Written by: Renny McFadin Erró, an Icelandic contemporary art treasure, is best known for his works within the Pop Art collage scene. His real name is Guðmundur Guðmundsson (born 1932), and he has studied in a multitude of art institutes. From the Oslo Academy of Fine Art to the Florence Academy of art, Erró has done it all. He has studied the art of engraving, fresco, painting, and more. His works are a cumulation of an abundance of icon styles. Surrealism and Pop Art have shaped the way that Erró creates his art today. His works span a type of imagery akin to consumer culture, i.e. advertisements, comics, and posters … appealing to the consumerist aspect of Pop Art. Clear inspiration from renowned artists like Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, and James Rosenquist can be found in Erró’s work. In 1989, Erró donated the majority of his life’s works to the City of Reykjavik. A grandiose number of 2,000 works were donated, spanning the mediums of painting, watercolor, graphic art, sculpture, collage, etc. (I mean, seriously, what can’t this man do?) This generous donation was not only multimedia, but also covered the length of Erró’s own life. Today the collection has obtained a sum of about 4,000 works by Erró. Thus, the Erró Collection in the Reykjavik Art Museum was established. A man of many talents, Erró has provided yet another portal to the magnificent world of Icelandic art.
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Written by: Natalie Kim and Maya Koehn-Wu Robert Rauschenberg JFK Art at Auction The estate of Robert and Beatrice Mayer has decided to sell a collection of prized art works including works such as Andy Warhol’s Liz and Roy Lichtenstein’s Kiss III. However, the most anticipated work of the auction is a piece done by Robert Rauschenberg, an American painter and graphic design artist, titled Buffalo II which depicts President John F. Kennedy with many items that, to Rauschenberg, symbolized America, such as the space race and commercialized goods. The importance of the over eight foot tall screen print is that it was made in the same year Rauschenberg won the Gold Lion award and broke records as the youngest, as well as the first, American recipient to win it. It also has cultural significance as it was made not long after the assassination of JFK in 1964. Originally, the piece cost $16,000, but it is now worth almost $50 million. The family stands to gain over a 300,000% profit. Trump Appropriates Funds for Own Portrait This is the third painting of Trump that has reportedly been bought by the President using funds from the Trump Foundation. The portrait, painted by artist William Quigley, was sold at a charity auction where, according to Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen, he used art collector Stewart Rahr as a straw man and refunded the billionaire for his $60,000 purchase. Quigley was also reportedly told by the President to increase the starting bid so he wouldn’t be embarrassed. Furthermore, he demanded that portrait be the most expensive sold at auction. Damien Hirst Hotel Suite?? The Palms Casino located in Las Vegas is now home to a luxury hotel suite designed by British artist Damien Hirst. The rather unusual, but jaw-dropping, “Empathy Suite” costs a whopping fee of $200,000 for a two night minimum stay, making it one of the most expensive hotel rooms in the world, and has repeating motifs of butterflies, preserved fish, and pills. This isn’t the first collaboration between Hirst and the resort; in the past, Hirst has installed a personally designed bar and will be installing a 60 foot sculpture of a headless demon in the pool. Contemporary Istanbul New Artistic Director Contemporary Istanbul, a leading art fair in Turkey, has named Anissa Touati to be the new artistic director, and Esra Ozkan as curator of Plugin - the fair’s media section. Contemporary Istanbul is an annual event that gives an opportunity to show off the city’s thriving art market. Touati has stated that the general theme will reflect the question of Mediterraneanism and is excited to generate more discussion and build more local and international partnerships and relationships. The fair is scheduled to take place from September 12-15. Michael Jackson Art Exhibition In Bonn, Germany, an exhibition starring the work of 40 artists will feature and honor the music of Michael Jackson. Despite recent findings hinting towards the star’s pedophilia and sexual abuse of children, the exhibition is still planning to move forwards and will open up on March 22. It remains to be seen how critics and fans will continue on the legacy of Jackson. As of now, the art world is still celebrating the legacy of his work. Cats and Art Museums Recently, a museum dedicated to cats was opened in Amsterdam. In tribute to his pet cat, John Pierpont Morgan, the founder, Bob Meijer, decided to wholly theme the museum in relation to cats. For many centuries, cats have been featured in artwork - beginning with the felines of Ancient Egypt to today’s contemporary images of cats on instagram. The name of the museum - De KattenKabinet (Cat Cabinet) features cats in a range of different medias and mediums including film, photography, sculpture, music, and posters. Two young cats additionally live as permanent residents and keepers of the museum. Want to virtually tour this museum? Check out this link: https://www.kattenkabinet.nl/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=39&Itemid=61&lang=nl Sources:
https://news.artnet.com/market/christies-rolls-first-pop-art-blockbusters-spring-season-1478608 https://news.artnet.com/art-world/trump-painting-1475962 https://news.artnet.com/art-world/look-inside-damien-hirsts-new-200000-night-vegas-suite-palms-1478332 http://www.artnews.com/2019/03/05/istanbul-contemporary-anissa-touati/ https://www.contemporaryistanbul.com/ http://www.artnews.com/2019/03/05/istanbul-contemporary-anissa-touati/ http://www.artnews.com/2019/03/05/michael-jackson-on-the-wall-sexual-abuse-allegations/ http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20190221-amsterdams-museum-dedicated-to-cats-in-art http://arsenovic.net/oldblog/kattenkabinet-the-cat-museum-in-amsterdam |
AuthorsNATALIE KIM is a junior at MLWGS and is committed to informing others of history being made in the art world. Archives
April 2019
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