Art Knowledge News - Keeping You in Touch with the World of Art...

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• The Museum of Contemporary Art Shows Joseph Cornell in Dialogue With MCA Collection
• The Columbia Museum of Art Opens "An Artist’s Eye"
• Buckingham Palace To Display Fabergé Masterpieces From the oyal Collection
• The Hamburger Kunsthalle Presents Marc Brandeburg's Drawings
• The Finnish Museum of Photography Shows "Alice in Wonderland"
• 26- Foot Tall Sculpture of Marilyn Monroe Unveiled on Michigan Avenue in Chicago
• California is Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Iconic Architect John Lautner
• "Frans Hals in the Metropolitan Museum" Showcases the Artist's Work & Influence
• The Deichtorhallen in Hamburg, Germany ~ Europe's Largest Exhibition Hall For Contemporary Art & Photography - Toured by AKN Editor
• Frédéric Back "One with Nature" Retrospective at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts
• ' An Incomplete World ' works from The UBS Art Collection
• Steve Schapiro Photographs Taken During the Shooting of "The Godfather" & "Taxi Driver"
• Julius Caesar ~ Man, Feats and Myth exhibition at Rome's Chiostro del Bramante
• Bellevue Arts Museum presents Sherry Markovitz : Shimmer
• Noted Artists Create Works Inspired by Met's New Opening Night Opera Production
• Expanding Investment Options ~ Trading and Borrowing Against Fine Art
• The Maeght Foundation: Jewel of the French Riviera
• Shirana Shahbazi solos at The Curve, Barbican Art Gallery
• New Photographs by Julian Faulhaber at Hasted Hunt Kraeutler
• Art Knowledge News Presents "This Week In Review"

