Visit Art Basel 2013 During The Weekend

 If you are in Switzerland or nearby, why not reserve some of your time this weekend and visit one of the most renowned art fairs in the world?

 The 2013 edition of Art Basel, puts the public in direct contact with Modern and Contemporary art, ranging from the great masters of the 20th century to 21st century artworks, including the latest generation of emerging arists. All represented by 230 of the world's leading galleries.

 With more than 4000 artists represented, most of the artistic medium are represented at the fair, including paintings, sculpture, installations, videos, multiples, prints, photography, and performance.
Art Basel 2013 offers eight sectors that complement each other and enrich the visitor's experience.

Curated projects include solo presentations, juxtapositions, or thematic exhibits.
Each year, two outstanding young emerging artists from the statements sector, are awarded with the Baloise Art Prize. These solo projects are acquired by the Baloise Group, which are then donated to renowned European art institutions.

 Unlimited is an exhibition platform dedicated to projects that transcend the physical limitations of a common art-show stand. Large-scale installations, out-sized sculptures and paintings, video projections and live performances, are some of the innovative works exhibited on this platform. Unlimited is curated by New York-based curator Gianni Jetzer.


 Berlin film scholar Marc Glöde and Zurich collector This Brunner, are the curators of the film section,  a week-long programme dedicated to films by and about artists.

 Enhancing the experience beyond Basel's headquarters, Parcours engages the public with interventions and performances by renowned international artists and emerging talents, as well with site-specific sculptures.
This section is curated by Florence Derieux and is open to the public.

 Visitors can acess some of the most prominent art publications from around the world.
Editors and publishers are often present  and many magazines contribute with presentations to the Salon series, including lectures and panel discussions.

 Beyond these sectors, Art Basel offers a full programme of events that include symposiums and artist talks.
The morning Conversation series, enables the audience to access to an insider's point of view, while Dynamic dialogues take place between prominent members of the artworld, each sharing their unique perspective on producing, exhibiting and collecting art. Conversations is presented in collaboration with the Absolut Art Bureau.

 A mobile app is available for Art Basel, providing essential information as well as an interactive 3D-map and events listing.

 Tickets can be purchased online until the last day of the art fair.

Video curtesy of Vernissage TV

Frieze New York 2013 - Contemporary Art Fair

 

Designed by SO – IL architects and sponsored by Deutsche Bank, the second edition of Frieze New York, contemporary art fair, is being held at New York’s Randall’s Island Park until tomorow May 13, 2013.

 Realized annually at Frieze New York and curated by Cecilia Alemani, this year's Frieze Projects program includes seven specially commissioned projects, for which five participating artists were invited to conceive site-specific works that either react to the exceptional location of Randall’s Island or engage with the experience of the fair.
The 2013 invited artists are: Andra Ursuta, Liz Glynn, Maria Loboda, Marianne Vitale and Mateo Tannatt.

 The program also features a special tribute to legendary artist-run restaurant FOOD, originally conceived by Gordon Matta-Clark and Carol Goodden in 1971. With a menu that changes daily, the artists chefs at FOOD 1971/2013 are: Matthew Day Jackson, Carol Goodden, Tina Girouard and Jonathan Horowitz.

 This year's Frieze Projects program includes a literary project entitled Frieze Story, this year with an original text by novelist Ben Marcus.
Interviews with all the commissioned artists, plus a special homage to FOOD as a continuing source of inspiration, appear in the Frieze New York Catalogue, which is available to purchase at the fair, and via frieze.com, and is priced: $39.95 / £24.95 / €30.77.

 Visitors to the Art Fair will have the chance to appreciate the work of sculptors from around the world, including Paul McCarthy’s Balloon Dog (2013), an 80-foot-high inflatable work.
Fiona Connor, Style Guide Spa (2013); Saint Clair Cemin, Fotini (2013); Martha Friedman, Amygdalas (2013); and Nick Van Woert, Primitive (2013) are also among the artists exhibiting at the Sculpture Park, located along the waterfront of Randall’s Island and overlooking the East River
Also on show will be works by artists: Tom Burr, Tom Friedman, Andreas Lolis, Charles Long, Jason Meadows, Pae White and Franz West. The Sculpture Park at Frieze New York is selected by curator Tom Eccles.

 Artists Charles Atlas and the New Humans, Trisha Baga and Haroon Mirza, were invited to create the three commissioned audio works for the second edition of Frieze Sounds, programmed and curated by Cecilia Alemani and presented with BMW. The sound works will be premiered in the BMW 7 Series cars that operate the VIP shuttle services from Randall’s Island.
Additionally, the works will be accessible at friezenewyork.com, available to download since May 10, 2013, and at a listening station within the fair.

 Frieze Talks is a daily program of presentations, panel discussions and conversations with leading artists, writers and cultural commentators. Frieze Talks 2013 is programmed by editors of frieze Dan Fox (Co-Editor) and Sam Thorne (Associate Editor).
This year’s participants include: Douglas Crimp, Lydia Davis, Joan Jonas and John Maus.

