Over 1500 Paintings and Sketches found in Cornelius Gurlitt's apartment in Munich

In the last couple of years, German authorities have started checking more frequently for tax evasion carried out by wealthy citizens, namely through deposits in Switzerland.

 It was during one of those checks on a train from Switzerland in September 2010, that Cornelius Gurlitt, sole survival son of art dealer Hildebrandt Gurlitt, was caught with an envelope containing 9,000 Euros in cash. Cornelius had never worked and presented no other means of income.

 Official authorities issued a search warrant for his near €700-a-month rented apartment in Munich suburb of Schwabing and in 2011 the over 1500 paintings and sketches estimated to be worth over 1 billion Euro were discovered. 
Bizarre enough, the works of art were stashed behind piles of canned food and noodles that would reach the ceiling, much of it from the 1980's.

However, customs issued a ban on information about the raid and things were kept in secret from the public. But now the German magazine Focus has published an article about this surprising case and the story has been revealed to the public. A case worthy of a novel, such are the ingredients and the people directly and inderectly involved.

 Among the paintings and sketches, are famous names such as Albrecht Dürer, Edvard Munch, Emil Nolde, Ernst LLudwig Kirchner, Franz Marc, Henri Matisse, Marc Chagall, Max Beckmann, Max Liebermann, Oskar Kokoschka, Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee.

 Hildebrandt Gurlitt had supposedly acquired those artworks in the 1930s and 40s from Jews who would dispose of their valuable works of art for a pittance in exchange for escaping from the Nazis. At a later date, Hildebrandt reported them all to be destroyed during the vast bombing of Dresden in February 1945.
His Jewish ascendancy and initial opposition to Nazism made him, in the perspective of the Allies, a victim not a persecutor and was never acused of taking advantage of Jews by acquiring and selling their collections for scanty amounts of money in exchange for their escape to safe countries. Hildebrandt  carried on dealing in art until 1956 when he was killed in a car crash.

 Included in the discovered paintings is a portrait of a woman by the French master Matisse that belonged to the Jewish French art dealer Paul Rosenberg, who had to leave behind his collection before his escape from Paris when the country fell in 1940. Rosenberg was renowned for representing Georges Braque, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso. Him and his brother Léonce Rosenberg were among the world's major dealers of Modern art.
 
 Paul Rosenberg's granddaughter Anne Sinclair, the wife of former top banker Dominique Strauss-Kahn, has been fighting for decades for the return of his artworks stolen by the Nazis, but according to Focus she 'knew nothing' of the existence of this painting.

 Art historians in charge of examining the Cornelius Gurlitt collection claim that near 300 of those works were part of an Munich exhibition organized in 1937 by the Nazi called 'Degenerate Art' (Enkartete Kunst) - modern 'dissident' pieces to show German people what not to like.

 Hitler, who himself had been a watercolourist, liked only romantic paintings that idolised his vision and art movements such as modernism and cubism had no place in the Third Reich. Together with his propaganda minister Josef Goebbels, Hitler confiscated near 20,000 such works before WW2.

Museu do Oriente - Voyages of Discovery

From 28th of February through 4th of March, the Museu do Oriente (Lisbon, Portugal) is hosting the exhibition Voyages of Discovey - A Portuguese collection travelling around the world.

The collection comprises ceramic pieces and paintings on canvas that will be held at auction in Hong Kong by the British auction house Bonhams. This Portuguese collection, beloging to an anonymous private collector, has been previously presented in Paris, Nova Iorque, Londres, Singapura, Taipé, Beijing, Xangai e Hong Kong.

With 12 valuable ceramic pieces spanning a historical period that goes back to the Song Dinasty (960-1279), the collection includes two plates from the Song Dinasty (960-1279), one of them showing a poem written six centuris later by the Emperor Qianlong, where he states the beauty of the object.
Also presented in a fine state of conservation, is rare china from the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) dinasties.
Minutely elaborated cloisonné pieces (enamelwork in which metal filaments are fused to the surface of an object to outline a design that is filled in with enamel paste) complete this part of the collection, among which stands out an 'ice cooler' that would held a block of ice with the purpose of cooling the room - the Victoria & Alber Museum possesses a similar one, probably property of the same original owner.

A series of 15 paintings from two renowned Chinese painters of the 20th and 21st centuries, Chu Teh-Chun(朱德群) and Zao Wou-Ki(赵无极), travels through several decades that separate both artists, testifying their artistic development.

Born in China, both studied under the instruction of Lin Fengmian at the Hangzhou Academic Art College. Following similar paths, they travelled to Paris (Zao Wou-Ki in 1948 and Chu Teh-Chun in 1955), in a time when Paris effervescing with art movements.

