Conrad Marca-Relli NYC East Hampton at Knoedler & Company, NYC and Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, East Hampton

Conrad Marca-Relli 

City to Town 

Knoedler & Company, New York  

May 5 - July 29, 2011 

Conrad Marca-Relli 

The Springs Years, 1953-1956 

Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, East Hampton 

May 5 - July 30, 2011 

In assocation with Archivio Marca-Relli, Parma

CONRAD MARCA-RELLI 

Cityscape, ca. 1952, Oil on canvas, 36 1/2 x 61 1/2 inches 

Courtesy Knoedler & Company, NYC and Archivio Marca-Relli, Parma

A wonderful, mysterious city has been discovered by Marca-Relli. Its exact location is never revealed, yet clues place it somewhere between Hopper’s New York and de Chirico’s dream city. — Paul Brach, 1953

CONRAD MARCA-RELLI’s life and career were restlessly peripatetic—he moved back and forth between Europe and the United States, with homes at various times in New York City, East Hampton, Rome, Paris, Ibiza, and Parma—even for a time living on a houseboat on the Seine. In addition, his frequent travels included two trips to Mexico (in 1940 and 1952), where the geometric abstract quality of the white adobe architecture, seen in intensely contrasting light and shadow, proved extremely influential on his cityscapes, as well as his evolving work in collage.

As a condition of duality characterized his pattern of residency throughout his life, so too, in his art, Marca-Relli kept a foothold both in abstraction and figuration. He never gave himself over entirely to pure abstraction, but found he was either inclined to abstract a figurative reference or to travel back and forth in his work between figuration and total abstraction. In his catalogue essay, Senso Architettonico, Carter Ratcliff identifies the “architecture” of art-making as a unifying and core principle in Marca-Relli’s work, one which led him ultimately away from painting per se, to the “construction” of collages. As early as 1951, in an ongoing series of town- and cityscapes, the artist began exploring a theme that brought together his attention to structure in his work; his literal engagement with architecture; his response to the history and specificity of the locales he visited; and the metaphorical underpinning the theme allowed for. Metaphorical depictions of towns and cities recur throughout Western art history—from Ambrogio Lorenzetti’s 14th century allegorical murals in the Palazzo Pubblico, Siena, to the urban world of Edward Hopper, to the metaphysical cityscapes of Mario Sironi and Giorgio de Chirico. Indeed Marca-Relli’s stacked dwellings and perforated façades, as well as his desolate, depopulated views, have much in common with these artists. Carter Ratcliff has written:

Seen in isolation the Cityscapes of 1951–52 are astonishing. Rendered in a palette of grays at once gloomy and luminous, they are filled with a melancholy that is not mere sadness but, rather, an exalted awareness of the humanity we have shared in the cities we began to build more than five millennia ago. Charging ordinary buildings with the weight of history, these paintings are all the more remarkable when we see them against the backdrop of the New York art world in the early 1950s.

Despite the dominance of Abstract Expressionism in postwar American art, Marca-Relli’s cityscapes had relevance and resonance for his contemporaries. In 1976, Harold Rosenberg recalled of Marca-Relli that the first strong impression made on me by his canvases was a show of his “cityscapes.” The U.S. Pavilion at the 1956 Venice Biennale was an exhibition entitled, American Artists Paint the City, curated by Katharine Kuh of The Art Institute of Chicago. Included was Marca-Relli’s 1951 New York cityscape, La Città. The series continued to evolve in Marca-Relli’s work, and we find him passing through widely diverging treatments and variations on the subject through the late 1990s.

CONRAD MARCA-RELLI: CITY TO TOWN, spans the years 1942 to 1996, and includes over twenty paintings and collages. The exhibition remains on view at Knoedler & Company through July 29. The opening reception will be held on Thursday, May 5, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm.

Concurrently on view at the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center, East Hampton is CONRAD MARCA-RELLI: THE SPRINGS YEARS, 1953-1956, May 5-July 30. This exhibition focuses on works created during the period of Marca-Relli’s four-year residence in East Hampton, at 852 Fireplace Road, which was also the period of his warm and respectful friendship with his neighbors, Jackson Pollock and Lee Krasner. Marca- Relli later wrote, I felt that moving away from the city would give me the peace necessary to pursue my work. The move had a favorable, even decisive influence on his art, as it had for Jackson Pollock, who moved to Springs in 1945. In Marca-Relli’s case, this period saw the full emergence of his engagement with collage; indeed, in his catalogue essay, Carter Ratcliff sees the artist as redefining the premises of collage, literally reinventing it. A reception will be held at the Pollock-Krasner House and Study Center on Sunday, June 26, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm, with a gallery talk by Magdalena Dabrowski, Special Consultant in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Department of Nineteenth-Century, Modern and Contemporary Art.

The exhibitions, both organized in cooperation with the Archivio Marca-Relli, Parma, Italy, are accompanied by a dual publication with essays by Carter Ratcliff.

CARTER RATCLIFF is a poet and art critic. A contributing editor of Art in America, he has received several awards for his work, including the College Art Association’s 1987 Frank Jewett Mather Award for Art Criticism, a Guggenheim Fellowship, two National Endowment for the Arts’ Art Critics Grants, and a Poets Foundation Grant. His writings have appeared in American and European journals and in the publications of museums including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Guggenheim in New York, and the Royal Academy in London. He has taught at the School of Visual Arts and Hunter College and has lectured at a variety of institutions, including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Among his books are monographs on Andy Warhol, John Singer Sargent, and Georgia O’Keeffe. He is the author of The Fate of a Gesture: Jackson Pollock and Postwar American Art, The Figure of the Artist (2000), and Out of the Box: The Reinvention of Art: 1965-1975 (2000).

The upcoming exhibition in the Knoedler Project Space will be KEITH MAYERSON: Iconscapes, 1995-1999, May 12 - July 29, 2011

KNOEDLER & COMPANY

19 East 70th Street

New York, NY 10021

www.knoedlergallery.com

Art on Paper 2011 Drawing Fair Bruxelles

ART ON PAPER 2011 

Brussels Drawing Fair Bruxelles

28, 29, 30 avril & 1er mai 2011 

ART ON PAPER Affiche de l'édition 2011

Un jour et une discipline de plus : pour sa seconde édition, Art On Paper voit les choses en grand et s’ouvre à la photographie. Le vernissage aujourd'hui. La particularité de cette foire d'art est de se dérouler dans les chambres d'un hôtel où les oeuvres sont donc exposées dans un espace à taille humaine, sur les murs des chambres, sur les lits aussi, parfois.

ART ON PAPER, Bruxelles, 2010 
Photo courtesy Vo-Event

Cette année, dans les chambres claires, intimistes et épurées du White Hotel, la photographie s’accroche à côté du dessin. Quelques galeries spécialisées, quelques clichés, car les œuvres originales sur papier sélectionnées par des galeries Belges et internationales constituent toujours le cœur de Art On Paper, « une chambre, une galerie » assurant un rythme de visite et de rencontre tout en simplicité, en toute proximité. 