 Because education is an important part of our lives, this 2013 edition includes the Frieze New York Education, a space that enables public school classes and museum groups to further explore the fair through workshops.
psonsored by Deutsche Bank and held in a dedicated structure the program is devised by Free Arts NYC and 826NYC who together produce a dynamic context for students ranging from 4th–12th grade to explore notions of contemporary art and color. The guide and space centers around color theory and contemporary art. A creative documentation of the workshops will be made via a Frieze Education tumblr page.

 Gary Hattem, President of the Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation, said of the Education program: ‘This new educational component is a chance for children to interact with art from around the world in their own backyard.’

 The 2013 edition of Frieze New York includes a selection of over 180 of the world’s leading contemporary art galleries. A strong contingent of US galleries is particularly in evidence, with 55 participating galleries from the fair’s host city. Galleries from the following 32 countries will show at Frieze New York 2013: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lebanon, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA.

 Emerging galleries will be participating in the Focus and Frame sections of the fair. Focus is for galleries less than ten years old debuting works previously unseen in an art-fair context.
Focus galleries will show curated projects or solo stands conceived for Frieze New York. Frame is a section dedicated to galleries established less than six years ago and, this year, is supported by Joe Fresh. The Frame galleries selection is made on the basis of a proposed solo presentation and has been advised by curators Rodrigo Moura and Tim Saltarelli.

 A Stand Prize in the value of $15,000, was presented on Thursday 9 May to the most innovative gallery stand at the fair. The award was sponsored by Champagne Pommery and judged by an international panel of curators: Juan A. Gaitán (Curator 8th Berlin Biennale); Naomi Beckwith (Marilyn and Larry Fields Curator, MCA Chicago); Jeffrey Grove (The Hoffman Family Senior Curator of Contemporary Art, Dallas Museum of Art).

 Tickets to Frieze New York 2013 are on sale for $26 and can be bought online friezenewyork.com/visitors/tickets. Please note: to ensure the best experience for all visitors, tickets are limited and only available in advance.
 Frieze ferry services run from the 35th Street Ferry Dock on the East River every 15 minutes during fair opening hours and take approximately 20 minutes. $12.50 round-trip including booking fee. Tickets only available in advance.

 Frieze bus services run from outside the Guggenheim Museum on 5th Avenue between 88th and 89th Streets approximately every 10 minutes during fair opening hours. $5.50 round-trip including booking fee. Tickets only available in advance.

 Visitors should visit this page for further information.

ARCOmadrid 2013

Organized by IFEMA, the 32nd edition of ARCOmadrid International Contemporary Art Fair will be the stage of 202 galleries from 30 countries, of which 146 are participating in the General Programme and 56 emerging ones providing content for the different Curated Programmes.

ARCOmadrid 2013 will include several activities, including presentations, discussion forums and meetings, for which several art professionals have been invited to share their knowledge. With this, the organizers aim to provide the general public and art collectors, either emerging or more seasoned, with the necessary tools to enhance their contemporary art experience, namely through its International Collectors and The First Collectors programmes.

The inclusion of QR codes referring to Highlighted Artists selected by each gallery, will offer a more complete information about their artwork and artistic careers, helping discover emerging talents and revisiting established ones with a wider perspective.

From 7 to 24 February, a selection of works from the galleries participating in the Fair, will be offered for sale at prices limited up to €5000.00 at Collect online, an online platform with the collaboration of Paddle 8.
This confirms the commitment of ARCOmadrid of evolving side by side with the new technologies.

Another novelty for 2013 is ARCO Bloggers , an online participatory publishing experiment conceived and coordinated by Roberta Bosco and Stefano Caldana, which offers a non-static way of looking at the contemporary art scene and its protagonists through the phenomenon and format of contemporary art blogs. The intention is to discover and analyse the new characteristics and dynamics of art information and criticism at a time of transition from analogue to digital media.

In line with this, as part of the discussion spaces, the ARCO Bloggers' Forum will be held, with the title “Contemporary art: online tools and strategies”, and the participation of Spain's leading contemporary art bloggers and international opinion creators with an outstanding online presence and activity.

 ARCOmadrid didn't forget about the children and for the second year in a row and after a resounding success last year, ARCOkids returns with a space for the youngest visitors with workshops in partnership with the Fundación Pequeño Deseo to encourage the creativity of children aged 4 to 14.

Another major feature happening each year, is the presentation of several awards recognising artistic creation, collecting and the work of young artists. Namely a €15,000.00 prize sponsored by the watchmakers Audemars Piguet, for the production of a work of art. This year the prize has been attributed to the project ‘Arules’ by Juan Luis Moraza.

One of the most important sections is FOCUS TURKEY, resulting from the collaboration of the Turkish Embassy in Spain, and with the participation of the curator Vasif Kortun, director of research and programmes at the institution SALT Istanbul, and the assistant curator Lara Fresko, writer and art professional, who have selected the 10 Turkish galleries who will participate in the programme.

