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• The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich Shows "Art For The Nation"
• "Waves at Matsushima" at the Sackler Gallery in Washington DC
• "The Shape of Things to Come" ~ New Sculpture at the Saatchi Gallery
• The Secession In Vienna Features Saskia Olde Wolbers
• The National Gallery of Denmark Exhibits Danish & Nordic Art 1750-1900
• Stolen 14th Century Panel Painting Recovered at the Speed Art Museum
• Christie's Previews Lot from Impressionist & Modern Art Sale in Hong Kong
• Slinguff Gallery Shows Michael C. Hsiung's Fantastical Drawings
• New World Auction Records at Christie's Latin American Art Sale
• Famous Chinese Modernist Painter Wu Guanzhong Dies at 90
• The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) shows "American Chronicles ~ The Art of Norman Rockwell"
• David Hockney's "Bigger Trees Near Warter" Gift Presented at Tate Britain
• Los Angeles County Museum of Art hosts an Installation of Pacific Island Art Conceived by Artist Franz West
• Possible Frida Kahlo Fakes Are Investigated by Mexican Federal Prosecutors
• In the Company of Artists: Photographs from the DIA's Collection
• CAPE TOWN'S MATTHEW HINDLEY AT 34 LONG
• Sperone Westwater to host Solo Show for Liu Ye in November
• The World War II Watercolors of Norman S. Rothschild
• The FEMSA Collection, a Continental Vision at NHCC
• This Week in Review in Art Knowledge News

The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich Shows "Art For The Nation" Posted: 28 May 2011 09:48 PM PDT London.- The National Maritime Museum (NMM) in Greenwich, south-east London is showing "Art for the Nation" on long-term display at the Queen's House. 'Art for the Nation' offers a major reassessment of the National Maritime Museum's oil paintings collections. It brings together some of the finest of over 4000 paintings in the Museum's care, under the roof of the Queen's House – the Museum's showcase for superior fine art. The sea and all it entails with respect to world commerce, exploration and empire, is fundamental to British history and identity. It continues to be so, in shaping the profile of British multiculturalism and our shared imperial heritage. The 200 paintings in the exhibition both represent and are part of that heritage. As such, they provide a unique light on our history as a maritime nation and on the place of art within it. Grouped by the individual collections to which they relate, the paintings cover portraiture, history painting and landscape, as well as marine painting. They treat themes of encounter, colonialism and global exploration, shipwreck, battle and spectacle, as well as personality and the cult of the hero. They also point to their own history: their place within the history of British art, and the history of how they arrived at Greenwich. The National Maritime Museum (NMM) was formally established by Act of Parliament in 1934 and opened to the public by King George VI on 27 April 1937. It includes the 17th-century Queen's House and, from the 1950s, the Royal Observatory, Greenwich. There is also the sailing barge Shamrock, jointly owned by the National Maritime Museum and the National Trust on the Tamar, Cornwall, at the National Trust property Cotehele on the Tamar, Cornwall, and the 'Valhalla' ships' figurehead collection on Tresco, Isles of Scilly. The Museum buildings began life in 1807 as a school for the children of seafarers. Greenwich began to develop as a cultural visitor destination with Sir James Thornhill's completion of the Painted Hall (1707–26) in what is now the Old Royal Naval College (founded in 1694 as the Royal Hospital for Seamen). From 1823 a 'National Gallery of Naval Art', eventually including 300 portraits, paintings and artefacts, was created in the Hall, the first of its kind. A separate Naval Museum was also established in the Hospital buildings when it became the Royal Naval College - the 'Navy's university', 1873–1998. After its foundation in 1910, the Society for Nautical Research (SNR) independently developed the aim of founding a 'national naval and nautical museum'. In 1927–28, following a public appeal organised by the Society, one of its wealthy members Sir James Caird (1864–1954) purchased the A.G.H. Macpherson Collection of maritime prints - over 11,000 items - with this in view. He also purchased the ship models from the training ship Mercury, with many other items being bought by him or otherwise donated. In 1933 the Royal Hospital School at Greenwich moved to Suffolk, vacating the Queen's House and related buildings which it had occupied since 1806, originally as the separate Royal Naval Asylum but combining with the 18th-century Greenwich Hospital School from 1821. The House was restored by the Ministry of Works and the flanking wings - added for the School between 1807–76, began a long period of museum conversion, largely at Sir James Caird's expense: this was only completed in 1951. Read more about the Royal Hospital School. All the Museum buildings have subsequently been upgraded at various times and a full modern redevelopment of the main galleries, centring on what is now Neptune Court, was completed 1999. The National Maritime Museum has now embarked on a major new development, the Sammy Ofer Wing. Scheduled to open in 2012 in time for the London Olympics, the custom-designed exhibition spaces and highly accessible archives will drive a sea change in the way the Museum presents its programme to an ever-growing volume of visitors, both from within the UK and internationally. The Museum is funded by Government with additional income derived from trading activity and sponsorship. Entry to all Museum sites at Greenwich is free but charges are made for some special exhibitions. The Museum's objectives and targets are outlined in its current Funding Agreement. The collections comprise about 2.48 million items, many on loan to museums elsewhere in Britain. The public galleries at Greenwich display a thematically arranged selection and the remainder are accessible for public interest and research in various ways. The majority of the NMM's small-boat collection is on display at the new National Maritime Museum, Cornwall, at Falmouth. The Museum has the most important holdings in the world on the history of Britain at sea, including maritime art (both British and 17th-century Dutch), cartography, manuscripts including official public records, ship models and plans, scientific and navigational instruments, time-keeping and astronomy (based at the Observatory), and in many other categories. Its British portraits collection is only exceeded in size by the National Portrait Gallery and its holdings related to Nelson and Cook, among many other individuals, are unrivalled. It has the world's largest maritime historical reference library (100,000 volumes) including books dating back to the 15th century. Find out more about the Museum's collections or view over 9000 objects on Collections Online. The Museum is also unique in the architectural importance of its main buildings, the Queen's House in particular being the keystone of the historic park-and-palace landscape of 'Maritime Greenwich', which was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Flamsteed House (1675–76), the original part of the Observatory, was designed by Sir Christopher Wren and was the first purpose-built scientific research facility in Britain. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.nmm.ac.uk

"Waves at Matsushima" at the Sackler Gallery in Washington DC Posted: 28 May 2011 08:36 PM PDT WASHINGTON, DC.- Long revered as one of Japan's most beautiful sites, Matsushima Bay endured the unleashing of the devastating earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan March 11. Despite its proximity to the epicenter of the underwater earthquake, the site is one of the few places along the Sanriku coast that sustained less damage, mostly due to the buffering effect of the bay's 260 pine-studded islands that lend the area its name. "Waves at Matsushima" on view at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery May 28 through July 5 pays homage to this iconic coastal site.

"The Shape of Things to Come" ~ New Sculpture at the Saatchi Gallery Posted: 28 May 2011 08:07 PM PDT LONDON.- On 27 May, the Saatchi Gallery opened The Shape of Things to Come: New Sculpture, an exhibition of 20 leading and emerging international artists working in sculpture today. This is the first time that the gallery space has been devoted entirely to three-dimensional works. The Shape of Things to Come: New Sculpture provides an unprecedented look at some of the most exciting sculptural works created in recent years. From granite monoliths to neon structures, buckled cars to stuffed horse hide, the exhibition demonstrates the diversity and dynamism of the medium. On view until 16 October.

The Secession In Vienna Features Saskia Olde Wolbers Posted: 28 May 2011 08:06 PM PDT Vienna, Austria - With her exhibition at the Secession, video artist Saskia Olde Wolbers is showing a selection of her work in Austria for the first time, including the new piece Pareidolia (2011). Since the mid- 1990s, she has been developing fictional documentaries that hover somewhere between illusion and reality.Her surreally bizarre narratives are driven by a combination of dream-like imagery – meticulously handmade model worlds – and the apparent inner monologue of the voiceover in the audiobook-like soundtracks. On view through 21 August at the Secession in Vienna.

