Banksy's view on auctions

"I can't believe you morons actually buy this shit" - this is brilliant!

This screenprint is estimated between $7,000-$9,000 at the next artnet.com's auction to take place through July 23.

To learn more: http://www.banksy.co.uk/

Biennale de Lyon 2009: "The Spectacle of the Everyday"

The forthcoming ‘Biennale de Lyon’, will celebrate its 10th anniversary under the direction of international curator, Hou Hanru, Director of Exhibitions and Public Programs at the San Francisco Art Institute and artistic director Thierry Raspail (image below).

For the 2009 edition of the Biennale, Hou Hanru has chosen the theme ‘The Spectacle of the Everyday’. Composed of the work of a select, key group of international artists (among them Pedro Cabrita Reis, Agnès Varda, Sarkis etc), both established and emerging alike, the Biennale de Lyon will run from 16th September until 3rd January 2010.

Vue de l’exposition Sarkis, Le monde est illisible, mon cœur si, 17 avril-18 mai 2002 au Musée d'Art Contemporain de LyonPhoto : Blaise Adilon © Adagp, Paris 2002

Apart from the four ‘central’ biennale venues in the heart of the city of Lyon, this year's edition will also include the Veduta, an art event taking place in the periphery of Lyon curated by Abdelkader Damani. Veduta's aim is to reflect on the centre/periphery dichotomy and the ‘issues’ which can be connected to this. The three chosen artists for the 2009 Veduta project are Bik Van der Pol, Eko Nugroho and Robert Milin.


To learn more: http://www.biennaledelyon.com/

New Acropolis Museum in Athens

The new Acropolis Museum, designed by Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi opened last month in Athens with great enthusiasm from Greeks but also from the international art community. In the words of Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis, the aim of the museum is "linking antiquity with the modern world of technology'' and the architecture itself reflects this ethos. The Museum indeed accommodates views of ongoing excavations of an ancient urban settlement with modern glass floors. (as seen on the image)


However one big issue which remains is the return (or not) of the Elgin Marbles, displayed at the British Museum in London. In 1801, sculptures and friezes that Phidias had designed in honour of the goddess Athena 25 centuries earlier were sawn off the Parthenon and about half the remaining marbles shipped to Britain. The legality of these actions by Lord Elgin have been under a hot debate for ages but it looks like this problem won't be solved easily. History can sometimes lead to tricky diplomatic situations. Professor Dimitris Pantermalis, president of the board of directors of the Acropolis Museum, who has been involved with the project of the new Acropolis Museum since the beginning declared that "It is not even a question of legality ; the unity of the marbles is a matter of culture and ethics."

What's the British Museum's view on the subject? "Our stance has always been that our collection should remain intact, so that the public can view the Elgin Marbles in the context of art from other great cultures,'' says Hannah Boulton for the British Museum.

Let's hope an agreement will be reached soon. The Museum looks amazing and I will have the chance to visit it in September.


To learn more: www.theacropolismuseum.gr

Is it the end of the Jeff Koons' era

Jeff KoonsAcrobat 2003–09Polychromed aluminium,galvanised steel, wood and straw228.9 x 148 x 64.8 cmBill Bell Collection© 2009 Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons: Popeye Series - 2 July – 13 September 2009
The Serpentine Gallery presents an exhibition of the work of the celebrated American artist Jeff Koons, his first major exhibition in a public gallery in England. One of the former exhibitions of Jeff Koons' art was at the Gagosian Gallery near Kings Cross 2 years ago.

Working in thematic series since the early 1980s, Koons has explored notions of consumerism, taste, banality, childhood and sexuality. He is known for his meticulously fabricated works that draw on a variety of objects and images from American and consumer culture. For his exhibition at the Gallery, Koons presents paintings and sculptures from his Popeye series, which he began in 2002.
The opening of the show was packed, and Jeff Koons himself was there with members of his family. However I couldn't stop thinking that the Jeff Koons' era was now over. Given that the economic crisis is now blurring all references/basis/symbols Western Society was based on, it seems like Jeff Koons' art is obsolete. What do you think? We're too concerned to enjoy simple, consumerist, American-capitalism inspired art... Entertainment comes second now, we're too concerned to look for a job, or solutions to get out of this gloomy atmosphere. The other question behind this exhibition was also about Jeff Koons' art itself: will it change, and if so what direction will it take?

Jeff KoonsPopeye 2003Oil on canvas274.3 x 213.4 cm© 2008 Jeff Koons

To learn more: http://www.serpentinegallery.org/

The Beyeler Foundation is perfection

Renzo Piano's Beyeler Foundation is one of the most beautiful museums I've ever seen. The architecture is simple and logical and the views on the garden absolutely amazing. I had the chance to visit it while I was in Basel for Art Basel and the two exhibitions held during the fair were also stunning: Giacometti and Visual Encounters: Africa, Oceania and Modern Art . The combination of two perfectly curated exhibitions plus the architecture made the place fantastic.

Visual Encounters: Africa, Oceania and Modern Art focused on art works from Africa and Oceania juxtaposed with masterpieces of classical modernism from the Beyeler collection which is, in itself, a deja-vu concept. The challenge of this mix was totally achieved! It was beautiful.

The summer exhibition was dedicated to the Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti (1901-1966), who, in Paris, became one of the most influential of modern artists. His seemingly fragile figures in which the human form is reduced to the essentials, his virtually sculpted paintings, and his concentrated drawings are still capable of deeply moving all who see them. Giacometti viewed himself as part of a spacetime cosmos in which his family members were key points of reference.

Alberto Giacometti - Grande femme III, 1960Tall Woman IIIBronze, 237 x 31 x 54 cm

On view were about 150 major works from every phase of the oeuvre, from the family collection as well as renowned collections around the world. These was supplemented by works by Giacometti’s father, Giovanni (1868-1933), his brother, Diego (1902-1985), and his uncle, Augusto (1877-1947). An important role is also played by Alberto’s mother, Annetta, and his wife, Annette, whom he frequently portrayed. This show was totally stunning too. The amount of artworks and the way it was curated made the experience really interesting. It will run until October 11 2009, go if you have a chance to.

http://www.beyeler.com/

Madonna for Louis Vuitton round 2

Marc Jacobs was so pleased with this spring’s Louis Vuitton campaign featuring Madonna that he was eager to do an encore. 'But very quickly Marc said, ‘I want something completely different,’' related Antoine Arnault, Vuitton’s communication director. The new ingredients included a dash of Tamara de Lempicka and a soupçon of Man Ray for color-drenched images by Steven Meisel with a surreal edge, thanks to generous use of solarization, a technique of overexposure first perfected by Ray.

Here is the result.

To learn more: http://www.louisvuitton.com/

Remembering choreographer Pina Bausch

R.I.P