National Gallery of Australia announces Renaissance: 15th & 16th century Italian paintings

CANBERRA.- The National Gallery of Australia today announced that it will present the first ever exhibition in Australia dedicated to Renaissance paintings. The exhibition is titled Renaissance – 15th & 16th Century Italian Paintings from the Accademia Carrara, Bergamo, it will be the Gallery’s major summer exhibition, opening on 9 December 2011. Everyone understands that the Renaissance was a golden age in which learning and the arts flourished as never before. The exhibition will feature more than 70 paintings including works by Italian [...]

Michael Dweck gets $100K from Denim Co. for illegal use of iconic “Montauk” image

NEW YORK, N.Y.- A denim designer must pay photographer Michael Dweck $100,000 for using his photograph of a nude female surfer to sell blue jeans, a federal judge ruled. Dweck sued designer Diana Amadi and her unincorporated Malibu Denim Co. in March 2010, for using his photograph “Sonya, Poles, Montauk, NY 2002″ for “advertising, promotion and sales of its jeans” since 2009. Dweck’s photograph, which depicts a young, naked woman running with a surfboard to the ocean, appeared in his first [...]

Metropolitan Museum displays Romare Bearden’s The Block for centennial tribute to the artist

NEW YORK, N.Y.- On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Romare Bearden, The Metropolitan Museum of Art will display Bearden’s The Block, a six-panel tableau that portrays one city block of the Harlem neighborhood that nurtured his career. On view at the Metropolitan Museum from August 30, 2011, through January 2, 2012, Romare Bearden (1911-1988): A Centennial Celebration is presented in conjunction with a multi-city centennial tribute to the life and work of this great American artist. Romare Bearden’s [...]

National Portrait Gallery marks the 400th anniversary of the birth of the artist William Dobson

LONDON.- A new display at the a National Portrait Gallery marks the 400th anniversary of the birth of the artist William Dobson. Considered the most important British painter of his generation, Dobson was a hugely significant witness to the English Civil War but his career was tragically short. This display is part of a wider celebration of Dobson’ s anniversary year which sees the launch of a special Dobson Art Trail created by The Sunday Times art critic Waldemar Januszczak. The four oil [...]

University of Virginia Art Museum selects Jennifer Farrell as curator of exhibitions

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA.- Jennifer Farrell, whose scholarly research, writing, foundation and curatorial work focuses on modern and contemporary art, joined the University of Virginia Art Museum staff Aug. 15 as curator of exhibitions. She will be in charge of developing in-house exhibitions, working with outside curators toformulate future projects and advising on museum purchases, among other duties. Farrell brings a depth of experience working with museums, galleries and foundations to further their exhibition, publication and outreach efforts. Since 2010, she was director of The [...]

Fourth successive Artist Rooms tour announced by Tate and National Galleries of Scotland

LONDON.- National Galleries of Scotland and Tate announced plans for the fourth successive ARTIST ROOMS Tour in 2012 thanks to continued support from the Art Fund. In 2012 a total of 19 new exhibitions and displays will go on show at 17 venues across the UK, including six new to the project. The works being shown are drawn from ARTIST ROOMS, the collection of modern and contemporary art established through the extraordinary gift made by Anthony d’Offay in 2008, held by Tate [...]

Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University appoints Min Jung Kim as deputy director

EAST LANSING, MI.- The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University has appointed Min Jung Kim as its deputy director. Throughout her career, which includes more than a decade’s experience in international programming and planning for the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation, Kim has developed strategic alliances and collaborative initiatives with cultural institutions around the globe. At MSU’s Broad Art Museum , she will be responsible for strategic planning and overseeing daily operations. She joins the new Zaha Hadid-designed museum, which [...]

Edgar Degas works on paper on view this winter at the Portland Museum of Art

PORTLAND, ME.- This winter, the Portland Museum of Art will present the exhibition Edgar Degas: The Private Impressionist, on view February 23 through May 27, 2012, which will feature compelling works from a private collection that have never been exhibited together publicly. Comprised of more than 100 drawings, prints, pastels, and photographs as well as several sculptures, Edgar Degas: The Private Impressionist will provide an insightful exploration into the oeuvre of one of the most skilled and complex artists in history, and grant [...]

