Paris
Les Années Folles

The carefree, high-spirited attitude of the years just after the first world war is captured in Les Années Folles, 1919-1929, a retrospective of the “roaring Twenties” currently showing at the Palais Galliera, Paris’s museum of fashion. Art nouveau became vieux châpeau with the rise of art deco and, for a generation of women, a distinct change in lifestyle meant new freedoms. The chic, tailored outfits on display reflect the fabrics and aesthetic of the time, with fringed hems, dropped waistlines and beaded cocktail dresses by Twenties outfitters such as Chanel, Elsa Schiaparelli and Jeanne Lanvin. Sound recordings and films bear witness to this remarkable period. Closes February 29.

http://www.galliera.paris.fr

Modern Chinese Art: The Khoan and Michael Sullivan Collection
Asia House Gallery
London, England
Part I Until 15 March 2008 Part II 1 April - 24 May 2008 The exhibition will be shown in two separate parts `Beginning's' from 1 to 15 March and `A New Generation' from 1 April to 24 May. They represent the first showing in London of the unique collection of modern Chinese art formed by scholar and connoisseur of Chinese painting in the West, Michael Sullivan, and his wife Khoan. In recent years the West has discovered contemporary Chinese art, and a number of spectacular collections of the Chinese avant-garde have been formed. The Sullivans' collection is rather different - it includes art acquired over a period of 65 years, beginning with the work of artists who were refugees in the province of Sichuan in Western China in the 1940s. Their collection developed over the course of more than half a century to include paintings, prints, woodcuts and drawings by the principal artists of late 20th century China, as well as works by a new generation. Most of the works were gifts from artists whom the Sullivans came to know over the years, so that this is a very personal collection, witness to friendships going back over many decades.

Zhou Jun - a Contemporary Chinese Ink Painter

Museum of East Asian Art Cologne
Cologne, Germany
Until 20 April 2008

The 100 works on view reflect the artist's development from the end of the Cultural Revolution to the present day. Zhou has lived in Holland since 1989 and is counted among the `post-traditionalists'. At the age of 16 Zhou went to work in a machinery factory but his artistic talent enabled him to become a specialist in lifesize portraits of Mao Zedong. In 1978 he enrolled at Shifan Daxue Academy in Shanghai and later studied at the Central Art Academy in Beijing. The sketches, drawings and large-scale works with figural scenes in the academic tradition reveal Zhou's masterful calligraphic line. Their narrative character reflects the legacy of Socialist Realism. His landscapes depicting monumental universes created since the 1990s mark a liberating departure from this legacy. These large-format paintings which form cycles and incorporate calligraphy are imaginary landscapes devoid of people. They show `inkplay' in the Daoist tradition. Zhou has also taken inspiration from Western art, thereby imbuing Chinese ink painting with a new power of expression and a sense of authenticity.

Hidden Afghanistan

De Nieuwe Kerk
Dam Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Until 20 April 2008

The remarkable objects in the exhibition illustrate the function of Afghanistan as a unique crossroads of civilizations, and help this war-torn land to recover its past and its memory. A selection has been made from the collection of the National Museum of Afghanistan in Kabul, specifically objects from four archaeological sites: Tepe Fullol, Ai Khanum, Tillya-tepe and Begram. The focus is not only on the archaeological adventures, but also on the ancient history of the country, from the earliest times to the Kushana empire. The exhibition is also a story of the National Museum of Kabul that came through twenty years of war.

Gandhara - The Buddhist Legacy of Pakistan: Legends, Monasteries, and Paradise

Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany
Bonn, Germany
21 November 2008 - 15 March 2009

Buddha's life is the main focus of this exhibition. Approximately 350 unique objects, including stone sculptures, elaborately worked reliefs with scenes from Buddha's life as well as exquisite coins and magnificent gold jewelry transport viewers from the first to the 5th century BCE. The presentation sheds light on different aspects of the works of art, making the extraordinary cultural legacy of Ghandara, the melting pot of cultures in modern Pakistan, come alive. The representations appear strangely familiar to Western eyes - Buddha is depicted in Greek robes, and reliefs show Greek divinities such as Dionysus and Athena. The goods traded along the southern Silk Road also spread the teachings of Buddhism. The legacy of the artists and craftsmen who came to Hindukush in the wake of Alexander the Great was the creation of the first depictions of Buddha. The exhibition spans a vast period of time and territory - beginning with Greek culture in Central Asia and the historical northwestern India, modern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan and Central Asia: the realm of Ghandara.

