The Art Basel ~ Art Film Program – Highlights

One of my favorite programs of Art Basel, the Art Film Program, will be on all week long. The Art Film program at Art 42 Basel features a varied program of films by and about artists, screened at the Stadtkino Basel.

The nightly program from Tuesday to Sunday, curated by film scholar Marc Glöde (Berlin), presents films by artists including Jennifer Bornstein, Anna Gaskell, Anthony McCall, Nathalie Djurberg, Agnieszka Polska, Huang Ran, Lawrence Weiner and Sam Samore.

On Wednesday evening, This Brunner, the Zurich film connaisseur, will present the Swiss premiere of the feature-length 3D documentary film’The Cave of Forgotten Dreams’ (2010) by Werner Herzog.

Another highlight will be the Swiss premiere of Lawrence Weiner’s film ‘Dirty Eyes’ (2010) on Friday, followed by a conversation with Lawrence Weiner.

See the Art Basel 42 detailed, day-by-day art film program overview below.

About Art Basel

The premier annual art show, Art Basel feels like the summer reunion of the international artworld scene.  300+ galleries from 35 countries showcase contemporary art work by 2,500+ interesting artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Founded by a group of local gallerists, the first Art Basel took place in 1970 and the event has long ranked as the most prestigious annual art show worldwide.

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Art Film | Program Overview

TUESDAY | June 14
8pm | Stadtkino Basel | Landscapes of/for Theatricality | The screening is followed by a conversation with Huang Ran
10pm | Stadtkino Basel | Animated Worlds

WEDNESDAY | June 15
8pm | Cinema Rex | The Cave of Forgotten Dreams by Werner Herzog | 3D projection | Swiss Premiere | The screening is followed by a conversation with Harald Floss, Professor and Author, and Film Historian Marcy Goldberg.

THURSDAY | June 16
10pm | Stadtkino Basel | Landscapes of/for Theatricality | The screening is followed by a conversation with Anna Gaskell.

FRIDAY | June 17
8pm | Stadtkino Basel | Dirty Eyes by Lawrence Weiner | Swiss Premiere | The screening is followed by a conversation with Lawrence Weiner.
10pm | Stadtkino Basel | Animated Worlds

SATURDAY | June 18
11am | Cinema Rex | The Cave of Forgotten Dreams by Werner Herzog | 3D projection
8pm | Stadtkino Basel | Hallucinations/Paradise by Sam Samore | European Premiere | The screening is followed by a conversation with Sam Samore.
10pm | Stadtkino Basel | Dirty Eyes by Lawrence Weiner | The screening is followed by a conversation with Lawrence Weiner.

SUNDAY | June 19
11am | Stadtkino Basel | Hallucinations/Paradise by Sam Samore

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(image source: Galleri Bo Bjerggaard)

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Art Film | Program Details
The Cave of Forgotten Dreams | 2010 | by Werner Herzog | 3D projection | Swiss Premiere, Running Time 95′
Since the Chauvet Cave’s discovery in 1994, access has been extremely restricted due to concerns that overexposure, even to human breath, could damage the priceless drawings. Only a small number of researchers have ever seen the art in person. Legendary film director Werner Herzog gains exclusive permission to film inside the Chauvet Caves of southern France, capturing the oldest known pictorial creations of humankind. Putting 3D technology to profound use, he takes us back over 30,000 years in time.
Curated by This Brunner

The screening on June 15 is followed by a conversation with Harald Floss, Professor and Author, and Film Historian Marcy Goldberg.
The screening on June 18 is followed by a conversation with Jürgen Wertheimer, Professor and Author, and Film Historian Marcy Goldberg.

Landscapes of/for Theatricality | Curated by Marc Glöde, Running Time 59′
The program addresses questions relating to theatricality in the landscape and the theatricality of the landscape. The screened works alternate between performances in landscapes and processes in which landscapes themselves become performative, raising questions about the relationship between body, image, and space.
Anna Gaskell | SOSW Ballet, 2011, 27’04” | Galerie Gisela Capitain
Chen Quilin | Garden, 2011, 14’36” | Long March Space
Huang Ran | Blithe Tragedy, 2010, 14’52” | Long March Space
Elina Brotherus | Bright, bright day, 2010, 2’19” | gb agency
Jennifer Bornstein | Frauenkörperbewegungsbilder, 2011, 5’15” | greengrassi
Anthony McCall | Landscape for Fire, 1972, 7’05” | Galerie Thomas Zander, Sprüth Magers
Anthony McCall | Landscape for White Squares, 1972, 1’45” | Galerie Thomas Zander
Anthony McCall | Earthwork, 1972, 1’45” | Galerie Thomas Zander
The screening on Tuesday, June 14, is followed by a conversation with Huang Ran.
The screening on Thursday, June 16, is followed by a conversation with Anna Gaskell.

