) will feature more than 70 lots representing an exceptional range of work by celebrated artists with strong ties to the museum. Auction items will include photographs, paintings, and works on paper donated by local and national galleries and artists. Proceeds from Art Auction 2011 [...]

New Museum Presents First Major United States Survey of Works by George Condo

NEW YORK, NY.- Since first bursting onto the scene in the early 1980s with his unique adaptation of the language of Old Master painting, George Condo has created one of the most adventurous, imaginative, and provocative bodies of work in contemporary art. Condo’s work has been deeply influential to two generations of American and European painters, who have felt the impact of the artist’s astonishing technical ability, stylistic versatility, and inventive subject matter. This January, the New Museum presents “George [...]

Dallas Museum of Art Publishes Ignite the Power of Art: Advancing Visitor Engagement in Museums

DALLAS, TX.- The Dallas Museum of Art is releasing an important new book that offers groundbreaking insight into how museum visitors connect with art and how museums can create enriching and engaging experiences for diverse audiences. Distributed by Yale University Press, Ignite the Power of Art: Advancing Visitor Engagement in Museums reveals findings from the DMA’s innovative seven-year research on the different preferences and behaviors of museum goers. The book documents how the Museum’s new understanding of its audience and community transformed [...]

Property from the Collection of Charles Ryskamp Exceeds High Estimate to Bring $1.6 Million

NEW YORK, NY.- Old Masters Week opened today at Sotheby’s New York with the dedicated auction of Property from the Collection of Charles Ryskamp, which exceeded its high estimate in achieving $1,628,727 (est. $800,000/1.2 million). Many bidders competed in the room and by phone for drawings, furniture and decorations from Mr. Ryskamp’s private residences in New York City and Princeton, New Jersey, which resulted in several works greatly surpassing their pre-sale estimates. Mr. Ryskamp served as Director of The Pierpont Morgan [...]

New Online Archive Brings the Ancient Maya City of Chichen Itza to Scholars’ Desktops

EMERYVILLE, CA.- This week a new archaeological data archive and web-based collaborative learning tool launches to provide researchers, educators, filmmakers and digital heritage enthusiasts with the most complete data to date of any ancient Maya site. The archive centerpiece is a priceless 3D record of the ancient Maya city of Chichen Itza, recently voted one of the “New Seven Wonders of the World” by an eponymous Swiss-based foundation. Mark Eakle and Philippe Martinez scan in tandem at the Venus Platform. [...]

Perot Museum of Nature & Science in Dallas Receives $25 Million Gift from The Rees-Jones Foundation

DALLAS.- Calling it an investment that will deliver world-class educational experiences and entertainment to millions for decades to come, Museum of Nature & Science leaders announced a second major gift in two years from The Rees-Jones Foundation that brings its total contribution to $25 million – and pushes the Museum’s fundraising efforts past the $150-million mark. To commemorate this significant show of support for the $185-million Perot Museum of Nature & Science, Museum leaders will name two major halls in its [...]

Clearing Work Completed by Israel Antiquities Authority on a Second Temple Period Water Channel

JERUSALEM.- Clearing work has been completed on a Second Temple Period water channel in excavations being conducted by the Israel Antiquities Authority in the City of David located within the Jerusalem Walls National Park. The excavations are being run in conjunction with the Israel Nature & Parks Authority, under the auspices of Professor Ronny Reich and Eli Shukron from the Israel Antiquities Authority. For the last seven years, researchers from the Israel Antiquities Authority have been involved in the removal of [...]