The Museum of Contemporary Art Shows Joseph Cornell in Dialogue With MCA Collection Posted: 16 Jul 2011 10:08 PM PDT Chicago, IL.- This summer, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago presents "Pandora's Box: Joseph Cornell Unlocks the MCA Collection" until October 16th. Featuring a selection of rarely seen work by the beloved American master Joseph Cornell placed in direct dialogue with works from the MCA Collection, it aims to illuminate his continuing relevance and influence. The exhibition is grouped into ten distinct themes pulled from Cornell's work, each given its own gallery: The Box as Altar, Feathered Fantasies, The Voyeur, Repetitions, Celestial Musings, A Reductive Language, Cut and Paste, Architecture and Art, The Lure of the Ocean, and Films.Joseph Cornell (1903-72) was an American artist and sculptor who is one of the most celebrated figures in modern art. His signature works -- boxed assemblages made with precious objects that he found on trips to New York bookshops and thrift stores – combined the formal rigor of Constructivism with the fantasy of Surrealism. Cornell is considered an American Surrealist, he came on the scene later than his European counterparts, but admired their work and borrowed from their absurd juxtapositions and evocation of nostalgia. Although he lived almost all of his life in a small house on Utopia Parkway in working-class Queens with his mother and brother, he nevertheless was shown in progressive galleries in New York, made contact with many of the most advanced artists of his day, and entertained curious visitors until late in his life. Cornell's work has been defined by the rectangular box, which he transformed into small, magical worlds by adding his collected  materials. Each box was assembled with great care and devotion, and in its finished state resembled a religious altar. Numerous artists have followed his example, building rectangular containers that create a real visual space, allow for the juxtaposition of objects, and draw viewers into deciphering their interior dramas. Contemporary artists such as Don Baum and Marisol share his spirit for thrift store salvation, assembling narratives from disparate cast-off parts. George Segal and Buzz Spector enlarged Cornell's small scale to more human dimensions, but retained his contemplative and philosophical tone. Jeff Wall's signature lightboxes, filled with detailed color photographs, inspire the same kind of looking and thinking that has come to be a hallmark of Cornell. Cornell was fascinated with birds for their exoticism and beauty, and their representation of flight, travel, and escape. Cornell rarely ventured far from home, but the freedom that birds possessed fostered dreams of other places. Two categories of bird-related boxes emerged over the years: Habitats, which appear as homes birds would develop in nature, and Aviaries which recall manmade birdhouses. The Habitats were filled with soil, bark, and insects, and often darkened with colored glass fronts, while the Aviaries tended to be bright, with painted perches, food and water dishes. Other Surrealists, such as Max Ernst and Leonora Carrington, also turned to birds as avatars of strangeness, with flamboyant plumage, prehistoric movement, and often foreboding significance (as with Edgar Allen Poe and the raven). The erotic idea of caging beauty, especially songbirds, can often be found in Ernst's works of captive creatures such as in his painting Loplop Introducing a Bird. Chicago-based artist Nick Cave has also been drawn to birds in his resourceful scavenging and collaged sculptures, a new one of which was commissioned for the exhibition. Like Cornell, who switched from taxidermied birds to 3 reproduced images, Marlo Pascual plays with illusion, making a flat photograph appear to come to life with the addition of a sculptural perch. For Warhol, the repetitive images of celebrity figures, such as the  Troy (Donohue), speak to a culture of mass marketing and the tabloid image machine. But in Cornell's hands, the repetition has a quiet, meditative quality like a prayer chant, especially with his obsession over a handsome young boy from a Caravaggio painting. Other artworks in the MCA collection reveal what a seminal act duplication and replication has become in contemporary art, from the assemblages of Arman, which likewise address consumer culture and waste, to Wallace Berman who mixes spirituality with pop culture. In Rembrandt Head Details, Mike and Doug Starn's double photo of Rembrandt appears as an archeological relic of a bygone era, and in Christian Boltanski's epic installation repeated images of children take on a melancholy character. Longing and romantic desire run through Cornell's work, populated with beautiful maidens, nymphs, and ballerinas -- usually as objects of worship. In one of the works from his Hotel de l'Etoile series, he uses his signature deep blue glass to symbolize night, as he orchestrates a clandestine moonlight escapade with a voluptuous nude from a men's magazine emerging from the shadows. The artist William Copley, who was a friend and dealer of Cornell's, was also fascinated with the female form and, like Cornell, placed the viewer in an oddly voyeuristic position as in  Blue Mood where the privacy of a bath is interrupted by a policeman. Jeff Koons and Michelangelo Pistoletto also implicate the viewer in not-so-private bath times -- Koons in sculptural form with the emergence of a snorkeler in the tub, while Pistoletto uses mirrored aluminum to reflect an encounter with an Ingres-like beauty in The Turkish Bath. The story gets more complicated in  Henry Darger's complex narratives with the Vivian girls, where sexuality is confused in a bacchanalian fantasy. The 'female as temptress' is different for women artists: Cindy Sherman and Francesca Woodman come at this subject from different angles, although both use themselves as the protagonists of their staged scenarios. Before Andy Warhol made serial repetition a staple of visual culture, Cornell pioneered the use of repeating copies of the same image. In his Medici Boxes, Cornell would duplicate the same printed illustration in a gridded structure, predating Warhol. Despite myths about Cornell's hermit-like lifestyle, he entertained many visitors to his home over the years, including Warhol. Cornell was fascinated by the sky and the planets,  using circular forms (rings, rubber balls, corks, marbles) as metaphors for celestial bodies. In his boxes, star maps paired with looped rings or balls  could take on the significance of other realms, transporting the viewer