ArtPourri

Winners Announced—The winners of the Decorative Arts Collection Awards Competition were announced at the Society of Decorative Painters annual meeting recently.  This international juried competition is open to all artists and provides cash purchase awards. The Joan Johnson Award of Excellence went to Eriko Nakamura of Koyoto, Japan; First Prize was awarded to Eldrid Arntzen of Watertown, CT; Second to June Varey of Australia; and Third to Nobuku Fukukawa of Japan.  See www.decorativeartscollection.org.

Auction News—Sotheby’s made auction history when a masterpiece by famed Mexican artist Frida Kahlo sold for $5.6 million, setting a new record for a Latin American work of art at auction and for the artist at auction.  “Roots” (1943), oil on metal, had never before appeared on the public market.  Works to be offered by Sotheby’s at auction include those by Gerhard Richter and Hans Holbein the Younger. Regarded one of the finest and most personal paintings by Richter ever to come to the market, “Tante Marianne” was executed in the artist’s signature photorealist style that portrays the artist as a four-month-old baby on the knees of his 14-year-old aunt. Holbein’s “Portrait of Sir Thomas Wyatt the Younger” is a recently re-discovered work and the only currently known surviving portrait from the artist’s English period remaining in private hands.  At Christie’s, “The Blue Rigi:  Lake of Lucerne, Sunrise” by J. M. W. Turner sold for $10.9 million.  The watercolor broke the world record for a British watercolor and for any British work on paper.

Schedule Announced—“Met Holiday Mondays” for the one-year period beginning Memorial Day 2006 have been announced by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.  The Museum will be open to the public on the following dates:  July 3, Sept. 4, Oct. 9, Jan. 15, 2007, Feb. 19, 2007 and May 28, 2007.

Cultural Exchange Planned—Louvre Atlanta will bring hundreds of works of art from the Louvre’s collections to the High Museum in Atlanta.  From Oct. through 2009, the museum will present a series of long-term special exhibitions of art from the Louvre built around specific themes and periods.  The collaboration will also include the exchange of cultural expertise as well as educational programs, publications, symposia and films exploring the exhibitions.  Tickets will go on sale to the general public on August 15.

Summer Hours Scheduled—The Art Institute of Chicago Museum is open until 9 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays through Labor Day and from 5-9pm admission is free.  Join a quick tour of the collection, meander on your own with the audio guide or a themed self-guide or find your own personal favorites.

Chairman Elected—The Dia Art Foundation has announced the election of Nathalie de Gunzburg as Chairman of its Board of Trustees.  A philanthropist and collector who joined the Board in 2004, she succeeds Leonard Riggio.

Milestone—Commercial and Pinup artist Joyce Ballantyne Brand has died at the age of 88.  She painted one of the most famous advertising images ever, the little pig-tailed girl with her puppy that appeared on bottles of Coppertone sunscreen. 

Exhibitions:

Chicago, IL – The Art Institute of Chicago – Drawings in Dialogue:  Old Master through Modern celebrates a major gift, which comprises 240 drawings promised or already given to the museum by Dorothy Braude Edinburg.  The exhibition highlights 166 of the works, including important examples by Renaissance and Baroque masters, fine drawings by 18^th and early 19^th century European and American artists, a stellar display of 19^th century French works and a superb representation of early 20^th century art.  Through July 30.

Santa Fe, NM – Museum of Fine Arts – Mexican Modern:  Masters of the 20^th Century presents vibrant colors, evocative imagery and bold socio-political commentary in important works by Rivera, Kahlo, Orozco, Siquieros and more. Through Sept. 3.

New York, NY – Whitney Museum of American Art – Full House:  The Whitney’s Collection at 75 celebrates the museum’s 75^th anniversary.  The exhibition, drawn from the permanent collection, is organized around transformative moments in American art and proposes a series of dynamic dialogues between works of art across all media, spanning the 20^th century to the present.  Through Sept. 3.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 16 No. 9 -- July 2006