LAS VEGAS (AP) – Owners of the closed Sahara hotel-casino on the Las Vegas Strip say they’re donating one of the property’s iconic signs to the Neon Museum, a collection of Sin City’s historic markers.
SBE Entertainment officials tell The Associated Press that the donation is part of celebrating the cultural significance of the casino that closed last month after 59 years.
The sign faced Sahara Avenue at the back of the casino, near a porte-cochere.
Neon Museum Chairman Bill Marion says the sign is a classic example of Las Vegas’ storied past and the historic art form of neon signs.
The museum, also known as the Neon Boneyard, is often referred to as the place where neon signs go to die.
The donation comes as SBE mulls what to do with the space.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
DETROIT – Graphics, drawings, fine art books and exhibition catalogs from the collection of Ellen Sharp, former curator of Graphic Arts at the Detroit Institute of Arts, will be featured at DuMouchelles’ auction Sunday, July 10, beginning at noon Eastern. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding for the entire three-day auction that begins July 8.
Sharp’s collection includes works by such artists as Fritz Hundertwasser, Rolf Nesch, Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, James Tissot, Tristan Tzara, Victor Vasarely, Hiroshi Yoshida, Robert Rauschenberg, Paul Emile Berthon, Anders Aldrin, Norman Ives, Kenneth Price, Auguste Lepere, David Pryor Adickes, as well as 18th- and 19th-century French drawings, and posters by Joan Miro and after Jasper Johns.
Fine art from a local estate features graphics, watercolors, drawings and posters as well as sculptures – including many works by Polish artists. The auction’s extensive selection of fine art is additionally highlighted by watercolors by Sir William Russell Flint and continues with works by Antonio Piotta Rotta, Ferrucio Moro, Jerzy Kossak, Charles Levier, Josef Gisela, Gustave Jean Jacquet, Marko Mavrovich, Tamara Essner, John O?Brien Inman, Marshall Fredericks, Albert E. Carrier-Belleuse, Antonio Alcantara, Charles Sorlier (after Marc Chagall) and Frank Stella as well as an 18th-century old master oil of Hebe and Jupiter.
Of special interest are a marquetry 19th-century French commode; a French bronze and Belgian marble clock, circa 1895; a19th-century gold leaf mirror; a 1764 map of Detroit; and Kerman, Herez and Sarouk rugs. A 201.50-carat flawless unmounted blue topaz stone is one of more than 60 lots of jewelry in the Sunday session.
The Saturday, July 9, auction opens with Art Nouveau decorative arts by Archibald Knox, Rebecca Cauman, Lalique, and silver overlay art glass, along with bronze sculptures by Edith Parsons, Franz Bergman and an Edward Berge garden fountain entitled Duck Mother. From the estate of Theodore McGraw of Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich., are antique English, German, and Chinese Export porcelains, Regency crystal, Royal Copenhagen dinnerware, Steuben glassware, a Carl Rungius drypoint, botanical prints and mahogany furniture. Saturday’s session will begin at 11 a.m. Eastern.
DuMouchelles’ summer evening sale, July 8, will commences with an attractive selection of fine art, including a Louis Icart (French, 1888-1950) dry point and etching, a Tom Hale (American, 20th century) acrylic on Masonite and an oil on canvas depicting a view of St. Mark’s in Venice by Wallace Herndon Smith (American, 1901-1990). Over 40 lots of exquisite jewelry are also featured, including a Paul Ditisheim platinum open face pocket watch and a 14kt gold wristwatch by Tiffany & Co. Decorative objects and furniture abound, with a Heintz Art Metal Shop Art Nouveau bronze vase with sterling overlay, unique bar stools by Zanotta as well as three armchairs by Antonio Citterio for B & B Italia.
For details go to DuMouchelles’ website www.dumouchelles.com or phone 313-963-6255.
LOS ANGELES (AP) – A picture of a painting at the J. Paul Getty Museum might be worth a thousand words on a new app called Google Goggles.
The museum announced Monday that all a visitor has to do is photograph a painting and Google’s image recognition technology will identify the painting and pull up more information.
Getty is the first museum in the country to use the Google Inc. app. Available data includes artist biographies, information about other works and audio files.
Curators always struggle to squeeze all their exhibit information onto notecards.
There are rules: some paintings are off limits because of copyright laws and to protect the art, no flash photography is allowed.
Visitors will also be asked to use earphones to avoid disturbing others.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CHICAGO – Wright’s spring season will conclude Saturday, July 9, with their annual “no reserve” auction titled “Mass Modern,” which will feature approximately 500 lots of the modern design. LiveAuctioneers will provide Internet live bidding.
