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• Our Editor Tours The Gemeentemuseum Den Haag and Its Renowned Vast Collection
• DAVID ZWIRNER REPRESENTS THE ESTATE OF ALICE NEEL
• Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig Celebrates Neo Rauch's 50th Birthday
• Martin Gropius Bau opens 'Sixty Years, Sixty Works ~ Art from the Republic of Germany'
• Fifteen Years of Collecting at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg ~ Against the Grain
• Cooper-Hewitt announces Shahzia Sikander Selects: Works from the Permanent Collection
• MoMA announces an Exhibition of Photography and the American West
• Exhibition of Landscape Photographs at Galerie Wagner + Partner
• Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston shows Best American Design
• Recoat Gallery shows Solo Exhibition of NY Artist Matt Mignanelli
• Gail Albert Halaban to solo at Robert Mann Gallery, NYC
• The Irish Museum of Modern Art to show Exhibition of Limited Editions
• The Boston Globe Names the ICA ~ "Biggest Arts Story of the Decade"
• This Week in Review in Art Knowledge News
• SOTHEBY'S 4TH ANNUAL EXHIBITION AND PRIVATE SALE OF MONUMENTAL SCULPTURE
• Colby Museum of Art Presents Selections from the Collection

Our Editor Tours The Gemeentemuseum Den Haag and Its Renowned Vast Collection Posted: 09 Jan 2011 07:23 PM PST The Municipal Museum (Dutch: Gemeentemuseum Den Haag) is an art museum, located in The Hague, Netherlands. The museum was built by the Dutch architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage (1856-1934) . It is renowned for its large Piet Mondrian collection, the largest in the world. His last work, Victory Boogie-Woogie, along with his earlier paintings and drawings are on display at the museum. There is a modern art collection which provides a varied overview of developments in the fine arts since the early 19th century. In the Modern Art Department’s print room you will find a large collection of drawings, prints and posters dating from the 19th and 20th century.The Gemeentemuseum also possesses one of the world's leading collections of fashion items. It includes both historical costumes and contemporary designs. The present-day music collection includes an extensive collection of instruments, illustrative visual materials and a splendid music library, which together document the history of (mainly European) music."GemAc" is a space for the development of arts and political awareness, set up within the Free Academy of The Hague in a cooperative venture with the Gemeente Museum (Municipal Museum of The Hague). GemAc offers contemporary artists, intellectuals and journalists the opportunity to embark on large-scale experimental projects using the workshops, the trainees and the exhibition space of the Free Academy and the professional support and network of the GemeenteMuseum. The organisation of GemAc is part of the GemeenteMuseum. The Modern Art Department's print room has a large collection of drawings, prints and posters dating from the 19th and 20th century. Most are by Dutch artists, but there are also major groups of foreign works. These include a fine collection of 19th-century French graphic art with an emphasis on work by Bresdin, Redon and Lautrec. German Expressionism is also well represented. The entire collection numbers around 50,000+ items. Parts of it are regularly on show in the print room. The Gemeentemuseum possesses one of the world's leading collections of fashion items. It includes both historical costumes and contemporary designs. Exhibitions focus not just on changing fashions in the Netherlands, but also on landmark designs from abroad. Accessories, jewellery, fashion drawings and prints all help to place the garments in a broader perspective. The present-day music collection includes an extensive collection of instruments, illustrative visual materials and a splendid music library, which together document the history of (mainly European) music. Finally, the music archives (in the KoninklijkeBibliotheek) contain countless manuscripts by Dutch composers. Visit website at : www.gemeentemuseum.nl/ In his design for the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, Berlage reserved a important place for a handful of historic interiors. They still provide a place in which to exhibit examples of the applied arts in the kind of setting for which they were originally made. The complex of historic interiors includes a set of rooms representing different periods and a covered courtyard. Most of the interiors were salvaged from houses which were being demolished. The walls, chimneypieces and ceilings were reconstructed inside the museum, sometimes with the addition of stylistically appropriate components brought from elsewhere. Berlage solved the problem of the difference in ceiling height between the historic room interiors and the museum by lowering the floor of this section of the museum and providing access to it down an antique staircase. The gilt leather room (circa 1680). The first of