Pettibone Retrospective at Laguna Art Museum

Friday, 03 February 2006 10:35

Laguna Beach, CA- The first retrospective of Richard Pettibone’s work in over twenty years, on exhibition at Laguna Art Museum from March 12 through May 28, 2006, will present the full range of the artist’s career from the early assemblages and small-scale “replicas” that first brought him to critical attention in Los Angeles in the late fifties and sixties to his various sculptural installations both Shaker furniture to the recent more complexly layered work (“making anew” such modern masters as Mondrian and Ezra Pound) that engage him today premiered at the Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania and is now on view at the Tang Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College. Richard Pettibone’s small construction/paintings of the 1960s― appropriations of work by Warhol, Stella, and Lichtenstein― were a defining aspect of a peculiarly West Coast current of “Conceptual Pop.” His earliest works were shadow-box assemblages addressing his interest in model making, especially toy trains and airplanes. In the 1960s he found his voice in diminutive “copies” of newly famous New York pop artists. Always framed and constructed upon miniature stretcher bars, they are usually presented in single-image replication.

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' Rain and Hope' Photos by Erwin Olaf

Friday, 03 February 2006 11:30

New York- Hasted-Hunt presents new work by photographer and filmmaker, Erwin Olaf in an exhibition opening on January 5, 2006 and running through March 2006. Hasted Hunt will debut two series of photographic work: RAIN, and the specially commissioned HOPE with their accompanying videos. These images are staged domestic narratives depicting enigmatic moments with individuals or couples - as Olaf describes it - just at an instant of indecision or consideration. This is not Henri Cartier–Bresson’s “decisive moment” but rather the half-second after you receive bad news but before you react. The characters seem to be dyspeptic mid-Westerners out of Norman Rockwell paintings. There is an air of tentativeness and secrecy. The color seems oddly diluted or drained. Wildly inventive, iconoclastic, colorful, sexy, often rude, often disorienting, the artist has a unique contemporary vision and complete technical mastery of digital technology. Olaf satirizes middle class behaviors - fashion, advertising, and culture. At the same time he works very successfully within the commercial world with international clients like Diesel, Kohler, Microsoft, BMW, Nokia, Virgin and Nike.

Read more: [[' Rain and Hope' Photos by Erwin Olaf]]

Brown Bears and Hungry Caterpillars

Friday, 03 February 2006 13:05

ORLANDO, FL- This summer, children of all ages are invited to enter the colorful and inspiring world of acclaimed author and illustrator Eric Carle at the Orlando Museum of Art (OMA) as it presents its third children's picture book art exhibition, Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Mister Seahorse and Other Friends: The Wonderful World of Eric Carle, from May 13 through August 13, 2006. "I hope you will enjoy seeing my work at the Orlando Museum of Art, and that my pictures will be pleasing and comforting to look at, as they have been for me to create," said Eric Carle. "You may notice that I tend to use bright colors in my work. That's because I can still recall the grays and browns of my childhood in Germany. And using bright colors in my pictures has been a kind of antidote to the memory of growing up during the Second World War."

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Rembrandt Etchings in Munich Museum

Friday, 03 February 2006 13:00

Munich, Germany- The year 2006 sees the 400th anniversary of the birth of Rembrandt. To mark this occasion, the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung Munich is showing a focussed selection of works taken from its significant and almost complete stock of Rembrandt’s etchings. The exhibition – to be held in the glass cabinet corridor of the Pinakothek der Moderne – presents a fine cross-section of approximately 300 etchings of singular artistic quality, striking technical sophistication and versatility. Exhibit ends 26 March 2006. Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn, born 1606 in Leiden, is the most important etcher in the history of art. His etchings rank on equal terms with his ever-celebrated paintings. In contrast to many of the 17th century painters in the Netherlands who specialised in one particular theme, the subjects of Rembrandt’s pictures extended to biblical history and mythology, to landscape and genre, to self portraits and portrait painting – subjects he explored much more in the medium of etching than in painting.

