New York, the Big A(rt)pple

Published on 16 May 2013.

New York, 16 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

The fact that the art market has become a sure value in this period of crisis is no longer questioned. On a whole, the western market (America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand) progressed in 2012 by 5.5% with sales amounting to a total of $7.2bn. At the beginning of the year 2013, the United States went back on the top step of the podium in this crazy race, as China previously took over in a remarkable way. Because of New York’s great vitality on the artistic scene, the city has become the strength of the United States and by itself accounts for more than 95% of the sales representing the value of the country, the American market’s share having increased from 23.5% in 2011 to 27% in 2012. Hence, New York maintains its status as a central part of the art market, along with London, Beijing, Hong Kong and Paris, in spite of raging competition. Thus, here is an overview of the reasons why the art market has not had enough of the Big Apple.

New York, the Eldorado of European Artists
The first element underlying the attraction of European artists to the city is the Armory Show, which was held for the first time in 1913. There, European artists presented their modernistic works and eventually created a shock on the American artistic scene, which itself was influenced by these new trends and soon embraced new movements. As a matter of fact, this exhibition unveiled a new artistic truth for Americans, who no longer see creation as mainly based on aesthetics and realism but rather leave the conservative model aside for the more personal expression of the artists. A new modernistic movement indeed saw the light of day in New York, with artists such as Stieglitz, and painters like Demuth and Hartley. In 1929, the opening of the Museum of Modern Art drew the interest of the artistic scene to this city, since Paris ceded the top position that it had fought to keep from New York at the end of the Second World War. A painting school was formed, the School of New York, which mastered in abstract art as well as expressionism. Its goal was in fact to set aside formal compositions, including still life, and take up instinctive arrangements for spaces and colours. Among the pioneers of the movement were Pollock, De Kooning and Rothko. These artists’ works were widely exhibited, namely during the 9th Street Art Exhibition in 1951, the Second Annual Exhibition of Painting and Sculpture in 1953, and the Six New York Artist’s Annual Exhibition in 1957. New York thus became the place where the majority of American artists converged in their quest for fame and they consequently made a name for the School of New York. In the long run, a similarly popular new movement emerged from the 1950s to 1960s, that of Pop Art. Within this movement, artists used different media to reproduce objects and daily images from popular American culture in a satirical manner, including coca-cola bottles, cans and comics. The best known artists of this movement are unquestionably Warhol, Rivers and Lichtenstein. Other movements also sprang up, namely Action Painting, Fluxus, Color Field Painting, Hard-Edge Painting, Minimal Art and Lyrical Abstraction. As artists are indeed very much present in New York and have made the city dynamic, museums are now developing themselves in order to bring forth the fruits of this vast artistic creation.

A Plethora of Museums
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) is one of the biggest and greatest museums. It is located near Central Park and has a second building, “The Cloisters,” which is at Fort Tryon Park and specialises in medieval art. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is often considered as the main competitor of the Met. Then comes the Brooklyn Museum, which is the second museum in terms of size in New York and one of the biggest in the United States, and which permanent collections include over one and a half million objects from ancient Egypt to contemporary art, as well as the representative art of different cultures. New York is also filled with museum institutions and modest-sized galleries, among which are the Frick Collection that houses a collection of upmarket pieces created by ancient masters, as well as sculptures, ceramics, furniture, enamels and tapestries. We may mention the Jewish Museum of New York, which was created in 1904 and contains a collection of about 28,000 works of art, including paintings, sculptures, and archaeological artefacts among many other important pieces pertaining to the preservation of Jewish culture and heritage. Museums are becoming more specialised with the creation of museums such the American Museum of Natural History, the Cooper-Hewitt, the National Design Museum as well as the International Center of Photography, among many more. This phenomenon is far from slowing down and New York has been marked by the springing up of cultural institutions throughout the past few years. Long Island is a coveted spot in the artistic sector and reputed institutions have been set up, namely the P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center and the Sculpture Center. For instance, in 2006, more than 60 artistic institutions were created, namely the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts and the Morgan Library & Museum. This can be explained by the budget allocated by the Department of Cultural Affairs of the city regarding artistic projects, which is one of the largest. In fact, from 2006 to 2010, it amounted to $865m, which is more than twice the budget of the $339.6m allocated between 2001 and 2004.

The Voluntary Participation of the Artistic Community
The city of New York favours exhibitions organised in public places in order to draw the attention of the wider public to art as much as possible. Thus, many famous artists have created public installations, namely Jeff Koons, Louise Bourgeois, the Sky Mirror by Anish Kapoor, the Mosaic Man by Jim Power and The Gates by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Metro stations are also very much solicited for these kinds of events. This willingness to popularise art has led to the creation of new artistic trends in the city of New York, namely the American modern culture of graffiti which started in Philadelphia and moved towards the Big Apple in 1970. The graffiti culture inspired an artistic style as well as a social philosophy called “Zoo York,” the name of a metro tunnel under the Central Park Zoo, an area of predilection for all the graffiti artists of the first generation, namely ALI (Marc André Edmonds), the founder of The Soul Artists. Underground tunnels thus became scenes of expression for all graffiti artists, until a law passed in the 1980s enforced the prohibition of metro and underground tunnel tagging, forcing the artists to express themselves in the streets.