Animated Worlds | Curated by Marc Glöde, Running Time 35′
This program brings together some of the most interesting new and historical trends in animated film. A cross-section of works ranging from clay animation to the latest developments in CAD demonstrates the diversity and aesthetic scope of the medium.
Keiichi Tanaami | Good-Bye Marilyn, 1971, 4’25” | Nanzuka Underground
Per Dybvig | Hunter Hare Dog, 2009-2010, 6’51” | Christine König Galerie
Magnus Wallin | Elements, 2011, 5′ | Galerie Nordenhake, Elastic Gallery
Agnieszka Polska | The Forgetting of Proper Names, 2009, 3’45” | ak Branicka foundation
Józef Robakowski | The Dynamic Rectangle, 1971, 3′ | ak Branicka foundation
Józef Robakowski | Attention: Light!, 2004, 5′ | ak Branicka foundation
Nathalie Djurberg | Untitled, 2010, 6′ 05”, Music by Hans Berg | Gió Marconi Gallery

Dirty Eyes | 2010 | by Lawrence Weiner | Swiss Premiere | Konrad Fischer Galerie, Mai 36 Galerie, Running Time 49′
Lawrence Weiner’s latest film, ‘Dirty Eyes,’ probes cinematic conditions per se. In conjunction with the conceptual text pieces that typify his work, cinematic images transmute into questions about the specific conditions of looking and seeing.
Curated by Marc Glöde
Both screenings are followed by a conversation with Lawrence Weiner and Art Film curator Marc Glöde.

Hallucinations/Paradise | 2010 | by Sam Samore | European Premiere | Galerie Gisela Capitain, Galerie Rodolphe Janssen, Running Time 70′
In his most recent film the American artist Sam Samore tells the story of three couples who have moved from other cities to Shanghai. Oscillating between reality and fiction, the story is told in a non-linear way and reminds the viewer of fragmented fairy tales or dream sequences. Samore describes ‘Hallucinations/Paradise’ as ‘a fable about everyday life, madness, love and Shanghai.’
Curated by Marc Glöde
The screening on Saturday, June 18, is followed by a conversation with Sam Samore and Art Film curator Marc Glöde.

Contemporary Art :: Fine Art :: Top Artists :: Art Reviews, Art Fairs & Exhibitions. Copyright , e ART FAIR .com, All Rights Reserved.

As Bacon’s self portraits are widely regarded as some of his most important works and have been called ‘amongst the greatest self-portraits in the history of art’, I’m sure this artwork will help lead the art market out of its current slump.

CBC News reported:

“Christie’s sued over $40M guarantee for Francis Bacon painting

A Florida art collector is suing auction house Christie’s International in New York City, for reneging on a deal to give him the minimum price guarantee of $40 million US for a self-portrait by Irish painter Francis Bacon.

George Weiss filed a lawsuit Friday in a Manhattan federal court for breach of contract and is seeking damages to be determined at trial.

Weiss says Christie’s owes him at least $40 million for his 1964 Study For a Self Portrait by Bacon, which had failed to sell at the November 2008 auction. The bidding topped off at about $27 million.

“For years, the major auction houses, including Christie’s and Sotheby’s, have offered guaranteed price arrangements for select works in order to bring major pieces to market,” Weiss said in the complaint.

“Christie’s reneged upon the minimum price guarantee.”

Documents indicate Weiss was courted last summer by Christie’s and its rival Sotheby’s. In September, Weiss chose Christie’s.

In the same month, the auction house told Weiss it couldn’t fulfil the minimum-bid guarantee, citing “the changed climate of the art market.”

Prices for works of art have tumbled in light of the world economic crisis.

Market for Art by Francis Bacon

Prior to that, the market for Bacon’s works was hot. A 1978 Bacon self-portrait sold for more than $42 million US in London in June 2007, while a 1976 triptych was sold for $86 million in May 2008.

Bacon died in Madrid in 1992.”

Francis Bacon – What’s Next

A complete biography of Francis Bacon will be published soon at eArtfair.com/blog.

Contemporary Art :: Fine Art :: Top Artists :: Art Reviews, Art Fairs & Exhibitions. Copyright , e ART FAIR .com, All Rights Reserved.

In past years, SOFA NEW YORK has regularly drawn record numbers of collectors, curators, art advisors, architects, interior designers and new enthusiasts.

