Posts Tagged ‘art-news’
Google celebrates the 135th birthday of Romanian artist Constantin Brancusi with images of some of his most famous sculptures, including the well known Sleeping Muse, and Bird in Space.
This is so exciting I am buzzing just writing about it! As of today you can visit some of the world’s very best art museums right from home, using the Google Art Project. Complete with audio tours produced by the museums themselves, you can now virtually wander through famous galleries, zooming in to see high resolution images up close—so close you can see the brushstrokes and paint cracks! You can read about the art, find more works by specific artists, watch related YouTube videos, and even create your own artwork collection and share it on social networking sites. Featured museums include the Smithsonian in Washington DC, New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA, Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid, London’s National Gallery, France’s Palace of Versailles, The State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, the Tate Britain, and my two personal favorites: the Uffizi Gallery in Florence and the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Here’s a video that demonstrates the amazing capabilities of this project:
I adore Frida Kahlo. She was such an amazing artist and person. She was born on this day in 1907, so technically speaking, today is her birthday. You’ll notice the tribute to her on Google’s home page today. Click here to read more about Frida.
photo by Orvaratli.
In the wake of last month’s volcanic explosions in Iceland, photographers have been flocking to the Eyjafjallajokull glacier volcano to witness the spectacular fire show in action. They have captured some truly stunning scenes:
photo by Orvaratli.
(Click Here For More Icelandic Volcano Photos…)
This week Sotheby’s sold Alberto Giacometti’s sculpture, L’Homme Qui Marche I, for $104.3 million, pushing Picasso out of the highest grossing spot. The importance of this news isn’t the sheer amount of the purchase, which went to an unknown buyer out of New York, but the fact that the work auctioned for three times the amount Sotheby’s originally anticipated.
Does this mean the wealthy have decided that art is once again a safe investment? The answer appears to be a resounding yes. Great news for both artists and art lovers around the world that have been witnessing a downward spiral of the art market over the last year.
Another interesting point is that the Giacometti purchase could signal a rising dominance of modern art in the marketplace. Most of Giacometti’s work falls between 1940-1965, possibly signaling a move away from the market dominance of great masters and towards more contemporary—and potentially still producing—artists.
Victor Pinchuk, Ukrainian billionaire and future Bond villain, announced that he’s offering a $100,000 prize to an artist 35 or younger. The Future Generation Art Prize will be awarded every other year. Five runners up will be selected for the $20,000 artist-in-residency program and mentored by some of Pinchuk’s collected artists that include Takashi Murakami, Jeff Koons, and Damien Hirst. The contest opens January 18, 2010 and is open to any artist in any country. Twenty artists are then selected for the shortlist to have their work displayed at the Pinchuk Art Centre in Kiev in October and the final winner will be announced in December.
For more info and to apply online visit futuregenerationartprize.org
(photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art)
According to a report released by the National Endowment for the Arts, attendance for arts and cultural events is at the lowest point in 27 years. Factors affecting the arts include the rising price of gas, a drop in overall consumer spending, and of course the deteriorating economy. Perhaps the scariest part is that the data was collected in 2008, which means any 2009 statistics from when the recession seriously dug in have yet to be analyzed. Prepare for things to get worse.
Notable findings:
- Fewer students are taking art classes and lessons, a drop by 6-23% depending upon the art form (the rates are even worse when directly compared to 1982: music education has dropped 30% and visual arts by 50%).
- Audiences for live music, events, and performances are both declining and growing older.
- People with higher education (the go to group for the arts) have consistently curtailed participation in the arts each year
However, not all the findings were bad. Internet and broadcast media have made it easier for people to engage with the arts, and more are doing so each year. Additionally, photography/videography/film-making has increased so much in popularity that it now ranks as the top creative activity.
So while no one may show up to your gallery opening, at least someone might look at your work online or document your destitution. There’s always that.