into a world of science and wonder. Contemporary artists have taken up similar concerns, such as in the transformative work of Gabriel Orozco, whose "Ball on Water" liberates the common object of a ball to suggest the sky and  heavens. In Piotr Uklanski's collages with pencil shavings, trash can even suggest the Big Bang theory, and in Jeff Koons' sculpture Three Ball Total Equilibrium Tank, basketballs suddenly take on galactic overtones. The ambiguous circles in the work of artists  Laszlo Moholy-Nagy, Liz Larner, and Mariko Mori are likewise transformed by association, while artists Louise Nevelson and Gary Simmons directly reference planetary activity. Using mud to paint a giant circle on the gallery wall of the MCA,  Richard Long clearly intended to transport the mysterious power of our planet into the gallery. Cornell found beauty in simplicity before Minimalism, but one of the lesser-known aspects of his work is that he didn't always fill his boxes with found imagery. A rhythm of rectangular grids, or an array of circular holes in works such as Multiple Cubes show a stripped down expression of space and solids that was a predecessor of Minimalist art in the 1960s. Seen alongside the plywood boxes of Donald Judd, or the mathematical progressions of Sol LeWitt, Cornell's work is revelatory. H.C. Westermann was also drawn to repetitive and algorithmic formats, which he used in his sculpture "Rosebud". Alfred Jensen was fascinated by the mystical qualities of nature, mathematics, and exotic cultures. In his canvas Let There Be Light, he tries to assign meaning to the numeric patterns as if unlocking an ancient secret, a pursuit that Cornell would have found worthwhile. Cornell's collages borrow from Surrealist visual games known for creating disruptions of meaning and nonsense. Clashing compositions of found imagery have come to characterize much of the defining work of the late 20th century. They took the form of Victorian fever dreams in the work of San Francisco Bay Area artist  Jess, and a cool conceptualism in the classic multi-panel works of John Baldessari. Robert Rauschenberg's silkscreened work Retroactive II and the politically charged hallucinations of Robert Heinecken show how long this method lasted. Collage returned with artists such as David Salle whose dissonant paintings are interrupted by objects attached directly to the canvas, and in the overwhelming detail and horror vacui of Lari Pittman's paintings. The vitality of recent work by artists Thomas Hirschhorn and John Stezaker prove that cutting and pasting remains a relevant way to reflect and process the modern media-saturated world. Cornell's boxes often suggest architecture in miniature -- built with wood, decorated with paint, and often including decorative moulding, wire screens, and glass. Some formats were literally derived from small-scale buildings like birdhouses or dovecotes, such as  Untitled (Compartmented Aviary Box). Architecture has also been a favorite reference point for contemporary artists. Christo's early work, Orange Store Front, is an architectural fragment that acts as a stage for narrative projections. Guenther Foerg's photographs of fascist architecture such as the Mussolini-era building depicted in E.U.R. Palazzo della Civilta, reveal the complexities of buildings which seem beautiful and orderly on the outside, but hold disturbing political agendas inside. The vast scope of Andreas Gursky's image Avenue of the Americas makes one wonder how it was possible to capture from a single vantage point. B. Wurtz pairs photography and objects, rooting the grandiosity of architecture in the familiarity of the everyday. Travel to exotic, faraway places and dreams of escape populate Cornell's work. The ocean was one of his favorite recurring themes, through the inclusion of boat forms, navigational maps, seashells, and the color blue. The Surrealists often used the ocean and the threshold between land and sea as a metaphor for the edges of civilization, and sometimes reason. This is certainly the case in René Magritte's  "Les merveilles de la nature (The Wonders of Nature)", where a clipper ship painted to look like clouds sails by while two fish characters canoodle on the beach. One of the nation's largest facilities devoted to the art of our time, the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) offers exhibitions of the most thought-provoking art created since 1945. The MCA documents contemporary visual culture through painting, sculpture, photography, video and film, and performance. Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the MCA boasts a gift store, bookstore, restaurant, 300-seat theater, and a terraced sculpture garden with a great view of Lake Michigan. The mission of the MCA is to be an innovative and compelling center of contemporary art where the public can directly experience the work and ideas of living artists, and understand the historical, social, and cultural context of the art of our time. The Museum boldly interweaves exhibitions, performances, collections, and educational programs to excite, challenge, and illuminate our visitors and to provide insight into the creative process. The MCA aspires to engage a broad and diverse audience, create a sense of community and be a place for contemplation, stimulation, and discussion about contemporary art and culture. The Museum of Contemporary Art Collection has outstanding examples of visual art from 1945 to the present with a strong focus on surrealism, minimalism, conceptual photography, and work by Chicago-based artists. At the time of its opening, the Museum claimed 7,000 objects, including works by Marcel Duchamp, Bruce Nauman, and Alfredo Jaar. Today, the museum's collection consists of 2,345 objects, as well as about 2,500 artist's books. The collection features visual art from 1945 to the present, including work by artists from Lee Bontecou to Robert Smithson. Notable works in the museum's collection include, "Polychrome and Horizontal Bluebird" by Alexander Calder, "Cindy" by Chuck Close, "In Memory of My Feelings - Frank O'Hara" by Jasper Johns, "Study for a Portrait" by Francis Bacon and "Campbell's Soup Cans II" by Andy Warhol. During the 2008 fiscal year the MCA Celebrated its 40th anniversary, which inspired gifts of works from artists such as Dan Flavin, Alfredo Jaar, and Thomas Ruff. Additionally, the museum expanded its collection by acquiring the work of some of the artists it presented during its anniversary celebration such as Carlos Amorales, Tony Oursler, and Adam Pendleton. Visit the museum's website at ... http://www.mcachicago.org