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Anton Kandinsky : Gems and Gemism

Saturday, 04 February 2006 09:51

Greenwich, CT- Anton Kandinsky’s latest works continue his remarkable series of colorful, richly symbolic paintings in which his sly, subtle surrealistic sensibility is treated to a Pop Art idiom, and expressed with the gleaming precision of a Northern Renaissance master. The result is a brilliant, idiosyncratic approach that the Ukrainian artist defines as “gemism.” In such works as “In God We Trust,” rubies, diamonds and other polished or faceted gemstones have been arranged in rows of red and white, in clear reference to the American flag but also to the precious nature of the iconic image. Instead of white stars that march in orderly fashion over a blue field in the upper left of the actual nationalistic banner, however, Kandinsky substitutes his own tongue-in-cheek references: the barren tree that supports the empty scales of justice; a Valentine-red heart pierced by a golden hook to the right; and, to the left of the white orb that supports the dead tree, a wine-red velour drawstring purse, lumpy with money.

Read more: [[Anton Kandinsky : Gems and Gemism]]

" FallOut " at Caladan Gallery

Monday, 06 February 2006 11:14

Beverly, MA- CALADAN GALLERY is presenting a juried exhibition for the month of February entitled “FallOut”, which is a 15-artist exploration of the “politics of environment”. We are delighted to present the integrity of meaning in this exhibition. There is an abundance of visually and intellectually stimulating work in this exhibition, describing the impact that environment has on the political climate and vice versa. The artists selected for this exhibition are brimming with vision both personal and collective. It is the intention to identify, and testify. This exhibition goes up as a sanctification of our inherent survival. Also exhibiting is “The Driven”, a visual narrative by Saritdikhun Samosa. These compelling and powerful images incorporate the premise of the individual caught in the fight for individuality and freedom, creating a magnificent photographic essay.

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Picasso to Plensa at Albuquerque Museum

Tuesday, 07 February 2006 15:22

Albuquerque, NM- Picasso to Plensa: A Century of Art from Spain at The Albuquerque Museum highlights the diversity of twentieth and early twenty-first century Spanish art and includes examples of cubism, surrealism, constructivism, and geometric abstraction. From the several works by Pablo Picasso to the two major works by Jaume Plensa visitors can expect to see a microcosm of art history. Other featured artists include Joan Miro, Salvador Dali and Julio Gonzales. Exhibition curator Ellen Landis says the works in this exhibition provide a continuum of the influences and tradition that began in the sixteenth century and continue today. “The artists of Spain, perhaps, more than those of any other European country, continue to speak out on the wrongs of society,” says Landis. “They have gained a reputation as being the ‘anti-artists.’ Their use of materials can often convey more of a message than the subject itself.” Works of traditional media such as paint on canvas, graphics and bronze sculpture can be found in Picasso to Plensa, but Landis says viewers will also see film and video, ink and gouache on aluminum, polyester resin, light, found objects and mixed media. Exhibition ends 23 April, 2006. The series of three exhibitions highlighting the art of Spain started in April 2005 with El Alma de Espana: The Soul of Spain which concentrated on the Golden Age of Spain and the works consisted mainly of religious and still life subjects. The second show Prelude to Spanish Modernism: Fortuny to Picasso focused on paintings with social and historical themes along with land and seascapes. The third and last exhibition Picasso to Plensa includes a variety of themes, styles and media. Catalogs from all three exhibitions can be purchased in The Gallery tore.

Read more: [[Picasso to Plensa at Albuquerque Museum]]

The First Yiddish Movie in 60 Years: "A Gesheft"

Wednesday, 08 February 2006 13:42

MONSEY, NY- The latest arrival on the independent filmmaking scene is two Orthodox Jews, wearing the traditional black garb, who put up their last dollars and a year's worth of Sundays to make an action-packed drama about a religious school flunky run amok. This 90 minute film was produced by Kosher Entertainment Productions. "A Gesheft" is the brainchild of two brothers, Yakov and Mendy Kirsh, a bookkeeper and a real estate agent respectively, who have no prior filmmaking experience. "We decided that religious Jews needed their own movies far from the dangerous influence of Hollywood," comments Mendy Kirsh. "There's no treyf (things that are non-kosher) in this movie!" The film is full of colorful images of Orthodox Jews in their own environment, speaking their own language. The entire film is in Yiddish. The Yiddish spoken in the film is a deeply accented, religious Yiddish sometimes called Hyemish. This is a world of insiders where everyone speaks Yiddish. The ambulance driver, the doctor, the construction worker and the gangster all speak Yiddish. Even when an African-American police officer calls in on his radio, his English spoken lines are subtitled in Yiddish!

