July 12, 2013 - Auction Central News

National Gallery of Art debuts ‘Northern Mannerist Prints’ Sept. 1

Jan Muller, after Bartholomaeus Spranger, 'Minerva and Mercury Arming Perseus,' 1604, engraving, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Ruth Cole Kainen.

WASHINGTON – A spectacular selection of northern mannerist prints from the Kainen Collection will be showcased at the National Gallery of Art this fall. “Northern Mannerist Prints from the Kainen Collection” will be on view in the West Building’s Ground Floor galleries from Sept. 1 to Jan 5.

In 2012, the National Gallery received 781 works as the bequest of Ruth Cole Kainen, including this school as one of its strengths. The exhibition includes every major artist of this extraordinary style and features many of their masterpieces, including Hendrick Goltzius’ early Mars and Venus, Jacob Matham’s monumental Table of Cebes, Jan Muller’s heroic plates of Bellona and the Apotheosis of the Arts, and Aegidius Sadeler’s portrait of Bartholomaeus Spranger with his deceased wife Christina in both a rare, unfinished state and an impression of the completed print.

“We are honored and delighted to present the first of several exhibitions dedicated to Ruth Cole Kainen’s generous bequest of hundreds of works,” said Earl A. Powell III, director, National Gallery of Art. “Jacob and Ruth Cole Kainen were among the gallery’s most generous benefactors, and we celebrate their achievements with this series of exhibitions.”

Organized by the National Gallery of Art, this exhibition concerns the incredibly sophisticated and virtuoso style of printmaking that flourished in the northern Netherlands during the last two decades of the 16th century and became an international phenomenon that lingered into the next century. Of nearly 100 northern mannerist prints bequeathed by Ruth Cole Kainen last year, the exhibition presents some 50, providing so many fine examples that this celebration of the bequest is equally an excellent introduction to the style.

Hendrick Goltzius, the pioneer of the style, defined this language in works of his own design and in translations of the rarified, often erotically charged subjects of Bartholomaeus Spranger, who served as official painter to Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II at Prague. Trained by Goltzius, a circle of engravers featuring Jacob Matham, Jan Saenredam and Jan Muller developed variations on this style for interpreting their master’s designs, those of other leading Dutch artists, and many more inventions of Spranger. Inspired by this school, Flemish master Aegidius Sadeler went to Prague and collaborated directly with court artists to create some of the most extraordinary works of this style. Together the works of these printmakers constitute the last great expression of mannerism. In turn they expanded both the formal vocabulary of European art and the technical possibilities of the medium of engraving.

Augmenting superb impressions of several of Goltzius’ own engravings— rivaling the excellence of Albrecht Dürer—are two complete sets of Goltzius’ most elegant designs rendered by Saenredam. Also featured are Spranger’s most significant inventions, alternating between sensuous mythologies and complex allegories. As a counterpart to these works of the Prague school is an exceptional group by the principal artists in the northern Netherlands, from Goltzius’ audacious set of four transgressors from ancient mythology, to Saenredam’s exquisitely refined plates after Abraham Bloemaert’s designs.

This exhibition is curated by Jonathan Bober, curator and head of old master prints, National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Jacob and Ruth Cole Kainen were among the most important friends and benefactors of the Gallery. From 1975 until Ruth Cole Kainen’s death in 2009 they gave the Gallery a total of 1,289 European and American works, principally prints and drawings. To celebrate Ruth Cole Kainen’s 2012 bequest, and more broadly the Kainens’ achievement as collectors and benefactors, the Gallery will present a series of three exhibitions dedicated to areas of their greatest interest: northern mannerism; German prints and drawings, especially by the expressionists; and American modernism through abstract expressionism.

Ruth Cole Kainen (1922-2009), who began collecting art in the early 1960s, married Jacob Kainen, a painter, draftsman, and printmaker. She served on the National Gallery of Art Trustees’ Council from November 1989 to December 1995 and again from March 2008 until her death in September 2009.

Jacob Kainen (1909-2001), who had numerous gallery and museum shows to his credit, was also an internationally known curator and scholar. He helped to build and manage the print collections at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, arranged numerous exhibitions, and published research on subjects as varied as 16th-century mannerism, 18th-century Venetian etchings and woodcuts, and German expressionism.

Ruth Cole Kainen’s bequest of 781 European and American works of art covers five centuries, ranging in date from 1531 through the 1980s. The 10 paintings, 39 watercolors and drawings, and 732 etchings, engravings, woodcuts, lithographs and illustrated books represent a comprehensive range of schools, styles and subjects, reflecting her delight in many different types of art.

John Moran achieves strong prices for Asian art June 18

Dating to the 17th-18th centuries, this gilt-splashed bronze incense burner sent bidders into a frenzy, selling for $54,000 (estimate: $3,000-$5,000). John Moran Auctioneers image.