Two Canadian and two Indian photographers shortlisted for $50,000 Grange Prize

TORONTO, ON.- Four photographers — two each from Canada and India — have been shortlisted for The Grange Prize 2011, Canada’s largest cash prize for photography. The winner of the $50,000 prize is chosen by public vote, which opens today and continues through October 23 at www.thegrangeprize.com. The winner will be announced at a gala reception hosted by presenting partners Aeroplan and the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) on November 1. The finalists for The Grange Prize 2011 are: Gauri Gill, an Indian [...]

Period Art & Design: Bonhams announces new sale category in San Francisco and Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, CA.- Bonhams is pleased to announce the addition of Period Art & Design, a new sale category to its monthly calendar. The inaugural sales will be held in San Francisco and Los Angeles on November 20-21. The sale, also held in the U.K., will focus on 18th, 19th and 20th century furniture, decorative arts, designer furnishings, national and international works of art, rugs, silver, Asian and rugs, with select auctions featuring books and jewelry. In addition to the robust offering, [...]

Bernhard Heiliger Award for sculpture goes to Argentina-born artist Fabián Marcaccio

BERLIN.- In 2011, the fourth Bernhard Heiliger Award for Sculpture honors the Argentina-born artist Fabián Marcaccio. The award ceremony will be held on September 10, 2011, at the Berlin Academy of Arts at Pariser Platz. The solo exhibition on that occasion at Berlin Georg Kolbe Museum opens September 11 and runs until November 20, 2011. The exhibition will also be shown at LehmbruckMuseum Duisburg from March 15 to June 10, 2012. Created in 1999, the Bernhard Heiliger Award for Sculpture is endowed with [...]

Fotofever: Inaugural art fair in the Espace Pierre Cardin in Paris this November

PARIS.- More than ever, in November 2011, Paris will be the world’s main stage of photography. Visitors, professionals, collectors, and journalists and photographers will gather for an incredible week dedicated to photography. Enthusiastic with the effervescent market of photography, Paris is hosting a new event: fotofever. Fotofever will take place in the Espace Pierre Cardin, a few steps away from the Grand Palais. There, you will all be able to share your passion for contemporary photography, digital art and video. The key [...]

National Gallery of Australia announces major new acquisition: Hans Heysen’s Morning

CANBERRA.-The painting depicts two monumental gum trees before a sweeping pastoral vista. The grand old tree in the foreground is said to have been a favourite of Heysen’s. He was particularly enamoured of mornings light and was always up before dawn in order to catch the changing landscape in early sunlight, such as the effect of a cool morning depicted in Morning light. “We are indebted to Ms Robertson for the wonderful legacy of almost $3million that she has left [...]

Solo exhibition of work by Hong Kong artist Morgan Wong at 2P Contemporary Art Gallery

HONG KONG.- 2P Contemporary Art Gallery announced the opening of One Hour, a solo exhibition of work by Hong Kong artist Morgan Wong. One Hour is a renunciation of time in an era of instantaneous communication featuring Morgan Wong’s performance in his investigation conceived during his artist residency in Japan, 2010. Situated against the arctic backdrop of Sapporo, Wong subverts the linear progression of events to survey a new spectrum coupled with methodical observation where temporal physics no longer necessitates sense. The [...]

New Mexico Museum of Art exhibition highlights exhibition by Native American artists

SANTA FE (AP).- A young Native American boy named Chii stares straight into the camera of Vicki Monks. His long, dark hair is tussled by the breeze as she captures his solemn expression while he waits for his family on the edge of a Yuchi burial ground in Oklahoma. Monks is telling a story of sorts with Chii’s photograph — a story about mixed American Indian ancestry. An age-old tradition among indigenous people throughout the world, the art of storytelling has [...]