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

Rockwell Images to "Be Prepared" for Boy Scouts 100th Anniversary

Beyond the Easel, self-portrait by Norman Rockwell with Boy Scouts for the 1969 Boy Scouts of America calendar. On February 8, 2010 the Boy Scouts of America will celebrate their 100th anniversary.

WASHINGTON, DC — American illustrator Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) was sometimes referred to as “Mr. Scouting” for his long association with the Boy Scouts of America. It all began one day in the fall of 1912, when 18-year-old art student Rockwell walked into the offices of Boy's Life (the Boy Scouts' magazine) looking for work, thus beginning a 60-year relationship between them.

On February 8, 2010 the Boy Scouts of America will celebrate their 100th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, artist Joseph Csatari and his son Jeff have compiled Norman Rockwell’s Boy Scouts of America, a book including 50 of Rockwell’s oil paintings and 37 of Csatari’s illustrations.

Every year but two from 1925 through 1976, Norman Rockwell did a painting for the annual Boy Scout calendar published by Brown & Bigelow. For eight years, Csatari worked with his mentor Norman Rockwell before taking over as the official artist of the Boy Scouts of America (after Rockwell retired in 1976).

"Joe has taken the rich tradition started by Norman Rockwell and made it his own," said Bob Mazzuca, chief executive of the Boy Scouts of America. "Rockwell’s illustrations gave you a snapshot in time — you wanted to be part of the images he created. Csatari’s work (also) makes you feel like you are part of the picture."

Most of Csatari's Boy Scout paintings hang in the National Scouting Museum in Irvington, Texas, alongside Rockwell’s 50 Scout paintings. In celebration of the 100th anniversary, one of Csatari’s paintings will be unveiled at a gala event Feb. 9 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

Csatari says he owes it all to Rockwell, who insisted that his protégé call him Norman."He was laid back and he was just a very kind and gentle person," Csatari said. "You did not know you were with celebrity when you were with him."

In 1939 Rockwell was honored with the highest award given by the Boy Scouts of America, the Silver Buffalo, presented before an audience of 3,000 people at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York.

[Source: NJ.com]
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Rockwell Images to "Be Prepared" for Boy Scouts 100th Anniversary

Million Dollar Monet Recovered After 9 Years

Claude Monet's oil painting "Plage de Pourville" (1882) was recovered this week after being stolen from Poland's National Museum of Poznan in September 2000.

WARSAW — French Impressionist Claude Monet's 1882 oil painting Plage de Pourville has returned home to Poland after being stolen more than nine years ago. A spokesman for the Poznan police told the AFP that the artwork "had been kept in a good condition" and "hasn't suffered any visible damage."

The Monet painting depicts a beach in Pourville, a small village on the Normandy coast of France, where the artist often found inspiration. In September 2000, the artwork was on view  at the National Museum of Poznan in western Poland; it was the only Monet  in the country on public display.

The suspect allegedly cut the original painting from its frame and replaced it with a copy painted on cardboard. Investigators say he had been seen sketching in the museum galleries just two days before committing the crime.

Plage de Pourville was valued at an estimated $1 million at the time of the theft, but a museum official told the press, "to us it was a priceless masterpiece."

Fingerprints and other evidence helped police to identify the thief, who later confessed to the crime. Identified only as Robert Z., the 41-year-old suspect was arrested Tuesday in the southern Polish city of Olkusz. He faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
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Million Dollar Monet Recovered After 9 Years

Princes William and Harry's First Double Portrait Painting Unveiled

Jan. 6, 2010: The first double portrait painting of Princes William (age 27, shown standing) and Harry (age 25, seated) went on display at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

LONDON — The first double portrait painting of Diana's boys, Princes William and Harry, officially went on display Wednesday at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

British artist Nicola "Nicky" Philipps was commissioned to depict the brothers in their official context but said she also wanted to convey a human element. "I hope I have also captured some of the brotherly banter that characterized the sittings," she explained.

The Princes sat for Philipps five times over a period of six months, beginning in August 2008. The artist told the Times Online, "When they arrived for the first sitting they entertained themselves. We chatted; sometimes they would banter together. It made such a lovely scene that I picked up on that and let them. They were just two brothers chatting. They did a lot of laughing.”

The oil painting shows Prince Harry, 25, seated and in conversation with Prince William, 27, who stands in a doorway of the library of Clarence House, their official residence since 2002. Both brothers wear the military uniforms of the Household Cavalry.

"The first portrait of the princes captures them formally dressed, but informally posed," said National Portrait Gallery director Sandy Nairne. "It is a delightful image which extends the tradition of royal portraiture," she added.
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Princes William and Harry's First Double Portrait Painting Unveiled

Can't Afford a Michael Jackson Painting? Buy His Opus

Just when Michael Jackson mania seemed to quiet down a bit, the King of Pop is back in the news this week; the sale of his portrait at Art Basel Miami Beach and the release of the ginormous Official Michael Jackson Opus are making headlines.