The Columbia Museum of Art Opens "An Artist’s Eye" Posted: 16 Jul 2011 10:07 PM PDT Columbia, SC.- The Columbia Museum of Art has invited guest curator Sigmund Abeles to bring a fresh eye and different perspective to the Museum's collection of modern and contemporary art. His selection of over 80 works is based on his personal taste, preferences and attitudes about contemporary art, which he developed over a 50-year career. The premise is that an artist brings a different 'eye' and set of criteria to the table in evaluating art than does a curator or an art historian, whose training tends toward historical context rather than artistic practice. This different viewpoint – born from a background of method, process, creation and materials – can yield a new and interesting perspective to the selection and display of modern and contemporary artwork from our collection. The exhibition "An Artist's Eye" remains on view at the museum until October 23rd.

Buckingham Palace To Display Fabergé Masterpieces From the oyal Collection Posted: 16 Jul 2011 10:06 PM PDT London.- Over 100 masterpieces from the finest collection of Fabergé in the world will go on display from Saturday, 23rd July as part of a special exhibition at Buckingham Palace this summer. Royal Fabergé will chart the Royal Family's enduring passion for the work of the great Russian jeweller and goldsmith, Peter Carl Fabergé, over six generations – from Queen Victoria, to Her Majesty The Queen and His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. "Royal Fabergé" will remain on display until October 3rd. A number of works will go on display for the first time, including an exquisite miniature tea set comprising a teapot, hot water pot, sugar bowl and milk jug.  The tea set originally belonged to Queen Alexandra and is made of gold and enamelled to give the impression of porcelain; each lid is decorated with a tiny ruby.

The Hamburger Kunsthalle Presents Marc Brandeburg's Drawings Posted: 16 Jul 2011 10:00 PM PDT Hamburg, Germany - The Hamburger Kuntshalle is proud to present "Marc Brandeburg: Drawings" on view in the museum until October 9th. Berlin-based artist Marc Brandenburg (born 1965) has recently emerged as one of the best-known draftsmen of his generation. Influenced by the pop and punk culture of the 1960s and 80's, Brandenburg's graphite drawings document Berlin's subversive nightlife, portraits of friends or extremely zoomed-in details of banal, ordinary objects. Brandenburg is fascinated by the velocity and movement in the scene images of today, but also the simplicity and beauty of a laconic Christmas ball, for example, or a fairground carousel. He deliberately makes use of these fast images only to freeze them, in black and white, by means of a lengthy, obsessive drawing process. Brandenburg draws from his own photos and images from magazines, which he distorts using a photocopier, converts to negative images with the computer and then traces.

The Finnish Museum of Photography Shows "Alice in Wonderland" Posted: 16 Jul 2011 09:11 PM PDT Helsinki.- The Finnish Museum of Photography is proud to present "Alice in Wonderland" an international exhibition of contemporary photographic art, on view until December 18th. The exhibition is part of the city of Turku's Capital of Culture 2011 programme and takes place in Logomo, Köydenpunojankatu 14, Turku. Fantastic everyday life and everyday fantasy blend in Alice in Wonderland, a major international exhibition of contemporary photographic art in Turku, the European Capital of Culture 2011, designed and implemented by the Finnish Museum of Photography, with the support of the Turku 2011 Foundation. The display of works of 31 artists set up in Logomo, a former engineering workshop, makes for a delightful viewing experience.

26- Foot Tall Sculpture of Marilyn Monroe Unveiled on Michigan Avenue in Chicago Posted: 16 Jul 2011 08:26 PM PDT CHICAGO, IL (AP).- Marilyn Monroe's billowing skirt shows it's possible to catch a nice breeze in the Windy City. As dozens of people watched Friday, a 26-foot-tall sculpture of Monroe in her famous pose from the film "The Seven Year Itch" was unveiled on Chicago's Magnificent Mile. In the film, a draft catches Monroe's dress as she passes over a subway grate. Many in the crowd that descended on the plaza throughout the day — including a tuxedo-clad wedding party — wasted little time positioning themselves under the movie star's dress to catch a subway-level view and take pictures with their cell phone cameras. Not that Monroe, her eyes closed and a sublime smile on her face, seemed to notice.

California is Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Iconic Architect John Lautner Posted: 16 Jul 2011 08:02 PM PDT LOS ANGELES, CA.- The Californian landscape wouldn't be the same without the photogenic, iconic buildings of architect John Lautner; his soaring glass and concrete mansions, imbued with playfulness and optimism of the mid-century spirit, are as much a part of the state's architectural heritage as the Golden Gate bridge. The celebrated designer, who lived from 1911 to 1994, would have turned 100 this week, and to mark this milestone, the John Lautner Foundation is organizing a series of film screening, tours, and exhibitions, on his actual birthday, July 16.