L’an dernier, le White Hotel de l’avenue Louise recevait 40 galeries belges, françaises, allemandes et hollandaises représentant une centaine d’artistes. Plus de 4000 visiteurs ont ainsi pu découvrir ou redécouvrir une discipline qui s’affirme enfin sur le marché de l’art contemporain.

Fort du succès de la première manifestation, cette deuxième édition de Art on Paper se déroulera de nouveau au WH et prolongera sa durée d’un jour pour rendre l’accès aux œuvres plus aisé, pour fluidifier la circulation des visiteurs et répondre à l’idéal d’accessibilité et d’ouverture de l’événement. Art On Paper s’étend donc à présent sur 4 jours, du 28 avril au 1er mai. 

Le dessin contemporain présenté dans tous ses états, avec des oeuvres modernes et contemporaines, s’ouvre aux découvreurs et découvertes, séduit et donne la possibilité matérielle d’acheter des pièces plutôt que de les maintenir dans une sphère inaccessible réservée à quelques rares acquéreurs. 

Les artistes - personnalités diverses réunies dans des espaces définis - déplient la vision de leurs disciplines, s’appuient sur le support fondamental, présentent un one-man-show ou un projet d’exposition spécifique sur minimum 1/3 de ses cimaises à un public nombreux et complémentaire de celui qui fréquente habituellement les galeries. 

ART ON PAPER Bruxelles 2010
Photo courtesy Vo-Event

L’art sur papier cesse d’intimider, bouscule les convenances. Pour cette édition de Art On Paper, les initiateurs du projet (Michel Culot pour Vo-event et Pierre Hallet, directeur de la GPH) offrent une visibilité de choix à un artiste émergeant. Celui-ci a été choisi parmi les artistes représentés par les galeries participantes et recevra gracieusement une des chambres pour y présenter un one man show. 

Il s'agit en l'occurrence d'un one woman show puisque c'est l'artiste Kate Lyddon qui a été retenue et qui présentera donc une exposition de ses oeuvres. KATE LYDDON, née à Brighton, Angleterre, en 1979, a fait des études artistiques de 1998 à 2006, à la Canterbury Christ Church University, Canterbury, à la Royal University College of Fine Arts, Stockholm, et au Chelsea College of Art and Design, London. Depuis 2006 on la voit régulièrement sur la scène artistique européenne, présentée entre autre à Art Verona 2009, à Slick Contemporary art fair 2009, et à Chic dessin et à Chic art fair 2010 à Paris, par La Galerie d’YS (Bruxelles), à la Galerie Anders Lundmark (Stockholm), à Malmö, Berlin, Milan et à Tate Modern à Londres. Sa première exposition personnelle a eu lieu à la Galerie d’YS à Bruxelles du 23 avril au 30 mai 2010. 

KATE LYDDON Crayon, encre, collage
Courtesy de l'artiste et de la Galerie d'YS, Bruxelles

KATE LYDDON Crayon, encre, collage
Courtesy de l'artiste et de la Galerie d'YS, Bruxelles

Une volonté assumée de mêler qualité et ouverture, un désir de s’adresser tant aux collectionneurs qu’aux amateurs et a un public simplement désireux de s’initier à l’art par le biais du support papier.

Quelle est la place du dessin contemporain dans le marché de l’art ? Pourquoi un tel salon à Bruxelles ? Pierre Hallet et Michel Culot livrent quelques éléments de réponse : « Le dessin revient en force par le biais de toutes sortes d’évènements qui lui sont consacrés (le mois du dessin à Paris, plusieurs salons, etc.). L’accessibilité financière à des œuvres et l’ouverture vers des artistes sinon peu “achetables” intéresse le public. C’est une expression de l’art plus “intime”, elle fait moins peur, elle provoque davantage de dialogue entre galeriste et amateur. En Belgique il existait une méfiance vis à vis des œuvres sur papier. Cette tendance s’inverse. 

ART on Paper apporte du contenu sur un  sujet peu ou pas assez développé à Bruxelles et en Belgique. Art on Paper présente une offre représentative de cette nouvelle tendance qu’est la présentation par les galeries des œuvres sur papier d’artistes reconnus ou émergents. Il y a un public de collectionneurs de plus en plus nombreux pour ce type de démarche car il y a là encore de réelles découvertes à faire et des œuvres à acquérir qui viennent compléter et enrichir la vision sur le travail et la démarche créative  d’un artiste.

Il n’existait pas de salon à Bruxelles et un salon très ciblé et défini intéresse bien plus qu’une énième foire. Il y a avait de la place pour ce salon pointu et spécialisé, qui se présente comme alternative crédible face aux poids lourds tels Art Brussels ou de l’autre côté aux salons plus axé sur le « fun shopping » comme  AAF.

ART ON PAPER Bruxelles 2010
Photo Courtesy Vo-event

La taille “humaine” du salon aussi est importante. Le propos de Art On Paper est aussi de présenter les œuvres dans un contexte différent et  original et de proposer aux visiteurs  une accessibilités décomplexée aux œuvres et aux artistes présentés par les galeristes et de permettre à ces derniers de faire un véritable travail de promotion mais en créant le dialogue et un contact plus intime favorisé par la présentation des œuvres en chambres. La galerie se transforme en véritable  « chambre d’amis », ce qu’aucun salon  ni aucune foire classique  ne peut proposer. On ne submerge pas le public. On discute plus autour d’un dessin qu’autours de n’importe quelle autre expression de l’art. C’est étonnant mais c’est réel. »

ART ON PAPER 2011 

Brussels Drawing Fair

White Hotel

212, avenue Louise 

1050 Bruxelles

www.artonpaper.be

Design with the Other 90%: Cities by Cooper-Hewitt, US National Design Museum, at the UN, NYC

Design with the Other 90%: Cities 

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, NYC 

Off-Site Exhibition at the United Nations, NYC 

October 15, 2011 - January 9, 2012 

Design with the Other 90%: Cities
Courtesy Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

DESIGN WITH THE OTHER 90%: CITIES the second in a series of themed exhibitions by Cooper-Hewitt that demonstrate how design can address the world's most critical issues, opens Oct. 15 at the United Nations and runs through Jan. 9, 2012. Organized by Cynthia E. Smith, the museum's curator of socially responsible design, the exhibition will feature more than 60 projects from 22 countries around the globe. Admission to the exhibition will be free of charge.

The museum's main facility, housed in the Carnegie Mansion, will be under renovation, beginning in fall 2011.

The exhibition will explore design solutions to the challenges created by rapid urban growth in informal settlements, commonly referred to as slums. Close to 1 billion people live in informal settlements, and that population is projected to swell to 2 billion people by 2030. This accelerated urban expansion will take place primarily in developing and emerging economies in an increasingly climate-challenged world. Projects and products at every scale will be included, with a focus on designs that are informed by end users: alternative housing design, methods and materials; low-cost clean water; accessible education initiatives; sanitation and solid-waste management; transportation solutions; innovative systems and infrastructure; and urban design and planning.