Over the weekend, artist Kehinde Wiley's 11.5 foot by 10.1 foot portrait of Michael Jackson, entitled Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II, sold to a German collector at ABMB for an impressive $175,000. Although Jackson never saw the final painting, depicting him on horseback, dressed in regal garb and attended by two cherubs, Wiley, who initially thought voicemails from the late pop star were a prank, said she felt a responsibility to complete the piece commissioned by Jackson in 2008.

If you're not willing to fork over the really big bucks, $249 will buy you a copy of the monumental 404-page The Official Michael Jackson Opus: The Ultimate Celebration of an Icon, featuring hundreds of rare, previously unpublished photos and images of exclusive drawings and paintings depicting the pop star. The Opus also includes personal essays by celebrities like Quincy Jones, Berry Gordy, Smokey Robinson, Shaquille O’Neal, Paula Abdul, Sugar Ray Leonard, Spike Lee, Jane Fonda and many others. Released this week, the mammoth tome weighs a whopping 26.5 pounds.

One of the book's images getting a lot of attention is artist David Nordahl's painting, simply entitled Michael. The painting shows a scantily-clad Jackson surrounded by a group of nude cherubs. Nordahl painted hundreds of works for Jackson, who spent millions building up his private art collection.

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[Images: Top - Kehinde Wiley, "Equestrian Portrait of King Philip II." | Bottom - David Nordahl, "Michael."]

Can't Afford a Michael Jackson Painting? Buy His Opus

Underdog Painter Wins the Prestigious Turner Prize

LONDON — Against all odds and in his last year of eligibility, 49-year-old Glasgow-based artist Richard Wright has been awarded the 2009 Turner Prize.

Organized by the Tate gallery, the annual Turner Prize is presented to a British visual artist under the age of 50. The award is named after famed landscape artist J. M. W. Turner and was established in 1984 to celebrate new developments in contemporary art.

In years past, the Turner Prize has been awarded to conceptual artists working in "innovative" media, such as video art, installation art and unconventional sculpture. So it was a shock to some - especially bookies - when a painter, Richard Wright, was announced as the $41,000 prize winner on Monday night.

But Richard Wright is no ordinary painter.

Wright's entry for the Turner Prize exhibition is a large gold-leaf mural that will be painted over and destroyed once the show at Tate Britain closes in January. "I like the idea of there being nothing left when I'm gone," said Wright, who deliberately painted fresco-style directly onto the gallery wall. "I'm interested in the fragility of the moment," he said. "I hope the work will live on in the memories of the people who saw it."

The three other shortlisted candidates - Enrico David, Roger Hiorns and Lucy Skaer - will each receive $8,000.

 

Watch as Adrian Searle, art critic for The Guardian, tours the Turner Prize exhibition and discusses the finalists' entries:

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Read More - Artist Richard Wright Strikes Gold As Winner of This Year's Turner Prize | The Guardian 

[Images: Top - Richard Wright, "No Title" (2009). | Bottom (left to right) - Lucy Skaer, "Black Alphabet" (2009). Roger Hiorns, "Untitled" work made from metal dust from an atomized passenger jet engine  (2009). Enrico David, ""Absuction Cardigan" detail (2009).]

Underdog Painter Wins the Prestigious Turner Prize

Top ART News: Week In Review | Nov. 29 - Dec. 6

■ A Day With(out) Art | World AIDS Day 2009 | NEW YORK (11/29/09) — 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. More >

■ Medieval Times and Renaissance at a London Museum | LONDON (12/2/09) — A major unveiling took place in London on Wednesday as the Victoria and Albert Museum opened its doors to a new $53 million wing of remarkable treasures. Ten new galleries at the V&A feature more than 1,800 objects spanning the Middle Ages to the Renaissance eras. One of the collection highlights is five of Leonardo da Vinci's small notebooks (1487-1505) on permanent display for the first time. More >

■ Art Basel Miami Beach: Comfy Shoes Required | MIAMI BEACH (12/3/09) — An estimated 40,000 art enthusiasts, art collectors, artists, dealers, curators and critics will attend the eighth annual Art Basel Miami Beach, America's preeminent contemporary art fair. From December 3-6, the fair, held at Miami Beach Convention Center, will offer contemporary art and rare museum-caliber artworks. In the city known for its all-night parties, Art Basel Miami Beach always attracts its share of celebrities. So far, early sightings include Lenny Kravitz, Sylvester Stallone, Calvin Klein, Naomi Campbell and John McEnroe. More >

■ The Ten Most Popular Oil Paintings of 2009 | WICHITA, KS (12/5/09) — Quick! Think of an artist, any artist. Who did you think of? Pablo Picasso? Vincent van Gogh? Claude Monet? Many of you probably did. So it's not too surprising, then, that those three artists, along with Gustav Klimt, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Georgia O'Keefe and Wassily Kandinsky, were all listed in Overstock Art's Top 10 Oil Paintings rankings for 2009. More >

■ Mysterious Letters: Art Project or Mail Fraud? | PITTSBURGH (12/5/09) — "We intend to write to everyone in the world..." say artists Lenka Clayton and Michael Crowe on their website, Mysterious Letters. Last week, 620 residents of the Polish Hill community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania received letters from Clayton and Crowe. But while some think the art project is an inspiration, others aren't so excited by it. More >

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Top ART News: Week In Review | Nov. 29 - Dec. 6