Sotheby’s Old Masters Week sales bring a strong total of $73.1 million

NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby’s annual Old Masters Week auctions in New York concluded today with a strong cumulative total of $73,052,668. Thursday’s sale of Important Old Master Paintings & Sculpture brought $62,081,477, and was highlighted by five remarkable pictures that achieved prices over $4 million – led by Canaletto’s View of the Churches of the Redentore and San Giacomo… from the Estate of Lady Forte that sold for $5,682,500 (est. $5/7 million*), and Lucas Cranach the Elder’s portrait Lucretia that brought $5,122,500 [...]

Getty Museum announces acquisition of rare early Renaissance drawing attributed to Piero del Pollaiuolo

LOS ANGELES, CA.- The J. Paul Getty Museum today announced the acquisition at auction of Portrait of a Young Man, Head and Shoulders, Wearing a Cap, drawn about 1470, attributed to Piero del Pollaiuolo (c. 1443-1496). The drawing, from the early Florence Renaissance, is extremely rare, and is the first portrait drawing of this period to be included in the Getty’s permanent collection. Its acquisition by the Getty will allow it to be put on public display for likely the first time [...]

The J. Paul Getty Museum presents exhibition of memorable images of Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES, CA.- As part of the region-wide Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A., 1945-1980 initiative, The J. Paul Getty Museum presents In Focus: Los Angeles, 1945–1980, an exhibition of photographs from the permanent collection made by artists whose time in Los Angeles inspired them to create memorable images of the city, on view at the Getty Center from December 20, 2011 – May 6, 2012. “This exhibition features both iconic and relatively unknown work by artists whose careers are defined by their [...]

Getty Museum presents “Gothic Grandeur”: Manuscript illumination, 1200-1350

LOS ANGELES, CA.- The term “Gothic” evokes visions of soaring spires, graceful flying buttresses, and sparkling stained glass. It also represents an important style of manuscript illumination that dominated the High Middle Ages in Europe. Drawing primarily from the Getty Museum’s permanent collection, Gothic Grandeur: Manuscript Illumination, 1200–-1350, on display December 13, 2011–-May 13, 2012, at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Getty Center, celebrates the achievements of Gothic manuscript illumination in Europe. The exhibition also spotlights two new acquisitions: the Abbey Bible, considered [...]

J. Paul Getty Museum announces acquisition of rare, early portrait by Edouard Manet

LOS ANGELES, CA.- The J. Paul Getty Museum announced today the acquisition of Portrait of Madame Brunet (also known as Young Woman in 1860), painted in 1860-1863, and reworked by 1867—a rare, early portrait by the modern French master Édourd Manet (1832-1883). “We are thrilled to add to our collection this significant and compelling portrait from Manet’s decisive early period,” said David Bomford, acting director of the Getty Museum in announcing the acquisition. “Opportunities to acquire museum-quality paintings by Manet are few [...]

J. Paul Getty Museum acquires seventy-two photographs by Andreas Feininger

LOS ANGELES, CA.- The J. Paul Getty Museum announced the acquisition of 72 photographs by 20th century photographer Andreas Feininger (American, born Paris, 1906–1999). Son of the Expressionist painter, printmaker, caricaturist, and Bauhaus instructor Lyonel Feininger (American, 1871–1956), Andreas Feininger is best known for his work for LIFE magazine, which spanned 20 years, and his considerable work in nature photography. The gift from the Andreas Feininger Estate represents a range of subjects from Feininger’s long photographic career, which spanned seven decades, and includes [...]

Picasso, de Chirico, Léger, and Picabia in the presence of the antique at Getty Villa

LOS ANGELES, CA.- The alliance between the avant-garde and the antique constitutes an extraordinary episode in the history of European modernism. Modern Antiquity: Picasso, de Chirico, Léger, and Picabia in the Presence of the Antique, on view at the Getty Villa from November 2, 2011 through January 16, 2012, focuses on how four eminent artists reinvented and transformed antiquity between 1906 and 1936. Classicizing creations such as de Chirico’s enigmatic piazzas, Picasso’s post-cubist women, Léger’s mechanized nudes, and Picabia’s “transparencies” made the arts [...]