"Cooper-Hewitt is delighted to present this free exhibition at the United Nations, where visitors from all over the world will be able to see how design can address the most critical issues in developing and emerging countries," said Bill Moggridge, director of the museum.

DESIGN WITH THE OTHER 90%: CITIES is divided into six themes: Exchange, Visibility, Adapt, Include, Livelihood and Access. To orient the visitor, compelling information will be presented in the form of maps, comparative statistics and a video and sound installation organized by urban videographer Cassim Shepard.

Exchange

Increasingly, local and regional authorities cannot keep up with the unprecedented growth of informal settlements or slums. This section of the exhibition showcases innovative solutions that have emerged as the informal and formal cities exchange design knowledge to meet this demand.

Among the projects on view are community-generated solutions by Shack/Slum Dwellers International that build the capacity of poor urban communities by addressing secure land tenure, housing, basic amenities and livelihood through community-to-community exchanges throughout Africa, Asia and Latin America; the Urbanism Manual for Precarious Settlements, designed and produced for use in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which provides a free "how-to" urban design manual for newly arriving settlers; and the Incremental Housing project in Iquique, Chile, and Monterrey, Mexico, which produces half-finished houses that are completed by the residents and contain only the essentials of a built home—bathroom, kitchen, structure and roof—in order to stretch resources further to meet the rapidly growing demand for housing.

Other projects in this section explore building methods, materials and manufacturing, including a full-scale shelter installation representing an alternative gabions construction method used in Mexico City, in which mesh and wire containers are filled on-site with locally available materials. This low-cost, flexible system can easily adapt to accommodate a range of needs. Also on view will be a plastic formwork kit to produce cast-in-place mortar structures using mostly indigenous materials, in order to quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively produce homes.

Visibility

The projects on view in this section increase awareness of the scope and scale of the conditions in informal settlements, which are often invisible and do not show up on official maps or on census roles.

Highlights of the included projects are the Praça Cantao Favela Painting project in Santa Marta, Rio de Janeiro, where artists engaged community members to paint the building exteriors in their neighborhood, calling international media attention to their need for improvement; and the open-source mapping project Map Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, which engages local youth to map the settlement in order to locate and number the hundreds of thousands of people living there and document the lack of basic services of the informal settlement.

Adapt

Designers and architects are collaborating with communities to create design solutions that respond to the local terrain, urban or climate conditions of the region.

Featured works on view in this section include the Integral Urban Project in the neighborhood of San Rafael-Barrio Unido in Caracas, Venezuela, which upgraded the extremely vertical settlement with an improved network of stairs that integrate drainage, sewage and clean water infrastructure; and the Floating Community Lifeboats in Bangladesh, which provide space for solar-powered schools, libraries, clinics and community centers in response to rising waters and extreme density.

Include

There is a growing urban divide in many of the world's cities. The "include" section features design solutions that seek to include those who had been marginalized by the established city—the poor, women, youth and entire communities.

Among the featured projects are the Jiko ya jamii (Community Cooker), a large-scale oven that uses trash as fuel to power a communal cooking facility in Kibera, Nairobi; the city of Diadema, Brazil, where the mayor worked directly with the informal communities through participatory planning and budgeting to reurbanize the settlements, including widening and paving what were once narrow streets, cooperatively building social housing, establishing a new system of land tenure and providing quality health care to all residents; and Kaputei Town in Kenya, developed by Jamii Bora Trust, a micro-finance organization started by 50 street beggar families who saved enough money to found the Trust in 1999. Jamii Bora members receive loans to start small businesses and save enough to purchase a house in the town, where social amenities, facilities and open spaces are maintained by neighborhood management associations.

Livelihood

Informal communities often form as people from rural areas migrate to urban centers in search of jobs and better lives. The projects in this section create work opportunities, such as Spaza-de-Move-on in Durban, South Africa, a portable, durable device that provides dignity and convenience to informal street vendors; M-PESA, a mobile money transfer service that enables urban migrants in Kenya to send money back to their villages via a mobile device; and in Bangalore, India Babajob.com, a social-networking service, connects impoverished job seekers with employers through chains of personal connections, replicating the process by which Indians hire in real life.

Access

Informal settlements lack access to basic services. The largest section of the exhibition includes design solutions to improve access to water, sanitation, food security, electricity, health, transportation and education.

Projects on view include the SONO Water Filter from Bangladesh, a low-cost, reliable and user-friendly household system to remove arsenic from drinking water through a series of buckets filled with locally available materials that act as natural filters; the BioCentres in Nairobi are complexes that feature toilets and washrooms accessible to the disabled, with free child only toilets, water kiosks selling affordable clean water and ancillary rooms for community and livelihood activities on the upper floors; Garden-in-a-sack in Kibera, Nairobi made from inexpensive, available materials to maximize the small amount of space available in the settlement for micro-agriculture; the Bicycle Phone Charger, a simple device made from bicycle and radio parts that is attached to a bicycle to generate enough power to charge a cell phone; the Shasthya Shebika (Health Volunteer) Kit, a portable pharmacy kit for health volunteers throughout informal communities in Dhaka, Bangladesh; the Guangzhou Bus Rapid Transit system in Guangzhou, China, services nearly 1 million riders per day and the cost is 10 times less expensive than the metro; and the Digital Drum in Kampala, Uganda, a solar-powered information access point made from two durable, low-cost oil drums welded together, rugged keyboards, solar panels and low-power tablets.

Exhibition Materials

A site-specific installation in the lobby of the United Nations Visitors Centre will be designed by Moorhead + Moorhead, a New York-based architecture and design firm.

"Cities" will be accompanied by an online open-network database, which will extend the exhibition beyond the physical space. Developed in collaboration with the museum's curatorial, communications and education staff, the database will compile vital design resources for developing and emerging economies; connect numerous stakeholders in the field of socially responsible design and engage a wider local and international audience in developing solutions for those living in poverty. The database will begin with 100 projects from both the "Design for the Other 90%" and "Design with the Other 90%: Cities" exhibitions, and invite user-generated content, in order to track a multitude of projects throughout the world and their global impact.

A fully illustrated catalog will accompany the exhibition, featuring essays by Somsook Boonyabancha of the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights, Edgar Pieterse of the African Centre for Cities and Christian Werthmann from Harvard's Graduate School of Design. Also included in the catalog will be interviews conducted by Smith with Jockin Arputham of Shack/Slum Dwellers International and Sheela Patel of SPARC, Juliana Rotich of Ushahidi, Rob Small and Christina Kaba of Abalimi Bezekhaya, Gabriela Sorda from the Architecture, Design and Urbanism Department at the University of Buenos Aires and Sharad Sapra of UNICEF.

About the Series

DESIGN WITH THE OTHER 90%: CITIES is the second in a series of themed exhibitions that demonstrate how design can be a dynamic force in transforming, and in many cases, saving lives. The first exhibition in 2007, DESIGN WITH THE OTHER 90% focused on design solutions that address the most basic needs for 90% of the world's population not traditionally served by professional designers.

