Category: visual

Lately, it seems as if every aging British rock star has taken up painting. And while it’s clear that most of them are serious about their forays into the visual arts, “whether or not these notables would ever grace the walls of such esteemed institutions if it weren’t for their day jobs is questionable.”

“If the Museum of Contemporary Art/Denver’s considerably smaller, more subdued building is not likely to draw every major architecture critic in the country or ignite a blaze of controversy, the institution’s leaders nonetheless have big ambitions for the $15.9 million project. Cydney Payton, executive director and chief curator, believes the structure, which opens to the public on Oct. 28, is nothing short of unique among contemporary art museums in the United States.

Elizabeth Gibson was on her way to get a coffee when she saw a painting in the street. She picked it up and carried it home. Turns out it may be an important work, and the story of how it got from Houston, where it was stolen, to a New York street 20 years later is a mystery…

Can a single book, no matter how weighty, ever even begin to cover 30,000 years of art history? One is attempting to, and if the reaction of two UK critics is any indication, it succeeds in conveying scope, even if it does twist all 30,000 years to fit what is “currently an extremely fashionable stance.”

“An exhibition that has just opened at the Royal Academy serves as a reminder of how one man, buying against the tide of fashion, almost single-handedly put the ‘great’ back into British art.” As it happens, the collector (who sports a famous name in the art world) is an American…

“The Mona Lisa’s famously enigmatic smile was originally wider and more expressive, according to new scans of the painting… [Also,] Da Vinci changed his mind about the position of two fingers on the Mona Lisa’s left hand,” and the colors of the famous portrait have changed considerably with age.

“More than 100 masterpieces of art from the great Russian museums – the vast majority of which have never been seen in Britain – are being lined up for an exhibition at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, early next year… [But] a potential cloud hangs over the show: possible legal claims could be made on the priceless pictures.”

“Since 1950, the world has drastically altered in shape. Television, migration and the internet have brought separate continents into far greater proximity. Cultural references ranging from Jamaica to Japan are instantly available anywhere, while the search for the historical roots behind each seems to head down a hundred different wormholes. How do you tell a story of art that addresses these new conditions? You don’t. That has been the emerging consensus. You produce compendious historical surveys.”

“In the era of movies with elaborate special effects and video games with graphics that cause players to marvel at the feeling of being inside the game, its no wonder museums are scrambling to keep up. For many, the answer to a more sophisticated audience and one with, perhaps, a shorter attention span is interactivity and immersion. Science and childrens museums have long trafficked in hands-on, sensory experiences. Now, with improved technology, the experiential exhibit is reaching new heights and turning up in a variety of venues.”