Accumulus Brooch, 2008 by Sergey Jivetin
(Ornamentum Gallery, Hudson, NY)

“Proven values in arts and design distinguish SOFA NEW YORK throughout as our dealers showcase artists and designers who have achieved prominent placement in world renowned museums with a great deal at accessible price points,” says Mark Lyman, Founder/Director of the SOFA Fairs and Vice President, dmg Art and Antiques. “That museum representation further confirms the validity of the extraordinary artistry showcased at the fair in the global marketplace,” he says.

Sixteen years ago, Lyman noticed that contemporary decorative artists and designers merited an international fair and since then he has developed three SOFA fairs, adding a new edition June 11 – 14, 2009 in Santa Fe, NM, Opening Night Preview, Wednesday, June 10 to benefit the New Mexico Museum of Art’s inaugural Design Collection. At SOFA CHICAGO last November, CBS MarketWatch cited the fair for sales exemplifying market stability.

Fine art auctions have been a tough sell this season, but some contemporary decorative pieces sold well at the recent SOFA Chicago Fair, Nov 2008.

Among the many artists coveted by collectors and curators is ceramicist Miyashita Zenji, renowned as a living legend in Japan and represented in museums far beyond Asia, showing at SOFA NY with New York dealer Joan B. Mirviss Ltd. She is presenting the first solo show of the artist outside Japan, as well as ceramics by other Japanese artists.

“With Miyashita’s works gracing the collections of over thirty museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, as well as a loyal following of private collectors, his prices have remained strong and gone up 40 percent over the last decade,” says Mirviss. Miyashita’s sculptural work perfectly marries abstract landscape imagery with innovative form via colored clay applications in subtle hues on stoneware and is priced from $3,000-$15,000.

“The fact that his sculptures are in the Metropolitan Museum’s Asian art collection as well as their 20th century decorative arts holdings demonstrates his wide appeal across multiple specialties,” says Mirviss, who has sold to more than 40 museums as well as a number of corporate collections such as Goldman Sachs and Coca Cola. She says lately new buyers from France, Holland and Germany have been scooping up examples by Japan’s latest ceramicists, indicating the new international reach of such artists.

Silver and gold sculpture, vessels and jewelry are also highly sought by a growing band of collectors. “Because of the inherent value of silver, we’re seeing a consistently strong demand for silver art objects and it’s not letting up,” says Clare Beck at Adrian Sassoon in London. “The sense of luxury coupled with intricate craftsmanship of hand forging attracts clients to precious metals,” she says. On their stand will be silversmith Junko Mori whose hand forged sculptural objects are inspired by actual plants and pine cones, and begin at $8,000. Plus, Mori is participating in the SOFA NY Salon Artists Conversations, which along with an acclaimed lecture series, is free to SOFA attendees. Interestingly, at Sassoon’s last SOFA NEW YORK show, Europeans like the Brits and Italians shopped his stand.

In addition, new dealer Alastair Crawford of Manhattan, who specializes in Georg Jensen silver, will be launching his own contemporary line of silver flatware with handles of jasper and lapis lazuli, along with silver and gold vessels as well as jewelry. “Many clients were asking for handmade silver examples and unique items and with this new dimension to my dealership, I can fulfill those requests,” says Crawford, who is completing commissions for silver scones for a Dallas client. “I’m seeing clients seeking the security of investing in tangible assets like silver and gold that historically weathers recessions,” he says. Other dealers seeing an uptick in gold artist jewelry include Aaron Faber Gallery and Charon Kransen Arts, both of New York.

Then Philadelphia dealer Bob Aibel, who heads up Moderne Gallery, says “Studio furniture by the masters George Nakashima, Wharton Esherick and Sam Maloof remains in keen demand.” He believes the strength of that market is because choice work by those designers fits in a wide range of stylistic interiors, including contemporary, Modernist and Asian. At the same time, their design sensibilities are in sync with today’s emphasis on simplicity and integrity of materials. Due to his large holdings of such prized design, Aibel has been interviewed in Wallpaper magazine and the German AD singled him out as “the world’s leading Nakashima dealer.” Architects and interior designers on his client list include Michael Smith, whose clients include President Barak Obama, and Thad Hayes and Alan Wanzenberg. On his stand will be two rare Nakashima consoles dating from the seventies as well as an early coffee table.

Florida-based private dealer Donna Schneier cites iconic examples by pioneers of the studio ceramics and glass movements such as Betty Woodman, Harvey Littleton and Toshiko Takaezu as “really recession proof…While those artists are frequently exhibited in fine art museums, they can be acquired for a fraction of the cost of contemporary art and more importantly, their names will live on for centuries,” says Schneier. She is witnessing another market shift. “Especially in the past year, I’m seeing younger collectors, many totally new to field, taking on classic work as objects of beauty and a proven asset class all rolled into one,” says Schneier, who has regularly achieved sales to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, among others.