PASADENA, Calif. – John Moran Auctioneers’ June 18 Antiques and Decorative Arts Auction featured quality American and European furnishings, decorative arts, and fine art, as well as a vast selection of Native American textiles, baskets, beadwork and pottery. International bidding activity via online bidding platforms including LiveAuctioneers.com was especially busy. Nearly a third of all successful bidders bought online.

Asian works of art, particularly Chinese, did especially well. Almost every one of the carefully selected items in this category outperformed its high estimate. The most contested lot was a Chinese gilt-splashed bronze incense burner, dated to the late 17th-early 18th century. Tying up every available phone line and pulling in numerous international bidders via online platforms, the censer realized $54,000, leaps and bounds over the conservative estimate of $3,000 to $5,000.

A pair of impressively carved Chinese carved spinach jade covered urns followed, realizing $12,300 (estimate: $1,000-$1,500). Though restored, a Chinese red coral figural carving depicting two figures atop a phoenix bird achieved $6,765 (estimate: $800-$1,200). A massive Chinese export Canton famille rose punchbowl, a find at one of John Moran’s monthly walk-in “What’s It Worth?” appraisal clinics, was estimated to bring between $2,000-$3,500, and found a buyer for $5,400. Also causing quite a stir online among international buyers was a Ming Dynasty celadon-glazed warming bowl. It earned $13,200 at the block (estimate: $3,000-$4,000).

Among the 70 Native American objects, Navajo textiles appeared in abundance. A room-size Navajo regional weaving in red, black, cream and gray on a natural brown ground earned just over the estimated $4,000-$6,000, selling for $6737.50. A striking pictorial rug, featuring stylized frogs, lizards, and human figures on a red ground, estimated to bring $3,000-$5,000, brought $6,600 after some serious competition between telephone bidders. A finely woven Navajo Third Phase woman’s wearing blanket, woven of aniline-dyed red, indigo-dyed blue, and natural brown, grey and cream wool exceeded expectations with a final price tag of $8,400 (estimate: $5,000-$6,500).

Prices were also strong among a variety of other types of Native American art. An exceptionally rare Sioux beaded hide horse mask, a parade piece decorated with American flags, was in excellent condition for its 100 years. Originally conservatively estimated to find a new owner for between $12,000 and $16,000, it inspired a battle between floor bidders who duked it out until at last the dust settled at an impressive $27,000.

Numerous absentee buyers bid on a Southern Plains Indian hairpipe breastplate, dating to the late 19th century, driving it to a final selling price of $3,600 (estimate: $800-$1,200). A striking Tlingit carved wood clan helmet, dating to the late 19th or early 20th centuries, realized $6,000 (estimate: $3,000-$6,000). Featuring effigies of a killer whale, a raven, a frog and a bear, the helmet hailed from a private collection in the Northwest. A collection in Los Angeles yielded a number of great baskets, including a California Mission Cahuilla polychrome basket with a design of two snakes circling a central eagle. In very good condition and dated to the first quarter of the 20th century, it sold for $6,600 at the block (estimate: $3,000-$5,000).

Continental decorative arts, a mainstay at Moran’s, also found buyers at competitive prices. A rare Rene Lalique Jeunesse perfume bottle with a dauber modeled as a standing cherub realized $3,382.50 (estimate: $800-$1,200), while a pair of Georg Jensen sterling silver candlesticks designed by Alphonse La Paglia brought $2,400 (estimate: $1,000-$1,500). A pair of Georgian walnut dining room urns on pedestals drove bidders wild, fomenting intense interest both online and via telephone. At the end of the tussle, the urns sold for $21,600 (estimate: $2,500-$3,500).

In the category of fine art, a festive oil-on-canvas titled The Wedding, by Pjotr Stjanow, realized $3,600, well over the estimated $800-$1,200, and setting a record for the Russian artist’s works at auction. Shortly following, a charming oil-on-panel by Dutch artist Anton Mauve depicting cows in a pastoral Dutch landscape found a buyer at $3,600 (estimate: $2,000-$3,000). An oil by Western genre specialist Percy Van Eman Ivory titled Striking Oil earned its place as a standout with a selling price of $4,200, exceeding the estimated $1,200-$1,800. Offered shortly after was a lot of 11 vintage American sports paintings, estimated at $3,000-$5,000 due to various condition issues. A compelling slice of Americana and collegiate history, the group went for a respectable $4,287.50. Late in the auction, a languid scene by master Southern California engraver Paul Landacre titled Forest Girl realized $2,700 (estimate: $600-$800).

