March 2018 Art News

Jane Kallir, Co-Director of The Galerie St. Etienne, announced a major donation of paintings by Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses to the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) in Washington, D.C. Over the course of the next seven years, 10 masterworks will be donated by Kallir and her family in memory of Otto Kallir.
The global financial crash of 2008 ushered in a politically volatile decade. At the same time, the rise of social media has changed the way graphic political messages are made and disseminated. As traditional media rubs shoulders with hashtags and memes, the influence and impact of graphic design has never been greater. Hope to Nope: Graphics and Politics 2008-18 examines the pivotal role of graphics in milestone events such as the election of Barack Obama, the worldwide Occupy movement, the Arab Spring, Brexit and Donald Trump’s presidency.

 

Renowned abstract painter Jack Whitten discusses the personal philosophies that drove his work over the course of nearly six decades, chronicling his development as an artist and his relentless innovation in painting. "I can build anything I want to build," said the artist. "It's all about the materiality of the paint." Filmed at work on what would become his final painting, Whitten spent his life pushing abstraction into new territories. He passed away shortly after this interview.

Opening this month at the de Young in San Francisco is “Cult of the Machine: Precisionism and American Art.” This comprehensive survey of America’s first homegrown art movement showcases art of the machine age. Known for its clean lines and smooth surfaces, these works celebrated the industrial age and presented a distinctly American point of view. Including decorative arts in addition to painting and photography, "Cult of the Machine" gives an in-depth and scholarly view of this movement that has not seen a major exhibition in 20 years.

Leslie Hindman Auctioneers' bi-annual Arts of the American West auction will be conducted Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21 in the firm’s Denver saleroom. The sale will feature over 500 lots of historic and contemporary Western paintings, Native American arts and objects, Southwestern jewelry, a collection of Native American baskets, pueblo pottery, Navajo textiles, Western design furniture and other cowboy collectible objects. Also included is a collection of pre-Columbian pottery of Mesoamerica from the collection of Joan Cooke of Prairie Village, Kansas.

Yesterday the Saint Louis Art Museum unveiled a collection of ancient treasures from the sea in “Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds.” On view through September 9th, “Sunken Cities” showcases important artifacts and incredible finds recovered from two ancient Egyptian cities. Submerged for over a thousand years, Thonis-Heracleion and nearby Canopus were rediscovered by underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio and his team. Using clues from the fifth century B.C. Greek historian Herodotus and first century B.C.

Christie’s Asian Art Week sales realized USD $56,581,500 (£40,113,379 / €45,783,476 / HK$ 441,783,723) surpassing initial estimates. The six auctions took place from March 20-23 with 80% sold by lot and 87% sold by value.

Curator Naomi Speakman has already told us about bestiaries – medieval books of animals both real and mythical. Here, she takes us through another type of medieval compendiary – the lapidary, an encyclopaedia of jewels, their properties and their meanings in medieval society.

The DAM-organized exhibition will survey the award-winning editorial work of fashion illustrator and Denver resident Jim Howard.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art presents 'City and Cosmos: The Arts of Teotihuacan,' a groundbreaking exhibition featuring new archaeological discoveries from the ancient city’s three main pyramids and major residential compounds.