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

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• Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery premieres works by Japanese master painter ~ Kano Kazunobu
• The Walters Art Museum shows Ancient Americas Artwork from the John Bourne Collection
• The Kunsthaus Zürich to Present Mexican Art from 1900 to the Present
• The Wallace Collection's Refurbishment Continues With Unveiling of Dutch Art
• The BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair Returns to London
• The Hungarian National Gallery displays a Retrospective of Károly Ferenczy
• First in-depth presentation of Eugène Atget's work by the Museum of Modern Art
• Recent Paintings by world-renowned artist Odd Nerdrum at Forum Gallery
• Corey Helford Gallery features Amy Sol and Guest Artist Tom Bagshaw
• Norte Maar Presents New Paintings by Tamara Gonzales
• Singapore Art Museum (SAM) ~ World's Largest Collection Of Modern & Contemporary Southeast Asian Art
• Singapore Tyler Print (STPI) to open "All Editions"
• Villa Grisebach offers Sale of Modern and Contemporary Photographs
• The Museum of Contemporary Art in Bordeaux ~ Eclectic & Challenging Art
• Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) presents Karen Kilimnik
• Metropolitan Museum's American Art Pottery Collection Gifted by Robert A. Ellison Jr.
• The Tabla Rasa Gallery Presents a Group Show of "Childish Things"
• Is It Art ? Damien Hirst shows Dead Meat-Doves-and Fishes
• Brooklyn Museum to feature First Major Exhibition for Nigerian Artist Yinka Shonibare
• This Week in Review in Art Knowledge News

Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery premieres works by Japanese master painter ~ Kano Kazunobu Posted: 09 Mar 2012 10:38 PM PST WASHINGTON, DC.- In early 1854, just as American Commodore Matthew Perry's ships steamed into Edo Bay to persuade Japan to open its ports to the world, the esteemed painter Kano Kazunobu (1816–63) received a commission from a highly respected Buddhist temple located in the heart of Edo, now modern-day Tokyo. His mission was to create 100 paintings on a wildly popular theme of the day—the lives and deeds of the Buddha's 500 disciples, known in Japan as rakan. For the first time in the U.S., Kazunobu's graphic and flamboyantly imagined depictions of the daily lives and wondrous deeds of the Buddha's legendary disciples are on view in "Masters of Mercy: Buddha's Amazing Disciples" at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, March 10th through July 8th. The exhibition features 56 paintings from Kazunobu's epic series, created between 1854 and 1863 for the Pure Land Buddhist temple of Zōjōji. Little-known and never before displayed outside Japan, the series was on view for the first time to the modern general public in a widely hailed exhibition held at the Edo-Tokyo Museum in the spring of 2011. At the time of the commission, Kazunobu was a mature and important painter working in one of the richest artistic environments of any era in Japan, among several generations of artists of remarkable sophistication and accomplishment. For his larger-than-life subjects, he created huge paintings measuring 4 feet by 10 feet fully mounted. Designed in pairs, each pair features 10 disciples—500 in all—captured in a sensational and daring "tabloid" style.  The Sackler exhibition will also include 19 rare and important paintings of the same subject matter from the Freer collection—all prototypes for and known by the artist as he developed his own masterwork. Woodblock prints, books and other documents created by Kazunobu's contemporaries, including Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) and Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861), will provide the viewer with a sense of Edo period ambiance and influences on Kazunobu's unconventional presentations. "Kazunobu jumped on the bandwagon of the most popular cult of the Edo period—the cult of the rakan or disciples of the Buddha," said James Ulak, senior curator of Japanese art. "From the late 1700s on, many temples commissioned paintings and sculpture on the subject, often creating outdoor dioramas to accommodate the tremendous public interest in these remarkable characters. In short, Kazunobu's series is simply the best of them all." The disciples he depicted, according to Buddhist scripture, were followers of the historical Buddha's teachings, enlightened in mass and traditionally represented by the number 500. "Their charm and broad popular appeal derived from their dual personalities," said Ulak. "The disciples were much like ordinary mortals, yet they possessed supernatural powers, revealed in times of need and exercised for the good of humanity, not unlike today's modern superheroes." Kazunobu presents the disciples engaged in fantastic acts of compassion: traversing the cosmos to rescue the suffering from the calamities of earthquake, flood and fire, juxtaposed with humbler, human moments revealed in intimate detail—bathing, shaving, burying the dead and caring for animals. His flamboyant style reflects Edo Japan's broader interest in theatrical presentation, including a popular taste for the high drama of kabuki theater. Depictions of catastrophe and miraculous rescues seem fantastic but also document the times in which he worked—the ensemble was created during a decade of marked political upheaval coinciding with an unusual number of natural disasters. "Masters of Mercy" is a highlight of "Japan Spring on the National Mall," a celebration of three major exhibitions of masterworks by distinguished Edo-period artists hosted by the Freer and Sackler galleries and the National Gallery of Art in honor of the Cherry Blossom Centennial. Also on view in the nation's capital this spring is "Hokusai: 36 Views of Mount Fuji," March 24–June 17 at the Sackler and "Colorful Realm: Japanese Bird-and-Flower Paintings by Itō Jakuchū (1716–1800)," at the National Gallery of Art. Each exhibition features not only a retrospective of a distinctive and important painter and designer of the 18th and 19th centuries, but also specific thematic ensembles of works, many never seen outside Japan, created by Kazunobu, Hokusai and Jakuchū over periods as long as a decade. All three exhibitions are free of charge and accessible on the National Mall between 12th and Seventh streets. Visit : http://www.asia.si.edu/