Melting Pot by Excellence
New York, with its high immigration rate, looks more like an international city than a specifically American town. The city is indeed open to new comers and has come to be the prime example of a successful melting pot. As a matter of fact, no particular community seems to predominate, though the most represented nationalities are those of the Dominican Republic, China, Russia, Italy, Poland and India. This cultural diversity has enormously contributed towards the enrichment of the city’s culture and artistic experiences, and has as well favoured the creation of specific institutions devoted to the exhibition of works representing these different cultures.

Climax or Decadence in Today’s World?
Presently, New York is the centre of the art market and has set its mark on the high-end market and contemporary art. This can be explained by the fall of the dollar, which has had an attractive effect on European buyers. In addition, New York is shining with institutions that are more and more numerous and developed, such as Guggenheim, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the city’s mythical districts where the largest galleries are gathered. Thus, Soho and Chelsea, with some 200 galleries, continue to liven up the city and bring momentum to the artistic scene. But the city has also managed to develop the two other sale models in vogue today: auction houses and art fairs.

A Fully Booked Agenda!
New York has made itself a must-see, namely with the parallel programming of big events in the month of May. For instance, during the Frieze Art Fair, some 800 galleries were present and exhibited over 5,000 artists. The most prestigious fairs are geared to attract many other events. Hence, Frieze has led to the wake of “off” fairs such as Cutlog, Pulse, Nada and Pool. These events are thus becoming true marathons for collectors who appreciate this type of gathering, which allows them to have more choices but also the opportunity to sort out works according to their tastes. For example, Frieze is a blockbuster for renowned living artists where works by Ai Weiwei, Anish Kapoor, Georg Baselitz and Joan Mitchell in particular can be seen. The same flagship works return to the prestigious auction sales organised during springtime. Thus, according to Artprice, three works by Baselitz were featured on 15 May, as well as three drawing games by Carl Andre, during the same sale. Between 13 and 16 May, eight works by Joan Mitchell were also offered, of which one was estimated between $4.5m and $6m. The month of May will therefore be filled with the sales of thousands of artworks, before things change and “the place to be” becomes Hong Kong with ArtBasel, which will be held from 23 to 26 May. Results are starting to be published. The sale organised on 8 May at Christie’s New York, which was dedicated to modern and impressionist art, amounted to the great sum of $120m, with the sale of 94% of the lots on offer and 90% in terms of global value. As for the 7 May sale at Sotheby’s New York, also dedicated to modern and impressionist art, it amounted to $230.4m. It is the second session with the most importance in value since 2008. The shy-high estimates of the artworks offered is namely due to the setting of estimates according to the excellent results obtained at the main active auction houses in New York in 2012, which are Sotheby’s, Christie’s, Phillips and Bonhams. In fact, in May 2012, Christie’s and Sotheby’s generated $578m with their sales dedicated to post-war and contemporary art. Auction houses thus needn’t worry about their success and have lots of bright days ahead, to the point that the sales scheduled from 13 to 16 by Christie’s featuring Woman with flowered hat by Lichtenstein do not have any estimates as yet, as a new record is expected for the artist who holds an impressive preceding record of $40m for the sale of Sleeping girl (1964) on 9 May 2012 at Sotheby’s. The artist’s popularity thus increased by 300% throughout the past decade and in fact brought him credibility as a serious competitor for Warhol, who has until now remained on the throne.

The incredible success of auction houses can also be explained by the scarceness and quality of the pieces offered and by New York’s tendency to promote its national artists above all, namely Basquiat, Jeff Koons and Warhol. It should finally be noted that, among the artists that experience the most success today, Murakami claims his filiation to Warhol, whom he hybrids with his Japanese culture, which works well with the wider public’s fascination with American Pop Art. It seems as though New York has not said its last words and continues to struggle in this endless race, despite its dealing with tough competition namely from Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore and Jakarta.

Tags: , , , , , .

New records for Pollock, Lichtenstein and Basquiat at Christie’s

Published on 16 May 2013.

New York, 16 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

After the successful sale of contemporary art at Sotheby’s New York held on 14 May, the sale of post-war and contemporary art held at Christie’s on 15 May was no less successful.

With a total of $495m, Christie’s established the most important turnover made in one session ever. From 66 sold lots, 7 made a bid of over $20m.

According to the three most important lots, Woman With Flowered Hat, 1963, by Roy Lichtenstein, was sold for $56.1m to jeweller Laurence Graff, while Dustheads by Basquiat, holding an estimate between $25m and $35m, was purchased by an anonymus phone bidder for $48.8m. Number 19, 1948, by Pollock, a work produced with the use of the “drip painting” technique, was sold for $58.4m, far beyond its highest estimate of $35m. These are the new records for these three artists.

Apart from these lots, twelve artists established new auction records, including Joseph Cornell, Hans Hofmann, Piero Manzoni, Philip Guston, Richard Serra, Luc Tuymans and Julie Mehretu.

Among the reactions, art dealer Asher Edelman said that “It was amazing. Nobody knows what to do with their money, I guess,” while the President of Christie’s Europe, Jussi Pylkkanen, explained that “we are in a new era of the art market. Pictures are making prices we couldn’t have imagined only a few years ago.”

Tags: , , , , , , , .

Bosco Sodi exhibition at the Valencia Institute of Modern Art

Published on 16 May 2013.