the historic interiors was reconstructed using components from two different houses in The Hague. The staircase with its richly carved handrails, balustrade and fanlight was once part of a house facing onto the Buitenhof. The woodcarving is attributed to Hague sculptor Johannes Sonnemans and dates from around 1697. The chimneypiece and ceiling came from a house on the Groenmarkt. The paintings, by a Hague artist called Theodorus van der Schuer, represent scenes from the life of the mythological hero Hercules. The overmantel painting is signed and dated 1680. Gilt leather wall coverings were very common at this period: the sheets of embossed calfskin probably came from a house in Amsterdam. The Gobelin Room - Until 1931, this was the principal reception room of a house (at no. 143) on the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam. The interior was transferred to the Gemeentemuseum in its entirety, including the monumental chimneypiece, mirrors, console table and panelling. It is a splendid example of an interior from the period around 1710. The painted ceiling suggests a cupola with a glimpse of open sky and the hovering Roman goddesses of wisdom (Minerva) and justice (Justitia). The walls are decorated with tapestry hangings woven by Alexander Baert of Oudenaarde. They feature a fantasy wooded landscape, predominantly in shades of green, and are of the kind sometimes called 'verdures'. The distant views of buildings and water are typical, as are the exotic birds flitting between the trees. The covered courtyard provides daylighting for the last of the historic interiors: the Louis XVI room. The walls incorporate eighteenth-century stucco reliefs brought from the same house on the Westeinde that was the source of the Louis XV room. The rectangular reliefs represent the four elements: earth, air, fire and water. The circular ones show Apollo as the god of music and his twin sister Diana as the goddess of the chase. The heavy door decorated with rococo carving dating from around 1760 came from a house in Haarlem. The delicate wrought iron railing (dating from the third quarter of the eighteenth century) was probably once part of a staircase. The courtyard accommodates a number of statues. The Gemeentemuseum Den Haag has acquired Louise Bourgeois' penetrating Cell XXVI (2003): a contemporary masterpiece by an internationally renowned artist. While it is not unusual for Dutch museums to purchase major works by earlier artists, from Rembrandt to Manet, acquisitions of contemporary works of this stature have been few and far between over the last twenty years. This move is therefore not only a notable feat on the part of the Gemeentemuseum, but also a rarity in the context of the entire Dutch art world. Benno Tempel, Director of the Gemeentemuseum, is delighted with the acquisition, which was achieved via Cheim & Reid with the advice of Jorg Grimm of Grimm Gallery (Amsterdam) and funded via contributions from BankGiro Lottery, the Mondriaan Stichting, Vereniging Rembrandt, VSB Fonds, SNS Reaal Fonds and the Friends of the Gemeentemuseum. Cell XXVI will feature in the exhibition Hans Bellmer – Louise Bourgeois Double Sexus, which opens at the Gemeentemuseum on exhibition through 16 January 2011. Louise Bourgeois died on 29 May of 2010. It was in 1986 that she began to make what she called her 'Cells', installations which form the most important section of her late oeuvre. They bring together many aspects of her earlier work: the human body, sexual ambiguity and the search for personal identity. The Cell acquired by the museum consists of an oval cage constructed of steel trellis-work. Inside the cage is a large standing mirror, a suspended human figure made of textile and two delicate hanging dresses. The nature of the Cell is ambiguous: on the one hand, it is a place of refuge from the outside world; on the other, it has associations with imprisonment. At another level, the Cell plays with voyeurism: the tension between looking and being looked at. The mirror involves the viewer, whose eye is drawn in and allowed to see corners that would otherwise remain hidden. The trellis-work, on the other hand, distances the viewer from what is inside the Cell. The effect of gazing through the trellis is hallucinatory, making the viewer feel slightly off-balance. The resulting sense of physical unease is an important feature of this Cell because it creates a real relationship between the viewer and the work. ANNOUNCEMENT: Our Editor has been invited to visit Museums and cultural sites in mainland China, Korea, Vietnam. Myanmar, Thailand (Siam), Singapore, Bali and mainland Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Nepal, Bhutan, Malaysia, Japan, Mongolia, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, and now the Netherlands. Because of the Editor's travel we will be posting many interesting articles from our archives, some of the BEST Articles and Art Images that appeared in your magazine during the past six plus (6+) years . . Enjoy.

