Cité du Cinéma in Paris offers an interactive journey into the world of Star Wars

PARIS.- Presented for the first time in Europe, the STAR WARS Identities exhibition proposes an interactive journey into the world of the saga in a unique location: the Cité du Cinéma. From February 15th to June 30th, 2014, two film sets of approximately 2000 m2, turned into an exhibition location, were opened to the public to reveal more than 200 original pieces from the archives of the Lucas Arts Museum: models, accessories, costumes, sketches all of which constructed the Star Wars world. [...]

Exhibition of new ceramic works by Lynda Benglis opens at Cheim & Read in New York

NEW YORK, NY.- Cheim & Read announces an exhibition of new ceramic works by Lynda Benglis. Born in Lake Charles, Louisiana in 1941, Lynda Benglis moved to New York City in the late 60s. Her early, ground-breaking work – landscape-like, sculptural installations of poured polyurethane foam and latex – confronted the then-current, male-dominated tropes of Minimalism with brightly-colored, biomorphic forms which embraced themes of ambiguity, femininity, nature and transformation. Their formal ambiguity resisted easy definition: Benglis has long critiqued the art world’s [...]

Works by de Blaas, Meeker and impressive decorative arts achieve second hghest sale in Clars history

OAKLAND, CA.- On Sunday, November 10, 2013, Clars Auction Gallery hosted what was anticipated to be a very strong sale and indeed it was. Realizing $2.1 million for the two-day event, this was the strongest November auction in the firm’s history and the second largest overall. Redge Martin, President of Clars, commented after the sale: “Everything did very well, across the board and, currently, for 2013, we are up 23% over 2012. FINE ART All categories of fine art sold extremely well with [...]

Venetian glass designed by Italian architect Carlo Scarpa on view at Metropolitan Museum

NEW YORK, NY.- Venetian Glass by Carlo Scarpa: The Venini Company, 1932-1947 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art is devoted to the work in glass of the influential Italian architect Carlo Scarpa (1906–1978). Scarpa created a unique and multifaceted body of work in architecture and design. In 1932, while in his mid-twenties, he was hired by Paolo Venini, founder of Venini Glassworks, to be an artistic consultant to the company. Until 1947, he worked closely with Venini master glass blowers and Mr. Venini [...]

Agatha Christie’s silver to be featured at the 23rd Winter Fine Art & Antiques Fair

LONDON.- The 2013 Winter Fine Art & Antiques Fair, Olympia runs from Tuesday, 5th to Sunday, 10th November 2013 with a Collectors’ preview evening on Monday 4th November 2013. This year, the Fair has aligned its dates with the influential Asian Art in London 2013, further increasing the lure of London as an art and antiques destination at this time of year. The Winter Fine Art & Antiques Fair is now in its 23rd year. Taking place in the iconic Olympia exhibition [...]

Liz Lees and Meg Wendy form partnership to co-produce the 15th edition of the New York Ceramics Fair

NEW YORK, NY.- Liz Lees and Meg Wendy, two veteran art and antiques show producers, have formed a partnership to co-produce the New York Ceramics Fair, it was announced by Ms. Lees, who founded Caskey-Lees with her husband Bill Caskey in 1985. “I am very pleased that Meg and I have joined forces,” says Ms. Lees. “Her depth of experience in the world of art fair production, particularly in New York, is unparalleled and will prove invaluable to insuring the growth of [...]

“Jewels of the Connoisseur” unveils incredibly rare gemstones at Bowers Museum

SANTA ANA, CA.- In the Bowers’ tradition of bringing fine jewels and rare gems to the Southern California community, the Museum hosts Jewels of the Connoisseur, which exhibits some gemstones so rare that only true connoisseurs even know they exist. This incredible collection of some of the rarest gemstones in the world showcases classic jewelry settings including pins, necklaces, pendants and more. Jewels of the Connoisseur is being exhibited in the Pimco Foundation Gallery from July 27, 2013 through October 6, 2013. [...]

Grayson Perry’s monumental suite of six tapestries begins tour in Sunderland

LONDON.- The Arts Council Collection and British Council announced that the first edition of Grayson Perry’s The Vanity of Small Differences has begun a national and international exhibitions tour by going on display in Sunderland from 28 June – 29 September 2013, following the joint acquisition of the work by the Arts Council Collection and the British Council. Perry created his series of six tapestries last year for the BAFTA award-winning Channel 4 series ‘All in the Best Possible Taste with Grayson Perry’, [...]

