CONTENTS May 2010
EDITORIAL
Art outside...
Outdoor sculpture elicits a range of reactions – from controversy to simply being ignored – but at its best has the power to make us reappraise our surroundings.
CONTEMPORARY ART
Spaced out
A recent exhibition in Nottingham showcases contemporary artists' exploration of the Communist-era space race.
ARCHITECTURE
Reminders of mortality
Britain's mausolea have long been neglected, but two campaigns are underway to save important monuments.
Market Preview
Exceptional collections of Modern works and Pop Art go under the hammer in the US this month and Hong Kong’s Art HK gains momentum.
Market Review
March saw record auction sales and the annual showcase fair for the Netherlands plus treasures at Asia Week in New York.
Collectors' Focus
American museums and private collectors are keeping the top end of this market buoyant, writes Lucian Harris.
Rare and Exotic
Dealers in Asian, ancient and tribal arts converge on the Place du Grand Sablon in Brussels for a week of fairs in June. Annie Blinkhorn previews the highlights of BAAF, BRUNEAF and BOAfair.
Around the Galleries
May brings the Carré Rive Gauche fair in Paris while London offers antiquities, cabinets and Vietnamese paintings.
Decorative splendour
Masterpieces of Arts and Crafts, Art Nouveau and Art Deco adorn the newly renovated Sydney and Frances Lewis Galleries at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Barry Shifman presents the key players in these movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries and their representation in the museum’s Lewis Collection.
Letting in the Light
This month the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts re-opens following a massive expansion and renovation of its galleries and grounds. Philippa Glanville reports on architect Rick Mather’s latest museum transformation.
Enriched collections
The extraordinary collections of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts span more than 5,000 years of art from around the globe. The museum’s holdings, which have grown substantially through the decades, are unveiled this month in a major new expansion. Anne B. Barriault presents highlights of the acquisitions made in the last 10 years.
The flowering of South Asian art
With the 1968 purchase of South Asian and Himalayan art from Nasli and Alice Heeramaneck, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts took its collections in a radical new direction. Joseph M. Dye III explores the legacy of this bold move and presents a selection of acquisition highlights.
American fervour
The new McGlothlin Wing at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts opens this month with an exhibition of American art that Jim and Fran McGlothlin have promised to the museum. Louise Nicholson visits the couple at their Florida home. Portrait by Reed Young.
The art of armour
The Prado Museum’s exhibition of Spanish royal portraits alongside the armours they depict reveals the significance of armour as a symbol of power, writes Roger Field.
Transcending history
David Howarth salutes the mystery and power of Delaroche’s dramatic history paintings.
Afrocentric wonderland
The beguiling ingenuity of Chris Ofili’s painting is amply demonstrated in Tate’s triumphant monograph show, writes Paul Bonaventura.
Café culture
Martin Bailey reports on an ‘exhibition about an exhibition’ that reveals much about Gauguin’s artistic development.
Precious metals
Tessa Murdoch celebrates a masterly catalogue of British and Continental gold and silver in the Ashmolean Museum.