The presence of Turkey will also be reflected in the city of Madrid, with themed exhibitions in many of its most representative galleries and museums.
To extend the cultural offerings, Turkey will also take part in the AfterARCO project, which after the Fair closes each day, organises activities in different spaces in the city: Nave 16, Cineteca and Nave de la Música at MATADERO MADRID.

ARCOmadrid 2013 offers many opportunities to the general public and to art collectors to learn about the latest trends on Contemporary Art. The only drawback is the ticket prices which, as having the opinion that everyone should be entitled to appreciate art, are too high, especially in a country where unemployment is at this time of around 25%.

The Fair will take place at Feria de Madrid, Halls 8 and 10 (13th - 17th February 2013)
Professionals: Wednesday 13, from noon to 9 pm & Thursday 14, from noon to 8 pm.

General public: Friday 15, Saturday 16 & Sunday 17, from noon to 8 pm.

Visit the LA Art Show 2013 during this weekend

During this weekend take the family with you and go visit the LA Art Show 2013.
The event provides a comprehensive art experience offered by The Modern & Contemporary; The Historic & Traditional; The Vintage Poster and by The IFPDA Los Angeles Print Fair.

Now in its 18th year, the LA Art Show features some known galleries from around the world and a complete programme that includes lectures, tours, special exhibits, and must-attend after parties.

The event takes place at the LA Convention Center/South Hall J and K and can be visited this Saturday January 26 (11am - 7pm) and Sunday January 27 (11am - 5pm)
Ticket price for one day (general admissons) is $20 with $5 discount when purchased online.

Last year, the event, which is the longest running venue for contemporary, modern, historic and traditional art in the country, hosted more than 100 prominent art galleries and drew more than 50,000 visitors with its two-show concept that distinctly separated modern and contemporary works from historical and traditional works.
The city of Los Angeles is a world reference in the arts in its various forms, represented in its over 300 museums, music festivals and by dozens of distinct ethnic communities. All combined with a perfect weather and one of the world's largest economies.

ArtRio 2012

 Under the motto "Rio is Art. Everytime. Everywhere," the second edition of ArtRio will inaugurate this Thursday, September 13 (pre-opening for invited guests on the 12).

 After exceeding all expectations in its first edition, for 2012 the international contemporary art fair will occupy three warehouses and one outbuilding of the Mauá Pier,  translating into approximately 13,000m2, with 6,900m2 dedicated to international art.

 Gathering the collection of nearly one hundred national and international galleries, including names with worldwide reputation such as Gagosian, David Zwirner and White Cube, ArtRio is already considered abroad one of the major art fairs in Latin America.

 ArtRio will include diverse activities, such as the Panorama Program which will cover renowned galleries, with more than five years of establishment, with an active role in the art market, as well as the Solo Projects, featuring works by ten famous international artists, with the curatorship of Julieta González (who has worked for Tate Modern, the Alejandro Otero Museum of Caracas and the Whitney Museum of Nova York) and Pablo León de La Barra (art consultant, gallerist and active curator in the London market). The art fair will also feature highlights of the audiovisual production, curated by Carlos Duran, one of the Loop directors. Loop is a screen festival taking place in Barcelona.

 Lectures will take place during all days of the fair, in partnership with Casa do Saber, covering themes such as Art, Global Export; Curated Collection, Art Advisory: Focusing Brazil; etc

 Children were not forgoten and a Kids Area with art workshops for children coordinated by Daniel Azulay; Blooks Bookshop, promoting art book launches and free lectures; the Food Court (open until midnight) and intimate concerts overlooking the sea, are some of the activities available for younger ones with an appetite for art.

 Several parallel activities will occur during the fair, including ArtRio circuits around the city, enabling visitors the possibility to enhance their cultural experience.

 ArtRio 2012 can be visited from 13 to 16 September, at Mauá Pier, Warehouses 2, 3, 4 and 5, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

2012 Contemporary Art Fair, American Craft Show NYC & Art Off The Main

 New York's Fall art scene will stage under the same roof at the Javits Center from 19 to 21 October, three events that will bring to the public the artwork of nearly 250 artists and artisans occupying 70,000 square feet of space at the 2012 Contemporary Art Fair NYC, American Craft Show NYC and Art Off The Main.

 The Contemporary Art Fair NYC will show the artwork of established and emerging painters, photographers, sculptors and artists working in mixed media, presenting itself as an opportunity to follow the work of your favourite artists, discover new ones and keep up with the contemporary art market.

 At the American Craft Show NYC, visitors will be able to get in touch with the latest developments and creations in fashion, jewelry and accessories as well as furniture, ceramics, glass, wood, metal and textiles.
It will also be a moment to meet some of the artisans and discuss present and future trends.

