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Robert Zandvliet "Seven Stones" bei Bernhard Knaus Fine Art
16/05/2013
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Random International: Rain Room / Museum of Modern Art MoMA, New York
16/05/2013
After its premiere at the Barbican Centre in London in October 2012, Random International’s Rain Room is now installed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Follow us inside: it’s raining, but you won’t get wet (promised). Random International’s immersive environment Rain Room is a major component of the MoMA PS1 exhibition EXPO [...] Read full article here

Christie's Rakes In $495 Million — the Highest Total for Any Art Auction, Ever
16/05/2013
Christie's Rakes In $495 Million — the Highest Total for Any Art Auction, EverPhoto Gallery: Slideshow: Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Evening Sale on May 15Published: May 16, 2013NEW YORK — Auction history was made at Christie’s postwar and contemporary evening sale on Wednesday, which raked in $495,021,500 — the highest ever tally for any auction in any category. It nicked the $491.4 million mark set at Christie’s Impressionist and modern evening sale back in November 2006, the previous high for any single auction. The tally also eclipsed last May’s $388.4 million total. Tonight, only four of the 70 lots offered failed to find buyers for a near-perfect buy-in rate by lot and value of six percent. The tally crushed presale expectations of $288.9-401.4 million, though that spread does not reflect the buyer’s premium included in the overall result. Head-turning statistics included the fact that 59 of the 66 lots sold hurdled the million-dollar mark. Of those, 23 made over $5 million. More incredibly, nine topped $10 million. A dozen artist records were set, led by the ravishing cover lot, Jackson Pollock’s small but mighty “Number 19, 1948,” a stunning drip painting in oil and enamel on paper mounted on canvas, which sold to an anonymous telephone bidder for a whopping $58,363,750 (est. $25-35 million). The epic bidding battle for the Pollock began at $18 million and quickly escalated at million-dollar increments to a point where three bidders were still competing at the $40 million plus mark, including dealers Jose Mugrabi and Dominique Levy. Described in the catalogue as the property of an American foundation, the shimmering painting, which last sold at auction at Christie’s New York in May 1993 for $2,422,500, subsequently entered the collection of Potomac, Maryland billionaire Mitchell Rales and his Glenstone Foundation. The price obliterated the mark set by “Number 4,” a 1951 canvas that made $40,402,500 at Sotheby’s New York last November. It couldn’t have hurt that critic Clement Greenberg, reviewing the Pollock exhibition at Betty Parsons Gallery in January 1949, singled out “Number 19,” saying it “seemed more than enough to justify the claim that Pollock is one of the major painters of our time.” Edvard Munch’s “The Scream” may have sold for $120 million at Sotheby’s last year, but still, the fact that an AbEx work on paper could sell for $50-plus million is an extraordinary milestone. The question easily arises, what the heck happened between Sotheby’s strong but sober $293.5-million sale on Tuesday and Christie’s fantastic results on Wednesday? “We had two single-owner collections,” said Marc Porter, chairman of Christie’s America and global head of private sales, shortly after the fireworks ended, “and we had great single works, so we had the culmination of both elements.” Porter was referring in part works from the Armand and Celeste Bartos collection, which together made $30.2 million, and a trove of paintings from the estate of crooner Andy Williams, which brought $46 million. Singular artworks across a broad spectrum of time and styles went through the roof, including the huge and funky Jean-Michel Basquiat painting, “Dustheads” (1982), executed in acrylic, oilstick, spray enamel, and metallic paint on canvas, which sold to another anonymous telephone bidder for a record $48,843,750 (est. $25-35 million). The Wild West bidding for this Basquiat, known in the trade as a classic “pissing contest,” saw two mega-rich individuals duke it out in a cat-and-mouse bidding game that started at $20 million. It left the previous Basquiat record, set at Christie’s New York last November when “Untitled” (1981) made $26,402,500, in the dust. Semi-retired art dealer Annina Nosei, who sequestered Basquiat in her basement space on Prince Street at the dawn of the 80s, and sold the painting for under $5,000 to Maggie Bult (at least as she recalled it), attended the sale. Now a senior champion ballroom dancer, Nosei said, “I wish I kept it. I never come to auctions, but I did for this painting. It is a masterpiece, both for its intrinsic size, the painterly language, and the structure itself. I’m without words.” The record Basquiat came to market with a third-party guarantee, taking the risk off Christie’s and assuring that the anonymous speculator made a fortune on the transaction.   