The Real Van Gogh - The Artist and His Letters

Sponsored by BNY Mellon, this is the major exhibition in London about Van Gogh in the last 40 years.

Taking place at the Royal Academy of Arts (Piccadilly, London) from January 23rd through April 18th, 2010, the exibition offers a comprehensive insight about the artist through his art and writing.

Visitors have the opportunity to read over 35 original letters, some of them with sketches and representations of the 30 drawings and around 65 paintings that are also on display.

Major lenders include the Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam), with 12 paintings and most of the letters, the Kröller-Müller Museum (Otterlo), The Metropolitan Museum of Art (N.Y.), The J. Paul Getty Museum (L.A) and The Museum of Fine Arts (Boston).

Other museums and private collections worldwide also contributed to this major exhibition.

An eloquent writer, Van Gogh wrote most of his letters to his brother Theo, an art-dealer who aided Vincent throughout his difficult artistic career.

Vincent also exchanged correspondence with his sister Willemina Jacoba ('Willemien') and other artists, namely Anton van Rappard, Emile Bernard and Paul Gauguin, a close friend with whom he painted together.

The Real Van Gogh - The Artist and His Letters exhibition challenges the idea of an erratic geniality and creativity often attributed to the artist.

Some of the highlights include "Self-Portrait as an Artist" (1888), "The Yellow House" (1888), "Van Gogh's Chair" (1888), "Entrance to the Public Gardens in Arles" (1888) and "Still Life: with a Plate of Onions" (1889), with some of the paintings and drawings being displayed alongside the letters related to them.

This exhibition is also based upon the new edition "Vincent van Gogh – The Letters: The Complete Illustrated and Annotated Edition" (ISBN 9780500238653), published by Thames & Hudson in October 2009, which is the result of 15 years of research by Leo Jansen, Hans Luijten and Nienke Bakker of the Van Gogh Museum.

Printed in three languages, a web-edition comprising 902 letters is also available.
The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters has been curated by Ann Dumas of the Royal Academy of Arts (London), in collaboration with Leo Jansen, Hans Luijten and Nienke Bakker of the Van Gogh Museum (Amsterdam).

ArtistWorkshops.net has been Shut Down

Implemented during late 2009 by Peggy and Robert Stermer-Cox, ArtistWorkshops.net has been shut down due to problems related with the software used for developing the website.
The project, which was mentioned in a previous article, intended to permit users to list their art workshops for free.
Should the authors restart the project, The Art Inquirer will inform its readers.
More information and comments at Peggy's blog.

12th International Portrait Competition, 2010

From the 22nd through the 25th of April will take place at the Hyat Regency Reston (Washington D.C.) The Art of the Portrait Conference.

Organized by The Portrait Society of America, this even will bring together the best of figurative and portrait artists from around the globe.

Participants will have the chance to attend lectures, participate in classes and workshops, as well as buying art materials directly from manufacturers.

This will be a great opportunity to exchange experiences with fellow artists and improve skills.

At the Saturday (April 24, 2010) evening Gala Banquet and Awards Ceremony, the President and Chair of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, Iris Cantor, will receive the Leadership in the Arts Award for her support for the visual arts and other charitable causes.

The Excellence in Art Education Award will go to the New York Academy of Art for their quality instruction in contemporary figurative art.

Another award will be presented to John Howard Sanden who has dedicated over 37 years to fine art portraiture, having taught at the Art Students League of New York for three decades and being the author of five books on portraiture.

John Sanden will receive the Gold Medal Award, the Portrait Society of America highest acomplishment.

However one of the major highlights of this event will be distribution of the awards to the 15 finalists of the 12th International Portrait Competition .

Totalizing around $50,000 in cash and prizes, the winner will receive the William Draper Grand Prize, which includes a cash prize of $5,000 sponsored by Jack Richeson & Co and a feature article in the International Artist magazine.