The Walters Art Museum shows Ancient Americas Artwork from the John Bourne Collection Posted: 09 Mar 2012 10:06 PM PST Baltimore, Maryland.- The Walters Art Museum is proud to present "Exploring Art of the Ancient Americas: The John Bourne Collection Gift" on view at the museum from February 12th through May 20th. The exhibition contains 135 artworks from cultures that rose and fell in Mexico, Central America and Andean South America from 1200 B.C.–A.D. 1530. Drawn from the collection of John Bourne recently gifted to the Walters, this exhibition expresses each culture's distinctive aesthetics, worldview and spiritual ideologies. Bourne became enamored of the creative expressiveness of the Maya-and of all peoples of the ancient Americas - perceiving the works as equal to any artistic tradition in the world. This exhibition features selections from collector John Bourne, who was among the initial explorers to probe deep into the hilly jungles of southern Mexico. Traveling with adventurer Carlos (Herman Charles) Frey and photographer Giles Healy, they were among the first Westerners to visit Bonampak, the now famous Maya site celebrated for its three-roomed royal building whose interior walls are covered with murals recording a battle and public rituals concerning royal political history at the site during the eighth century.

The Kunsthaus Zürich to Present Mexican Art from 1900 to the Present Posted: 09 Mar 2012 09:25 PM PST Zurich.- The Kunsthaus Zurich is pleased to present "Posada to Alÿs: Mexican Art From 1900 to the Present", on view from March 16th through May 20th. The exhibition will be showcasing the politically charged work of Mexican artists. The exhibition begins with graphic plates by José Guadalupe Posada, one of the most important artists and caricaturists in 19th-century Mexico. His motto – 'art against violence' – has lost none of its topicality and continues to guide the work of his present-day successors. Francis Alÿs, Carlos Amorales and Teresa Margolles draw their ideas from social deprivation, the gulf between rich and poor, and the violence that is all too prevalent in many parts of Mexico. Their paintings, slide projections and video works are every bit as impressive as Posada's disturbing images. Artistic creation in Mexico occupies a unique position in the international art scene of the last 100 years, with artists consistently linking together current events and the issue of cultural identity. Art for art's sake, abstraction and conceptualism are at most peripheral to their production.

The Wallace Collection's Refurbishment Continues With Unveiling of Dutch Art Posted: 09 Mar 2012 09:05 PM PST London.- Having completed the refurbishment of the State Rooms, bringing together in individual settings  the eighteenth-century French paintings and decorative arts for which the museum is rightly famous and celebrated, the Wallace Collection has now embarked upon the transformation of the top-lit galleries, which were purpose-built by Sir Richard Wallace as additions to Hertford House to display the expanding collection as it was brought back to Britain. The new design creates a fresh architectural language for the display of the most important collection of Dutch art in Britain after the National Gallery, and one of Europe's finest. The refurbished gallery is expected to open in late March this year. Architects, designers, curators and conservators have combined to deliver a plan which once more allows natural light to enter the galleries, and offers clear views of the sky. The original height of the galleries has been recreated and the new roof lights will sit more than two metres higher than the previous ceiling, which was dramatically lowered in the 1970s to accommodate air conditioning duct work. This solution simultaneously creates the best possible modern conditions for the paintings, whilst referring back to the history of Hertford House and other period hangs. In addition to Sir Richard Wallace's own display, the vision for the new Dutch Galleries has been influenced by the hangs of two historic figures: the Prince Regent, the future George IV at Carlton House and Étienne-François, Duc de Choiseul at his Parisian townhouse. The Duc de Choiseul was French Foreign Minister  during the Seven Years' War under Louis XV and a favourite of Madame de Pompadour, whose tastes are evident throughout the Wallace Collection. Contemporary illustrations show their Dutch collections displayed on a deep, rich blue silk. The Wallace Collection galleries take inspiration from this vibrant, arresting setting, offering the visitor a new perspective othe display of Dutch Old Masters. It will re-introduce one of the favourite colours for the display of paintings in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries into the museum world of the twenty first century. Expanding on this  connection, the Wallace Collection houses five paintings previously owned by the Duc de Choiseul: Votive offering to Cupid by Jean-Baptiste Greuze (1767), The Good Samaritan by Rembrandt (1630), A Street Scene in Cologne by Jan van der Heyden (c. 1684),  Landscape with a Coach by Govaert Flinck (probably 1637) and  A Stream in Hilly Country by Philips Wouwermans (late 1650s). Fittingly, the latter four will be hung together once more in the new galleries. An extensive programme of restoration and cleaning of picture frames will add to the visual quality of the three new galleries. This is the first time frames have been conserved simultaneously with gallery refurbishments and the frames date back to the Hertford-Wallace period, meaning the pictures and frames will be seen together as they were by their collectors. Paintings will be arranged in groups to invite comparisons and each gallery will have a clearly defined, individual theme. East Gallery I will present works by Rembrandt and his workshop and early contemporaries; the following galleries will evolve around genre and landscape painting of the Dutch Golden Age and  work by Dutch artists in Italy. This sequence will help to link the galleries with the wider narrative of Old Master painting on display in Hertford House. The Rembrandt Room will  connect to  the East Drawing Room, devoted to Flemish paintings focussed around Rubens and Van Dyck, reflecting the model character of Flemish art for Dutch painters and for Rembrandt in particular. The gallery on Dutch artists in Italy will link the Dutch collection to the international seventeenth-century horizon so brilliantly shown in the Great Gallery beyond. The Great Gallery itself presents the next phase of the refurbishment of the Collection. Beginning in  mid-October 2012 and set for completion mid to late 2014, it will once more bring the eminent collection of Old Masters to the fore. The museum's collection numbers nearly 5,500 objects and is best known for its quality and breadth of eighteenth-century French paintings, Sèvres porcelain and French furniture. The Wallace Collection also displays many other treasures, such as two paintings by Titian, four Rembrandts, three Rubenses, four Van Dycks, twenty-two Canalettos, nineteen Bouchers, masterpieces by de Hooch, nine Teniers, Frans Hals, nine Murillos, two Velázquez and paintings by Domenichino, Cima, Daddi, Reni, Rosa, Thomas Gainsborough, Joshua Reynolds, Antoine Watteau, Nicholas Lancret, Jan Steen, Aelbert Cuyp and nine Guardis. The museum also holds a fine collection of arms and armour, featuring both European and Oriental objects, as well as displays of gold boxes, miniatures, sculpture and medieval and Renaissance works of art such as maiolica, glass, bronzes and Limoges enamels. Visit the collection's website at ... http://www.wallacecollection.org

The BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair Returns to London Posted: 09 Mar 2012 08:36 PM PST London.- The BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair opens on Wednesday 21st March and, for just one week, until March 27th, visitors will be able to buy top quality art and antiques from the UK's leading experts. 100 members of the prestigious British Antique Dealers' Association offer for sale fine furniture, paintings, glittering silver, jewellery, ceramics, textiles and beautiful works of art. From Chippendale to Cartier, Tompion to JMW Turner, there is something for all discerning individuals who share a passion for quality.  All exhibitors are knowledgeable experts in their chosen specialisation and for many the BADA Fair is their annual showcase in London giving visitors a rare opportunity to select from a wealth of quality stock not usually available together under one roof.

The Hungarian National Gallery displays a Retrospective of Károly Ferenczy Posted: 09 Mar 2012 08:23 PM PST Budapest, Hungary.- The Hungarian National Gallery will show a retrospective exhibition of "Károly Ferenczy (1862–1917)", remaining on view through June 3rd. Károly Ferenczy's retrospective exhibition forms part of a series of events designed to illustrate the emergence of modern Hungarian art through a number of impressive individual shows in the Hungarian National Gallery. In public consciousness, Károly Ferenczy's name has become closely associated with the Nagybánya artists' colony since its establishment in 1896, the same way that his oeuvre has become almost synonymous with the Nagybánya phenomenon. As the father of the Hungarian version of impressionism and post-impressionism, and as an outstanding artist and leading master of the artists' colony, Ferenczy has rightfully been regarded as the founder of modern Hungarian painting. The exhibition will enable the visitors to appreciate the enourmous amount of accomplishments, for which 20th-century modernism is indebted to Ferenczy, who, while attempting to solve problems very similar to those that his German, French or American colleagues were also struggling with at the time, managed to produce one of the most specifically Hungarian oeuvres.

First in-depth presentation of Eugène Atget's work by the Museum of Modern Art Posted: 09 Mar 2012 08:05 PM PST NEW YORK, NY.- Eugène Atget: "Documents pour artistes presents six fresh and highly focused cross sections of the career of master photographer Eugène Atget (French, 1857–1927), drawn exclusively from The Museum of Modern Art unparalleled holdings of his work. The exhibition, on view at MoMA through April 9th, gets its name from the sign outside Atget's studio door, which declared his modest ambition to create documents for other artists to use as source material in their own work. Whether exploring Paris's fifth arrondissement across several decades, or the decayed grandeur of parks at Sceaux in a remarkable creative outburst at the twilight of his career, Atget's lens captured the essence of his chosen subject with increasing complexity and sensitivity. Also featured are Atget's photographs made in the Luxembourg gardens; his urban and rural courtyards; his pictures of select Parisian types; and his photographs of mannequins, store windows, and street fairs, which deeply appealed to Surrealist artists living in Paris after the First World War. The exhibition is organized by Sarah Hermanson Meister, Curator, Department of Photography, The Museum of Modern Art.

Recent Paintings by world-renowned artist Odd Nerdrum at Forum Gallery Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:48 PM PST NEW YORK, NY.- An exhibition of 13 recent paintings by world-renowned artist Odd Nerdrum is on view at Forum Gallery from March 8th through May 5th. The iconoclastic Norwegian painter is well known for compelling portraits, stark landscapes, and apocalyptic narratives that depict unearthly scenes. Influenced by Rembrandt and Caravaggio, Nerdrum is admired internationally for his unequalled skill and technique, as well as his extraordinary subject matter, which transports the viewer to another time and place. In his new body of work made in the last four years, Nerdrum continues his exploration of the universal human condition revealing danger, misery, struggle, fear, helplessness, and yet, at times, optimism, as his figures all possess a fierce integrity in the face of adversity. In You See We Are Blind, three women are seated in a primeval world, holding sticks to help guide them, perhaps as they await an unlikely rescue. Two of the women are in conversation, while the third is deep in thought, the down turned corners of her mouth revealing a painful sadness.