Valencia, 16 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

From 16 May to 14 July 2013, the Valencia Institute of Modern Art is presenting the work of Mexican painter Bosco Sodi during an exhibition titled “Croacia.”

Bosco Sodi uses monochrome as a means of expression and emotional dialogue with spectators. His painting is in some way close to abstract expressionism because of its expressive force and the absence of narrative intentions.

The artist explains that the exhibition “presents a brief, simple series where you can see this technique I have been working on for the last three years. They are paintings that do not have a meaning, I am not trying to say anything specific, just incite the public, stimulate their curiosity. I think I have evolved little by little, I have focused much more on matter and I have brought painting close to sculpture.”

“Croacia” was previously presented at the Antiguo Colegio in San Ildefonso, Mexico, at the Museo de los Pintores Oaxaqueños in Oaxaca, and at the Museo de Arte de Ponce in Porto Rico.

Tags: , , , , , , .

Abstract art at Guggenheim in New York

Published on 16 May 2013.

New York, 16 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

From 10 May to 8 September 2013, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York is offering an exhibition celebrating the abstract painters who settled in Europe during the interwar period of the two major world wars. The title of the exhibition is “New Harmony: Abstraction between the Wars, 1919-1939” and is based on a geometrical painting by Paul Klee.

Abstract art was born during the climax of the Avant-Garde movement and remained dynamic between the two wars, offering new ways of reflection and exploration to the artists. The event in New York features about 40 artworks, paintings, sculptures and works on paper created by about 20 artists, including Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Fernand Léger, Francis Picabia, and Joaquín Torres-García, and allows visitors to discover rarely exhibited items from the collections of the museum.

The exhibition is organised by Tracey Bashkoff, the senior curator of collections and exhibitions at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum.

Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Post-war furniture design at Artcurial

Published on 16 May 2013.

New York, 16 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

On 21 May, auction house Artcurial will organise a sale with 113 lots illustrating the great diversity of the design of post-war furniture.

The first part of the sale will be centred on major French creators such as Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, Serge Mouille, Jean Prouvé and Jean Royère, who were brilliant examples of French modernism and gained worldwide fame.

The catalogue also offers a selection of Scandinavian pieces, dominated by furniture made by Alvaro Aalto and lamps made by PaavoTynell, while the pieces of Italian design offered during this sale will be centred on lamps created by Gino Sarfatti in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. They precede a chapter presenting the creation of some of the most famous contemporary designers, including Ron Arad, Martin Szekely, Maria Pergay, Elisabeth Garouste, Mattia Bonetti as well as Zaha Hadid.

Among the lots, there will be an important luminous pillar called Grand Signal (1962) by Serge Mouille, estimated between €60,000 and €80,000, a great chest (1959) by Jean Royere, estimated between €30,000 and €50,000, a small-sized divan called Maison Guiette (1927/28) by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand, estimated between €30,000 and €40,000.

Tags: , , , , , .

Dark to Light: Laurence Dreyfus’s “Chambres à Part” the English way

Published on 16 May 2013.

London, 16 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

Laurence Dreyfus is presently passing on her concept of “Chambres à Part” (Separate Rooms) on the occasion of the exhibition “Dark to Light,” which she is organising along with Karen Marr in the house of the Master of the Tower of London: this could well be the title of an Agatha Christie novel or a film by Hitchcock, but it is not because it in fact represents reality. Karen Marr grew up here, in this house in the centre of the Tower of London, because her father is the master of this royal domain. The exhibition thus has a very particular connotation for her, as she played beside the prophylactic crows of the Tower and the beefeaters, the guards of the place dressed in traditional attire. The two women met last autumn, after the 7th edition of Chambres à Part during the FIAC. Soon after, they decided to set up this event at a unique venue, which has become a successful challenge with a journey in time and out of time. AMA had the opportunity to speak with the two commissioners in the shade of the Tower of London.

AMA: You are currently presenting your “Chambres à Part” concept at this magical and atypical venue of the Tower of London, at Karen Marr’s house. What is the specificity of this new adventure in London?

Laurence Dreyfus (L.D.): First, it is the historical aspect of the place, but it is also the selection of the artworks since, next to contemporary pieces, we can go back to the 11th century with ceramic plates from the Seldjoukides of Iran – the contemporaries of the Tower of London – and to the West with engravings by Dürer, or to the Turner that finally never came back. It was important to associate historical pieces, which refer to the context of the Tower of London or simply to the history of England, in order to have a transhistorical vision. This was a big step for me since I am mainly a specialist of contemporary art, and I had to get a second opinion from other specialists on the quality of the pieces.

The feeling of the place also played a key role, as well as its vertical height – we go from the shade to the basement with works by Andreï Molodkin and Gregor Hildebrandt, to the lighting of the last storey with the historic 1967 piece by James Turrell. In my opinion, the exhibition is less contemporary compared to my projects in Paris, but more compared to the Tower of London.

AMA: You invite collectors to this strong and striking place. Is this a new way of selling artworks, knowing that collectors need to dream and indulge?

L.D.: First of all, we have to consider the fact that, in order to reach the level of the Réserve in Paris, I had to go through 4 to 5 editions, which is the necessary amount of time to get to know the place and its proportions. Here, with this first edition, we need to know how far it is possible to further our experience, as for the expectations of collectors and the challenges of the place. We managed to recreate a space in the room where we could exhibit Turrell’s Gard White with a partition, a ceiling and a floor, but it was impossible to make adaptations to the green water colour of the living-room and to the salmon of the storeys.

