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• AKN Editor Visits The Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland ~ The World’s First Public Museum
• Musée du Quai Branly Explores the Myth of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan
• Clark Art Institute to feature Henri deToulouse-Lautrec and Paris
• Several Paintings Shown for the First Time in Ninety Years at The Frick Collection in New York
• Sotheby's May Auction Sale of American Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture
• Tarsila do Amaral solos at Fundacion Juan March in Madrid
• The Louvre exhibits Picasso/Delacroix ~ 'Women of Algiers in Their Apartment'
• The 'Out of this World' Art of Josh Kirby at Walker Art Gallery
• LACMA Presents First Major Museum Showing of Indian Comics
• Tate Liverpool to display Sculpture from the Tate Collection
• The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute to showcase Impressionist Giovanni Boldini
• Davis Museum at Wellesley College exhibits ' the Age of Dürer and Titian '
• Yuichiro Shibata solos at Monkdogz Urban Art
• Denver Art Museum Unveils New Photography Gallery
• This Week in Review in Art Knowledge News

AKN Editor Visits The Kunstmuseum Basel in Switzerland ~ The World’s First Public Museum Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:35 PM PST The fascinating history of Basel's public art collection (the Öffentliche Kunstsammlung Basel) can be traced back to the 17th century. When it acquired of the Amerbach Kabinett (a Humanist-inspired collection begun in the pre-Reformation era), Basel became the first municipality to possess its own art collection long before princely collections were made accessible to the public in other cities of Europe. On the death of Basilius Amerbach (1533-1591), grandson of the famous printer and son of a distinguished lawyer who had been a close friend of Erasmus, the encyclopaedic collection contained not only some 60 paintings (among them 15 by Hans Holbein the Younger) and a very large portfolio of drawings and prints, but natural objects, ethnographic artefacts and a library as well. In 1671 the art collection was transferred to the "Zur Mücke" house near the Cathedral Square and opened to the public, becoming one of the city's major attractions. In 1823 the Amerbach art collection, which had already been enhanced by donations from the Council and private donors, was merged with the holdings of as second museum started by jurist Remigius Faesch (1595-1667). This brought not only further paintings by Hans Holbein the Younger, but also important works by 15th to17th century artists from the Upper-Rhine region into the collection. In 1849, the need for more display space resulted in a move to the late classicist, multi-purpose building by Melchior Berri in Augustinergasse (which still houses the Museum of Natural History and the Museum today). A bequest by Samuel Birrmann (1793-1843), a Basel painter and art dealer, helped to introduce an acquisition policy, and in 1855 a fund earmarked for contemporary Swiss art was established under the aegis of the Museum Commission. The Canton of Basel-Stadt, too, has been providing acquisition funding since 1903. With the completion of a purpose-built building by architects Rudolf Christ and Paul Bonatz in St. Alban-Graben, the Öffentliche Kunstsammlung moved into the Kunstmuseum Basel in its present form in 1936. The building has been thoroughly refurbished over the past few years. For additional display space The Museum für Gegenwartskunst was established in a converted factory at St. Alban-Rheinweg in 1980. A joint venture with the Emanuel Hoffmann and Christoph Merian Foundations, many more recent works were transferred from the Kunstmuseum to the new museum. Never content to stand still, the next great challenge for the Kunstmuseum is implementing a planned expansion. This new building, will be located opposite the museum, is intended to be a special exhibition area offering the visitor a constantly new experience. Much remains to be done before the projected opening date of 2015, but its completion will be the latest chapter in this museum's long tradition of re-invention and growth. Visit the museum's website at: http://www.kunstmuseumbasel.ch The Kunstmuseum Basel houses the largest and most significant public art collection in Switzerland, particularly Upper-Rhenish and Flemish paintings and drawings from 1400 to 1600 and 19th to 21st century international art. The museum has the world's largest collection of works by the Holbein family. Other highlights of the fifthteenth and sixteenth century are paintings by Konrad Witz, Hans Fries, Hans Baldung (called Grien), Niklaus Manuel (called Deutsch), Lucas Cranach the Elder and outstanding works by the Upper-Rhenish Masters of the fifthteenth and sixteenth century as well as Flemish art of the sixteenth century. The main