Dallas Museum of Art acquires new work of decorative arts and design by Shiro Kuramata

DALLAS, TX.- The Dallas Museum of Art today announced the acquisition of a major work of postmodernism, the Miss Blanche armchair by Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata (1934–1991). An integral addition to the Museum’s decorative arts and design collection, the chair’s acquisition honors outgoing DMA Board of Trustees Chairman Deedie Potter Rose and her many years of service to the Museum. The work was presented to Mrs. Rose yesterday at the final Board meeting over which she presided, and it is now on [...]

“Out of Tradition: Contemporary Decorative and Applied Art” on view at The Ukrainian Museum

NEW YORK, NY.- Organized by The Ukrainian Museum, the exhibition Out of Tradition: Contemporary Decorative and Applied Art features the work of 35 contemporary decorative artists of Ukrainian background from Ukraine, the United States, and Canada. The aim of the exhibition is to showcase works from the innovative realm of contemporary art and design that are rooted in the tradition and aesthetic of Ukrainian folk art. Ceramics, jewelry, textiles, high-fashion clothing and accessories, and decorative items crafted from wood, glass, and silver [...]

Swatch’s Harry Winston buys $26.7mn diamond at Christie’s auction in Geneva

GENEVA (AFP).- Prestigious jeweller Harry Winston, which was acquired earlier this year by Swatch Group, bought a new colourless, flawless 101.73-carat diamond for a record $26.7 million at an auction in Geneva on Wednesday, auction house Christie’s said. Christie’s representative Raul Kadakia told reporters after the sale that Harry Winston was the buyer of the diamond that Wednesday evening smashed the previous auction-price record for a diamond in its category by more than $10 million. “Twenty-three million (Swiss) francs! Your last chance! [...]

Christie’s in Geneva to offer one of the largest pear-shaped diamonds known to date

GENEVA.- On 15 May 2013 Christie’s will be presenting at auction in Geneva an extraordinary pear-shaped perfect diamond weighing 101.73 carats. Offered for sale for the very first time, this sensational gemstone is not only one of the largest pear-shaped diamonds known to date, it is also one of the world’s most perfect diamonds: a D colour, Type IIA Flawless gem. (estimate on request). Rahul Kadakia, Head of Jewellery, Christie’s Switzerland and Americas: ‘Just as a great artist is able to ‘see’ a [...]

A fancy deep-blue diamond sets a world record at Bonhams Fine Jewellery sale in London

LONDON (AFP).- An extremely rare blue diamond sold for £6.2 million ($9.5 million 7.3 million euros) at a London auction on Wednesday, setting a new world record for price per carat. The fancy deep-blue diamond weighing 5.30 carats sold at Bonhams Fine Jewellery sale in central London for a record $1.8 million per carat, beating the previous record of $1.68 million. The gem, which was bought by international diamond house Graff Diamonds, attracted bids from within the auction room and around the [...]

World record at Bonhams in London for a bottle from the golden age of the Ottoman Empire

LONDON.- Two rare Iznik bottles from the golden age of the Ottoman Empire sold at Bonhams Indian and Islamic sale today, April 23, for a total of £758,500 – with one making £547,250 a new world record for an Iznnik bottle and the second bottle selling for £301,250. The sale made a total of £3.6m. The bottles were previously sold by the well-known antiques dealer Frank Dickinson from his gallery at 104 New Bond Street in January 1919 for what was then the [...]

Lights, camera, costume! Hollywood Costume exhibition opens at The Australian Centre for the Moving Image

MELBOURNE.- The glamour of Hollywood has arrived in Melbourne with the opening of the Australian Centre for the Moving Image’s latest blockbuster exhibition Hollywood Costume. Minister for Tourism and Major Events Louise Asher and Minister for the Arts Heidi Victoria welcomed the exhibition as part of the Victorian Coalition Government’s Melbourne Winter Masterpieces series. “Featuring 100 costumes by more than 50 designers, Hollywood Costume is a once-in-a lifetime opportunity to see the clothes worn by unforgettable and beloved characters from films, from [...]