Furniture highlights include a Frits Henningsen leather and mahogany lounge chair, an Illum Wikkelso rosewood and chrome-plated steel desk, a Hans Wegner upholstered armchair, and a Børge Mogensen teak cabinet. Estimates on these items range from $5,000-$8,000 each.
Lighting will include a Geno Sarfatti adjustable floor lamp by Arteluce from the early 1950s.
The auction will get under way at 10 a.m. Central at Wright’s gallery at 1440 W. Hubbard St. in Chicago.
For details visit Wright’s website at www.wright20.com or phone 312-563-0020.
BOSTON – Skinner, Inc. will auction nearly 600 lots of antique microscopes, compasses, watches, clocks and more on Saturday, July 16, 2011 at their Marlborough gallery, 274 Cedar Hill St., Marlborough, Massachusetts. Internet live bidding will be provided by LiveAuctioneers.com.
Antique Microscopes, Compasses and Lathes
The event features the important early microscope collection of Serafino Avella, which includes pieces from the 18th and 19th centuries. Examples range from simple botanical microscopes to sophisticated compound binocular microscopes. Also to be auctioned is an extensive assortment of more than 1,000 prepared microscope slides. Most are labeled by the preparer, and they are organized in fitted cabinets.
There are fine examples of surveying compasses, including lot 183, an 18th-century compass made in New England by John Dupee. The intricately detailed, walnut compass is estimated to sell between $1,500 and $2,500.
A truly unique item is lot 212, one of the most complete ornamental turning lathes to come on the market in many years. These sophisticated early machines could create all manner of complicated forms and elaborate designs. This Holtzapffel & Deyerlein ornamental turning lathe was made in London around 1827. It has a mahogany bench with foot treadle, flywheel and drawers below the iron bed. The tall chest has shelves fitted to store accessories, many of which are included. The lower doors store 36 turning tools marked “Holtzapffel,” with handles of rosewood and other rare woods. Auction estimates for this piece range from $15,000 to $25,000.
Timepieces: Antique Clocks and Watches
The auction will include many timekeeping devices. The watch featured on the back cover of the catalog, lot 312, is a Patek Philippe & Co., chronograph register 18K gold hunter case watch. Made in Geneva, Switzerland in 1882, this piece features an 18K rose gold case with PPC mark which opens to reveal the enamel dial marked “M. Scooler, New Orleans, No. 6521.” The inside rear lid is engraved “Presented by Friends Dec. 25, 95,” the cuvette is engraved “No. 65214 Made to Order for M. Scooler, 105 Canal Street, New Orleans La, by Patek Philippe & Co. Geneva.” This lot is accompanied by an “Extract from the Archives” from Patek Philippe dated Dec. 11, 2009, providing the details of date of manufacture. The auction estimate ranges from $40,000 to $60,000.
Another noteworthy watch is lot 315, made around 1862 by the American Watch Co., of Waltham, Massachusetts. This 18K gold watch was presented by Abraham Lincoln to David Dudley Field. Field met Lincoln in Chicago in 1847 while a member of the “Barnburner” Democratic Party. By 1856 Field and Lincoln had both become Republicans. A member of a distinguished family, Field was often on opposite sides of the political discourse with Lincoln, but obviously highly respected as an advisor and frequent visitor to Lincoln at the White House. This watch is presented in its original rosewood box and has an auction estimate ranging from $30,000 to $50,000.
There are many unique and high-quality antique clocks set for sale. Lot 331 is especially interesting; it is the only known 90-day duration (i.e. it only requires winding every three months) wall clock, and the only wall clock known with “Fay’s escapement.” Made by E. Howard & Co., Boston, circa 1858, the walnut clock features Fay’s patented escapement mounted on the front. Henry C. Fay of Troy, New York, patented his “walking pawl” or “silent” escapement on May 11, 1858. The auction estimate for this unique piece ranges from $80,000 to $120,000.
From a wonderful collection of early Connecticut clocks comes lot 333, a Curtis & Clark spring-powered shelf clock made in Plymouth, Connecticut circa 1825. Its mahogany case with carved columns flanking the painted iron dial is signed Curtis & Clark, Plymouth, Conn. The clock has Arabic numerals and reverse-painting on its glass. According to Chris H. Bailey in “Heman Clark and the ‘Salem Bridge’ Shelf Clocks,” NAWCC Bulletin Supplement No. 13, 1980, pp. 22-26, Heman Clark undoubtedly designed and made the prototype for the Connecticut spring-powered shelf clock. An 1824 contract extant outlines the production of 200 of these clocks. Few survive to this day. This example was owned by the late Kenneth Roberts and was displayed for many years at the American Clock and Watch Museum, Bristol, Connecticut during his tenure as Director. The auction estimate ranges from $15,000 to $25,000.
