Category: visual

“A group of scientists has studied the colors in more than 500 paintings of sunsets, including many of Turner’s 19th-century watercolors and oils, in hopes of gaining insights into the cooling effects caused by major volcanic eruptions.”

“A rare enamel-and-gold Faberge egg that had been in the Rothschild banking family for more than a century sold for record-setting $18.5 million at auction Wednesday. The sale of the translucent pink egg topped with a diamond-studded cockerel was a record for a Faberge work of art.”

“Chronic leaks, poor climate control, and outdated electrical systems threaten both the collections and visitors.”

“Miami architects Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk, the controversial husband and wife team who lead the traditional town planning movement called the New Urbanism, were named the winners Tuesday of next year’s Richard H. Driehaus Prize, which goes annually to a tradition-minded designer and now comes with $200,000 in prize money.”

“The museum has attempted to reinvent its approach, incorporating more multimedia to draw in greater numbers of visitors. The ‘dumbed down’ design is sacrificing education for entertainment, critics charge. Visitors don’t agree.”

“It would be insulting to other contemporary galleries to say that Lawrimore Project is the center around which the art world in Seattle orbits. But it’s fair to say that Lawrimore Project is the closest thing contemporary art in Seattle has to a center, and the only place that feels like a center, like a place where, at one point or another, everybody–and everybody’s energy–collects.”

“The sale totaled 25.7 million pounds ($53.3 million), including commissions, as wealthy collectors fought each other to buy works of their heritage. The total pre-sale estimate, which excludes commission, was 16 million pounds to 23.5 million pounds.”

“The best aspects of this building came from deeply considering how workplace design could aid the company in a tumultuous era. It’s not a frivolous exercise but one that smart, adaptable businesses should undertake.”

He’s Nicholas Penney. “He is at once a surprise appointment and the obvious choice to lead the National Gallery into the next decade. What do we know about Penny beyond the fact that he identified the Madonna of the Pinks as a Raphael, sparking a campaign to save the work for the nation? And why should the appointment be such a cause for optimism?”