Their artistic creativity together with their life experience is depicted through a fusion of caligrapy and tradicional Chinese painting, with the Western abstractionism, where the result can be appreciated on the 15 exhibited paintings.

Voyages of Discovery can be visited in the Galeria Sul at the Museo do Oriente from 28th of February to 4th of March, 2012.

General information about visits can be found on this page.

Un Univers Intime - Paintings in the Frits Lugt Collection

The full scope of the Frits Lugt Collection - Fondation Custodia will be on dsplay for the first time at the Institut Néerlandais in Paris.

Expanded in the last two years, including an acquisition of nearly 60 oil sketches on paper from the bequest of Carlos van Hasselt (1929-2009), former director of the Fondation Custodia, the exhibition brings to the public a wealthy selection of 115 paintings, including masterpieces of the Dutch Golden Age, together with Flemish, Italian, French and Danish paintings, from a collection created gradually, with great passion and discernment, over nearly a century.

Recognized by its the Dutch Golden Age paintings that included works from Nicolaes Berchem (1620-1683), Jan van Ravesteyn (c. 1572-1657), Jan Lievens (1607-1674), Hendrick Avercamp (1585-1634), Ambrosius Bosschaert the Younger (1609-1645), Nicolaes Maes (1634–1693 (buried)) and Jacob Vrel(active around 1654-1670), the Frits Lugt Collection spans a range of famous works by renowned artists such as the British Richard Parkes Bonington (1802-1828); Martinus Christian W. Rørbye (1803-1848), Johan Thomas Lundbye (1818-1848) and Vilhelm Kyhn (1819-1903) from Danmark; Jacques Linard (around 1600-1645) and Nicolas de Largillière (1656-1746)from France; and the Italian painters Francesco Guardi (1712-1792), Cristoforo Munari (1667-1720), Francesco Guardi (1712-1792) and the famous female artist Sophonisba Anguissola (around 1535-1625).

Visitors will also have the opportunity to view works from the Silver Age, as historians call the Dutch 18th century, that include landscapes and city views by artists such as Jan ten Compe (1713-1761) and Hendrik Pothoven (1725/28-1807), as well as works of the 19th century from Josephus Augustus Knip (1777-1847, (1844-1910) and Jozef Israëls (1824-1911), the last two protagonists of the Hague School caracterized by Dutch landscapes and interiors.
A reference must be made to George Hendrik Breitner (1857-1923), first affiliated to the Hague School, later settled in Amsterdam.
A painter and photographer, friend of Van Gogh, Breitner is one of the major Dutch artists at the close of the 19th century and certainly the most gifted.

The Flemish artists are well repesented through the Brueghel dynasty with works from Jan Brueghel the Elder, often known as the “Velvet” Brueghel (1568-1625) and Jan van Kessel the Elder (1626-1679), grandson of the “Velvet“ Brueghe, in a total of 25 paintings including from David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690) and Pieter Lastman (1583 - 4 April 1633 (buried))

Also included and on display for the first time, are the recently acquired works from Eugène Isabey (1804-1886) and Achille Etna Michallon (1796-1822), the teacher of Corot.

In the last year and a half a great deal of attention has been devoted to the condition of the paintings in the collection and many of the works in exhibition as well as frames were cleaned and restored when necessary, which besides reassuring that the majority of the paintings are very well preserved, it also revealed a lot of information about technique.

Press visit: Wednesday 29 February from 12 pm to 2 pm
Public opening: Wednesday 29 February from 6 pm to 8.30 pm

"Un Univers intime" The Paintings of the Frits Lugt Collection, can be visited at the Institut Néerlandais, Paris, between 1st March and 27th May 2012 (Tuesdays to Sundays, from 1 pm to 7 pm).

Admission: Adults 6 €, Discount 4 €.

Vieira da Silva painting "Saint-Fargeau" sold for 1.54 Million Euro

This October 22nd, the oil painting "Saint-Fargeau" (162 x 114 cm) by the portuguese artist Maria Helena Vieira da Silva (1908-1992), and completed between 1961-1965, was sold for € 1,544,701 (includes buyer premium) during the auction of the Jorge de Brito collection at the Tajan auction house. This result marks a new record for a portuguese artist at auction.

From a total of 57 auctioned pieces, 37 were sold, totalizing near 8 million euro.
The sale included 20 Vieira da Silva paintings, Chinese porcelains, a "Buffalo" jade statue from Ming Dynasty (17th century), and the painting "Cariatide" (1916) by Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920), sold for € 858,589, among other important pieces.

A catalalogue is available for download.

The Jorge de Brito collection, now managed by the heirs, is considered the most important portuguese collection of the second-half of the 20th century. The collection includes 6 Vieira da Silva paintings, which are in the Fundação Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva, in Lisbon.
During the following 5 years, the Portuguese State has buying preference.