The National Gallery of Denmark Exhibits Danish & Nordic Art 1750-1900 Posted: 28 May 2011 07:36 PM PDT COPENHAGEN.- From the birth of Danish painting through the famous Golden Age of Danish art to the dawn of Modernism. All the major trends and movements within 150 years of Danish and Nordic art unfold themselves in a new, comprehensive display of the collections housed at the National Gallery of Denmark. "Danish and Nordic Art 1750-1900" shows more than 400 works in 24 freshly renovated exhibition rooms starting May 28th. This tour de force of art involves many different aspects; it includes a historical overview, special themes of immediate relevance to contemporary life, and individual focus on artists of particular importance. It also sheds light on some of the overlooked chapters of Danish art history.

Stolen 14th Century Panel Painting Recovered at the Speed Art Museum Posted: 28 May 2011 07:35 PM PDT LOUISVILLE (AP).- A stolen 14th-century panel painting depicting the Virgin Mary with a child has been recovered at a Kentucky art museum, which agreed Monday to return the piece to Italian authorities. The triptych, taken from an Italian villa in 1971, was traced to the permanent collection of the J.B. Speed Art Museum in Louisville. Court records state that the Speed Art Museum bought the painting in 1973 from the Newhouse Galleries in New York for $38,000.

Christie's Previews Lot from Impressionist & Modern Art Sale in Hong Kong Posted: 28 May 2011 07:23 PM PDT HONG KONG.- Christie's presented in Hong Kong one of George Stubbs' most important works at the Old Master and British Paintings Evening Sale on 5 July 2011 in London. Gimcrack on Newmarket Heath, with a Trainer, a Stable-Lad, and a Jockey by George Stubbs (1724-1806) is a true masterpiece of both British art and sporting painting, portraying Gimcrack, one of the most popular and admired of all 18th century racehorses. It is offered from the Woolavington Collection, one of the finest private collections of Sporting Art, and is expected to realize in excess of £20 million, ($33 million-$49 million).

Slinguff Gallery Shows Michael C. Hsiung's Fantastical Drawings Posted: 28 May 2011 06:44 PM PDT Philadelphia, PA.- The Slinguff Gallery in Philadelphia is pleased to present "Michael Hsiung: On Human Failure" from June 4th. Hairy drunken Siamese twins, mystical beasts and mustaches ... they're all present in the very creative work of Michael C. Hsiung. Of Chinese-American descent, Michael is known for his black-and-white ink drawings depicting oddly realistic tales from a time long past. His art features imaginary characters and fantastical creatures; protagonists include mermen in precarious and questionable situations, Victorian athletes and fancy men with dead prey, or imaginary and real animals struggling with their environment. "Human Failure" is Michael's first solo show.