Glass by leading artists is another “blue chip investment category” according to Doug Heller, who heads up Heller Gallery in Tribeca. He is featuring work by four artists: Lino Tagliapietra, who taught secret Venetian glass blowing techniques to Dale Chihuly as well as a host of other Americans; and Nicole Chesney, noted for her cast glass wall sculptures referencing color-field paintings, as well as Danes Steffen Dam and Tobias Møhl. Heller says of the latter, “Their sales in the past two months are both impressive and consistent.” An added bonus for collectors is a Tobias Møhl costs only $5,500 to $17,500.

“Today, more clients want something of lasting beauty by an artist who is making a considerable impact in the larger art world,” says Heller who just confirmed two corporate commissions for Lino, a museum acquisition for Steffen Dam, and a private commission for Tobias Møhl. “The Møhl is an intended gift from collector and Longhouse founder Jack Lenor Larsen and speaks of the artist’s dazzling blown and etched glass skills,” adds Heller, who has sold to the Museum of Modern Art and the Los Angeles County Art Museum, among many other internationally prominent museums.

Like glass, wood artistry is now receiving enormous attention. At SOFA CHICAGO, the del Mano Gallery of Los Angeles achieved their most successful show in William Hunter’s entire career with sales to the Carnegie Institute of Art, Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Mint Museum as well as to private collectors. “For SOFA NEW YORK, we aim to repeat this by bringing William Hunter to the fair, so new collectors can meet him and have a dialogue about his latest sculptural work in Latin American rosewood,” says Ray Leier, who founded del Mano over 30 years ago.

Other artists of note include Michael Peterson who will be honored with a three-year museum touring show shortly. “Fifteen years ago, a Peterson cost $500 to $1,500,” says Leier. “Now they are priced from $6,000 to $20,000,” he says. “Wood is organic in nature and collectors today rightly fixate on this artistic trend that is never going away,” says Leier. With some artists’ prices beginning as low as $500, Leier expects to introduce new collectors to an entirely different artistic endeavor.

SOFA NEW YORK 2009 Opening Night, Wednesday, April 15, 5:30 – 9 pm; Exposition hours are Thursday & Friday, April 16-17: 11 am – 8 pm; Saturday, April 18: 11 am – 7 pm; Sunday, April 19: Noon – 6pm.

(press release)

Contemporary Art :: Fine Art :: Top Artists :: Art Reviews, Art Fairs & Exhibitions. Copyright , e ART FAIR .com, All Rights Reserved.

‘Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans’ is one of the most ambitious and iconic of Degas’s works and a groundbreaking sculpture from the Impressionist period.

The bronze cast to be offered at Sotheby’s is one of only a handful of casts remaining in private hands. This sale therefore represents a rare opportunity to acquire an icon of Impressionist art.

Melanie Clore, Sotheby’s Co-chairman, Impressionist & Modern Art, comments:

“Petite danseuse de quatorze ans is the most important and iconic sculpture by Edgar Degas. We are thrilled to be offering this remarkable work which is so celebrated for the revolutionary nature of its modern sculptural form.”

Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans

Petite danseuse de quatorze ans is a striking work which shows a young ballet dancer assuming a delicate and subtle pose; the viewer is at once struck by the extraordinarily realistic depiction of the 14-year-old girl.

Created in wax circa 1879-81, Petite danseuse de quatorze ans was the only sculpture to have been exhibited during the artist’s lifetime. Using a wire armature for the body and hemp for the arms and hands, Degas worked in modelling wax, dressing the figure in real silk, tulle and gauze. The wig came from Madame Cusset, supplier of ‘hair for puppets and dolls’. The wax sculpture was found in Degas’s studio following his death in 1917 and cast in bronze in from 1922.

His model was Marie van Goethem, the daughter of a Belgian tailor and laundress, who was a ballet student at the Opéra and among the dancers of the Opéra who were of particular interest to Degas at this time. Degas used these dancers as the source of his inspiration for many of his most important works in various different media, including Danseuse au repos, an exquisite pastel and gouache created in the same period, which sold for a new world record price for the artist of $37,042,500 at Sotheby’s New York on the 3rd November 2008.

The consignor is Sir John Madejski, one of Britain’s leading arts philanthropists whose generosity has helped to transform many cultural institutions in the UK, including The Royal Academy’s John Madejski Fine Rooms opened at Burlington House in 2004 and the John Madejski Garden at the V&A in 2005 — the garden at the centre of the Museum. Discussing the sale John Madejski said:

“I was delighted to share this wonderful sculpture with visitors to the Royal Academy in London where it has
been on view since 2004. My collection is constantly evolving and developing into new areas.”

