Art Of The Day Weekly
#15 - from 21 September 2006 to 27 September 2006
IN THE AIR
Christie's, how many millions?
NEW YORK- Christie's has just announced that the four paintings by Klimt it has recently been entrusted with will be put up for sale next 8 November. The paintings were returned in January to their legitimate owners, following years of procedures with the Austrian museums. They are Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer II, Houses in Unterach, Apple Tree and Birch forest. The ensemble is estimated at 93 million $. A fifth painting -the first Portrait of Adèle Bloch-Bauer -created a lot of commotion at the beginning of the summer when it was bought by magnate Ronald Lauder for...135 million $.Christie's has announced this as the most important sale in its history, as it will bring together other gems such as Portrait of Angel Fernandez de Soto by Picasso (estimated between 40 and 60 million $), a Street scene by Kirchner (20 million $) and Man with an axe by Gauguin (35 million $). Next to these pieces, the other lots will look like cocktail food. In total, the auction house expects nearly 350 million $ in one single evening, that is the equivalent of 10% of Sierra Leone's GNP...
EXHIBITIONS
The fantastic worlds of Spilliaert
BRUSSELS - A symbolist? A surrealist? Or an expressionist? Which category would this unclassifiable creator be put into? In his own way he participated to all the great movements that defined the beginning of the XXth century. Born in 1881, died in 1946, the painter of Ostend (hence a fellow citizen of Ensor), created a dream world of his own in which pale suns, dark seas and persons seen from the back remain strangely mysterious. The exhibition grants great importance to his illustrations (in particular for works by his contemporaries such as Maeterlinck) and shows his ease in changing techniques. To express his wide array of visions, he goes from wash drawing to water colors, from gouache mixed with casein to Indian ink.
An old Picasso for a new Albertina
VIENNA-The Albertina, one of the main museums in the Austrian capital, will inaugure new spaces on 21 September. The Jane & Donald Kahn galleries, named after the American sponsors who financed their refurbishing, represent 700 m2 dedicated to temporary exhibitions. They are easily inaugurated with "Picasso, his last years" organized by Werner Spies, the former curator from Beaubourg, whose legend assures he will obtain the most difficult loans. In total 60 institutions throughout the world loaned 200 works. They show a creator past the age of 80, still overactive, next to a much younger companion, Jacqueline Roque, fascinated by eroticism, painting quickly but drawing carefully.
Carracci back home
BOLOGNA - Carracci, but which one? There are two brothers in this dynasty from Bologna from the end of the XVIth century, Agostino and Annibale, and a cousin, Ludovico. The latter was granted a retrospective just a few years ago. It is now the turn for the best known and most talented of the three, Annibale (1560-1609), famous for his frescos done in the Farnese Palace, during the second part of his career once he left his native Bologna. Fed on mannerism but eager to go past it, Annibale revealed himself as a renovator of the classic tradition of historic painting and landscapes. The Bean eater from the Colonna gallery, the Butcher's shop from Fort Worth, the Montalto Madona from London and the touching Pietà are all present. But we will also be given to admire, at the Fava and Magnani palaces, the frescos done together with his brother and his cousin, with a promising talent just twenty years old at the time.
FESTIVAL
An autumn in Toulouse
TOULOUSE - This is the third edition of the manifestation to be guided by visual artist Jean-Marc Bustamante, a veteran in international encounters (and in particular of the Documenta from Kassel). The trilogy will close under the title of "Broken Lines" and explores the themes of order and disorder in contemporary art. Some thirty artists present their creations in public places. Among the most awaited, Anish Kapoor and his machine that moves 25 tons of red petroleum jelly, Sarah Lucas, Monica Bonvicini and Erik van Lieshout. The itinerary is more evenly distributed between right bank(the Jacobins, the Croix-Baragnon sapce, the Maison éclusière, etc) and the left bank of the Garonne river (Hôtel-Dieu, Château d'Eau, les Abattoirs), while the Pont-Neuf serves as a junction, with an installation by Austrian artist Peter Kogler. Shows and illuminations in the city accompany the night events on 22, 23, 29 and 30 September.