Then we also took the time to talk and discuss about the works in very good terms. We have time to stand back and let collectors think. Every time a client buys a work from a Chambre à Part, a real bond is created since they are not pressured as with fairs, galleries or auction sales for that matter.

Karen Marr (K.M.): To me, the context is different here, and it is even unique in this house. We are in this environment that resembles those of museums, private functions, public events… It is our first and we hope that we can repeat this experience next year.

AMA: So you are not sure about launching the event again next year at this same venue?

K.M.: If it is not held at this house, it will be held at a similar venue in London, probably a royal one. Here, there is an infinite amount of possibilities and we expect the Tower of London to go further with it. But we have to wait and see.

AMA: You worked with a gallery some time ago. Is this framework that you are developing with Laurence more interesting?

K.M.: When I closed my gallery, I organised a few events similar to this at our house in Connaught, near Marble Arch. Here, I know that we are in my parents’ house, in a space somewhat resembling a private spot, a museum and a public place at the same time. But I seized the opportunity to use history, with a big H, and my experience with the Tower to bring newness to this project that is becoming more and more unique, but also very complicated when dealing with the competent authorities of the Tower. However, Laurence and I are confident about the choices we make concerning unbelievable venues and atypical spots.

AMA: Have you already sold any artworks since your opening night on 13 May?

K.M.: Yes, and some are put aside for collectors who are going to come back to pick them up. The place is small – a true little gem – and we have very strict recommendations not to host more than 10 people, whose movements are closely followed and controlled. But they can come back and spend time at the house by themselves. We have received a lot of compliments for this initiative and we are proud of our accomplishment. People like Humphrey Ocean from the Royal Academy, very prominent people in London, have come here and have thanked me for the welcome. We are very touched.

L.D.: Among the artworks that we sold, we can mention a drawing by Shahpour Pouyan representing an indented armour with a screw top, a large painting by Lucas Arruda, a glass by Patrick Neu, and a aquatint by Humphrey Ocean. I am still waiting on an answer from Charlotte Cornaton and there are a few things planned for other works. There is a certain enthusiasm for the works of Céline Clairon, Grayson Perry, and Marcel Broodhaers. Turrell’s piece draws a lot of interest from collectors, but it is a complicated piece to sell. We are not in the context of a fair where people know that they have to rush and buy. To the contrary, we do not have any competition with other events, and no large fairs.

AMA: But don’t you think that selecting works only according to the context and in line with the coherent narration of the place can eventually lead to setbacks regarding your commercial method, since collectors are not able to reproduce the same at their place?

K.M.: I don’t thinks so. Each work has its own individual autonomy. The works are not necessarily meant for this context. Grayson Perry’s vase (Eurototem), for example, can be placed in a white cube. It is lovely by itself, just as Andrei Molodkine’s Vertical Power can be transported anywhere. Each artwork has its own personality. Marcel Broodhaers’s installation titled Bateau Tableau will soon be presented at the MoMA. It will fit well even though it is not in this house. Claire Fontaine’s work of the Tower of London can fit anywhere. It is perfect here but lovers of the Tower would be thrilled to have it exhibited at their homes.

AMA: What would you change on the occasion of another edition?

L.D.: I would be more radical in the artwork choices that I make. We tried to avoid doing lots of things, but for the next time it would make sense to look at things more closely.

Tags: , , , , , .

The Salon’s favourite: poetic works by Léa Barbazanges

Published on 16 May 2013.

Paris, 16 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

A little square made out of the wings of flies, cristal threads spreaded towards the sky creating an aerial bosket, a sheet of white gold maintained with a wooden structure by a spiderweb, a screen covered with dandelion flowers, a plate covered with cristals creating silvery reflections… Léa Barbazanges changes one’s way of seeing nature and is able to evoke amazement with dandelion flowers that seem hard to notice in the everyday life. She chooses materials that are part of ordinary life and “belong to the city’s space, thus belonging to everybody in spite of the little nature that remains.” She chooses them for their elegance, fragility, refinement, and in one word for their beauty. But what one immediately feels standing in front of her works is their delicacy, which makes everything ephemeral as “each material has its own resistance,” the flies’ wings that do 1000 moves per second, the “spiderweb which is the most solid material in the microscophical world”… If no one touches them, these works are perdurable. A part of Léa Barbazanges’s work is to find a compromise between the importance of protecting these materials that won’t survive the slightest shock and the will to keep their true nature. This stage is very long and needs numerous technical analyses in order to achieve a result where technique is absent and where the only thing that remains is the mystery of the artwork. For the composition made of the flies’ wings, the artist needed 7 years to come to the end of a creation process and find a suitable way of presentation: a plexiglass box with a removable cap that allows viewers to see its vibrating surface; the wings are not motionless, they react with the tiniest air stream. Collectors may offer this intimate instant to close friends and chosen relatives.

Léa Barbazanges’s work is a real ode to nature. “I allow myself to look at nature with amazement, and at the same time I have a knot in my stomach because I do it while it is in great danger.” One is able to see this outline as a watermark but the artist does not wish to alarm or get involved, she just wants to share this beauty, rather than indicate with fear the drama laying behind. The poetry and power of Léa Barbazanges’s works placed her among the candidates for the Grand Prix of the Salon de Montrouge.