Exploring Asia

National Palace Museum
Taipei, Taiwan
Until 25 June 2008
The exhibition is an overview of cultural influences within Asia and is divided into six main topics - Asian texts and writing, Buddhist art, textiles, blue and white and the culture of tea.

Spotlight on Monumental Sculpture at the Lille Art Fair

AMSTERDAM.-From the 24th to 27th of April, the Lille Grand Palais will be opening its doors to more than 20,000 visitors, collectors and Art lovers at a brand new artistic event: the Lille Art Fair.

The Lille Art Fair is the major new European destination for anyone who’s interested in the arts, with the arrival of 80 prestigious galleries, and exhibitions by today’s biggest international artists.

Art with a capital A

Proudly European, a veritable crossroads of cultures, Lille is a truly cosmopolitan city, where openness and creativity are key. The city’s fortunes are closely connected to the arts: a breeding ground for major collectors and the cultural avant-garde, brimming with museums like the Palais des Beaux-arts, the Piscine de Roubaix, the Musée d’Art Moderne de Lille Métropole at Villeneuve d’Ascq – the Lille Art Fair is the logical next step in the city’s artistic voyage.

This year, the show will throw the spotlight on one trend in modern art in particular: monumental sculpture. Discover, or rediscover, works of art which have rarely been seen before, in the building designed by Rem Koolhaas.!

The Lille Art Fair is the place to be for up-and-coming talents from all over Europe. Come and discover their work – they’re reasonably priced, so you can even snap one up to take home with you.
And there are plenty more surprises in store for you at the Lille Art Fair, with some really impressive exhibitions !

Source:Artdaily

First Auction Week at the Vienna Dorotheum featuring Old Masters and 19th Century Painting

VIENNA.-Devine, delicate, and devoted ladies are trumps at this year's first auction week, certainly in terms of subject matter. Filled with energy, the Dorotheum embarks on its 301st year which brings a number of new developments to the seasoned schedule of its four annual auction weeks. For the first time, Old Masters and 19th Century Painting will be presented as part of the Dorotheum Vienna's first auction week from the 15th to the 18th April 2008. Silver, Furniture, Sculpture, as well as Glass & Porcelain are gathered into a single auction of "Antiques", with Jewellery once again bringing the event to its close. At the second auction week in May, incidentally, the successful design category will come up for auction together with modern and contemporary art, another first.

Old Masters never fail to live up to their reputation as 'golden oldies'. After Guido Cagnacci's „Lucretia“ caused an international stir with its sale for € 1,4 million Euro, the 15th April 2008 will see a Magdalene and a Rebecca contest the top billing. Only recently entered into the painter's catalogue of works, "St Magdalene" is recognised as a true masterpiece by Guido Reni. After its discovery in a European private collection not long ago, renowned Reni experts have acknowledged the painting to be an original work by this artist and have welcomed it as a valuable addition to the œuvre of the famous Bologna painter. The idealised painting reminiscent of the style of Raphael is expected to fetch between 250.000 and 300.000 Euro.

Tiepolo's modello of „Rebecca at the Well" represents another high point of Italian painting (€ 145.000 – 165.000) whereas a capriccio with a view of the Coliseum and the Arch of Constantine promises to be of particular interest to collectors. The latter offers a perfect prospect of Rome's famous architecture by the hand of Giovanni Paolo Panini (€ 140.000 – 170.000). Among the Dutch masters Arnold Boonen contributes a „Portrait of a Flower Painter“ while Jacob Marrell, who died in Frankfurt in 1675, offers a brilliantly executed and very decorative "Still Life of Flowers, with melons, reptiles, and a parrot". This excellently preserved painting of nearly square format comes from a Viennese private collection (€ 80.000 – 120.000). Van Goyen, Paul Troger, and Francois Edouard Picot – with an erotically charged „Cupid and Psyche“ – are just some of the other artists featured at this top Dorotheum auction.

