Archive for July, 2009
Friday, July 31st, 2009
Breaking Boundaries :: Confines/Valencia09
Anish Kapoor – The Healing of St. Thomas, 1991. (Image courtesy of IVAM)
Confines – the term suggests restrictions and limited possibilities, yet each of the artists taking part in the exhibit currently on view at the Valencian Institute of Modern Art explore and challenge notions of boundary, both physical and psychological.
The exhibition celebrates IVAM’s 20th anniversary and is divided into four distinct, yet thematically connected parts. Beginning with History of the Border, Confines explores ways in which artists have navigated boundaries between realism and abstraction through the presentation of a cohesive historical codex of lines, including works by Mark Rothko, Frank Stella, Anish Kapoor, Sean Scully, Barnett Newman, and Dan Flavin, along with several others.
Borders of Time includes recent video works from eleven artists, which taken together juxtapose the ephemeral to the infinite, and highlight the increasing erosion of temporal linearity as reflected within the arts. Artists included are Jaishri Abichandani, David Claerbout, Harry Shearer, Jonas Mekas, Liliana Porter, Olga Chernysheva, Patricia Esquivias, Sun Xun, and Zimmer Frei.
Geography and the Boundary contemplates increasingly elusive distinctions between art and architecture, with more than thirty participants, including Matthew Ritchie, Ryan McGinness, Tom Sachs, Antony Gormley, and Thurkal + Tagra.
Lastly, Visions of the Frontier (see video below) breaks away from any preconceived context, displaying a joint installation of works from artists left free to explore their own idealized visions, amongst them, Christopher Knowles, Matt Leines, Jonathan Meese, Megan Whitmarsh, Misaki Kawai, Ed Templeton, and the late Dash Snow.
Browse or download the full exhibition catalog here. Confines/Valencia09 runs through November 15, 2009 at IVAM, Valencia, Spain.
Visions of Frontiers at IVAM, Valencia Courtesy of mattoquai via Vimeo
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Obey Iraq
Someone stationed in Iraq has been leaving these around.
Image + Info via Obey Clothing
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Spread ArtCulture #4
Image: Jeff Newman/TheArtCollectors
Spread ArtCulture #4 recently hit newsstands and is worth picking up. While the issue’s cover story features Pharrell Williams, several other articles will be of interest to art enthusiasts, including a look at Deitch Director, Kathy Grayson, an intimate view of Robert Longo’s studio (shot by The Selby), interviews with Marilyn Minter and Steve Lazarides, and pictorials from several notable photographers including David Eustace and Ruud Baan.
For us, the most significant is Spread’s look at the cutting edge practices of Phillips de Pury’s contemporary art team and their Saturday@Phillips auctions. Unfortunately, by the time of the magazine’s publication (and to the dismay of us here at TAC) Phillips had already announced restructuring of its auctions and the elimination of the weekend sales which had grown increasingly popular with young and seasoned collectors alike.
Thursday, July 30th, 2009
Rose Museum Sues Brandeis to Stop Closure and Sale of Art
Former Brandeis President Abram Sachar (left) with the Rose Art Museum’s founding benefactors Bertha and Edward Rose (far right). Image: Rose Art Museum via Boston Globe
The battle to save the Rose Art Museum escalated Monday, when the museum’s overseers filed a lawsuit in Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to halt Brandeis University from permanently shutting it down and selling off of a collection including some 7,000 works of art estimated at $350 million.
Read on for our full story and full transcript of the filed lawsuit. Read the rest of this entry »
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
Shepard Fairey for Art for Life Charity Auction
Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation’s 10th annual Art for Life Charity Auction ends today and along with it, a chance to take home Close Knit (2009) by Shepard Fairey. With a current bid of $28,500 and $5,000 bid increments, this one’s certainly no bargain but will benefit the foundation’s mission of providing disadvantaged urban youth with exposure and access to the arts, as well as providing exhibition opportunities to under-represented artists and artists of color. Those interested can view lots and place bids via charitybuzz.
The highlight of last year’s auction was also donated by Fairey – one out of the only three existing original Obama Hope canvases which generated $108,000, far above its $30,000 estimate.
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
KAWS & Sorayama’s Silver No Future Companion Sells Out
Image: kawsone
Following an in-store release at OriginalFake in Tokyo this past Saturday, KAWS and Hajime Sorayama’s silver No Future Companion went on sale this morning on kawsone.com. The metal figure’s sale was announced by an email that arrived in subscribers’ inboxes around 8:30am EST and as expected, was gone in under an hour. Contrary to collectors’ speculation that spread rumors of 300 pieces, the second color version was produced as an edition of 500 – the same as the earlier black chrome release late last month.
Monday, July 27th, 2009
The Rise and Rise of Steve Lazarides
Steve Lazarides – Image: Jorn Tomter/The Art Newpaper
In a recent glowing profile, the Times Online dubbed UK art dealer Steve Lazarides the Jay Jopling of graffiti. With his recent expansion into a third gallery – a five floor townhouse on London’s Rathbone Place – the comparison is worth considering. In fact, upon the opening of Jopling’s third White Cube space in 2006, the Independent declared him to be “the man who brought – and sold – Britart to the world.” Many would agree Lazarides has done the same for what he prefers to call outsider art. However, what Jopling did over the span of thirteen years, Lazarides has done in a mere three, leaving one to wonder if such rapid growth is sustainable over the long term. Other factors aside, in the end it will be up to collectors of Laz’s staple of artists to decide.
Sunday, July 26th, 2009
Forbes Top Billionaire Art Collectors
Forbes has released their list of art collectors with holdings worth at least $700 Million. Notable names include LA’s Eli Broad, who helped keep the doors of MOCA open when they spiralled into financial uncertainty. The clip above profiles Broad in Forbes’ Collector series.
Friday, July 24th, 2009
POW Releases New Banksy Print
Pictures on Walls announced today the upcoming release of Donuts by Banksy, a new screen print measuring 30 x 22 inches, available in “strawberry” and chocolate” editions of 299 per color, and priced at £465. In a somewhat egalitarian approach, P.O.W. has set up a new lottery system that will randomly select winners from a pool of registered eligible buyers. Registration is open now through 12pm London time on July 28, so start calling all your friends to have them sign up on your behalf.
Thursday, July 23rd, 2009
To Mourn or to Mock?
Image: Kazumi Asamura via Deitch Projects
A tribute to artist Dash Snow, who was found dead of a heroin overdose earlier this month, opens today at Deitch Projects’ Grand Street location. The open memorial includes works of art made by Snows’ friends in his memory, as well as pieces of the late artist’s own art, and invites the public to add their personal contributions during the run of the show.
Anyone who has followed the story knows just how many writters have been quick to praise Snow since his death. Charlie Finch took a moment to pen his own eulogy, which, in a typically bold fashion, presents a more cynical view of an artist that was often criticized during the short-lived span of his artistic output.
Dash It
by Charlie Finch via artnet
Goodbye Dash
Goodbye Snow
You weren’t around
To say hello
Long enough
To say goodbye
All your friends
Will wonder why
It took so long
For you to die
But anyway
You took the plunge
Leaving us
To sift the grunge
And wonder if
You ever were
A stack of garbage
Is your bier
And we are left
To weep and moan
But not for long
Since you are gone
Dash Snow – A Community Memorial runs till August 15 at Deitch Projects, 76 Grand Street, NYC. Admirers and friends are encouraged to bring flowers, artworks, or writings in memorial.