"Frans Hals in the Metropolitan Museum" Showcases the Artist's Work & Influence Posted: 16 Jul 2011 07:01 PM PDT New York.- The Metropolitan Museum of Art will be hosting "Frans Hals in the Metropolitan Museum" from July 26th until October 10th. The Metropolitan Museum of Art holds the most important collection of paintings in America by the celebrated Dutch artist Frans Hals (1582/83–1666), whose portraits and genre scenes were famous in his lifetime for their immediacy and dazzling brushwork. This exhibition will present thirteen paintings by Hals, including two lent from private collections, and several works by other Netherlandish masters. Several of the Museum's paintings by Hals are famous, especially the early "Merrymakers at Shrovetide" (ca. 1616) and the so-called "Yonker Ramp and His Sweetheart" (1623), both bequeathed to the Museum by Benjamin Altman in 1913. Also included in the exhibition will be two loans from private collections in New York—the small, exquisite "Portrait of Samuel Ampzing" (1630), on copper, and the well-known Fisher Girl (1630–32). A selection of other Dutch paintings from the Museum's collection and a few engravings will set Hals's work in the context of his native Haarlem and will help clarify how exceptional his animated poses and virtuoso brushwork were at the time. A portrait by Manet, inspired by Hals, will also demonstrate how strongly Hals anticipated Impressionist effects. Frans Hals was born in 1580 or 1581, in Antwerp. Like many, Hals' family fled during the Fall of Antwerp (1584-1585) from the Spanish Netherlands to Haarlem, where he lived for the remainder of his life. Hals studied under another Flemish-émigré, Karel van Mander (1548–1606), whose Mannerist influence, however, is not noticeably visible in his work. At the age of 27, he became a member of the city's painter's corporation, the Haarlem Guild of Saint Luke, and he started to earn money as an art restorer for the city council. He worked on their large art collection that Karel van Mander had described in his book 'The Painting-Book'. The most notable of these were the works of Geertgen tot Sint Jans, Jan van Scorel and Jan Mostaert, that hung in de St. Jans kerk in Haarlem. The restoration work was paid for by the city of Haarlem, since all religious art was confiscated after the iconoclasm, but the entire collection of paintings was not formally possessed by the city council until 1625, after the city fathers had decided which paintings were suitable for the city hall. The remaining art that was considered too "Roman Catholic" was sold to Cornelis Claesz van Wieringen, a fellow guild member, on the grounds that he remove it from the city. It was under these circumstances that Hals began his career in portraiture, since the market for religious themes had disappeared. The earliest known example of Hals' own art is the 1611, 'Jacobus Zaffius'. His 'breakthrough' came in 1616, with the life-size group portrait, The Banquet of the Officers of the St George Militia Company. His most noted portrait today is the one he made in 1649 of René Descartes. In 1617, he married Lysbeth Reyniers, the young daughter of a fishmonger that he had taken in to look after his two children from his first marriage. They married in Spaarndam, a small village outside the banns of Haarlem, because she was already 8 months pregnant. Frans Hals was a devoted father and they went on to have eight children. Where Hals contemporaries such as Rembrandt moved their households according to the caprices of patrons, Hals remained in Haarlem and insisted that his customers came to him. According to the Haarlem archives, a militia piece that Hals started in Amsterdam was finished by another painter because Hals refused to paint in Amsterdam, insisting that the militiamen come to Haarlem to sit for their portraits. Although Hals' work was in demand throughout his life, he lived so long that he eventually went out of style as a painter and experienced financial difficulties. In addition to his painting, he continued throughout his life to work as an restorer, art dealer, and art tax expert for the city councilors. His creditors took him to court several times, and to settle his debt with a baker in 1652 he sold his belongings. The inventory of the property seized mentions only three mattresses and bolsters, an armoire, a table and five pictures (these were by himself, his sons, van Mander, and Maarten van Heemskerck). Left destitute, the municipality gave him an annuity of 200 florins in 1664. At a time when the Dutch nation fought for independence, Hals appeared in the ranks of the schutterij, a military guild. It is possible that he received the privilege as thanks for painting that company 3 times. Hals was also a member of a local chamber of rhetoric, and in 1644 chairman of the Painters Corporation at Haarlem. Frans Hals died in Haarlem in 1666 and was buried in the city's St. Bavo Church. His widow later died obscurely in a hospital after seeking outdoor relief from the guardians of the poor. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (colloquially known as "The Met") is one of the world's largest and finest art museums, visited by nearly five million people each year. Its collections include almost three million works of art spanning five thousand years of world culture, from prehistory to the present and from every part of the globe. The main building is located on the eastern edge of Central Park, along "Museum Mile" in New York City, but there is also a smaller second location, at "The Cloisters", in Upper Manhattan, which features much of the collection of medieval art. The Metropolitan Museum of Art was founded on April 13, 1870, and first opened on February 20, 1872, housed in a building located at 681 Fifth Avenue in New York City. Under the guidance of its first board of directors, the Met's holdings, initially consisting of a Roman stone sarcophagus and 174 mostly European paintings, quickly outgrew the available space and in 1873 the museum moved from Fifth Avenue to the Douglas Mansion at 128 West 14th Street. However the growing collection required still more space than the mansion could provide, and in 1880, the Metropolitan Museum moved to its current site in Central Park. The original purpose-built Gothic-Revival-style building designed by American architect Calvert Vaux was not well-received. The building's High Victorian Gothic style was already going out of fashion by the time construction was completed, and the president of the Met termed the project "a mistake." Within 20 years, a new architectural plan, incorporating the Vaux building solely as an interior and stripping it of many of its distinctive design elements, was already being executed. Since then the building has been greatly expanded in size and the various additions now completely surround the original structure. The present facade and entrance structure along Fifth Avenue were completed in 1926. The Met measures almost 1/4-mile (400 m) long and with more than 2,000,000 square feet (190,000 m2) of floor space is more than 20 times the size of the original 1880 building. The City of New York owns the museum building and contributes utilities, heat, and some of the cost of guardianship, the collections are owned by a private corporation of Fellows and Benefactors. Visit the museum's website at … http://www.metmuseum.org