About the Renovation of the Carnegie Mansion

Cooper-Hewitt's redesign focuses on adapting a 20th-century historic house to meet the needs of a 21st-century museum. Through reprogramming portions of the mansion on Fifth Avenue and 91st Street and the adjacent townhouses on 90th Street, the project will increase the museum's total exhibition space by 60 percent, from approximately 10,000 square feet to approximately 16,000 square feet. The project's design architect is Gluckman Mayner Architects. Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP serves as the executive architect. The renovated facility is scheduled to reopen in 2013.

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum is devoted exclusively to historic and contemporary design. Founded in 1897 by Amy, Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt—granddaughters of industrialist Peter Cooper—as part of the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, the museum has been a branch of the Smithsonian since 1967. Website: www.cooperhewitt.org

The United Nations' Visitors Centre is located on First Avenue at 46th Street and is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Public transit routes include the Lexington Avenue 4, 5 and 6 subways to Grand Central Terminal and the M15, M27, M42 or M104 buses. Admission to the exhibition at the United Nations is free of charge. The United Nations is fully accessible.

DESIGN WITH THE OTHER 90%: CITIES is made possible by the Rockefeller Foundation. "The Rockefeller Foundation is proud to support Cooper-Hewitt in their presentation of this innovative exhibition. These unique projects illustrate how the world is using design to build resilience for the poor and vulnerable in cities and ultimately help advance growth with equity," said Benjamin de la Pena, associate director of the Rockefeller Foundation.

Additional support is provided by Procter & Gamble, Deutsche Bank and the Smithsonian Institution's Research Opportunity Fund.

Self-Published Photography Book Competition

Photography Book Now Announces Call for Entries in Self-Published Photography Book Competition

The 2011 Photography Book Now competition is open for entries. Now in its fourth year and featuring a $25,000 grand prize, this international-juried competition, presented by Blurb (online self-publishing and marketing platform) celebrates among the best in self-published photography books and the photographers behind them. For the first time, the competition will also celebrate up-and-coming talent with a Student category. 

Entries will be accepted in three professional categories - Fine Art, Documentary and Travel.

Noted photography book expert Darius Himes returns to the competition for the fourth year as lead judge. In this role, Himes will lead a panel of distinguished photographers, publishers, editors and gallery curators who will jury the Photography Book Now competition. 

The 2011 competition jurors include:

    - Markus Schaden, Publisher and Curator

    - Larissa Leclair, Founder, Indie Photobook Library

    - Gerry Badger, Photographer

    - Jon Levy, Founder and Director, Foto8

    - Chris Boot, Executive Director, Aperture Foundation

    - Matt Eich, Photographer, Luceo

    - Steven McCurry, Photographer, Magnum

    - Whitney Lawson, Photo Editor, Travel + Leisure

    - Claudia Hinterseer, Founder, Noor

    - Larry Fink, Photographer

    - Henry Horenstein, Educator and Photographer

    - Laura Brunow Miner, Founder, Pictory

"Photography Book Now offers photographers from all backgrounds and from around the world an incredible opportunity to showcase their best work in book form," said Darius Himes, lead judge of Photography Book Now. "We are thrilled to have assembled such a prestigious group of photography professionals as jurors for this year's competition. Submissions from the competition's first three years have set the bar high, and our jurors are looking forward to seeing even more inspiring work this year."

Submissions will be accepted through 3:00 pm PDT on July 14, 2011.

Leading photography and design organizations have joined Photography Book Now as sponsors. Hewlett Packard returns as the sponsor of the $25,000 grand prize. Adobe will be supplying $5,000 to each of the four category winners, and New Page Corp. is the exclusive People's Choice sponsor. Other category prizes will be provided by liveBooks, Lensbaby, Wacom, Nik Software and X-Rite. Additional sponsors include Mohawk Fine Papers, British Journal of Photography, Photo District News, Digital Photo Pro Magazine, Center, D-Photo, Foto8, iStockphoto, Monster Children Magazine, and Photonews

The finalists' books in each category will become part of the permanent collections at the International Center of Photography, the Indie Photobook Library and the George Eastman House.

"Creating a beautifully produced photography book while retaining complete control of the creative process is what every artist craves," said Eileen Gittins, founder and CEO, Blurb. "We also have heard from past winners of Photography Book Now that having their work recognized by such distinguished jurors as well as featured at international photography events around the world has opened new doors for them professionally. We are deeply committed to celebrating the medium of photography books and are proud to present Photography Book Now for its fourth year."

For more information and to enter the competition, visit http://www.photographybooknow.com.

Street Art Graffitis Barcelone Barcelona Photos

Galerie de photos de street art, graffitis, pochoirs à Barcelone en Espagne...

Street art graffitis in Barcelona, Spain...

Ancien graffiti sur un mur, Barcelone 

1980-90's graffiti on a wall, Barcelona 

Peinture récente sur le sol dans un quartier moderne, Barcelone 

Graffiti painting on the sidewalk of a modern district, Barcelona, 2010

Graffiti monochrome sur une vieille porte en bois

Black graffiti on ancient wooden door 

Graffiti récent dans un quartier populaire en cours de rénovation, Barcelone

Graffiti in a district under renovation, Barcelona

Ici on voit les nouveaux bâtiments derrière le terrain vague qui va également laissé place à des immeubles rénovés dans un quartier populaire 

Détail du graffiti de la précédente photo, Barcelone, 2010 

Graffiti of the previous photograh, Barcelona, 2010

Détail d'un graffiti sur le store d'une boutique, Barcelone 

Part of a graffiti on a metal awning of a shop, Barcelona

Photographies/Photographs by Gautier Willaume, 2010

Autres photos de graffitis à Barcelone ici
Other graffitis in Barcelona here

TIPA 2011: 2 prix pour Sony

TIPA 2011: Sony récompensé par deux prix

Cette année, la prestigieuse Technical Image Press Association a récompensé Sony pour sa capacité à innover en permanence sur le marché des produits d’imagerie numérique. La technologie de miroir translucide de Sony a été désignée Meilleure innovation en matière d’image tandis que le caméscope Handycam® NEX-VG10E a remporté le prix du Meilleur caméscope expert.

Le jury de rédacteurs en chef du prix européen le plus prestigieux en matière de photographie explique pourquoi la technologie de miroir translucide (SLT) de Sony a été élue « Meilleure innovation en matière d’image » : « La technologie de miroir translucide fixe de Sony redéfinit le sens du mot « fonctionnel ». Les avantages d’un tel système se traduisent par une mise au point automatique à détection de phase en temps réel (également disponible en mode film) et une vitesse accrue en mode rafale. La technologie SLT permet de réduire le poids et la taille des appareils sans sacrifier l’aspect fonctionnel ni les performances technologiques de pointe ».