How to Start Your Own Art Collection (without breaking the bank)

Owning art has always been considered a symbol of status, good taste and often seen as something reserved for those with a better than average financial situation.
But it doesn't have to be like that, and through this article we'll point some strategies on how to start your own art collection without breaking the bank.
We are not going to focus on art collecting as an investment, although this aspect should also be taken into account since one doesn't guess the future and may need to sell a work of art or two.

The first thing to take into consideration is to buy something that you like, but don't go on buying the first piece that you see, unless of course it touches you deep in your heart and you really must have, as long as you can afford it.
If you are not a person who goes to galleries, museums, contact with artists and explores art related websites on the internet, then you may need to develop a better perception of art quality.
Someone who is not used to see art may find a certain work of art really good, but when compared to another one, that opinion may change, afterall we tend to compare.

Going to museums, art galleries and searching for art on the internet will broaden your horizons and will give you a better vision of what's going on on the art world.

After spending a couple of months to make sure that we make a good choice, it's time to start searching for that piece that will bring you joy to look at, and not something that you just bought to fill a space on your wall.
First we need to set a budget for our first acquisition. After that it's time to start looking.

You can start by any galleries that you see in your areas and take notes of the pieces that you like most and fit your budget, namely the title of the work, medium, size, year and its author.
The gallery owner or representative should be able to enlight you about the work in question and its author.

Searching the internet, you have several options such as search a style, subject, medium, etc.
You will get hundreds of results and you'll see wonderful works of art and a wide range of prices that you'll need to compare.
When visiting an artist's website, it's important to try to understand for own long he/she has been painting in order to perceive if that artist takes art seriously.
An artist who is represented by one or more galleries is usual a guarantee of dedication to his/her profession and a sign of recognition by the market.

Other places that you should seek are the art forums, where artists show and talk about their art, their careers and their artistic activities.
Usually you'll be able to see for how long they are members of that forum, but to access more information you'll have to register.
Registering will give you the chance to know the artists better and eventually ask questions to an artist whose work appeals you.
Examples of art forums are Wetcanvas, Artpapa, Beinart and Elfwood.

You can also search for art on online art shops where you can find good art at very good prices, but don't forget to try to perceive how seriously that artist takes art, afterall buying art is also an investment. You should also be aware of scams, that's why I mentioned the importance of checking for how long has an artist been working.

Now that you've done all your research, including searching for links referring the artists' names, and have selected two or three works, it's time to contact the artist or gallery.
Since our objective is to start buy acquiring just one piece, we'll obviously start by the one that we like the most.

As you may have heard and read, there are many scams going on nowadays, so it's important that the artist perceives you as genuinely interested.
You should introduce yourself, how you found out about his/her work and why do you like it.
Then it's time to ask which art materials have been used (ask for brands), since you'll want to buy an artwork to last for generations.
Don't forget to ask if there's a money back guarantee. If there's one you'll be responsible for shipping expenses and making sure that the artwork is returned intact.

After discussing how the work can be acquired and shipping conditions, it's time for payment. If buying in a gallery or in person, things get easier, but buying online is always a bit stressful for both parties.
Paypal or something similar will usually be a preferred method, followed by a bank transfer. If you pay with a check or money order, you'll only get your item after clearance.

Now lets discuss an issue that is somewhat controversial among artists: discount.
Usually an artist will not make a discount, especially gallery represented ones for the obvious reason.
And I'm sure that you would not like to buy an artwork only to find out a couple of months later that the author is making big discounts, thus making your art worth less.

However there are exceptions and many artists are willing to assist you with your purchase if you like their art but can't afford to pay in full.
Manifest your genuine interest and how you like that piece, and ask if you could pay in instalments. This method is often accepted, but note that you'll only get your work after paid in full.
It's a common practice between artists to offer a small discount to previous customers, but not to new ones, although of course this will depend on your conversation.

After waiting a couple of days or weeks (or months if you went for the instalments plan), it's time to place your work of art in a safe place, out of sunlight and not under direct light if it's a painting or drawing, or in a safe place if it's a sculpture or instalation.
It goes without saying that fumes as well as low and high temperatures should be avoided.
The artist should be able to provide you with instructions on how to better preserve your art in good conditions and should any accident happen, contact the artist or an professional restorer or conservator.

Having a private art collection is not only owning a material asset, it's living with culture in your own place and is often a good investment, especially in times of crisis.
Even during the recent years when the stock markets weren't at their best, auction houses have seen several records.

If you have any other suggestions feel free to leave them in your comments.

Rembrandt and his Circle. Master drawings from the Frits Lugt Collection

The Dutch cultural centre Institut Néerlandais, Paris, has put together nearly one hundred of the finest drawings by Rembrandt and his circle from the famous Frits Lugt Collection.