Le Beffroi, 92120 Montrouge, from 15 May to 12 June 2013. Opened everyday from 12pm to 7pm, including Sundays and public holidays. www.salondemontrouge.fr

Tags: , , , , , .

The body depicted in a contemporary way in Berlin

Published on 16 May 2013.

Berlin, 16 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

From 25 May to 27 October 2013, the Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart in Berlin will be exhibiting “Body Pressure. Sculpture since the 1960s.”

This exhibition features figurative contemporary sculptures highlighting the evolution of the human’s body’s depiction in art. While in the 19th century, the body was depicted in marble or bronze, the contemporary creations that will be exhibited at the Hamburger Bahnhof are made out of plastic, resin and everyday objects that in this context become more abstract. Figurative sculpture no longer aims to represent power. It has become more complex, cracked and tries to convey new messages.

The event showcases works by Bruce Nauman, Hans-Peter Feldmann, Paul Mccarthy, and Berlinde de Bruyckere. A part of the selection will be issued from the collections of the Nationalgalerie.

The exhibition’s curators are Henriette Huldisch and Lisa Marei Schmidt.

Tags: , , , , , , .

The “critical” tone of the 58th Salon de Montrouge

Published on 16 May 2013.

Paris, 16 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

An essential event for artists and art world professionals, the Salon de Montrouge is unquestionably a place devoted to the discovery of young talents. Collectors and gallery owners visit the exhibition to find future stars. On the occasion of the 58th edition of the Salon de Montrouge, which opened on 15 May, Art Media Agency met with Stéphane Corréard, the artistic director.

How is the artists’ selection process carried out?

I received 2,700 applications and only 73 applicants were chosen for the exhibition. That doesn’t mean that the others are not good artists, but that there are simply only 73 places. It’s a contest not an exam. Some apply regularly, sometimes 5 years in a row, and as I have quite a good visual memory I can see the evolution of their works and their way of presentation. The application’s quality is very important.

You are supported by the Collège Critique. Of how many members does it consist?

We gather 15 people issued from the art world, of which one-third is changed every year, except for Gaël Charbau who is a permanent member. There are art critics (Elisabeth Couturier, Augustin Besnier…), art historian (Alexandre Quoi), a curator (Damien Airault), institution representatives (Julien Fronsac from the Palais de Tokyo, Sébastien Gokalp from the Musée d’art moderne de la Ville de Paris, Nicolas Rosette, a digital arts advisor at the Théâtre de l’Agora, Evry…), a gallery owner (Romain Torri), a writer (Christophe Donner)… My idea is to gather people with different profiles who, in a way, have to be art critics. The Collège brings together people who have to act as art critics in their professional environment. The most interesting for me is the diversity of their points of view. It is necessary to have contemporary art specialists but also people from other fields, for instance the field of cinema which was represented last year by Dominique Païni and Jean-Michel Frodon. Such variety favours interesting encounters.

How would you define this year’s selection?

It is always a problem for me to define the main trend because I have the impression of having created an open and diverse selection. In spite of it all, the artists are not issued from the outside world, neither am I so we have some common influences. This year, in my opinion, it is an event depicting a world in crisis, not necessarily in the economical sense, but more in the “critical” sense. These are two words with the same etymology. Many artists don’t hesitate to shake up, start everything from scratch, reconstruct the world according to their idea, question the symbols of authority, as did Amélie Dubois, who in her work titled NØNE FUTBOL CLUB created a reversed police car with the inside on the outside. Jean-François Schramme put a piano horizontally to tranform it into a standing piano. President Vertut casted a man in concrete with only his feet going over! It is in one of his works that I saw the slogan of this year’s edition, “it is time to find a new way.”

The works that you describe sound a bit absurd…

I would rather say that they do not want to follow the laws of gravity, language, syntax, they want to explore other possibilities, other worlds. Marta Caradec, for instance, created a new geography using an atlas without contour lines and thus, with superimpositions and meridians, constructed a new planet, a new world.

Are these artists driven by utopist visions?

Yes, but it is neither naive nor easily undertandable. I think they wish to sharpen spectators’ sense of criticism: Alexander Duke added another pole inside of the belfry, which is slightly different in compraison to the others. The majority of visitors won’t even notice, only the ones with sharp observation skills.

Is there any novelty concerning the materials used?

There is a diversity of disciplines represented, likewise for materials; painting, sculpture…What is new is that nowadays the artists can “finally” be free using the materials they want, after a century of ready-made, without any kind of historical connotation.

Théo Mercier, who was noticed at the Salon de Montrouge in 2009 and invited to participate in this edition, is one of the artists who use all forms of sculpture, from the most traditional to the most free, turning the ready-made against itself. The piece that he is presenting is produced with two aquarium stones. Phillipe Dagen wrote in the catalogue that this is the limit of ultra-liberalism, because one can collect the stones from the field or river bank to put them in an aquarium, but we prefer to buy the resin ones made in China. There is an absurdity here. It doesn’t surprise me that Théo Mercier was interested in this object, without a certain form, a ready-made that has no utilitarian justification, contrary to the ready-mades by Duchamp.