J. Paul Getty Museum announces acquisition of rare Francesco Primaticcio bronze

LOS ANGELES, CA.- The J. Paul Getty Museum has acquired a rare bronze female double head attributed to Francesco Primaticcio (Bologna, 1504–Paris, 1570). Created in France in about 1543, Double Head is closely related to the head of the so-called Cesi Juno, one of the most famous antique marble statues in 16th-century Rome, a work that Michelangelo considered the most beautiful object in Rome. Female double heads are unusual both in classical and post-classical sculpture. Though its original purpose is not known, Double [...]

Smithsonian American Art Museum names Tiarna Doherty new Chief Conservator

WASHINGTON, DC.- The Smithsonian American Art Museum welcomes Tiarna Doherty as its new chief conservator. Doherty will be responsible for overseeing the staff and programming at the Lunder Conservation Center. She begins work Nov. 7. “It is my pleasure to welcome Tiarna Doherty to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, where her superb experience and intellect will bring creative new energy to the program,” said Elizabeth Broun, The Margaret and Terry Stent Director of the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Doherty comes to the [...]

J. Paul Getty Museum explores the birth of the Los Angeles art scene with a historic survey

LOS ANGELES, CA.- —In recent decades, Los Angeles has shed its stereotype as the land of sunshine, palm trees, and movie stars to become an artistic powerhouse and an increasingly important international creative capital. This fundamental shift in the cultural landscape of the city dates back to the 1950s and 1960s, a period of critical importance in art history that has never before been fully studied and presented. On view October 1, 2011 – February 5, 2012 at the J. Paul Getty [...]

Getty Museum Celebrates Italian Anniversary by Showcasing Objects in Its Collection

LOS ANGELES, CA.- Highlighting Italy’s rich cultural heritage, the J. Paul Getty Museum is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Italian unification with the Italian Showcase, a presentation of objects from its permanent collection that draws visitors’ attention to the many fine examples of Italian art on view at both the Getty Center and Getty Villa. The Getty Museum joins other U.S. cultural institutions, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Art Institute of Chicago and [...]

The Getty Museum’s Rebecca Taylor Appointed Communications Director at MoMA PS1

NEW YORK, NY.- Klaus Biesenbach, Director of MoMA PS1 and Chief Curator at Large at MoMA, announced that Rebecca Taylor has been appointed Communications Director at MoMA PS1. In this role, Ms. Taylor will manage all communications functions for MoMA PS1, working in close collaboration with Mr. Biesenbach and the Marketing and Communications staff at MoMA. Her duties will include planning, developing, and implementing press strategies and press events; planning, developing, and executing marketing, advertising, and media strategies; overseeing web content [...]

Getty Museum to Return Looted Painting Previously Owned by Jacques Goudstikker

LOS ANGELES (AP).- The J. Paul Getty Museum has agreed to return a 370-year-old painting that once belonged to an art dealer who fled Holland when the Nazis invaded in 1940. Jacques Goudstikker was the Netherlands’ biggest art dealer in the 1930s. He was fleeing the Nazis with his wife and young son at the beginning of World War II when he fell through a trap door on an outbound ship and died. His collection was looted, with some works [...]

Italian Governor Gian Mario Spacca Wants Shared Custody of Statue with the Getty Museum

LOS ANGELES (AP).- An Italian lawmaker offered a cultural exchange proposal Monday that sounded a little like an ultimatum, saying officials at the J. Paul Getty Museum should behave ethically and return knowingly looted art. Gov. Gian Mario Spacca of the Marche region on the Adriatic Sea made the comment three days after officials at the Southern California museum told him they could not talk about the disputed “Victorious Youth” statue because the case was still in Italian court. Gian [...]

Solid Sales throughout the Week at TEFAF Maastricht Boost Market Confidence

MAASTRICHT.- Following a very strong start to TEFAF Maastricht, which takes place at the MECC (Maastricht Exhibition and Congress Centre) in the city of Maastricht in the Southern Netherlands between March 18-27, 2011, sales continued throughout the first week with visitor numbers remaining high and dealer confidence strong. The Fair is regarded as a unique and essential opportunity to view some of the finest works of both fine and decorative arts available on the market and is therefore an important [...]

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