Police Seize Stash of Masterpieces Hidden by Disgraced Parma Dairy Owner

ROME —  The Italian police have recovered 19 masterpieces hidden in attics and basements of three apartments in the city of Parma. Valued at more than $149 million, the art stash belonged to Calisto Tanzi, the disgraced founder of the recently-collapsed dairy company, Parmalat Finanziaria SpA.

With the help of Tanzi’s relatives, the former billionaire was able to hide away an impressive trove of paintings by some of the world's most famous artists. On Saturday, police seized a pencil on paper portrait of a ballerina by Degas, two van Goghs, including a depiction of a trunk of a willow tree and a still life, a watercolor by Cezanne and a pencil-work by Modigliani. There was also a self-portrait by Italian rock star Ligabue and other masterpieces by Picasso, Monet and Manet.

Tanzi, who is currently on trial for fraud linked to Italy’s biggest bankruptcy, had previously lied to authorities by telling them he had no other assets. Police said that Tanzi was preparing to sell at least one painting. “We had some suspicions about a few individuals,” said Gerardo Laguardia, the Parma chief prosecutor. “We were able to tap their phones. We were lucky. We realized that there were negotiations to sell one of the paintings, the Monet.”

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Read More - Italy Police Seize Secret Stash of Masterpieces | AP

[Photo: Italian tax police officers hold a Giuseppe De Nittis painting, one of 19 masterpieces seized in Parma on Dec. 5, 2009. Courtesy AP Photo/Marco Vasini ]

Police Seize Stash of Masterpieces Hidden by Disgraced Parma Dairy Owner

Le Cirque du Pompidou Is Coming to Town

PARIS — Move over Ringling Brothers, the "Pompidou Mobile" is coming to town! But there's no need to buy tickets - this circus will be free. And instead of a ringleader, animals and clowns, there will be a curator and fine art masterpieces.

Provided it can raise the estimated $4.43 million necessary, starting in late 2010, France's Pompidou Center will hit "la rue" with 10-15 paintings from its permanent collection. Picassos, Matisses and Calders will be displayed in a 10,700-sq. foot high-tech canvas-like structure being designed by architect Patrick Bouchain. Every few months the big top will pick up, clear out and move to a different French town, concentrating on rural regions and poor, crime-ridden suburbs. "It's about bringing art to the people to awaken their desire to go toward the art," the Pompidou's president, Alain Seban, said in a statement.

Museums collections travel all over the world for special exhibitions at other museums, that's nothing new. But bringing modern art to less fortunate areas, setting up a makeshift museum in a field or parking lot, and charging no entry fee - that's a pretty great concept.

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Read More — Art Under the Big Top: The Roving Pompidou | AP
[Photo: The Stravinsky Fountain outside the Centre Pompidou]

Le Cirque du Pompidou Is Coming to Town

Attention Mall Shoppers: World's Largest Mona Lisa On View

WREXHAM, WALES -- Mall shoppers in Wales were certainly treated to something better than a sweet snack at the food court on Wednesday. The world's largest reproduction of the famed Mona Lisa was revealed at the Eagles Meadow shopping center in Wrexham.

“It’s mind-blowing, but the smile is still as enigmatic as ever. It took over a week to do her face — everybody knows what it looks like so we had to make sure it was exactly right," said artist Katy Webster, who was in charge of the project. Here are some more impressive stats: the project required 245 people, working for 987 hours, using 23 gallons of paint on 82 different vinyl squares, to create a work of art that measures 2,583 square feet.

Unlike visiting Leonardo da Vinci's original fine art masterpiece in Paris' Louvre Museum, shopper-spectators are not charged an entry fee, there is no neck craning or eye straining necessary, and visitors can touch the masterpiece without fear of tripping any alarms.

Members from the entire community contributed to the construction, including school children from Victoria Primary School and members of the Haulfan Centre for people with disabilities. Folks can purchase a little piece of the record-breaking artwork by donating money to Hope House, a local charity that provides for terminally ill children.

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[Read More - Citizens in Wales Produce Largest Ever Reproduction of the Mona Lisa | Artdaily.org]

Attention Mall Shoppers: World's Largest Mona Lisa On View

Contemporary Art Rendez-Vous at the FIAC in Paris

PARIS -- Art aficionados have gathered in "The City of Light" this week for the 36th annual FIAC ("Foire internationale d'art contemporain"), the most prestigious contemporary art fair in France. Following on the heels of London's Frieze Art Fair last week, Paris' FIAC is hoping to capitalize on the momentum of this year's reported upswing in art sales achieved at the Frieze. Despite 28 dealers and more than 40 galleries from last year not returning, FIAC 2009 will present over 200 exhibitors representing thousands of artists.

At FIAC's VIP preview on Wednesday night, Femme Ecrivant, a $24 million painting by Pablo Picasso of his mistress, Marie-Therese Walter, was put on reserve. Fine art by other modern masters such as Francis Bacon, Piet Mondrian and Fernand Leger, will also be up for bid. More than 65,000 visitors are expected to stroll the picturesque locations around the Tuileries Gardens, Grand Palais and the Louvre Museum, where the FIAC will display some of the world's finest modern masterworks.

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FIAC (Oct. 22 - 25, 2009) | Website
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[Read more - $24 Million Picasso Reserved as Arnault Joins Browsers at FIAC | Bloomberg]

Contemporary Art Rendez-Vous at the FIAC in Paris

Defining a Masterpiece at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts

MINNEAPOLIS, MN — Superb art objects from Paris' famed Louvre Museum are now on view at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA). The Louvre and the Masterpiece explores how the definition of a “masterpiece,” as well as taste and connoisseurship, have changed over time. “We are thrilled to present such a magnificent group of works from the Louvre’s collections to Minnesota for the first time,” noted Kaywin Feldman, the MIA's Director and President.

The Louvre and the Masterpiece features sixty-two works of art drawn from all eight of the Louvre’s collection areas, spanning 4,000 years. Paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, and drawings are divided into three major themes: the changing historical and cultural definitions of a masterpiece; authenticity and connoisseurship; and the evolution of taste and scholarship.

"We have an idea that one is good, one's better and one's the best," said Feldman of the exhibit's theme. "We encourage visitors to examine and decide."

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The Louvre and the Masterpiece (Oct. 18, 2009 - Jan. 10, 2010)
Minneapolis Institute of Arts | Website

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Defining a Masterpiece at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts