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Gray Skies At Morning, Ai Weiwei Takes Warning

By jeff | Published January 15, 2013 | Leave a comment

Ai Weiwei posted this picture of himself in a gas mask on his Twitter feed….
© Ai Weiwei/Instagram

Particulate matter is a term for solids in the atmosphere. The smaller the particle, the more lethal it is to humans. The smallest of these particles are classified PM2.5 because they are less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter. They are dangerous because they can lodge deep inside lung your tissue.

In the United States, the EPA mandates no more than an average of 15 micrograms per million over a period of three years. According to the World Health Organization, safe daily levels are those with measurements under 25 micrograms per square meter.

What does this have to do with art?

The man on the left is the Chinese artist Ai Weiwei. Yesterday he posted a picture of himself in a gas mask with a fog grey sky behind him. It was succinct commentary on conditions in Beijing. Remember, WHO considers 25 micrograms per square meter safe. Now consider this: Last weekend, Beijing’s atmospheric pollution shattered all records. The official measurement was 600 micrograms per square meter. According to Reuters it was much worse — 900 micrograms.

If a society can’t provide a habitable environment, then it fails at the most basic level. When conditions become inhospitable, it falls on the people to change them. This applies even in totalitarian societies. Caution be damned if the atmosphere is killing you. Yet now we find the usually defiant Weiwei in a display of reserved acceptance. He’s not trying to change conditions; he’s just blocking them out.

Should he wear the bottoms of his trousers rolled?

A Trove Of Modern Posters Goes On Sale At Auction

By jeff | Published January 13, 2013 | Leave a comment

The Hans Sachs Poster Collection for sale by Guernsey’s Auctioneers and Brokers January 18 – 20

In 1891, Henri Toulouse-Latrec produced La Goulue au Moulin Rouge. It soon became the definitive work of the poster revolution. Latrec employed a color palette that was commonly used by 19th Century lithographers yet his work was decidedly more brilliant, his colors more vibrant. When he saw it, Andre Mellerio exclaimed, “This is no longer just a poster, yet it is not a print. It is a work of hybrid pungency deriving the two. It is a modern poster.”

The following year, Latrec produced five other major works of poster art. His production was complimented by artists such as Eugène Grasset, Henri Ibels and Hermann-Paul. The poster revolution was in full swing. Along with their cohorts, these artists filled the streets of Paris with bright color and elegant design. Their posters helped capture the imagination of many young people. And Hans Sachs was one of them.

As the 1890s progressed, the poster revolution spread across the continent. In Germany, a young dental student was smitten by their design. Beginning in that decade Hans Sachs began to collect promotional posters. With a keen eye for design he began to amass one of the finest collections of poster art the world has ever known. After graduation, he had more money to devote to his hobby. He soon published a magazine devoted to Poster collection. The magazine enjoyed a large international following and his collection continued to grow.

In almost every story set in Germany in the early the 20th Century the Nazis come along and ruin things. This is no exception. During a night of gratuitous violence known as Kristalnacht, Hans Sachs was arrested on charges that he was born to Jewish parents. For this offense, he was interned in Sachsenhausen concentration camp and his poster collection was seized by the Gestapo. Sach’s wife was able to post bribe and secure his release. The couple fled to the United States.

Fast forward to 2005. Sachs’ son Peter was a retired airline pilot with a little time on his hands. The lull enabled him to ponder that age old question, “What ever happened to my father’s poster collection?”

As it happens much of it survived the Second World War. Many of Hans Sachs’ posters were stored in the basement of the German Historical Museum in what was once East Berlin. With the help of a team of lawyers with restitution experience, Peter Sachs was ultimately able to regain ownership after a lengthy trip through the German court system.

If the legal battle wasn’t challenging enough, the posters arrived in New York on the night of Hurricane Sandy. A dutiful shipping company was able to get them out of a JFK Airport warehouse as the waters were rising. They were able to get them safely to Guernsey’s Auction House in Manhattan where they will go on sale on January 18th. Those unable to attend the auction may view the catalog and submit bids at Live Auctioneers.