Corey Helford Gallery features Amy Sol and Guest Artist Tom Bagshaw Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:27 PM PST Los Angeles, California.- On Saturday, March 10th, Corey Helford Gallery is pleased to present "Numina," a major exhibition of new work by artist Amy Sol. Inspired by the word "numinous," Sol selected "Numina" as the title for her new exhibition, based on the curvature of its letters, feminine qualities, and sound alluding to magic and mystery – all elements embodied in her latest collection of paintings. "I often choose words for not only the meaning but the shape and sound of the word itself," Sol notes. "Numina" will remain on view through March 28th. At the same time, the upstairs gallery will feature new works by UK artist Tom Bagshaw. Amy Sol's most expressive show to date, her process is more free form than before, exploring color and technique in unexpected ways. "In a way, I feel I have tapped in to a primitive creative energy that first compelled me to paint when I was a child. Exploration is the primary goal of each piece, with composition and palette guided by intuition and instinct." Sol adds. "Numina" will feature ten new acrylic-on-wood panel paintings, infused with Sol's signature soft colors, dream settings, delicate washes and loose layering of acrylic paint. Her aesthetic balances between illustration and painting while her narrative combines ethereal settings with animals and female figures. "The characters in each piece are participants seeped in adventure and dream logic." Amy Sol spent her childhood years in Korea and moved to Las Vegas, Nevada where she currently lives and works. Though the style of her work is greatly influenced by a combination of manga, folk-art, vintage illustration and modern design, she remains a self-taught artist. She has dedicated many years of her life to mixing pigments and mediums to achieve a unique color palette of subtly muted tones. Sol's work has been exhibited at galleries worldwide including London, Italy, Los Angeles, Miami and New York and published in Juxtapoz and The Korea Times. Based in the Georgian city of Bath, England, Tom Bagshaw works as a commercial illustrator and fine artist under the moniker "Mostlywanted." Exploring themes of fantasy, beauty and mysticism, Bagshaw's highly rendered digital painting style could be described as dark and moody. However, a closer look at the details reveals there is also quirky humor, mystery and strong, feminine beauty mixed in. Continuing his exploration of myths, legends and folklore from various cultures around the world, Bagshaw's figurative digital works adopt a lighter palette for the exhibition. The new series will include two Disney-inspired portraits. Located in the Culver City Art District, Corey Helford Gallery was established in 2006 by Jan Corey Helford and her husband, television producer and creator, Bruce Helford (Anger Management, The Drew Carey Show, George Lopez, The Oblongs). Corey Helford Gallery exhibits a diverse collection of Contemporary artists influenced by today's pop culture, encompassing the genres of New Figurative, Pop Surreal, Graffiti and Street Art. Artists include Josh Agle (Shag), Ray Caesar, D*Face, Chloe Early, Ron English, Natalia Fabia, Kukula, Lola, The London Police, Sylvia Ji, Eric Joyner, Michael Mararian, Brandi Milne, Buff Monster, Risk, Amy Sol, Martin Wittfooth, and Nick Walker. Renowned for its notable exhibitions, the gallery has presented "Charity By Numbers," which was co-curated by Gary Baseman and featured an unprecedented lineup of artists including Mark Ryden, Marion Peck, Shepard Fairey, Todd and Kathy Schorr, Camille Rose Garcia, and Michael Hussar, as well as "La Noche de la Fusion," an epic Carnivalesque festival and solo exhibition for Pervasive artist Gary Baseman. In 2010, Corey Helford Gallery partnered with Bristol's City Museum & Art Gallery for the transatlantic collaboration "Art From The New World," a world-class United Kingdom museum exhibition showcasing work by a formidable group of 49 of the finest emerging and noted American artists. Corey Helford Gallery presents new exhibitions approximately every four weeks. Visit the gallery's wesbite at ... www.coreyhelfordgallery.com

Norte Maar Presents New Paintings by Tamara Gonzales Posted: 09 Mar 2012 07:09 PM PST Brooklyn, New York.- Norte Maar is pleased to present "Untitled: New Paintings by Tamara Gonzales " on view from March 10th through April 29th. An opening reception to coincide with 'Beat Nite: Bushwick Art Spaces Stay Open Late' will be held on Saturday March 10th from 6 to 10 pm. The exhibition will feature the artist's new series of works that combine her use of spray painting through lace. Also on exhibition will be a new sketchbook by Austin Thomas and recent sculpture by Kevin Curran . Tamara Gonzales was born in Madera, CA and has been living and working in Brooklyn since 1994. Her new paintings spring to the optical extreme through her unique process of spray painting through found lace tablecloths, doilies, and curtains. Vibrant and witty, layered and textured, the artist combines large gesture with tight pattern to create compositions that at once mimic the grand heroic gestures of the postwar painters, while capturing all-over free spirit found in the graffiti that appears daily on the streets near her Bushwick studio.