Likewise, I find it interesting to see all these young people that use other forms of artistic expression with complete liberty, including painting. Laurent Violeau, who normally works at the Post Office, creates kinetic paintings in his garden on wooden boards measuring 20×20 cm or 30×30 cm. He puts nails of different sizes, creating amazing optical effects, giving an illusion of digital work! It is a bit like Charles Neubach who creates kinetic paintings with sprays. He straightens up everything with his hand and refuses to use a meter or ruler. There is a beautiful adequacy between the tool and the effect, the thought and the artwork, and I like that very much.

Among the artists mentioned, lots of them have another profession, a different life. Is this the Salon’s special feature, that it gathers artists who do not do art for a living?

The Montrouge’s special feature is to offer the possiblity to be judged by the artwork. Nowadays, schools make a true effort to professionalise their students during their studies and after their graduation by organising exhibitions, publications…but schools should not have the monopoly of discovering new artists. Not only art school students have the right to be artists! It is necessary to put everything aside and look at the artwork. In Montrouge, I use the same criteria for someone with three diplomas and someone as Laurent Violeau, a post office worker who does art in his spare time. This is the role of the Collège Critique. It is voluntary and the art critic’s job is to choose the artworks.

What will be the most surprising?

In my opinion, what differentiates this edition from the others is that there is more space and less artists in 2013. In addition, as this year’s host AndEA (Association nationale des écoles supérieures d’art – National Association of Higher Education Art Schools) does not exhibit any artworks, we could put all the artists in the belfry. It is possible to enter the artists’ universe because every person has at least 6m of picture rail at his disposal, 2 walls, even alveolates on the sides. A total immersion will be possible. Far from being anecdotal, in my opinion this allows us highlight each artist’s personality, to show his special features, thus enabling points of view and practices to become more prominent. Many artists are involved in situ works, for example Nicolas Thiebault-Pikor who produces his work on 6-meter-high windows. There are many little achievements, such as the NØNE FUTBOL CLUB. What I like the most is the mysterious side of an artist who, without participating in the show, makes us question ourselves on how this is possible.

There is also something magical in the propositions of Léa Barbazanges, that convey both hyper-fragility and the affirmation of real forms, a kind of solidity. Her dandelion piece is not fragile, it does not change: stems will wither and the buds are totally dry. In this work, we find a feeling of great fragility, the spiderweb holds a sheet of white gold. Proportionally, it is more solid than steel! I enjoy contrasts like that.

It is also necessary to see that these artists will be present during the Salon in a special way. Léa will come every day after 5pm to show certain pieces that are protected. She wants to meet spectators as well. Some artists will be there every day, every week and this is something that makes me very happy. This is the special feature of the Salon in comparison with exhibitions. We do not only show the works but try to show the people. These emerging artists are also willing to meet the public, hear opinions about their work, likewise it is easier to meet gallery owners and critics.

Is the Salon a place to sell artworks?

The artists are free to do it. We do not hang the prices, we do not take any kind of commission, we provide the artists’ contact information on the posters and in the catalogue. According to our survey, the majority of visitors are collectors, followed by gallery owners and institutions, far behind. I noticed that collectors have a very free point of view on art and get involved easily. Antoine de Galbert always says that “the artists are the ones who help us, not we that help them.” This is true, but artists need funds to continue their artistic research. Collectors really know how to play this game, because this is one of the rare spaces where they can be the first to find an artist before galleries do. Thus, they can play the role of purchasing advisor for the gallery.

What is the price range?

For unique pieces, in 90% of the cases, it is between €300 and €1,500-€2,000. Then, according to size, production cost and the artist, the price can increase up to €4,000. It is quite an accessible level, but still an investment.

The only reason to participate in Montrouge is to, after a serious selection, become one of the emerging contemporary artists. I give a key trying to act on the margin to keep the selection quality fundamental and discover interesting young artists. 

Tags: , , , , , .

Surveillance art at the Tate Modern

Published on 15 May 2013.

London, 15 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

From 28 May to 3 October, the Tate Modern will present “exposed” and focus on voyeurism and surveillance in the practice of photography. The exhibition will examine a particular aspect of photography, that of stolen, hidden, illegal and violent snapshots.

“Exposed” will thus feature 250 works by famous artists and photographers. Thanks to this event exploring all genres, visitors will be able to discover erotic photography with Nan Golding, who photographed the intimacy of his close friends and family in The Ballad of Sexual Dependency, and will thus end up taking the place of the voyeur, as well as through the snapshots of scenes or historic violent situations that focus on the barrier between information and voyeurism, and even snapshots from the paparazzi.

The United Kingdom is currently the country under the most surveillance in the world, a country obsessed with voyeurism, privacy laws, media freedom, Youtube and reality TV. A part of the event will be dedicated to the way the artists transformed all of these images to turn them into works of art.

The exhibition will afterwards travel to San Francisco, and then to Minneapolis.

Tags: , , , , .

Sale of Aboriginal and Oceanian art

Published on 15 May 2013.

Melbourne, 15 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

On 28 May 2013 in Melbourne, Sotheby’s will offer an auction sale on Oceanian and Aboriginal art, dating from the 19th century to today.