Winners besides having their work recognized in the Art of the Portrait Journal and in the International Artist magazine, will receive complementary tuition to The Art of the Portrait Conference ( $395 for members/$455 for non-members), as well as cash and other prizes.

The deadline to enter the International Portrait Competition is March 1, 2010 (postmark date) and finalists will be notified by March 22nd.

Works must be of original design and concept, completed after March 2007 and cannot have won an award in any previous competition.

It's important to remind that finalists will have to present their works at the ceremony to win a top prize.

The entry fee has the value of $40 (non-refundable) and permits to participate with up to three works.

Please read the entry form carefully in order to avoid major disappointments and don't hesitate to use the provided contacts if you have any doubts.

In the next couple of days, The Art Inquirer will try to contact the organizers to confirm some minor details.

Illustrated with the 2009 Draper Grand Prize Winner "Antiques" (Oil), by Joseph Todorovitch

Underwater Sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor

Jason DeCaires Taylor Underwater Sculpture from Christian Sandino-Taylor on Vimeo.

Born in 1974 and having spent his youth in Europa, Asian and the Caribbean, Jason deCaires Taylor graduated in 1998 with a B.A. Honours in Sculpture and Ceramics from the Camberwell College of Arts, part of the Univertisty of Arts London.
Award winning underwater photographer and fully qualified diving instructor, Jason created in Grenada, West Indies, the world's first underwater sculpture park.
Besides the artistic component, his sculptures have the purpose of creating artificial reefs to serve as inhabitat for marine life, resulting in a mutual benefit for art and nature.
With several projects acomplished, Jason is working on "The Silent Evolution" instalation, in Cancun.
Consisting of 400 life-sized figurative works representing the visual and social changes in humans during the past centuries, this project will be part of the world's largest underwater art museum.
Jason deCaires Taylor is currently the Artistic Director of the recent Cancun Underwater Museum, in Mexico.

Let Your Friends And Neighbours Sell Your Art

traditional living room design by new york interior designer Olga Adler

There are many many ways of selling art, but it's not simple to convince most of people to buy it. People like to see art and giving the right circumstances they would like to own it, however there is still the thought that art is something inaccessible and only reserved to some.

More than often they think that it might not go well with their decoration, although we know that art should be acquired for its own value and taste, not to go with the decoration.
So, how are we going to convince people that they can own an original work of art ?
It's simple, we are not going to simply tell, we are going to show them.

We know that it's not easy to sell art and artists are always searching for creative ways to convince collectors to buy their artwork, sometimes without the desired success.
One of the things that you may want to try is to place some of your works in the houses of your friends and neighbours at zero cost; I know that you're thinking "I could rent them", but that's another article.
This procedure can bring benefits to both parties.

Your friends and neighbours will seen an improvement in the decoration of their home, they will impress their visits (afterall they "own" a work of art) and they may even earn a comission by giving your contact and if a sale is made.
For you the benefits are also worth mentioning, such as having your art shown in a home environment, thus giving people an idea of how it might look in theirs, you will save space in your place and you can set the value of the percentage that you are willing to pay, instead of the usual 40 to 60 percent charged by galleries.
You won't be conditioned to programs, giving you the chance to arrange the exhibition timing according to your needs.

However before embarking into this, make sure that you have registered files of your works, proving that you own them.
I don't want you to lose a friend or prejudice the good relations that you have with your neighbours, so I'm not going to tell you to ask them to sign a paper.
Share your comments and ideas with us.

Craft & Hobby Association - Winter Show 2010

Starting this weekend, those interested in arts and crafts will have the chance to attend to the 2010 Winter Convention & Trade Show, organized by the Craft & Hobby Association.

Art and crafts retailers, as well as artists and artisans will be present at the show, providing the opportunity to meet them directly and know about future plans.

Running from January 23rd through January 27th, 2010, the education program days start on the 23rd and end on the 26th, while the trade show ones start on the 24th and end on the 27th.

With a vast list of participants, the CHA's convention program includes workshops and seminars.