AUCTIONS
Latest news from Brecht
AMSTERDAM- No spectacular bidding is expected on 27 and 28 September at Sotheby's Amsterdam, but rather a cascade of memories. Two major writers from the XXth century will come back to life through their collections put up for auction. They are Gerhart Hauptmann (1862-1946) and Bertold Brecht (1898-1956).The former received the Nobel Litterature prize in 1912 and is known for his realist drama, the Weavers. His objects include paintings, drawings, ceramics and glass objects. The objects that belonged to Brecht are posters from the Berliner Ensemble which he made upon his return to East-Berlin in 1949, as well as his producer's chair, his glasses and costumes from one of his productions.
BOOKS
Blunt, between Poussin and Komintern
Until 1979 the public at large considered him as an eminent art historian, an outstanding connaisseur of Roman baroque and of Poussin, the director of the prestigious Institut Courtauld. Overnight, under pressure form Margaret Thatcher, just named Prime minister, he had to confess: yes, the fourth spy from the Cambridge group, who passed on so much information to the Soviet Union, next to Burgess, Maclean and Philby, was no one else but he, the unsuspicious learned scholar. The books unravels the threads of this surprising destiny, combining homosexual and intellectual friendships (Saxl and Wittkower, historians from the Warburg Institute fleeing nazism, writers Isherwood, Spender and Auden) up to his consecration as… curator of the paintings of the royal collection of England. Actually, the veil had been lifted in 1964: in exchange of a detailed confession (eight years of conversations with members from the MI5!), Blunt had been allowed to keep an honorable façade. It blew to pieces in 1979, thus ensuring him with a sad ending until his death in 1983.
IN BRIEF
COPENHAGUEN - The modern and contemporary Art fair of Copenhagen will be held from 22 to 24 September. Created last year, it aims at being a window to the Northern countries since all the galleries present (about sixty) are from Scandinavia.
IVRY-SUR-SEINE - The Cube, an original institution in so far as the broadcast of digital art forms, will celebrate its fifth anniversary on 23 September. The programme includes an Open doors day, tea and cocktails and a special evening with the Scratch Massive.
LISBON-The portuguese capital, following in the steps of Lyons and Torino, has created an artistic event centered on light. This second Biennial on light, named Luzboa, will be held from 21 to 30 September.
LONDON- London discovered Rodin before Paris. It is one of the issues alluded to in the retrospective dedicated to the sculptor, bringing together 200 works, which will be presented at the Royal Academy of Arts, from 23 September to 1 January 2007.
LONDON-Christie's Polar Sale will be held on 27 September. A magnifying glass in tortoise shell, which belonged to captain Cook, is estimated at 20 000 £. Lot 115 is quite unexpected in these souvenirs from cold countries, as it includes the compass and cigarette boxes that belonged to Lawrence of Arabia (estimated at 12 000 £).
MILANO-Start Milano, also named "A week-end of contemporary art", will be held from 22 to 24 September. It consists in some thirty simultaneous openings, which the most important galleries in the Lombard capital will take part in: Gio Marconi, Massimo De Carlo, Lorenzelli, Lia Rumma, Minini, Monica de Cardenas, etc.
PARIS- The Ministry of Culture has given the following results regarding the Days of Patrimony on 16 and 17 September 2006, throughout France: 12 000 sites were open to the public, 23 000 events were organized and they welcomed 12 million visitors.
STOCKHOLM- The Bonniers Konsthall opens on 24 September. This exhibition space is a product of the Maria Bonnier Foundation that has awarded scholarships to young Swedish artists over the last 20 years. For the opening exhibition, the prize-winners were asked to present their most recent works.
ON ART OF THE DAY.INFO
Do not miss…
Show Off, a contemporary art fair, 25 to 29 October
PARIS - A new contemporary art fair is being launched at the Espace Cardin. Conceived by young Parisian gallery owners (Magda Danysz, Olivier Houg, Filles du Calvaire, Eric Dupont, Vanessa Quang), it aims at being an alternative to the well-established events and presents various young emerging artists. It is very international - half of the 28 galleries are foreign - and very interactive with a complete catalogue over the internet.