Singapore Art Museum (SAM) ~ World's Largest Collection Of Modern & Contemporary Southeast Asian Art Posted: 09 Mar 2012 06:48 PM PST Opened in January 1996, the mission of the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) is to preserve and present the art histories and contemporary art practices of Singapore and the wider Southeast Asian region. In pursuit of this aim, SAM has amassed one of the world's largest public collection of modern and contemporary Southeast Asian artworks. Housed in a restored 19th century mission school, the museum draws from its collection and collaborates with leading international museums to present shows covering both local and international art practices, as well as cutting edge art expressions. Contemporary art of the region is given international exposure through the museum's travelling exhibition program and loans from the collection. Through strategic alliances with international arts and cultural institutions, SAM facilitates visual arts education, exchange, research and development within the region and internationally. The museum has forged partnerships with institutions such as the Centre Pompidou, Guggenheim Museum, Shanghai Art Museum, Seoul National University Museum of Art, Stedelijk Museum, Bonn Art Museum, Centre of International Modern Art, National Museum of India, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Asia Society in New York, Fukuoka Art Museum and Queensland Art Gallery. With Singapore becoming a global city for the arts, SAM's international networks bring about a confluence of ideas, and create a dynamic arts scene invigorated by international flows of ideas, talents, knowledge and resources. Community outreach continues to be an important area of the Museum's function. Through the Museum's exhibition programmes as well as its education and public programmes which cover a diversity of art trends and practices, fringe activities and public lectures, SAM Museum promotes awareness and appreciation of contemporary art and encourages the growth of an active and stimulating cultural environment in Singapore. The museum has hosted a series of travelling exhibitions since its opening, including those featuring works by Liu Kang, Leonardo Da Vinci, Chen Chong Swee, Fan Chang Tien, Lim Tze Peng and Chen Wen Hsi. SAM is also the organiser of the Singapore Biennale 2011. Visit the museum's website at … http://www.singaporeartmuseum.sg The building once housed St Joseph's Institution (SJI), a Catholic boys' school, run by La Salle Brothers. In 1855, the cornerstone was laid by its founder, Father Jean-Marie Beurel. After 135 years in Bras Basah Road, SJI was relocated, making way for SAM to be created in the vacant building. With 10,000 meters of floor space, the restored building includes 18 fully climate controlled galleries, an auditorium, a multi-purpose hall, a museum shop, courtyards, one café and two restaurants. The rectangular part of the Central Building forms the oldest part of the whole structure completed in 1867. Designed by French Priest, Charles Benedict Nain, the Classical grand façade including the dome were later additions in 1903. The glass hall was originally a gymnasium and opened on three sides. It was 'modernized' in the 1950s to become the school hall, then known as the Oei Tiong Han Hall. This hall was restored to its original state based on an original drawing found on site. The colorful Persian glass installation by American artist Dale Chihuly enhances the beauty of this hall. The Glass Hall is commonly utilized for exhibition openings and company & wedding functions. The galleries in the Central Building were formed by knocking down cross walls that made up the classrooms. A new wall system, comprising a light weight wall, insulation material and vapour barrier, was added to the existing walls. Paintings are hung from picture rails fixed on top of the walls. The auditorium was the former chapel and preserves all the important elements of the original chapel. These include the small 'basins' for holy water, stations of the cross, original pressed steel ceiling and dado panels, and original concrete floor tiles. A plaque outside the chapel commemorates Brother Michael (1856-1936) who, as Director of SJI (1900 – 1914) played a major part in the development of the 3 historic buildings that are preserved. This auditorium will now be used for talks, symposiums, seminars, film screenings and a favorite venue for wedding ceremonies. The Anderson wing is named after Sir John Anderson, governor of the Straits Settlements 1904 – 1911. The Straits Settlements Government had made a generous contribution towards the building funds. The Queen Street Wing used to be the site of the Brothers' Quarters, too small and narrow for conversion to Museum use, the building had to make way for the current new structure, designed to harmonize in rhythm and composition with the historic building and yet have a contemporary look. It is clad with the machine-made precast concrete panels with stylized details, which contrast with the hand-made classical details of the historic buildings. The museum's extension building, SAM at 8Q, was opened in August 2008, expanding the museum's contemporary art space to present fresh, multi-disciplinary, interactive and community-oriented programming. Today, SAM is a place where the public can directly experience the diversity of contemporary art practices ranging from painting and sculpture, to installation, film & video, photography, new media, performance art and sound art, experience the work and ideas of living artists of Southeast Asia, and relate to the region's unique aesthetic and social context. The museum's collection ranges from sculptures to architectural elements, installations and paintings. Since its opening in 1996 the museum's permanent collection has grown from under 2,000 art works to almost 8,800. The core of the collection is an unrivalled selection of Singaporean and Southeast Asian Modern and Contemporary Art, complimented by an expanding collection of New Asian and International Contemporary Art. Like the region itself, contemporary art from Singapore and Southeast Asia is diverse, dynamic and multifaceted, possessing its own distinctive aesthetics and artistic traditions shaped by different approaches to art-making and practices. With this in mind, SAM has been building a stellar collection of contemporary Southeast Asian art. SAM's acquisitions policy devotes 80% of funds to Southeast Asian art, and the remaining 20% to the wider Asian region, such as China, India, Korea and Japan to provide a broader cultural context for the core collection. The artists represented in the SAM collection fall into three broad groups: the 'pioneering' contemporary artists or ones associated with avant-garde practices, mid-career artists, and emerging practitioners. Through its acquisition policy and continued funding support from the government, individuals and corporate donors, SAM is able to include iconic works of art in its collection, encourage artists to create important new works through artist commissions and showcase the best in contemporary art from the region. Local Singapore artists are best represented with major collections of works by Georgette Chen, Liu Kang, Chen Chong Swee, Lim Tze Peng, Chen Wen His, Chen Chong Swee, Chua Mia Tee, Tan Swie Hian and Huang Yao. Other South-East Asian artists represented in the collection include Affandi and Hendra Gunawan from Indonesia, Wong Hoy Cheong from Malaysia, Tran Trong Vu, Bui Xuan Phai and Le Pho from Vietnam, Pratuang Emjaroen and Montien Boonma from Thailand and a superb collection donated by the famous Chinese artist Wu Guanzhong. The Tyler Print Collection contains well over 1,200 additional works, including some of the most prominent names in the 20th century international art scene such as Frank Stella and Roy Lichtenstein. Features of the museum include Filipino artist Ramon Orlina's abstract-glass window in the former school chapel and US artist Dale Chihuly's sea anemone–like blown-glass installations. The Singapore Art Museum is famous for the exhibitions it hosts, whether travelling or from its own collections. Currently one of the highlights of any visit is "Seeing the Kites Again" (until 2 May 2011), which features 22 paintings from the donation of 113 works made by Chinese artist Wu Guanzhong. An internationally eminent artist, Wu is best known for marrying the distinct art form of traditional Chinese ink with modern concepts in Western art. Recently published as a seven-volume anthology, Wu's writings provide deep insights into his aesthetics and art practice. "Seeing the Kites Again" is an exhibition inspired by Wu's metaphor of the kite. Since the 1960s, Wu Guanzhong has produced a great number works, based on his personal recollections. These works are centered around his home in the South of China, his childhood, as well as the villages and towns he has been to. His interest in life and his attention to ordinary scenes, infuse his art with an aesthetic quality that demonstrates a return to simplicity. "Negotiating Home, History and Nation: Two Decades of Contemporary Art from Southeast Asia, 1991 – 2010" between 12 March and 26 June 2011, presents the work of fifty-five seminal practitioners in contemporary art from six Southeast Asian countries (Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, The Philippines, Singapore and Malaysia) created over the last two decades. The exhibition showcases pieces of art spanning the early years of contemporary art-making in the region to the present, drawn mostly from the Singapore Art Museum collection. This extensive survey gives audiences the opportunity to form a cogent picture of the diverse realities and threads linking Southeast Asia and its art through inquiries into topics such as nation building, urbanisation, religious and gender discourse from an Asian perspective. Amongst the artists featured are Dadang Christanto (Indonesia), Kamin Lertchaiprasert (Thailand), Suzann Victor (Singapore), Wong Hoy Cheong (Malaysia), Tran Luong (Vietnam) and Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan (The Philippines). Through a broad range of media including photography, video, painting, performance and installation art, the exhibition provides an entry to the specific characteristics of Southeast Asia's aesthetic language and offers a key to understanding some of the region's more recent political and social developments.