"Rembrandt and his circle" exhibition shows twenty drawings by Rembrandt and a selection of the best work from his pupils and contemporaries, including Ferdinand Bol, Govert Flinck, Lambert Doomer and Nicolaes Maes.

The drawings are shown in frames which range from the sixteenth to the nineteenth century from the Netherlands but, France, Italy, Spain and Germany, which have been recently restored especially for this occasion. Oak, walnut, poplar, ebony, pear, tortoise-shell and gold leaves are among the used framing materials.

Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606 -1669) produced a considerable number of drawings with a great variety of subjects and techniques.
He would lodge his apprentices in his studio, where he taught numerous students.
These students had usually began their studies under the instruction of other artists before they came to Rembrandt, namely Carel Fabritius, Ferdinand Bol, Gerbrand van den Eeckhout, Samuel van Hoogstraten and Willem Drost.



Managed by the Fondation Custodia, a partner of the Institut Néerlandais in Paris, the private collection of Frederik (Frits) Johannes Lugt (1884-1970) is regarded as one of the twentieth century’s greatest private collections of Rembrandt drawings and etchings, together with a coherent collection of works by artists in Rembrandt’s circle, including pupils and followers.

Lugt's collection includes finished works as well as sketches in black chalk and sanguine, some of them connected to paintings, many of them produced as exercises or for personal pleasure, and others likely to have been used as models for Rembrandt’s pupils. Pen and ink, washes, brown ink, sanguine, black chalk and gouache were some of the mediums used by Rembrandt.



Peter Schatborn, former head of the Rijksprentenkabinet, the national print room
at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and expert on 17th century drawings, in particular by Rembrandt, spent these last ten years studying the Frits Lugt’s collection of drawings by Rembrandt and his circle.
This exaustive research led to new attributions; thus twenty-five of
the drawings changed authors, some of whom had not yet been represented in the collection.

Schatborn's annotations have been recently published in the catalogue raisonné of the Frits Lugt Collection and this exhibition acknowledges his work by presenting and explaining them to the public in an exhibition room focused on this thorough research.
A free of charge lecture by Peter Schatborn will take place Tuesday 13 September 2011 at 7 pm (reservation is required).

The "Rembrandt and his Circle" exhibition (Rembrandt et son Cercle) can be visited until the 2nd of October 2011 at the Institute Néerlandais, 121 rue de Lille, Paris.

Adam Art Gallery presents Behind Closed Doors: New Zealand Art from Private Collections in Wellington

From the 4th of June to the 18th of December 2011, the Adam Art Gallery in Wellington, New Zealand, is holding an exhibition where the public may explore the art acquired by private collectors.

Recurring exclusively to private collections in Wellington, "Behind Closed Doors: New Zealand Art from Private Collections in Wellington" examins selective ‘moments’ in the history of New Zealand art from 1946 to the present, giving the rare opportunity to witness how some private art collections can provide museum-quality exhibitions.

Curated by Gallery Director Christina Barton, the exhibition includes paintings by renowned artists Toss Wollaston and Colin McCahon, seldom-seen works by Michael Smither and Rita Angus, along with provocative multimedia artworks by Peter Robinson and Ronnie van Hout.

A book documenting the pieces as they appear at collector's homes, with photographs by leading New Zealand photographer Neil Pardington and texts by writer Lara Strongman, complements the exhibition with an intimate alternative to the 'institutional' framing of works at the gallery and offers an idea of the relation that a private collector establishes with art. The publication will be launched in August.

The Adam Art Gallery is also staging a series of programmes in its Kirk Gallery room, entitled "in camera: a project series around and about collecting."
Floor talks, panel discussions and film screenings haven been design to engage the public and provide a platform for critical discussion.

"The Prince and the Paper" at the Israel Museum

Born in Vienna, Prince Nikolaus Esterházy II (1765–1833) belonged to one of Hungary’s wealthiest and most revered aristocratic families. He continued his family’s tradition of art patronage, establishing an impressive collection of paintings, drawings, prints, neoclassical sculpture, minerals, and books.

Now the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, brings to the public an important exhibition of the collection of Nicolas II Esterhazy (1765-1833), a patron of the arts whose collection found its permanent home at the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest.

Entitled The Prince and the Paper. Masterworks from the Esterhazy Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest, and focusing on 16th – 18th century prints and drawings of the German, Italian, French and Netherlandish schools, the exhibition features works by Carracci, Cranach, Durer, Fragonard, Poussin, Raphael, Rembrandt, Tiepolo, and Veronese, among others.

The exhibition is curated by Meira Perry-Lehmann, Michael Bromberg Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings and the collection is curated by Zsuzsa GondaCurator of Prints and DrawingsMuseum of Fine Arts, Budapest.

