Italian Court Orders Repatriation of the Getty Bronze

The 2,000-year-old Victorious Youth sculpture, commonly known as the Getty Bronze. [Credit: Getty]

ROME — "The court's order is flawed both procedurally and substantively," said the Getty after Thursday's ruling by an Italian judge ordering the museum to repatriate its Victorious Youth sculpture. 

The priceless bronze statue was bought by the J. Paul Getty Museum for nearly four million dollars at an auction in 1974. But Judge Lorena Mussoni of Pesaro ordered its confiscation in a 37-page judgment asserting the artifact belonged to Italy's cultural heritage and was thus not for sale.

Commonly referred to as the Getty Bronze, the sculpture is dated between 300 and 100 B.C. and is considered one of the greatest to survive from ancient Greece. The lifesize statue was found in the sea off the Adriatic coast of Italy in 1964; prosecutors allege that it was smuggled out of the country and that the Getty knew its provenance was illicit.

Former culture minister Francesco Rutelli, who spearheaded Italy's efforts to recover the work, said Thursday's verdict was of "historic importance, ending the era of looting our archaeological heritage." The Getty said it would "vigorously defend" its ownership of the statue and adamantly denies any wrongdoing.

[Source: AFP]

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Italian Court Orders Repatriation of the Getty Bronze

A Day With(out) Art | World AIDS Day 2009

NEW YORK — Tuesday, December 1 is World AIDS Day, dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV infection. The theme for 2009 is "Universal Access and Human Rights" and people everywhere will be wearing red to show their support. Raising money, increasing awareness, fighting prejudice, and improving education are just some of the ways to observe the day; those in the art community will honor the annual A Day With(out) Art.

A Day With(out) Art began on December 1, 1989 as the national day of action and mourning in response to the AIDS crisis. To make the public aware that AIDS can touch everyone, and inspire positive action, some 800 U.S. art and AIDS groups participated in the first A Day With(out) Art, shutting down museums, sending staff to volunteer at AIDS services, or sponsoring special exhibitions of work about AIDS. Since then, A Day With(out) Art has grown into a collaborative project in which thousands of national and international museums, galleries, art centers, AIDS Service Organizations, libraries, high schools and colleges take part.

This year, art museums including the Getty and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are shrouding various works of art in their collections "to reflect our sense of loss and to increase awareness of the global devastation that continues to be wrought by the disease."

For more information, please visit www.worldAIDSday.org

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[Image: The Red Ribbon is the global symbol for solidarity with HIV-positive people and those living with AIDS.]

A Day With(out) Art | World AIDS Day 2009

Top ART News: Week In Review | Nov. 1 - Nov. 8

■ 91-Year-Old Carves Her Win in Stone at Sculpture By the Sea | More >

■ Art Experts Discover Caravaggio's Bacchus Isn't Drinking Alone | More >

■ Obama Names Hollywood Actors, Musicians to Arts Panel | More >

■ Make It Work! Project Runway at the Getty Museum | More >

■ Artissima 16 Brings Contemporary Art to Torino | More >

■ Right-Wing Flails Over Obamas' Return of Controversial Painting | More > 

■ Le Cirque du Pompidou Is Coming to Town | More >

■ East Side Gallery Murals Restored 20 Years After Berlin Wall Falls | More >

Top ART News: Week In Review | Nov. 1 - Nov. 8

Make It Work! Project Runway at the Getty Museum

LOS ANGELES -- Make it work! Episode 12 of the hit reality show Project Runway was filmed at the acclaimed Getty Museum in Los Angeles and will air Thursday on Lifetime. In the final challenge before the Fashion Week finale at Bryant Park, the 5 remaining designers must create outfits inspired by the museum's architecture and artwork. Supermodel Cindy Crawford will join Heidi Klum on the judging panel. 

The Getty is hosting an exclusive screening of the show that night, followed by a discussion on art and fashion, with Mary Alice Haney (West Coast Editor of Marie Claire), Brooke Hodge (former curator at the L.A. Museum of Contemporary Art) and Jasmine Shokrian (L.A.-based fashion designer). Invitations were open to the public via the museum's Facebook page, but unfortunately the event is now full. Ah well, it seems only some can be in...and the others, will be out (or just forced to watch it elsewhere). In the words of Tim Gunn - "Carry On!"

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[Read More - 'Project Runway' Takes the Spotlight at Getty Center | Los Angeles Times]

Make It Work! Project Runway at the Getty Museum

Emerging Artist Wins Big in Temple University Art Competition

PHILADELPHIA -- Doesn't this October seem to be the month of art competitions offering hefty cash rewards? First there was ArtPrize in Grand Rapids. And this week, the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in Pennsylvania, named a winner in the world's largest juried visual art prize granted by a university.

28-year-old painter/sculptor/filmmaker and Philadelphian, Ryan Trecartin, was awarded $150,000 cash in the first annual Wolgin International Competition in the Fine Arts. Trecartin won for his 50-minute video entitled Sibling Topics (Section A). "I'm completely honored. This is going to change my life and my practice," remarked Trecartin at Thursday night's award ceremony.

The Wolgin Competition was endowed by Philadelphia real estate investor, Jack Wolgin. 20 competitors were chosen by an advisory board seeking to find "an emerging artist whose work transcends traditional boundaries and exemplifies the highest level of artistic excellence."

Trecartin, however, doesn't exactly personify an "emerging" artist, having exhibited at the 2006 Whitney Biennial, the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles), Saatchi Gallery (London) and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (New York). The other two finalists, Sanford Biggers and Michael Rakowitz, have similarly impressive curricula vitae. Perhaps contest organizers should redefine their criteria/mission statement before next year's competition.

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[Read More - Philadelphia Artist Takes First Wolgin Prize | Philadelphia Inquirer]

Emerging Artist Wins Big in Temple University Art Competition

Irving Penn, Celebrity Fashion Photographer (1917-2009)

This week, the fashion world mourned the loss of one of the 20th century’s most prolific and influential photographers; Irving Penn passed away on October 7th. His "signature blend of classical elegance and cool minimalism was recognizable to magazine readers and museum-goers worldwide," (New York Times, Oct. 8). Penn's famously striking photo of Pablo Picasso captured the artist peering apprehensively from beneath a wide-brimmed hat [above].

NEW YORK /EarthTimes/ -- US photographer Irving Penn, whose pioneering work blurred the line between fashion and art photography, has died at his Manhattan home at the age of 92, the New York Times reported Wednesday. Penn was a known for his blend of elegance and minimalism and his photographs included sensuous portraits of fashion icons like Marlene Dietrich, close-ups of cigarette butts and other street debris.

He was also known for his meticulous photographs of indigenous people around the world, and his work was shown at major galleries including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC.

His series of more than 250 photos of butchers, bakers and others in The Small Trades was acquired by Los Angeles' J. Paul Getty Museum in 2008 and is on display until January 2010.

Called a "grand master of American fashion" by the Los Angeles Times, Penn was born in 1917 and started contributing to Vogue magazine in 1943. He was married to his favorite model Lisa Fonssagrives from 1950 to her death in 1992 and is the brother of film director Arthur Penn.

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Read More -
US Photographer Irving Penn Dies | EarthTimes
Parting Glance: Irving Penn (photo slideshow) | Lens Blog - NYTimes.com

Irving Penn, Celebrity Fashion Photographer (1917-2009)