Category: visual

“In the 19th century, coffee was a huge business in Europe with cafes flourishing across the continent. But coffee brewing was a slow process … Seeing an opportunity, inventors across Europe began to explore ways of using steam machines to reduce brewing time – this was, after all, the age of steam.”

“The explosion in the number of art fairs is the most significant change in the market since the turn of the century. The numbers tell the story: in 1970, there were just three main events (Cologne, Basel and the Brussels-based Art Actuel). But the number has mushroomed in the past decade: from 68 in 2005 to 189 in 2011.”

“Dedicated to creating works that reflect the fear and anxieties of a post-9/11 world–or at least challenge the notion that an artwork must withstand the test of time–many artists are incorporating elements of obliteration in their work. Not all of the productions are violent; some are simply chilling in their subtle references to everyday occurrences.”

The Russian curators of a touring exhibition of Alexander Rodchenko’s photographs documenting the early years of Soviet society insisted that no mention of Communism be made in the show’s materials. “Yet Communism, both as a utopian ideal and as a despotism, intermediated Rodchenko’s career. Can you discuss the art of Michelangelo without mentioning Christianity?”

“In 1935, American publisher George Macey offered the great Henri Matisse $5,000 to create as many etchings as this budget would afford for a special illustrated edition of Ulysses. … [It’s] a glorious leather-bound tome with 22-karat gold accents, gilt edges, moire fabric endsheets … The Matisse drawings inside it, of course, are the most priceless of its offerings – the best thing since Salvador Dalí’s little-known Alice in Wonderland illustrations.”

“The vandalism was caught by a stunned museum-goer, who was filming Picasso’s Woman in a Red Armchair with his cellphone camera when a man in a suit jacket and sunglasses strode up, held up a stencil against the work — one of nine Picassos at the Menil — and spray-painted in gold on the 1929 canvas.”

“As spectacular sums flow through the art market and an expert verdict can make or destroy a fortune, several high-profile legal cases have pushed scholars to censor themselves for fear of becoming entangled in lawsuits.”

The structure “is in dire condition and may be lost if it is not properly restored soon, according to Vladimir Shukhov, the great-grandson of [its] engineer and architect … The 90-year-old tower is regarded as an architectural masterpiece of the Russian avant-garde and has influenced contemporary architects including Norman Foster.”

“The Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter, a classic Victorian regional museum reinvented through a major redevelopment project and described as “quite simply a magical place”, has been proclaimed museum of the year, winning the £100,000 Art Fund prize.”

“In a medium known for work many regard as lightweight and decorative” – think of all the respect Dale Chihuly gets in high art circles – “[Josiah] McElheny’s creations strive to convey sophisticated, often dark ideas.”