Read more: [[The First Yiddish Movie in 60 Years: "A Gesheft"]]

Pissarro. . The First Impressionist

Wednesday, 15 February 2006 16:22

Melbourne, AU- Regarded by many as the father of Impressionism, Camille Pissarro (1830 – 1903) is the subject of this major retrospective exhibition at The National Gallery of Victoria. A radical painter and prolific printmaker, Pissarro had a profound effect on many of his contemporaries such as Paul Cézanne and Paul Gauguin among others with whom he worked in 19th century France. Despite being a principal exponent and tireless advocate of the Impressionists, Pissarro strangely never enjoyed the universal acclaim associated with others. His revolutionary approach to painting and innovative compositions however, greatly influenced the Impressionist and Neo-Impressionist movements and helped shape the future of Modern art. Charting the breadth of the artist’s career, the exhibition assembles more than 100 works including major paintings, prints and drawings as well as lesser known works. Comprehensive in scope, the exhibition presents Australian audiences with an unprecedented opportunity to gain insight into Pissarro’s experimentation and artistic development. The exhibition has been organized by a team of curators from the Art Gallery of New South Wales in collaboration with leading authority Joachim Pissarro, the artist’s great-grandson. Included in the exhibition are a number of works from the collection of the National Gallery of Victoria. Exhibit 4 March to 28 May, 2006. Visit : http://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/ngvinternational/

"Russian Avantgardes" in Madrid

Thursday, 16 February 2006 10:24

Madrid, Spain- The exhibition Russian Avantgardes, jointly organized by the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza and Fundación Caja Madrid, comprises a survey of the rise and development of Russian avant-garde art during the first third of the 20th century. In contrary to the traditional view of one single movement, this exhibition emphasizes the wide variety of trends, subject-matter and styles that fall within the cultural experiment of Russian avant-garde art, hence the use of the plural term in its title. The exhibition primarily focuses on painting and sculpture, but will also include two special sections, one on photography and another on design. The chronological span of the exhibition runs from 1907 to around 1930. For Russia and what was to become the Soviet Union, this was a period of political and cultural turmoil. Artistic life underwent a profound upheaval, manifested through hundreds of group exhibitions, manifestos and "theoretical" statements. The complex, interwoven structure formed by all these events has attracted the attention of art historians over the last three decades.

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Max Liebermann At The Jewish Museum

Monday, 20 February 2006 16:44

NEW YORK– For the first time in the United States the art and life of the influential Berlin painter, Max Liebermann (1847-1935), once counted among Germany’s foremost cultural figures, will be featured in a major museum exhibition. The Jewish Museum will present Max Liebermann: From Realism to Impressionism from March 10 through July 30, 2006. Forty-six of the artist’s paintings will be on view, the majority of which will be new to American audiences. The exhibition spans the stylistic and thematic phases of Liebermann’s prolific career, from his renowned Realist interpretations of Dutch peasant life to his singular approach to Impressionism. The exhibition and accompanying catalogue examine the relationship between his art and the changing social and political climate in Berlin from the late 1880s until the Nazis seized power in 1933, and Liebermann’s role as a cultural leader introducing modernism, primarily French modern art, to Germany. Organized by the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles, The Jewish Museum in New York City is the exhibition’s only other venue.

Read more: [[Max Liebermann At The Jewish Museum]]

Modern Indian Paintings at Sotheby's

Monday, 20 February 2006 17:13

New York- On March 29, 2006, Sotheby’s will offer a stunning array of modern Indian art, including two of the most important modern Indian paintings ever to be offered at auction, in its spring sale of Indian and Southeast Asian Art. Tapovan by S. H. Raza (pictured above) and Falling Figure with Bird by Tyeb Mehta (pictured on page 2) are part of an exceptional group of works by modern Indian artists, including F.N. Souza, M.F. Husain, Akbar Padamsee and J. Swamintathan. Over 200 lots will be included in the sale, which will also feature an impressive assortment of Indian miniature paintings and stone and bronze sculptures from across Southeast Asia. The sale is expected to bring $8/11 million. S.H. Raza’s Tapovan, or Forest of Meditation (est. $800,000/1 million), represents a visual expression of his own meditation on the mystical power of nature. Raza spent his childhood in the forests of Central India, and the potency of colors and symbols in nature were central to his visual vocabulary. His work in the 1960s was strongly influenced by the Abstract Expressionist movement. The unstructured compositions of Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock inspired Raza to experiment with color and space in new ways, and the current work, painted in 1972, represents the culmination of this period.