Another Basquiat, this one a work on paper, “Furious Man,” also made a huge sum, selling to Jerry Lauren for $5,723,750 (est. $1-1.5 million). It last sold at Sotheby’s New York in May 2001 for $302,750. Here, it was one of the standout pieces from the Andy Williams collection. “I’m a folk art collector,” said Lauren, as he exited the heaving, standing-room-only salesroom, “and I can identify with this because it’s American street folk art.” Lauren, who bid from a last row seat in the salesroom, is the creative head of men’s fashion at Ralph Lauren (no relation). He explained that he collects Bill Traylor, a storied folk artist, as well as American weathervanes, stoneware, and “very rare Americana.” Needless to say, it is his first Basquiat. Another record went to the remarkable Roy Lichtenstein painting from 1963, “Woman With Flowered Hat,” a pastiche-slash-Pop-appropriation of a Picasso painting that sold to London-based jewelry magnate Laurence Graff for $56,123,750 (est. on request in the region of $30-40 million). “I got a masterpiece and I’m very lucky, because it’s one of four ladies Lichtenstein did and this is the best example,” said a still-elated Graff, buttonholed outside Christie’s Rockefeller Center headquarters. “There are fewer and fewer masterpieces coming to market and I love this painting.” Graff also cracked that it is just weeks away from his birthday, “so it’s going to be my birthday present.” The painting mashed the previous high set a year ago at Sotheby’s New York when Lichtenstein’s “Sleeping Girl” (1964) sold for $44,882,500. The art market tonight appeared giddily bulletproof as London-imported auctioneer Jussi Pylkannen confidently extracted multi-million-dollar bids from the room and banks of telephone bidders. In this super-charged atmosphere, certainly reminiscent of past bubble moments, uncanny prices popped like vintage champagne corks. The top-class and widely exhibited Philip Guston AbEx-era painting, “To Fellini” (1958), which was chased by at least five bidders, soared to a record $25,883,750 (est. $8-12 million). Piero Manzoni's folded abstraction, “Achrome” (1958) made a huge $14,123,750 (est. $6-9 million). In fact, no matter where you turned, it seemed as if the spigot was left on. Another AbEx icon, Mark Rothko and his darkly luminous “Untitled (Black on Maroon),” also dated from 1958, sold to New York dealer Dominque Levy for $27,003,750 (est. $15-20 million). (Levy also bought Willem de Kooning's sexy, 28-by-20-inch “Woman (Blue Eyes),” from 1953, for $19,163,750 [est. $12-17 million]). Gerhard Richter’s richly textured and colorful “Abstraktes bild, Dunkel (613-12)” (1986) sold to a telephone bidder for $21,963,750 (est. $14-18 million). The anonymous seller bought it from Sperone Westwater in New York during one of Richter’s first exhibitions in the U.S. in 1987. At the time, the work was well under $100,000. But the standout evening wasn’t all about the past either, as evidenced by Julie Mehretu’s mural-like architectural landscape, “Retopistics: A Renegade Excation” (2001), which sold for a record $4,603,750 (est. $1.4-1.8 million). “This is a landmark moment for us,” said Koji Inoue, Christie’s head of the evening sale in an after-sale remark. “It was a win-win across all categories.” The contemporary action closes out the season Thursday evening at Phillips. To see highlights from Christie's record-setting sale, click on the slideshow. Read full article here

Henry Moore Sculptures Head to Amsterdam to Inaugurate the Rijksmuseum Gardens
15/05/2013
Henry Moore Sculptures Head to Amsterdam to Inaugurate the Rijksmuseum GardensPublished: May 15, 2013Twelve sculptures by Henry Moore have been shipped to Holland to inaugurate the newly reopened Rijksmuseum’s Gardens next month.  The full list of works being transported has been revealed by the Henry Moore Foundation, with many of the pieces having never been seen in Holland before, marking an exciting debut for the Gardens, which have been updated to coincide with the institution’s reopening last month after a 10-year, £320-million development programme. This “outdoor gallery” will see a rotation of annual sculpture displays over the coming years, of which the Moore exhibition is the first. The show will open on June 22, 2013. Highlights of the work on display will be Reclining Woman: Elbow (1981), which has not left its position next to the façade of Leeds Art Gallery since it was created, and Large Reclining Figure (1984), for which Moore enlarged a tiny 1938 maquette to over nine meters in length. Other pieces include Large Two Forms (1966), which can be physically entered by the public, and the white fibreglass work Locking Piece (1963-1964). Rijksmuseum senior sculpture curator Frits Scholten told ARTINFO UK: “It