Current Affairs 15.01
Patricia Phelps de Cisneros gives more than 200 Latin American Artworks to six Museums
Patricia Phelps de Cisneros, a Venezuelan collector and philanthropist, aims to boost the visibility of Latin American art, and in order to do this her foundation, the Coleccion Patricia Phelps de Cisneros is donating more than 200 artworks to a carefully selected group of museums across the United States, Latin America and Europe, in particular the Museum of Modern Art, New York. The pieces are from a broad and diverse collection in order not to make a singular point about Latin American Art.
The MFA employs a puppy to protect and preserve their collection
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, has employed Riley, a 12 week old Weimaraner puppy. He will be used to detect insects, bugs and prevent infestations which could harm the museum objects. This is the first institution to add a sniffer dog into the institution to prevent bugs, but us at the Courtauldian are hoping for many more!
Missing Sol LeWitt Painting reappears in a home in Houston
The architect William F. Stern commissioned a large Sol LeWitt painting and his artworks were left to the Menil Collection. However, being site specific, the work could not be removed without damaging the work, so when the house was sold, the painting was covered with plaster. However, when picked at with a butter knife, the painting was beautifully intact, behind a thin layer of covering.
Condo 18, London
46 galleries have teamed up to create Condo 2018, a huge, city wide art show. A group of world class, contemporary galleries from New York to Shanghai have set up in 17 of London’s best young galleries. The show is an art party, suggesting a he love for the international art scene, more than doubling since its debut in 2016. Although Condo 2018 is spread across the city, from Kennington to Mile End, the show is running until February, you can take your time!
Throughout London, Until 10th February 2018
See website http://www.condocomplex.org
Cézanne’s Portraits
Until 11th February 2018 The National Portrait gallery’s new exhibition brings together over fifty of Cézanne’s portraits. Cézanne, being one of the most influential artist of the nineteenth century, influencing cubism, fauvism and avant garde artists, made over 160 portraits. The National Portrait Gallery aims to highlight the pictoral and thematic characteristics of the works, and the role of the sitters in the work. Curated by John Elderfield.
National Portrait Gallery
Deaccessioned by De Salle
In a desperate bid to raise a staggering $5 million De Salle Universtity, Philadelphia, have decided to sell works from their university museum. The university recently announced that they would be removing a total of 46 works from their permanent collection, which will then be sold through Christies over the next few months. The sale works including that by Ingres, Matisse and Degas will go towards the reduction of the university’s debt’s, which totalled $144 million in 2016. Speaking to Hyperallergic.com, La Salle’s Chief Communications Officer Jaine Lucas explained “While we greatly respect and appreciate the perspective of the art community, we are first and foremost a University. Our Board of Trustees made the decision to deaccession a select group of artworks after careful and thoughtful consideration of all the University’s assets, and in service to our students. We place great value in our art museum and our cultural heritage. The decision of which artworks would be sold was made by examining their pedagogical value with the target amount of $5 million we needed to raise.” Unsurprisingly the university’s decision has received mixed reaction, with many in the art world struggling to see the advantages a slightly smaller debt will bring to students and faculty of De Salle …
Gilbert & George
THE BEARD PICTURES AND THEIR FUCKOSOPHY
The exhibition is multifaceted. There is the ‘Fuckosophy’ element, which comprises of variations on the word ‘fuck’ printed on the gallery walls in different contexts, in different tones, in different sentences, or alone. Then there is also ‘The Beard Pictures’, designed to present “dream-like world of paranoia and destruction and madness. Their strange sickly colours and creeping, smashed up, absurd landscapes confront the viewer with relentless aggression. THE BEARD PICTURES depict a world bereft of reason, in which negotiation no longer exists.” The exhibition, which is on until 28th January 2018, has opened to rave reviews so go and check it out if you haven’t already.
Date: 22 November 2017 – 28 January 2018 Location: White Cube Bermondsey
Rose Wylie: Quack Quack
In the middle of Hyde park, on the walls of the Serpentine Gallery you will find the most delicious treat! Quack Quack (on until February 11) is a riot of fun figures, colours and concepts. The show, which is as contemporary as painting gets, exhibits a body of work a by 83 year old artist Rose Wylie touching on, as pop does, primarily the everyday - yet from a surprisingly fresh perspective. Wylie’s figures are familiar, but condensed down to their most notable aspects and presented sometimes humorously, at other times seriously, always interestingly.
Date: 30 Nov 2017 to 11 Feb 2018
Location: Serpentine Gallery, Kensington Gardens, London, W2 3XA
Met to Charge Admission
The world famous Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, will be charging entrance fees to non- new Yorkers. As of the 1 st of March, adults from outside of New York State will have to pay $25, seniors will be charged $17, and students $12 although the museum will allow these tickets to be valid for three days, as opposed to one. Daniel Weiss, the museum’s president and chief operating officer explained in a press conference that “admissions currently make up 14% of the museum’s budget, but once the new policy is in place they will provide closer to 16% or 17%.” Whilst charging an admission fee may be necessary for the Museum financially, $25 is a notable sum of money and does little for the arts’ image as exclusive, or for the elite.
The London Art Fair
17th to 21st January 2018 will see the 30th edition of the London Art Fair, at the Business Design Centre in Angel. As well as a phenomenal number of stalls held by London’s most exciting galleries, the fair have organised a range of events including guided tours and talks.
Be sure to grab your tickets now, £16 for concessions or £16.50 with an Art Fund – National Art Pass!
Date: 17th - 21st January 2018 Location: Business Design Centre, 52 Upper Street, London N1 0QH