Select highlights also include:

– A 1958 Selmer Mark VI tenor saxophone, in excellent original condition, attracted bids both domestic and international, eventually going to an online buyer for $10,040 (estimate: $4,000-$6,000);

– A set of lithographs by Mexican artist Rufino Taymayo (eight works of the “90th Anniversary Series”), brought $18,375 at the block (estimate: $10,000-$15,000);

– A circa 1740 map of the South Seas engraved by Dutch cartographers Andries & Hendrik de Leth found a new home with a phone bidder for $7,200 (estimate: $3,000-$5,000):

– A 1926 Steinway Model O grand piano with a carved Louis XV-style case, consigned from a San Marino, Calif., estate, realized $11,295 (estimate: $6,000-$8,000).

Consignment inquiries are always welcome at John Moran Auctioneers. Interested sellers should contact the office directly via email at: info@johnmoran.com, or via phone at: 626-793-1833.

Click here to view the fully illustrated catalog for this sale, complete with prices realized.

ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE

A pair of carved spinach jade covered urns on gilt metal bases, marked with a Qianlong chop mark, earned a $12,3000 sale price, well over the estimated $1,000-$1,500. John Moran Auctioneers image.

This Third Phase woman’s wearing blanket carried an estimate of $5,000-$6,500. It realized $8,400 on the block. John Moran Auctioneers image.

This intricately beaded Sioux horse mask was in excellent condition for its age, earning a price of $27,000 (estimate: $12,000-$16,000). John Moran Auctioneers image.

These George III walnut dining room urns are a furniture type described in George Hepplewhite’s late 18th century treatise ‘The Cabinet-Maker and Upholsterer’s Guide.’ The pair found a new home for $21,600 (estimate: $2,500-$3,500). John Moran Auctioneers image.

‘Striking Oil,’ by Sacramento-born Western artist Percy Van Eman Ivory, hammered at $4,200 (estimate: $1,200-$1,800). John Moran Auctioneers image.

Five free things in Havana, from cobblestones to old US cars

A 1952 Chevrolet, an example of what locals call a 'Yank tank,' parked on a street in Havana, Cuba. Photo by Dirk van der Made, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

HAVANA (AP) – For a city where people earn an average of $20 a month at government jobs, Havana can be a surprisingly pricey place — at least for tourists.

From $6 daiquiris at El Floridita, Ernest Hemingway’s favored watering hole, to the ubiquitous hustlers looking to con visitors into buying knock-off cigars, much about the Cuban capital seems geared toward separating travelers from their money.

Fortunately some of Havana’s most charming details can be experienced free of charge. Here are five great ways to explore this city stuck in time, without adding to the hefty fees charged by tour companies.

(Note: While millions of tourists visit Cuba each year from Canada, Europe and elsewhere, Washington’s 51-year-old economic embargo still outlaws most American travel to the island. However, tens of thousands of U.S. citizens are now visiting legally each year on cultural exchange trips. These so-called people-to-people tours are rigidly scheduled to comply with embargo rules, but there’s almost always a little free time to go off on your own, and some of these attractions may also be part of official itineraries.)

THE MALECON

Begun in 1900 during U.S. occupation and completed in 1958 under strongman Fulgencio Batista, the Malecon, or seawall, stretches 4 miles (6 kilometers) from old town to the Almendares River. There’s no bad time of day for a stroll along what’s known as “the great sofa” for being Havana’s 24/7 center of social activity. At dawn, fishermen dip lines into the gentle waves as the city rouses itself from slumber. In the afternoon, when the sunlight seems impossibly bright — don’t forget the sunblock! — kids keep cool by doing somersaults into the water. But the Malecon truly comes alive in the evening when thousands gather to laugh and sip rum, and canoodling couples form romantic silhouettes against the crimson sky. Weekends at 23rd Street and Malecon are a real party atmosphere; for a more mellow experience and the best sunsets in town, pull up some concrete where Paseo Boulevard meets the Florida Straits.

OLD HAVANA

No visit is complete without a leisurely walk through the cobblestoned Spanish colonial quarter, much of it patiently rehabilitated by the Havana City Historian’s Office. A tour of four public squares is enough to hit the highlights: intimate Cathedral Square, home to the city’s main Roman Catholic temple; leafy Plaza de Armas, where vendors hawk books, coins and Ernesto “Che” Guevara memorabilia at a daily flea market; sun-drenched Plaza Vieja, where uniformed children from a local school play rollicking games of tag; and breezy Plaza San Francisco, the jumping-off point for tour buses to Old Havana. The latter teems with colorfully dressed, cigar-chomping women who make a living as what you might call officially licensed “greeters,” attaching themselves to the arms of male travelers and leaving lipsticky kiss marks on their cheeks. A tip is expected if you have your picture taken with them, but a polite, preemptive “no, gracias” before they can pucker up should keep you on budget.

