Friday, 11th September 2009
6:22pm
1) Several restitution cases in the news this week:
A court in San Diego, California, has ruled that a Holocaust survivor can continue his legal battle against the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, Spain, for the return of a painting by Pissarro that he claims was taken from his grandmother by the Nazis. The painting has been on display in the museum since 1993.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2009/sep/09/holocaust-survivor-pissarro-painting
The heirs of a prestigious Austrian family are seeking the return of a painting which they claim was sold, under duress, to Hitler in 1940. The family's lawyer stated that Count Jaromir Czernin...
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Wednesday, 9th September 2009
12:22pm
'The Polish Connection', which runs until 27 September, is inspired by the tale of the abortive first Polish national art collection. In 1790 the Polish king Stanislaw Poniatowski commissioned two London-based French art dealers to acquire paintings to form the basis of the collection. Although the kingdom of Poland was dissolved before the king could take possession, the two dealers – Noel Desenfans and Peter Francis Bourgeois – continued to add to the collection. Eventually the art came to rest (along with their mausoleum) in Dulwich, where it has remained to this day. A quick wander round the...
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Friday, 4th September 2009
1:02pm
1. Picasso seized in Iraq probably a fake:
Art authorities have called into question the authenticity of the alleged Picasso painting recovered recently by Iraqi police in South Baghdad. The painting (The Naked Woman) was supposedly looted by the Iraq army during the invasion of Kuwait in 1991. However, the presence of ‘Louvre’ stamps on the back of the painting (the museum denies ever having sold a Picasso) leaves its authenticity in doubt.
Artforum article
BBC article
2. Mexican art organisations in trouble:
The art institutions of Mexico...
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5:54pm
With the lights dimmed and the walls dividing each section painted in soft warm hues, the ‘Gardens and Cosmos’ exhibition provides a tranquil, almost spiritual, haven from the bright and bustling British Museum. While the first part of the exhibition depicts the maharaja at leisure in his palace, the show transitions expertly into a visual exploration of the mysteries of the universe.
Each ‘hallway’ is separated from the others by dividers, creating small spaces intimate enough for the visitor to indulge in the pieces. The miniature size of most of the watercolour illustrations requires that the visitor come nose-to-glass in...
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11:04am
1. Eli Broad has confirmed rumours about his new museum, stating that it will be located on one or two sections of the Gateway, near the corner of Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards. He also said that although Beverly Hills is the first choice for the proposed museum, the Beverly Hills site is not finalised and the museum could be constructed in Santa Monica or elsewhere.
- LA Times article
2. A Russian woman, furious about having recently been turned down for French citizenship, hurled a teacup at Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa at the Louvre. Fortunately for...
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A recent exhibition in Nottingham showcases contemporary artists' exploration of the Communist-era space race.
Cast aside by Modernists for much of the 20th century, Classicism
has a comeback of sorts, with an excellent new book reappraising
architecture partnerships and a recent exhibition at one of the very
institutions that so derided the style.
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