features of the seventeenth and eighteenth century are the Flemish and Dutch schools (Rubens, Jan Brueghel the Elder, Frans Francken, Rembrandt, Jacob Ruisdael), German and Dutch still lifes (Wilhelm Claesz Heda, Georg Flegel, Sebastian Stoskopff) and an important group of paintings by the Swiss artist Caspar Wolf. The Kunstmuseum also owns the worldwide largest collection of paintings by Arnold Böcklin. Noteworthy in the nineteenth century collection are the most comprehensive group of Nazarene paintings in Switzerland including works by Koch, Overbeck, and Olivier, important assemblages of works by Füssli, French painting from Romanticism to Realism including Delacroix, Géricault, Corot and Courbet. Swiss art of Birmann, Calame, Anker, Zünd, Buchser, Segantini and Hodler. German art with Feuerbach and Marées and especially French Impressionism with works of art by Manet, Monet, Degas, Renoir , Pissarro, Sisley and Postimpressionism represented by Cézanne, Gauguin and van Gogh. The museum also has 8 sculptures by Rodin. The focal points of 20th-century art on display are Cubism, Expressionism and American art after 1945, including the unique compilation of works by Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, Fernand Léger, Paul Klee, Hans Arp, Alberto Giacometti, Marc Chagall, Barnett Newman, Joseph Beuys, Jasper Johns, Frank Stella and Bruce Nauman. In January 2005, the Library of the Kunstmuseum Basel moved into a building directly adjacent to the Kunstmuseum. Formerly home to premises of the Swiss National Bank, the building was donated to the Öffentliche Kunstsammlung Basel by Maja Oeri in 1999 and bears the name "Laurenz-Bau", in memory of the prematurely deceased son of the donor and her husband. Apart from the library, the building also houses the administrative offices of the Kunstmuseum and the Department of Art History of Basel University. The Library, which is open to the public, contains over 150,000 titles. Established in 1849 and with its first catalogue dating back to 1859, it is among the oldest art libraries in Switzerland. Most of the works in the Library relate to the history of painting and sculpture from Charlemagne to the present day, with particular emphasis on 15th- and 16th-century German and Upper Rhine art and on Classical Modernism. Some 200 periodicals and yearbooks provide information on the latest developments in the art world and art scholarship. The holdings can be accessed by way of standard author and subject catalogues, but also with the help of special catalogues (auction, exhibition and gallery catalogues, etc.) and periodicals. Use of the Library is free of charge. Until 13 February 2011, the Kunstmuseum, Basel is exhibiting "Thurneysser – Superstar". A trained goldsmith, mining proprietor, physician, alchemist, pharmacist and astrologer – the skills and professions of Leonhard Thurneysser zum Thurn (1531–1596) from Basel are no less astonishing than the story of his life. Starting out as a small-scale debtor, he ended up a prodigiously wealthy man. When the successful world traveller came home in 1579, he had the Zürich artist Christoph Murer create a unique cycle of stained-glass windows for his residence in Basel. The cycle glorifies Thurneysser's life in a manner hitherto generally reserved for saints and princes. Two windows and a fragment of a third one have survived along with three preliminary drawings. Linked to this exhibition, the Kunstmuseum is also showing a selection of designs for glass painting from its own collection, entitled "From Holbein to Murer – Designs for Glass Painting". Also displayed (until 6 February 2011) is a collection of Lovis Cornith prints. Lovis Corinth (born 1858 in Tapiau, East Prussia, died 1925 in Zandvoort, Netherlands) initially trained as a painter at the Königsberg Academy of Arts, but it was not until he transferred to the Art Academy in Munich that he met artists who gave priority to painting after nature. Landscapes and figures (especially portraits and nudes) became his preferred genres. Although Corinth is held to be a key representative of German Impressionism, his subject matter and painting style as well as his characteristically dynamic and accentuated contours show an affinity with Expressionism. Like the Expressionists, Corinth always sought immediacy in art, as demonstrated in his preference for etchings and the fact that he drew directly on the stone block when making lithographs. The exhibition presents works selected from a collection of over 200 prints by the artist, bequeathed to the museum in 2009. 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, the Netherlands, Luxembourg , Austria, and now The 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, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Austria The Czech Republic, and now Switzerland. 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.