OLD CARS

Havana doesn’t disappoint on its reputation as a living automotive museum, with finned 1950s Chevrolets, Fords and Cadillacs rarely seen elsewhere still cruising the city’s avenues. While some are barely held together by makeshift parts and creative soldering, many have been maintained with surprising amounts of TLC. For a four-wheeled blast from the past, head to the streets around the wedding-cake-like Capitol building, where classic car owners park their antiques — known locally as “Yank tanks” — so nostalgic tourists can gawk. Motorcycle enthusiasts will delight in the weekly gathering of the “hogs” just down the hill from the Hotel Nacional. Members of Havana’s tightly knit Harley-Davidson club meet informally here each Saturday afternoon to show off their vintage rides, nearly all of them predating the 1959 Cuban Revolution.

ARTISTS’ WORKSHOP

See art come alive at the Taller Experimental de Grafica, ensconced at the end of an alley off Cathedral Square in a former public bathhouse. Founded in 1962 on “Che’s” instructions, the shop hosts dozens of artists who are remarkably friendly and happy to chat with even the slightest prompting. Some speak English and will give visitors an up-close demonstration of how lithographs, etchings and woodcuts get made. Just about everything you see is for sale, but there’s no pressure to buy. For more free art, walk up gently sloping 23rd Street, also known “la Rampa,” or “the Ramp,” where dozens of mosaics by Cuban masters such as Wilfredo Lam form a sidewalk gallery that goes for blocks and blocks.

BASEBALL FEVER

Cubans are just as crazy for “beisbol” as Americans, and Spanish-speaking fans won’t want to miss the Central Park’s “esquina caliente,” or “hot corner.” Named after the baseball term for third base, this shady spot is a favorite place for Havana residents, mostly men, to engage all comers in passionate arguments about the sport during the November-June season. Still haven’t gotten your fill of Cuba’s national pastime? A ticket to the raucous bleachers of El Latino Stadium, home to Havana’s most storied ball club, Industriales, costs just a few pennies’ worth in the local currency. Go on, splurge — after a day in Havana without once opening your pocketbook, you’ve earned it.

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Peter Orsi on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Peter_Orsi

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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE

Reading the Streets: Gnomes give way to neon creatures

Gnome mural on Clinton Street, New York City. Photo by Elie via BoweryBoogie.com.

NEW YORK – For years, a wall of cheerful gnomes watched over the block of Clinton Street , like benevolent bouncers with Santa Beards. Years of tags and fading later, however, the gnomes lost their comforting glow and this June, were replaced by an entirely new set of creatures created by street artist Bortusk Leer, coinciding with the opening of “Monsters in New York exhibit” at the next-door Culturefix Gallery.

The wall’s new residents are alien-like creatures in shades of neon orange, blue and pink. They have large heads, prominent square teeth that stick out of narrow mouths, circular eyes that looked a bit crossed, and between two and three ears. Two are in a taxi, with one driving, and the other looking out the window, smiling, presumably at the Lower East Side passerby, while one drives.

Two others flank each side of the car, moving like they are taxi backup dancers. Or perhaps the creatures in the car are monster rock stars and the ones outside are park of the entourage? There’s also a blue family member floating above one of the car-less figures, which might be either an insect or a bird, and I hope my confusion is not an insult to either.

It remains to be seen whether the new mural will have the staying power of its predecessor, but I hope these neon creatures stick around for a while.

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

‘Monsters in New York’ by Bortusk Lee, New York City. Photo by Ilana Novick.

Utah hands out $195K to worthy museums around state

The MH-53M Pave Low Helicopter, tail number 68-10367, arrives from Hurlburt Field, Fla., to be moved to the Hill Aerospace Museum in Utah for display. U.S. Air Force photo by Todd Cromar.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) – The Utah Division of Arts and Museums is handing out more than $195,000 to museums around the state to develop projects.

Arts and Museums officials say in a statement Wednesday that the grants are supposed to be used by museums to improve professional skills, collections and service.

Development grants are being handed out to eight museums open for less than 1,000 hours a year. They each received $1,000.

Project grants, which range from $3,300 to $6,000, are being awarded to 34 museums. Some of those projects will require matching money from other sources.

Thanksgiving Point, Hill Aerospace Museum and Clark Planetarium all received $6,000 grants.

Arts and Museums Director Lynnette Hiskey says the museums are an “integral component of the state’s cultural life.”

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Science Museum prepares galleries for audio-visual art exhibits

Presence, Universal Everything & You © Universal Everything.

LONDON – A large audio-visual artwork created collaboratively through a smart phone app will be on display for the first time at Media Space, the new galleries opening in the Science Museum, London. Art and design collective Universal Everything has been commissioned to create this new two-part installation, which will be on display from Sept. 21 until Feb. 7.

Working with emergent technologies Universal Everything, founded by Matt Pyke in 2004, has developed a vibrant playful aesthetic. The two parts of this digital installation, “1000 Hands” and “Presence,” originate from simple line drawings and are united in the gallery space through sound and light. This will be the first installation in the Virgin Media Studio.