 Both the Contemporary Art Fair NYC and the American Craft Show NYC celebrate their third year and were launched by Richard and Joanna Rothbard of American Art Marketing, who have directed art fairs and craft shows for over 30 years.

 This year marks the first time that the Art Off the Main joins the art fair and craft show.
Founded by Loris Crawford, owner of Savacou Fine Arts Gallery, and launched in 2004, and most recently in an online format, Art Off the Main is a showcase for paintings, drawings, graphics, sculpture and installations by artists of Caribbean, African and Latin American ancestry, featuring artists from 20 countries including the United States.

 In a globalized world, art collectors are discovering new talents from emerging art markets, namely from Latin countries. Art Off the Main presents itself as a venue where to discover new names.

 The 2012 Contemporary Art Fair NYC, American Craft Show NYC and Art Off the Main can be visited during the following schedule:

Friday October 19, 2pm - 7pm

Saturday October 20, 10am - 7pm

Sunday October 21, 10am - 4pm
Where: Javits Center, Hall 1A—11th Avenue and 39th Street.
Visit this page for directions.

Tickets: Adults: $14 Seniors: $13: Students: $8 Children under 10: Free
One ticket opens three doors to the juried events.

Art in The Square Delray Beach 2012

 From 19th to 21st October 2012, the grounds of Old School Square Cultural Arts Center, located in Delray Beach, Florida, will once again host the artwork of contemporay artists from United States.

 In the likeness of previous editions, the 3rd annual Art in The Square Delray Beach art festival aims to enhance the relation between artists and the community. Through this event, RP&G Productions, one of South Florida's premier event planning companies, pretends to benefit local youth art programs and the Make-A-Wish Foundation®, while continuously developing programs and activities that encourage public awareness, participation, and appreciation of the visual arts, contributing to the community's revitalization via the arts.

 With the mission of making art an active part of the lives of children in all South Florida communities,  RP&G Productions provides financial support to local community based youth art programs and children charities by allocating a percentage of the proceeds from all its events.

 Art in The Square Delray Beach permits established artists to show their latest works and is an excellent opportunity for new and emerging artists to start gaining recognition from the public and start building their artistic career.

 According to the information at the official website, the applications after June 2 will not be eligible to receive awards by the juri and payments after July 2 will be charged a $20.00 late fee, besides the regular participation fees.

 If you still wish to participate, carefully check all the items that you need to submit. Also don't forget to read all the terms and conditions, as you always should when entering any art contest or festival.
A contact form and a phone number are provided in case you have any doubts.

dOCUMENTA (13) - Modern and Contemporary Art

 Founded by artist, teacher and curator Arnold Bode in 1955 as part of the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Horticultural Show), dOCUMENTA is a  an exhibition of modern and contemporary art which takes place every five years at different venues in Kassel, Germany. Typically gives its artists at least two years to conceive and produce their projects, allowing them to present elaborate and intellectually complex works.

 Dedicated to artistic research and forms of imagination that explore commitment, matter, things, embodiment, and active living in connection with, yet not subordinated to, theory, dOCUMENTA (13) is about the transversal alliances, influences and consequences that a globalized world provokes in the difference areas of society, and how politics are inseparable from a sensual and energetic worldly alliance between current research in various scientific and artistic fields, and other knowledges, both ancient and contemporary.
 In 2012, dOCUMENTA (13) is physically and conceptually held in Kassel (Germany), Kabul (Afghanistan), Alexandria/Cairo (Egypt), and Banff (Canada), exploring site-related micro-histories and promoting different and partial perspectives connect to the local history and reality of a place, while sharing influences of a globalized world.
 Besides the traditional main venues located in Kassel (the Fridericianum, the documenta-Halle, and the Neue Galerie), dOCUMENTA (13) takes place in a variety of other spaces that represent different physical, psychological, historical, cultural realms and realities. At spaces devoted to natural and technical science, such as the Ottoneum and the Orangerie, throughout the Baroque Karlsaue park, with its little components suggesting a particular mode of proximity by way of the spatially diffused aggregation of elements that also maintains their own singularities, and at the industrial spaces behind the former Hauptbahnhof, once Kassel’s main train station but now only used for local transport—a dystopian space connected to the factory world that produced the military tanks for the National Socialist regime in the twentieth century and that is still adjacent to the factories.



The exhibition willl also take place in a variety of “bourgeois” spaces of a different order, off the main venues, places that are still in normal use or, on the other hand, places that have been forgotten and “removed.”

 Limited to 100 days of exhibition, which is why it is often referred to as the “museum of 100 days,” dOCUMENTA (13) is being held between 9 June - 16 September 2012.
Over 750,000 visitors are expected.

The Italian American writer, art historian and curator Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev is the Artistic Director of this year's edition.

Manifesta 9 - The European Biennial of Contemporary Art

 
Since its start in 1996, Manifesta has taken place in Rotterdam, Luxembourg, Ljubljana, Frankfurt, Donostia-San Sebastian, Trentino-Alto Adige and Murcia. For this reason, Manifesta is considered at this time the only itinerant european biennial of contemporary art.

