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• Please Excuse Our 24 Hour Delay For Maintenance
• The Newark Museum features 'Paths to Impressionism: French & American Landscape Paintings'
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art Displays ~ Art of the Royal Court
• Blanton Museum of Art hosts Japanese Woodblock Prints from the James A. Michener Collection
• Kofi Annan Awards 60,000 Pound Prix Pictet Photography Prize to Nadav Kander
• La Fabrica Galeria in Madrid Opens Shows Solo by Shirin Neshat
• El Museo del Barrio Reopens in October Celebrating 40th Anniversary Year
• Las Vegas Art Museum displays Collector's Contemporary Collections
• Fondation Cartier to feature Beat Takeshi Kitano a Multifaceted Artist
• Abstract Art in South & North America at the Amon Carter Museum
• Vanderbilt University shows Views from the Collection III
• Bayerisches Nationalmuseum Exhibits Cleveland Museum Treasures
• Arab Museum Approves Nudity
• This Week in Review in Art Knowledge News

Please Excuse Our 24 Hour Delay For Maintenance Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:49 PM PDT ANNOUNCEMENT: Art Knowledge News will be taking a One Day break during a 24 hour, or less, period required for maintenance of our equipment. We are 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 . . and we are also publishing current art news articles on the left hand side under RECENT NEWS .. Enjoy

The Newark Museum features 'Paths to Impressionism: French & American Landscape Paintings' Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:47 PM PDT   NEWARK, NJ - Impressionism flourished in nineteenth-century France and the United States as one of the most powerful forms of artistic expression and continues to draw the appreciation and admiration of art lovers throughout the world. With the opening on September 17 of Paths to Impressionism: French and American Landscape Paintings from the Worcester Art Museum, a forty-two painting exhibition featuring masterworks by Claude Monet, Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Braque, George Inness and Childe Hassam, The Newark Museum provides an opportunity to examine one of the most popular styles in the history of art. When combined with visits to the Museum's permanent Picturing America galleries and its concurrent exhibition, Small but Sublime: Intimate Views by Durand, Bierstadt and Inness, visitors are treated to a compelling overview of the century's major developments in landscape painting.  On view through 4 January, 2009. By the end of the nineteenth century, Impressionism had become the avant-garde painting style in America. According to The Newark Museum Director Mary Sue Price, "both the Worcester Art Museum and The Newark Museum built impressive collections of nineteenth-century landscape paintings by being in the forefront of acquiring American art." "The landscapes exhibited in Worcester's Paths to Impressionism as well as those in The Newark Museum's Picturing America and Small but Sublime provide a remarkable survey of the dramatic changes in the interpretation of nature that occurred during the nineteenth century," Price said. "The inspiring masterworks in Paths to Impressionism convey artists' personal response to their environment," commented Dr. Holly Pyne Connor, Curator of 19th-Century American Art at The Newark Museum. "In these beautiful paintings, nature is transformed into great art." Beginning in the 1820s, a number of artists abandoned Paris and its increasing urbanization and industrialization, retreating to Barbizon, a village near the ancient forest of Fontainebleau. These artists, who would later be referred to as the Barbizon School, painted outdoors (en plein–air), creating nostalgic and idealized views of peasants and their way of life. The Barbizon artists attempted to capture changing light and weather conditions, creating timeless scenes that frequently convey feelings of tranquility. For artists and their urban patrons, landscape paintings provided a welcome relief from everyday realities. During the second half of the century, these French artists influenced American painters. By the 1870s, Paris was the international art capital of the world, attracting numbers of American artists. Upon their return home, these artists adopted the themes and techniques of the Barbizon School. Using fluid and loose brushstrokes, they painted evocative rural landscapes, frequently employing muted colors. Their canvases suggested nature rather than illustrating it, selecting twilight and sunset scenes and the season of autumn to convey feelings of melancholy and tranquility. The contrast between Barbizon and Impressionist paintings is clearly evident in Paths to Impressionism. While Barbizon art focused on a way of life that was vanishing, the French Impressionists, who flourished in the middle and late nineteenth century, were intent on painting scenes of modern life, frequently showing landscapes in transition from rural to industrial. The Impressionists' palette, with its brilliant colors applied in broken and highly visible brushstrokes, with pure colors placed side-by-side to create a shimmering effect, is different from the muted tones of the Barbizon School. The brilliant light in Impressionist paintings dissolves the solidity of the forms while their scenes appear informal and casually composed. Founded in 1909, The Newark Museum has been committed to collecting contemporary American art. In 1912, the Museum purchased The South Gorge, Appledore, Isles of Shoal (the Gorge) by Childe Hassam, the foremost American Impressionist. The painting was completed the year it was acquired. Hassam frequently worked in series, depicting multiple versions of the same or similar subjects, as did Claude Monet. Water Lilies, Water Landscape, one of Monet's many paintings of the subject, will be on display in the exhibition as will Hassam's painting. Visit The Newark Museum at : www.newarkmuseum.org/

