Category: visual

An Australian prize for religious art begs the question – just what does “religious” art mean today? “There are plenty of examples of modern religious art, but not too many that come bounding to mind. In part, of course, this is because of the loosening of religion’s grip on the modern psyche. But, even more, it is because modern art put a lot of time, effort and rhetoric into becoming a religion of its own.” – Sydney Morning Herald

“Though nudes are one of the most coherent traditions in photography of the last century, a serious public discussion about the motif of the human body, which has been used extensively in all forms of communication and especially in advertising, could not take place in such a codified area.” But in the last century, medical-technical photography, which goes from X-ray images and video probes to the screening and scanning of single cells it has delivered increasingly spectacular and at the same time abstract views of the human body. – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Norman Foster’s £18 million Millennium Footbridge across the Thames, which opened last spring and was immediately shut down because it swayed alarmingly when people were on it, will be fixed. The fix will cost £5 million and take six months. – The Telegraph (UK)

A couple of years ago, when Christie’s began selling work by young contemporary artists, some in the art world complained the move would falsely inflate the value of such work. Bidding at the contemporary auction Thursday night was vigorous and exceeded the high estimate for the session. – New York Times

The Getty Trust gives the Barnes Foundation $500,000 to help bail it out of financial difficulty. The help also includes some Getty staff. “The grant is the first large donation since the Barnes announced a $15 million emergency fund-raising campaign last summer, and it gave the Barnes’ leaders new hope that they will be able to avoid closing the art-appreciation school in Merion and its world-famous gallery of Cezannes, Renoirs, Matisses and other works.” – Philadelphia Inquirer

Citing a lack of recognition and funding for sculpture – “the bridesmaid of the arts,” the National Gallery of Australia has inaugurated an annual National Sculpture Prize. – Sydney Morning Herald

Six records were set at Christie’s first sale of post-war art Wednesday night, which brought in a total of $59.7 million. The buyers? “They’re selective, but they’ll spend big, big money.” – New York Times

Pierre-Yves Gerbeau, the former Disney exec brought in to run the beleaguered Millennium Dome after its shaky start earlier this year, announced in a radio interview that he will personally purchase the attraction if no one else can be found to come to its rescue. “I am telling you that, if it is not bought, I am going to buy it myself.” – The Telegraph (UK)

The ancient Egyptians lined up the pyramids according to the position of the stars at the time. Their ability to do that allows scientists now to pinpoint exactly when the structures were built. “These stars were important for religious reasons. The king hoped to join them for eternity after his death. It was their alignment in the sky that enabled the architects to align the pyramids with true north with the amazing accuracy that has been puzzling scientists ever since.” – Discovery