Reviewing the exhibition of Petite danseuse de quatorze ans in Paris in 1881 for the first time in the Sixth Impressionist Exhibition of 1881, the critic J.K. Huysmans remarked:

“ . . . M. Degas has knocked over the traditions of sculpture, just as he has for a long time been shaking up the conventions of painting . . . At once refined and barbaric . . . this statuette is the only truly modern attempt I know in sculpture.”

Jules Claretie, writing in La Vie à Paris in 1881, was charmed by the dancer’s carefree spirit, referring to her

“strangely attractive, disturbing and unique naturalism, which recalls with a very Parisian and polished note the Realism of Spanish polychrome sculpture.”

The majority of other casts are in major international museum collections, including Tate Gallery, the
Metropolitan Museum of Art New York, Philadelphia Museum of Art and Museé d’Orsay in Paris.

This store brought to you by

The Little Fourteen Year … Buy From Art.com Dancing Girl of Fourteen Buy From Art.com Dancer, 1883 Buy From Art.com Little Dancer, Aged 14 (P… Buy From Art.com After the Bath by Degas Buy From Art.com Portrait of Lorenzo Pagan… Buy From Art.com Ballerina in Red Buy From Art.com L’Etoile, or La Danseuse … Buy From Art.com Ballerina Buy From Art.com The Dancing Class Buy From Art.com The Dance Foyer at the Opera on the R… Buy From Art.com Ecole de Danse Buy From Art.com

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Continuation of part 1 of the article by Gerard Van Weyenbergh:

My investor, is in love with the painting, but still wants to have Sotheby’s and Christie’s opinion about the value of this painting. The response came rapidly: they will not accept this painting for their auctions, because it is not in the Ceroni archives as a first response, and as a second response when they find out that the painting is repertoried in the archives, because it is not illustrated in the Ceroni catalogue!. Other ways they are saying that the painting is maybe a fake? They didn’t say this but what must the investor think?

The painting is under suspicion! Because the staff from Sotheby’s and Christie’s in charge of the Modern and Impressionist art have cold feet or they don’t have enough experience or are they just trying to have the investor buy their own products, where, of course, at this rate they will make a profit of $ 1.6 million if my investor buys from them a similar value painting? This will stay without response.

What is evident: is the fact that this painting exhibited in so many museums, repertoried everywhere, seen by millions of people , a painting that was chosen by eminent curators as a jewel of Modigliani’s art to be part of their so difficult to assemble paintings exhibitions.

It is evident that Sotheby’s and Christie’s are killing an artwork of major importance , and gave it a “ suspicious “ label for their own reason, that I will qualify as financial interests reasons. My investor didn’t buy the painting and it went back to Europe..I didn’t make any commission for a very difficult work that took me several months and cost me a serious amount of $ in insurance to ship the painting to the USA.

I conclude that if you have some very important art, with all the certificates you want, with the best provenance possible, you may be highly disillusioned if you want to sell that major art work you thought has so much value only because of Sotheby’s and Christie’s may decide it so!

For me this is manifestly a conflict of interests in the art business. An auction house is where you sell your art at the highest bidder, the managers should not interfere in the authentication process by taking a position as negative as they did in this case. I mentioned each time Sotheby’s and Christie’s at the same time, even if my investor was working with one of them, but through personal verification I find out that they are working under a same umbrella, so they did in the past so commented here in articles I find on the web:

The Art of the Steal: Inside the Sotheby’s-Christie’s Auction House Scandal
http://www.karisable.com/crwc.htm/

2000: Sotheby’s and Al Taubman. The world’s elite were ripped off by years of price-fixing on the part of those supposed bitter competitors, auction houses Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Sotheby’s chairman, Taubman, was found guilty of conspiracy last year. He is yet to be sentenced
http://www.trinity.edu/rjensen/415wp/AmericanHistoryOfFraud.htm

US charges NYC Gallery owner in multi-million $ global scheme to sell real masterworks and forged copies, this is a US Gov. website.
(Prior source article: www.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel04/art031004.htm is now archived)

Top auction houses sell looted art, claims Howells Kim howells, the culture minister, is accusing Britain’s leading auction houses of trading in looted antiquities and demanding that they do more to ensure the provenance of objects they sell. Mr Howells, who caused uproar last week when he accused American film stars of being too “terrified” to fly to Europe, has now infuriated British auctioneers and art dealers with a suggestion that they could be supporting the trade in stolen goods.
museum-security.org/03/088.html