The Life and Art of Caravaggio (Part Four)

This is the fourth episode of a series of seven about the life of Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (29 September 1571–18 July 1610).
You can watch the third episode here and see the links to the previous ones.
Don't miss the following episodes by subscribing to the newsletter.
You can use the Feedblitz service visible on the right column of this blog.

Top Art Auction Results in 2009

Although 2009 witnessed a strong contraction in economy and the art market wasn't immune to that fact, it still proved that investing in art continues to be one of the favourite options during uncertain times.

Art collectors continued to seize opportunities and demanding for rare works of high quality.
In February 2009, the collection of Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, offered by Christie's (France) and Bergé & Associates, realised 373.9 million Euro ($483.8 million), setting a world record for the most valuable private collection sold at auction and highest total for an auction in Europe.

The aution also set several records for impressionist and modern art, 20th century decorative arts, sculpture, silver and artworks.

Between February 21st and Feb. 23rd, over 1500 people gathered at the Grand Palais (Paris) for each of the sales, held in the largest built salesroom in Christie's history.

The painting "Les Coucous, Tapis Bleu et Rose" (1911) by Henri Matisse achieved the highest mark, selling for 35.9 million Euro ($46.4 million), the highest value paid for a work by the artist at auction.

Collectors had the chance to acquire works from famous artists, such as Piet Mondrian, Fernand Léger, Marcel Duchamp, Jacques-Louis David and Ingres, who's work set a new auction world record for the artist.

Wooden sculptures by Constantin Brancusi aslso achieved a world record for the artist in an auction.

The Museé d'Orsay acquired "Au Conservative" by James Ensor and "Les Lilas" by Edouard Villard, while the Centre Georges Pompidou bought "Il Ritornante" by Giorgio de Chirico.

The sales of silver, miniatures and Objets de Vertu realised a total of 19.8 million Euro ($25.7 million), with the highest value being achieved by the Osterade cup (1649), a silver-gilt quadruple cup sold for 853,000 Euro ($1.1 million).

Originally from the collection of Suzanne Talbot, the Dragon's armchair (circa 1917-19) by Eileen Gray, sold for 21.9 million Euro ($28.9 million) and set an auction world record for any work of 20th century decorative art.

Rare antiquities made part of the lots, which included asian and islamic art, with a bronze heads of a rabitt and a rat, made for Emperor Qianhong's Zodiac Fountain in the Summer Palace (China), selling for 15.8 million Euro ($20.3 million) each.

The proceeds from this auction are to benefit the Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent Foundation and a new foundation that will be established for scientific research and fight against AIDS.

In December 2009, an Old Masters and 19th Century Art auction at Christie's (London), achieved the greatest ever value for an auction of Old Masters, realising a total of £68.4 million (75.5 million Euro/$112.4 million).

The star of the auction was "Head of a Muse", a study drawn by Raphael for a figure in Parnassus, one of the four frescoes (considered to be Raphael's greatest masterpiece) commissioned by Pope Julius II for the Stanza della Segnatura, in the Vatican.

Head of a Muse refers to the third muse to the right of Apollo and is one of the muses surrounding him in the Parnassus fresco.

It was sold for £29.2 million (€32.2 million/$47.9 million).

A painting by Rembrandt, "Portrait of a man, half-lenght, with his arms akimbo" (previously called "Portrait of an Admiral" ) featuring a man in a daring pose and with a mesmerising use of light and shade, achieving the same standard of Rembrandt's best late works, was acquired for £20.2 million (€22.3 million/$33.2 million). The work had been unseen by the public for almost 40 years.

Saint John the Evangelist (circa 1627-29), a baroque oil painting on canvas by Domenico Zampieri (Il Domenichino), probably painted for Cardinal Benedetto Giustianiani or his younger brother, Marchese Vincenzo Giustainiani, was bought for £9.2 million (€10.2 million/$15.2 million).

