Damien Hirst

CURRENT ART NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

By roccobonfire on | From artistswithgreathats.blogspot.com

Art News from Around the WorldThese articles will open in a new window
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Damien Hirst Defnds Against Robert Hughes' Criticisms "Rembrandt, Velasquez, Goya, I think they were all thinking about the commercial aspects of art," Hirst said. "I believe I'm only doing what any of these artists would be doing if they were alive." But Hirst also said he put art first and money was secondary. Sydney Morning Herald 09/09/08 Monday, September 8, 2008
New York's New Glass Towers "New York is shucking off its aging walk-ups, its small and mildewed structures, its drafty warehouses, cramped stores, and idle factories. In their place, the city is sprouting a hard, glistening new shell of glass and steel. Bright, seamless towers with fast elevators and provisional views spring up over a street-level layer of banks and drugstores." New York Magazine 09/08/08
French Protest Koons Show At Versailles "Jeff Koons, the US sculptor and "king of kitsch", is due to unveil some of his most famous works at the ChÃ¢teau de Versailles tomorrow, the first time a modern artist has graced the historic rooms and gardens that were the pride of the Sun King, Louis XIV. But even before the show opens, controversy is raging." The Guardian (UK) 09/08/08
Robert Hughes Blasts Damien Hirst's Art Hughes said commercial pieces with large price tags mean "art as spectacle loses its meaning" and identified the British artist's work as a cause of that loss. Hughes says it is "a little miracle" Hirst's 35ft statue Virgin Mother, could be worth Â£5 million and yet be made by someone "with so little facility." The Telegraph (UK) 09/07/08
The Art Of Housing (Or Not) It's hard enough for architects to get their hands on a decent housing commission in the UK. But making something worthwhile of whatever opportunity they can secure is, if anything, tougher still. The Telegraph (UK) 09/07/08
To Auction, To Auction (And All That That Means) "No living artist has ever taken so many of his or her own works directly to auction. Instead, most rely on galleries to dole out a handful of pieces at a time to curators, collectors and, eventually, the broader public. Mr. Hirst and Mr. Dunphy are betting that they can make more money by cutting out the middlemen altogether, selling new works themselves to the highest bidders. If the sale is a success, other star artists like Jeff Koons and Takashi Murakami may well follow suit." Wall Street Journal 09/06/08 Sunday, September 7, 2008
"Serious" Architecture Still Out There To Be Seen "Some of us are overfond of complaining about the big money that drives new architecture today. The theoretical designs that once served as a critical commentary on the professional mainstream have all but dried up. Architects who once flaunted their radical credentials now work almost exclusively for giant corporations and nouveau-riche clients. But take heart. There is evidence that serious architecture is still being made, some of it even in New York." The New York Times 09/07/08
Is Phoenix's Boom Ignoring Architectural Standards? "If Phoenix has any ambition to be the world-class city it keeps talking about, it can't do it with low-bid buildings and timid design." The fast-growing desert city seems constantly to be under construction, yet in recent years, says Richard Nilsen, there has been a demonstrable and unfortunate lack of civic will to create buildings that will stand the test of time. Arizona Republic (Phoenix) 09/07/08
Could Hirst's New Auction Upend The Economics Of Art? "Next week, Damien Hirst becomes the first artist to sell brand-new work at auction," which has the art world buzzing about the possible impact on traditional galleries if artists begin taking their work directly to market. For his part, Hirst says that it's about time the massive amounts of money that get thrown around at auction houses actually started accruing to artists themselves. The Times (UK) 09/06/08 Friday, September 5, 2008
Trial For Men Accused Of Ransoming Leonardo Painting "Five men have appeared in court accused of demanding Â£4.25m for the safe return of a Leonardo da Vinci painting. The Madonna with the Yarnwinder was taken from Drumlanrig Castle, near Thornhill, Dumfries and Galloway, in August 2003. Its disappearance from the stately home became Britain's biggest art theft." The Independent (UK) 09/05/08 Thursday, September 4, 2008
Portrait That Was Almost Trashed Wins Top Art Prize "A self portrait that was nearly torn up by the artist has won Australia's most prestigious prize for drawing. Virginia Grayson, winner of the $20,000 Dobell prize for drawing, said she realised a few months ago that she had been working too hard on No conclusions drawn -- self portrait." And she nearly destroyed it... The Australian 09/05/08
