The Dayton Art Institute Appoints Chief Curator
The Dayton Art Institute announced the appointment of Will South as the museum’s chief curator. South has been Curator of Collections for the Weatherspoon Art Museum at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro since 2000. Prior to that, he was a curator at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts at the University of Utah.
(view more...)

Museum Offers $50,000 Reward For Stolen Art
The Museum of Anthropology has been devastated by the theft on Saturday, May 24, 2008 of 15 objects, including 12 pieces by the renowned late Haida artist Bill Reid. Collectively, the monetary value of these pieces as art objects is approximately $2 million. However, the dollar value of the gold in these artworks is significantly less, only $15,392 at current gold prices.
(view more...)

The Art Fund Prize 2008 Has Been Won By The Lightbox, Woking
The Lightbox museum and gallery in Woking was awarded The Art Fund Prize for museums and galleries, the UK’s largest single arts prize. A genuine example of grassroots action – the museum was initiated by local people – The Lightbox mixes local history, the visual arts and inspiring architecture. Situated in the centre of Woking, it has become the creative hub of this busy Surrey commuter town, bringing a sense of self-worth and excitement to the local community.
(view more...)

Bill Henson Exhibition Closed For Child Pornography
A photographic exhibition at the Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery in Sydney featuring nude pictures of children by Australian artist Bill Henson has re-ignited the debate about censorship child pornography. Police arrived to the gallery and after arguing with the staff, the gallery decided to close the exhibition until all this gets clarified.
(view more...)

National Gallery Of Victoria Receives US$15M Donation
Premier John Brumby launched the National Gallery of Victoria’s fundraising appeal, "Masterpieces for Melbourne", which seeks to raise $150 million by the gallery’s 150th birthday in 2011. The Premier was joined by NGV President of the Council of Trustees Allan Myers, donors, as well as Geoffrey Rush, Fred Schepisi and Bill Henson to launch the campaign and call on support from the community.
(view more...)

Philippe De Montebello To Join Faculty of NYU's Institute Of Fine Arts
New York University announced the appointment of Philippe de Montebello - one of the most prominent, admired, and respected figures in the world of art and museums - as the first Fiske Kimball Professor in the History and Culture of Museums at NYU’s renowned Institute of Fine Arts. His appointment will be effective as of January 2009, or upon the arrival of his successor as director of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
(view more...)

The Huntington Art Gallery Will Re-Open On May 28, 2008
Once the home of Henry E. Huntington (1850–1927) and his wife, Arabella (1850–1924), the Huntington Art Gallery opened in 1928 as the first public art gallery in Southern California, displaying what had been considered to be the greatest collection of 18th-century British art in the country, including the celebrated "Blue Boy" by Thomas Gainsborough and "View on the Stour near Dedham" by John Constable, as well as a valuable collection of French decorative arts.
(view more...)

SFMOMA Announces Gary Garrels As Senior Curator Of Painting and Sculpture
Gary Garrels will join the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) as the new Elise S. Haas Senior Curator of Painting and Sculpture, SFMOMA Director Neal Benezra announced one day ago. Recognized internationally for his acclaimed exhibitions and expertise in modern and contemporary art, Garrels is currently chief curator and deputy director of exhibitions and public programs at the Hammer Museum, Los Angeles. He succeeds Madeleine Grynsztejn, who was senior curator at SFMOMA from 2000 until her departure in March 2008 to become director of the Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) Chicago. The senior curator’s chair in the Department of Painting and Sculpture at SFMOMA is named for the late Elise S. Haas, a distinguished San Francisco collector and dedicated Museum trustee whose family foundation endowed the position. Garrels will assume his new position at SFMOMA in September of 2008.
(view more...)

Iconic Work By Ed Ruscha Sells For US$3,961,000 At Sotheby's New York
Yesterday in Sotheby’s spring Day sale of Contemporary Art, Ed Ruscha’s "I Don’t Want No Retro Spective", 1979, an iconic work which recounts a fascinating story about the artist and the American actor, Bud Cort, sold for $3,961,000, a record for a work on paper by the artist, exceeding expectations. Mr. Cort is arguably best known for his iconic role in the 1971 American film classic Harold and Maude opposite Ruth Gordon.
(view more...)

Lucien Freud Sets New World Record At Christie's Auction
Christie’s highly anticipated Post-War and Contemporary Art Evening Sale totaled $348,263,600, marking the second highest total ever in auction history for the category. Eight new world auction records were established for artists including Richard Prince, Sam Francis, Leon Gottlieb, with Lucian Freud’s "Benefits Supervisor Sleeping" setting a world auction record for any living artist. The sale was 95% sold by value and 95% sold by lot.
(view more...)

American Artist Robert Rauschenberg, Dead At 82
American artist Robert Rauschenberg has died in Florida at the age of 82. This information was confirmed by his representative in New York at the Pace Wildenstein Gallery. The cause of death is not yet known.
(view more...)

Tunick: Nude In The Name Of Art And Football
New York artist Spencer Tunick has done another mass nude shot at the Ernst Happel Stadium (Vienna, Austria) where the Euro 2008 final will be played. The Kunsthalle Wien center organized the display while Austria's national railway offered free travel to the volunteers. Tunick only had three requests for his subjects: no sunglasses, no smiling, and no underwear.
(view more...)