The Great $50 Million Art Swindle Another evidence of conflict of interests: Auction house loans money to art dealer!

http://www.forbes.com/2001/02/06/0206artfraud.html

From Library Journal
The sometimes shady world of the international art market has become a popular subject for writers and television reporters. Stolen treasures, smuggled antiquities, and the seemingly endless cultural atrocities of World War II have been covered in a spate of recent works. Watson, a journalist and author of the art-crime work The Caravaggio Conspiracy (LJ 2/1/84), here turns the harsh light of publicity on the elite auction rooms of Sotheby’s. Using information from a former Sotheby’s employee and the familiar, if sometimes distasteful tactics of investigative reporting, Watson builds a case that the auction house has systemically abetted the transportation of
antiquities and Old Masters in contravention of various national and international laws.

Sotheby’s:: The Inside Story

Be on Your Avant-Garde! A complete collection sold is fake?
(Prior source article: www.maineantiquedigest.com/articles/avan0498.htm is now archived)

Former leaders of Christie’s and Sotheby’s were indicted
for auction price-fixing

http://www.skeptictank.org/slatkin/rslat008.htm

A Fraud! Auction ‘Rivals’By Devin Leonard
Christie’s and Sotheby’s have always acted like mortal enemies whose well-bred staffs jockey for the next vault of impressionist oil paintings. Their top executives fuel that perception by trading polite insults as exquisitely wrought as a Cezanne still life. It turns out, however, that for the past eight years, the “grand old rivalry” between Christie’s and Sotheby’s has been a bit of a forgery. Only now is it igniting for real.
(Prior source article: fortune.com/fortune/articles/0,15114,371429,00.html is now archived)

More Woes for Sotheby’s; LO80 identified; LVMH Buys Tajan Auction House; State & Fed Crackdown on Internet Auction Fraud

http://www.iphotocentral.com/news/issue_view.php/11/12

Alfred Taubman Sentenced
(Prior source article: www.artcult.com/na289.html is now archived)

Van Gogh Sunflowers fake sold by Christie’s ?
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=160896

http://www.vggallery.com/misc/fakes/fakes5c.htm

Many other auctioneers, including Christie’s and Sotheby’s have sold such fakes on the market and though they cannot be suspected of having lent a hand to the fraud the competencies of their experts might at least be seriously challenged.
(Prior source article: www.artcult.com/forger2.htm is now archived)

My conclusion is very simple, Sotheby’s and Christie’s are manifestly in conflict of interests when they sell art work for their clients or when then analyze an artwork. Of course it is their freedom to accept or not to accept a Modigliani in their auctions. But my question will be : the paintings repertoried in the Ceroni are almost all sold, what will they do in the future?

No more selling Modigliani paintings? I doubt it. They will very rapidly find a solution to this and accept the many other authentic paintings by Modigliani hanging at this time in Museums or in vaults or on the walls of collectors and not repertoried in Mr. Ceroni’s catalogue raisonne.

The art world needs an “independent source of estimation “ like the auction house was supposed to be years ago.

Thank you to all the writers of these so interesting web pages mentioned in my links.”

By Gerard van Weyenbergh, who has spent the last 25 years working as an independent broker dealing with galleries throughout Europe. Working together with his son Arry Van Weyenbergh the two have been traveling extensively throughout the world, appraising and researching contemporary and old masters. Gerard is a recognized expert in 17th – 20th century European paintings , while Arry’s expertise: modern and international contemporary painters. Together their education includes art history degrees from- Ecole du Louvre, University of Montpellier and Ecole Saint Luc. With an extensive background in architecture Gerard’s vision in art incorporates the total aesthetics of art placement and environment for his client’s collections.

By Gerard Van Weyenbergh

“Are Sotheby’s and Christie’s or all major auctions houses still the reference to establish the value of your art works?

It is not my intention to have them sue me for my thoughts in this letter. Nonetheless there are so many events these last months that I want to bring in daylight some evidence that these major auction houses are interfering in the daily merchants business of antiquities dealers, fine art galleries from all over the world.

Take the time to read what happened to me recently, it is juicy.

One of my clients has a fantastic Modigliani painting from 1918, representing a lady, one of most beautiful paintings by Modigliani if you ask me. This painting comes with a provenance history since the day it was created. First it was bought by Leopold Zwoborowski , Modigliani’s merchant, after a while the famous Katia Granoff bought it in the 1940’s, and stayed in this family until the 1990’s.