The painting is a reinterpretation of Domenico's pendentive fresco of St. John the Evangelist in Sant'Andrea della Vale, Rome.

The artist is the author of "Last Communion of St. Jerome" (Vatican), considered one of the greatest works ever painted.

The Old Masters and 19th Century Art Auction set records for Raphael, Rembrant and Domenico.

This article was written with the help of documentation, kindly provided by Matthew Paton (Christie's)

Give an Original Portrait to Your Valentine

The year has just started, but in no time Saint Valentine's Day will be at your door.

Usually the gifts are more or less the same, but what if you offered something special this time ?

Wouldn't you like to give something unique ?

Art is unique, especially when it's original.

People often think that original Art is unreachable for the common citizen, well sometimes it is, but not this time.

The Art Inquirer and the canadian portrait artist Miranda Aschenbrenner have teamed up for a special promotion, because we want you to give to your Valentine a unique gift that will last for many years to come.

From January 8th through January 31st, 2010, the portrait commissions made to Miranda will have a special discount of 10% over the table price.

To benefit from this promotion you only have to refer this post.

Besides this discount, you can benefit from an extra 5% by signing the newsletter of this blog ( the option can be found on the right column ). That's a total discount of 15%.

An original portrait drawing is something that cannot be hasted, in order to guarantee good results, so the sooner your place your order, better are the chances of it being complete before the Saint Valentine's day.

American Artist Magazine - One Year Subscription Giveaway

The Art Inquirer will offer a one year subscription to the American Artist magazine to one of its advertisers who uses the Project Wonderful advertising system.

During the period running from January 4th through June 30th, 2010, the advertiser who has invested more on this blog will win the free subscription.

This promotion is available to all advertisers worldwide and The Art Inquirer will support the extra postage expenses that are defined by Interweave Press.

Any eventual post service or custom issues are to be solved between the publisher of the magazine and the winner.

If you don't know the ProjectWonderful system, it's quite simple to use and easy on your wallet.

You can advertise on this blog starting as low as one cent per day, independently of views or clicks.

The system is based on a bid system where the advertiser can set several parameters such as: maximum bid, time of the campaign and maximum spending during its time.

There are other options available with which you will get acquainted as you keep using the system, namely the option to cancel your bids.

I will have to approve all ads, which can take a couple of hours.

Now that you know how you can win a free one year subscrition to the American Artist magazine and advertise your website or blog for as little as one cent, what are you waiting for ?

The winner will be announced and notified on July 10th, 2010.

I could wish you good luck, but it's not the case.

Authorities recover guitar made by Picasso

Following a denunciation made by the widow of the italian artist Giuseppe Vittorio Parisi, the italian authorities recovered a toy guitar that Pablo Picasso had sculpted for his daughter Paloma.

The wooden "little guitar" made in yellow, grey and black colours was found inside a shoebox in an apartment in Pomezia, belonging to a merchant who allegedly had convinced Giuseppe Parisi (friend of Picasso) to lend him the object with the purpose of making a custom-made box for display, however the guitar was never returned.

According to the desire of Parisi's widow Wanda, the guitar will go onto permanent display at the Civic Museum of Contemporary Art in Maccagno, Northern Italy.

Photo: EPA

Wishes of a Happy New Year 2010

We have arrived to a new year and I do hope that this may be the starting year when mankind starts realizing what is realy important.

The first decade of this new millennium didn't have a smooth start, but this first century can be one of positive colaboration between the people of different cultures, religions, creeds and opinions, with indifference being placed aside.

My wish to all of you is of a 2010 with love, peace and tranquility.

As for The Art Inquirer, it will continue to carry its policy of independence, pursuing the objective of being a blog of reference in the art world, providing useful articles and news for its readers.

It will continue to support meritable causes, alerting people for worldwide calamities, such as starvation and war refugees.

Readers of The Art Inquirer will continue to have the chance to participate in promotions and win art related prizes.

Happy New Year 2010 !

José Carrilho