Available for viewing until July 1, 2011 at the Rena (Fisch) and Robert Lewin Gallery, this is the first in a series of Israel Museum exhibitions showcasing private art collections that were donated to public institutions.

The Institut Néerlandais presents Netherlandish Masters 1500-1700: the hundred most beautiful drawings of the Hamburger Kunsthalle

The Hamburger Kunsthalle conserves one of the most important and beautiful collections of Dutch and Flemish drawings from the 16th and 17th centuries. At the occasion of the publication of a fully descriptive catalogue of these drawings comprising circa 1337 plates , which took Annemarie Stefes near ten years to complete, the Fondation Custodia was invited to select one hundred of the most beautiful works, which is being exhibited at the Institut Néerlandais in Paris.

The exhibition is divided in halls.

The first hall is dedicated to the 16th century, showcasing the works of masters such as Gerard David, one of the last Flemish Primitives, Pieter Bruegel the Elder (ca. 1525/30 – 1569), Maerten van Heemskerck (1498 – 1574) , as well as by others turning the century like the lanscape painters Roelant Savery (1576/78 – 1639) et David Vinckboons (1576 – 1629).

The second one, dedicated to the 17th century and containing the higher number of works, features three drawings by Rembrandt (1606 – 1669), and works by Nicolaes Moeyaert (1592/1593 – 1655), Adriaen van Ostade (1610 – 1685) and Hendrik Avercamp (1585 – 1636). This hall also includes a section dedicated to landscapes, exhibiting drawings by renowned Dutch landscape painters Barent Fabritius (1624 – 1673), Ferdinand Bol (1616 – 1680), Govert Flinck (1615 – 1660), the last two distinguished Rembrandt's pupils, and another section containing Dutch scenes represented by Janvan Goyen (1596 – 1656), Anthonie Waterloo (1609 – 1690), Allart van Everdingen (1621 – 1675) and Aert van der Neer (1603/1604 – 1677).

In the third hall, dedicated to the 17th Flemish century, visitors can explore some major works of important Flemish masters such as d’Antony van Dyck (1599 – 1641), Jacob Jordaens (1593 – 1678), Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568 – 1625) and Adrian Brouwer (1605/06 – 1638).

The fourth hall exhibits figure studies by Dutch artists such as Rembrandt's master Pieter Lastman (1583 – 1633) and works by followers of Italian compositions like Nicolaes Berchem (1621/22 – 1683). Also represented in this all are Paul Bril (1554 – 1626), Jan-Baptist Weenix (1621 – 1659/1661) and Jan Asselijn (1610 – 1652).

When visiting the fifth hall, one can explore three sections: portraits, villages and marine views. The Dutch portraiyed through drawings of Jan Lievens (1607 –1674) and Leendert van der Cooghen (1632 - 1681). Village views are represented in the works of Jan van der Heyden (1637 – 1712), Jacob van Ruisdael (1628/29 – 1682) and Pieter Saenredam (1597 – 1665), regarded as the best artist of the century of this representative subject of the Dutch art. To represent a theme where Dutch artists have excelled, the marinescapes, Ludolf Bakhuyzen (1630 – 1708) and Willem van de Velde le Jeune (1633 – 1707) are the selected artists. The exhibition will be accompanied by a free leaflet (in French), which describes the drawings on display. Possibility to buy the catalogue written by Annemarie Stefes (3 volumes, in German). In collaboration with the Hamburger Kunsthalle.

"Netherlandish Masters 1500-1700: the hundred most beautiful drawings of the Hamburger Kunsthalle" (Maîtres des Pays-Bas 1500-1700: Les cent plus belles feuilles de la Kunsthalle de Hambourg) can be visited from March 24 through May 22, 2011 at the l’Institut Néerlandais, 121 rue de Lille, 75007 Paris.

Nature et Idéal: le paysage à Rome, 1600 - 1650

From March 9 to June 6 2011, Les Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais (Clemenceau entrance), present the exhibition Nature and the ideal: landscape in Rome, 1600 - 1650 (Nature et idéal : le paysage à Rome, 1600 - 1650).

The exhibition focuses in the period of art history when landscape painting becames a theme on its own. Before a decorative element of Naturalism in Northern Europe, it's in the Rome of the first half of the 17th century that the theme assumes an important role, namely with the development of landscapes in the neo-Venitian style in Rome between 1620 and 1630; the popularity of the Bamboccianti's painted genre scenes; the success of topographic landscapes and architectural caprices; and finally the outstanding ability to capture light and atmospheric effects.

Renowned artists participate in cycles of paintings in the European courts while huge paintings commissioned for Buen Retiro palace in Madrid attest its prestige within the aristocratic collections.