New World Auction Records at Christie's Latin American Art Sale Posted: 28 May 2011 06:14 PM PDT NEW YORK, NY.- Christie's Latin American Art Sale achieved a strong total of $22,571,450 (£13,763,079/ €15,895,387). Held in two sessions on May 26 and 27, the sale was sold 75% by lot, 79% by value and established an impressive 14 new world auction records. The top lot was Miguel Covarrubias Offering of Fruits for the Temple, 1932, for which Christie's established a new world auction record for the artist, realizing $1,022,500 — more than three times the high estimate of $300,000. The magnificent painting was inspired by one of the Mexican artist's extended trips to Bali in the 1930s. Covarrubias' pictorial ode to the idyllic beauty of the Balinese women shows a group of beautiful women elegantly balance baskets of fruit on their heads, swathed in brightly colored sarongs. South American artists performed exceedingly well as Ecuadorian artist Oswaldo Guayasamín's Quito en rojo, realized $314,500; Colombian master Edgar Negret's Mask realized $80,500 and Peruvian artist Fernando de Szyszlo's Paclla Pampa (Campo Desolado), 1969 achieved $182,500 — all world auction records for the artists. Another significant world auction record was established a sculpture by the artist Rufino Tamayo, whose Figura sideral from 1990 realized $494,500. Virgilio Garza, Head of Latin American Paintings at Christie's comments: "The market for Latin American art is strong, as proven in our successful sale held on Thursday and Friday. We are pleasantly surprised by the significant prices achieved for Latin American masters who have reaffirmed their status as pioneers of Modernism in the region, such as Mexican artist Miguel Covarrubias. Soaring above its high estimate of $300,000, Covarrubias' Offering of Fruits for the Temple is considered to be one of the artist's great masterpieces and has been in a private collection until now. Works of art by South American artists inspired buyers from across the globe. Such works that performed exceedingly include those by Edgar Negret from Colombia, Fernando de Szyszlo from Peru and Oswaldo Guayasamín from Ecuador." In addition to Covarrubias, new world auction records were achieved for the following artists: • Julio Larraz (Cuban, b. 1944), Bingham at Noon, 1996. Price Realized: $326,500 • Oswaldo Guayasamín (Ecuadorian 1919-1999), Quito en rojo. Price Realized $314,500 • Fernando de Szyszlo (Peruvian b.1925), Paclla Pampa (Campo Desolado), 1969. Price Realized: $182,500 • Ricardo Martínez (Mexican 1918-2009), Untitled, 1956. Price Realized: $146,500 • Julio Alpuy (Uruguayan 1919-2009), Paisaje constructivista de Montevideo, 1957. Price Realized: $110,500 • Ernesto Deira (Argentinean 1928-1986), Untitled, 1964. Price Realized: $96,100 • Jorge Jiménez Deredia (Costa Rican b. 1954), Genésis recuerdo profundo, 2005. Price Realized: $86,500 • Alipio Jaramillo (Colombian 1913-1999), Zafra Price Realized: $120,100 • Edgar Negret (Colombian b. 1920), Mask Price Realized: $ 80,500 • Miguel Rio Branco (Spanish/Brazilian b. 1946), Barroco/Novena. Price Realized: $ 37,500 • Isabel de Obaldía (Panamanian b. 1957), Ojos arenados. Price Realized: $17,500 • Nicolás García Uriburu (Argentinian b. 1937), Ombu Price Realized: $74,500 • Rufino Tamayo, (Mexican 1899-1991) Figura sidereal 1990 Price realized: $494,500 * world auction record for a sculpture by the artist*

Famous Chinese Modernist Painter Wu Guanzhong Dies at 90 Posted: 28 May 2011 06:14 PM PDT BEIJING, CHINA -  Wu Guanzhong, known as one of the fathers of modern Chinese art for combining western and Chinese elements in black and white oil paintings, has died. He was 90. He died in Beijing on Friday. Wu's works have become very valuable in recent years. Earlier this month, his oil painting from 1974 depicting the Yangtze River sold for $8.4 million at a Beijing auction. For decades he had been exploring ways of reconciling the two traditions, and in his work shows a mutual influence of Chinese and Western styles. He was a most respected artist and played an important role in contemporary art history, as an artist, a teacher, and an essayist.

The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) shows "American Chronicles ~ The Art of Norman Rockwell" Posted: 28 May 2011 06:14 PM PDT DETROIT, MI -Family … innocence … heroism. These are the core themes interwoven throughout the work of Norman Rockwell, one of America's most recognized and beloved artists. American Chronicles: The Art of Norman Rockwell, on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) through May 31, 2009, explores Rockwell the artist, his images, and their impact and influence on American culture. The exhibition will also display photo murals of one of Rockwell's studios and his working process. He often posed for his own paintings and viewers will get a glimpse into his technique of preparing to create a painting.

David Hockney's "Bigger Trees Near Warter" Gift Presented at Tate Britain Posted: 28 May 2011 06:14 PM PDT LONDON.- David Hockney gifted Bigger Trees near Warter 2007 to Tate in 2008. The oil painting, his largest ever, was made on fifty canvas panels and was executed outside, en plein air. Measuring 4.6 x 12.2 metres (15 x 40 feet), its subject is a typical Yorkshire landscape, west of Bridlington. The work was first exhibited in 2007 at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition. David Hockney also presented Tate with two digital photographic renderings of the painting on paper sheets in the same dimensions as the oil. Focusing on the arrival of spring before trees have come into leaf, Bigger Trees near Warter features two copies, a mighty sycamore tree, buildings and a road curving to the left flanked by early flowering daffodils.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art hosts an Installation of Pacific Island Art Conceived by Artist Franz West Posted: 28 May 2011 06:13 PM PDT LOS ANGELES, CA.- The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents its recent acquisition of one of the most significant private collections of Pacific Island art assembled in the twentieth century in an installation designed by artist Franz West. Representative of the wide range of arts from the Pacific regions and with historic provenance, the collection's greatest strengths lie in artworks from Polynesia and Melanesia.  Further, the installation by West and collaborator Andreas Reiter Raabe continues the museum's recent tradition of commissioning contemporary artists to create a new lens through which to see historic works. Art of the Pacific, curated by Deputy Director Nancy Thomas, is on view from November 7, 2009 through June 2010.