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Displays ~ Art of the Royal Court Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:46 PM PDT New York City - The Italian term pietre dure – literally meaning "hard stone" – refers to the artistic cutting of semiprecious stones, such as agate, lapis lazuli, and other colorful hardstones, to fashion extravagant luxury objects, from architectural ornament and furniture to ornate display items and personal jewelry.  Opening July 1 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the landmark exhibition Art of the Royal Court: Treasures in Pietre Dure from the Palaces of Europe will feature more than 170 masterpieces in carved stone, many of them embellished with gold and silver mounts or decorated with exotic woods and other coveted materials.

Blanton Museum of Art hosts Japanese Woodblock Prints from the James A. Michener Collection Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:45 PM PDT AUSTIN, TX - The Blanton Museum of Art presents Exquisite Visions of Japan, a special exhibition of Japanese woodblock prints from the James A. Michener Collection of the Honolulu Academy of Arts. The exhibition provides viewers a rare opportunity to examine the history of the medium from its inception in the 17th century through the 20th century, highlighting the techniques, processes and subjects that characterize these remarkable works. It includes fifty prints from master Japanese printmakers including Kitagawa Utamaro, Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige.

Kofi Annan Awards 60,000 Pound Prix Pictet Photography Prize to Nadav Kander Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:44 PM PDT PARIS.- Kofi Annan, Nobel Laureate and former Secretary General of the United Nations, has awarded this year's prestigious Prix Pictet photography prize for environmental sustainability to British based photographer Nadav Kander and a photography commission to American photographer Ed Kashi at the Passage de Retz, Paris. The Prix Pictet is an annual search for photographs that communicate powerful messages of global environmental significance under a broad theme. This year that theme is 'earth'. Nadav Kander was nominated for his series of photos, Yangtze, The Long River Series, 2006-07, documenting the rapidly changing landscape and communities of China's Yangtze River, from its mouth to source.

La Fabrica Galeria in Madrid Opens Shows Solo by Shirin Neshat Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:43 PM PDT MADRID.- From February 4 and until March 20, La Fabrica Galeria presents the work by Shirin Neshat, who will show, at her first solo exhibition at La Fabrica Galeria, "Faezeh" (2008) and the serie "Games of Desire" (2009). Neshat's work engages the viewer through powerful images, sweeping scores, and evocations of human passions and desires, while examining the social tropes that both stratify and unite. Neshat pitches these dialectics of East/West, man/woman, and oppressor /oppressed, to such a degree that these seemingly immutable polarities become malleable locations for query.

El Museo del Barrio Reopens in October Celebrating 40th Anniversary Year Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:42 PM PDT NEW YORK, NY.- After undergoing extensive renovations, El Museo del Barrio New York announced today that it will reopen to the public on Saturday, October 17, 2009, with a landmark exhibition entitled Nexus New York: Latin/American Artists in the Modern Metropolis, and an all-day open house celebrating the launch of its expanded public programs. El Museo's renovated and expanded facilities designed by Gruzen Samton Architects will host an exciting menu of public programming, a new space devoted to its permanent collection, and a café that will serve as a multipurpose programming space, bringing a sparkling new face to the Museum Mile's only Latino institution. The reopening also marks the launch of El Museo's 40th Anniversary celebrations, which will continue all year with a rich array of public programming, events, performances, and exhibitions.

Las Vegas Art Museum displays Collector's Contemporary Collections Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:41 PM PDT Las Vegas, NV - The Las Vegas Art Museum shows the exhibition Las Vegas Collects Contemporary presented by City National Bank. This exhibition features works of contemporary art on loan from Southern Nevada's most important privately held fine art collections. Artists featured in the show include Jean-Michel Basquiat, Uta Barth, Dan Flavin, Andreas Gursky, Michael Heizer, Damien Hirst, David Hockney, Donald Judd, Jason Martin, Takashi Murakami, Ken Price, David Reed, Gerhard Richter, Ed Ruscha, Venske & Spänle, and Andy Warhol among others.