More than eighty paintings and some thirty drawings from the Louvre and the Prado as well as many public and private collections, representative of the history of landscape painting in the first half of the 17th century, are shown in the "Nature and the ideal: landscape in Rome, 1600 - 1650" exhibition divided into five sections: I - Annibale Carracci, Paul Bril and Adam Elsheimer in Rome; II – Changes in Bolognese landscapes: the presence of classical culture; III – Changes in Northern landscapes: the diversification of Flemish culture and types of landscape; IV – The early years of Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin; V – The great landscapes of Claude Lorrain and Nicolas Poussin.

Between the names present in the exhibition are those of Annibale Carracci, Adam Elsheimer, Pieter Paul Rubens, Diego Velázquez, Paul Bril, Claude Lorrain, Domenico Zampieri, Jean Lemaire, Nicolas Poussin, Gaspard Dughet, Francesco Albani and Giovanni Lanfranco.

The exhibition is organised by the Réunion des Musées Nationaux, the Musée du Louvre and the Museo Nacional del Prado (where it will be show from 28 June to 25 September 2011).

Stéphane Loire, chief curator of the Painting department of the Musée du Louvre is the responsible for the curatorship at Les Galeries Nationales du Grand Palais, while the exhibition in Madrid will be curated by Andrés Ubeda de los Cobos, chief curator of Italian and French painting at the Museo Nacional del Prado.

Francesca Cappelletti, art historian professor in the Università degli Studi di Ferrara, Patrizia Cavazzini, Research fellow in The British School at Rome and Silvia Ginzburg, associated art historian professor in the Università di Roma Tre are the scientific curators.

Marc Vallet is responsible for the exhibition's design.

"Nature et idéal : le paysage à Rome, 1600 - 1650" can be visited every day, except Tuesdays, from 10a.m. to 8 p.m., late night on Wednesdays until 10 p.m. between March 9th and June 6th, 2011. It will be closed on May 1st.

Pablo Picasso's "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust" at the Tate Modern

The oil painting "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust" (Nu au Plateau de Sculpteur), created by Pablo Picasso in 1932, is on display since this Monday in the new Pablo Picasso room at the Tate Modern, London.

Depicting a sideface of the artist on a pedestal observing the naked figure of Marie-Thérèse Walter, and previously acquired in 1951 by the millionaire constructor and modern art lover Sydney F. Brody and included in Mrs. Brody collection, the painting was sold at Christies New York on May 4, 2010 for $106,4 million ($95 million without commissions and taxes) to an anonymous buyer, setting a new world record for a work of art sold at auction, a record still unsurpassed at this time.

This is the first time that "Nude, Green Leaves and Bust" is presented to the British public, thanks to the generosity of the anonymous lender.

The top auction results for 2010 can be consulted here.

Photo: PA

TEFAF Maastricht 2011

Considered the world's leading art and antiques fair, TEFAF Maastricht 2011 will offer to its visitors some of the best available fine art, antiques, jewelery, manuscripts and other ancient pieces reflecting 6,000 years of excellence in the applied arts, brought by 260 of the world’s most prestigious art and antiques dealers from 16 countries.

From the paintings of old masters like Bruegel to more recent artists, visitors and collectors will the opportunity to experience in sight the European, Chinese and Japanese porcelain, ethnographic and pre-Columbian art, medieval to modern sculpture, furniture from the 16th century to the 19th century, lavishly decorated documents such as illuminated manuscripts, Egyptian mummy masks, Greek marble statues, Roman coins, precious gems, and vintage watches.
A Modern section will showcase the art from the 20th and 21st centuries which includes works from famous artists including Renoir, Picasso, Poliakoff, Kandinsky, Henry Moore, Rothko, Willem de Kooning, Anish Kapoor, Francis Bacon and Damien Hirst.

Introduced in 2009, the Design section seeks to highlight the twentieth-century design and applied arts from the leading international specialists.

TEFAF Paper was first brought to public in 2010, showing drawings and limited edition prints ranging from Old Masters to contemporary works, antiquarian books and manuscripts, Japanese prints, photography, wallpaper and other works.

A Showcase section, introduced in 2008, offers recently established galleries and dealers the opportunity to participate in the Fair on a strictly one-off basis.

Visitors to the TEFAF (The European Fine Art Fair) are invited to buy with confidence, every item on view at the fair has been subject to rigorous checks carried out by 29 specialist vetting committees, made up of near 175 internationally respected experts, as to its quality, condition and authenticity. TEFAF Maastricht was also the first to introduce The Art Loss Register at the fair in 2000.