started with the idea that we wanted to make our garden more a public space with summer exhibitions and then a private donor allowed us to realise the plans for five or six years. Moore was high on my list because I consider him the primordial sculptor. The Henry Moore Foundation could help us at fairly short notice as we started talks 18 months ago.” Scholten said the Moores were selected with specific sites in mind. They will fall into two groups: “reclining figures” will be shown in more open spaces, while bigger, abstract work from the late 1950s and 1960s will be shown on three of the four sides of the garden close to the museum. He added that the British pieces would complement 17th- and 18th-century Netherlandish garden sculptures already in place, including a newly restored copy of a work by Adriaen de Vries (the original is now in the Louvre). Utrecht-based Landscape architectural firm Copijn has also updated the original gardens to feature a water maze designed by Danish sculptor Jeppe Hein, complementing the original lawns and ponds created in line with Pierre Cuypers’s plan for the site. “Henry Moore Outside,”Rijksmuseum Gardens, June 22, 2013 – June 22, 2014 Follow @UK_ARTINFO Read full article here

Six Best Secret Gardens in London
15/05/2013
Language English Order: 0Budget TravelSee + DoJane AndersonTop Story Home: Top Story - Channel: Exclude from Landing: Feature Image: Thumbnail Image: Credit: Photo courtesy of The Geffrye Museum Slide:  Image: Body: The bustle of Britain's sprawling capital is part of its appeal. But where do you go if you're in need of an oasis in the urban landscape? We've unearthed six of London's best secret gardens — just in time for springtime's slow crawl to the continent.     Main cover image: Courtesy of The Geffrye Museum  Credit: Photo courtesy of The Barbican CentreCaption: London Barbican Conservatory Title: Chelsea Physic GardenImage: Body: Forward thinking and utterly beguiling, the Chelsea Physic Garden was founded in 1673 as the Apothecaries' Garden, with the purpose of training apprentices in identifying plants. Highlights include a Garden of World Medicine and a new Pharmaceutical Garden. Frequent talks and workshops and pop-up events tantalize the home gardener and aesthete alike. Open Tuesdays through Fridays noon to 5 pm, Sundays noon to 6 pm through October 31; £9 (£6 concessions).     Credit: Photo courtesy of Chelsea Physic Garden Title: Geffrye Museum Gardens Image: Body: The Geffrye Museum has long been a beacon of culture and horticulture in the city's East End. The museum shows the changing style of English domestic interiors from 1600 to the present day. Outside, there is a sequence of period town gardens highlighting the key styles over the past four centuries. It includes a 17th-century garden with medicinal and culinary plants in medieval patterns. Running through August 26, a photo exhibition "Stands Alone" documents life in a north London housing project that's arranged around a communal garden. Admission and events are free to the main museum and gardens; special exhibition £5.      Credit: Photo courtesy of The Geffrye Museum Title: The Roof Gardens Image: Body: One hundred feet above the bustle of High Street Kensington, on top of a 1930s former department store, you'll find three lush gardens with mature oaks, fruit trees, and a flowing stream, all which celebrate their 75th birthday this year. Visitors are free to roam the Moorish Spanish Garden based on the Alhambra in Granada; the Tudor Garden with its lilies, roses, and wisteria; and the English Woodland Garden, best right now for spring when thousands of narcissus and crocus are in bloom. There's also a restaurant serving lunch, Wednesdays through Fridays, and dinner, Tuesdays through Saturdays. Gardens open daily; call ahead to confirm times (+44 20 7937 7994).        Credit: Photo courtesy The Roof Gardens Title: Barbican ConservatoryImage: Body: Few people know about the tropical conservatory garden with coffee bean and citrus trees, palms and ferns, and finches and quails in the Barbican, a huge performing arts center in the City of London. Hidden within the blockish Brutalist architecture, the conservatory is a great place to chill and chat between bouts of culture. Alternatively, take the Architectural or Hidden Barbican Tour. Both give fascinating insights behind the scenes of Europe's second largest arts center.  Open Sundays and public holidays 11 am to 5:30 pm; £8 (£6 concessions). But go quick: it will be closed for maintanence from May 28 till July 21.     