En parallèle, le caméscope Handycam NEX-VG10E de Sony a été désigné « Meilleur caméscope expert de l’année 2011 ». Le jury a commenté sa décision : « Ce caméscope illustre une « convergence » parfaite entre les mondes de la photo et de la vidéo. Le nouveau NEX-VG10 reprend la plupart des composants électroniques du NEX-5 CSC de Sony : il dispose ainsi du même capteur Exmor HD CMOS APS-C et du même système d’objectifs interchangeables à monture en E. Toutefois, son architecture et sa configuration favorisent clairement la vidéo, comme l’attestent les performances remarquables du codec AVCHD 24 Mbit/s ».

Technologie de miroir translucide : des prises de vue ultrarapides

Les appareils photo numériques α55 et α33 de Sony, premiers modèles dotés de la technologie de miroir translucide, comportent un système optique novateur ouvrant de nouvelles possibilités spectaculaires en matière de prise de vue. Contrairement aux appareils photo reflex conventionnels, la technologie de miroir translucide utilise un miroir fixe et translucide qui « divise » le trajet optique entre le capteur d’image principal et un capteur autofocus à détection de phase séparé.

La technologie révolutionnaire de miroir translucide permet des prises de vue ultrarapides avec le modèle α55, allant jusqu’à 10 ips (α33 : 7 ips) en mode AE prioritaire continu. Cette technologie assure un suivi rapide et précis de l’AF et une mise au point nette y compris pour les sujets en mouvement, tant pour les vidéos Full HD que pour les photos.

Handycam NEX-VG10E : le premier caméscope HD grand public à objectifs interchangeables

S’appuyant sur 25 ans d’innovation Handycam, le NEX-VG10E est le premier caméscope HD grand public au monde à disposer de nombreux objectifs interchangeables. Outre les objectifs à monture en E actuellement disponibles, les utilisateurs du NEX-VG10E peuvent employer un large éventail d’objectifs reflex à monture en A grâce à l’adaptateur LA-EA1 en option.

Le caméscope Handycam NEX-VG10E enregistre des images et du son stéréo Full HD de qualité cinéma. Le capteur CMOS HD APS ExmorTM de 14,2 millions de pixels effectifs (19,5 fois plus grand que le capteur standard équipant les caméscopes conventionnels) permet d’effectuer de magnifiques prises de vue avec de superbes effets de flou en arrière-plan et une profondeur de champ extrêmement faible. Le NEX-VG10E est compact, bien équilibré et facile à manier.

Flash externe Sony HVL-F43AM

Flash externe Sony HVL-F43AM

Grâce à son Nombre de Guide de 43 (objectif 105 mm, ISO 100), le flash HVL-F43AM de Sony garantit des résultats exceptionnels sur tous les appareils Sony à monture A.

Également présent sur le modèle HVL-F58AM, le système de réglage rapide de l’éclairage permet d’ajuster instantanément la tête du flash en position horizontale ou verticale. Cette technologie vous permet de conserver la position des ombres quelle que soit l’orientation de l’appareil et de créer des effets de « réflexion » naturels en toute simplicité.

Les fonctions de flash intelligentes décuplent vos possibilités de création en matière d’éclairages. Par exemple, la fonction de réglage sans fil vous permet de contrôler le taux d’émission lumineuse de trois flashs distants en toute simplicité*. Vous pouvez ainsi créer des effets d’éclairage multiples sophistiqués sans recourir à un équipement professionnel complexe.

Doté d’un boîtier résistant à la poussière et à l’humidité, le HVL-F43AM est idéal pour photographier au quotidien ou réaliser des prises de vues dans des conditions difficiles, en intérieur comme en extérieur.

Le flash comprend 22 réglages de puissance échelonnés de 1/1 à 1/128 par incrément de 1/3. Outre sa grande puissance, il dispose également d’un temps de recharge rapide d’environ 2,9 secondes. Malgré toutes ses fonctions intégrées, le flash reste simple à utiliser grâce aux touches directionnelles et à un écran LCD de haute qualité.

Support VCT-55LH

Le support polyvalent VCT-55LH est capable d’accueillir plusieurs types d’accessoires avec griffe de fixation ISO. Cet accessoire pratique destiné aux appareils photo Sony à monture A est également compatible avec les appareils photo de type E, tels que les NEX-5 et NEX-3, ainsi que le caméscope HD Handycam® NEX-VG10E.

D’autres accessoires (ex. : micro-canon) peuvent être fixés lorsque la griffe porte-accessoire principale est occupée. Le VCT-55LH se combine parfaitement avec l’écran LCD amovible CLM-V55, qui permet de visionner des photos ou des vidéos nettes en haute résolution.

Housse de transport souple LCS-AMB

La housse de transport souple LCS-AMB protège votre appareil photo réflex et son objectif de zoom standard lors de vos déplacements. Son compartiment surélevé maintient fermement l’appareil tout en offrant un accès rapide. Dotée d’un revêtement noir en polyester résistant, la housse peut se porter en bandoulière, à la ceinture ou à la main grâce à la poignée de transport intégrée. Elle comprend également deux poches permettant de ranger jusqu’à deux batteries supplémentaires, une carte mémoire de rechange ainsi qu’un protège-objectif. (Note : ne convient pas aux modèles DSLR-A900/A850).

Pare-soleil ALC-SH111

Compatible avec les objectifs DT 35 mm F1,8 SAM et 85 mm F2,8 SAM, ce pare-soleil rond atténue la lumière directe du soleil afin d’éliminer les reflets sur l’objectif.

2011 Florida Film Festival Awards

FLORIDA FILM FESTIVAL 2011 AWARDS HONOR AMERICAN INDEPENDENT AND INTERNATIONAL FILMS

Following 10 days, 165 films, and tens of thousands of moviegoers, the 20th annual Florida Film Festival came to a close last weekend with a highly anticipated awards reception recognizing the best in American independent and international film.

“This year’s award winners reflect the incredible diversity and vitality of indie filmmaking from the U.S. and abroad,” said Matthew Curtis, programming director. “We have been very fortunate to have the opportunity to program some extraordinary new works of cinema, and see audiences who have embraced the unexpected while being both challenged and wholeheartedly entertained.”

“Congratulations to all of the award winners and to the Florida Film Festival for sharing yet another year of extraordinary and inspiring independent film with our students and the community,” said Rick Ramsey, Full Sail University’s Director of Visual Arts. “As primary sponsor, we were honored to join Enzian in celebrating the creativity and impact that the festival provides.” 

