Category: visual

“The director of the Palace of Versailles denies he has caved in to the demands of traditionalist protest groups opposed to his contemporary art programme by agreeing to no longer use the chateau’s royal apartments as an exhibition space.”

Photographers had refused to attend the art exhibition after being asked to sign a form banning any images or words being published which could “result in any adverse publicity”. However, a Tate spokeswoman said on Monday that photographers would be allowed into the London launch without signing the contract.

“Being a museum president is being part P.T. Barnum,” says Daniel Finley, who recently bought a cowboy hat and bolo tie he planned to wear for the first time at the Autry Museum’s annual fundraising gala on Oct. 2, Jackie Autry’s 69th birthday. “There needs to be a degree of showmanship.”

“Parts of the wall — which welcomes 10 million visitors a year — are covered with graffiti, with names and phrases scrawled in English and French. At Badaling, one of the most popular sections of the wall due to its proximity to the Chinese capital, you have to walk several kilometres before you can find a brick that has not been carved into.”

“Some critics, curators and contemporary art mavens consider Barney, 43, the most important artist of his generation. Others think he’s a fraud. Still others stake out a middle ground. But one thing every one pretty much agrees on is that Barney has an unusually vivid imagination.”

“The price, however, is not high; it costs about €40,000 a month for three years to cover part of Doge’s Palace overlooking the lagoon and connecting with the Bridge of Sighs–less than two pages of advertising in a daily paper. And even with this money coming in, the restoration is still €600,000 short of the €2.8m needed to finish the job.”

Grand Rapids Michigan is filled with art as the second ArtPrize, the world’s richest art competition comes to town. Here’s a gallery of the finalists.

“Those opposing scenarios have divided the ranks of environmental groups whose members are torn between an artistic appreciation for Christo’s grandiose projects and a drive to protect the natural environment.”

“Given the capabilities of the new smartphones, which can respond to location, play audio and video, and allow Internet interactions, a sophisticated guide is inevitable. But the ones I have tried show the form only in its infancy. They offer information about events, exhibitions, schedules; they may feature audio or video. But seams are evident, and the apps creak under minimal strain.”

“It is the quintessence of Zaha’s constant attempt to create a landscape, a series of cavernous spaces drawn with a free, roving line.”