Credit: Photo courtesy of The Barbican CentreCaption: London Barbican Conservatory Title: The Secret Garden at The Montague Image: Body: Bloomsbury, known for its literary associations and garden squares, has a off-the-radar green space at The Montague Hotel. The work of floral designer and fragrance creator Kenneth Turner, this enchanting English garden is landscaped with birch, Leanna vine, summer roses, and hanging wisteria — and is due to re-open as soon as the weather warms and England's freak snowstorms subside. It's the perfect place for a glass of Pimms, afternoon tea, or an evening barbecue. Visitors needn't be staying at the hotel but, if its popularity is anything like last summer's buzzy debut, booking in advance is recommended.     Credit: Photo courtesy of Red Carnation HotelsCaption: The Montague's Secret Garden Title: The Garden Museum Image: Body: Tucked away beside Lambeth Palace Gardens, across the River Thames from Tate Britain, The Garden Museum celebrates the design, history, and art of cultivated places. At its heart lies a knot garden in honor of the great plant hunters, John Tradescant the Elder and Younger, where you can discover red maple and tulip trees scarlet runner beans. "Green Fuse: The World of Dan Pearson" opens May 23 and promises to multimedia immersion into the works of the famed landscape designer. Sundays through Fridays 10:30 am to 5 pm, Saturdays 10:30 am to 4 pm; £7.50 (concessions £6.50/£3/children under 16 free).     Credit: Photo courtesy of Jim Linwood via FlickrCaption: The Garden Museum Cover image: Popular City: LondonWhere To Go Now: Frieze Art FairShort title: Six Best Secret Gardens in LondonBody: As springtime makes its slow crawl to the continent, we've unearthed six lesser-known leafy spots in which to celebrate Top Story France: Top Story - Australia: Top Story - Canada: Top Story - HK: Top Story - India: Top Story - UK: Top Story - China: Top Story - Brazil: Top Story - Germany: Top Story Russia: Top Story - Southeast Asia: Top Story - English, Chinese: Top Story - Korea: Top Story - Japan: Top Story - English, Korea:  Read full article here

Slideshow: Christie's Post-War and Contemporary Evening Sale on May 15
15/05/2013
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Chronographs With Class: See Highlights From This Month's Watch Auctions
15/05/2013
Chronographs With Class: See Highlights From This Month's Watch AuctionsPhoto Gallery: Slideshow: Chronographs with ClassPublished: May 15, 2013In the May 2013 issue, Art+Auction took a look at some of the must-have timepieces available at this month’s  watch auctions, including those at Sotheby’s Geneva, May 11, Christie’s Geneva on May 13, and at Heritage Auctions in New York on May 21. Here’s a sampling of some of the most dazzling chronographic collectibles available at the sales. To see images of highlights from the watch auctions, click on the slideshow. Read full article here

“Good Luck and Safe Journey” at T293
15/05/2013
Artists: Sam Falls, Federico Maddalozzo, Julia Rommel Venue: T293, Naples Exhibition Title: Good Luck and Safe Journey Date: February 25 – May 25, 2013 Click here to view slideshow   Images: Images courtesy of T293, Naples. Photos by Maurizio Esposito Press Release: The exhibition examines the procedures and repeated gestures used to structure works in a certain way and [...]Contemporary Art Daily is produced by Contemporary Art Group, a not-for-profit organization. We rely on our audience to help fund the publication of exhibitions that show up in this RSS feed. Please consider supporting us by making a donation today. Read full article here

See the Participating Artists in Next Year's 19th Biennale of Sydney
15/05/2013
See the Participating Artists in Next Year's 19th Biennale of SydneyPublished: May 15, 2013The 19th Biennale of Sydney (BOS19) is shaping up to be a fantastic event if the artist preview list is anything to go by. A list of 18 artists selected to participate in the art show was unveiled today by BOS19 Artistic Director, Juliana Engberg, who also gave a brief insight into the background of the BOS19 theme, “You Imagine What You Desire.” “‘You Imagine What You Desire’ is an evocation celebrating the artistic imagination as a spirited describing and exploration of the world through metaphor and poesis,” Engberg explains. “It makes enquiries into contemporary aesthetic experience, and relates this to historical precedents and future opportunities to imagine possible worlds.” Based on what she describes as a curatorial approach that “seeks splendour and rapture in works that remain true to a greater, even sublime visuality,” Engberg has chosen the following artists to participate in BOS19: Yael Bartana, Ulla von Brandenberg, Mircea Cantor, David Claerbout, Yingmei Duan, Krisztina Erdei, Douglas Gordon, Henna-Riikka Halonen, Roni Horn, Mikhail Karikis, Laurent Montaron, Agnieszka Polska, Augustin Rebetez, Maxime Rossi, Wael Shawky, John Stezaker, Corin Sworn, and Tori Wrånes. This early glimpse into the direction of BOS19 reveals a strong focus on European artists working with video, including David Claerbout, Laurent Montaron, and Agnieszka Polska. There is also a strong contingent of Scottish-based artists led by Douglas Gordon and Corin Sworn, perhaps influenced by Engberg’s