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• Max Liebermann Major Exhibition at The Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn
• Art Gallery of New South Wales Features Pre-Raphaelite Drawings
• Waterhouse & Dodd To Show 20th Century European & American Art in Soho
• The Rubin Museum in Tel Aviv Shows a Selection of Reuven Rubin Paintings
• The Forum Gallery To Show Megan Ryan's Iraq War Paintings
• Hubcaps as Art ~ Ken Marquis Persuades Artists to Turn Junk into Jewels
• Sotheby's Auctions of the Stuart Cary Welch Collection of Islamic & Indian Art Totals $48 Million
• Atkinson Grimshaw ~ 'Painter of Moonlight at the Mercer Art Gallery
• Dalí Universe presents 350 Works of Art by Salvador Dalí at Shanghai Art Museum
• Amrita Sher-Gil Exhibited at Haus der Kunst in Munich
• New Painting by Shiva Ahmadi at Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery
• National Museum Wales Acquires Picasso's "Still Life with Poron"
• Ginny Gray Gallery To Host New Works by Theo Booth
• "Moore in America" at the New York Botanical Garden
• Britain to Celebrate the Still Life Paintings of Henri Fantin-Latour
• Solo Exhibition of Gerhard Mantz with New Virtual Landscapes at Gallery DAM
• Carnegie Museum of Art Shows ~ Rembrandt’s Great Subjects ~
• Selected Paintings 1969-2009 by Shirley Jaffe at Tibor de Nagy
• Jia Zhangke Retrospective at MoMA Presents Contemporary Chinese Films
• This Week in Review in Art Knowledge News

Max Liebermann Major Exhibition at The Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn Posted: 02 Jun 2011 12:11 AM PDT Bonn, Germany - Until September 11th, the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in Bonn is showing "Max Liebermann: Pioneer of Modern Art". Max Liebermann (1847–1935) is celebrated as one of the most important pioneers of Modernism. His life's work, both as an artist and as a cultural policy maker, spans six decades and had a decisive impact on contemporary artistic discourse from the time of the foundation of the German Empire in 1871 until well into the final years of the Weimar Republic. Drawing on the Dutch Old Masters Rembrandt and Frans Hals as well as on the French Impressionists, Liebermann created an oeuvre of rare stylistic and thematic breadth. Chronologically arranged, the exhibition presents approximately one hundred paintings and drawings by Liebermann, offering a unique insight into all phases of the artist's work. Throughout his long career he successfully and almost programmatically avoided stagnation, consistently keeping his style and his repertoire of motifs fresh and pertinent. The exhibition covers a wide range of topics and showcases the artist's most important groups of works. His early paintings of earthy peasant subjects are distinguished by a subdued palette. It was not until the mid-1880s that the artist began to plunge his motifs of bourgeois pastimes – the world of outdoor cafes, seaside amusements and polo matches – in the dappled sunshine of the French Impressionists, without, however, copying their technique.  After 1900, Liebermann became a much sought-after portraitist. A representative number of the artist's insightful self-portraits add a personal touch to the display. The exhibition ends with Liebermann's spectacular late works, painted in his summerhouse on the Wannsee lake in Berlin from about 1910. The myriad views of his garden, allowed Liebermann to experiment with unprecedented freedom, creating a body of work in which art and nature converge in happy synthesis. Three key elements of Liebermann's garden – the hedge gardens, the birch grove and the flower garden – have been imaginatively recreated on the roof of the Art and Exhibition Hall. The roof garden beguiles with its carefully constructed lines of sight, unpredictable and ever-changing play of light and colour and the direct experience of nature. More than just an extension to the tour of the galleries, it invites visitors to use all their senses and to immerse themselves in Max Liebermann's world. In 1992 the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany was founded as an institution to host temporary exhibitions and has since then offered a varied programme of international significance. During the first eighteen years over 170 exhibitions have been organized in the areas of art, cultural history, science and technology. An exhibition on the Bronze Age is just as suited to be presented here as a retrospective on a contemporary artist. Exhibitions on architecture, design, photography are offered to the public just as those on genetic engineering or the weather. The program is directed to adults, youths and children. Guided tours, workshops for various age and interest groups are regularly organized to accompany the exhibitions. Concerts, performances, readings and conferences are held in the Forum, a space dedicated to organized events and offering seating for up to 500 persons. In the summer months, international stars give show appearances on the covered open air stage situated on the museum square. A further attraction is the roof garden, which is often the site of sculpture exhibitions. The roof garden is a place where visitors can recuperate and stroll, and in the summer a beer garden offers additional refreshment. Further attractions and stimuli are offered in the library, book store, museum shop as well as in the restaurant of the Art and Exhibition Hall. Visit the venue's website at ... http://www.kah-bonn.de

