Artists Quarter

Ronnie Wood Art Exhibition

2007-06-08T14:54:00.000-07:00

The 2007 Isle of Wight Festival has got underway and the Rolling Stones will be taking to the festival stage on Sunday 10 June. Coincident with the bands performance is an exhibition by band member, Ronnie Wood, at the Island Fine Arts gallery in Bembridge. The exhibition runs through to 13 June, 2007.

Ronnie Wood is an accomplished artist and has been exhibiting around the world for twenty years. If you cannot get to the gallery, you can view his work online and also arrange for a private viewing, in a partnering gallery on the UK mainland at Chichester.

Zen Painting Exhibition

2007-04-26T15:55:00.000-07:00

I was browsing the courses on offer at Princeton's Art and Architecture faculty when I chanced upon 'Zen Figure Drawing', which led me to 'Awakenings: Zen Figure Painting in Medieval Japan', and what an awakening it was. In the last 60 years, there have only been two major art exhibitions outside of Japan related to medieval Japanese Zen Buddhism, most recently at the Rietberg Museum, Zurich in 1993. The earlier exhibition was held at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in 1970, so the 'Awakenings' exhibition, which is part of the Japan Society's centennial program, is the first major international exhibition of its kind in the U.S.A. for over 35 years.

47 important and rare Chinese and Japanese paintings from the 12th to 16th century, are featured in the Awakenings exhibition, including the Japanese National Treasure 'Budai and Jiang Mohe', a painting by Yintuoluo.

Japan Society is located at 333 East 47th Street, New York; Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday, 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Friday, 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.. Note that the Gallery is closed on Mondays.
Admission is $10; students and seniors $8; Japan Society members and children under 16 free. Admission is free to all on Friday nights, 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Photography, Travel, and Inspiration

2007-03-25T08:32:00.000-07:00

The photographic exhibition Far from Home: Photography, Travel, and Inspiration currently running at The Art Institute of Chicago, through to May 6, 2007.

The exhibition examines the impact that travel has had on on the photographic style and careers of acknowledged masters such as Edward Weston, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Harry Callahan, Irving Penn and Joel Sternfeld. It is part of the museum's year long celebration of Silk Road Chicago, exploring the themes of travel and transformation.

Fittingly, the Art Institute of Chicago holds an interesting place in the world of American travel, marking the start of the celebrated Route 66. The old 2-lane highway, Route 66, from Chicago to Los Angeles, is not indicated on modern road maps and the start of Route 66 moved a few times during its lifetime, but it is generally accepted as being opposite the Art Institute at the junction of Adams Street and Michigan Avenue. This may not be strictly, historically accurate but the institute serves as a memorable starting point for anyone wishing to retrace the route.

van Gogh's Shoes

2007-03-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

The lucky 400,000 visitor to pass through the door of an exhibition of Vincent van Gogh paintings on display at the Budapest Museum of Fine Arts, found that they had won a one-week vacation to Amsterdam and Paris, and a reproduction of van Gogh's 1888 painting 'Shoes'.

Running since December 1 and extended due to tremendous popularity, the exhibition ends on April 1, 2007.

Documenta 12

2007-02-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

Every five years, the small German city of Kassel hosts the world's largest art festival, Documenta. The first Documenta opened on July 15, 1955 and this years event, Documenta 12, runs from 16 June to 23 September, 2007, with 200-300 exhibitors.

80 art magazines from around the world are going to produce special issues on Documenta 12 and three magazines specially produced by Taschen will serve as a catalog.

Henry Moore at Kew

2007-01-22T08:59:00.000-08:00

The UK's splendid Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew is to become home to a major retrospective exhibition of Henry Moore's monumental sculptures, the first exhibition of its kind ever to be held in London.

28 enormous bronzes will be exhibited throughout Kew's unique 300 acre World Heritage Site. The internationally acclaimed sculptor, Henry Moore, took his inspiration from nature and his large-scale works were designed to be viewed in a landscape setting.