Tastes Like Hate

By jeff | Published August 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

After its president made controversial statements about gay marriage, long lines formed in support of the Chick-Fil-A fast food chain. When he saw the spectacle on television, one thing occured to a California artist. Manny Castro said, “I thought of the photographs from 40 years ago of Christians protesting blacks marrying whites.” On Facebook, he posted, “Replace ‘black’ with ‘gay’ and here we are today.”

If anti-gay crowd would show its support for Chick-Fil-A, then Castro would display his contempt. The California artist painted a mural on a franchise in Torrance. Using design elements from the food chain, he painted “Tastes Like Hate” along with a depiction of the company’s cow.

He calls his graffiti “not that much of a crime” but rather “a protest.” It was, he notes, removed within an hour. As of late yesterday, police still haven’t arrested the artist. “Our investigators are still working the information that they have,” Torrance police Sgt. Steve Jenkinson told the Los Angeles Times.

UPDATE: Manny Castro was arrested for vandalism two days after this story was published. He was released after posting $20,000.00 dollars bail.

Show Us Your Klimt

By jeff | Published July 17, 2012 | Leave a comment

Guest: Mr. Melon, your wife was just showing us her Klimt.
Thornton Melon: You too, huh? She’s shown it to everybody.
Guest: Well, she’s very proud of it.
Melon: I’m proud of mine too. I don’t wave it around at parties.
Guest: It’s an exceptional painting.
Melon: Oh, the painting.

Coinciding with the 150th anniversary of Gustav Klimt’s birthday, we have a report from Austria in which a lost painting by the artist was discovered in a garage.

Trumpeting Putto once adorned the ceiling of Klimt’s Vienna studio where he lived with his brother Ernst in the late 1880s. The painting depicts a cherub in a red scarf blowing his trumpet against the background of a bright blue sky. It disappeared in the 1980s after an elevator was installed in the building.

The discovery was made known by Josef Renz who is noted — in some circles — as an expert on Klimt. Renz purchased the painting from a family in the Linz suburbs. With the initial announcement, Renz claimed the painting was executed by the brothers together if not Gustav alone.

Generally when assertions of authenticity raise eyebrows, skeptics respond with questions rather than pronouncements. “If it’s a Klimt, then why does it blah blah blah …” and that sort of thing. Scholars are often afraid to provide sweeping denunciations for fear of lawsuits. After all, their declarations can cost the owner millions. That type of loss is never appreciated.

Alfred Weidinger doesn’t care about your stinkin’ lawsuit. He is a Klimt specialist and curator of the Schlossmuseum Belvedere in Vienna. Last Sunday, he just stone-cold shot Renz’s claim to shreds. Weidinger told Reuters the work was familiar; he studied it, previously. It was an early, historicist piece by Ernst Klimt who died in 1892. Not only is it a lesser Klimt, but it’s a weak lesser Klimt.

“It’s definitely not an important painting, even for Ernst Klimt,” said Weidinger.

His Own Master

By jeff | Published January 4, 2012 | Leave a comment

The arts are generally not a good pursuit for impatient individuals. With few exceptions, it generally takes years of toil and persistence to gain recognition. Van Gogh famously worked in virtual anonymity until his paintings broke sales records after his death. It’s hard to convince girls your dish washing gig is only temporary. “Once I’m discovered, I’ll pay my share of rent!”

Andrzej Sobiepan is a young Polish artist with either no patience or a very persistent girlfriend. He couldn’t stand the thought of toiling in obscurity. “I decided that I will not wait 30 or 40 years for my works to appear” in a museum. Rather than bother curators with the laborious task of hanging his art, Sobiepan hung it for them. He walked into the Wroclaw National Museum and hung one of his paintings.