TEFAF Maastricht 2011 can be visited between the 18th and the 27th of March 2011, at the MECC (Maastricht Exhibition & Congress Centre).
Cameras, umbrellas, large bags and backpacks are not allowed, and don't carry art or antiques for valuation.
Tickets, fair catalogues and publications can be ordered online.

Dennis Hopper Collection Auction Results

The Interiors Sale auction, that took place in New York, Rockefeller Plaza – Tuesday and Wednesday, January 11-12, 2011, featured nearly 300 works of art and personal items from the collection of actor, artist and collector Dennis Hopper, including works from renowned artists such as Andy Warhol, Marcel Duchamp, Gerhard Richter, Annie Leibovitz, Helmut Newton, Kenny Scharf, and fellow actor Viggo Mortensen.

Among the works, two of them achieved much higher results than their estimated value.

A screenprint portrait in colours of Mao, one plate (F. & S. II 99), by Andy Warhol, in collaboration with Dennis Hopper, dated from 1972 and punctured by two bullet holes, was sold for $302,500 (€234,496, £193,910) to a private US collector, setting a world record for a single Mao print at auction.

The second highest value was paid by an Asian private collector for Marilyn: one plate (F. & S. II.27) screenprint in colors, 196, also by Andy Warhol: $206,500 (€160,078, £132,372).

The Interiors Auction, including property from the Dennis Hopper Collection, reached the value of $3,427,413 (€2,656,909, £2,197,059).

All sold prices include buyer’s premium.

The Orient Expressed: Japan's Influence on Western Art, 1854- 1918

From February 19 throughout July 17, 2011, the Mississipi Museum of Art will present the exhibition "The Orient Expressed: Japan’s Influence on Western Art, 1854-1918", the eleventh in The Annie Laurie Swaim Hearin Memorial Exhibition Series.

Comprising more than 200, The Orient Expressed will show works of art from the 19th and early 20th centuries, lent by some of the most prestigious collections, including: Museum Dhondt-Dhaenens, Deurle, Belgium; Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California; Honolulu Academy of Arts, Hawaii; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, New York; New Orleans Museum of Art, Louisiana; Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel, Mississippi; and the Mississippi Museum of Art’s own collection.

The exhibition will instruct visitors upon the cultural phenomenon known as Japonisme, first identified by French art critic Philippe Burty in 1872, and its influence up to our days in visual and decorative arts, architecture, fashion, graphic design, literature, music and theater.

Through decorative arts, graphic design, paintings, printmaking, and other media, the public will have the opportunity to aknowledge the impact of Japan on the West prior to World War I. In addition to the exemplary Western objects that will be showcased in The Orient Expressed, a select group of works from the Japanese art tradition will be incorporated to clarify specific influences. Dan Piersol, the Mississippi Museum of Art’s Deputy Director for Programs, states, “All of these aspects will elucidate the impact of Japonisme, and how it hastened the development of art nouveau and symbolism during the 1890s, and the advent of modernism.”

Visitors will be able to appreciate the works from noted artists and manufacturers such as Robert Frederick Blum, Pierre Bonnard, Félix Buhot, Felix Bracquemond, Mary Cassatt, William Merritt Chase, Charles Caryl Coleman, James Sidney Ensor, Paul Gauguin, Gorham Manufacturing Company, Childe Hassam, Utagawa Hiroshige, Helen Hyde, Georges Lacombe, John La Farge, Bertha Boynton Lum, Minton and Company, Charles Sprague Pearce, Rookwood Pottery, Henry Somm, James McNeill Whistler, Alfred Stevens, Theodore Wores, Tiffany & Co., and many more.

Found within the exhibition itself, two Family Corners and a Closer Look Gallery will offer educational components related to The Orient Expressed, and will include interactive areas, art activities, and reading materials to engage visitors with the works of art on display.

A host of special events, educational programs, and other activities with a Japanese influence will also help to enhance the visitor's experience.

With the participation of guest curator and scholar Gabriel P. Weisberg, "The Orient Expressed: Japan’s Influence on Western Art, 1854-1918" is expected to expect to host more visitors than any other exhibition the Museum has had previously, according to Mississippi Museum of Art Director Betsy Bradley.

Following its presentation in Jackson, The Orient Expressed will be on view at the McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas, from October 5, 2011 through January 15, 2012.

Portuguese Artist and Fine Art Collector buys "NightLight Please" by Kathie Papasso

The painting "NighLight Please", acrylic on board by the american artist Kathie Papasso, was acquired by the portuguese artist and fine art collector José Carrilho.

Kathie has won several art awards, including two first places (coloured pencil and watercolour) in the "2010 Annual Okeechobee County Fair" and second place in the "Taylor Creek Riverbank."

Roman Abramovich's Recent Art Project in the New Holland Island

Last month the russian billionaire and one of the top art collectors, Roman Abramovich, won a bid to run an island in the center of St. Petersburg (Russia) through a new venture called New Holland Development.

