In the News

September 2011

Padamsee Takes the Audience on an Artistic Voyage

CHANDIGARH: A lecture and slide show organised by the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi on Sept. 9, 2011 received an overwhelming response and the auditorium with a capacity of a little more than hundred accomodated more than three hundred persons. Apart from the projection of his art works Akbar Padamsee also interacted with the audience in a question answer session moderated by Diwan Manna, Chairman of the Chandigarh Lalit Kala Akademi. Eminent historian Professor B N Goswamy also spoke on this occasion. A documentary film made by LKA Delhi was screened at the end of the session. Memorabilia items as souvenirs were prepared for sale with the images of art works of Akbar Padamsee which include cushion covers, table lamps, coasters, T-shirts, Necties, ceramic tiles, jigsaw puzzles, mouse pads, paper weights, cofee and beer mugs of various shapes and sizes, pen stands, piggy banks, key chains etc.

Stolen Art by Warhol

LOS ANGELES, CA: The theft (on September 3, 2011) of 10 silkscreen paintings by Andy Warhol has the Los Angeles Police Department searching for clues, but it has people in the art world scratching their heads, too. Why were just Warhol's stolen, and not other more valuable art at the same location? Also why art thieves in their right mind would steal well known Warhols that are realistically un-marketable anywhere in the world? “It's hard to say what they want to do with them, but it looks like somebody knew about these pieces,” Detective Hrycyk said Saturday. He said that there was no sign of forced entry and that other valuable artwork and possessions had not been taken.

Every Picture Tells a Lie

BERLIN: British street artist Banksy's mural "Every Picture tells a lie" was rediscovered in Berlin on September 10, after a gallery layered it in paint eight years ago to create space for new works. Banksy, whose identity is unknown to the public, is a world-renowned graffiti artist. His newly recovered mural was spray-painted in 2003 for an exhibit at a contemporary art gallery in Germany's capital. The mural was excavated as part of an art project by Brad Downey, a Berlin-based American artist, whose exhibition is titled "What Lies Beneath" and focuses on layers of paint.

"The unearthing is Downey's project -- he wanted to play with it," said Stephane Bauer, head of the Kunstraum Bethanien Gallery, where the Banksy work is being displayed. Downey, who also took part in the 2003 exhibit, remembered Banksy's work and wanted to uncover it for his 2011 project.

Under Downey's careful instructions, restorers uncovered the artwork, which portrays winged-soldiers with smiley faces carrying guns. The words "Every Picture Tells a Lie" are scrawled in blood-red paint above them.

A Retrospective of Jan Lööf

SWEDEN: The Gothenburg Art Museum's major autumn venture in 2011 is a solo exhibition by the Swedish artist Jan Lööf. "Jan Lööf - Bildmakaren" was on view at the museum from September 17th through January 22nd 2012. The exhibition was the first major retrospective of this multifaceted artist who for decades has gifted us with a number of exciting photo stories, comics and film productions. Jan Lööf is one of Sweden's foremost cartoonists and their now classic series Felix (1967-1973) and Ville (1975 -1976) inspired an entire generation of cartoonists, but it is perhaps above all by their children's books as he became known to the general public. Lööf's imagery offers an unparalleled level of detail where fantasy and realism literally go hand in hand. The characteristic habitats are often full of technical wonders of childhood and populated with liberating, experimental and inventive characters. It is easy to linger in this magical world where parallel events and references to literature, film, art and its own self-references provide additional dimensions.

Ringling Art Museum Celebrates the Amazing American Circus Poster Exhibition

FLORIDA: The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art presents "The Amazing American Circus Poster: The Strobridge Lithographing Company", on view at the museum from September 17th through January 29th 2012. Organized jointly by the Cincinnati Art Museum and the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, this exhibition showcases colorful exotic animals, amazing performers, delightful clowns, and more in 80 brilliantly, boldly bombastic lithographs. Celebrating the museum's fascinating circus heritage and the unrivaled artistry of circus posters produced in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, this spectacular collection presents one of America's oldest forms of advertising and explores the impact of a medium that built national brand recognition and delivered new ideas, faraway places and exotic people directly to the hometowns of everyday Americans across the nation.

Philippine's Poleteismo and the Controversy Regarding Freedom of Expression

Philippines: Filipino artist Mideo Cruz, and his installation, Poleteismo, or Polytheism is still rocking the largely conservative Catholic country, even after the exhibition in which it featured has been closed down.

The exhibition started in June this year at the Cultural Center of Philippines (CCP), Cruz's installation, one part of which is a giant wooden crucifix with a bright red penis, that can be moved up or down, is the centre of controversy. First it was a public outrage, but the CCP stood firmly behind Cruz. Around August, a couple went inside the gallery and vandalized the exhibit, by harming two more exhibits by other artists and lecturing the guard and others before leaving. By the second week of August, the public outrage reached such a crescendo that the President, Benigno Aquino III had to step in.

Artists from the United States, Canada, Italy, Germany, Australia and Thailand defended Cruz.

Cruz asked forgiveness but remained firm about his ideas.

Prague Biennale

PRAGUE: Prague Biennale, is the biggest international art exhibition in Prague, Czech Republic, which takes place under the patronage of Minister of Culture and the City of Prague. The Biennale was founded in 2003 by Helena Kontova and Giancarlo Politi and was organized by Nadace Prague Biennale Foundation (established in 2004).