For additional information on any lot in the sale, call 508-970-3000.
View the fully illustrated catalog and sign up to bid absentee or live via the Internet at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – I almost wish I hadn’t known anything about the Crest Hardware Art Show and had instead dropped by my neighborhood store for a box of nails only to be surprised by a photograph tucked in behind rows of paintbrushes, or a sculpture hung from the ceiling. I wonder how long it would have taken me to figure out that what I was seeing wasn’t some sort of whimsical prank, but rather a carefully selected gallery that also happens to be a True Value Hardware store. But I had heard about the show, and I sought it out, not knowing what to expect. Boy, was I impressed.
Everywhere I looked, on product shelves, on walls, on the ceiling were pieces inspired by the same products sold within the store—art and consumerism intertwined. The curator and owner, Joe Franquinha, installed more than 300 works throughout the store, from copper sculpture to aerosol paint, to crocheted yarn.
There is only one stipulation that has to be met in order for an artist’s work to be included in the annual show. “The artist either has to use hardware, or create something inspired by hardware,” Franquinha explained.
The intricate results force reflection on the unique beauty of everyday items that hold together our world. Nails, extension cords, metal keys—to the shoppers they are necessary purchases, but to the artists who participated, they became elements to be manipulated and turned into something exquisite.
“The store is an institution,” said Franquinha, referring to the 49-year-old retail landmark. The show helps build a bridge between the burgeoning art scene in the Williamsburg neighborhood and loyal Crest customers. It’s a chance for local artists, many of whom get their supplies from Crest, to liven up the community in a most unusual gallery setting.
For me, the show represents what’s so special about street art: It grabs you when you least expect it and makes you see something in a new way.
The Crest Hardware Art Show runs through July 30. Catch it at 558 Metropolitan Ave. in Brooklyn, New York.
PROVINCETOWN, Mass. – “Art is wonderful. It’s something with which you are never finished. Life and art are the same thing. You are always learning. You don’t graduate from it as much as you answer something which opens up new possibilities and more questions for you to answer.” Said Doug Ritter, instructor of the upcoming course at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, “Working in a Series: Designing your Practice.” Ritter’s workshop will run Tuesday-Thursday, July 5-7 from 1:30-4:30pm at the Provincetown Art Association and Museum.
Ritter’s low-key, fun methods provide an excellent way to discover, define or refine your ideas and work process.
Ritter, recently certified as a Drawing From the Right Side of Your Brain instructor, has been a year-round resident of outer Cape Cod since 1997. He has taught painting, design, drawing and color theory within the BFA Programs of the Corcoran School of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, and the Savannah College of Art and Design, and currently is on the faculty at Cape Cod Community College.
Together, Ritter and his students will develop a customized plan relevant to the student’s interests, strengths and preferences. Over the course of the workshop, students will learn how to take an existing work of their own and use it as a basis for generating additional works in a series, or students may start with a concept instead of an existing piece of art. Ritter will help students explore and define the materials, techniques, point of view and technical issues necessary to carry the concept through to production.
The goal of this course is not to leave with a plan that students later have to execute on their own but rather to develop and refine a plan from which the students are creating art while in class. Ideally, students will leave with four to five new pieces of work and a fresh, process-based way of working that will facilitate continued growth on their own.
The first day of class students will look at existing artwork, styles and techniques, talk about their work/ideas, sketch and storyboard ideas, and develop a personalized map of the rest of the sessions.
Each session will end with a period of sharing, critique and peer feedback, which, even as a professional painter and professor, Ritter finds rewarding and useful. “As unique as I think I am, I am still working from a tradition, a history of painters. I always learn from my students,” said Ritter.
This course is suited for anyone who has explored a variety of types of work and is looking to become more defined as an artist, for anyone who would like to develop more technical skills looking to create a structured, process-driven way to work.
This course is intended to explore any 2D materials and can accommodate beginner to advanced students. Students may either bring an existing work to build upon, or a concept to bring to fruition.
Ritter is teaching another course at PAAM from July 26-29 also aimed at helping artists apply a system to their working methods, Capturing the Impression: An Experiential and Logical Approach to Observational Painting.
For more information or to register for this course, visit PAAM.org or contact Grace Ryder-O’Malley at gryderomalley@paam.org or 508-487-1750.
# # #
Course Details
Working in a Series: Designing your Practice
Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Tuesday-Thursday, July 5-7, 1:30-4:30pm
Course Description
Open to two-dimensional forms and practices, our discussions serve to model potentialities, and identify one’s strengths and proclivities. Participants may develop existing work, generate new work specific to this opportunity, or use work from the museum as a starting point. Intermediate to advanced two-dimensional artists are welcome, and may work in drawing, painting, or mixed media.