An 18th century former military base which belonged to the Russian admiralty, the New Holland island was created through the construction of two canals and ows its name for its resemblance to areas of Amsterdam.

According to news, Abramovich has plans to plans to transform the 18th century warehouses into a cultural and commercial centre that will eventually include galleries, offices, retail business, hotels, a museum and quite possible a permanent home for his own art collection.
Plans to open a satellite of the Garage Center are also predicted.

His better half Dasha Zhukova has played a decisive role on Abramovich's acquisitions of contemporary art and will certainly contribute with her expertise to this new art project of the Chealsea owner.

Zhukova, who graduated with honors in Slavic Studies and Literature from the University of California, Santa Barbara, is a philantropist, entrepeuneur, and magazine editor. In 2008 she founded the IRIS Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting contemporary culture.

Through IRIS, Zhukova and International Coordinator Mollie Dent-Brocklehurst launched The Garage Center for Contemporary Culture in Moscow, housed in one of Russia’s architectural masterpieces, the former Bakhmetevsky Bus Garage, designed in 1926 by the Constructivist architect, Konstanin Melnikov.

The development of this project is expected to take near six years to be completed.

Art Collection of John and Joyce Price at the Bellevue Arts Museum

The Bellevue Arts Museum presents the exhibition Eyes for Glass, featuring three different areas of the Price Collection, of which the majority is composed by contemporary works in glass.
John Price started his art collection when he was a young adult, with particular interest in the works of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
During the mid 1970's, John and Joyce Price became fond of the Contemporary Inuit Art, whose collection includes works of distinguished artists such as Kenojuak Ashevak, Joe David and Preston Singletary.
During the last 50 years or so, the Contemporary Inuit artists have approached a style deeply rooted in naturalism, with many of them developing a preference for highly polished sculptures during the last decade.
By the late 1970's, John learned of the existence of Pilchuck Glass School and started collecting glass art using several techniques and styles, namely blown, cold-worked, sand-cast, fused and slumped.
Among other names are those of Dale Chihuly, Fritz Dreisbach, Walt Lieberman and Cappy Thompson.
The Eyes for Glass exhibition runs through August 8, 2010 at the Bellevue Arts Museum in Washington and includes the following artists: Sean Albert, Kenojuak Ashevak, Jane Beebe, Lisbeth Biger, Sonja Blomdahl, Curtiss Brock, Frederick Carder, Dale Chihuly, Joe David, Einar and Jamex de la Torre, Laura de Santillana, Steven DeVries, Fritz Dreisbach, Tom Farbanish, Gisele et Regis Fievet, Fabio Fornasier, Kyohei Fujita, Saburo Funakoshi, Lewis Tamihana Gardiner, Ann Gardner, Mitchell Gaudet, Katherine Gray, Gregory Grenon, Susan Holland Reed, James Houston, Clarissa Rizal, Ulrica Hydman-Vallien, Ryosuke Kinoshita, Joey Kirkpatrick, Sabrina Knowles, David Leight, Walter Lieberman, Flora Mace, Joanna Manousis, Dante Marioni, Paul Marioni, Massimo Micheluzzi, Ohotaq Mikkigak, Yasuko Miyazaki, Tobias Mohl, Benjamin Moore, William Morris, Mel Munsen, Felice Nittolo, Marvin Oliver, Allan Packer, Jackie Pancari, Danny Perkins, Shaun Peterson, Susan Point, Annie Pootoogook, Jill Reynolds, Richard Royal, Ginny Ruffner, Judith Schaechter, Preston Singletary, David Schwartz, Therman Statom, Susan Stinsmuehlen-Amend, Lino Tagliapietra, Cappy Thompson, Cesare Toffolo Rossit, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Veruska Vagen, Bertil Vallien, Laura Ward, Dick Weiss, Sally Worcester, William Worcester, Hiroshi Yamano, Mark Zirpel and Toots Zynsky.

Sculpture above: Whale Rider by Preston Singletary and Lewis Gardiner

The Walters Art Museum

Located in Baltimore, Maryland (USA), The Walters Art Museum has an impressive collection gathered from around the world. From the ancient Egypt to the 20th century Europe. Great part of its collection has been part of the assets from Henry and William Walters.

Art from the Ancient Americas, Medieval and Baroque Arts, together with manuscripts are part of a vast collection that will delight the visitor.

Like any great museum, The Walters Art Museum has visit programs that will meet expectations, turning one's visit into a rewarding experience.

And you know what ? The admission is free. So, make sure to visit !

The Private Collection of Susan Dods

Susan Dods is a long time collector and dealer of antique jewelry.

Her private collection features unique objects of chinese jewelry.