ARTTalk-ArtPourri-The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute-Christie's recent sale of "Impressionist and Modern Art" realized over $491.4 million!-Traditional Christmas

Sculpture Unveiled—The Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute has unveiled a new work of art based on the Four Freedoms by the noted kinetic sculptor Henry Loustau. The work captures the essence of the Four Freedoms and the meaning of American patriotism through the sculptor’s use of such familiar symbols as gold stars, bold stripes and the incorporation of the colors red, white and blue. Currently on the grounds of the F. D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum in Hyde Park, NY, it will travel to other locations.

Senior Winners Announced—Fourteen talented AARP members, selected from hundreds of entries, interpreted thoughts of home to create winning artworks for the 2007 AARP Foundation Calendar. JoAnn Koch’s artwork (Sherman, CA) appears on the calendar cover. See the winning works at www.aarp.org.

Reward Offered—The City of Monterey, CA, has offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people who stole a bronze statue of Dennis the Menace from the Dennis the Menace Playground. Cartoonist Hank Ketcham commissioned the life-size statue in 1987 from animator Wah Ming Chang for placement in the playground created in 1956. Dennis stands 3.5 ft. tall and weighs 125 pounds. Call 831.646.3840.

NEA News--Ten medals have been presented by President and Mrs. Bush to recipients of the 2006 National Medal of Arts. Included were Wilhelmina Holladay, arts patron, of Washington, DC; Interlochen Center for the Arts, School of Fine Arts, Interlochen, MI; and Viktor Schreckengost, industrial designer/sculptor, of Cleveland, OH. This is the nation’s highest honor for artistic excellence.

—The President has announced his intent to nominate six new members to serve on the National Council on the Arts, the advisory body of the NEA. Included among them are Joan Israelite, local arts agency executive, Lee’s Summit, MO; and Charlotte Kessler, arts patron, New Albany, OH. The Senate must now confirm nominations.

Auction News—Christie’s recent sale of “Impressionist and Modern Art” realized over $491.4 million, setting a new record for any auction. The prospect of acquiring masterpieces, the likes of which had not been seen on the market, generated boundless enthusiasm and bidding throughout the sale. Nine new world auction records were set including for Klimt, Schiele, Kirchner, Gauguin, and Balthus.

—At Sotheby’s a sale of “Impressionist and Modern Art” totaled more than $238.6 million, their highest total for a sale in this category since May 1990. Top price achieved was for a still-life by Cezanne which sold for over $36.9 million; and a portrait by Modigliani followed closely at more than $31 million. In sculpture, a rare example of Matisse’s Figure decorative, a work recognized as one of the greatest achievements in modern art, sold for more than $12.8 million.

Milestones—Celebrated folk artist Mose Tolliver (b. 1920) died recently in Alabama. One of the most influential painters in the field of Southern outsider art, Tolliver painted until last year.

—Artist Benny Andrews died recently in New York at the age of 75. Known for his collage, sculpture, illustrations, drawings, paintings and prints, he was also a writer, critic and professor. Andrews’ work is included in many major museums.

Traditional Christmas Stamp Available—The U.S. Postal Service has selected “Christmas: Chacon Madonna and Child with Bird” for the traditional holiday stamp. It features an oil-on-canvas with gold details, dates circa 1765, and is attributed to Ignacio Chacon, an artist active from 1745 to 1775 in Cuzco, Peru. The painting is in a collection of Peruvian colonial art at the Denver Art Museum. Stamps that celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Eid are also available.

Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Museum – Annie Liebovitz: A Photographer’s Life, 1990-2005 features more than 200 photographs made on assignment as a professional, as well as personal photos of her family and close friends. An international tour will then take the exhibition by this celebrated photographer to the San Diego Museum of Art, High Museum of Art, Corcoran Gallery, de Young Museum, and Europe. Through Jan. 21.

New York, NY – Metropolitan Museum of Art – Americans in Paris, 1860-1900 features some 100 oil paintings by 37 Americans. It demonstrates the importance of Paris as a center for late 19^th century American art as the key venue for study, a magnet for expatriates and a stimulus for the creation of newly sophisticated American art schools, exhibitions and criticism. Through Jan. 28.

Santa Fe, NM – Institute of American Indian Arts Museum – Our Land—Contemporary Art from the Arctic surveys the breathtaking beauty of art created in the studios of contemporary artists from Nunavut, the northernmost Canadian Province. Comprised of nearly 75 works of painting, sculpture, video, textiles and digital art created since 1950, the exhibition presents viewers with a rare look at the creative expressions of a thriving indigenous culture unfamiliar to most outsiders. Through Feb. 4.

The Art Institute Online is looking for graphic designers interested in learning additional skills, or in getting their bachelor's or associate's degree in graphic design. Make yourself more marketable in the graphic design industry. Click here to find out more. (http://quinst.com/clk/kittedatoukumushiigyo)