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

New Feature! Top ART News Headlines of the Day

Top ART News is launching a new feature today! Aren't you glad you stopped by?!

While sifting through all the most popular, most talked about art news stories on the web, the author of this blog finds so many interesting art news articles that she wants to share with readers. Unfortunately, due to time limitations (note: the author also has a full-time job and created Top ART News for fun in her spare time), she simply can't cover every story in full. So what to do?

Well, dear readers, starting today, in addition to featured articles, Top ART News will frequently post a summary list of the best art stories making internet headlines. (And feel free to share your suggestions via email or Twitter!)

Here we go...

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Top ART News Headlines for January 26, 2010

Art Attacks: From Vomiting on Mondrian to Elbowing a Picasso | Thus far, the week's most overwhelmingly popular art news story is the report of the art student who fell and tore into a Picasso at the Met. Of course, she wasn't the first person to cause major damage to a treasured work of art. From the gal who smeared lipstick across a Cy Twombly to the guy who attacked a Michelangelo with a hammer, check out these top ten art attacks. [The Independent]

A rendering of Mexico City's Soumaya Museum, funded by telecom magnate Carlos Slim and currently under construction. [Credit: Fernando Romero]

Mexico's Carlos Slim Builds a Dazzling Art Palace | MEXICO CITY — One of the world's richest tycoons, Carlos Slim, is building an 183,000 square-foot, 5-level art museum in Mexico City.  A telecom billionaire, Slim has amassed an impressive art collection of 66,000 pieces, which includes the second-largest private collection of sculptures by Auguste Rodin outside of France. The Soumaya Museum, scheduled to open in late 2010, was designed by Mexican architect Fernando Romero, who is coincidentally married to Slim's daughter. [BusinessWeek]

Baz Luhrmann to Paint a Mural on Mumbai Wall | INDIA — Australian screenwriter, producer and director of Moulin Rouge, Baz Luhrmann will be in Mumbai this week but not to shoot a movie - he'll be painting. Luhrmann has teamed up with artist and fellow Aussie Vincent Fantauzzo to paint a new dance-themed mural on a wall at Le Sutra art hotel. [LittleAbout.com]

The 350-year-old Klencke Atlas, recorded as the largest book in the world, will be displayed this summer. [Credit: British Library]

Largest Book in the World Goes on Show for the First Time | LONDON — Measuring 5x6-feet, the 350-year-old Klencke Atlas is recorded as the largest book in the world. For the first time ever, the giant tome will be on view with its pages open at the British Library this summer. The exhibition will show that prior to 1800, great maps were considered to be great works of art, displayed as prominently as paintings or sculptures in palaces and homes of the wealthy. [The Guardian]

A Cultural Agony in a Nation Where Art is Life | HAITI — A report on the damage to cultural treasures in the suffering Caribbean country, including the status of the Nader Art Gallery, the largest single collection of Haitian primitive art, and Port-au-Prince's main art museum. "Every Haitian is an artist. Art, it is us, it's what we are. Even our children are artists," one museum board member told reporters. [LA Times]

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New Feature! Top ART News Headlines of the Day