Art Gallery of New South Wales Features Pre-Raphaelite Drawings Posted: 01 Jun 2011 10:32 PM PDT Sydney, NSW.- The most comprehensive exhibition of Pre-Raphaelite drawings ever staged in Australia will open at the Art Gallery of New South Wales on June 18th. Organised by the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG), this exhibition explores the vital role played by drawing in the works of the Pre-Raphaelites. BMAG houses one of the finest collections of Pre-Raphaelite paintings and holds the largest collection of Pre-Raphaelite drawings in the world. Works from Birmingham form the basis of the exhibition, but there are also key loans from public and private lenders in Britain. "The Poetry of Drawing" On view at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in "The Poetry of Drawing" exhibit from June 18th to September 4th.

Waterhouse & Dodd To Show 20th Century European & American Art in Soho Posted: 01 Jun 2011 09:12 PM PDT New York City.- Waterhouse & Dodd are delighted to present a major exhibition "Art of the 20th Century in Europe & America" in their new Soho gallery. The exhibition will be on view from from 9th June to 23rd June at the gallery in Greene Street, Soho, New York City.

The Rubin Museum in Tel Aviv Shows a Selection of Reuven Rubin Paintings Posted: 01 Jun 2011 09:12 PM PDT Tel Aviv. Israel - The Rubin Museum is currently showing selected highlights from the museum's permanent collection, spanning Reuven Rubin's earliest works painted in Europe following the First World War, through his early Eretz-Israel art to his late, lyrical landscapes ot the 1960s and 1970s. The exhibition is on view until November 30th. Although born in Rumania and trained in art in Paris and Rumania, Reuven Rubin in many ways is a distinctly and distinctively Israeli artist. He studied briefly at the Bezalel School of Art in Jerusalem, and he exhibited in the first art exhibitions in Jerusalem in 1922. His exhibit of 1924 was the first one-man show in the Jerusalem exhibits, and his one-man show in 1932 launched the Tel Aviv Art Museum.

The Forum Gallery To Show Megan Ryan's Iraq War Paintings Posted: 01 Jun 2011 09:11 PM PDT New York City.- The Forum Gallery is pleased to present "Megan Rye: I Will Follow You Into the Dark" from June 6th through July 15th. In the first New York solo exhibition of her paintings, "I Will Follow You Into the Dark", Megan Rye offers an insider's look at the war in Iraq though a series of extraordinary and intimate perspectives. Based primarily on an archive of over 2,000 photographs taken by her brother while stationed in Iraq as a U.S. Marine, Rye's 17 paintings from 2006 to 2011 offer testimony to memory and history, mystery and the unknown. The viewer is confronted by surreal beauty and the unexpected reality of war.

Hubcaps as Art ~ Ken Marquis Persuades Artists to Turn Junk into Jewels Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:59 PM PDT WILKES-BARRE, PA (AP) - Upstairs in Ken Marquis's art gallery and framing shop, you'll find a strange, cloistered world populated by a toothy dog chomping on a Frisbee, an enigmatic mermaid reclining in a pool of oil, and some guy named Barack Obama, superfluously announcing that "I AM A PRESIDENT."  It's all a bit disorienting. Maybe that is the point, considering these works of art began life as ... automobile hubcaps? The humble hubcap, it turns out, makes an excellent canvas.

Sotheby's Auctions of the Stuart Cary Welch Collection of Islamic & Indian Art Totals $48 Million Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:49 PM PDT LONDON.- Sotheby's London auctions of the extraordinary Stuart Cary Welch collection concluded realizing an outstanding combined total of £29,313,565 ($48,082,309) well above pre-sale expectations and achieving a combined sell-through rate of 96.2% by lot. The second Part, Arts of India, yesterday afternoon realized the 7-times estimate total of £8,403,815 ($13,894,868) (pre-sale estimate £1.2-1.8 million) and established sell-through rates of 98% by lot and 99.6% by value.