Universal Everything has a history of collaboration and “1000 Hands” will be created through contributions from the public through a smart phone app. In the physical space, “1000 Hands” will take the form of a circular projection onto multiple screens with each screen showing an individual user-generated artwork. An evolving soundtrack will amplify and recede over time in relation to the works moving in unison on screen. Through the smart phone app a simple line drawing will grow into an elaborate, evolving form. Drawing different shapes will reveal hidden forms, behaviors and appearances.

“Presence” will be a circular four-screen video installation occupying the space around “1000 Hands.” These screens will show moving abstract forms against a black background, and the motion of these forms will reveal a human presence. These life-size abstract forms have been created by motion captured performances of dancers Julia Eichten and Nathan Makolandra from Benjamin Millepied’s LA Dance Project. The playback of the performances in “Presence” show the dancers in a growing number of digital “costumes,” for example, glowing feathers or elaborate sculptural trails. The performances evolve in appearance over time, changing materials, color and behavior but always moving to an audio pulse, which harmonizes with the soundtrack of “1000 Hands.”

Founded by Matt Pyke (b.1975) Universal Everything is a UK-based digital art and design collective who work with a global network of designers, artists, musicians, producers and programmers. The studio creates vibrant digital artworks that explore anthropomorphism using new technologies such as 3D printing, touch screens, motion capture and large format video. For Universal Everything & You he has collaborated with composer Simon Pyke, Benjamin Millepied’s LA Dance Project and architect Irene Shamma. Past artworks have been exhibited at MOMA, New York, V&A London, Central Academy of Fine Arts, Beijing, Garage Center for Contemporary Culture, Moscow, and La Gaite Lyrique, Paris among others.

“Our approach stems from our background and ongoing study of drawing, painting and sculpture. The exploration of a living presence is central to the studio’s practice, and through working with anthropomorphism, we strive to create deeper empathetic connections with the viewer. In this exhibition, we invite the visitor to create magical contributions, bringing warmth, emotion and humanity to generative forms,” said Pyke.

Hannah Redler, head of Media Space says: ‘Having grown out of the DIY subcultures of the 1990s, Universal Everything’s practice can be seen as a culmination of sustained, playful and experimental invention in sounds, drawing and moving image. Combining visual languages of living forms, synaesthesia, modernist design and digital visual effects, their absorbing installations immerse us in a new world defined by the creative potentials of code and humanised technology.’

Media Space is a new photography and art gallery in the Science Museum opening on 21 September 2013. A collaboration between the Science Museum and the National Media Museum (Bradford), Media Space will showcase the National Photography Collection of the National Media Museum through a series of exhibitions. Media Space will also bring together photographers, artists, curators and the creative industries to explore the relationship between photography, science, art and technology. Universal Everything & You will be shown alongside the major exhibition Only in England: Photographs by Tony Ray-Jones and Martin Parr, which will run until March 16.

The Presenting Partner of Universal Everything and You is Hyundai Motor UK and the Principal Founding Sponsor of Media Space is Virgin Media after whom the Studio will be named. A major donor to the project is the Dana and Albert R Broccoli Foundation set up by the family of the late James Bond producer. Media Space has also received generous support in the form of donations or artworks for auction from a large number of individuals, companies and artists.

Universal Everything and You will run from 21 September 2013 – 7 February 2014. in the Virgin Media Studio, Media Space, Science Museum, London. The “1000 Hands” app will be compatible with Apple/iOS and Android devices and available to download for free from Sept. 21 – www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/universaleverything

ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

Artist’s impression of Universal Everything & You © Universal Everything

Right at Home: artful decor from recycled paper

'Drum' Scraplight made by Graypants Studio from recycled cardboard boxes, www.graypants.com.

VENICE, Calif. – Many of us dispatch our used paper to a bin, the first step on the way to Recycle Land. These household accumulations of paper and cardboard are just one more thing to get rid of.

Luckily, there are designers and artists who see possibilities in all that wood pulp. They’re busy using it to create art, decorative accessories, even furniture.

So what you sent to the recycling center just might find its way back, in some form, to your home.

Trent Mayol’s company, SmartDeco, designs and makes heavy-duty cardboard furniture that’s simple, stylish and easy to put together without tools. The idea came to him when he was a University of Southern California neuroscience major dealing with the packing and logistical hassles of his fifth college-housing move.

“Nobody likes dealing with furniture. Especially those living what we’ve deemed the ‘one-year-lease lifestyle,”’ Mayol says. “These people are young, economically savvy, and never in the same place for too long.”

SmartDeco’s pieces, which include a desk, sidestand and dressers, are engineered to hold up to 400 pounds, with multiple layers of fiber and a center arched reinforcing panel. Yet they’re lightweight and easy to move.