In the mean time our painting was exhibited in more than 30 museums or major galleries for Modigliani’s retrospectives : so Galerie Granoff, Galerie Charpentier etc etc., we have of course most of these exhibition catalogs where the painting was represented and even was on the front page of these catalogs. The painting went on world tours, in Italy, Spain, USA, Japan. In Tokyo in the late 90’s our painting was even the poster you could see in the streets of Tokyo, of course we have this poster also.

The painting comes evidently with several certificates: Lantheman, Andre Schoeller from 1954, Mrs L. Zwoborowski, and the famous Mr.Christian Parisot expertise, which is the administrator of legal archives of Modigliani. Of course our painting is repertoried in several catalogue raisonne so the Lantheman etc. Not illustrated in the Ceroni catalogue raisonne but we have the hand written letter of Mrs. Ceroni stating that the painting is repertoried in her late husband’s archives as an authentic Modigliani painting. (Of course, she can prove this we assume).

Click here for part 2 of the article

The Los Angeles Art Show, one of the most prestigious expositions in America, is proud to present the 13th annual exhibition showcasing a myriad of fine art from the 17th century to the present. In addition, this year the Los Angeles Art Show will be joined by the IFPDA’s 23rd Annual Los Angeles Fine Print Fair.

Over 125 distinguished international and US galleries will come together to showcase the finest examples of works in the year’s most anticipated art show. In addition, the show features works five local participating Californian museums: Autry National Center, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Museum of Latin American Art, the Museum of Ventura County and the Riverside Art Museum.

Collectively, more than 10,000 significant paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings, and prints will be available for purchase and will be vetted for provenance and authenticity through the event’s organizer, the Fine Art Dealers Association. The show’s reputation is based upon a continued commitment to present only the best and the highest quality of work. The strength and variety of the show’s scope reflects a carefully selected group of galleries with all works vetted for authenticity by authorities in the fields of art.

The L.A. Art Show is said to be one of America’s most prestigious art expositions with a striking range of artwork. Works will span cutting-edge contemporary to works from some of history’s finest artists.

In addition to the opening gala and daily shows, the upcoming L.A. Art show will feature its much-lauded lecture series with celebrated art experts. 2008’s lineup includes the following:
• Jori Finkel, art critic and editor, returning with Art Collectors’ Boot Camp
• Peter Fetterman, photographer and dealer, presenting
Collecting Fine Art Photography
• Gabriel P. Weisberg, Professor of Art History at the University of Montana, presenting New Realism or Old Realism: Traditional Realism Returns
• David Pagel, Associate Professor of Art History and Chair of the Art Department at Claremont Graduate University, leading a panel discussion of Surreptitiously Yours:
Art Politics and Do it Yourself Anger Management
• George Melrod, Founding Director of art ltd. Magazine and contributing editor,
leading a panel discussion of Los Angeles: What Kind of Art Capital?
• Ed Killian, winemaker, presenting a wine tasting with Architectural Digest
and Souverain Wines.

Whether you are a novice collector, an art appreciator, or a seasoned connoisseur, the Los Angeles Art Show is an inspirational event, not be missed.

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Leonardo did not author an autobiography; therefore, what little is know of his early life has been gathered from tax records and other documents of the period. What is known is that he was the illegitimate son of Ser Piero da Vinci and a woman who is only known by her first name, Catrina. It is speculated that she was possible a slave from the Middle East or perhaps just a lowly servant that worked in the household.

His father, a notary of some stature, did not raise him. It is known that Leonardo (christened Lionardo) lived with his. Later on he went to live with his father or his father’s younger brother, Francesco. What became of his mother is unknown.

Because of the circumstances of his birth, Leonardo’s early training was probably conducted by his step-mother, Donna Albiera, although he was mainly self-tought. Later on in life his illegitimacy would also influence his prospects for obtaining a higher education and the means to earn a living. When his father noted his artistic talent, he was sent to Florence as apprentice to Andrea del Verrocchio at around the age of 16 or 17.

Under Verrocchio, Leonardo studied painting and sculpture. He probably learned geometry during his apprenticeship and worked with other students and artists of the time such as Sandro Botticelli, Cosimo Rosselil and Lorenzo di Credi. It was during this time that he was assigned his first task of painting the angel in Baptism of Christ (c.1472-75). After seeing Leonardo’s angel it is said that Verrocchio swore “never to pick up a paintbrush again”.

During his first Florentine period (1478-1483) Leonardo received some of his first commissions. He became known for his artistic talents with his work on Madonna and Child (c. 1478), Small Annunciation (1480-1481), and Adoration of the Magi (c. 1481-82).