The jury and audience award winners of the 2011 Florida Film Festival in the American Independent and International Feature Film, Documentary, and Short Film categories are as follows:

FEATURE FILMS AWARDS

o Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature: THE HAPPY POET, directed by Paul Gordon

o Special Jury Award for Outstanding Debut Performance: JOSLYN JENSEN in WITHOUT, directed by Mark Jackson

o Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature: HAMILL, directed by Oren Kaplan

o Audience Award for Best International Feature: INCENDIES, directed by Denis Villeneuve

DOCUMENTARIES AWARDS

o Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature: MADE IN INDIA, directed by Rebecca Haimowitz and Vaishali Sinha

o Special Jury Award for Documentary Filmmaking: STUFF, directed by Lawrence Johnson

o Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature: LOUDER THAN A BOMB, directed by Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel

o Grand Jury Award for Best Documentary Short: MINKA, directed by Davina Pardo

SHORT FILMS AWARDS

o Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Short: WEST OF THE MOON, directed by Brent Bonacorso

o Grand Jury Award for Best Animated Short: BOTTLE, directed by Kirsten Lepore

o Special Jury Award for Short Filmmaking: AFTER THE SNOW, directed by Brooke Sebold

o Audience Award for Best Short Film: THE FANTASTIC FLYING BOOKS OF MR. MORRIS LESSMORE, directed by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg

o Audience Award for Best International Short: PIXELS, directed by Patrick Jean 

Organizer: Enzian

Sponsored by Full Sail University

Previous related post: Official Lineup of the 20th Annual Florida Film Festival 

More information about the Florida Film Festival at
www.floridafilmfestival.com

Cuban Art Exhibition: Ajiaco at the Newark Museum, New Jersey

Ajiaco: Stirrings of the Cuban Soul 
Newark Museum, NJ 
June 8 - August 14, 2011 

In 1939, anthropologist Fernando Ortiz characterized Cuban culture as ajiaco, a rich stew consisting of a large variety of ingredients. The ingredients of the “stew” include Catholicism brought in by the Spaniards; the spirituality of the Yoruba slaves and their cultural traditions from Africa; and the Chinese indentured servants who brought Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. The base of the stew is the indigenous people, such as Tainos, who were almost wiped out by the Spaniards. 

AJIACO: STIRRINGS OF THE CUBAN SOUL is a survey of modern and contemporary Cuban artists that explores these rich cultural roots of Cuban art. In contemporary society, the “stew” has become thicker and richer as the influences become more complex and intermixed: the artist now borrows not only from the traditional cultures that populated the island, but also appropriates from contemporary everyday life. The exhibition includes works by leading artists in a variety of media, from paintings, works on paper and photography to mixed-media sculpture and installations.

Curators: Gail Gelburd, Ph. D. Guest Curator, Zette Emmons, Project Director
Location: Brady and Eweson Galleries

NEWARK MUSEUM
49 Washington Street
in the Downtown / Arts District of Newark
Newark, New Jersey

www.newarkmuseum.org

Musée Jean Cocteau Menton Collection Séverin Wunderman - Ouverture le 6 novembre 2011

LE MUSEE JEAN COCTEAU - COLLECTION SEVERIN WUNDERMAN, MENTON

L'ouverture du Musée aura lieu le 6 novembre 2011 

Grâce à l’exceptionnelle donation de Séverin Wunderman, et trois ans après la pose de la première pierre, le Musée Jean Cocteau Collection Séverin Wunderman sera inauguré cet automne. Le Musée Jean Cocteau à Menton devient la première et la plus importante ressource publique mondiale de l’œuvre de Jean Cocteau.

JEAN COCTEAU ET MENTON

Durant l’été 1955, alors qu’il séjourne chez son amie Francine Weissweiller à Saint-Jean Cap-Ferrat, Jean Cocteau découvre Menton et a un véritable « coup de cœur » pour la ville. Il y séjourne dès lors régulièrement.

En 1956, à la demande du maire de l’époque, Jean Cocteau entreprend de décorer la Salle des Mariages de l’Hôtel de Ville, ouvrage achevé en 1958, et devient citoyen d’honneur de Menton.

L’une de ses promenades le conduit un jour à découvrir le Bastion, un fortin abandonné datant du XVIIème siècle et inséré dans la jetée du port qu’il transforme en petit musée orné d’œuvres in situ.

Le musée du Bastion ouvre ses portes en 1966, trois ans après sa mort, il abrite aujourd’hui encore une partie des œuvres méditerranéennes du poète datant de la période de 1950 à 1963.

SEVERIN WUNDERMAN : BIOGRAPHIE 

Né en Belgique en 1938, exilé aux Etats-Unis durant la seconde guerre mondiale, Séverin Wunderman a fait carrière dans l’horlogerie de luxe.

Amateur d’art et passionné de Jean Cocteau, c’est par hasard, qu’à 19 ans, il acquiert la première pièce de sa collection - un dessin original consacré aux Enfants terribles - il y dépensera l’intégralité de son premier salaire d’apprenti-horloger.

Au fil des années, il constitue ainsi sa collection et fonde en 1985 à Irvine (Californie) un  premier musée dédié à Jean Cocteau. Son souhait le plus cher reste néanmoins de faire revenir en France une grande partie de sa collection où un musée pourrait l’accueillir. Sous le charme de Menton, lieu symbolique de la vie de Jean Cocteau, Séverin Wunderman rencontre Jean-Claude Guibal, député-maire de la ville, qui l’accompagne pour concrétiser ce projet.

Le 27 juin 2005, suite à la donation de la collection, la ville de Menton s’engage à construire un musée public. La première pierre est posée le 29 décembre 2008, lors d’une cérémonie à laquelle n’assiste pas Séverin Wunderman, disparu quelques mois auparavant.

En septembre 2005 le Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication approuve l’inscription de la collection Séverin Wunderman à l’inventaire du Musée Jean Cocteau qui a le label « Musée de France » depuis 2003. 

LA COLLECTION SEVERIN WUNDERMAN : UNE DONATION DE 1800 OEUVRES

La donation de Séverin Wunderman compte 1800 œuvres dont 990 œuvres de Jean Cocteau.

Elle offre une vision très complète de l’œuvre de Jean Cocteau : toutes les périodes y  sont représentées, depuis les premiers autoportraits des années 1910 jusqu’à la période « méditerranéenne » de la fin de sa vie, peu connue du grand public.

Le musée présentera ainsi tableaux, dessins, céramiques, tapisseries, bijoux, photographies, documents sonores, extraits de films, mais également 450 œuvres de grands maîtres de l’art moderne de l’entourage de Jean Cocteau : Picasso, Modigliani, De Chirico, Miro, Foujita… ainsi qu’un fonds exceptionnel de 360 œuvres liées à Sarah Bernhardt qui fut le premier « monstre sacré » de Jean Cocteau.

Outre les chefs-d’œuvre représentatifs des multiples facettes du génie de Jean Cocteau, la collection révélera aussi l’homme grâce à de très nombreux portraits et témoignages de ses amis artistes.

LE MUSEE JEAN COCTEAU - COLLECTION SEVERIN WUNDERMAN : MUSEOGRAPHIE 

Celle-ci suit le fil de la vie de Jean Cocteau. Un parcours de visite chronologique et thématique, s’articulant autour des arts graphiques et des arts du spectacle, retrace, en 7 séquences, les grandes étapes et rencontres de la vie et de l’œuvre de Jean Cocteau :

# Le théâtre de la chambre (1899-1911)

# La mue (1912-1919)

# L’esprit de contradiction (1920-1923)

# Jean L’Oiseleur (1924-1929)

# Le Sang d’un poète (1930-1937)

# Mystères (1937-1948)

# Testaments (1949-1963)

Chaque année, un accrochage renouvelé constitué de 150 à 200 œuvres vise a mieux se rendre compte du génie pluriel de Cocteau et de la densité de son œuvre.