The auction of 19th Century Paintings on 16th April 2008 is also completely enthralled by impressive ladies, first and foremost in the form of a masterly portrait of the actress Alice Regnault, which radiates passion and vivacity. It is said that its creator, the Italian-born, London- and Paris trained painter Giovanni Boldini (Ferrara 1845 – 1931), was forced to hide the painting from Regnault's jealous lover, Alexandre Dumas Fils, in his studio. In terms of style, the 1884 portrait provides a perfect example of Boldini's nervous, sketch-like manner, in many ways anticipating the art of the 20th century. In 1933, Time Magazine once referred to this painter, who was also a friend of John Singer Sargent and Degas, as the „Master of Swish“ (€ 300.000 – 400.000).

Unexcelled in their elegance, two black dressed ladies stimulate our imagination in Vittorio Corcos' „Conversation in the Jardin du Luxembourg“ (€ 120.000 – 180.000), as does the Roman Campagna with the Via Appia, in Oswald Achenbach's illustrious 1892 painting (€ 70.000 – 90.000). Additional highlights include works by Gavril Pavlovich Kondratenko, Frans Mortelmans, as well as paintings by Friedrich Gauermann, Eugen Jettel, Olga Wisinger-Florian or Marie Egner. Egner's vividly coloured "Still Life with Buttercups" delicately captures the beginnings of spring (€ 60.000 – 80.000).

The following day of the auction week, the 17th April 2008 is dedicated to Antiques. The Furniture category, for example, features an impressive Russian Empire seat set upholstered in red velvet (€ 50.000 – 60.000) or a museum quality salon- or music table from around 1880/90, attributed to Theophil von Hansen (€ 16.000 – 20.000). A two-tiered 'wedding' wardrobe from Sweden dated 1628 is covered with numerous scenes carved in the round (€ 20.000 – 25.000). The Silver selection, meanwhile, is literally crowned by a Victorian ornamental centrepiece from London, surrounded by three graces (€ 20.000 – 28.000). The Sculptures originate in the 12th to 18th century and feature a particularly noteworthy and enchantingly fragmented "Enthroned Virgin" by Andrea Riccio. The 110 cm tall terracotta sculpture dates to approximately 1500 and is expected to fetch between 60.000 and 80.000 Euro. A graceful limestone figure of St John of about 1400 is shown wearing his typical garment of skins and has been valued at 7.000 to 9.000 Euro. A second St John, from Lower Austria around 1150, is depicted in the form of a sandstone relief (€ 8.000 – 9.500). „It’s teatime“ seems to be the guiding principle of the Porcelain selection with a number of rare early teapots by Du Paquier and Böttger (€ 38.000 – 50.000 resp. € 20.000 – 30.000). The Du Paquier teapot is decorated with an abundance of birds and insects in a garden landscape with Chinese scenes. In the Glass category, collectors can look forward to beakers by Mohn, Mildner or Kothgasser, with one Johann Joseph Mildner beaker bearing a monogram and the dedication: „Ich achte Freundschaft hoch, und bin dem sehr verbunden, der das bekannte Land der Freundschaft hat erfunden“ ("I hold friendship in high esteem and am indebted to him who once discovered the familiar land of friendship", € 6.000 – 9.000).


Source:Artdaily

Gajin Fujita - Pacific Tsunami at Haunch of Venison London




LONDON.-Japanese-American artist Gajin Fujita is to present a series of new panel paintings and works on paper in Pacific Tsunami, his first UK solo show at Haunch of Venison London.

Born and raised in LA, Fujita’s work is greatly informed by the artist’s own cultural heritage and background - large-scale paintings present graffiti overlaid with stylised geisha women, samurai warriors, flowers and animals, motifs from contemporary Japanese cartoons and imagery from American Hip-Hop culture.

As with traditional graffiti the works are produced in layers; semi-precious metals including white gold and gold leaf are applied to wooden panels. These are then obliterated with graffiti, spray-painted by the artist and his crew who contribute with their tags and bombs, more usually seen daubed over empty walls and adorning public transport throughout the city. Finally, a composition of stencilled figures, animals and motifs inspired by traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e imagery and is laid over the top.