DAVID ZWIRNER REPRESENTS THE ESTATE OF ALICE NEEL Posted: 09 Jan 2011 07:21 PM PST New York City - David Zwirner is pleased to announce that the gallery now represents the Estate of Alice Neel.  Alice Neel (1900-1984) is widely regarded as one of the most important American painters of the twentieth century. As the American avant-garde of the 1940s and 50s renounced figuration, Neel reaffirmed her signature approach to the human body. Working from life and memory, Neel created daringly honest portraits of her family and friends, downtrodden neighbors and public figures, art-world colleagues and poets, lovers and the occasional stranger.

Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig Celebrates Neo Rauch's 50th Birthday Posted: 09 Jan 2011 07:19 PM PST LEIPZIG, GERMANY - Painting from Leipzig has advanced to become an international brand – and not only in the art world. This is exemplified in the work of the artist Neo Rauch, born in Leipzig in 1960. For his generation, he represents German art internationally; much in the manner of the generation of Baselitz, Polke and Richter before him. Neo Rauch's artistic biography is characteristic of the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig. Like Bernhard Heisig, Werner Tübke, Arno Rink and many others before him, he was student, assistant and professor at this institute. His oeuvre has its roots in the academy's tradition of fable and myth arrangements with a distinct craft accent. Some 60 artworks are displayed, some of which for the first time, opening 13 April at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig.

Martin Gropius Bau opens 'Sixty Years, Sixty Works ~ Art from the Republic of Germany' Posted: 09 Jan 2011 07:17 PM PST BERLIN.- The exhibition Sixty Years, Sixty Works opened at Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin. Organized for the anniversary of the ratification of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany, the exhibition recounts another history of the Republic: the developmental history of the visual arts, made possible by paragraph 5, article 3 of the constitution that guarantees the freedom of expression in art, science, research, and education. Curatorial team spokespersons Walter Smerling and Peter Iden point out: "The exhibition is also meant to provide an opportunity to reflect upon what's been created, especially against the background of Germany's specific history. On exhibition through 14 June, 2009.

Fifteen Years of Collecting at the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg ~ Against the Grain Posted: 09 Jan 2011 07:15 PM PST WOLFSBURG, GERMANY - The foundation of the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg in 1994 simultaneously marked the launch of its mission to build a permanent collection. Today, along with the museum's exhibition programme, the collection enjoys an international reputation and is one of the outstanding cultural features that contribute to the City of Wolfsburg's appeal. To mark the museum's 15th anniversary, Markus Brüderlin, the director of the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg since 2006, has chosen to present the collection in a new light. The exhibition 15 Years of Collecting – Against the Grain has therefore been conceived as a distinctive, informal juxtaposition of older and younger artists and works rather than the customary chronological display. On view through 13 September, 2009.

Cooper-Hewitt announces Shahzia Sikander Selects: Works from the Permanent Collection Posted: 09 Jan 2011 07:13 PM PST NEW YORK, NY - "Shahzia Sikander Selects: Works from the Permanent Collection," the ninth installment in an exhibition series devoted to showing rotations of the museum's holdings, will be on view from March 6, 2009, and continue through August 31, 2009, at the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Internationally acclaimed artist Shahzia Sikander will mine and interpret the museum's collection and produce an installation of the selected objects. A highlight of the exhibition will be a new work created by Sikander, inspired by Cooper-Hewitt's collection.

MoMA announces an Exhibition of Photography and the American West Posted: 09 Jan 2011 07:12 PM PST   NEW YORK, NY -  Into the Sunset: Photography's Image of the American West examines how photography has pictured the idea of the American West, from 1850 to the present. Photography's development coincided with the exploration and the settlement of the West, and their simultaneous rise resulted in a complex association that has shaped the perception of the West's physical and social landscape to this day. For over 150 years, the image of the West has been formed and changed through a variety of photographic traditions and genres, and this exhibition at MoMA considers the medium's role in shaping our collective imagination of the West.

Exhibition of Landscape Photographs at Galerie Wagner + Partner Posted: 09 Jan 2011 07:10 PM PST BERLIN.- Nature became landscape long ago. Since the Romantic period landscape has furthermore been an aesthetic position. But what is landscape for the modern human being? The thematic exhibition "Open Landscape" at the Galerie Wagner + Partner provides a juxtaposition of multigenerational photographic and pictorial approaches to this question. The reference point for all participating artists is the real landscape. On exhibition through 31 July, 2010.

Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston shows Best American Design Posted: 09 Jan 2011 07:06 PM PST   Boston, MA - The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston will present a large-scale exhibition of innovative contemporary American design. Organized by the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Design Life Now: National Design Triennial is part of an ongoing series that presents the best work from the prior three years in product design, architecture, furniture, film, graphics, new technologies, animation, science, and fashion. On exhibition from September 28, 2007, through January 6, 2008.

