The UICA complex in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich. UICA image.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. â The Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts is merging with Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University. As a result of the merger, UICA will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the fast-growing art and design school.
The change required fresh thinking by the UICA board, and an unprecedented show of support from the community and donors. Despite its new $8 million home in the heart of Grand Rapids, UICA membership and attendance levels have not reached their potential, hindering the instituteâs efforts to become the regional art leader it is poised to be. With debts and monthly expenses outpacing its income, Michiganâs largest contemporary arts center was on a path to closing its doors this fall.
Enter Kendall College of Art and Design, and a group of people who believe the UICA has important work left to do in West Michigan.
âThe UICA sits at the heart of the city,â noted Kendall President David Rosen. âThat is appropriate because the heart of our community is its creativity. UICA provides a hub for all who thrive in the creative environment. Any city that wants to be great needs a UICA.â
David Eisler, president of Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Mich., recognized the value of UICA to Grand Rapids and the natural affinity between it and Ferrisâ prized art and design school. âWe are delighted with the continued growth of our partnership efforts with UICA. This merger reflects the commitment of Ferris State University and Kendall College of Art and Design to the arts in West Michigan. The synergy of this new relationship will strengthen the contemporary arts in our region,â said Eisler.
With the encouragement of Eisler, Kendall College of Art and Design took steps to lend UICA support by sponsoring projects and offering advice and expertise. âOur plan was simple: protect UICA from as many of their expenses as possible and help them gain momentum,â said Rosen. âIf UICA generates new funds, we will make sure they help UICA grow into the vibrant center it aspires to be.â
Donorsâ extraordinary commitment to pay off debt on the new building and the response of the community to UICAâs mission has made the merger possible.
“A broad range of donors brought UICA to its new building on Fulton. Now a steadfast group of key donors is bringing UICA to its next iteration with Kendall/Ferris,â said Kate Pew Wolters, one of those key donors and a longtime supporter of UICA. âSignificant donor partnerships and community collaborations in West Michigan have once again come together to keep and enhance leading edge arts and culture in the heart of the city. We would not be in this position today without the help of these donors and community-minded citizens.”
Donors Dick and Betsy DeVos agreed, adding, âWhen we work together toward a common vision, remarkable things can happen. The merger of UICA with Ferris State University and Kendall College of Art and Design unites a shared vision and extraordinary potential for creative spirit and artistic inspiration in downtown Grand Rapids. As supporters of these institutions, we applaud this partnership. We envision the endless possibilities resulting from this alliance, and we look forward to a flourishing partnership that provides exceptional contemporary artistic experiences to the West Michigan community.”
The last piece for the renewal was naming the new executive director, Miranda Krajniak, formerly of the Saugatuck (Mich.) Center for the Arts. Kathryn Chaplow, chair of the UICA board, points to Krajniakâs energy, skills and start-up mentality as the qualities needed to help UICA reclaim its role as a creative engine.
âUICA is part of a bigger picture, and Miranda understands and communicates that idea beautifully,â said Chaplow. âHer strong vision, leadership and commitment impact the future of both the organization and the collective art and design community. She is unafraid of taking the risks that prompt difficult questions. This is the sort of leadership that a contemporary arts center like UICA must have. It’s not about making everyone happy all the time. It is about exploration, pushing boundaries and stretching imaginations. The UICA will continue to engage its audience with a sense of curiosity and wonder, and that audience is growing. This is an incredibly exciting time.â
Krajniak has hired a full-time curator, Kendall alumnus Alexander Paschka, to present art in a way that appeals to a wider audience. âWe need to increase the variety and scope of work and how we talk about it,â Krajniak said, âWe donât want the public to feel art is beyond understanding.â With five floors and multiple gallery spaces, the building has ample room for a range of subjects, styles and materials, and Krajniak plans to keep the mix rich and constantly evolving.
The UICA movie theaterâthe only one downtownâwill also take on a bigger, more active role. âFilms are our most competitive product, and weâre going to be expanding the variety of what we screen to include classics and other community-friendly offerings,â said Krajniak, who is also looking for ways to make UICA events more accessible.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
The UICA complex in downtown Grand Rapids, Mich. UICA image.