Musée du Quai Branly Explores the Myth of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:34 PM PST PARIS.- Tarzan was a literary phenomenon from the very first book published in 1912, and soon appeared in comic strips, radio programmes, television series and films. The character, who features in many media such as posters, figurines, CDs and even games, continues to fascinate and fuel our vision of an imaginary, fantasy Africa. In the exhibition Tarzan! or Rousseau and the Waziri, the Musée du Quai Branly, in collaboration with the Centre International de la Bande Dessinée et de l'Image (International Centre for Comic Books and Image), explores the myth embodied by this popular icon. On exhibition from 16 June through 27 September, 2009 at Musée du Quai Branly.

Clark Art Institute to feature Henri deToulouse-Lautrec and Paris Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:32 PM PST   WILLIAMSTOWN, MA - Vibrant and racy Parisian nightlife of the late nineteenth century will be on view at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute this winter. Toulouse-Lautrec and Paris, an exhibition of over eighty remarkable oil paintings, posters, photographs, drawings, and lithographs, marks the first time in over fifteen years that the Clark will show nearly its entire extraordinary collection of works by the great French painter and printmaker Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864–1901). Toulouse-Lautrec and Paris will be on view February 1 through April 26, 2009.

Several Paintings Shown for the First Time in Ninety Years at The Frick Collection in New York Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:29 PM PST NEW YORK CITY - One longstanding misperception about The Frick Collection is the notion that works of art cannot be moved around by its present-day staff. Fortunately, this is not true. The flexibility with which the curators may juxtapose in fresh ways Frick-owned works within the mansion is the cornerstone of its thriving program of critically acclaimed special exhibitions, large and small. However, one gallery in particular, the Living Hall, has seen very few changes—even temporarily—since Mr. Frick moved into the mansion ninety-three years ago. Most of the paintings he installed there in 1915, among masterpieces by Bellini, Holbein, Titian, and El Greco, have seldom—if ever—left the room or been presented to the public in any other manner. As such, the Living Hall always offered visitors the closest representation of the mansion and display of art during the family's period of residence.

Sotheby's May Auction Sale of American Paintings, Drawings & Sculpture Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:28 PM PST NEW YORK, NY.- Sotheby's auction of American Paintings, Drawings and Sculpture on 19 May 2010 will offer collectors a rich array of works by American artists from the 19th and 20th centuries. The auction contains a strong selection of modern pictures, with many paintings that are both rare and fresh to the market. Works from the sale will be exhibited at Sotheby's New York galleries beginning 15 May.

Tarsila do Amaral solos at Fundacion Juan March in Madrid Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:25 PM PST   Madrid, Spain - This exhibition is the first solo presentation and one of the most important to be held in Europe on the work of the Brazilian artist Tarsila do Amaral (Capivari, São Paolo, 1886 – São Paolo, 1973), a key figure in Brazilian painting and responsible for the introduction of the European avant-garde into that country. For Juan Manuel Bonet, curator of the exhibition, Tarsila do Amaral is: "one of the leading figures of a still little known avant-garde movement, but one whose principal innovations are among the most important South American contributions to modern culture."

The Louvre exhibits Picasso/Delacroix ~ 'Women of Algiers in Their Apartment' Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:20 PM PST PARIS.- Coinciding with the major exhibition "Picasso and his Masters" held at the Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, Paris, the Louvre (Denon Room) plays host to around 20 painted and graphic variations on Delacroix's masterpiece, Women of Algiers in Their Apartment (1834), executed by Picasso in 1954-55. In tandem, the Musée d'Orsay presents a series of variations on Manet's Déjeuner sur l'herbe (Luncheon on the Grass). Throughout his career, from his academic training to the last years of his life, via the Cubist revolution and his neoclassical period, Picasso drew on paintings of the past.