Important Exhibition Coming To The Columbia Museum of Art
National Museum Wales, known for having one of the finest Impressionist art collections in Europe, is sending to the U.S. highlights from its remarkable Davies Collection, an extraordinary group of 19th- and early 20th-century paintings that is renowned for its beauty and quality. These works, which helped shape the course of Western art, were assembled between 1908 and 1923 by sisters Gwendoline and Margaret Davies. The collection is exceptionally strong in Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works and includes masterpieces by, among others, Cézanne, Corot, van Gogh, Monet, Daumier, Manet, Millet, Pissarro, Renoir, Turner and Whistler. Turner to Cézanne features 53 stunning works of art, seen together in the United States for the first time. The exhibition will travel to only five venues and the Columbia Museum of Art is the opening venue. The Columbia presentation is made possible by the Blanchard Family.
(view more...)

Heath Ledger Portrait Wins The People's Choice Prize
This year more than 32,000 people voted in the People’s Choice for the Archibald Prize and their favourite portrait by far was Vincent Fantauzzo for his portrait of Heath Ledger called "Heath". To date 130,000 people have visited the 2008 Archibald Prize, which is a record attendance for the gallery since Archibald began in 1921.
(view more...)

The Government Art Collection Will Be Open For The Public On May 17
To celebrate Museums and Galleries Month in May 2008 the Government Art Collection is offering behind the scenes tours of our premises in central London on Saturday 17 May. The Government Art Collection comprises around 13,000 works of British art in a variety of media, dating from the mid-sixteenth century to the present day. Works are displayed in over 400 British Government buildings throughout the United Kingdom and around the world and play a significant role in promoting British culture, history and creativity in the visual arts.
(view more...)

Architect Eric Olsen Takes Home The $10,000 Prize
The fifth annual Next Generation® event, sponsored by Duravit, Geberit, Herman Miller, Maharam, and Sherwin-Williams occurred few nights ago in San Francisco at the BATH+BEYOND Showroom. Partygoers celebrated the winner of the 2008 Next Generation® Prize—architect and college professor, Eric Olsen.
(view more...)

National Endowment for the Arts Announces $77M in Grants
In its second major grant announcement of fiscal year 2008, the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) announced today that it will award $77.4 million to fund 1,014 grants. The Arts Endowment will distribute $77,452,700 in this round of FY 2008 funding to nonprofit national, regional, state, and local organizations across the country, funding grants in the categories of Access to Artistic Excellence, Arts on Radio and Television, Learning in the Arts for Children and Youth, Partnership Agreements (State and Regional), and American Masterpieces: Three Centuries of Artistic Genius.
(view more...)

Sir Elton John Loans Paintings For Exhibition Sponsored By Bonhams
Bonhams is sponsoring a major exhibition of Henry Scott Tuke’s work, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the artist’s birth. The retrospective exhibition entitled "Catching the Light" will take place at two separate venues in Cornwall – the Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro and the Falmouth Art Gallery. More than 130 works by Tuke will go on show, including eleven pieces which have been kindly lent by Sir Elton John. The exhibition, which goes on view from Saturday 3 May 2008, is co-sponsored by Bonhams and the Heritage Lottery Fund.
(view more...)

Artistic Director Of Art Basel Resigns
MCH Swiss Exhibition (Holding) Ltd announced the resignation of Cay Sophie Rabinowitz, Artistic Director of Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach, effective immediately. Moving forward, Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach will be led by Annette Schönholzer (formerly Director, Operations and Finance) and Marc Spiegler (formerly Director of Strategy and Development). Both now share the title Co-Director, Art Basel and Art Basel Miami Beach. René Kamm, CEO of MCH Swiss Exhibition (Holding) Ltd, says: "We wish Ms. Rabinowitz much success in her future professional endeavors. We’d like to thank her for her professional contribution". Ms Rabinowitz has committed herself fully of supporting the two co-directors in the successful completion of Art 39 Basel’s artistic programs.
(view more...)

Whitney Museum Unveils Design By Renzo Piano For New Downtown Building
The Whitney Museum of American Art released detailed plans to add a second Whitney Museum site to the cultural and civic landscape of New York City with the construction of a new, six-floor, 185,000-squarefoot building in downtown Manhattan. Located in the Meatpacking District on Gansevoort Street, between West Street and the redeveloped High Line park, the new building, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Renzo Piano, will place the Whitney in the heart of New York’s most active neighborhood for the visual arts and education.
(view more...)

High Acquires Works By Cassatt, Pissarro, Bonnard, And Vuillard
The High Museum of Art recently acquired four major works for its permanent collection, including the pastel "Mother and Child," by Mary Cassatt; the oil painting "Snowscape with Cows, Montfoucault," by Camille Pissarro; the oil painting "The Breakfast," by Pierre Bonnard; and the painting on paper "Villa les Écluses, St. Jacut, Brittany," by Édouard Vuillard. The new acquisitions were purchased from the estate of longtime Atlanta resident Kathryn Welch Hartzog. The purchases were made possible by the Forward Arts Foundation, the Robert D. Fowler Family, Helen C. Griffith and Joan N. Whitcomb. The Forward Arts Foundation, a special friend of the High for over 40 years, has donated the funds to help the Museum acquire most of its Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings.
(view more...)