Possible Frida Kahlo Fakes Are Investigated by Mexican Federal Prosecutors Posted: 28 May 2011 06:12 PM PDT Mexico City - Representatives of the Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo Trust have filed a criminal suit here against the two recently published books on the charges of forging 1,200 art works of renowned painter Frida Kahlo. "Most of them appear not to be by the artist, because connoisseurs of the artist's works have said so," attorney Jose Luis Perez Arredondo said Tuesday. The trust, which functions under the auspices of Mexico's central bank, protects the legacy of Mexican painter Kahlo (1907-1954) and her husband Diego Rivera (1886-1957), also a world famous painter.

In the Company of Artists: Photographs from the DIA's Collection Posted: 28 May 2011 06:11 PM PDT   DETROIT, MI - In the Company of Artists is a survey of more than 90 portraits and candid photographs of visual, literary, and performing artists by more than 30 photographers who have had access to the interesting places and people in the world of art. Photographers such as André Kertész, Man Ray, Yousuf Karsh, Arnold Newman and Robert Mapplethorpe took portraits of artists, their families, friends, and surroundings, along with writers, models and others from artistic and bohemian circles from the late 1890s to the present. On exhibition through 15 February, 2009 at DIA.

CAPE TOWN'S MATTHEW HINDLEY AT 34 LONG Posted: 28 May 2011 06:10 PM PDT Cape Town, SA - 34LONG, one of Cape Town's new generation of contemporary visual art galleries, holds the work of Matthew Hindley in high esteem.  A measure of their confidence in Matthew's art is the fact that they are hosting Before My Time, an exhibition of his recent works in their upstairs gallery simultaneously with LIMITED/unlimited, Takashi Murakami's first solo show in South Africa downstairs.  On exhibition 14 November – 9 December.  Hindley has been working in oils for some time now, having started his career with computer generated art work.  He loves paint, and he loves the history of paint.

Sperone Westwater to host Solo Show for Liu Ye in November Posted: 28 May 2011 06:09 PM PDT NEW YORK, NY.- Sperone Westwater will present exhibition of paintings by Liu Ye. This is the artist's second solo show at Sperone Westwater in New York. For this new body of work, Liu Ye continues to engage the history of Modernism in Western art. The focus of these compositions is a singular young woman, depicted either reading or embarking on a journey. As in "Banned Book 2" (2008), "Reading Girl" (2008) and "Ballet Lesson" (2009), she is centrally placed against a saturated and mostly monochromatic background comprised of shades of grey, slate blue and black. Covered with layers of sheer glazes, these compositions have a contemplative and somewhat solemn tone. On exhibition 7 November Through 19 December, 2009.

The World War II Watercolors of Norman S. Rothschild Posted: 28 May 2011 06:08 PM PDT   COLUMBUS, GA - This exhibition features over 40 watercolors depicting views of the South Pacific during World War II as seen through the eyes of Columbus native Norman S. Rothschild, at The Columbus Museum. On exhibition through 2 February, 2008.

The FEMSA Collection, a Continental Vision at NHCC Posted: 28 May 2011 06:06 PM PDT Albuquerque, NM - The National Hispanic Cultural Center (NHCC) announces the opening of the traveling exhibition Colección FEMSA, una mirada continental.  Dr. Karen Cordero, Exhibition Curator and Professor in the Art History Department of the Iberoamerican University in Mexico City; and Lic. Rosa María Rodríguez Garza, FEMSA's Cultural Programs Coordinator, present this major exhibition. The exhibition will remain on view through Sunday, August 13, 2006.

This Week in Review in Art Knowledge News Posted: 28 May 2011 06:06 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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