L'ARCHITECTURE DU MUSEE JEAN COCTEAU : RUDY RICCIOTTI

Face au rivage de Menton et intégré au site, le bâtiment conçu par Rudy Ricciotti peut accueillir sur 2700 m2, l’ensemble des œuvres issues de la donation Séverin Wunderman. Inspirée par les multiples facettes du génie de Jean Cocteau qui qualifiait son œuvre d’ « objet difficile à ramasser », l’architecture du musée se veut multiple, morcelée, parfois insaisissable à l’image de la façade extérieure du bâtiment.

Outre les collections permanentes, le musée comprend des espaces qui accueilleront des expositions temporaires dédiées au dessin contemporain, une librairie boutique et un café. Il sera un nouveau lieu de vie au cœur de la ville de Menton.

Architecte et ingénieur, Grand Prix national d'Architecture, RUDY RICCIOTTI est représentatif de cette génération d'architectes qui allient puissance de création et véritable culture constructive. Basé à Bandol, il s'affiche comme le militant du combat contemporain sur des terres minées par le régionalisme néo-provençal. Auteur de réalisations marquantes en France, avec notamment le Centre Chorégraphique National d'Aix-en-Provence, il a également su gagner une stature internationale, comme en témoignent ses œuvres en dehors de nos frontières : la passerelle pour la Paix à Séoul, le Philharmonie de Postdam, le Palais des Festivals de Venise ou le futur Musée d’Art Contemporain de Liège 

LE MUSEE JEAN COCTEAU - COLLECTION SEVERIN WUNDERMAN: CHRONOLOGIE

1er décembre 2003 : La création d’un nouveau musée dédié à Jean Cocteau et à la collection de Séverin Wunderman est adoptée par le Conseil Municipal de la ville de Menton

17 juin 2005 : Séverin Wunderman est décoré de la Légion d’honneur par Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres, Ministre de la Culture et de la Communication

27 juin 2005 : Signature de l’acte de donation

25 juillet 2005 : Séverin Wunderman est fait citoyen d’honneur de la ville de Menton

1er septembre 2005 : Mise en place de la mission de préfiguration du musée, recrutement de Célia Bernasconi, conservateur en charge du projet

Décembre 2006 : Fin de l’inventaire et inscription des œuvres de la donation à l’inventaire du musée Jean Cocteau 

15 mai 2007 : Lancement du concours de maîtrise d’œuvre sur le programme élaboré par SA17, architectes et programmateurs, Frédéric Ladonne, architecte et muséologue, et la société Parica.

12 octobre 2007 : Vernissage de la première exposition de préfiguration du Musée Jean Cocteau Collection Séverin Wunderman au musée du Bastion.

27 juin 2008 : Rudy Ricciotti, lauréat du concours d’architecture / Choix du projet de l’équipe de maîtrise d’œuvre : Rudy Ricciotti, Agence Elizabeth de Portzamparc, agence aps.

Décembre 2008 : Début des travaux de démolition

29 décembre 2008 : Pose de la première pierre du musée

Septembre 2009 : Choix de l’entreprise Campenon-Bernard pour le gros œuvre

Octobre 2009 : Début des travaux de construction

6 novembre 2011 : Inauguration et ouverture au public

Le financement du projet a été assuré principalement par la ville de Menton (46 % du financement) ainsi que par le Conseil Général  des Alpes-Maritimes (34 %). Les 20 % restant ont été pris en charge, à part égale, par la Région Provence-Alpes Côte d’Azur et par l'Etat via la DRAC, la direction régionale des affaires culturelles.

www.menton.fr

Queen Exhibit: Edinburgh Belfast Cardiff London 2011-2012 exhibition organised by the National Portrait Gallery, London

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee's Travelling Exhibition 

The Queen: Art and Image 

A touring exhibition organised by the National Portrait Gallery, London, curated by Paul Moorhouse. From Beaton and Leibovitz to Annigoni and Warhol, THE QUEEN: ART AND IMAGE is the most wide-ranging exhibition of images in different media devoted to a single royal sitter. Formal painted portraits, official photographs, media pictures, and powerful responses by contemporary artists are showing in an exhibition which explores both traditional representations and works which extend the visual language of royal portraiture. 

THE QUEEN: ART AND IMAGE – THE 2011-2012 EXHIBITION TOUR

National Gallery Complex Edinburgh 

25 June - 18 September 2011

Ulster Museum Belfast 

14 October 2011 - 15 January 2012

National Museum Cardiff 

4 February - 29 April 2012

National Portrait Gallery London 

17 May - 21 October 2012

To mark The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012, the National Portrait Gallery will stage an innovative touring exhibition bringing together 60 of the most remarkable and resonant images of Elizabeth II spanning the 60 years of her reign and some on public display for the first time. The Queen: Art and Image will tour to British venues before being shown in London, opening in Edinburgh in June, Belfast in October and Cardiff and London in 2012.  

Documenting the changing nature of representations of the Monarch, the exhibition will show how images serve as a lens through which to view shifting perceptions of royalty. This perspective reflects changes in the social scene and historical context and the exhibition highlights important developments and events: from The Queen’s relationship with the press and the miner’s strike, to the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, and the advent of new technology. This textured view of the period is supplemented by archival material  – from newspapers to film footage, from postage stamps to consumer ephemera. 

Among the highlights  from the  works from life are Annigoni’s hugely popular  life-size 1969  commission for the National Portrait Gallery, Lucian Freud’s 2000-01 portrait from the Royal Collection and Justin Mortimer’s painting where The Queen’s head floats away from her body against a huge background of flat vibrant yellow.  Among the exhibited photographers for whom The Queen sat are Annie Leibovitz, Dorothy Wilding and Cecil Beaton - including his iconic Westminster Abbey Coronation image - and Chris Levine’s highly unusual photograph from a 2004 sitting of The Queen with her eyes closed. 

The Queen: Art and Image will show a significant selection of unofficial portraits of the British monarch from major 20th century artists including those of Gilbert and George, Andy Warhol and Gerhard Richter as well as less formal portraits by such photographers as Eve Arnold, Patrick Lichfield and Lord Snowdon.

Collectively, the exhibition celebrates and explores the startling range of artistic creativity and media-derived imagery that The Queen has inspired. It also probes the relation of this imagery to a world of changing values during a reign that has engaged the attention of millions.

Sandy Nairne, Director of the National Portrait Gallery, London, says: 'The Queen is the most portrayed person in British history, reflecting her long reign and also the respect and affection which is felt towards her. The Diamond Jubilee is a wonderful celebration and the National Portrait Gallery is very pleased to be sharing this exhibition with our other national partners in Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff.’ 

James Holloway, Director of Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh, says: ‘I am delighted that Scotland will be able to enjoy this remarkable jubilee exhibition, which will be presented in the heart of the capital city of Her Majesty’s Stewart ancestors.’