Singapore Tyler Print (STPI) to open "All Editions" Posted: 09 Mar 2012 06:47 PM PST SINGAPORE - What happens when artists at the forefront of contemporary art descend onto one of the world's best printmaking workshops?  "All Editions" re-ignites the extraordinary stories of the artist/printer collaboration told by artists, Ghada Amer/Reza Farkhondeh, Ashley Bickerton, Lin Tianmiao, Qiu Zhijie and Hema Upadhyay. Art to have at home, edition prints pull factors such as affordability, manageable size and handling have also found their way into the collections of major museums, such as the Museum of Modern Art, New York and The Tate Modern, London. The edition prints by STPI's collaborating artists represent a variety of artistic strategies, social and political themes, Pop and consumer-based imagery, feminist issues, documentary and staged photography. On view 16 January through 20 February, 2010.

Villa Grisebach offers Sale of Modern and Contemporary Photographs Posted: 09 Mar 2012 06:46 PM PST BERLIN.- This year's fall auctions at Villa Grisebach Auktionen in Berlin start off on 26 November 2009 with over 180 lots for sale in Modern and Contemporary photography. The top lot in the Contemporary photography section is Hiroshi Sugimotos's "Sea of Galilee, Golan" (estimate of 24,000-26,000 EUR) followed by a multi-part photo work by the Austrian artist Friederike Pezold entitled "Mundwerk" (estimate of 12,000-15,000 EUR) and Bettina Rheims' "Elizabeth Berkley" (estimate of 10,000-15,000 EUR).