Recoat Gallery shows Solo Exhibition of NY Artist Matt Mignanelli Posted: 09 Jan 2011 07:04 PM PST GLASGOW.- Recoat Gallery presents The Paradigm, a solo exhibition from New York artist Matt Mignanelli. Mignanelli has exhibited in two group exhibitions at Recoat since they opened. They selected his work for its aesthetic forms, bright colours, stylised graphic nature, and his attention to detail and technique. This solo exhibition sees Mignanelli travelling from New York to paint an installation within the space and to hang a collection of new paintings. On exhibition through 2 May, 2010.

Gail Albert Halaban to solo at Robert Mann Gallery, NYC Posted: 09 Jan 2011 06:54 PM PST   New York City - In her latest series, Out My Window, Gail Albert Halaban has ventured into the private spaces of New York City, photographing its inhabitants and the views that define their lives. In a world framed by windows, there is both an intimacy and remoteness in the proximity of so many strangers. Though the archetype of the photographer training her lens on her neighbor is easily associated with the voyeurism of Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, the experience Albert Halaban records is far less menacing. In as much as we are aware of our display, the city is also on display to us. Window and camera are inextricably bound in the framing of a world. On view 5 February through 28 March at Robert Mann Gallery.

The Irish Museum of Modern Art to show Exhibition of Limited Editions Posted: 09 Jan 2011 06:52 PM PST DUBLIN.- An exhibition of 31 prints by leading Irish and international artists opens to the public at the Irish Museum of Modern Art on Saturday 26 September 2009. Traces: IMMA Limited Editions celebrates the IMMA Limited Editions Series, introduced by the Museum in 2003. Artists being shown include : Michael Craig-Martin, Dorothy Cross, Gary Hume, Isaac Julien, Alex Katz, William McKeown, Elizabeth Peyton, Jack Pierson and Sean Scully. Newly-created additions to the series by renowned Irish artists Louis le Brocquy, Patrick Scott and Camille Souter are also shown for the first time.

The Boston Globe Names the ICA ~ "Biggest Arts Story of the Decade" Posted: 09 Jan 2011 06:51 PM PST BOSTON, MA.- In a round-up of major developments on the Boston art scene, the Boston Globe recently named the Institute of Contemporary Art, ICA "the biggest art story of the decade." Following a string of successful shows, such as Anish Kapoor, Past, Present, Future, Tara Donovan, and Shepard Fairey: Supply and Demand, the ICA's latest exhibition, Damián Ortega: Do It Yourself , is on view for just a few more weeks. Called "masterful" (Art Papers), "seductive" (New York Times), and "a kind of magic act" (Boston Globe), it closes Jan. 18th.

This Week in Review in Art Knowledge News Posted: 09 Jan 2011 06:50 PM PST 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.

SOTHEBY'S 4TH ANNUAL EXHIBITION AND PRIVATE SALE OF MONUMENTAL SCULPTURE Posted: 08 Jan 2011 07:24 PM PST New York, NY and Orlando, FL – January 2007 marks the beginning of Sotheby's fourth-annual exhibition and private sale of monumental works of art to be held at the exclusive Isleworth Country Club in Windermere, Florida.  Set to be the largest and most diversified yet, this offering includes over forty sculptural masterpieces by some of the 20th century's most renowned artists. Large-scale works by such modern and contemporary masters as Auguste Rodin, Aristide Maillol, Fernand Léger, Fernando Botero, Niki de Saint Phalle, Louise Bourgeois and others will highlight the private sale, and many of these works will be displayed on the lush grounds of Isleworth through mid-April 2007.

Colby Museum of Art Presents Selections from the Collection Posted: 08 Jan 2011 07:12 PM PST WATERVILLE, ME - Gabriella De Ferrari, a distinguished curator, art historian, and writer, served as the founding chair of the Colby College Museum of Art's Board of Governors. She has also been instrumental in developing the museum's contemporary collection, helping to establish a thriving program for the support and study of new art. In recognition of the honorary Doctor of Letters bestowed by Colby College upon Gabriella De Ferrari on May 25, 2008, this exhibition presents a selection of works that became part of the collection through her vision, guidance, and generosity. On view through 31 August.

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