Fine Art Blog

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  • UK Government Art Collection: ‘At Work’ – new Whitechapel Gallery Exhibition

    For the first time in its 113 year history, art from the Government’s collection is currently being exhibited in the Whitechapel Gallery, East London.


    I Wonder What My Heroes Think of the Space Race by Derek Boshier (painted in 1962)

    The exhibition titled ‘Government Art Collection: At Work’ displays the varying traditional, historical, and contemporary artworks that hang upon the walls of numerous political buildings throughout the worlds cities, and inspire Governments at work. This collection consists of pieces chosen by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Lord Mandelson, former Business Secretary Dame Anne Pringle, Lord Boateng; former Government Minister and British High Commissioner to South Africa, and the Prime Minister’s Wife; Samantha Cameron; to name but a few.


    Lord Mandelson


    The idea for this Government Art exhibition was the brain child of Culture Minister Ed Vaizy, who thought it an interesting idea to share the government’s unique and extremely large collection of art with the public. Vaizy explained how covering embassies and government office walls with art was cheaper than continuously redecorating, as a lot of the art owned by the Government was either donated, or in some cases purchased before artists would gain wide recognition (and therefore a lot more money) for their work.


    Margate 1 Sand (2006) by Tracey Emin


    Samantha Cameron has indicated how she is a fan of contemporary art and artists such as Tracey Emin. The Government Art Collection (GAC) bought two prints by the controversial and much talked about Emin, costing them a total of £14000; an amount that didn’t pass by without criticism. Other contemporary artworks purchased by the GAC also include David Batchelor’s Walldella VI; a sculpture made up of low energy light-bulbs and old plastic bottles.


    Lancashire Fair: Good Friday, Daisy Nook (1946) by L.S. Lowry


    L.S. Lowry is another artist that features at the Whitehall Gallery, as his piece titled Lancashire Fair – Good Friday, Daisy Nook was personally selected by Samantha Cameron to be shown as a part of the At Work collection. This quintessentially English piece usually takes pride of place at Number 10 Downing Street.

    The free exhibition will tour Birmingham and Belfast and will run until the end of 2012

    thanks

    Jessica

    Useful Links:

    Guardian Article
    Telegraph Article
    Whitechapel Gallery

  • ‘Macho Man Randy Savage’ has died – a true wrestling artist passes away

    I want to pay tribute to one of the world’s greatest ‘artists.’ Randy Savage (real name ‘Randall Mario Poffo’) was a wrestler & not a painter but wrestling is an art form & in this sense Savage was one of the greatest artists to have ever stepped foot in the squared circle.

    When my friend phoned me 2 days ago and told me the news, neither of us believed it. Checking the internet wrestling sites we found out it was true, the American wrestler Randy Savage had passed away. The legendary Randy ‘Macho Man’ Savage had died following a heart attack while driving his vehicle in Seminole, Florida, he was just 58. Setting aside the heart wrenching news, let me take a moment to remember some of my warmest memories of the man and the wrestler.

    Literally one of the most colourful and recognisable figures from the then ‘WWF,’ Savage helped put Vince McMahon’s WWF (now ‘WWE’) on the map during what is now known as the ‘Cartoon Era’ of wrestling in the late 80s and early 90s. The 3 biggest names in the WWF in that era where: Hulk Hogan, The Ultimate Warrior & ‘The Macho King’ Randy Savage. His career spanned some 4 decades, debuting in 1973 and although his full time career ended in 1999/2000, in the now defunct WCW, it is his run with the WWF that Savage will most be remembered. Two of the greatest matches I have ever seen on screen, both featured The Macho King vs. The Ultimate Warrior.

    The 1st was the ‘retirement’ match between the 2 giants of the squared circle at Wrestlemania VII in 1991. The match drew incredible crowd reaction, with Savage carrying the less technically skilled Warrior to a heated win – a testament to the skill of the Macho Man as a supreme worker. This was an epic duel & after Savage put over the Warrior, fans where treated to the surprise (on screen) reunion of Randy & Miss Elizabeth in the ring. I remember starring in amazement at the TV, watching pictures of people in the audience crying with happiness, wow those 2 where over!

    The 2nd encounter was at the momentous Summserlam 1992 at London’s Wembley Stadium. In the first half of the double main event the Macho Man again faced The Warrior. (The second half would feature the late Davey Boy Smith the ‘British Bulldog’ vs. the ‘Hitman’ Bret Hart.) In the electric heat of a warm August night, Wembley Stadium played host to one of the most exciting matches I have ever seen & the crowd went wild for every move. This was a spectacular tour de force by Savage & there was now no doubt in my mind of his supreme athleticism, technical ability & artistry as one of wrestling’s best ever story tellers.

