Greatest Minimalism: Richard Serra and Giant COR-TEN Steel
“I think I’m a transitional figure. If anything, I would call myself a post-structuralist, not a postmodernist. I’m involved with evolution of form, the connection where space and matter meet. One of the things that form constantly has to do is reach a point where it pushes back against content.” – Richard Serra Best known […]
The Complex History of the Barnes Foundation
Born to a working-class family, Albert C. Barnes was an American chemist and self-made millionaire. Barnes made his fortune as the co-developer of Argyrol in 1899, an antiseptic compound, consisting of silver and a protein, used to treat gonorrhea infections. In 1902, Barnes and co-creator of Argyrol, German chemist Hermann Hille, organized the partnership of […]
Lee Krasner the Painter: Bright Star in Her Own Right
Thirty-three years after her passing, abstract expressionist Lee Krasner set a record for her legacy when her painting Shattered Light (1954) sold at Christie’s New York for $5.5 million. And just two years later in 2019, her painting The Eye is the First Circle (1960) shattered that record and doubled it when the painting sold for $11.65 million at […]
Art Fairs Model – Good or Bad?
According to The Art Market | 2019, the annual global art market analysis by Art Basel and UBS, sales in the global art market reached a staggering $67.4 billion in 2018. The U.S. accounted for 44% of sales, making the nation the largest art market worldwide. With an estimated $16.5 billion, art fair sales account […]
Does Size Matter in Art?
In March 2019, New York-based illustrator, sculptor, and street artist Brian Donnelly, best known as KAWS, launched a massive 121-foot-long inflatable sculpture at Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour. The monumental work was pulled out into the waterfront of Tamar Park using tugboats. The work features his signature character, Companion, a gray sculpture modeled after Mickey Mouse whose […]
Philanthropy and Ethics: The Sackler Family Case
Why do the world’s most elite and wealthiest give the arts hefty amounts of money? Maybe they are passionate about preserving works for generations to come. Perhaps they want to direct their charitable giving to a more tangible cause. Or maybe having a wing named after them in an institution frequented by the public is […]
Evolution of Abstractions: Philip Guston Now
“I don’t know what a painting is; who knows what sets off even the desire to paint? It might be things, thoughts, a memory, sensations, which have nothing to directly with painting itself. They can come from anything and anywhere.”– Philip Guston Philip Guston was continually trying to define painting, calling it everything from an “illusion” […]
#CelebratingBauhaus Centennial – An Enduring Legacy of Radical Innovation
2019 marks the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus art school. The Bauhaus, which translates as “House of Building,” was more than just an art school in Germany during the period of Weimar Republic that opened in 1919 and forced to close in 1933 by the Nazi government. Beyond combining crafts and the fine arts, the […]
The Permanence of Recycled Mosaic: El Anatsui’s Tribute to African History
Nigeria-based sculptor El Anatsui takes hundreds, if not thousands, of every day, mundane materials and transforms them into monumental works. El Anatsui has won many awards and prizes throughout his career, starting with an honorable mention at the 44th Venice Biennale in Venice, Italy. By 2008, the Museum of Art and Design in New York […]
Museums Returning Treasures of the Past
Europe’s colonialism in the past is currently a hot topic in the world of art, mostly owing to the debate on whether all looted treasures should return to their countries of origin. In recent years, there have been initiatives for restitution of African art from the museums of Europe. How has the attitude of both […]
Why Archiving Artwork Matters
It is a fact that, without the preservation of artwork, we would not have art history to speak of today. For casual museum or gallery visitors, being able to see a work of art to enjoy a weekend afternoon might be enough. But what if we could do more than simply keep and preserve a […]
The 6 Women Collectors Who Changed the History of Art Institutions
Women have undoubtedly made their mark in the art world. Even though they were often overshadowed in the past, today women are aware of their immense contributions to art as we know it. Despite dealing with societal obstacles and a lack of broader support, they fought for what was important to them. Women collectors are […]