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ArtPourri

U.S. Honored – The Philadelphia Museum of Art, commissioning institution for the U.S. Pavilion at the 53^rd International Art Exhibition-La Biennale di Venezia, announced that the U.S. representation, Bruce Nauman:  Topological Gardens, has been awarded the prestigious Golden Lion for the Best National Participation.  This is the first time since 1990 that the U.S. has received this much-coveted award.

Sketchbook Stolen – A sketchbook of original drawings by Pablo Picasso was stolen from the Picasso Museum in Paris between June 8-9.  Dating from 1917-1924, it has a red cover with the inscription “Album” in gilt letters.  Measuring 16 x 24 cm, the sketchbook contains 33 pencil drawings by Picasso, of which four are on back pages.

INTERPOL is investigating.

NEA News – The NEA has announced the 2009 recipients of the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, the NEA National Heritage Fellowships.  Eleven fellowships, which include a one-time award of $25,000 each, are presented to honorees from eight states and Puerto Rico.  Included are LeRoy Graber, a German-Russian Willow Basketmaker from Freeman, SD, and Teri Rofkar, a Tlingit Weaver and Basketmaker from Sitka, AK.

Stamp News – Maggie Simpson beat her dad, Homer, by more than 8,000 ballots as the favorite Simpsons stamp in an online vote.  Of the more than 916,000 votes cast, Bart came in third, followed by Marge and Lisa.—A new 44-cent U.S. Flag stamp that was photographed by Rick Barrentine of Duluth, GA, has been issued by the Postal Service.  The detail, showing a softly folded flag, features most prominently the starry blue field, with red-and-white stripes occupying the remaining space.  Look for these in booklets of 10.

Auction News – Christie’s New York Post War & Contemporary Art Evening Sale totaled more than $93.7 million.  New world auction records were set for David Hockney, Claes Oldenburg, Douglas Wheeler, Tony Smith and Kerry James Marshall. The Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale realized over $102.7 million for paintings and sculpture with top lots from Picasso, Giacometti and Tamara de Lempicka commanding the highest prices.  A new world auction record was set for Lempicka at $6,130,500. – Sotheby’s sale of Old Master Paintings, European Sculpture & Antiquities brought a total of over $14.2. The top lot of the section of Old Master Paintings and the entire sale was Frans Post’s The Sugar Mill, which more than doubled the high estimate to sell for $1.7 million.

Milestones – Abstract painter Frederick Hammersley has died at age 90.  He is known as one of the Los Angeles-based “Abstract Classicists” whose work gained international attention through the exhibition Four Abstract Classicists at the Los Angeles County Museum in 1959.  The term “hard edge” was coined at the time to describe the geometric, abstract paintings by Hammersley and others

—American figurative painter Robert Colescott has died at age 83. He was the first African-American to represent the United States at the Venice Biennale (1997), and his works can be seen in the collections of many major museums.

July Dates of Interest:
12 - Etch-a-Sketch Introduced (1960)
28 - Beatrix Potter’s Birthday

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 19 No. 9 — July 2009