Read more: [[Modern Indian Paintings at Sotheby's]]

The World's Oldest Love Poem

Monday, 20 February 2006 17:17

Bridegroom, dear to my heart, Goodly is your beauty, honeysweet. . . . Bridegroom, I would be taken by you to the bedchamber. That's the sexy start to the oldest love poem in the world, on special display this month at the Istanbul Museum of the Ancient Orient in Turkey. Scholars discovered the poem over a hundred years ago, buried in the ancient sands of Iraq, but they're hoping to draw new attention to it now. The poem's verses are in cuneiform, one of the first writing systems people developed after people developed writing around 3500 BC. Sometime around 2030 BC, a Sumerian scribe from the city of Ur pressed the poem into wet clay using a reed stylus, then baked the tablet, preserving the passion of the moment for 40 centuries.

Read more: [[The World's Oldest Love Poem]]

N.C. Museum of Art Celebrates Rembrandt

Tuesday, 21 February 2006 10:13

RALEIGH, N.C.­–To celebrate the 400th birthday of famed artist Rembrandt van Rijn, the North Carolina Museum of Art presents a group of etchings by the Dutch master. The exhibition—entitled Sordid and Sacred: The Beggars in Rembrandt’s Etchings, Selections from the John Villarino Collection.The exhibition includes prints made from copper plate etchings, which date between 1629 and 1654, and thus correspond with the years when Rembrandt was most actively involved with the medium. With 35 works on display, viewers will have the opportunity to see how Rembrandt experimented with inks, paper, and the reworking of the copper plates to enhance the visual impact of the imagery.As the exhibition title suggests, Sordid and Sacred is dedicated to images of beggars, subjects Rembrandt portrays sympathetically.“Rembrandt renders his beggars with the same feeling for humanity that he brought to his portraits and narrative subjects,? said Dennis P. Weller, Ph. D., chief curator and curator of northern European art. “In his hands, beggars are not contemptible or loathsome creatures, but rather individuals who demand a certain degree of respect. These etchings are significant and really beautiful, and the exhibition is a fitting commemoration of Rembrandt’s birthday.?

Read more: [[N.C. Museum of Art Celebrates Rembrandt]]

Ernesto Neto: THE Malmo Experience

Tuesday, 21 February 2006 10:29

Malmo, Sweden- Ernesto Neto works with abstract installations which often take up the entire exhibition space. His materials are gossamer-thin, light, stretchable fabrics in nylon or cotton. Like fine membranes fixed to the ceiling by long, stretched threads his works hang down into the room and create shapes that are almost organic. Sometimes they are filled with scented spices and hang in tear-shaped forms like gigantic mushrooms or huge stockings, sometimes he creates peculiar soft sculptures which the visitor is allowed to feel through small openings in the surface. He also creates spatial labyrinths which the visitor can enter and thereby experience the work and interact with it. Neto's art is a sensual experience which creates associations with the body and with something organic. He describes his works as an exploration and a representation of the body's landscape from within. It is important to Neto that the viewer should actively interact with and physically experience his work by feeling, smelling, and touching it.

Read more: [[Ernesto Neto: THE Malmo Experience]]

Skin Deep: A Cultural History of Tattooing

Tuesday, 21 February 2006 10:33

Tempe, AZ- The Arizona State University Museum of Anthropology will open a new exhibit, Skin Deep: A Cultural History of Tattooing. The exhibit will run until May 15, 2006. This new exhibition will explore the tradition of indelible marking among indigenous peoples and other tattoo communities, past and present. Drawing from the accounts of explorers, historians and anthropologists, as well as the curator’s publications and field research, Skin Deep is a record of tattoo artistry and culture presented through interviews, objects, and many images from around the tattoo world dating from 5000 BCE to the present. The exhibit includes contemporary and historical photographs, rare books, engravings, postcards, tattoo instruments, documentary film and other visual media. Although the exhibition examines the history and cultural significance behind ancient and more modern forms of tattooing, it also attempts to establish new ways of seeing and reading the messages encoded in tattooing practices themselves. Guest Curator Lars Krutak has spent the past ten years recording the stories of tattooed people from around the globe. Visit The ASU Museum of Anthropology