The ensemble of the 74 lots issued from the collection of the beginnings of art in Papunya, by Anthony & Beverly Knight, is estimated at about $1.3m to $1.9m. Among the lots that will be on offer: 144 ethnographic indigenous photographs with snapshots of ceremonies by Charles Henry Kerry and Henry King, Six Albums of Indigenous Australians, estimated at about $120,000 to $180,000; three important plates from Papunya issued from Anne’s collection, including the painting Special Pintupi Travelling Ceremony (1972) by Uta Uta Tjangala, estimated at about $80,000 to $120,000; and lastly indigenous contemporary art will also be represented with the work of Paddy Bedford (Nyunkuny), including Thoowoonggoonarrin (2006), estimated at about $150,000 to $180,000.

Tags: , , , , .

Meg Cranston wins the Artadia NADA Prize 2013

Published on 15 May 2013.

New York, 15 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

Artadia announced that Meg Cranston has won the Artadia NADA New York Prize 2013.

Meg Cranston will receive her award, worth $4,000, for the installation titled Emerald City (2013), which includes a painting by Catherine, the Duchesse of Cambridge (Kate Middleton) and was presented at the Fitzroy and Newman Popiashvili Gallery during the fair. The jury included two commissioners, Lia Gangitano, the Founder and Director of Participant Inc., and Daniel Byers, a conserver for modern and contemporary art at The Richard Armstrong and co-conserver at the Carnegie Museum of Art Carnegie International.

Meg Cranston is currently exhibiting her work on the occasion of a solo show at the Fitzroy and Newman Popiashvili Gallery in Los Angeles.

Tags: , , , , .

Record night for contemporary art at Sotheby’s New York

Published on 15 May 2013.

New York, 15 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

The contemporary sale organised in New York on 14 May allowed Barnett Newman to set a new sale record, and enabled Gerhard Richter to break the record of all works by living artists sold during auction sales. The session thus gained a total of $294m, with 82.8% of the lots finding buyers. The items on offer were created between 1940 and today.

A work by American painter Barnett Newman, a figure of abstract expressionism, reached the record price of $43.84m. The canvas titled Onement VI represents two triangles in vibrant blue, divided by a clear blue line. Another incredible sale was that of Domplatz, Mailand (Piazza del Duomo, Milan) by Gerhard Richter, an oil created in 1968, which was estimated at about $30m to $40m and was sold for $37.125m to collector Don Bryant, the founder of the Bryant Family Vineyard in Napa, California. This sale price enabled Gerhard Richter, 81, to set the new record for a living artist, an unofficial title that he already held for Abstraktes Bild (890-4), sold for $34.2m in October 2012 by Sotheby’s London. The top 3 is completed by Blue Sponge Sculpture, Untitled SE 168 by Yves Klein, sold for $22.005m.

However, Study for Portrait of P.L. by Francis Bacon, estimated at about $30m to $40m, did not find a buyer and was left unsold.

Tags: , , , , , .

Road Trip for the “LACMA9 ART + FILM LAB”

Published on 15 May 2013.

Los Angeles, 15 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has announced the launching of a new initiative to make the world of interactive art and film programming accessible to nine of the communities of South California: Redlands, San Bernadino, Altadena, Monterey Park, Hacienda Heights, Montebello, Compton, Inglewood and Torrance.

The event titled “LACMA9 ART + FILM LAB” is a travelling laboratory designed by artist Jorge Pardo. It is an interactive space that gives to the wider public the opportunity to learn and understand the fields of interactive art and film creation. This programme, which is free and open to the public, also includes workshops, conferences as well as film screenings in the exterior spaces.

The laboratory will be installed for five weeks at different venues. This event will last a total of six weeks and is sponsored by a donation from the James Irvine Foundation. It will be inaugurated this summer at the University of Redlands, from 7 June to 7 July 2013.

Tags: , , , , , , .

Picasso exhibition in Monaco

Published on 15 May 2013.

Monaco, 15 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

From 12 July to 15 September 2013, the Grimaldi Forum will offer the exhibition “Monaco fête Picasso” (Monaco celebrates Picasso), organised on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the death of the artist.

This exhibition of 150 works will be organised in two parts: “Picasso et la Côte d’Azur” (Picasso and the French Riviera) will first lead visitors to Antibes-Juan-les-Pins, Golfe-Juan, Mougins, and Cannes, in this region which very much appealed to Pablo Picasso during the summers between 1920 and 1946, and where the Mediterranean light, the sea and the shores were his direct sources of inspiration. Then “Picasso dans la Collection Nahmad” (Picasso in the Nahmad Collection) will spotlight the artist’s masterpieces, which occupy an essential place in this one-of-a-kind collection in the world, thanks to its importance and its quality, which was put together by Ezra and David Nahmad throughout the past fifty years.

The curating of the exhibition will be jointly managed by Jean-Louis Andral, the Director of the Musée Picasso d’Antibes, Marilyn Mccully, a renowned specialist of Picasso, and Michael Raeburn, a writer who collaborated with her for the publication of numerous books dedicated to Pablo Picasso.

Tags: , , , , .

Assessment of the Frieze Art Fair 2013

Published on 15 May 2013.

New York, 15 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

The Frieze Art Fair, which was held in New York from 10 to 13 May 2013, welcomed 45,000 visitors who were able to discover the works exhibited by the 186 galleries present that came from 32 countries.

Among the participants of the events, the Thaddeus Ropac gallery made its assessment of the fair: “It was fantastic! We brought a significant Sigmar Polke and have sold it. We could not be more pleased, seeing a great number of American collectors but also Europeans too, which was a pleasant surprise.”

