Thursday 27 October 2011

Newly discovered Velasquez to be sold by Bonhams!

Bonhams claims to discover previously unknown portrait by Diego Rodriguez de Sylva y Velazquez (1599-1660).  The painting will be on sale in December with an estimate of  £2,000,000 - 3,000,000.


Understandably, the auction house is  highly excited. The painting, if it is by Velasquez, will be 99th picture known to us today as executed by this great Spanish master (with only 4 in private hands and 94 in the museums).



Wednesday 12 October 2011

Frieze as it is (FRIEZE 2011 VIP Opening Pictures)

Jake and Dinos Chapman at White Cube, Frieze 2011 

Pavillion of Art&Design London. Day 0

Few pictures from the Pavillion of Art&Design London (PAD),  modern design and art fair occupying for 5 days (12-16 October 2011) the whole of Berkeley Square, Mayfair.




The fair's website http://www.padlondon.net/ claims that  "Once again Moët Hennessy sponsors the donation of a major piece of Design or Decorative Arts to the Victoria & Albert Museum as part of the Moët Hennessy-PAD London Prize". However,  as it appears the prize has not been awarded this year, due to V&A's  sudden decision to file for a divorce with PAD. Instead of accepting a piece chosen by PAD's judging panel, the museum preferred to receive plain cash (£20, 000) from the Outset Design Fund to make its own choice and purchase a new object.


 Patrick Perrin, co-director of PAD, reported the judging committee  of the prize chaired by architect and designer Nigel Coates to be "very upset". 


(see the front page of  the Arts Newspaper, 12 October 2011)




See more pictures inside

Monday 3 October 2011

Art in Movement (at the RA and the V&A)

Curious, how two exhibitions which seemingly have nothing to do with each other are  creating a beautiful mosaic in my spotless mind (spotless due to a month break from any exhibitions and museums). 


The first one - a modern wunderkammer "Power of Making"  in the V&A   (on until 2 January 2012),  the second  -  "Degas and the Ballet. Picturing movement" in the Royal Academy (on until 11 December 2011). 

Degas  exhibition is arguably the most gracious pas the RA has performed recently. It presents  an impressive load of stretching, resting, swirling,  'arabesque-ing'  figures drawn, painted and even photographed by the french artist  along  his  life.  Private and state Institutions from all over the world have contributed to the show - ranging from the Pushkin Museum  to the MOMA,  from Jasper  Johns's to University of Oklahoma's collections.