The exhibition runs 15 September, 2007 – 30 March, 2008 and should provide some magical images for photographers.

London Art Fair

2007-01-16T14:10:00.000-08:00

The London Art Fair returns to the Business Design Centre, Islington, 17 – 21 January, 2007.

One hundred of the UK's leading galleries have been selected for the Fair in 2007, presenting a broad range of work spanning early 20th century British Art to recent contemporary practice.

Many living artists are represented from Grayson Perry, Keith Coventry and Candida Höfer to Bridget Riley, Peter Blake and Howard Hodgkin. The Fair's contemporary work is exhibited alongside influential figures of Modern British art such as Barbara Hepworth, John Piper, Peter Lanyon and William Scott. Galleries represented include Alan Cristea, Flowers East, Jonathan Clark and Richard Green with a number of galleries new to the Fair in 2007, including Osborne Samuel, Sims Read and Ben Brown Fine Arts.

Sculpture in Auckland Botanic Gardens

2007-01-01T13:31:00.001-08:00

The Auckland Botanic Gardens and the Friends of the Auckland Botanic Gardens have announced the line-up of sculptors for next year's inaugural Sculpture in the Gardens exhibition.

Twenty seven of New Zealand’s most popular and up-and-coming artists have been chosen to produce a sculpture to exhibit at the Auckland Botanic Gardens during the sculpture exhibition, which runs from November 2007 to the end of January 2008.

The Auckland Botanic Gardens, Manukau, are one of the city’s most cherished icons. It is 65 hectares of stunning sub-tropical plant collections including a splendid magnolia collection, native woodland, lakes and wandering paths, making it an ideal venue for painters, photographers and walkers.

During November, it hosts the Ellerslie International Flower Show, New Zealand's premier gardening event. This year the show is scheduled for 14 - 18 November, 2007.

The inaugural Sculpture in the Gardens exhibition will run for the summer months, from 4 November 2007 to 31 January 2008 and the selected sculptors are:

Tanya Ashken, Island Bay, Wellington
Bing Dawe, Hoon Hay, Christchurch
Paul Dibble, Palmerston North
Charlotte Fisher, Westmere, Auckland
Fiona Garlick, Ponsonby, Auckland
Christine Hellyar, Western Springs, Auckland
John Ioane, Laingholm, Auckland,
Barry Lett, Mt Eden, Auckland
Neil Miller, Glen Eden, Waitakere
Phil Neary, Otahuhu, Auckland
Terry Stringer, Warkworth
Llew Summers, Christchurch
Marte Szirmay, Mt Roskill, Auckland
Filipe Tohi, Onehunga, Auckland
Greer Twiss, Ponsonby, Auckland
Jim Wheeler, Onehunga, Auckland
Steve Woodward, Kingsland, Auckland
David Guerin, Havelock North
Virginia King, St Mary’s Bay, Auckland
Fred Graham, Waiuku
Matt Pine, Tangimoana
Jeff Thomson, Helensville
Peter Lange, Mt Eden, Auckland
Warren Viscoe, Ellerslie, Auckland
Chiara Corbelletto, Ponsonby, Auckland
David McCracken, Parnell, Auckland
Samantha Lisette, Laingholm, Auckland

John Brack Nudes Exhibition

2006-12-19T15:31:00.000-08:00

John Brack died in 1999 but is regarded today as one of Australia's most respected artists. His picture, 'Collins Street 5pm', has become an emblem of Australian culture and another of his paintings, 'The Bar', recently sold for $3.1 million at Sotheby's in Melbourne.

The Nude in the Art of John Brack, at the McClelland Gallery and Sculpture Park, Victoria, is a quite exceptional exhibition which runs through to March 25, 2007. Never a sensualist, his nudes stand eery and angular on canvases heavy with meaning, writes Ashley Crawford in an informative article about Brack and the exhibition. The article also carries a picture of the hypnotic, 'Nude with a Dressing Gown' which features in the exhibition; surely a must-see for anyone that has the slightest hint of an opportunity to visit the gallery.

