Category: visual

“The low-rise houses, which made headlines when they faced protests from local residents, beat other buildings such as Zaha Hadid’s acclaimed ski-lift stations near Innsbruck in Austria and the new Westminster Academy in London.”

“The entire industry is forming and reforming by the day like some monstrously engorged digestive tract, in which public and commercial are mulched.What does all this mean for our museums, which are now in direct competition not just with collectors, but with private museums, commercial galleries and even auction houses when it comes to contemporary art?”

“Amid a worsening global credit crisis, dealers say some art lovers no longer feel safe tucking their money into new art, particularly the kind made by the young and untested. This reversal is already reshaping the look and expectations for Frieze, whose performance typically sets the tone for the fall art season.”

Las Vegas is considering a proposal for a big new museum as a way to revitalize a neighborhood. A European billionaire “has twice attempted to build an art museum in downtown Las Vegas. And there’s no guarantee a third attempt will be the charm for the owner of the Plaza and other downtown casinos.”

Steve Wynn bought Picasso’s “Le Rêve.”. Then he accidentally put an elbow through it. “The puncture left a several-inch tear across Marie-Thérèse’s voluptuous left forearm.” Now it’s been repaired and will go on show this week. “No cynicism is needed to assume that one goal of the exhibition is to publicly demonstrate that repairs to “Le Rêve” have not had serious effect on its market value.”

“There’s no single reason why bicycle commuting has gone into high gear, though spiraling gas prices, concern about greenhouse-gas emissions, and an appreciation of messenger cool are surely contributing to the crowded bike lanes.” But parking for bikes in Philadelphia has not kept pace, and existing racks are aesthetically and practically displeasing. “The time has come to build a better bike rack.”

The Royal Institute of British Architects’ Stirling prize is handed out tomorrow, and it ought to go to Pritzker winner Zaha Hadid for her Austrian ski station, Colin Amery argues. “It is notoriously hard to predict the Stirling’s result, though on grounds of aesthetic adventurousness Hadid wins hands down.”

“Paintings and sculptures by emerging artists from Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries have defied slowing auction demand for top Chinese and Western works as global financial markets tumble and the prospect of a U.S. recession increase. Sellers at three art events this weekend in Singapore — a fair and two auctions — are hoping that sentiment will hold.”

The red-circle-and-blue-bar of the London Underground “is one of the earliest, best, most familiar and enduring of all corporate logos. It’s been around in one guise or another for exactly 100 years ago this autumn.” (includes historical slide show)

“The craft show life. You might call it the artist’s rendition of a traveling salesman. It’s set-up on Thursday, pack-up on Sunday, with selling in between. Often, there are only a few days before the next show.” Humble as it may seem, it’s a multibillion-dollar industry. “Still, rising gas, motel, and other costs are cutting into profits, forcing some to leave the business….”