Atkinson Grimshaw ~ 'Painter of Moonlight at the Mercer Art Gallery Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:48 PM PDT Harrogate, England.- Following its recent refurbishment, the Mercer Gallery in Harrogate, Yorkshire re-opened with a major new exhibition. "Atkinson Grimshaw: Painter of Moonlight" is the first major exhibition in over 30 years devoted to this Victorian artist and brings together over 50 major works, providing a once in a lifetime opportunity to see paintings by this celebrated self-taught artist, including many works not seen in public for decades and generously lent by private collectors. "Atkinson Grimshaw: Painter of Moonlight" is on view at the gallery until September 4th. The exhibition charts Grimshaw's career, from his early Pre-Raphaelite paintings of the 1860s to the series of tiny, subtly toned oil paintings, produced at the end of his life, that captured the extraordinary light of sun, snow and mist. Atkinson Grimshaw's "Silver Moonlight" and "In the Gloaming (A Yorkshire Home)" are two of the most popular works in the collection of the Mercer Art Gallery. The Leeds born artist became famous for his Pre-Raphaelite style landscapes and nocturnal urban scenes, with his distinctive leafless trees silhouetted against the moonlit sky. John Atkinson Grimshaw was one of the most successful artists of his day. As with all Victorian art, in the twentieth century his paintings went completely out of favour, although Grimshaw himself did not live long enough either to see his style of painting plummet in popularity, or to suffer the ignominy of having his work sell for grudgingly low prices. His paintings today enjoy a remarkable renaissance that started about forty years ago and continues to push Grimshaw into the top of the ranks of most desired Victorian artists. A number of Grimshaw exhibitions were held in the 1960s and 1970s, but it is now thirty years since the last exhibition of his work, curated by Alexander Robertson for Leeds City Art Gallery, Southampton and the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. Since then, a whole new audience has emerged for Grimshaw's evocative moonlit scenes. Grimshaw was a self-taught artist who worked in the North of England in the second half of the nineteenth century. He defied his strictly religious parents and left a good job with the railway to become an artist, and rapidly made a name for himself as a painter; first of all for Pre-Raphaelite style landscapes, and then for his interpretation of the Victorian city and the new urban experience of its inhabitants. Grimshaw enjoyed considerable success in his career, and took his brood of children to live in some splendour at Knostrop Hall, a large old rented house in Leeds, with a spell of several years spent in similar style living in Scarborough. He worked prolifically and gathered to him a group of dedicated patrons and collectors. Grimshaw was constantly on the lookout to find ways of making money in order to support his large family. He was not afraid to experiment, making theatrical fairy paintings and allegorical portraits of fashionable women, who could as easily have stepped out of a painting by the French artist, Tissot. In his early career in the 1860s, Grimshaw's principal subject matter was the landscape, which he homed in on with a Pre-Raphaelite eye for detail. The Lake District was a favourite early source of inspiration, producing such early masterpieces as "Blea Tarn, First Light", 1865, and The "Bowder Stone, Borrowdale", c.1865. Yorkshire, in particular the beauties of Wharfedale, was omnipresent in his work, from classically picturesque subjects such as Bolton Abbey, to the public parks and woods around the city of Leeds. One of the most compelling aspects of Grimshaw's painting is his ability to evoke a particular atmosphere, often of melancholy. He painted many pictures where the main subject is an old building surrounded by trees. There is not a figure in sight, yet there is a palpable presence in the painting. "Autumn Glory: the Old Mill Cheshire", 1869, is one of these paintings, and one of Grimshaw's best known masterpieces. The old mill in the painting has since been identified as a specific location, but in many cases Grimshaw's settings are inventions. For the greater part of his career, from the 1870s until the end of his life, Atkinson Grimshaw explored the effects of mist and moonlight and the dying light of an autumn afternoon. The Mercer Art Gallery's "Silver Moonlight", 1880, is a classic of its kind: the solitary figure of a girl walks in the moonlight down a wide, walled, lane towards an imposing looking house, a few windows glowing orange in contrast to the overall grey/green tone of the painting. Grimshaw's work stands out among that of his contemporaries for his preoccupation with the new urban life. Not just the darkened drama of  industrial smoke, steam and city clutter, as in "Leeds Bridge", 1880, but also with the suburban street, as in "October Gold", 1893, and of course with the city itself. True drama comes to the foreground in Grimshaw's paintings of the sea, most famously in his beloved Scarborough and Whitby. "In Peril", 1879, depicts the anguish of windswept figures on the harbour front as they burn a beacon to guide the crew of a boat battered by a storm out in the bay. In "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi", 1876, the Spa Saloon is burnt to the ground by man-made disaster. In the 1870s and 1880s, Atkinson Grimshaw introduced female figures into his paintings, sometimes suggesting an historical period, as in "Ye Ladye Bountifulle", 1884, but more often attempting different depictions of the 'modern woman'. These works, such as "Autumn Regrets", 1882, are very much influenced by the work of the fashionable French exile artist, Jean Jacques Tissot. "The Chorale", 1878, explores the subject of the pretty woman in an aesthetically appropriate interior. At the end of his life, Grimshaw was more preoccupied than ever with questions of colour, tone and light. He produced a series of tiny, subtly toned oil paintings that captured the extraordinary light of sun, snow and mist on the beach, a series of small symphonies in green and grey that link him forever with his close contemporary, James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903). Grimshaw died of liver disease at the age of 57. He may be regarded as self-taught in all that gave character and distinction to his art. His methods, treatment and colouring were quite unlike anything in ordinary practice. Originality stamped his work from the first, and some of the effects which, early in his career, were successfully attempted, excited considerable controversy among contemporary artists. They showed no marks of handling or brushwork, and not a few artists were doubtful whether they could be accepted as paintings at all. Housed in Harrogate's elegant former promenade rooms, the Mercer is home to the district's collection of fine art and the venue for a rich diversity of exhibitions, especially renowned for historic art exhibitions. The gallery celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2011 with a major refurbishment. The gallery has two spaces, the Main Gallery and the smaller North Gallery. The changing exhibition programme for both galleries ranges from national touring exhibitions of painting, photography, sculpture and crafts to exhibitions from the permanent collections to displays by local artists. Visit the gallery's website at ... http://www.harrogate.gov.uk/pages/harrogate-1405.aspx#MercerArtGallery

Dalí Universe presents 350 Works of Art by Salvador Dalí at Shanghai Art Museum Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:42 PM PDT SHANGHAI.- The Stratton Foundation and the Dalí Universe present an exciting exhibition dedicated to the renowned artist and master of Surrealism, Salvador Dalí. The exhibition "Salvador Dalí in Shanghai" is a rare collection of artworks that will delight and surprise. Opening July 31st and on view till the 14th of August at the Shanghai Art Museum, it continues to run throughout August at the Art Shaker.

Amrita Sher-Gil Exhibited at Haus der Kunst in Munich Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:41 PM PDT MUNICH, GERMANY - Haus der Kunst presents "Amrita Sher-Gil. An Indian Artist Family in the 20th Century", on view through January 7, 2007.  The exhibition tells the story of an Indian artist family of three generations by uniting the paintings of Amrita Sher-Gil with the photographs of her father, Umrao Singh Sher-Gil, with the digitally worked photographs of her nephew, Vivan Sundaram.

New Painting by Shiva Ahmadi at Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:40 PM PDT NEW YORK, NY.- An exhibition of new paintings and sculpture by Shiva Ahmadi will be on view from February 4 through 27 February, 2010, at  Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller (LTMH) Gallery. Ahmadi has created a dynamic visual language inspired by Persian miniatures and Islamic art and architecture that she uses to explore social and political issues affecting both the Middle East and the West. Shiva Ahmadi: Reinventing the Poetics of Myth examines issues of capitalism and the glory of oil in the Middle East and as well as the dependency of the West on oil. To call attention to these issues, Ahmadi often paints on panels shaped like oil barrels or actual oil barrels, which become transformed into objects of beauty.

National Museum Wales Acquires Picasso's "Still Life with Poron" Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:39 PM PDT CARDIFF.- A new, free display, bringing together mid 20th century still life paintings, including Pablo Picasso's striking "Still Life with Poron" (1948) - the first oil painting by the artist to enter a Welsh public collection - will be on view at National Museum Cardiff from Tuesday, 10 November 2009. The Centenary Fund has been a joint initiative between Amgueddfa Cymru and the Derek Williams Trust to mark the Museum's centenary by making exceptional acquisitions of modern art. The Picasso still life is the most important of these. It will be shown initially alongside work by other leading artists of the 20th-century including Paul Cézanne, Giorgio Morandi and Ceri Richards.

Ginny Gray Gallery To Host New Works by Theo Booth Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:38 PM PDT London.- Barcelona-based artist Theo Booth celebrates jazz age glamour, playful sensuality and the romantic and escapist possibilities of travel in his evocative and widely collected original paintings. A new exhibition of Theo's work begins with a Private View at the Ginny Gray Gallery in Buckingham from 5.30pm to 7.30pm on the evening of Saturday April 23rd. The exhibition will then run until May 30th.  St George's Day (Saturday April 23rd) has been specifically chosen for the Private View because St George is the patron saint of both England and Catalonia, where Theo is now based.