Fondation Cartier to feature Beat Takeshi Kitano a Multifaceted Artist Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:39 PM PDT PARIS.- Funny yet touching, unpredictable yet brilliant, Beat Takeshi Kitano is a multifaceted and prolific artist that has captivated the Japanese public. Comedian and host of nine TV shows ranging from the highly comical to the very serious, he is one of the most popular entertainers in his own country. Abroad, Takeshi Kitano is a widely acclaimed author and actor, and has directed 'Sonatine' (1993), 'Hana-Bi' (1997, awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival) and 'Zatôichi' (2003), among other masterpieces of contemporary film. His compelling work gives beautiful form to the expressions of violence, solitude and childlike playfulness. He also has a love of painting, his first and most private passion. For him, painting is the ideal form of representation and it plays an important role in the creative process of his filmmaking.

Abstract Art in South & North America at the Amon Carter Museum Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:37 PM PDT FORT WORTH, TX.- On June 26, the Amon Carter Museum presents Constructive Spirit: Abstract Art in South and North America, 1920s–50s. This groundbreaking exhibition is the first to bring together South American and U.S. geometric abstraction and includes a range of paintings, sculptures, prints, photographs, drawings and films. Constructive Spirit will be on view through September 5; Admission is free.

Vanderbilt University shows Views from the Collection III Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:36 PM PDT NASHVILLE, TN  – The Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Gallery is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibition, Views from the Collection III, drawn from the Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Collection. Views from the Collection III opens Thursday, April 3, and will be on view through June 30. This is the final installment in a three-part series of exhibitions of art from the permanent collection. The current show will feature a cross-section of work from Europe, the United States, India, Papau New Guinea, Japan, China, and Africa.

Bayerisches Nationalmuseum Exhibits Cleveland Museum Treasures Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:35 PM PDT MUNICH, GERMANY - The Cleveland Museum of Art is currently in the process of erecting a further extension and renovating the existing buildings.  This offered the unique opportunity to display one of the most significant collections of the museum at the Bayerisches Nationalmuseum in Munich.  The museum's holdings of Western art from the third through to the 16th centuries have been a particular strength from the opening of the first building in 1916. They rank today among the most important in the United States.  Artistic quality, rather than documentary or historical significance, has always been the guiding principle of acquisition.  All works were donated or financed by private sponsors.

Arab Museum Approves Nudity Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:31 PM PDT DOHA, QATAR - The Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art has created controversy by announcing that it will exhibit works containing nudity and politically radical ideas. They will not be subject to censorship, according to Wassan Al-Khudhairi, Chief Curator of the Mathaf. The museum was founded by powerful Qatari art patron and vice president of the Qatar Museum Authority, Sheikh Hassan bin Mohamed bin Ali Al-Thani and it is due to open in Qatar's capital, Doha, on December 30th. The museum aspires to highlight and share contemporary art by Arabs and artists living in the Middle East that might challenge some preconceptions. It will also serve as a research center, an exciting prospect for the regional arts community.  Mathaf, which simply means "museum" in Arabic, will be housed in a  in a 5,500-square meter former school that has been converted by the French architect Jean-Francois Bodin. The inaugural exhibition, titled, "Sajjil: A Century of Modern Art," will include works from Mathaf's permanent collection of over 6,200 pieces dating from the late 1800s to the middle of the 20th century, all of which were donated from Sheik Hassan's private collection. Skeptics have wondered aloud whether politics will play a role in the acquisition and exhibition of certain works, excluding pieces that might be considered politically or sexually provocative. "Sajjil," which roughly translated as the act of recording features paintings and sculptures by more than 100 key modernists, is aimed at bringing contemporary Arabic art to a wider audience. "Our first exhibition, 'Sajjil' is about the interaction and about the contribution of Arab artists to a larger art historical context," Al-Khudhairi said. "By making it public, we are able to open it up to everyone in Qatar, in the region, internationally. "Crucially, adds Al-Khudhairi, it will also draw attention to a contemporary art scene that developed in parallel with European movements but has been largely overlooked. "The exhibition will give exposure to these artists to fit into history a period of time that's missing from art historical books and accounts," she said. "The collection has nudes; the collection has political works. These things are part of the collection -- we can't deny it "We are not trying to present some sort of new canon, this is why we stress multiple modernities  and contemporary art. She added that Mathaf was willing to risk criticism for showing controversial works. "I think there will be all kinds of feedback and the museum is about creating a space for dialogue; a platform for discussion," Al-Khudhairi said. Saleh Barakat, a Beirut-based leading expert in contemporary Arab art, described the museum's opening as "an exceedingly important moment in the history of modern and contemporary art."

This Week in Review in Art Knowledge News Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:30 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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