Prez Sarkozy's Father Exhibits Carla Bruni Paintings

Top ART News Headlines for Monday, February 8, 2010

The centerpiece of Pal Sarkozy's exhibition will be a large canvas of his daughter-in-law Carla Bruni-Sarkozy. [Credit: Mail Online]

Pal Sarkozy Exhibits Paintings of His Daughter-in-Law | BUDAPEST — Eighty-two-year-old Pal Sarkozy has a famous son and daughter-in-law to thank for "enormously" boosting his painting career. The Hungarian aristocrat is the father of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Pal's paintings are currently on view in Budapest before being shown at Espace Pierre Cardin in April. A large canvas of Carla Bruni-Sarkozy was a wedding present to the pair but will be the centerpiece of the show. Pal says Carla is an "adorable girl" who helped bring him closer to his son after years of estrangement. "There is a rose on the piano as a symbol of the openness of Nicolas to the political Left, but also an emblem of love," he said. [Source: Telegraph]

NoMA Victorious in Super Bowl Art Bet | NEW ORLEANS — In case you've been locked away in a closet for the past 24 hours - the New Orleans Saints won Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday evening. Looks like Joseph Turner's The Fifth Plague of Egypt (1800) will be traveling to the New Orleans Museum of Art for a 3-month visit. [Background on the Super Bowl art bet here]

Kate Moss Fashions Herself a Painter | LONDON — Supermodel Kate Moss was recently spotted stocking up on art supplies after signing up for a private art course at her home in London. A source close to the waifish celebrity said: "Kate has always been a big collector of art and has several valuable works in her home. But she has been getting more into painting herself. She has a very hectic life and that is one of the few things that relaxes her." [Source: The Sun]

Missouri Museum Gifted 400 Artworks for 75 Years | KANSAS CITY — Dozens of patrons have donated 400 artworks to the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in celebration of its 75th anniversary this year. Among the gifted pieces is an impressive Impressionist collection from Marion and Henry Bloch (founder of H&R Block Inc.), including works by Monet, Van Gogh, Edouard Manet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Pierre Bonnard and Camille Pissarro. The museum will feature 130 of the 400 artworks in a special exhibition February 13-April 4. [Source: ABC News]

Iran Formally Cuts Ties with British Museum | TEHRAN — "Since the Cyrus Cylinder has not been transferred to Iran, we will lodge a complaint against the British Museum to UNESCO and cut ties," head of Iran's cultural heritage and tourism organization, Hamid Baghai, confirmed Sunday. Baghai accused the museum of stalling in returning the Persian treasure to Iran, who formally severed relations after the final deadline of Sunday was not met. The British Museum expressed "great surprise" at the decision, saying it planned to return the artifact in late July. "The British Museum has acted throughout in good faith, and values highly its hitherto good relations with Iran. It is to be hoped that this matter can be resolved as soon as possible," said a museum official. [Source: AFP]

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Prez Sarkozy's Father Exhibits Carla Bruni Paintings

OH SNAP! The Art of Betting on the Super Bowl

Top ART News Headlines for Wednesday, January 27, 2010

If the Colts win the Super Bowl, the Indianapolis Museum of Art gets a 3-month loan of the New Orleans Museum of Art’s Ideal View of Tivoli (1644) by Claude Lorrain [left]; if the Saints win, NoMA will borrow IMA’s The Fifth Plague of Egypt (1800) by Joseph Turner [right].

OH SNAP! The Art of Betting on the Super Bowl | In the days leading up to the Super Bowl, what could be more popular than betting on which team will take home the trophy? How about the ongoing Twitter rivalry between two museum directors - Max Anderson of the Indianapolis Museum of Art (IMA) vs. E. John Bullard of the New Orleans Museum of Art (NoMA). Refereed by art blogger Tyler Greene, the final wager was decided Wednesday afternoon: If the Colts win, IMA gets a 3-month loan of NoMA’s Ideal View of Tivoli (1644) by Claude Lorrain; if the Saints win, NoMA gets a 3-month loan of IMA’s The Fifth Plague of Egypt (1800) by Joseph Turner. [Modern Art Notes]

The iconic Obama HOPE poster was designed by Shepard Fairey and based on a photograph taken by Mannie Garcia for the AP.

Obama HOPE Poster Artist May Face Criminal Charges | NEW YORK — An update in the case of the Fairey v. Associated Press - a NYC judge revealed that Shepard Fairey is the target of a pending criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office. At a hearing Tuesday, Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein denied a motion by Fairey's attorneys in the ongoing civil case involving the artist's use of a photo of the President. Fairey revealed in October that he deleted and faked evidence to mislead his lawyers. [Bloomberg]

Swiss-American Philanthropist Donates Art to Cuba | HAVANA — "I will continue buying and donating works from the collection to the Cuban people," said Swiss-American philanthropist Gilbert Brownstone after hand-delivering the first installment of nine artworks to Cuba this week. The gallery owner and former curator of the Museum of Modern Art, Paris will give a total of 120 pieces by Pablo Picasso, Joan Miro, Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp, among others, to Cuba's National Museum of Fine Art. Brownstone, who has hailed the communist island as having done much for its people, was awarded the Medal of Friendship on Monday by Cuba's Council of State. [Reuters]

Stuckist artist Michael Dickinson faces jail time for his Good Boy (2006) collage mocking Turkish prime minister Erdogan.

Artist Stuck(ist) to His Principles Faces Jail Time | ISTANBUL — Michael Dickinson, a British member of the Stuckist art movement in Turkey, may be thrown in jail over his collage mocking Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. Good Boy (2006) shows Erdogan as a dog being lead by an American flag leash. The artist refused to pay a fine imposed by the judge in Istanbul, saying, "I told the judge that if he gave me a fine I would not pay it in protest at the attack on my freedom of speech." Proceedings were adjourned  Wednesday and are scheduled to resume March 9. [BBC News]

Largest Moon Sculpture on Earth Is Out of This World | DUSSELDORF — An 82-foot wide sculpture of the moon - the largest in the world - is on display in Germany, along with replicas of the sun and its planets. Based on high-resolution satellite images, the elaborate heavenly bodies are part of Out of This World - Wonders of The Solar System, on view inside of a 380-foot tall obsolete gas holder called the Gasometer. The show is open through December 30, 2010 as part of Ruhr 2010, the European Capital of Culture – a year-long series of art events and exhibits in Germany’s Rhine Ruhr area. [PRWeb]

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OH SNAP! The Art of Betting on the Super Bowl