Category: visual

Arcosanti is a settlement 70 miles from Phoenix, Arizona, and “a curious taste of what an environmentally friendly US town could look like, but probably never will. It was designed by Paolo Soleri, an Italian-born architect, who originally came to Arizona to work for Frank Lloyd Wright, but soon set off on his own idiosyncratic path… Today, as the world wakes up to the grim realities of climate change, peak oil and sustainability, Soleri’s path looks less idiosyncratic. In fact, he’s now something of a guru.”

“Not so long ago many of the world’s greatest architectural talents behaved as though the actual construction of buildings was beneath them. This was not just youthful idealism. Free of mundane professional considerations like budgets, clients and zoning laws, these architects were able to produce works that were aesthetically inventive and piercing social commentaries. And their designs were wildly influential.”

“What does it mean for the art market that a living artist bypasses dealers altogether and sells his wares directly at auction? There is some speculation that this might be a pivotal moment, like the end of the studio system in movies or the continuing decline of the record labels in the music business. Could the gallerist’s traditional role as mediator between the contemporary artist and his market be passé?”

Sellers on eBay may be surprised to learn that their cast-offs are to feature as “works of art” at one of London’s most prominent galleries.

“This year, some of the most arresting images in the race for the White House are not the work of ad agencies, political consultants or photojournalists but of a subculture of artists who use the streets as their canvas. Their pro-Obama work — there is no similar phenomenon for John McCain — has been spotted everywhere, even Paris and Beijing. It’s an odd twist in the world of street art.”

If it is in fact a Leonardo, skeptics say, it went unrecognized by experts at the auction house, as well as the specialized dealers who attended the sale, including the one who bought it. ‘The market is a fairly efficient place. This would be an amazing miss’.”

“Over the past 15 years public sculpture — that is, static, often figurative objects of varying sizes in outdoor public spaces — has become one of contemporary art’s more exciting areas of endeavor and certainly its most dramatically improved one.”

“With luck, the chorus of condemnation will forestall any Pollock sale by the University of Iowa. But the larger question remains: How can we turn back the tide of reckless capitalization of museum collections? A sentence buried in the Association of Art Museum Directors’ letter to the president of the Board of Regents suggested a possible solution.”

A great building (or a really terrible one, for that matter) hits you in the gut. It provides a kind of aesthetic jolt that is essentially irreversible — regret-proof. The problem for architects, as for critics, lies not in saying the wrong thing but in saying it the wrong way.

“Record crude oil prices that buoyed the fortunes of Middle Eastern countries and individuals have spurred demand for artworks, prompting auction houses Christie’s International and Bonhams to hold sales in the region. Iranian lots were the favorites.”