As for Lisa Spellman from the 303 Gallery, she made the following observation: “Sales were fantastic. Collectors love this fair, it’s dynamic, high quality and offers an experience no other fair provides. We are really happy with the feedback, the sales, and the amount of curators and writers. It’s really a perfect fair.”

Iwan Wirth also confirmed the great functioning of the fair: “The second round of Frieze New York confirmed what we expected after our excellent experience in the inaugural year. Hauser & Wirth had a very strong week, greeting collectors and museum colleagues of the highest level. But most of all the fair was particularly fulfilling for our artists: Paul McCarthy, Matthew Day Jackson and Rashid Johnson. And, of course, it was fantastic for us to be able to share Paul McCarthy’s ‘Balloon Dog’ as part of the curated Sculpture Park in the landscape around the tent. We already look forward to next year.”

In addition, the Telegraph announced that McCarthy’s monumental sculpture was sold for a price of about one million euros.

This edition of the fair offered “New York Education” for the first time, which allowed school groups to discover the fair thanks to its various workshops. More than 600 children were able to benefit from the programme.

Tags: , , , , , .

Darren Bader chosen as the laureate of the Calder Prize 2013

Published on 15 May 2013.

New York, 15 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

American artist Darren Bader has won the Calder Prize 2013, awarded by the Calder Foundation.

The blog Galleristny reported this information and stated that the prize is awarded to “contemporary artists who have completed exemplary work early in their careers and whose work can be interpreted as a continuation of Alexander Calder’s legacy.” This prize is given along with a residence at the Atelier de Calder in Saché, France, as well as a cash prize of $50,000. Darren Bader is represented by Andrew Kreps in New York, Sadie Coles HQ in London and Franco Noero in Turin.

The awarding of the prize will be organised on 28 May at the Guggenheim Museum in Venice.

Tags: , , , , , .

Presentation of the 19th Biennale of Sydney

Published on 15 May 2013.

Sydney, 15 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

The 19th Biennale of Sydney will open its doors in March 2014 with the theme “Imagine What you Desire,” which is based on the ability of art to imagine the future and the world as it will be in the years to come.

The director, Juliana Engeberg, wanted to emphasise the fact that “‘it reminds us that powerful art is not divorced from the cultural conditions, political, social and climatic environments in which it is generated.”

The organisers of the biennale have thus revealed the list of the artists that will be participating: Yael Bartana, Ulla von Brandenberg, Mircea Cantor, David Claerbout, Yingmei Duan, Krisztina Erdei, Douglas Gordon, Henna-Riikka Halonen, Roni Horn, Mikhail Karikis, Laurent Montaron, Agnieszka Polska, Augustin Rebetez, Maxime Rossi, Wael Shawky, John Stezaker, Corin Sworn and Tori Wrånes.

Tags: , , , , , .

Unexpected participation of the Vatican at the Venice Biennale

Published on 15 May 2013.

Venice, 15 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

For the first time ever, the Holy See will take part in the Venice Biennale (1 June – 24 November) with a pavilion dedicated to the theme of creation.

Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, the President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, explained that the pavilion will be organised in three artistic sections expressing, creation, un-creation and re-creation. The Cardinal stated that contemporary art has drawn the interest of the Holy See as a means of cultural expression throughout the past decades. As for the theme of Genesis, it is a subject that encompasses all of art history.

75-year-old Czech photographer, Josef Koudelka, who is known for his works in black and white, will offer a work based on “the material destruction that comes from a loss of a moral sense,” while a group of Italian artists from the Azzuro studio in Milan, a creator of contemporary art, will present an interactive multimedia installation on the theme of Creation, the portrayal of the biblical account of Genesis.

The AFP stated that the financing of the operation at the Arsenal in Venice is estimated at about €750, 000 for the 500-sqm pavilion and will be fully taken in charge by sponsors.

The first time the Vatican participated in an international exhibition was in 1851, on the occasion of a universal exhibition in London.

Tags: , , , , , .

Auction sale at Marc-Arthur Kohn in Paris

Published on 15 May 2013.

Paris, 15 May 2013, Art Media Agency (AMA).

On Wednesday 22 May, a sale of about one hundred of the Hôtel Le Bristol’s lots in Paris will be organised by Marc-Arthur Kohn, an auction house reputed for its sales of furniture and ancient objects, as well as modern and contemporary paintings.

The flagship lot of the sale will be a work in bronze from the 3rd reduction of Baiser by Auguste Rodin (1840- 1917), created by smelting plant Barbedienne in December 1903 and conserved since the 1970s as part of a private French collection. It is marked with the number 32 on its edge and with the ink inscription 58142 ulo on its inside, and is estimated at about €500,000 to €700,000. Another major piece is a bust in marble by Jean de Rotrou (1609-1650), a renowned poet and theatrical writer at the time of Louis XIII, signed by Jean-Jacques Caffiéri (1725-1792) and dating from the 1780s-1790s. The lot is estimated at about €150,000 to €200,000.

Lastly, a pair of porcelain vases from the Manufacture of Monseigneur le Duc d’Angoulême, dating back to the end of the era of Louis XVI, circa 1785-1790, will be offered. This model is very rare, as much for its décor with mixtures of paintings, gildings and golden bronzes, as for its state of conservation. The lot is itself estimated at about €100,000 to €120,000.

The exhibition will take place from 17 to 22 May at Bristol.

Tags: , , , , , .