 After yesterday's preview Manifesta 9 opens today to the public at the spectacular site of the former Waterschei mine in Genk, Limburg, Belgium.

 This year's edition entitled The Deep of the Modern, is curated by Cuauhtémoc Medina (Mexico City), who developed the concept for Manifesta 9, and associated curators Dawn Ades (London) and Katherina Gregos (Brussels/Athens). This exhibition is presented in three sections that as a whole, providing not only a comprehensive perspective of the social impact caused by the mining industry in Limburg, but also of global issues and influences in socities caused by the mining industry.

 The first section (Poetics of Restructuring) shows works created by 35 international contemporary artists who were invited to convey the connection between the local theme and global issues while focusing on the regional context. At the historical section (The Age of Coal), works of art from the 19th and 20th centuries, representative of the coal industry, offer an overview of the impact of the coal industry. The third section (17 Tons) focuses on the extensive legacy and repercussions that the Limburg mining industry has left behind.

 With the concept developed for the 2012 edition, Manifesta 9 not only brings to the public a world representative selection of contemporay art, but also a remarkable collection of historical works and an innovative and surprising way to show the mining heritage  to local and international audiences.

In its programme, Manifesta includes guided tours, family and educational events, lectures, performances, a worshop and a symposium.

As a recurring initiative in all Manifesta editions, cultural projects take place during the same period of the biennial. The Parallel Events programme offers a communication platform for local individual artists, interdisciplinary cultural producers, art organizations and institutions, to present their art and cultural initiatives to an international audience.
This year, the Parallel Events are being organized in the Region of Belgium Limburg, Dutch Limburg, Wallonia and others parts of Flanders.

Manifesta 9 takes place until September 30, 2012

Olympia International Fine Art & Antiques Fair 2012

The 2012 edition of the Olympia International Fine Art & Antiques Fair will take place at the Olympia Exhibition Centre (London),  between the 7th (preview day) and the 17th of June.

Visitors to the fair will have access to authentic fine art and antiques previously vetted by dealers (some exhibiting and some not), museum curators, auction house specialists and restorers split into thirty two committees, who check the authenticity, date and condition of each exhibited item, enabling the visitor to buy with confidence.

Among the many objects being exhibited at the Olympia International Fine Art & Antiques Fair, there will be 19th and 20th century European paintings and drawings, 20th century and Modern Art design, Art Deco & Art Nouveau, Contemporary Art and Design, European ceramics, furniture (20th century, Asian, continental, English formal, oak & country), glass, Impressionist paintings, jewelry, photographs, prints and maps, posters, statuary, sculptures, woodcarvings, objects of Virtu & miniatures, scientific instruments, tribal art,  clocks, and several other objects representative of our art and history.

Counting with over 70 furniture dealers and 18 international dealers, from all over Europe and from as far as Tazmania, the Fair will offer the chance not only to see rare objects of art and antiques, but also to talk directly with experts.
In its events programme, the Fair will also include a series of lectures and panel discussions and tours.

Also making part of the programme is Olympia Contemporary, a showcase of fascinating and exciting works of contemporary and modern art, design and furniture brought by 27 dealers from the UK and abroad.

Some interesting and curious highlights include: an original Ernest Shepherd drawing of Winnie the Pooh; a 4.5 billion year old piece of Campo del Cielo Meteorite; a wine cistern weighing 1200 troy ounces; Claude Monet's "Eglise de Varengeville, effet Matinel"; and a Silver Toilet service made for the Duchess of Norfolk in 1708 by Benjamin Pyne of London.

With the purpose of showing to the public the breadth of objects on offer to them and the depth of expertise available through their dealers, the Country Life - LAPADA Object of the Year will be on display to the public, on stand E05.
A judging panel of 7 eminent experts, chaired by Huon Mallalieu of Country Life, will award three prizes and a further three prizes will be awarded through the People's Vote.
The winners will be announced at the fair on Tuesday 12 June.

Serralves em Festa! (Party at Serralves) 2012

Continuing the tradition of previous ones, Serralves em Festa! (Party at Serralves) is the biggest contemporary arts festival in Portugal and one of the largest in Europe, featuring 40 hours of non-stop activities for all ages. It is also the opening event of Oporto festivities.

The 9th edition starts with the "Mono, The Ambulant Monkey" 30 minutes puppet theatre performance on the 1st of June at the Oporto airport (repeats at Serralves on 2 June at 13h15, 15h30 and 17h30and on 3 June at the same schedules.
Also at the airport, the public will have the chance to watch "Blue Tired Heroes," a 40 minutes performance that will take place in the same day at 14h00, 15h30 and 17h00, at Serralves on 2 June at 13h00, 16h00 and 18h00, and 3 June at 10h30, again at the airport.

