Category: visual

Canada’s entry in the Venice Biennale is to be found in a humble pavilion (some might call it a shack) which sits in the shadow of far more lavish presentations by various European countries. “Like trade missions set up to tap into bustling new economies, each national arts pavilion is in Venice to ratchet up national visibility, especially during this crucial weekend as critics prowl the place.” So why can’t Canadian politicians and business leaders see the value of properly funding such an enterprise?

The Smithsonian has opened a new gallery focusing on the history, art, and culture of Korea. “Around the gallery are ceramics spanning 1,500 years, an exhibit on calligraphy, a brief look at Korean identity and several pieces of contemporary Korean art. The museum has a collection of more than 4,000 Korean artifacts and works of art, but before the opening of the Korea Gallery, only one pair of ceramics had been displayed in recent memory.”

“The Cleveland Museum of Art has filled a major gap in its collection by acquiring one of the most important collections of 20th-century Surrealist photography in private hands. The museum agreed this week to buy 171 photographs owned by David Raymond, a New York art collector and producer of independent films. The purchase price was not revealed. Raymond is also donating additional works, bringing the total acquisition to 180 individual images.”

This is promising to be a banner art summer for Europe, as a rare convergence will see the Venice Biennale, Art Basel, Germany’s Documenta festival, and the Muenster Sculpture Project all opening within weeks of each other. Venice opens its 52nd edition this weekend, and already, the buzz coming from the continent is deafening.

Christie’s owner François Pinault has signed a deal with the city of Venice “to create a contemporary-art center in an unused customs house called Punta della Dogana, at the entrance to the Grand Canal. The agreement is for 30 years, during which Mr. Pinault is to make 141 works he has accumulated the basis of the new museum’s permanent collection.”

“There are officially 77 countries taking part in this year’s Venice Biennale, shipping in crates of their most eye-catching art. But unbeknownst to most of the thronging crowds, there is a 78th nation involved (a kingdom, to be precise), one that does not show up on any of the lists… It bears the unwieldy name of the Kingdoms of Elgaland-Vargaland, and they exist primarily in the minds of two dour, funny middle-aged artists from Stockholm.”

Back in the 1920s, the Coca Cola Company commissioned six paintings from Norman Rockwell that became part of the soft drink maker’s legendary positioning of itself at the heart of traditional Americana. But after the ads ran, Coke lost track of three of the original paintings. Now, it’s hoping to find them and buy them back.

“A recent dispute over why the Metropolitan Museum of Art bookstore decided not to carry a book that closely relates to one of the museum’s current exhibitions has raised questions about the management of the bookstore and the role of the retail division within the institution.”

War, economic development and global climate change pose threats to extraordinary buildings and cities, according the World Monuments Fund’s 2008 Watch List of the 100 most endangered sites.

Francois Pinault is in Venice to sign an agreement wo build his new museum. “The agreement is for 30 years, during which Mr. Pinault is to make 141 works he has accumulated the basis of the new museum’s permanent collection. Two years ago Mr. Pinault bought the 18th-century Palazzo Grassi as a space to present exhibitions of his contemporary-art collection as well as of shows devoted to more historical art. The Japanese architect Tadao Ando, who renovated the Palazzo Grassi, is expected to begin work on the 17th-century Dogana building this fall.”