The Deichtorhallen in Hamburg, Germany ~ Europe's Largest Exhibition Hall For Contemporary Art & Photography - Toured by AKN Editor Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:50 PM PDT The Deichtorhallen are a pair of buildings in Hamburg, Germany, formerly used as a market and now a centre for temporary exhibitions of modern art, photography and design. The Deichtorhallen consist of Europe's largest exhibition hall for contemporary art together with the more recent Haus der Photographie (House of Photography). They are located in the centre of Hamburg, between the Kunstmeile ("art mile") and the former docks area, HafenCity. The spacious buildings are distinguished architecturally by their open steel-girder and glass construction, and offer a visually impressive venue for the large international art exhibitions hosted there today. There is also a design store, a specialist photography bookstore and a restaurant. The Deichtorhallen do not house a permanent collection, but instead a continually changing series of exhibitions; however, the basis of the Haus der Photographie is two collections on extended loan: the collection of the photographer F.C. Gundlach, one of Germany's leading collectors of artistic and fashion photography; and the archive of the magazine Der Spiegel, which with over three million images is the largest journalistic research archive in Germany. Next to the buildings is a moored balloon, "HiFlyer", which offers views across the city. What were once two market halls, today provide some 6,000+ square meters of exhibition area forming one of Europe's largest centers for art exhibitions". ...Anyone who hates that museum feel will love the old halls; no sense of claustrophobia here, a modern ambience, and the shows are always exciting," is how the magazine "MarieClaire" describes the Deichtorhallen. The editors of the annual CAPITAL-Kunstkompass art guide rank the Deichtorhallen among their group of only ten internationally important museums and art institutions alongside the likes of the Guggenheim and MOMA, New York, the Stedelijk, Amsterdam, the Tate Modern, London and the Center Georges Pompidou, Paris.The restored halls were donated by the Körber Foundation to the city of Hamburg. In 1989 they were assigned to the Deichtorhallen-Ausstellungs GmbH. The Deichtorhallen's international art exhibition program was launched by Harald Szeemann who curated the first show "Einleuchten" which opened on November 9, 1989. Open steel and glass architecture highlight the spacious historic buildings which today offer room for spectacular, large-scale international exhibitions. Deichtorhallen Director Dr. Robert Fleck fills these rooms with international contemporary art grouped under particular headings – or with single shows on Warhol and Marc Chagall through to Haring. This catalogue of artists is also supplemented by star photographers such as Newton, Leibowitz and Penn. The "Deichtorhallen" enjoy an impeccable international reputation, based upon the six to eight annual exhibitions of art and art history which are consistently representative of an extremely high international standard. The gallery therefore has established itself as an important platform for creative art after 1945. They have included comprehensive shows by such artists as Andreas Gursky (1994), Cindy Sherman (1995), Jason Rhoades (1999), Andrea Zittel (1999), Elizabeth Peyton (2001) and Wolfgang Tillmans (2001). Furthermore, thematic and group exhibitions have gone on tour as have renowned international art collections such as the Center Pompidou Collection (1990) or the Goetz Collection (1998 – 1999). Since its reopening in April 2005, the House of Photography has organized exhibitions spotlighting the diversity of photography, presenting unknown but world class photographers as well as photographic stars since photography's beginnings in the 19th century through to the current upheaval marked by the transition from traditional to digital-electronic photographs. Visit website at : www.deichtorhallen.de/ No permanent collection is mounted in the Deichtorhallen Halls. The emphasis is firmly on temporary exhibitions, despite the House of Photography being based around two collections: the F. C. Gundlach collection, one of Germany's leading compilations of artistic and fashion photography, and the Spiegel magazine photo library, Germany's biggest research archive for journalists, with more than three million pictures. The emphasis is firmly on temporary exhibitions, despite the House of Photography being based around two collections: the F. C. Gundlach collection, one of Germany's leading compilations of artistic and fashion photography, and the Spiegel magazine photo library, Germany's biggest research archive for journalists, with more than three million pictures. Since its reopening in April 2005, the House of Photography has organized exhibitions spotlighting the diversity of photography, presenting unknown but world class photographers as well as photographic stars since photography's beginnings in the 19th century through to the current upheaval marked by the transition from traditional to digital-electronic photographs. The central element in all this is the F.C. Gundlach Collection, one of the leading collections of art and fashion photography which the Deichtorhallen succeeded in keeping in Hamburg. It is on permanent loan to the Deichtorhallen and will be shown gradually over the upcoming years juxtaposed with works from the international world of photography. The architectural conception was based upon the ideas of Prof. F. C. Gundlach and is a substantial and sensitive development of the renovationof the former market hall by Josef P. Kleihues in 1989. After the construction of the Schürmann-Wing at the Museum of Arts and Crafts and the adaptation of Bucerius Artforum in Hamburg architect Jan Störmer has now set a third landmark in the Hamburg cultural landscape with the House of Photography. The hall has received a new climate and light system, separate exhibition cabinets, a hightech auditory, an interactive educational lounge, a library, a storage space for the photographic collections as well as a bookshop and the new restaurant »Fillet of Soul«. The House of Photography thus fulfills the physical and conservatory conditions for a multidisciplinary vital and internationally working exhibition center.