Available in Kraft finish (the natural brown of the cardboard) or white, the Modesto, Calif.-made furniture might appeal particularly to college students, but has enough of a hip look for a wider audience too. Customize the pieces if you want; a plastic snap-on protective shelf cover comes with each one. (www.smartdecofurniture.com )

Seattle design studio Graypants makes striking light fixtures out of repurposed cardboard boxes, in a series called Scraplights. The corrugated cardboard allows light to play dramatically through the fixtures, and it’s treated with a non-toxic fire retardant. (www.graypants.com )

Amy Gibson’s medium is magazines. The Seattle artist folds sections of recycled periodicals into color slabs, which she combines into one-of-a-kind wall art and mirror frames. (www.etsy.com/shop/colorstorydesigns )

If paper décor intrigues you, visit other Etsy.com stores for items or inspiration. Israeli artist Ruti Ben Dror offers functional bowls made of origami folded paper. San Antonio, Texas-based Shannon Ruby crafts clocks out of recycled magazines and paper; some are made of a myriad of curled paper circles, others are starbursts made of colorful rolled pages. And she’ll custom design. www.etsy.com

You’ll find similar brightly hued work done by Indian craftspeople, in folded or spooled storage boxes and vessels at HomeGoods. (www.homegoods.com )

Restoration Hardware Baby & Child has papier mache animal heads, including sharks, antelope, giraffes and stags, made by Haitian artists out of recycled paper similar to newsprint. Each piece has the look of a typographic sculpture. (www.rhbabyandchild.com )

Sometimes inspiration comes when you’re just trying to clean up a bit. A decade ago, photographer and artist Adrienne Moumin was relocating from Brooklyn, N.Y., to Maryland. Before she moved out of her rented darkroom, she began printing up a bunch of architectural shots she had lying around. She noticed that the prints had the makings of a collage, so she printed some more, and the project took on a life of its own.

“I started the series in 2003, thinking it was what I’d do in the meantime while I searched for a rental darkroom,” says Moumin. “It soon turned into the main art form I practice.”

The pieces, many of which she showed at the recent Architectural Digest Home Design Show in New York City, are intricately hand-cut assemblages drawn from the geometric, often fractal images of skyscrapers and other urban elements that she had photographed and turned into silver gelatin prints. (www.picturexhibit.com )

Got a carful of old maps, but now have GPS? Decoupage cartographic pages onto waste bins, serving trays or furniture, or wooden or cardboard letters for instant décor. Old atlas pages make cool lampshades, drawer liners or framed wall art. You’ll find instructions galore online.

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ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE

SmartDeco's chest of drawers made from reinforced cardboard is capable of supporting 400 lbs of weight. The company's range of furniture is idea for college students or those on a budget. Image courtesy of SmartDeco (www.smartdecofurniture.com). — SmartDeco’s chest of drawers made from reinforced cardboard is capable of supporting 400 lbs of weight. The company’s range of furniture is idea for college students or those on a budget. Image courtesy of SmartDeco (www.smartdecofurniture.com).

Ex-head of National Arts Club settles lawsuit with NY

National Arts Club, at 15 Gramercy Park South in Manhattan, formerly the home of Samuel J. Tilden, Governor of New York and Presidential candididate in 1876. Calvert Vaux, one of the creators of Central Park, designed the house in 1874 from two houses built in 1845. The club took over the building in 1906. It was named a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1976. Photo by Dmadeo, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

NEW YORK (AP) – A New York official says the former president of the National Arts Club has agreed to pay $950,000 to settle claims he mismanaged the institution and used its resources to finance a luxurious lifestyle.

State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sued O. Aldon James in September, saying James, his brother and an associate used more than a dozen apartments and other space at the club’s Manhattan headquarters rent-free. He also said James spent tens of thousands of dollars from club funds on purchases at antique shops, flea markets and vintage clothing stores.

Schneiderman says the club will get $900,000, with the balance going to cover the state’s costs.

A call to James’ lawyer wasn’t initially returned Wednesday.

The club was founded in 1898 to promote public interest in the arts.

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Mr. Peanut fan brings convention to W.Va.

Extremely rare 28-in-tall Mr. Peanut tapper used as window display to capture attention of passersby. Sold by Showtime Auction Services on April 2, 2011 for $23,000. Image courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com Archive and Showtime Auction Services.

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) – Tom Holbrook has always been a collector.

At one point or another, the 69-year-old has collected everything from baseball cards to stamps, from coins to glassware.

But it wasn’t until he was browsing through a bookstore and discovered a book on antique advertising collectors that he found a collecting niche that would quickly become his overriding passion.

In the book’s index he came across a description of the Peanut Pals — a nationwide club devoted to collectors of Planters Peanuts memorabilia.

Although members of the club are interested in acquiring all types of Planters promotional items, the Pals are primarily obsessed with the company’s mascot, the top hat-wearing, cane-wielding legume known around the world as Mr. Peanut.

