MFA Houston Presents Private Collection of the Czech Avant-Garde Art and Glass

HOUSTON, TX.- The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (MFAH), presents New Formations: Czech Avant-Garde Art and Modern Glass from the Roy and Mary Cullen Collection November 6, 2011-February 5, 2012, shedding light on a still under-known chapter of 20th-century art. The exhibition features more than 150 Czech avant-garde works amassed by Houston philanthropists Roy and Mary Cullen, including outstanding examples from the flowering of Czech Surrealism; rare artists‘ books and avant-garde periodicals; and exquisitely molded and blown modern glass. The exhibition is curated [...]

Calvin J. Goodman, Influential Mentor to Artists and Advisor to Arts Organizations, Died

NEW YORK, NY.- Calvin J. Goodman, influential mentor to artists and advisor to arts organizations, died in Los Angeles on August 17th, 2011 of natural causes. For over five decades Goodman worked with such renowned artists as Louise Nevelson, Hans Burckhart, Harry Jackson, and Françoise Gilot, and countless other artists. Known for his insight into the thoughts that motivate an artist, Goodman had an uncanny ability to help creative spirits discover and connect with the audience their work would speak to. [...]

Ron Mueck’s Monumental Sculpture In Bed to Tour to Five Regional Queensland Galleries

QUEENSLAND.- Arts Minister Rachel Nolan today announced monumental sculpture In Bed by Ron Mueck will tour five regional Queensland galleries in 2011-2012, as part of the Gallery of Modern Art’s (GoMA) fifth birthday celebrations. “Queensland Art Gallery is touring the breathtakingly life-like sculpture from September 2011 until July 2012, beginning with Ipswich Art Gallery, 10 September – 13 November, before travelling on to Thuringowa, Cairns, Mackay and Hervey Bay,” Ms Nolan said. “This 10 month tour is great news for regional audiences and [...]

The Latino List: Exhibition of Photographs of Prominent Latino Americans Opens in Brooklyn

NEW YORK, N.Y.- A new exhibition of large-format, full-color photographic portraits, Timothy Greenfield-Sanders: The Latino List, will be on view at the Brooklyn Museum from August 19 through December 11, 2011, exploring the personal stories of some of today’s most influential Latino Americans from the fields of culture, politics, business, and sports. America Ferrera, Gloria Estefan, Pitbull, Eva Longoria, Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and Chi-Chi Rodríguez are among the twenty-five subjects featured. The exhibition will include excerpts from an accompanying documentary film, also called [...]

Toledo Museum of Art Announces Three Appointments in Education Department

TOLEDO, OH.- Three Toledo area women have been named to positions in the recently reorganized education department at the Toledo Museum of Art, Director Brian Kennedy has announced. Following a national search, Dr. Katherina Danko-McGhee joins the staff as director of education, and Dr. Leanne Gilbertson becomes curator of education, both effective Aug. 29. In addition, staff member Lori Foshag, who served as interim director of education for nearly a year, has been named manager of community programs. Danko-McGhee comes to the [...]

Museum Hosts Works by Most Prominent Street Artists Currently Active in Tel Aviv

TEL AVIV.- In recent years, the streets of Tel Aviv – especially those in the city’s central and southern neighborhoods – have been flooded with visual images, which pop up on the exteriors of abandoned houses and on other types of walls. These images range from simple slogans to complex graffiti inscriptions and carefully planned, colorful compositions. Some of these works are remarkably large, while others are small and almost invisible; what characterizes them all is the bold and innovative relationships [...]

Painting of the Inaugural Festival of Britain by Ruskin Spear to Sell at Bonhams

LONDON.- In the year of the 60th anniversary of the Festival of Britain, Bonhams are to sell a painting by Ruskin Spear of the inaugural Festival in 1951. It is estimated to fetch £10,000-15,000 when it goes under the hammer in the Modern Pictures auction at Bonhams, Knightsbridge on Tuesday 20th September. Ruskin Spear, Festival of Britain. Photo: Bonhams. This painting depicts the celebrations along the Embankment during the Festival of Britain in 1951. The festival aimed to create a feeling of hope, [...]