Frédéric Back "One with Nature" Retrospective at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:49 PM PDT MONTREAL, CANADA - In connection with the exhibition Expanding Horizons: Painting and Photography of American and Canadian Landscape 1860-1918, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is presenting Frédéric Back: One with Nature, from June 18 to September 27, 2009. The Museum believes it is the ideal time to present the outstanding work of this artist, painter, illustrator and filmmaker who, through his images and his films, tirelessly endeavours to make the public aware of the beauty of nature and the importance of protecting it. "By its very theme, the exhibition Frédéric Back: One with Nature, has provided our organization with an opportunity to underscore our commitment to protecting the environment and making our contribution to the Montreal community's efforts in that direction," points out Nathalie Bondil, Museum Director.

' An Incomplete World ' works from The UBS Art Collection Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:48 PM PDT Sydney, AU - 'An incomplete world' features paintings and photographs by leading international artists including Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein, Sarah Morris, Damien Hirst, Andreas Gursky, Ed Ruscha, Lucian Freud, Gerhard Richter and Cindy Sherman.  Selected from The UBS Art Collection, one of the finest international corporate art collections, An incomplete world will open at the Art Gallery of New South Wales before traveling to the National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne and the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo. Exhibitions curated from the UBS collection have previously been presented at the Museum of Modern Art, New York and Tate Modern, London.  On exhibition 19 May – 29 July 2007.

Steve Schapiro Photographs Taken During the Shooting of "The Godfather" & "Taxi Driver" Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:47 PM PDT PARIS.- In 1971, Francis Ford Coppola started work on « The Godfather », one of the most acclaimed films ever made. Steve Schapiro, then a 37-year old established photojournalist was hired by Paramount as the special photographer for the film. This title gave Schapiro unprecedented access to one of the most stellar casts ever assembled, photographing whichever film scenes he chose, capturing the memorable moments often cited when referencing this film, including "the whisper", and Marlon Brando with the cat. The exhibition at A.Galerie runs through May 14, 2011.