The nonprofit organization was founded in 1978 and is now comprised of more than 450 members. The club is recognized by Planters as its one and only official fan club.

Holbrook’s own fascination with the iconic spokes-peanut started slowly.

At first, he began picking up Planters items whenever he’d come across them at yard sales, flea markets and antique stores. Then he attended his first his first national Peanut Pals convention in Ann Arbor, Mich., in 1984. There he met other collectors who were just as nuts about nuts as he was.

“Once you get involved in these things, you make friends and it’s as much about camaraderie as it is about collecting,” said the Charleston resident.

Since becoming active in the club, Holbrook has assembled one of the nation’s largest collections of Planters-related items. He has a near encyclopedic knowledge of the company’s 100-plus year history and its various advertising strategies.

“Really, they were marketing geniuses,” he said as he pointed out various pieces of his extensive, meticulously curated collection.

Over the years Planters has given away just about every Mr. Peanut-themed item imaginable. There are nightlights, salt and pepper shakers, playing cards, clocks, letter openers and much, much more.

Although many of the items are now quite valuable, collectors like Holbrook insist that their pursuit is about nostalgia and the thrill of the hunt as opposed to monetary gain.

“If I’d wanted to become a millionaire, I’d have never started collecting Planters,” he said with a laugh.

The personified peanut was born in 1916 when a 14-year-old student named Antoni Gentile won a contest to decide the company’s mascot with his drawing of a peanut man. Gentile won $5 for his submission.

Gentile’s anthropomorphic nut was naked, originally wearing nothing more then his shell and a smile. A commercial artist later added his trademark top hat, monocle, white gloves, cane and spats.

After attending 13 Peanut Pals conventions across the country, Holbrook is hosting the club’s 34th annual convention, starting Wednesday and running through Saturday at the Marriott Town Center Hotel. Holbrook said he expects nearly 100 Planters fanatics from all across the country to attend.

“This is the first time the convention is being held in West Virginia,” he said. “The response from everyone in town has been great so far, and I’m proud to be able to show off our city and state to attendees coming from all over the county.”

During the convention, members will take a day trip to the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine and visit Charleston’s Peanut Shoppe. There will also be a “room hopping” event — where Pals can choose to sell items out of their hotel rooms — a banquet with entertainment, a silent auction, a live auction and a swap meet.

The swap meet — from 2:30 to 3:30 pm. Friday in the hotel’s second floor meeting rooms — is the only event open to the public. During that time, Mr. Peanut himself will be on hand for photo opportunities.

For more information on the Peanut Pals Club, visit www.peanutpals.org.

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Information from: Charleston Daily Mail, http://www.dailymail.com

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Il mercato dell’arte in Italia: Gli anni 60

Agente 007 Licenza di uccidere, affisso 4 fogli in prima edizione italiana 1963, cm 140x200, base d'asta €1.900, stima €4.000. Courtesy Little Nemo, Torino.

TORINO, Italia – La casa d’aste e galleria torinese specializzata in fumetto Little Nemo terrà un’asta il 18 luglio interamente dedicata agli anni 60, un decennio che ha cambiato il mondo, in cui sono nati dei miti che oggi, dopo cinquant’anni, sono ancora di grande attualità e di moda, per esempio Andy Warhol, James Bond, o Batman.

La vendita include 250 lotti circa con stime che vanno in media da €100 a €1.000. “Per noi è molto importante rivolgerci anche ai giovani collezionisti”, dice Sergio Pignatone, titolare di Little Nemo.

I lotti sono divisi in quattro macro-sezioni: arte, cinema, pubblicità e, naturalmente, il fumetto, il nucleo centrale d’attività della Little Nemo. All’interno di queste sezioni ci sono altre divisioni tematiche, che affrontano, per esempio, il tema del Western o quello dell’esplorazione spaziale.

Nella sezione dedicata all’arte c’è un importante libro d’artista di Andy Warhol, il lotto di apertura. È un libro pop-up del 1967 intitolato “Index Book” che non ha una tiratura limitata ma è molto difficile trovare in condizioni perfette (lotto 1). Warhol l’ha realizzato come “un libro per bambini per hipsters”, oggi quanto mai attuale. Contiene una vera e propria contaminazione di generi e tematiche: all’interno si trova un disco di Lou Reed, la famosa Tomato Soup Can, fotografie della Factory e un foglio di francobolli con, presumibilmente, LSD.

Per gli amanti del film, invece, ci sono diversi manifesti che partono da stime molto basse e permettono agli appassionati di cinema di acquistare dei documenti storici che arredano e hanno anche ampi margini di rivalutazione. Benché i poster fossero prodotti in edizione illimitata per essere esposti nei cinema, dopo andavano al macero, quindi è difficile trovarli oggi. In Italia c’è stato un solo funzionario del cinema di nome Nando Salce così lungimirante che ogni volta che gli arrivava un poster nuovo ne metteva da parte una copia. Oggi il suo archivio è il più completo in Italia e si trova nella sua città natale, Treviso.