A Big MLK Memorial That's Gone Terribly Wrong "Unfortunately, both the memorial's sponsor -- the Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation -- and one of the official panels that reviews designs for this city's monumental core, the Commission of Fine Arts, have gone seriously awry on the sculptural portrait of King that will adorn the Stone of Hope." Wall Street Journal 09/04/08
How To Grow An Art Prize The Sobey Art Award, given annually to an emerging Canadian artist under the age of 40, has attracted criticism as well as praise since its inception in 2002, but organizers have been remarkably quick to respond to concerns and tweak their practices. This year's finalists are on display at the Royal Ontario Museum. Toronto Star 09/04/08
What About The Artist's Wife? If it's true that behind every great man is a great woman, surely these women deserve some exposure. "The book is Hidden in the Shadow of the Master: The Model-Wives of CÃ©zanne, Monet and Rodin, recently published by Yale University Press. In it [the author] tries to rescue from obscurity the women who she argues were so much a part of the triumphs of these visionaries." The New York Times 09/04/08
Another Vancouver Art Theft "Five works of aboriginal art - three masks, a painted drum and a woven cedar basket - were taken from the museum at the Fort Langley National Historic Site between Monday evening and Tuesday morning." The Globe & Mail (Canada) 09/04/08 Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Getty Cuts Back Hours, Hikes Parking Fees "The J. Paul Getty Trust is announcing today that it is reducing the Getty Center's operating hours and increasing parking at both the Getty Center and the Getty Villa from $8 to $10. The changes are part of the Getty's strategic planning process begun earlier this year to streamline the institution's operations." Orange County Register 09/03/08
The Tate's Record Year - $112 Million In Art Acquisitions At a news conference held for the release of its annual report, Tate said it acquired 494 works, 320 of which were given or bequeathed by collectors and artists, making the year a record one for acquisitions. Tate now owns two more Francis Bacon pictures and a 1939 Stanley Spencer oil, ``The Wool Shop,'' as well as works by Lucian Freud and Balthus. Bloomberg 09/03/08
Auction House Sues CNet Founder For Payment On Paintings Sotheby's, the world's largest publicly traded auction house, sued Halsey Minor, founder of Cnet Networks Inc., for not paying $16.8 million for the purchase of works of art including Edward Hick's ``Peaceable Kingdom.'' Bloomberg 09/03/08 Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Protest Over Gallery's Erect Jesus Representatives for a gallery in Gateshead appeared in court yesterday charged with outraging public decency, after featuring a statue of Jesus with an erection. The Guardian (UK) 09/03/08
Museum Of Modern Art Picks A New Chief Curator After a six-month search, the Museum of Modern Art has chosen one of its own curators, Ann Temkin, to succeed John Elderfield, who retired as chief curator of painting and sculpture in July. The New York Times 09/03/08
Artist To Use Convict's Body As Art Project A convict on death row in America has agreed to let his body be made into a work of art if his final appeal against execution fails. The Guardian (UK) 09/02/08
The Guggenheim's Next Director Is... "The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation is expected to name as its next director the outgoing director of the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, Richard Armstrong, according to sources close to the search. Mr. Armstrong would replace Thomas Krens, who resigned in February." New York Sun 09/02/08
Hispanic Society Prepares To Sell Collection? The Hispanic Society of America has recalled 38,000 coins from the American Numismatic Society (ANS) which have been on loan for more than half a century--and appears to be preparing to sell them. The Art Newspaper 09/02/08
A Hirst Glut? "Did international auction house Sotheby's bring famed contemporary artist Damien Hirst's works to India because a 'mountain' of unsold works lies in wait in London?" one of India's leading news agencies asked. The Times (UK) 09/02/08
Prediction: Art Market Downturn Will Kill Off Aussie Auction House Eight main art auction houses operate in Australia, including international company Sotheby's. "There is room, soon, for one guy to go missing. Don't ask me who's going to go, but someone's going to get the stitch. There are a lot of high bills that need to be paid." The Australian 08/30/08