Iranian art today

2006-10-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

Iran.com Iranian art today is the first comprehensive presentation of contemporary Iranian art in Germany. Exhibits encompass all areas of the fine arts, including painting, object art, sculpture, video, installation and photography.

Parallel to the main exhibition in the Museum of New Art, Freiburg, Germany, there will be events held all over Freiburg through to the end of January 2007.

Stubbs Exhibition

2006-09-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

2006 is the bi-centenary of the death of George Stubbs, Liverpool's most famous artist. The son of a currier who lived in Ormond Street, a stone's throw from Liverpool Town Hall, Stubbs was intimately acquainted with horses from his earliest days. Despite his humble background and lack of formal training, Stubbs established himself as the leading painter of horses and sporting scenes, which included some pretty impressive representations of the human animal; he was clearly more than just a painter of horses.

This special exhibition marks the anniversary of his death and runs at the Tate Britain, London until 14 January, 2007. The exhibition, comprising around thirty works, was previously displayed at the Walker Art Gallery, in Liverpool and in 2007, moves to the Frick Collection, New York.

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition

2006-06-21T14:50:00.000-07:00

The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition is an open exhibition of art held annually in Burlington House, Piccadilly, right in the centre of London, since 1769. The exhibition includes paintings, prints, drawings, sculpture, architectural designs and models with prizes of £70,000 and most works being available for sale.

Approximately 1,000 works of art, from 5,000 artists, are selected for display each year. Any artist may submit up to three works for selection but competition is fierce, with around 10,000 entries, each paying an entry fee of about £20.

This year's theme is 'From Life' and the exhibition runs until 20 August, 2006.

Bodypainting Festival Austria

2006-06-04T15:20:00.000-07:00

Every year, in mid-summer, 25.000 visitors and artists from around 40 countries including Australia, Germany, China, South Korea, Canada, UK, USA, Argentina and South Africa,invade Seeboden on Lake Millstätter See, Carinthia, Austria, for the World Bodypainting Festival. This year, the festival will be held from 17 - 23 July 2006.
Besides the bodypainting and photographic competitions, there will be a wide range of workshops and side events demonstrating bodies painted with many different materials and techniques, and sometimes combined with the most fantastic costumes, masks and show effects. There is an exciting music and dance program and for visitors not taking part in the world championships or workshops, the festival organizers are arranging an impressive adventure program with biking tours, hikes andsightseeings to the most amazing mountains in the alps. A special attraction of the festival week will be the fantasy ball Body Circus. to be held on July 19th in the medieval castle, Burg Sommeregg. The castle will be transformed into a mystical fairy tale location with guests arriving in costume ranging from Bodypainting, body decoration and masks, to extreme make-up and fantasy fashion.

National Gallery 2006

2006-04-17T07:46:00.000-07:00

There is a terrific line-up of exhibitions being organized for 2006 at London's National Gallery.

You still have time to catch Mary Cassatt: Prints, through to 7 May 2006 and Americans in Paris 1860 - 1900 runs until 21 May 2006.

Then, Bellini and the East, 12 April - 25 June 2006. Highlights of the exhibition include paintings and drawings by artists working in both European and Islamic traditions, including the exquisite painting, 'Seated Scribe' by Gentile Bellini.

Rebels and Martyrs: The Artist in the Nineteenth Century, 28 June - 28 August 2006, features works by many of the most important artists of the 19th century, including Friedrich, Delacroix, Courbet, Manet and Degas

The Mond Bequest, 14 July - 29 October 2006, focuses on one of the largest bequests ever made to the Gallery, by Ludwig Mond (1840-1909).

Passion for Paint, 20 July - 17 September 2006, features works by many of the great manipulators of paint, including Rubens, Constable and Monet.

Cézanne in Britain, 4 October 2006 - 7 January 2007. 2006 marks the 100th anniversary of the death of Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) and this exhibition will trace the development of his art from its beginnings in the 1860s up until his death.