time as a Visiting Critic at the Glasgow School of Art. As yet no Australian participants have been identified, but that will surely change when the full list is revealed. According to Engberg, this year's fair “seeks to understand the need artists have today to create immersive and expanded environments, and locates this activity as part of an art historical trajectory, and as a pursuit into the issues of human consciousness, and their psychological, cognitive and corporeal imperatives. “It reminds us that powerful art is not divorced from the cultural conditions, political, social, and climatic environments in which it is generated. That indeed it often exists to provide a meta-commentary on these aspects of society – and even, sometimes, act as an antidote and proposition. As a future vision.” The 19th Biennale of Sydney will take place from Friday, March 21 – Monday, June 9, 2014. To see works by 18 of the artists selected to participate in BOS19, click on the slideshow.   Read full article here

VIDEO: Cannes Film Festival Gets Underway
15/05/2013
VIDEO: Cannes Film Festival Gets UnderwayPublished: May 15, 2013  The Cannes Film Festival gets underway on Wednesday with Australian director Baz Luhrmann's 3D extravaganza "The Great Gatsby", a lavish production eclipsing more modest launches in recent years that reflected global economic gloom. Already showing in theatres in Canada and the United States, the adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel is a rare case when Cannes, the year's most important cinema gathering, has not kicked off with a world premiere. After the movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio screened to the press, and ahead of a glitzy red carpet evening gala, Luhrmann appeared unmoved by those critics who had said the film was a case of style over substance. "I never get one of those big, high critics scores," Luhrmann told a news conference, flanked by cast members including Tobey Maguire and Amitabh Bachchan. "I just care people are going out and seeing it." The movie, estimated to have cost $105 million to make, received mixed reviews, but opened in North America last weekend with a larger-than-expected $51 million for distributor Warner Bros, a unit of Time Warner Inc.. The opening night kicks off 12 days of world premieres, champagne parties and celebrity spotting along Cannes' chic waterfront Croisette, with Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Ryan Gosling, and Emma Watson among big names in town this year. In Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby", DiCaprio plays the title role Jay Gatsby, a millionaire pining for a lost love during the height of the "Roaring Twenties", while Maguire is narrator Nick Carraway. Rapper Jay-Z produced the soundtrack. DiCaprio, remaining calm despite the crush of reporters and photographers following his every move, said he was fascinated by the character of Gatsby. "One of the most powerful things about this novel is that it is still discussed nearly 90 years later," he said. Cloudy skies did not deter badge holders and passers-by from cramming cafes around the main festival building, while dozens of gleaming luxury yachts in the nearby harbor prepared to welcome their wealthy guests. With the film's feast of lavish costumes and hedonistic parties, festival veterans are eager to see if Luhrmann will top his last opening at Cannes in 2001, viewed as the last truly over-the-top launch party. In that year he filled the red carpet with can-can girls to promote his movie "Moulin Rouge". "For a few years the mood at Cannes was a bit more subdued but the economy has picked up a bit and business is good so people are expecting a big opening," said Wendy Mitchell, editor of trade magazine Screen International. Some industry insiders said Cannes' decision to invite Luhrmann to open was a concession indicative of the cosy ties between Tinseltown and the French festival that champions eclectic, low-budget movies while also courting Hollywood. After the opening night the focus will shift to hundreds of other films screening at Cannes, including 20 movies from 10 countries competing for the coveted Palme D'Or award presented on the final day, May 26. The list, which regularly features Oscar contenders come the awards season, includes five U.S. movies - the highest number in six years - from directors Steven Soderbergh, Jim Jarmusch, Alexander Payne, the Coen brothers, and James Gray. Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Spielberg is heading a star-studded jury to decide the prizes along with Australian actress Nicole Kidman and two of 2013's Oscar winners, Taiwan-born director Ang Lee and Austrian actor Christoph Waltz. "I look at this as two weeks of celebrating film, not two weeks of pitting one film against the other," Spielberg told a news conference. Watch video on the buzz at the red carpet in Cannes:     Read full article here