"Moore in America" at the New York Botanical Garden Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:37 PM PDT Bronx, NY - As summer approaches and the euro and pound remain mightier than the dollar, New York City seems to have been recolonized by Europeans over the last few weeks. The city is no stranger to these kinds of tourists, having hosted its share over the last few decades. But the New York Botanical Garden's "Moore in America" exhibition, which opened May 24th with 18 of Henry Moore's big, beloved bronzes (and two more in fiberglass), is the largest outdoor collection of his work in a single location ever presented in New York, or anywhere else in the country.

Britain to Celebrate the Still Life Paintings of Henri Fantin-Latour Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:36 PM PDT COUNTY DURHAM, UK - Flower power is the theme running through an exhibition at The Bowes Museum; the first large scale show in Britain to celebrate the still life paintings of Henri Fantin-Latour. Although the artist's name might not be the first to trip off everyone's tongue when reflecting on 19th Century greats, he was nevertheless up there with the finest, including Manet, who was a witness at his wedding, and Whistler, who introduced him to London's artistic and intellectual society. On exhibition 16 April through 9 October at the Barnard Castle.

Solo Exhibition of Gerhard Mantz with New Virtual Landscapes at Gallery DAM Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:35 PM PDT BERLIN.- Gallery DAM Berlin presents a solo exhibition of Gerhard Mantz with new virtual landscapes.In the series, the viewer enters the Earth after a major event. Whether it has been an explosion, that has covered the forests under a perfect thin layer of ashes, or a complete freeze of nature due to cold and frost, is not defined. The places that Gerhard Mantz shows in his virtual landscapes are not real places but landscapes of the soul. The strength of the pieces lies in their alienation and their ambivalence. Due to their brightness, they seem fragile and magic. Since the series is in black and white, the light contributes an important part to the composition. It can be promising but equally be the blinding light of an explosion, a harbinger of a desaster.

Carnegie Museum of Art Shows ~ Rembrandt’s Great Subjects ~ Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:34 PM PDT Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania - In honor of Rembrandt's 400th birthday, an exceptional selection of the master's etchings will be on view at Carnegie Museum of Art from November 4, 2006 through February 11, 2007.   Rembrandt's Great Subjects: Prints from the Collection showcases 60 etchings from the museum's collection of the artist's work, displays his renowned printmaking skills, and examines some of his most famous motifs: self-portraiture, portraiture, religion, mythology, landscape, genre scenes, and figure studies.  Rembrandt's evolutionary portrayal of these themes is examined in great depth through the presentation of works from the 1630s, 1640s and 1650s—three fascinating decades from his long and illustrious career.

Selected Paintings 1969-2009 by Shirley Jaffe at Tibor de Nagy Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:33 PM PDT NEW YORK, NY.- Tibor de Nagy presents a forty-year retrospective of works by Paris-based American abstract painter Shirley Jaffe. The exhibition is the artist's third with the gallery. Jaffe's large-scale geometric abstractions are inspired by what she sees day to day in the urban Paris landscape. This vision is translated ultimately into colorful shapes and scriptive lines, set against generous white grounds, creating playful and balanced compositions. On view through 24 April.

Jia Zhangke Retrospective at MoMA Presents Contemporary Chinese Films Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:32 PM PDT NEW YORK, NY.- "Jia Zhangke: A Retrospective" is the first complete U.S. retrospective of this internationally celebrated contemporary filmmaker who, in little more than a decade, has become one of cinema's most critically acclaimed artists and the leading figure of the sixth generation of Chinese filmmakers. The exhibition screens in The Roy and Niuta Titus Theaters from March 5 through 20, 2010, and includes Jia Zhangke's (Chinese, b. 1970) entire oeuvre: eight features and six shorts, dating from 1995 to 2008. The retrospective is organized by Jytte Jensen, Curator, Department of Film, The Museum of Modern Art, MoMA.

This Week in Review in Art Knowledge News Posted: 01 Jun 2011 08:32 PM PDT This is a new feature for the subscribers and visitors to Art Knowledge News (AKN), that will enable you to see "thumbnail descriptions" of the last ninety (90) articles and art images that we published. This will allow you to visit any article that you may have missed ; or re-visit any article or image of particular interest. Every day the article "thumbnail images" will change. For you to see the entire last ninety images just click : here . When opened that also will allow you to change the language from English to anyone of 54 other languages, by clicking your language choice on the upper left corner of our Home Page.  You can share any article we publish with the eleven (11) social websites we offer like Twitter, Flicker, Linkedin, Facebook, etc. by one click on the image shown at the end of each opened article.  Last, but not least, you can email or print any entire article by using an icon visible to the right side of an article's headline.

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