Finally, Velázquez, 18 October 2006 - 21 January 2007. Using the National Gallery's rich holdings of the artist's work, together with major loans from the Museo del Prado and other collections, this exhibition will record his career and demonstrate Velázquez's extraordinary ability to observe and record reality.

Musée d'Orsay Spring 2006

2006-03-11T15:29:00.000-08:00

Cézanne and Pissarro, 1865-1885, is at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris through to May 28, 2006.

The exhibition uses their art to explore the relationship between Paul Cézanne and Camille Pissarro over twenty years of mutual influence and friendship, from the beginning of their careers up to the mid-1880s.

Pissarro in Melbourne

2006-03-11T09:06:00.000-08:00

Coincident with the Commonwealth Games, Pissarro runs through to 28 May, 2006 at the National Gallery of Victoria International, Melbourne.

Working alongside Cézanne in Pontoise and Auvers in France's Oise River Valley, Camille Pissarro (1830 – 1903) taught Paul Cézanne and is regarded as the father of Impressionism. That his younger friend is now called the father of modern painting, illustrates what a major influence he has been on 20th-century art; though keeping faith with the aims of the Impressionist movement caused him to endure prolonged financial hardship.

Charting the breadth of the artist’s career, the exhibition displays more than 100 works including major paintings, prints and drawings.

Screenshots on a video monitor and reproductions do not convey texture and without this, you only get half of the visual experience. You really need to see these paintings live, in order to fully appreciate their impact and quality and this is an unprecedented opportunity for Australian audiences.

Edinburgh Art Spring 2006

2006-03-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

A wealth of opportunity to indulge the eye, is offered by the National Galleries of Scotland. Beginning next week, the RSA Annual Student Exhibition claims to be he largest exhibition of new talent in the UK, it is open to all final year and postgraduate students of the Scottish art and architecture schools.

RSA Annual Student Exhibition
Location: Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh
Sunday, 12 March, 2006 - Thursday, 23 March, 2006

Then in April, Stranger than Life demonstrates the popularity of caricature across the centuries. This runs in conjunction with Fizzers: The Alternative National Portrait Gallery, which showcases the work of the Scottish Cartoon Art Studio and will feature caricatures of some of Scotland’s most famous faces.

Stranger than Life
Location: Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh
Friday, 7 April, 2006 - Sunday, 9 July, 2006

Fizzers: The Alternative National Portrait Gallery
Location: Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh
Friday, 7 April, 2006 - Sunday, 2 July, 2006

Americans in Paris and Mary Cassatt

2006-03-07T14:49:00.000-08:00

If you are enjoying Springtime in London, drop in on Americans in Paris 1860 - 1900, an exhibition which runs through to 21 May, 2006 at the UK's National Gallery. It includes the work of well-known artists, James McNeill Whistler, John Singer Sargent and Mary Cassatt. Concurrently, the gallery is also presenting, Mary Cassatt: Prints, which runs through to 7 May, 2006.

Befriended by Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt was the only American painter to exhibit with the French Impressionists. Fellow Impressionist Camille Pissarro describing her prints as 'rare and exquisite'.

Jack Vettriano Exhibition

2006-02-09T07:44:00.000-08:00

Jack Vettriano, whose painting, The Singing Butler, sold for £744,800 at Sotheby's in 2004 and who is believed to earn £500,000 a year in royalties from prints and postcards, is not without critics, nor until this week had this hugely popular artist had a permanent exhibition of his work; Kirkcaldy Museum and Art Gallery near his home town of Methil exhibits one of his early paintings but the work is not considered representative of the latter paintings for which he is so well known.

Now, the Portland Gallery, re-located to 8 Bennet Street, London SW1A 1RP, are hanging five of his major works in their new public showroom. The gallery represents Jack Vettriano and has also held regular temporary exhibitions of his work.