A carved ivory and brass mounted stained hardwood walking stick, late 19th century, the grip modeled as the head of a hare. Estimate: ÂŁ200-ÂŁ300. Dreweatts and Bloomsbury Auctions image. NEWBURY, England â Dreweatts and Bloomsbury Auctions will conduct an Interiors sale Friday, Aug. 30, at the Donnington Priory salerooms featuring select contents from Widgenton House, including a magnificent collection of antique samplers, alongside a unique selection of novelty canes and walking sticks. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding. The auction will begin at 10 a.m. local time, 2 a.m. Pacific.
Diane Pelham Burn was a notable authority on needlework and thimbles, she built her collection of antique samplers while enjoying a noteworthy career as a writer and lecturer on the subject. These pieces are a testament to her passion and eye for detail.
This extensive collection of antique samplers provides a unique insight into the development of this craft over a 300-year-period, charting its evolution from a demonstration of technical ability, into a decorative piece.
Each sampler carries a strong sense of the childâs personality documenting a range of themes and subjects, ranging from idyllic scenes of rural life, to moralizing quotations and designs inspired by biblical verse. The majority, too, are endearingly embroidered with the name of the maker, and year of its creation, ranging in date from 1640 (lot 31) to the mid-19th century.
As lot 36 indicates, little has changed in the agenda of young girls over the last four centuries. As children today may wish to immortalize celebrities in their artwork, Fanney Martin, in 1773, showcases her presumed literary idol, William Shakespeare, by delicately stitching quotes from The Tempest.
A selection of fine quality âgadgetâ walking sticks, canes and parasols.
These novel canes, predominantly date from turn of the 20th century and highlight the ingenuity of British craftsmanship. Among the disguised âgadgetsâ are a corkscrew, paint set, fishing rod, umbrella, pipe, sword, and even a telescope.âšParticular highlights from the group are (lot 82) a set of four parasols: three gilt metal and porcelain mounted and another enameled gilt metal example. Each is distinctly decorated with maidens, a courting couple, and the other with the head of a dog. Estimates for these items range from ÂŁ100-ÂŁ300 and as such are affordable, but unique, pieces.
Additionally, there are several finely worked canes and walking sticks mounted with unusual and charming animal heads, evidencing the lasting impact of Victorian tastes for nature and design indebted to the Arts and Crafts movement. Included in these are owls, dogs, horses and rabbits.
As always, this sale will feature a variety of high quality interior items, ranging from Regency furniture to decorative arts. Other highlights include a pair of early 20th century boot stays repurposed as table lamps (lot 354) and a selection of items of rowing memorabilia containing two Edwardian rudders decorated with the names of the oarsman of Trinity College, Oxford and âHenley,â along with pewter tankard trophies and a rowing cap (lot 422).
A carved ivory and brass mounted stained hardwood walking stick, late 19th century, the grip modeled as the head of a hare. Estimate: ÂŁ200-ÂŁ300. Dreweatts and Bloomsbury Auctions image.
A large French porcelain turquoise ground Sevres-style floor vase, late 19th century. Estimate: ÂŁ1,500-ÂŁ1,500. Dreweatts and Bloomsbury Auctions image.
Claudio Parmiggiani, Senza titolo, 1970, calco in gesso, stracci, terra-cotta, pigmenti, farfalla.
ROMA â Per secoli l’antichitĂ e i classici sono stati fonti di ispirazione per generazioni di artisti. Ma che cosa rappresentano per gli artisti di oggi? Una mostra, curata da Vincenzo Trione e promossa dalla Soprintendenza speciale per i beni archeologici di Roma in collaborazione con Electa, risponde a questa domanda attraverso le opere di 17 artisti contemporanei, esposte negli spazi monumentali del Foro romano e del Palatino a Roma dal 23 maggio al 29 settembre.