Tra i più importanti in questa sezione ci sono i primi manifesti dei film di James Bond usciti in Italia. Il primo in assoluto è stato “Agente 007 Licenza di uccidere”, nel 1963 (lotto 4), che è molto raro trovare in perfetto stato. E poi ci sono alcuni modellini di Aston Martin con scatola figurata (la cosa più importante), con i vari accorgimenti e trucchi dell’agente segreto inglese (lotti 7 e 8).

E poi c’è il mito di Batman, che nel 1966 con il film e poi la serie televisiva passa dal fumetto allo schermo e conquista il mainstream. Little Nemo offre all’asta il primo manifesto italiano in due fogli (lotto 157), oltre ad alcuni giochi come una sidecar prodotta ad Hong Kong (lotto 160) e una Batmobile importata in Italia dal Giappone, molto importante (lotto 162).

Nell’ambito del fumetto non può mancare Diabolik, che nasce proprio nel 1962. All’asta ci sarà il primo numero nella rara variante del 1963 (lotto 166). Allora, infatti, le tirature erano bassissime e il primo numero è stato subito esaurito. Nel 1963, allora, è stato ristampato e questa seconda ristampa del primo numero è quasi più rara da trovare della prima.

E poi c’è Linus, la prima rivista seria di fumetto che, nel 1965, era ha rappresentato lo sdoganamento del fumetto. Sulla rivista figuravano, infatti, nomi di grande rilevanza intellettuale come quelli di Umberto Eco, Oreste Del Buono e Elio Vittorini. È qui che ha debuttato una protagonista del fumetto italiano come Valentina di Guido Crepax e sono state presentate le storie di fumetti come Corto Maltese di Hugo Pratt, Peanuts di Schulz e Pogo di Walt Kelly (lotto 175).

Di Hugo Pratt c’è anche una serigrafia rara realizzata in seguito ad una scommessa con l’editore Sergio Bonelli. Pratt aveva scommesso di poter realizzare una guardia reale di 10 metri, tagliarla e venderla in singole tavole in una galleria d’arte. Pratt prese, in realtà, le parti più interessanti della giubba, ma riuscì effettivamente a vendere tutte le serigrafia in una mostra alla Galleria L’Elefante di Venezia. Una fu acquistata dallo stesso Bonelli. Sono serigrafie rare poiché erano state fatte in edizione di 100, ma andarono perdute per via dell’acqua alta a Venezia e ne sono rimaste solo trenta o quaranta. È stata la prima operazione di multipli d’artista di Pratt con la tecnica della scomposizione, divenute in seguito celebri (lotto 200).

Inoltre c’è una collezione di volumi dell’editore francese Éric Losfeld (Éditions Le Terrain Vague) che ha pubblicato personaggi mitici tra cui Barbarella (lotti 145-155). È stato molto importante per la contaminazione pop tra l’arte e il fumetto. Il più importante volume all’asta è “Saga de Xam” (lotto 153).

Molto importante è, poi, la sezione dedicata alla pubblicità, che proprio negli anni 60 è stata reinventata. Tra gli esempi più interessanti ci sono una réclame della Chiquita (lotto 50), che tuttora conosciamo, e poi le pubblicità della Vespa e della Lambretta, i mezzi di locomozione più rappresentativi dell’epoca (lotto 56 e 241). C’è anche una sezione dedicata a Armando Testa, tra cui il lotto di copertina (lotto 34), un manifesto del caffè Paulista mai visto prima. Ci sono, inoltre, tutti i personaggi di Carosello, da Calimero, a Topo Gigio, a Toto e Tata, a Susanna tutta panna con un prototipo gonfiabile su cui veniva poi impressa la pubblicità (lotto 30).

Una sezione molto importante è quella dedicata al Western, che è un’anticipazione di un’importante mostra organizzata da Little Nemo al museo del fumetto “Wow” di Milano e di un’asta dei lotti in mostra, che si terranno il prossimo autunno e sono dedicate interamente al Western in Italia, da Buffalo Bill a Tex Willer.

All’asta del 18 luglio ci saranno poster di Sergio Leone, molto amato dai collezionisti stranieri, soprattutto inglesi, americani e giapponesi, che lo apprezzano quasi più degli italiani. In particolare il lotto 88 è la prima edizione molto rara di “Per un pugno di dollari”, del 1964, un poster ricercato in tutto il mondo. Era l’epoca in cui Leone ancora si firmava Bob Robertson poiché ancora non era sicuro del grande successo che poi sarebbe arrivato.

Sul tema dello spazio, invece, ci sono alcuni giochi d’epoca e poi una copertina dell’olandese Karel Thole che ha lavorato molto in Italia disegnando le copertine per Urania (lotto 108).

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