Qing Dynasty Porcelain and Snuff Bottles Highlight Bonhams August Asian Decorative Art Sale

SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- With the Chinese economy still keeping its art market as red-hot as ever, all eyes are on Bonhams & Butterfields‘ Asian Decorative Art sale in San Francisco on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 at 10 a.m. With fresh material and conservative estimates, sharp-eyed collectors should be competing to find fantastic bargains among the many blockbusters in store. Traditionally popular categories are well represented in this auction. Notable amongst the Chinese porcelain to be offered is a blue and white glazed [...]

Pipilotti Rist Curates Sommerakademie 2011: An Annual International Platform for Contemporary Art

BERN.- The Sommerakademie im Zentrum Paul Klee is an annual international platform for contemporary art that focuses on exploring current thinking about art. Using professional training, promotion, sponsorship and mediation, the Sommerakademie aims to promote both artistic productivity and reflection on art among artists, and at the same time allows the public to be part of this process. Every year in August, the Sommerakademie invites emerging artists and curators to Berne to work with well-known figures from the international art scene, in a [...]

Connecticut Police Probe Theft of Two Tang Dynasty Chinese Sculptures Stored in Westport

WESTPORT (AP).- Police say they’re investigating the theft of two rare ancient Chinese head sculptures valued at $800,000 each from a private collection in Connecticut. Police said Wednesday the approximately 1,000-year-old Louhan sculptures had been stored at an undisclosed location in Westport, a wealthy coastal town of about 25,000 residents. They haven’t said when the sculptures were stolen. One of two rare ancient Chinese head sculptures valued at $800,000 each. AP Photo/Westport Police Dept. The sculptures are carved from sandstone. They [...]

Milwaukee Art Museum Receives $7.6 Million Bequest from the Estate of Leonard and Bebe Levine

MILWAUKEE, WI.- The Milwaukee Art Museum announced a $7.6 million gift from the estate of Milwaukee business owner and his wife, Leonard and Bebe LeVine. The donation, received after Mr. LeVine’s death in 2008, is more than double the previous largest bequest, and is designated to advance and improve the Museum’s art collection and presentation. “It is an honor to be the sole beneficiary of the LeVine’s estate. The donation will be used to further the legacy of this remarkable couple, Leonard and [...]

Global Auction House Christie’s Growth in Asia Continues with New Senior Appointment

HONG KONG.- Leading global auction house Christie’s announces three new senior appointments including: Lilly Chan, International Business Director of Asian Art, Ci Sun, Regional Business Development Director and Pauline Tien, Business Development Director, Christie’s Fine Art Storage Services (CFASS). As Asia remains a key driver for Christie’s and the global art business, these appointments will build on the company’s established presence in the region, and expand its capabilities in client servicing and business development. François Curiel, President of Asia, said, “As part of [...]

Sotheby’s to Sell Rediscovered Work by Vilhelm Hammershoi, A Study for The Coin Collector in Oslo Museum

LONDON.- Sotheby’s Scandinavian Sale on Tuesday, 22 November 2011, will present for sale an important rediscovered work by Vilhelm Hammershøi. Svend Hammershøi. Forarbejde til Møntsamleren (Svend Hammershøi. Study for the Coin Collector) is a preparatory study for the artist’s 1904 masterpiece Møntsamleren (The Coin Collector), in the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design, Oslo, and is being offered by a Danish private collector. The sitter was the artist’s younger brother Svend, a painter and ceramicist. One of only three known studies [...]

Times Square Alliance and mmmm. Unveil the World Premiere of “Meeting Bowls” in Times Square

NEW YORK, N.Y.- The Times Square Alliance with the Consulate General of Spain New York today present a month-long public art installation of a new generation of urban furnishing, termed the Meeting Bowls. At 5 feet tall and 7 feet in diameter and open to the sky and flashing billboards of Times Square, the giant bowls can host up to eight strangers or friends. The collaborative of Spanish artists, mmmm…, created the Meeting Bowls to capture urban territory for use as social places [...]

Museu de Arte de Sao Paulo Brings Eight Artists to Brazil for Site Specific Interventions

SAO PAULO.- There’s been a radical change in the idea of what public art should be. The city of São Paulo recently declared that they were not to approve any further out-dated public sculptures with the justification that this kind of art belongs to the XIX century, adding nothing to the urban environment. It’s an unexpected yet welcome decision that feeds hope that the public powers will be wisely updating its relationship with art. It’s in this context of the renewal [...]