Julius Caesar ~ Man, Feats and Myth exhibition at Rome's Chiostro del Bramante Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:46 PM PDT   ROME - Chiostro del Bramante presents Julius Caesar - Man, Feats and Myth, on view through May 3, 2009. Finally, the leading protagonists of Roman history are in Rome! The Chiostro del Bramante inaugurates a grand season in its already well-known expository showings. For the first time ever, in the suggestive surroundings attributable to the genius of the great Urbinate architect, a show expressly dedicated to the image of the first absolute protagonist of ancient Rome has been elaborated.

Bellevue Arts Museum presents Sherry Markovitz : Shimmer Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:45 PM PDT Bellevue, WA – Bellevue Arts Museum presents Sherry Markovitz: Shimmer, Paintings and Sculptures 1979 - 2007, a mid-career retrospective of the renowned Seattle-based, mixed-media artist. On view May 22 through September 7, 2008, the exhibition is comprised of 41 pieces: 29 sculptural works (10 dolls, 5 gourds, 14 animals) and 12 paintings.

Noted Artists Create Works Inspired by Met's New Opening Night Opera Production Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:44 PM PDT NEW YORK, NY.- Fourteen contemporary artists have created works about Mary Magdalene for Gallery Met, inspired by the company's new production of Puccini's Tosca, which opens the 2009-10 season on September 21. The exhibition Something about Mary features original works by Hugh Bush, Paul Chan, Francesco Clemente, George Condo, John Currin, Rachael Feinstein, Barnaby Furnas, Elizabeth Peyton, James Rosenquist, Julian Schnabel, Dana Schutz, Shahzia Sikander, Rudolf Stingel and Francesco Vezzoli. Artists Marlene Dumas and Kiki Smith are lending previously created works on the same subject. The exhibition opens on September 22 and runs through the end of January.

Expanding Investment Options ~ Trading and Borrowing Against Fine Art Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:43 PM PDT SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- The uncertainty in today's market has caused many investors to look outside the box. The stock market's volatility has had many investors looking elsewhere for investment options. Many grandfather companies that have been our staple, reliable investments have crumbled. This ongoing phenomenon had leveled the playing field for investments. Commodities that were not considered viable investment alternatives in our past are having a new lease on life. This is where art enters the playing field. Many of today's investment portfolios look more like this: stock, real estate, and, an Early American artist painting grandma gave me.

The Maeght Foundation: Jewel of the French Riviera Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:42 PM PDT The French Riviera wasn't always known as a getaway for the rich and famous.  Under the glittery veneer is a subtle beauty that comes not only from the natural surroundings, but also the warmth and joie de vivre of the local residents. The character of the Côte d'Azur began to change at the end of the nineteenth century, when neoimpressionist painter Paul Signac discovered the remarkable quality of the light in St. Tropez.  Signac brought other artists, including Pierre Bonnard, Henri Matisse, Raoul Dufy, Henri Charles Manguin, and Georges Seurat. Farther along the Riviera to the east, the medieval "perched" villages of Tourette sur Loup, Vence, and St. Paul de Vence are veritable artist colonies.  Matisse lived near Vence and designed and built the Rosary Chapel nearby.  Marc Chagall is buried in St. Paul's cemetery.  His mosaics turn up in unlikely places including a baptismal font in a church in Vence and the wall of a private garden.

Shirana Shahbazi solos at The Curve, Barbican Art Gallery Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:41 PM PDT LONDON - Iranian-born, Zurich-based Shirana Shahbazi is the latest contemporary artist to be commissioned to make a new work for The Curve, the Barbican's free exhibition space. Shahbazi is creating an ambitious new installation that features a large mural painted directly on to the 80 metre long wall interspersed with some 30 photographs of differing scales.

New Photographs by Julian Faulhaber at Hasted Hunt Kraeutler Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:40 PM PDT NEW YORK, NY.- Hasted Hunt Kraeutler presents an exhibition of new photographs from the body of work Lowdensitypolyethylene by Julian Faulhaber. The German-born photographer made his United States debut in Chisel curated by Kathy Ryan of the New York Times at the first annual New York Photo Festival in 2008. His first gallery show in New York followed in the fall of that year at Hasted Hunt Kraeutler. Since then, Faulhaber has been named a new and emerging photographer to watch in 2009 by Photo District News (PDN) and has been included in the exhibition Reality Check: Truth and Illusion in Contemporary Photography at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. On view 8 May through 26 June.

Art Knowledge News Presents "This Week In Review" Posted: 16 Jul 2011 06:40 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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