Serralves em Festa! will take place in several places of Oporto historic centre.
Between June 2nd (8AM) and June 3rd (Midnight), the park, the museum, the auditorium and the villa, will host more than 220 events: Exhibitions, Photography, Cinema, Theatre, Contemporary Dance, Performance, Contemporary Circus, Music, Acrobacy, Guided Tours, and Activities for children and families.

In all the spaces where activities take place, there will be duly intentified assitants (wearing yellow t-shirts displaying the word "info") prepared to answer all your questions; except the next lottery numbers.
A map showing where all activities take place, plus other useful information is also available.
You can download the complete programme in PDF.
Admission is free to all cultural events at Serralves em Festa!

VIII International Comics Festival of Beja 2012

The city of Beja continues to manifest its commitment as a reference of cultural events through the offering of a continuous programme.

On May 26th, inaugurates the VIII International Comics Festival of Beja (VIII Festival Internacional de BD de Beja), with all activities taking place at Casa da Cultura de Beja, until to June 10th.

In its programme, the Festival will include individual and colective exhibitions showing the work by artists from several countries, showcases.
Several parallel events such as book and fanzine releases and presentations, an informal dialogue, feature flims, the presentation of Grande Prémio Geraldes Lino for upcoming author, as well as a stroll throughout the city, will take place.

At the book market you'll have selling of original artwork, screen prints, selling of used magazines and action figures, a modeling workshop and showcase, as well as Gamecon Beja 2012, will also make part of the extensive programme.

You can also visit the Comics Library of Beja (Bedeteca de Beja), one of three existent in Portugal.
Besides being a specialized library, with an Archive for Original Artwork, a Documentation and Research Section, an Illustration, Cartoon and Cinema Section,  it also functions as a working space, making available to the public many of the necessary tools to work in the comics area. The Comics Library of Beja also includes a Gallery of Temporary Exhibitions and Toupeira – the Comics Workshop of Beja, a structure composed of 23 authors.

The first day of the VIII International Comics Festival of Beja will start on May 26th (3.00 pm) and will extend through Sunday (4.00 am). Are you brave enough ?
Again on Sunday, May 27th, from 10.00 to 8.00 pm.

Until Sunday, June 10th (8.00 pm closing), the opening hours will be as follow:

Mondays to Fridays, from 9.00 am to 11.00 pm

Sauturdays, Sundays and holidays, from 10.00 am to 11.00 pm

During your stay, take your time to enjoy the tranquility of the city of Beja, visit the monuments and taste the traditional cuisine and local goodies.

XI Havana Biennial

The XI Havana Biennial (Oncena Bienal de La Habana, 2012) is a multicultural event caracterized by a relevant curatorial process. Since it's start in 1984, although with a particular focus on Central and South American artists, as well as from The Caribbean, the Biennial has gained the participation of artists from around the world, including Europe, Asia and Middle East - this year's event brings 112 guest artists and 9 group projects from 45 countries.

A diversified programme that includes exhibitions, films, theather, conferences, book presentations, etc, is taking place at several venues around the city. It's an unlosable opportunity to revisit renowned artists and to discover emerging talents, especially when the relevancy of Latin American artists is starting to gain momentum in the artworld.

The XI Havana Biennial is running until 11th June 2012

Art 43 Basel: The Premier International Art Show

From June 14 to June 17, 2012, the city of Basel in Switzerland will host the major contemporary and modern at show Art 43 Basel.

After last year's success, where near 65,000 people among art dealers, art curators, artists, art collectors and other art enthusiasts attended Art Basel,  this year's edition returns with over 2,500 artists of the 20th and 21st centuries, represented by more than 300 galleries from 36 countries on 6 continents. The continuous sucess of the show is evident in the fact that over 99 percent of last year’s exhibitors reapplied for the Art Galleries Sector.

Art 43 Basel will show paintings, drawings, sculpture, installations, prints, photography, video and digital art, with works ranging from editioned works by emerging artists to museum-caliber masterpieces by famous names in art history.

Included in the programme for the third year, Art Feature will again focus on precise curatorial projects. For the 2012 edition, 20 galleries will present a mix of artistic dialogues, solo shows and exceptional art-historical material.

Promoting young artists since 1996, the Art Statements sector at Art Basel 43 will spotlight 27 solo projects by young artists from 19 countries. These artists were selected by the Art Basel Committee from more than 300 applications.
Two outstanding Art Statements projects will be awarded with the CHF 30,000 Baloise Art Prize. The Baloise Group willl also acquire works by the award-winning artists, posteriorly donating them to renowned European institutions. This year, the institutions are again the Hamburger Kunsthalle and the Museum of Modern Art Ludwig Foundation Wien.