The Museum of Contemporary Art in Bordeaux ~ Eclectic & Challenging Art Posted: 09 Mar 2012 06:45 PM PST Located in an old harbor warehouse built in the 19th Century, the Museum of Contemporary Art in the City of Bordeaux (MCACB) presents all the major movements in the art world since the 1960s. Works are displayed in monographic or thematic categories, and many young (and local French) artists are given pride of place. Visitors can admire a selection from the almost 1,700 works in the permanent collection as well as several temporary exhibits, which altogether unite around 200 artists. The first contemporary art exhibition to be held in Bordeaux took place in 1973, organized by Jean-Louis Froment. After the success of that exhibition, the Contemporary Arts Center (CAPC) was established in the 'Laine' Warehouse. The building, designed by Claude Deschamps), dates from 1824, when it was established with a license to import and re-export goods (including sugar, coffee, cocoa, cotton, spices etc.) from the French colonies. During the twentieth century the building fell into disuse as the main shipping activities in Bordeaux moved, and by the 1970s the warehouse was facing demolition. A campaign to save the building, have it listed in the inventory of historical monuments and purchased by the city was successful and in 1973 the building was taken over by the city and work started to transform it into an arts center. Works were divided into 2 stages, the first to stabilize the building's structure and provide art facilities (stages, galleries and exhibition areas) was completed by the early 1980's and took place while the CAPC built up its permanent collection and held regular exhibitions (including Andy Warhol amongst other prominent artists) in the site. In 1984, the young art center, which had quickly been noticed on the international scene, was renamed the Museum of Contemporary Art in the city of Bordeaux. At the time, only the Georges Pompidou Center in Paris, could match its dedication to, and collection of, contemporary art. The first items in the collection came from loans, donations and the acquisition of works shown in exhibitions. The second stage of the works at the Laine Warehouse started in 1984 shortly after the CAPC was renamed. Again, largely being carried out while the museum remained open, the second stage saw the addition of more galleries and exhibition space, a storage facility, library, restoration facilities and restaurant. All works were completed in 1990, and since then, the museum has occupied the entire building along with the 'Rainbow Dream' architectural center, displaying works from the collection alongside multiple temporary exhibitions. The reopening was celebrated with a major exhibition of works by Richard Senna alongside highlights from the permanent collection. In 2006 Charlotte Laubard became head of the MCACB, taking over from Maurice Fréchure and embarked on a program to reposition the MCACB as a leading international center for contemporary art in all fields, extending the museum's activities into music, architecture, cinema and literature as well as mass media and popular culture. Visit the museum's website at … www.capc-bordeaux.fr The Museum of Contemporary Art in the City of Bordeaux collection contains almost 1,700 works by some 200 artists, presenting European and American trends of the 1960s and 70s through to the modern day, including Land Art, Minimalism, Conceptual Art and Arte Povera. The basis of the collection dates to the early days of the CAPC. Acquisitions and donations were obtained in an ad-hoc manner, sometimes reinforcing the axes and the foundations of the historical collection, sometimes favoring a new generation of artists whose works took the collection in new and exciting directions. However, overall, the history of the museum's collection reflects what was current in the emerging art scene at the time. The major historical works in the collection mostly favor the artists of the late '60s and early '70s (Mario Merz, Jannis Kounellis, Wolfgang Laib, Richard Serra) and are marked by a shift in thinking about art, a questioning of artistic practices and status of the work itself (Joseph Kosuth, On Kawara, Lawrence Weiner, Richard Long). The works of Bruce Nauman put the human body to the test and introduce the question of limits, both artistic and physical. The crisis of the contemporary art market in France in the late '60s, encouraged the emergence of groups like BMPT (Buren, Mosset, Parmentier, Toroni) or 'Supports/Surfaces', represented in the collection by artists including Bioulès, Dezeuze , Viallat Pages. These artists, influenced by American painter such as Mark Rothko became solely concerned with the act of applying paint to canvas, producing increasingly abstract works. In contrast, the 1980's saw a return to figurative painting in France, well represented in the museum collection with works by Francis Boisrond, Combas, Jean Charles Blais and Hervé Di Rosa as well as contemporary Spanish artists like Jose Maria Sicilia or Miquel Barceló. The "Exposure Traffic" exhibition in 1996 by Nicolas Bourriaud caused a switch in the acquisitions policy to concentrate on young artists who favor relational aesthetics and user-friendly devices (including Andrea Zittel, Dominique Gonzalez Foerster, Philippe Parreno, Liam Gillick). Other more intimate works from a generation of artists marked by the social changes of the late twentieth century include pieces by Nan Goldin, Noritoshi Hirakawa, Jack Pierson and Wolfgang Tillmans. The MCACB collection has recently added significant selections of works by Guillaume Leblon, Diego Perrone, Vincent Lamouroux and Vittorio Santoro. Recent exhibitions that update the relationship between art and popular culture triggered a new line of collection development, forming a coherent set of works acquired by artists such as Stéphane Dafflon, Olaf Breuning, Bruno Peinado and Dewar & Gicquel. The history of the collection of MCAB is also closely linked to the arts in Bordeaux, and local artists such as Buy-sellf, Lawrence Deunff, Benoît Maire, Damien Mazières, Chantal Raguet, Sabrier Jean and Jean-Paul Thibeau all featured strongly. Two major exhibitions can currently be viewed at the Museum of Contemporary Art in the City of Bordeaux. Until the 4th of April 2011, works from the permanent collection are displayed under the title of 'Le Chateau (The Castle)", a journey around thirteen rooms, punctuated by the works of twenty artists and articulated around concepts such as work and the real, the material or its simulacrum, the mental or material, the entry in the space, memory, metaphor of a project. These works offer other views, other possible worlds. The exhibition features both recent acquisitions and pieces from the collection which have not been displayed for some time. "Johan Furåker: Pathological Tourism" is a major travelling exhibition on show at MCACB until 24th April. Dromomania (or travelling fugue), is an uncontrollable psychological urge to wander. People with this condition spontaneously depart from their routine, travel long distances and take up different identities and occupations. Months may pass before they return to their former identities. The term comes from the Greek, dromos (running) and mania (insanity). The most famous case was that of Jean-Albert Dadas, a Bordeaux gas-fitter. Dadas would suddenly set out on foot and reach cities as far away as Constantinople, Prague, Vienna, Istanbul, Moscow or Algeria with no memory of his travels and having always managed to lose all his papers. A medical student, Philippe Tissie, wrote about Dadas in his doctoral dissertation in 1887. In this exhibition, the Swedish artist Johan Furåker explores the fascinating story of Dadas. Many of the works in the exhibition are almost photographic hyper-realistic, but based entirely on Furåker's imagination, since there is little in the way of a photographic record of either Dadas or Tissie (even in the Bordeaux records). Furåker Johan was born in Uppsala in 1978 and lives in Malmö (Sweden). He graduated from the Art Academy of Malmö. The exhibition at the CAPC is his first solo exhibition in an institution. It is accompanied by a catalog with texts by Gertrude Sandqvist and Alexis Vaillant.

Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) presents Karen Kilimnik Posted: 09 Mar 2012 06:44 PM PST CHICAGO, IL - From celebrity portrayals to Old Masters-style art history, Karen Kilimnik's work combines romantic tradition, childhood nostalgia, pop culture, and feminine psychology. The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago, provides the final opportunity to view Kilimnik's first solo U.S. survey exhibition filled with imagery that has been culled from the historic and recent past and channeled into an unsettling present. The exhibition, on view February 23 to June 8, 2008, spans fifteen years of painting, drawing, sculpture, photographs, video, and installation.

Metropolitan Museum's American Art Pottery Collection Gifted by Robert A. Ellison Jr. Posted: 09 Mar 2012 06:43 PM PST   NEW YORK, NY.- The Metropolitan Museum of Art has accepted the promised gift of 250 exceptional examples of American art pottery from the collector Robert A. Ellison Jr., it was announced at a meeting of the Museum's Board of Trustees today. The collection—which spans the years 1876 through 1956 and represents all regions of the nation—ranks among the foremost of its kind, and will be unveiled on the mezzanine level of the Museum's Charles Engelhard Court when the second phase of the newly renovated American Wing opens on May 19, 2009.