China: The Three Emperors

2006-01-11T10:15:00.000-08:00

A magnificent exhibition devoted to the artistic and cultural riches of Imperial China is running through to 17 April 2006 at the UK's Royal Academy of Arts in London. Spanning the reigns of three Emperors, Kangxi (1662-1722), Yongzheng (1723-35) and Qianlong (1736-95), China: The Three Emperors, 1662-1795 has been made possible through a unique collaboration with the Palace Museum, Beijing.

Around 400 paintings and painted scrolls, jades and bronzes, porcelain and lacquer ware, precious robes, palace furnishings, scientific instruments, weapons and ceremonial armour are on display, including unique objects which have never previously been shown outside China.

German Festival of Ice Sculptures

2005-12-05T13:49:00.000-08:00

For the third year running, a Christmas city is being created in Luebeck, north Germany. Ice World is a magical winter dream made of snow and ice in which Ice Sculptures and an Ice-Skating Rink turn the famous backdrop of historic Luebeck into a cracking, crunchy, cold winter, landscape amidst the medieval brick Gothic.

A combination of special lighting and the reflection of snow and ice covers the works of art in a fascinating sea of colours. The sculptures are created from 350,000 kg of ice by a team of international artists and the festival runs from December 9, 2005 to January 29, 2006.

Henri Rousseau at the Tate Modern

2005-11-13T16:06:00.000-08:00

Henri Rousseau is sometimes criticized as an artist but he has created some of the most popular and instantly recognizable paintings of modern times and is known to have influenced his contemporaries, Pablo Picasso, René Magritte and Max Ernst.

50 of his works are now on display at the Tate Modern London, which is holding the the first exhibition of his work to be held in the UK for an extraordinary 80 years; it runs through to February 5, 2006 and includes an extensive group of his jungle paintings, together with a comprehensive survey of Rousseau's source materials.

Islamic Art Exhibition

2005-10-13T06:22:00.000-07:00

Crescent Moon, a major international exhibition opening at the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide, focuses on the Islamic art of Southeast Asia and introduces Australian audiences to the beauty and complexity of Islamic culture in the southern hemisphere.

Running from 10 November 2005 through 29 January 2006, the exhibition reveals the unique developments in the arts of Islamic Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines, as well as the Muslim communities of Thailand, Burma, Cambodia and Vietnam; illustrating the theme with splendid objects in gold, silk, lacquer, porcelain and stone.

Following the showing at the Art Gallery of South Australia, the exhibition moves to the National Gallery of Australia in Canberra where it opens in March 2006.

Camille Claudel Exhibition

2005-10-07T15:53:00.000-07:00

An article in Artdaily.com reminded me that the Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris, is exhibiting works by Camille Claudel, on view through January 31, 2006.

The exhibition features 60 of her sculptures, one of which, 'The Waltz', dated 1896, is illustrated here and struck me as showing the same fluid movement and emotion as Rodin's 'The Kiss'; it is an affinity that is not really surprising, since she entered the workshop of the great sculptor Rodin at the age of 20. As his student, collaborator and companion, she spent many years learning and sharing.

If you are visiting Paris for the Camille Claudel exhibition, try to add in a visit to the Rodin Musée, an experience which will surely enhance your appreciation of her sculpture.
Auguste Rodin had great admiration for Camille's work and urged her to, "Show your remarkable work. There is justice on this earth, believe me. We are punished and we are rewarded. A genius like yours is rare... ".
Such endorsement is even rarer.

Inspired Art Fair 2005

2005-09-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

Returning to the UK capital for the third year, Inspired Art Fair 2005 claims to be the largest contemporary art fair for independent artists in London.
Displaying the work of 67 painters, sculptures, photographers, illustration, and digital artists, handpicked from a list of over 200 applicants, the fair occupies 30,000 sq ft of vaulted brick arches beneath London Bridge station and runs from the 17th to 21st November 10am-6pm.

There will be a wide range of works on display varying in price from £500 - £3,000 and the fair prides itself on iaccessibilityity, giving every visitor the chance to invest in, and talk to exciting new artists from around the world.