Another event present at the 2012 edition will be the Art Film program, featuring a series of films by and about artists, screened at the Stadkino Basel.
The Swiss premier of 'Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry' (2012) by Alison Klayman, will be presented by the Zurich film connoisseur This Brunner. Another hilight will be 'Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present' (2011) by Matthew Akers.
Art Film tickets are CHF 16 and the Stadtkino Basel box office will open 30 minutes prior to the screenings (tickets can be reserved in advance)

Gallery owners, biennale curators, museum directors, artists, art collectors and architects will take part in the
Art Basel Conversations. They will share their current and upcoming projects, talk about their experiences and comment on the challenges they face,offering an insider's view to the public. This is a remarkable opportunity to gain first-hand information on the aspects of art collecting and enhance one's perception of the artworld.

Art Salon will include talks, panel discussions, presentations - often informal - by figures active in the international artworld, as well as book signing.

The opening times for Art 43 Basel can be consulted at the Visitor information page.

Further information about the show's program will be added to this article if necessary.

TEFAF Maastricht 2012

Since its beginning as The Pictura Fine Art Fair in 1975, TEFAF Maastricht has consistently earned its reputation and is nowadays considered the most prestigious antiques art fair in the world.

The 2012 edition will bring to its visitors genuine masterpieces spanning through several milenia, offered by more than 260 of the world's most prestigious art and antiques dealers from 18 countries.

Over 170 international experts in every field of art represented at the Fair, verify each and every object for quality, authenticity and condition, making TEFAF an opportunity for directors and curators of major museums, as well as for private collectors to acquire some of the finest pieces still in private hands.

TEFAF Maastricht 2012 will be divided in 9 sections: Paintings, Antiques, Modern, Manuscripts, Classical Antiquities, Haute Joaillerie, Design, Paper and Showcase, this last giving the opportunity to recently established galleries to participate in TEFAF Maastricht for one year and to gain experience of being part of an international fine art event.

On Friday morning of March 16, an Art Symposium will be held at the MECC Maastricht, Forum 100, where developments in the art market over the last 25 years will be discussed, as well as a look at its future.
A panel discussion about collecting for love or money, considerations on emotional value and art investment, and financial risks and rewards of investments in art, will also be covered in the symposium.

In 2012, TEFAF Maastricht arts and antiques fair celebrates its 25th anniversary.
A new entrance hall designed specially for the Fair's Silver Jubilee containing a stunning light installation will welcome its visitors and a series of initiatives are taking place during this year.
A special Silver Jubilee book is being produced for TEFAF 2012. This will include interviews with museum curators and private collectors who have bought works at the Fair, some of whom have never spoken publicly before, a history of TEFAF, a look behind the scenes of the Fair and great works of art sold at TEFAF.



TEFAF Maastricht 2012 can be visited from 16 to 25 March 2012, daily 11am - 7pm; Sunday 25 March 11am - 6pm. The regular admission fee is €55 per person (includes one catalogue)

A mobile guide application is available for Android and Apple phones.

ARCOmadrid 2012

The ARCOmadrid 2012 International Contemporary Art Fair can be visited until tomorow at the Halls 8 & 10 of the Feria de Madrid.

Organized by IFEMA, this 31st edition will show the works from near 3000 artists represented by over 200 participating galleries. Besides the general programme, ARCOmadrid 2012 includes “Featured Artist”, an initiative reflecting the quality of ARCOmadrid as a space for discovering new artists, and "Solo Objects", presenting twelve large-scale projects, sculptures and installations, shown in three of the fair's spaces.

Netherlands is this year's guest country, with 14 galleries selected by the curator Xander Karskens, head of the international contemporary art collection of the Hallen Museum, Haarlem, and supported by the Mondriaan Fund and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Spain.

In partnership with curators Cauê Alves (Brazil), Sonia Becce (Argentina), Patrick Charpenel (Mexico), Alexia Dumani (Costa Rica), Manuela Moscoso (Colombia/Ecuador) and José Ignacio Roca (Colombia), ARCOmadrid will bring to visitors, the creations of 23 young Latin American artists from 11 countries, included in its Solo Projects: Focus Latin America.
This project has the collaboration of AECID, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation.

Once again, awards will be attributed as a recognition for the effort of contributing to the development of artistic activities, be it as an artist, collector or patron.

Other points worth mentioning are the meetings between European and Latin American museums, several parallel artistic activities in the city of Madrid and a special international buyers programme to encourage the acquisition of art.

ARCOmadrid 2012 includes a wide range of prices, from a couple of hundreds of Euro to several million, like a painting from 1982 by Francis Bacon, priced at US$15 million (more than €11 million).

The fair can be visited until this Sunday 19th (12 noon - 8 pm).

VIP Art Fair 2012: VIP 2.0 Contemporary Art

The second edition of VIP Art Fair is taking place between February 3 (8h00 AM Est) and February 8 (11:59 PM Est).

After a first start in 2011 that wasn't free of some glitches, the new VIP 2.0 Contemporary Art gathers again some of the most prominent art galleries in the world, including: Alexander and Bonin, James Cohan, Stephen Friedman, Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth, Max Hetzler and David Zwirner.

This virtual gallery project enables art lovers and collectors to directly engage with brick and mortar galleries worldwide and view the works of some of the most famous artists, as well as those of emerging ones who's work has been selected by experts.