The 'Out of this World' Art of Josh Kirby at Walker Art Gallery Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:19 PM PST Liverpool - Explore a colorful world teeming with other-worldly characters, creatures, fantasy cities and landscapes in Out of this World: the Art of Josh Kirby.  The first major retrospective of the Liverpool-born artist opens at the Walker Art Gallery from 15 June to 30 September 2007.  Out of this World: the Art of Josh Kirby spans Kirby's artistic career from his early days as a freelance artist to his famous cover illustrations for Terry Pratchett's Discworld and Eric/Faust fantasy series.  Kirby's work has adorned the covers of some of the most iconic science fiction and fantasy novels, as well as famous film posters such as Star Wars: Return of the Jedi and Monty Python's Life of Brian.

LACMA Presents First Major Museum Showing of Indian Comics Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:16 PM PST LOS ANGELES, CA. - The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents "Heroes and Villains: The Battle for Good in India's Comics," an exhibition comprised of fifty-three paintings, works on paper, and vintage comic books, on view from October 17, 2009 through February 7, 2010. The exhibition examines the legacy of India's divine heroes and heroines in contemporary South Asian culture through the comic book genre.

Tate Liverpool to display Sculpture from the Tate Collection Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:14 PM PST Liverpool, UK - - Leading cultural figures from different disciplines will be bringing their own unique vision to bear on sculpture from the Tate Collection for DLA Piper Series: This is Sculpture, sponsored by DLA Piper. Transforming the first and second floor galleries are artist Michael Craig-Martin; designer Wayne Hemingway and his son Jack; and artist, director and writer Tim Etchells. From 1 May 2009 the co-curators present dedicated displays of sculpture which have been selected in conjunction with Tate Liverpool curators. The displays feature masterpieces from the Tate Collection by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth, alongside recent acquisitions of contemporary art by Sarah Lucas, Jim Lambie and Terence Koh, among others.

The Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute to showcase Impressionist Giovanni Boldini Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:12 PM PST WILLIAMSTOWN, MA.- During his lifetime, the Italian artist Giovanni Boldini (1842–1931) achieved tremendous popularity in Europe and the United States, where he was celebrated for his vibrant brushwork and striking portraits. The exhibition Giovanni Boldini in Impressionist Paris illuminates Boldini's early career when he lived in Paris and painted the city's bustling streets, cafes, and concert halls, as well as charming scenes of its sunny suburban landscapes, while developing his unique style. Giovanni Boldini in Impressionist Paris, the first Boldini exhibition in the United States in twenty years, opens at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute on February 14, 2010.

Davis Museum at Wellesley College exhibits ' the Age of Dürer and Titian ' Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:10 PM PST   Wellesley, MA – The Davis Museum and Cultural Center at Wellesley College presents an astounding exhibition of monumental works on paper in Spring 2008.  Grand Scale: Monumental Prints in the Age of Dürer and Titian is a major loan exhibition that highlights the little-studied phenomenon of large-scale printed imagery in Renaissance Europe. In the fifteenth century, prints were essentially limited by the size and shape of single sheets of paper and the size of a standard press.  On exhibition March 19 – June 8, 2008.

Yuichiro Shibata solos at Monkdogz Urban Art Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:05 PM PST   New York City - If you are lucky, once or twice in your life time, you will have the opportunity to come face to face with greatness. Yuichiro Shibata is just one such phenomenon. He is an artist who has lived and worked in Chelsea since the 1960s. Disillusioned by gallery politics and practices in the 1990s, Shibata went into hibernation and painted solidly for the last decade, steadily creating a significant volume of work of which will be making its debut at Monkdogz Urban Art on Thursday, February 28, 2008.

Denver Art Museum Unveils New Photography Gallery Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:03 PM PST DENVER, CO.- Exposure: Photos from the Vault opens April 30, 2010, in the newly remodeled Anthony and Delisa Mayer Photography Gallery on the 7th floor of the North Building. The renovated space will host the first exhibition of the department of photography at the Denver Art Museum (DAM), featuring a diverse selection from the 7,000-object collection including works by Ansel Adams, Diane Arbus, Chuck Close, Alfred Stieglitz and Garry Winogrand as well as recent acquisitions of work by Henry Bosse, Petah Coyne and Shirin Neshat.

This Week in Review in Art Knowledge News Posted: 02 Feb 2011 07:02 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.

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