“Qatar will open a new museum on Dec. 30 devoted to modern Arab art in its capital, Doha. Called Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, it will house a collection of more than 6,000 works, spanning the 1840s to the present and representing major artistic trends.”
Category: visual
LA Downtown ArtWalk – Victim Of Its Success?
“The mixed messages point to a bitter leadership struggle over the direction the nonprofit art walk should take. Board members said in interviews that the 6-year-old event has become a victim of its own success and that the cash-strapped organization doesn’t have the resources to deal with growing costs associated with security, trash collection and other services.”
Bronzino’s ‘Naked Dwarf’ Painting Uncovered
“The naked image of a dwarf who starred at the Medici court in the Florentine Renaissance, has been revealed after nearly three centuries of oblivion, Italian art experts announced last week at a press conference in Florence.”
Tensions Flare Over Handling Of Holocaust Art Claims
“Among the issues that divide them are what exactly constitutes Holocaust art loot, who should adjudicate claims, and where and how final rulings should be made. But the major source of contention is the claims community’s charge that museums are deliberately thwarting justice by wriggling out of ethical obligations through cynical legal maneuvers.”
Phillips Auction House Reinvents (Again)
“No art auctioneering company has been through so many changes in the last twelve years as Phillips, the company founded in London by Harry Phillips in 1796.”
Designs Unveiled For New Scottish Victoria & Albert Museum
“Six designs for the V&A Museum planned for Dundee’s waterfront will be unveiled at an exhibition in the city. The architects were shortlisted in May and asked to submit their designs for the building, due to be opened in 2014 as a centre of 21st Century design.”
London Sees Its First Outdoor Anish Kapoor Installation
“Four Anish Kapoor sculptures, creating distortions of their surroundings, have taken up residence among the trees and waters of Kensington Gardens for six months.”
Giant Statue of Middle Finger Causes Brouhaha in Milan
“The 11-meter high installation, called L.O.V.E.” and unveiled for the first time in Milan, is part of a retrospective dedicated to the Italian contemporary artist Maurizio Cattelan, whose provocative works include a sculpture of Pope John Paul being hit by a meteorite.”
Want To Try A Contemporary Building?
Living Architecture is a combination of an architecture company and a holiday rental business. With, eventually, five new country houses to rent for a week or a few days at a time, it has been “partly inspired by the example of the Landmark Trust – which does similar things with rare and unusual period houses – and the hugely influential Californian Case Study programme.”
Fantasy Las Vegas – Where Is There Left To Go?
“It’s been clear for a while that Las Vegas has been running out of themes. The trouble is that its effects rely entirely on dazzlement, an over-the-top gigantism that gets old fast.”