Leonardo was revered by friends and colleagues as being handsome and charismatic. He was kind and generous and probably one of the world’s first animal rights activists. He was also a practicing vegetarian (almost unknown in the fifteenth century.) However, he was not so well liked that he was immune to gossip and in 1476 he was arrested on the charge of sodomy. After about two months of incarceration he was released due to a lack of evidence. The question of his sexuality still remains a mystery.

After his release in 1478, Leonardo left Florence for the first time and traveled to Milan. There he joined a new patron, Ludovico Sforza. Initially he was to have been a military engineer, but instead became the court artist. He designed several machines such as catapults and armored cars but none were ever built. During this time he also painted one of his most famous frescos, The Last Supper – not actually a fresco in the true sense of the word but still paramount in establishing him as a portraitist and artist.

In 1499, Leonardo returned to Florence where he accepted a commission for an altar painting for the friars of the Order of the Servites at Santissima Annunziata. It was for this painting that Leonardo created one of his unfinished masterpieces, The Burlington House Cartoon (c.1499-1500). He also started two of his most famous works, The Battle of Anghiari, and The Mona Lisa (1503). The Battle of Anghiari was never finished and The Mona Lisa was never delivered to the client, Francesco del Giocondo.

In 1506 he headed back to Milan, remaining there for six years to continue his anatomy studies. Then in 1511, he moved to Rome where he continued his experiments with flight and optical puzzles as well as botany and the scientific mixing of oil paints and varnishes.

In 1516 Leonardo joined the King of France, Francois I, in the Loire Valley. The aging artist was ill and suffering from a stroke. Unable to paint, he undertook several projects including a walking mechanical lion. Instead of a heart, the lion’s chest opened to reveal a fleur-de-lis. He also designed a palace at Romorantin, reorganized his notebooks, and several other smaller projects.

On May 2, 1519, Leonardo died and was buried in Saint-Forentine in Amboise. But even in death, his travels were not over. During the Wars of Religion Leonardo’s remains were moved several times. Eventually he was buried in the Chapel of St. Hubert in the castle of Amboise.

Leonardo da Vinci was an artist, musician, philosopher, engineer, botanist, anatanomist, mathematician and a humanitarian. He did not believe in life after death and he did not agree with the teachings of the church. He was generous but suspicious. He questioned everything around him and excelled at everything he undertook. He spent 30 years keeping meticulous records and journals documenting his experiments and designs. Vassari observes with reference to Leonardo’s writings, “he wrote backwards in rude characters, and with the left hand, so that anyone who is not practiced in reading them, cannot understand them”. He did not number the five thousand pages he documented but ensured that each observation or experiment documented be completed on one page. Leonardo took great pains to finish his notebooks. Yet, in contrast to his scientific studies, this artist who epitomizes the Renaissance left much of his artistic endeavors unfinished.

Much of Leonardo’s life is a mystery in spite of his writings. Little is known of the man inside the body because he did not reveal much to the world. His accomplishments throughout his 67 years on earth did much to revolutionize the artistic community and, had his machines been built, would have revolutionized society centuries in advance. Leonardo was truly a man before his time.

About the Author

By: Bianca Tavares. You can learn more about Leonardo da Vinci at http://www.mezzo-mondo.com

plus a host of other artist biographies by Bianca Tavares at http://www.mezzo-mondo.com/arts/mm/index1.html

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A&CNet Art & Craft Article Directory

She claimed to be born on 1910 , the year of the outbreak of the Mexican revolution, because she wanted her life to begin together with the modern Mexico. “after her death at the age of forty-seven in 1954, the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo became first a legend, then a myth, and now a cult figure.” thus was Frida Kahlo described by her biographer Hayden Herrera in 1992.

Born from European and Mexican parents in 1907, Frida Kahlo’s looks are triking: long dark hair, distinctive bird-wing brows, black eyes. Kahlo was in a bus accident at age of 18 whereby she seriously injured her spine, resulting in lengthy hospital stays, many operations, and, ultimately, her death. during this time, in an attempt to healing, Kahlo began to paint.

Most of Kahlo’s works depict her personal saga: her accident, her marriage with muralist Diego Rivera, feminism, and her political involvement (communist and Mexican revolution). she depicts strong nationalist and folk art influences.

Kahlo was already a much celebrated artist in her time, when she moved on to the beyond in 1954.

Kahlo’s Husband: Diego Riviera

The style of work by Kahlo’s partner was totally different to her own. Both have become famous artists in their own right.

El Vendedor de Alcatraces by Diego Rivera

Learn More About Frida Kahlo

While a new book, it has already received excellent reviews. Art historian Hayden Herrera has written several books on Frida, portraying a woman of strength, talent, humor, and endurance.