In this course, we identify the issues and processes that individuals engage in their work, and examine the narrative and structural processes involved in communicating through art. We create a plan that emphasizes the integration of content and process by generating a series of related works, then we storyboard, laundry list, generate studies, and sample materials. This class offers a balance of discussion, criticism, experimentation, and concentrated studio time.
Open to two-dimensional forms and practices, our discussions serve to model potentialities, and identify one’s strengths and proclivities. Participants may develop existing work, generate new work specific to this opportunity, or use work from the museum as a starting point. Intermediate to advanced two-dimensional artists are welcome, and may work in drawing, painting, or mixed media.
# # #
Biography
Doug Ritter has been a year-round resident of outer Cape Cod since 1997. He has taught painting, design, drawing and color theory within the BFA Programs of the Corcoran School of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, and the Savannah College of Art and Design, and currently is on the faculty at Cape Cod Community College, and serves on the Visual Program Committee of the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown.
Awards and grants include a Maryland State Arts Council grant in 2-Dimensional Media; a Mid-Atlantic/National Endowment for the Arts Visual Arts Fellowship in Painting; SECCA/R.J. Reynolds Fellowship from the Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art; and a residency/fellowship from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown. His solo exhibitions include School 33 Art Center, Baltimore, MD; Hudson D. Walker Gallery, Provincetown, MA; Elon College, Burlington, NC; and Julie Heller Gallery in Provincetown, MA.
His work is in the permanent collection of the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Mass., and the Cahoon Museum of American Art in Cotuit, Mass., and in many private collections.
# # #
About the Provincetown Art Association and Museum
Provincetown Art Association and Museum was established in 1914 by a group of artists and townspeople to build a permanent collection of works by artists of outer Cape Cod, and to exhibit art that would allow for unification within the community. Through a comprehensive schedule of exhibitions of local and national significance and educational outreach, Provincetown Art Association and Museum provides the public access to art, artists, and the creative process.
PAAM, located at 460 Commercial St., is open (October – May) noon to 5 p.m., Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, also open by appointment; (Memorial Day – September) 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. General admission $7. Free to members and children 12 and under. For more information, please call 508-487-1750 or visit www.paam.org.
LAMBERTVILLE, N.J. – Commenting on the strengths of Rago’s $5.3 million sale of 20th and 21st century design held June 11-13, owner David Rago remarked: “Early 20th century was solid through and through. Ninety percent sold, and it hammered well into the estimate range.”
“Modern also hammered in the estimate range, despite being 75 percent sold. We definitely overestimated the depth of the market for good but not great pieces under $5,000,” Rago continued. “There was real strength in the market for the studio craftsmen – Esherick, Nakashima, Evans – as well as modern ceramics and glass.”
Following are the day-by-day statistics for Rago’s sale, which featured Internet live bidding through LiveAuctioneers.com:
Saturday, June 11: Early 20th Century Design/Arts & Crafts
Consignments are now being accepted for Rago’s next 20th Century Design auctions in October. For additional information call 609-397-9374 or email info@ragoarts.com.
View the fully illustrated catalog for Rago’s June 11-13 sale, complete with prices realized, at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.
BOSTON (AP) – The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston has determined that a 17th-century Dutch painting in its collection was once owned by a Jewish art dealer who died at the hands of the Nazis in World War II.
The Boston Globe reports the museum has agreed to pay restitution to Walter Westfield’s heir but will keep the Eglon van der Neer painting.
The sum to be paid to Westfield’s family was not disclosed. Fred Westfield, who lives in Tennessee and is Walter Westfield’s nephew, told the newspaper the family was appreciative of the way the museum handled the matter.
Walter Westfield was killed at Auschwitz. Investigators believe the painting was likely stolen by the Nazis. The MFA purchased it for $7,500 from a New York art dealer in 1941.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CAIRO (AP) – French archaeologists have unearthed hundreds of 3,000-year-old colored limestone blocks believed to have been used to build the sacred lake walls of a temple dedicated to the goddess Mut.
Egypt’s minister of antiquities, Zahi Hawass, says the blocks were unearthed in San El-Hagar in northern Egypt. Hawass said in a statement Monday the blocks may have belonged to King Osorkon II of the 22nd Dynasty (945-718 B.C.) and been used for either a temple or a chapel.
The French mission has so far cleaned 120 blocks, 78 of which have inscriptions.
San El-Hagar was known as Tanis during the pharaonic era. It is one of the oldest Egyptian cities and contains many temples belonging to the god Amun.
Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.