Dating back to the early 17th century, the woodblock imagery of Ukiyo-e sought to express an idealisation of contemporary urban life and typically depicts city life, featuring beautiful courtesans, bulky sumo wrestlers and actors. Fujita’s stenciled and hand-drawn figures also relate directly to Shunga, a branch of Ukiyo-e which sought to express sexual desire, and some of the figures in Fujita’s works brazenly present sexually explicit acts and pornographic imagery.

The stencils used in the works are most often fashioned by the artist, created from cut-out drawings that he makes on paper. Once the painting to which each is allied has been completed, Fujita continues to work on these studies to give them independent stature. The exhibition will include a selection of both small and large scale works on paper.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue with a text on the artist’s new body of work from critic Pernilla Holmes. The exhibition, Las Vegas Diaspora: Emergence of Contemporary Art from the Neon Homeland curated by Dave Hickey, includes work from Gajin Fujita, and is on view at the Laguna Art Museum until 1 June 08.

Source:Artdaily

Bonhams will sell Photographs of Kate Moss made by Tracey Emin, Banksy and Albert Watson

LONDON.-The iconic British supermodel, Kate Moss portrayed by three popular artists, Tracey Emin, Banksy and Albert Watson will be sold at Bonhams Vision 21 in Knightsbridge on April 16.

Works by Albert Watson include a gelatin silver print of Kate Moss in Marrakech produced in 1993 - estimate £5,000 - 7,000 and a C-Type print on aluminium, Marrakech, 1993 - estimate £3000 - 5,000. Watson is one of the most successful and sought-after fashion and commercial photographers who has produced photographs for magazines such as Vogue, The Face, Rolling Stone and Newsweek. He won various prizes, including a Grammy Award in 1975 for the best design for an LP cover. His crowning achievements include his unprecedented 250 cover images for Vogue - perhaps the ultimate barometer of success for a fashion photographer.

A screenprint of Kate Moss by the renowned urban artist, Banksy produced in 2005 is estimated at £30,000 - 50,000, while Tracy Emin, one of the leading YBA (Young British Artists) has produced a plymer gravure etching of the supermodel (estimate £600-800).

A unique 'self-portrait' of Andy Warhol (1928-1987) printed by the artist in 1967, in black and blue synthetic polymer and screenprint ink on red graphic art paper is also a fascinating highlight in the Vision 21 sale.

Warhol only ever printed a very small number of early works. As his career took off he was able to employ professional printers to assist him. The present work is particularly rare as it is one of the few that Warhol printed himself. Though other examples do exist, on various different sized sheets of coloured and white papers, the print was never properly editioned. This rare work is estimated at £15,000-20,000.

Striking portraits of Faye Dunaway and Elton John are among the photographs by Terry O'Neil - the famous British photographer who achieved his greatest success documenting the fashion style and celebrities of the 1960's. Shots include Dunaway sitting relaxed in a chair by the pool with an Oscar on the breakfast table and newspapers scattered around her (£600-800).

A photograph by Philippe Halsman, a Latvian-born American photographer, of Sammy Davis Jr. will also be sold (£600-800. Davis is perhaps best known for his 1950's hits such as “Candy Man” and “What Kind of Fool I am” and for his connections with the infamous Brat Pack. Halsman became famous in the 1940's, where he started a thirty-year collaboration with surrealist artist Salvador Dali.

Further stars in the sale include Uma Thurman, photographed by Albert Watson in New York in 1993 (£5,000 - 7,000) and Tilda Swinton, shot by the Douglas Brothers (Andrew & Stewart), which is expected to fetch £600 - 800. Each work is signed.

A diverse mix of art and design is offered at Vision 21 with work by up and coming artists as well as more established name such as Agnes Martin, Roy Lichtenstein, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Takashi Murakami, Marc Newson, Philippe Starck and Ron Arad.

Vision 21 is an innovative sale that delivers great design and diverse style and inspiration from 1945 to the present day. Conceived four years ago, Vision 21 encompasses Post War Paintings, Prints, Photographs, Sculpture and Modern Design. Bonhams in Knightsbridge has a long-held reputation for innovative ideas and, over the years, has introduced many new areas of collecting - such as Contemporary Ceramics and Rock and Pop Memorabilia, which have challenged traditional categories. The Vision 21 continues to attract a young fashionable crowd of both serious collectors, and those just looking to furnish a modern home.


Source:Artdaily