Other events are already programmed for the course of 2012.

BRAFA’12 - Brussels Antiques & Fine Arts Fair

From 21 to 29 January 2012, it will take place at Tour & Taxis, located in the heart of Brussels, the 57th Brussels Antiques & Fine Arts Fair, BRAFA’12.

With the first edition in 1955 held in the Arlequin Hall of the Galerij Louiza, under the name of “Belgian Antiques Fair” or “Foire des Antiquaires de Belgique”, renamed BRAFA or Brussels Antiques & Fine Arts Fair in 2007, it's one of the oldest longest running fairs in the world.

Across 9 days, the public will access a fine selection of art presented by 122 exhibitors from 11 countries in over 14,000 square metres of exhibition area, showing objects and antiques such as oil paintings (including Old Masters), engravings, watercolours, gouaches, primitive art, earthenware, porcelain, ceramics, antique frames, 18th century furniture, religious icons and antique wallpaper.

This year's guest of honour will be the King Baudouin Foundation Heritage Fund, which will be celebrating its 25th anniversary in fitting style with an exceptional exhibition of a few key works from its collection of around 7,000.

Entrusted once again to Volume Architecture, the decoration will include Byzantine patterns on the carpets, inspired by the pavements of Amiens Cathedral, contrasting with origami, giant birds and kites suspended from the roof, creating an eye-catching effect on both floor and ceiling.

BRAFA’12 can be visited from 21 to 29 January 2012 (11-7 pm), with late night opening on the 24 the 26 until 10 pm.
The indivudual entrance fee is €20 (other conditions available according to number of people and ages).
For a complete practical information, please refer to this page.

Applications for iPhone and iPad, as well as a virtual tour of the stands offering the option of zooming in on some of the exhibits, will be made available.

BRAFA is organized every year by the Belgian Antiques Fair not-for-profit association.

Los Angeles Art Show 2012

The 17th annual edition of the Los Angeles Art Show will take place during this month and will present exciting modifications from its previous editions.

Now under the management of Art Miami, the art fair will debut two separate shows, the LA Art Show: Modern & Contemporary and the Los Angeles Fine Art Show: Traditional and Contemporary. Both shows will take place January 18 - 22, 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center in West Halls A and B.

The LA Art Show: Modern & Contemporary, aims to showcase not only the works of famous artists such as Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha, David Hockney, Fernando Botero and Roy Lichtenstein, but also to give the opportunity to emerging artists to show their art to the public.
Contemporary art galleries, dealers and collectors will have the chance to trade information and ideas that may lead to future partnerships.
Video installations, performance pieces and mixed media installations will be some of the art projects present at the show, as well as curated special exhibitions, tours and lectures.

As for the Los Angeles Fine Art Show: Historic and Traditional, it will be focused in offering high quality works of representational art, including pre-20th century Impressionism, plein air paintings and drawings. A selection of contemporay realism will also be included.
This show does not pretend to exhibit a particular art period, but to provide contact with traditional art for those who appreciate it, independently of when it was completed.

Following last year's program, also the annual IFPDA Print Fair will take place in conjuction with the Los Angeles Art Show.
The 27th edition will offer a comprehensive look at Prints in all techniques, including drypoint, etching, engraving, lithography, mezzotint and woodcut.
Dürer, Whistler, Diebenkorn and Ruscha are some of the artists whose works can be found.

With prices ranging from under $500 to more than $50,000, visitors will have the chance to observe and purchase works from different periods and movements, featuring a broad spectrum that will include Old Masters, German Expressionist, antique and modern Japanese, 18th and 19th-century European, 19th-century American, American Regionalist, and Latin American.

Another special ingredient will be the International Vintage Poster Fair, joining the Los Angeles Fine Art Show this year and showing an outstanding selection of 100 years of vintage posters. Poster styles include: Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Mid-century Modern dating from the 1890's Belle Époque to the stylized 1930s, and on through the Atomic Age.
All posters on display will be the original lithographic advertising pieces that were created through the ages to be posted on the street.

All three shows will launch with an Opening Night Premiere Party on January 18, supporting Art of Elysium and its project Bringing Art to Kids and Kids to Art. This project makes possible for special children to participate in school visits to the Getty Museum and enjoy other artistic activities, which are important for their personal development.

The 17th edition of LA Art Show will take place on January 19‐22, 2012 at the Los Angeles Convention Center, West Halls A and B.
General admission is $20 and will provide entrance for the three shows.
Ticket information and purchase is available on this page.

Arte Lisboa 2011: Video Footage

This 11th edition of Arte Lisboa 2011 - Feira de Arte Contemporânea (Contemporary Art Fair) brings to the public, some of the best portuguese contemporary artists, as well as artists from Spain, a country that has consistently marked its presence in this contemporary art fair in the city of Lisbon.

The Art Inquirer shoot some footage where is evident the quality of the artworks and the creativity of the participating artists.