Now in its 5th edition, this year (From May 19 to September 11) the biennale was coordinated by the directors Helena Kontova and Giancarlo Politi together with Prague Biennale Foundation curator Nicola Trezzi. As every year, the central focus was painting in its multiple expressions. Another topic of Prague Biennale was a presentation of new emerging art from the region, from both the Czech and Slovak Republics. Furthermore the exhibition presented artists from the US, Italy, Germany, Hungary, Great Britain, Portugal, Canada, Norway, and Switzerland among others. This year the Biennale also included a section of twenty two artists from India, which was presented for the first time in the Czech Republic in a comprehensive selection that includes established, young and emerging artists.

As always the Prague Biennale had created considerable interest, not only in the Czech Republic, but also throughout Central Europe, attracting a public from throughout the world.

Due to the fascinating but outlying location of this year's Biennial, which was not easily accessible by public transport, attendance had almost halved from the usual. The finissage and closing party started at 7pm on September 11. Prague Biennale 6, 2013 is expected to take place in a much more accessible location so that the number of audience can increase.

Art Moscow

MOSCOW - September 21 to 25, Moscow witnessed the International Art Fair which is the principal annual event on the Russian art market on contemporary actual art was held at the Central House of Artists. Art Moscow is renewed annually, not only presenting to the public new works, names and galleries, but also introducing vital changes, which deeply affect the development of the project. This year the number of experts in the Expert Council enlarged by entering foreign professionals from Great Britain and Germany. The structure of exposition area was altered.

Asia Triennial Manchester 2011

MANCHESTER: The second ASIA Triennial Manchester 11(ATM11) , Initiated by Shisha, is a festival of visual culture that features a series of exhibitions, commissions and interventions by international and UK artists exploring the theme of Time and Generation , presenting new site-specific work alongside work not seen before in the UK, will start on October 1 and continue till November 27, 2011, supported by Arts Council England, Association of Greater Manchester City Council and Foyle Foundation.

Gorham Carved Horn and Silver Match Safe

DALLAS: A circa 1875 Gorham carved horn and silver match safe, featuring a highly stylized and intricate Japanese warrior figure on the base, with a stylized carp on the top considered one of the “great match safe masterpieces” in existence by leading match safe scholar Neil Shapiro is expected to bring $20,000-plus in Heritage Auctions' Sept. The match safe collection comes from a prominent private East Coast collection. Heritage will be offering more than 1,500 rare American match safes from the collection in auctions over the course of the next two years.

Boris Kustodiev Masterpiece for Sale at MacDougall's Russian Art Auctions

LONDON: MacDougall's announced that its forthcoming Russian Art Auctions will be headlined by Merchant's Wife, an exceptional masterpiece by Boris Kustodiev. The painting is estimated at £1,200,000-1,800,000, and will be among the top lots of London's fall 2011 Russian week. Merchants' wives, or Kupchikhas as they are known in Russian, are among the artist's most recognizable subjects. In these works, Kustodiev was looking for a distinctly Russian style using a wealth of rich and vibrant colours. He found inspiration in the merchant classes of provincial towns, vestiges of tradition at a time when Russia was going through dramatic changes. Kustodiev's Kupchikhas are represented in many important public collections of Russian art. The present variation on the artist's favourite theme is one of very few major works that still remain in private hands.

The British Museum: Staging the World Exhibition of Shakespeare

LONDON: During the summer of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games the British Museum will present a major exhibition on the world and works of William Shakespeare, supported by BP. Shakespeare: staging the world will be part of the World Shakespeare Festival in the London 2012 Festival. The exhibition will provide a unique insight into the emerging role of London as a world city interpreted through the innovative perspective of Shakespeare's plays, and will be brought to life through objects, digital media and performance. The British Museum has collaborated with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the creative approach to the design of the exhibition, accentuating the connections between the objects, Shakespeare's text and performance.

Pop Art Pioneer Richard Hamilton Died

LONDON: Richard Hamilton, the British artist regarded as a pioneer in the field of Pop art, had died at the age of 89 after a short illness. The London-born artist's best known work was a 1956 collage featuring a body builder and a tin of ham, which earned him the title "Father of Pop". The Gagosian Gallery, which announced his death, said the art world had "lost one of its leading lights". He was working on a major retrospective just days before he died. The exhibition is due to be seen in London, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Madrid next year.

Sculptures & Drawings by Roy Lichtenstein

COLOGNE: The halftone dots used by Pop maestro Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) are world famous. Taking motifs from the realms of comics and consumerism, Lichtenstein made paintings by piecing together dots and coloured surfaces. But a very different side of his work can be discovered at this exhibition in Museum Ludwig. Around 100 exhibits, chiefly large-scale paintings along with a number of sculptures and drawings, reveal his fascinating explorations of style through the history of art from Expressionism and Futurism to Bauhaus and Art Deco. Lichtenstein even appropriated works by his artist heroes - Picasso, Matisse, Mondrian and even Dali - and interpreted them in an often ironic and cryptic manner using his own visual language. On view through 3 October, 2010.

He also painted after such models as Picasso, Braque and Klee, who in his own words worked into an “expressionist Cubism”. Indeed, Lichtenstein even continued his takes on Picasso, once he had already begun to work with the half-tone dots. In his hands, Picasso's works became a kind of comic and received a character all of its own.

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