    By all accounts in real life Savage was a stand up guy, a bit of a worrier, a thinker and a man who was fiercely protective of his female partners; the on screen ‘paranoia’ he often displayed over Miss Elizabeth (at the time his real life wife) was not that far removed from the real life Savage. Savage was also happy to give his time to younger, up and coming wrestlers & offer them advice about the business.

    Savage recently got remarried to his child hood sweet heart and I hope he enjoyed great happiness in the year since they where married. I felt Savage had fallen off the wrestling radar somewhat in the 10 years since he retired, not much was written or spoke about him and it didn’t feel right. I hope now his legacy will be remembered properly and he will finally be revered as one of the all time greats.

    My thoughts go to his family & wife during this sad time,

    God Bless

    R
    Picture Perfect Gallery

    Useful Links:
    Savage vs. Warrior build up video – Summerslam 1992
    Macho Man Randy Savage and what he taught us all
    ‘Macho Man’ was a true original

  • Is Andy Warhol’s Pop Art loosing its demand? – Sotheby’s auction report May 10th 2011

    Andy Warhol’s Sixteen Jackies was expected to sell for a whopping $30 million at the ‘Contemporary Art Evening Sale’ held at Sotheby’s Art Auction House in New York on May 10th. However the usual big-money art collectors were a little reluctant to part with such big bucks on the night.


    Andy Warhol, Sixteen Jackies. 1964. Sold for $20.2 million at Sotheby’s auction to an unidentified telephone bidder.

    Despite being the top seller at the auction, Warhol’s 16 piece silk screened canvas only managed to draw in two bidders, and eventually sold at its low estimate of $18 million; excluding Sotheby’s fees that in total brought the sale up to $20.2 million. A total of 58 artworks were up for auction, of which 9 failed to sell. The night definitely wasn’t an out and out success, however Sotheby’s still managed to rake in a total of $128.1 million and surpass their low total estimate of £120 million. But was it enough?


    Andy Warhol, Shadow-Red. 1978. Topped its estimate of $700,000-$900,000 by selling for £4.8 million on the night.

    Before the auction began on Tuesday, collectors and dealers complained that Sotheby’s were auctioning too many Warhol pieces, as a total of seven were up for sale that night. Attending the auction was Californian billionaire and financier Mr. Eli Broad who commented: “It’s all in the material, and to me there was nothing really outstanding.” The auction proved that if the estimate was low enough, the dealers and collectors would bid (as was the case with Warhol’s Shadow-Red); however if the price wasn’t right, they just weren’t that interested. This lack of shopping and too much watching raises the question; is the art world tiring of Warhol’s pop art, or were Sotheby’s estimates just too high for the current economic climate?

    Thank you

    Jessica

    Useful Links:

    www.sothebys.com
    www.warhol.org
    The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts

  • The National Gallery: Set to reveal Leonardo da Vinci Exhibition

    The National Gallery are set to hold what promises to be the most popular exhibition ever seen in the UK. The exceptional exhibition will feature several of Leonardo da Vinci’s rare works that the London gallery have managed to secure through a series of international loans. Some of the pieces will be travelling from galleries situated in Italy and others from France; many of which have never been seen in the UK before. By miraculously making seven Da Vinci loans a possibility, The National Gallery will feature the most complete series of da Vinci works ever seen.


    Leonardo da Vinci, Madonna Litta. c 1490-91.

    Leonardo da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan is the official title of the exhibition. It is to be held from the 9th November 2011 through to the 5th February 2012. This showing doesn’t concentrate of Leonardo as a draughtsman or an inventor. Instead it concentrates on Leonardo solely as a painter; delving into the skills and techniques used by this fascinating artist, and his pursuit for perfection seen in his representations of the human form. The exhibition particularly concentrates on the works created by Da Vinci through the late 1480’s and 1490’s, as this was the time period da Vinci spent as a Court Painter to Milan’s ruler, Duke Lodovico Sforza.


    Leonardo da Vinci, St. Jerome. c 1480.

    In order to make the three month exhibition as enjoyable as possible, The National Gallery intend to limit visitor numbers. To combat the possibility of over-crowding, the gallery will only allow 180 visitors to enter each half hour, instead of the usual 230 that is in accordance with the galleries’ Health and Safety regulations. However, knowing that tickets with be in high demand, the gallery will aim to avoid disappointment by introducing later opening times of a Friday and Saturday evening.


    Leonardo da Vinci, The Last Supper. c 1498.

    The final, and perhaps most exciting part of the exhibition, is the full-scale copy of da Vinci’s world famous ‘ The Last Supper’. This marvellous piece that will be on loan from the Royal academy will be seen alongside the preliminary drawings of this piece created by the very hands of Leonardo. Alongside this, visitors will get to discover how this grand-scale painting was intricately designed and accomplished by the fascinating man and artist that was Leonardo da Vinci

    Related Links:

    http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/leonardo-da-vinci-painter-at-the-court-of-milan

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/leonardo/

    http://arthistory.about.com/cs/leonardo/a/last_supper.htm