Category: visual

“The Hohle Fels cave in southern Germany has yielded yet another startling archeological discovery — the oldest evidence of human painting ever found in Central Europe.”

“It was a big auction — 91 works — running the gamut from masters like Warhol and Twombly to many of today’s trendiest artists. And it made big prices. The sale totaled $247.6 million, which fell between its $226.4 million to $312.3 million estimates.”

“The Carrying of the Cross by the [17th-century] French master Nicolas Tournier was bought last year for 400,000 euros ($550,000) by the Weiss Gallery of London. But the French government says it is stolen property and that its whereabouts had been a mystery for nearly 200 years.”

“What they created was probably the most intensive and creative art and architectural movement of the 20th century, a sourcebook so copious that there’s scarcely any movement since that wasn’t anticipated by something tried and discarded between 1915 and 1935.”

“Between the collection, the building and the trails, Crystal Bridges was a massive undertaking. The project has been bankrolled by, among others, the Walton Family Foundation, which gave $1.2 billion for an endowment, and the Wal-Mart Foundation, which gave $20 million so that admission to the museum could be free. But not everyone who works at Wal-Mart is excited about the project.”

“Overall, the art market should grow considerably in size as more countries reach a stage in development that allow enough people to buy and collect art. New York and, less so, London will maintain their pre-eminent positions because of the US and the UK’s more stable demographics, their open economies, legal systems, low taxation and international cultures, but they will have more rivals.”

“There is a twist in this month’s test of the Warhol market following the announcement that the Andy Warhol Foundation will dissolve its authentication board at the beginning of 2012.”

“Proponents say it will generate $121 million in economic activity and draw 400,000 visitors. Some locals fume, referring to the silvery canopies as rags and citing concerns about traffic delays on narrow U.S. 50 for the nearly two years of construction required by the project. The Bureau of Land Management received more than 4,500 public comments in the past three years as it analyzed Christo’s proposal.”

“With large crowds expected, arts editor Will Gompertz looks at whether the phenomenon of the blockbuster exhibition means that visitors are unable to appreciate the paintings .”

“Art restorers have discovered the figure of a devil hidden in the clouds of one of the most famous frescos by Giotto in the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi, church officials said on Saturday.”