Sobiepan carefully chose a spot in the contemporary room for his small painting of a drooping leaf. He placed it after the guard wandered into another room. The painting remained undetected for three days. Once it was discovered, the museum director labeled it a “witty artistic happening.” The museum moved it near the gift shop. Since its discovery, the work had generated a good deal of buzz. It will be auctioned for charity.

Sobiepan accomplished his mission – his name is now recognized by the Polish art establishment. And what a name it is. According to Monika Scislowska, an AP reporter, “Sobiepan” translates to “his own master.” Unfortunately, “His Own Master” is a follower, not an innovator. The British artist Banksy pulled this stunt back in 2005 when he hung several of his own works in various New York galleries.

Cardinal Sin

By jeff | Published December 20, 2011 | Leave a comment

If you’ve seen the excellent documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop then you’re familiar with a UK street artist known as Banksy. He is noted for enhancing streets, walls and bridges with stencilled dark humor. Since the early 1990s, Banksy has been at odds with the UK government. One man’s art is his government’s graffiti.

With a piece on display at the Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool, has Banksy finally gone establishment? The work is included in an exhibition of 17th Century old masters. The artist used this opportunity to make a religious statement.

The work is called “Cardinal Sin.” It’s a reproduction of an 18th C. stone bust. Banksy sawed its face off and replaced its features with a series of small, multi-colored bathroom tiles. The effect is similar to the pixelized view many UK papers use to depict accused child molesters. With the use of a 18th C. bust, Banksy suggests the scandal pre-dates those from the reign of John Paul II by a couple centuries.

The statue is on loan indefinitely. Its debut was accompanied by a statement from the artist:

“I love everything about the Walker Gallery – the Old Masters, the contemporary art, the rude girl in the cafe. And when I found out Mr Walker built it with beer money it became my favourite gallery. The statue? I guess you could call it a Christmas present. At this time of the year, it’s easy to forget the true meaning of Christianity – the lies, the corruption, the abuse.”

The public may have a short memory but the Catholic Church rape victims are not as lucky. Fortunately, Banksy was never one to tolerate complacency. While he may be featured with old masters, it’s clear he’ll never comfort the establishment.

Mark Lugo: Correction Edition

By jeff | Published July 23, 2011 | Leave a comment

Last week I wrote that police found a $350,000.00 Picasso in Lugo’s apartment which was stolen from a New York hotel. That assertion was based on an AP report. Today, the AP issued a correction. The stolen work that was valued at $350,000.00 was by the French artist Fernand Leger. It was indeed taken from a New York hotel. Police did find another Picasso in Lugo’s Hoboken apartment. It was valued at $30,000.00 and it was taken from a Manhattan gallery.

Forbes provides a helpful list of the stolen art in Lugo’s possession.

Eagle Standing on Pine Tree with Four-character Couplet in Seal Script

By jeff | Published June 17, 2011 | Leave a comment

The Chinese art market shows no signs of abating. At the end of last month, an ink wash painting by Qi Baishi sold for 425.5 million yuan ($65 million) at the Garden Spring Auction in Beijing. The work, Eagle Standing on Pine Tree with Four-character Couplet in Seal Script, was completed by Qi in 1946 and presented to General Chiang Kai-shek for his 60th birthday.

In the history of Chinese mainland art, the final price was second only to ancient calligrapher Huang Tingjian‘s hand scroll “Pillar Ming,” which was sold for 436.8 million yuan in 2009. Huang had a pricing advantage associated with age and rarity. Qi’s ink wash was by far the most expensive modern Chinese work.

In 2010, ART PRICE released its data of auction sales by artists. The top artists were familiar to most Western eyes. Picasso and Warhol top the list almost every year. But a new artist appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Qi Baishi was ranked third in sales behind the previous two. When the ART PRICE lists are again compiled from over 6000 auction houses from around the world, I expect to see Qi second only to Picasso.

Read more: [Art Fix Daily] [Chinese Daily] [Times of London on ART PRICE rankings]

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