The Tabla Rasa Gallery Presents a Group Show of "Childish Things" Posted: 09 Mar 2012 06:42 PM PST New York City.- Tabla Rasa Gallery is pleased to present "Childish Things" on view at the gallery from October 12th through December 10th. In this exhibition, images of objects/games/activities associated with childhood, are transformed by the viewpoint of artists, revealing layers of obsession, complexity, metaphor and meaning. The title comes from a Biblical line in Corinthians: "When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." (American King James Version). But artists often do not put away childish things. Artistic expression can transcend the conventions of physical age. Fledgling artists may display uncanny wisdom, and mature artists can remain as fresh, playful, and experimental as did Picasso throughout his life. Original paintings, photographs, cut paper and other works on paper will be on display. Among the artists exhibiting are Helen Levitt, Thomas Roma, Gerard Barbot, Beatrice Coron, Philomena Marano, Richard Eagan, Paul McDonough, Douglas Newton, Stephen Basso, Fran Beallor, Lorene Taurerewa, Rene Lynch, Tom Hagen and Alexander Kozloff. Tabla Rasa is an art gallery that profiles works of emerging, mid-career, and established artists of Brooklyn, New York, and the United States. Located in a turn of the century carriage house in industrial Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Tabla Rasa presents solo and group exhibitions in a wide range of styles, themes and media.Artist/Directors Audrey Frank Anastasi and Joseph Anastasi are committed to the visual arts as an expression of the human spirit and a voice for social issues. They are committed to presenting exhibitions in an accessible, community-friendly, non-intimidating, and high quality art viewing venue. Tabla Rasa Gallery provides expert consultation, acquisition and leasing services to corporations and collectors. Visit the gallery's website at ... http://tablarasagallery.com

Is It Art ? Damien Hirst shows Dead Meat-Doves-and Fishes Posted: 09 Mar 2012 06:41 PM PST New York City - Never mind that the world financial markets are in turmoil. A rich artist and a clever developer will prove this weekend that excess endures. Mr. Damien Hirst at Lever House. The work, he says, references several modern artists. Mr. Hirst says the work, which is being purchased for Lever House's collection for $10 million, is an homage to Francis Bacon's "Painting," among others.

Brooklyn Museum to feature First Major Exhibition for Nigerian Artist Yinka Shonibare Posted: 09 Mar 2012 06:40 PM PST Brooklyn, NY - The Brooklyn Museum will present the first major survey of the work of the British-based, Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare MBE, whose art explores the relationship of contemporary African identity to European colonialism. On view June 26 through September 20, 2009, Yinka Shonibare, MBE will include more than twenty works, among them sculptures, paintings, large-scale installations, and films. The exhibition will be on view in the fourth-floor galleries in the Schapiro Wing and in the first-floor Blum gallery. There will also be a site specific installation created for this presentation featuring small children and titled "Mother and Father Worked Hard So I Can Play" that will be on view in several of the Museum's period rooms. Shonibare is best known for working with visual symbols, especially the richly patterned Dutch wax fabric, produced in Europe for a West African market, which he uses in a wide range of applications. His tableaux of headless mannequins costumed in this fabric evoke themes of history and its legacy for future generations. Through these works he explores the complex web of interactions, both economic and racial, that reveal inequalities between the dominant and colonized cultures of Europe, Asia, and Africa.   The exhibition is organized by The Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Australia. Judy Kim, Brooklyn Museum Curator of Exhibitions and Head of the Exhibitions Division, will coordinate the presentation, after which it will travel to the National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C. Shonibare was born in 1962 in the United Kingdom to Nigerian parents, who returned to Lagos with their children when he was three. When he was seventeen he relocated to London, where he currently lives and works. He studied at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and at the Byam Shaw School of Art, Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, University of the Arts, London. His work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions and is in public and private collections throughout the world. In 2005 Shonibare was awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire, MBE, a distinction he uses despite and because of its irony. While in art school Shonibare was asked why his work was not African in theme, a question that eventually led him to address issues of stereotypes and authenticity in his work. He selected the Dutch wax fabrics for use in multiple applications because they had become a signifier of authentic African identity while evoking a sense of ambiguity and complex origins; he opted to purchase them in London rather than Africa to render the material's connotations of African exoticism false. Citing feminist theory and deconstructionist literature as influences on his work, Shonibare explores the idea of the outsider masquerading within the dominant culture while remaining peripheral or external to it. Also influential are painters such as Thomas Gainsborough and Rococo artist Jean-Honoré Fragonard, who portrayed the eighteenth-century culture of excess. Shonibare's sculpture installation The Swing (2001), which responds to Fragonard's 1767 painting of the same name, depicting a privileged young woman at leisure, will be included in the exhibition. In the site specific installation Mother and Father Work Hard so I Can Play, Shonibare will draw upon what he views as the expressions of American middle-class aspiration and achievement exemplified in the Museum's period rooms to create a sort of treasure hunt. Headless figures of mischievous children whose presence will not be immediately apparent will be seen playing in unexpected and physically challenging positions. The figures, exemplifying privileged youth, will be clad in Victorian costume made from African fabrics. Also on view will be Scramble for Africa (2003), in which the artist draws upon the moment in nineteenth-century expansionism when leading world powers carved up the continent of Africa at the Berlin Conference of 1884-85. Various statesmen, typically headless, are huddled around a table using a large map of Africa to stake their claims. Also on view will be Black Gold II, one of a series of paintings that explores themes of colonial domination and exploitation, in which multi-national companies extract Africa's natural resources while its indigenous people live in poverty. Shonibare continues his exploration of themes of wealth, class, and privilege with The Victorian Philanthropists' Parlour (1996-97), the artist's version of an opulent nineteenth-century interior, replete with furniture upholstered with Dutch wax fabrics and designed like a stage set in which visitors will be able to walk around. Also on view will be Diary of a Victorian Dandy, a suite of five large-scale photographs showing the dandy's activities throughout the course of a day and featuring Shonibare and a supporting cast in Victorian costume. The exhibition will include two recent films, among them Un Ballo in Maschera (2004), which takes its title from the Verdi opera (2004), inspired by the assassination of Swedish King Gustav III at a masked ball in Stockholm. An ambitious, technically complex project, the 32-minute costume drama features performers in Dutch-wax-fabric ball gowns, frock coats, and Venetian masks, and explores themes of frivolity and excess. Visit The Brooklyn Museum at : http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/

This Week in Review in Art Knowledge News Posted: 09 Mar 2012 06:39 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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