Jim McGreevy, Director of Collections & Interpretation, National Museums Northern Ireland, said: ‘We are pleased to participate in this UK wide tour of The Queen: Art and Image. This novel exhibition offers our visitors an opportunity to see the work of world-renowned artists and photographers such as Andy Warhol, Gerhard Richter, Annie Leibovitz and Lord Snowden for the first time at the Ulster Museum. Across six decades the works on display chart the changing portrayal of a Monarch whose image has, of course, had such global and local significance.’

David Anderson, Director General of Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales, says: ‘Amgueddfa Cymru is pleased to be working in collaboration with the UK’s other national museums. This is an example of how effective partnerships between museums and galleries can make works by such influential artists such as Andy Warhol and Gerhard Richter, accessible to visitors across the country.’

About the Curator

The exhibition is curated by Paul Moorhouse, the National Portrait Gallery’s 20th Century Curator. At the National Portrait Gallery he has curated the major retrospectives: Gerhard Richter Portraits and Pop Art Portraits. As part of the Gallery’s on-going Interventions series of displays he has curated John Gibbons: Portraits, Frank Auerbach: Four Portraits of Catherine Lampert, Andy Warhol: 10 Portraits of Jews of the 20th Century and Anthony Caro: Portraits.  

THE QUEEN: ART AND IMAGE – TOUR 

National Gallery Complex, Edinburgh, 25 June - 18 Sept 2011

Website: www.nationalgalleries.org

Ulster Museum, Belfast, 14 October 2011 - 15 Jan 2012

Website: www.nmni.com

National Museum Cardiff, 4 February - 29 April 2012

Website: www.museumwales.ac.uk

National Portrait Gallery, London, 17 May - 21 Oct 2012

Website: www.npg.org.uk

PUBLICATION

The exhibition will be accompanied by a fully-illustrated catalogue, with essays by historian and writer Sir David Cannadine and curator Paul Moorhouse and featuring over 60 portraits. Published by the National Portrait Gallery, London, priced £30 (hardback). Available June 2011.

London presentation sponsored by KPMG 

John Griffith-Jones, Senior Partner and Chairman of KPMG in the UK, says: ‘KPMG is pleased to support what will be a fascinating visual chronology of The Queen’s reign. With such a wide range of imagery and artistic styles, I am sure the exhibition will be of huge interest to many people, and will form a significant part of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.’

National Portrait Gallery's Spring Season 2012, sponsored by Herbert Smith LLP

Edinburgh presentation sponsored by Turcan Connell 

Douglas Connell, Joint Senior Partner of Turcan Connell, says:  ‘As we move towards this historic anniversary of Her Majesty's accession, Turcan Connell is delighted that this wonderful exhibition opens at the National Galleries of Scotland and that we in Scotland will have the first chance to view this very special range of images.’

NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON

St Martin’s Place 

WC2H 0HE

Marianne North, English botanical artist is the subject of a new book by Michelle Payne published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

MARIANNE NORTH A Very Intrepid Painter 

By Michelle Payne 

MARIANNE NORTH was an English naturalist and remarkable botanical artist who traveled to more than a dozen countries in the course of more than a decade spent painting the tropical and exotic plants of the world. Despite having no formal artistic training and a rather unconventional technique, North documented her subjects in situ with a scientific accuracy that continues to impress botanists today. More than eight hundred of her detailed, brightly colored paintings are displayed in Kew’s Marianne North Gallery, which was built under her patronage and opened in 1882. 

Fully illustrated and including a stunning eight-page fold-out, Marianne North: A Very Intrepid Painter provides an overview of North's spirited work, life, and travels as well as a concise history of the popular gallery—newly restored and refurbished—where almost all her paintings hang. The Marianne North Gallery is among Kew’s finest attractions, and this exquisite volume captures its magic to perfection.

Michelle Payne holds an MA in twentieth-century literature awarded by Goldsmiths College, University of London. She is a production editor at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 

Published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Distributed by the University of Chicago Press

Publication Date: May 1, 2011  

96 pages, 130 color plates 

978-1-84246-430-4 - $17.00 - paper 

www.press.uchicago.edu

Expo Arts d' Afrique à Bordeaux au Musée d'Aquitaine. Plus de 200 oeuvres d'art exceptionnelles

Exposition : Arts d'Afrique. Voir l'invisible 

Musée d'Aquitaine, Bordeaux 

Jusqu'au 21 août 2011 

Masque Biombo. République démocratique du Congo.

Copyright Mairie de Bordeaux - Photo Lysiane Gauthier 

Courtesy Mairie de Bordeaux

En réunissant plus de 200 oeuvres d’art exceptionnelles – pour la plupart jamais présentées au public – provenant de grandes collections privées et publiques européennes, le musée d’Aquitaine propose une lecture originale de la création africaine. Son rapport à l’invisible, révélateur d’une vision du monde singulière, est indispensable pour comprendre et découvrir les richesses passées et présentes des cultures du continent africain. 

A la suite de la réouverture de ses salles XVIIIe consacrées aux rapports historiques de la ville de Bordeaux et de sa région avec l’Afrique, le musée d’Aquitaine renoue avec des expositions dédiées à l’art africain : exposition Mauritanie, Terre des Hommes, en 1993, exposition L’Esprit de la Forêt. Terres du Gabon en 1997).  

L’exposition propose une vision générale de la création matérielle traditionnelle du continent africain envisagée comme une mise en forme de l’invisible. C’est principalement à travers les masques, la statuaire et les accessoires de magie ou de divination que sont évoquées ces relations à l’invisible ainsi que les corrélations particulières qu’elles manifestent entre les entités qui peuplent le monde.  

Un premier espace couvre les principales aires culturelles de production des masques. Il présente des ensembles complets de masques avec costumes exceptionnels. 

Le deuxième espace évoque la spécificité de la statuaire africaine également perçue comme agent de communication avec l’invisible (esprits, entités, ancêtres, doubles, jumeaux…) dont l’expression semble relever d’une sphère plus confidentielle qui se manifeste entre autres au travers de rituels de protection ou de guérison davantage individuels que collectifs. 

Le dernier espace traite de différents accessoires (boîtes, paniers, plateaux, figurines, cloches, talismans, agrégats…) qui, entre les mains des praticiens (devins, guérisseurs, prêtres…) permettent le contact avec l’invisible et restent des instruments énigmatiques dont la force opératoire est révélatrice, de la même façon que pour les masques ou la statuaire, d’une vision analogiste du monde présente dans toute l’Afrique de l’Ouest. Des images traditionnelles ou contemporaines illustrent également cette dernière partie. 

L’authenticité, la représentativité et le caractère inédit des oeuvres ont guidé le choix des objets provenant de musées français et européens (Quai Branly, Tervuren, Neuchâtel, Dapper) et de collectionneurs privés qui ont consenti des prêts exceptionnels au musée d’Aquitaine.

MUSEE D' AQUITAINE

20, cours Pasteur

33000 BORDEAUX 

www.bordeaux.fr