Ă la prima volta che l’arte del presente entra in questi spazi maestosi, creando un dialogo tra antichitĂ e contemporaneitĂ . I valori classici di bellezza, armonia, perfezione, misura e sapienza vengono reinterpretati in chiave moderna attraverso opere che in alcuni casi sono state create per l’occasione.
Tra gli artisti inclusi nella mostra, intitolata “Post-classici”, ci sono rappresentanti dell’Arte Povera come Jannis Kounellis, Michelangelo Pistoletto e Giulio Paolini, protagonisti della transavanguardia come Mimmo Paladino, fotografi come Mimmo Jodice e Antonio Biasiucci, fino agli artisti piĂč giovani come ZimmerFrei, Alis/Filliol e Francesco Barocco. CiĂČ che accomuna le tante poetiche molto diverse l’una dall’altra Ăš la ripresa dell’antico non come qualcosa da ricopiare in modo fedele, quanto piuttosto da riscrivere e riproporre con citazioni in bilico tra presente, passato e futuro.
Il lavoro di Gianluigi Colin (1956), per esempio, evoca l’antichitĂ attraverso la parola stampata sui media contemporanei (Colin Ăš art director del Corriere della Sera) e richiama un mondo perduto. Il titolo del suo lavoro, “The Ruined Ruins” (2013), rimanda ai crolli avvenuti nel passato recente a Pompei e le cattive condizioni in cui versa il sito archeologico. La serie, composta da pagine di giornale stropicciate e fotografate, si colloca in un corridoio seminterrato di 130 metri chiamato il “Criptoportico neroniano”.
La nota raccolta di fotografie di Mimmo Jodice (1934) intitolata “Anamnesi” (1982-2008), invece, si trova all’interno del Museo Palatino. I suoi ritratti di statue antiche fanno da sfondo alle statue della collezione e caricano l’atmosfera di solennitĂ e mistero.
La classicitĂ Ăš un tema fondamentale anche nell’opera di Vanessa Beecroft (1969), che Ăš tra gli artisti italiani piĂč noti all’estero. Anche in quest’occasione al centro del suo lavoro c’Ăš il corpo femminile, di cui viene sottolineata la fragilitĂ in contrasto con la materia delle sculture.
L’altra artista femminile coinvolta nel progetto Ăš Marisa Albanese, che presenta allo Stadio Palatino – riaperto dopo anni di restauro – la serie delle “Combattenti” (2000-2013): statue di donne sedute la cui compostezza contrasta con la frenesia contemporanea.
Sempre all’interno dello Stadio Palatino si trova l’opera di Jannis Kounellis (1936), realizzata appositamente per lo spazio utilizzando le rovine dello stesso Stadio, che l’artista ha ordinato a formare un quadrato.
L’altro esponente dell’Arte Povera, Michelangelo Pistoletto (1933), riproponeâproprio nel Tempo di Venereâla famosissima “Venere degli Stracci” (1967-2013), che riprende l’antichitĂ e in particolare la bellezza canonica dell’arte occidentale e la associa con gli stracci, elemento di contrasto e simbolo del quotidiano.
Nello stesso luogo si trova l’opera del rappresentante della Transavanguardia Mimmo Paladino (1948), che pure mischia un motivo classico come lo scudo a elementi stranianti come scarpe, fucili, numeri, in un flusso ininterrotto dal passato al presente.
Ampio spazio Ăš dedicato all’opera di Claudio Parmiggiani (1943), che da sempre intrattiene un dialogo profondo con l’antico. Nello Stadio l’artista espone un’opera del 1970, una testa in gesso dipinta di giallo e bendata, accompagnata da un elemento tipico per l’opera dell’artista, la farfalla. Nel Tempio di Venere mostra una serie di novantacinque teste reclinate che sembrano essere cadute dal cielo. In entrambi i casi il tema Ăš quello della caducitĂ e del destino dell’umanitĂ , soggetto all’inesorabile scorrere del tempo.
Il lavoro dell’altro collettivo coinvolto, ZimmerFrei, formato da Massimo Carozzi, Anna de Manincor e Anna Rispoli, Ăš una meditazione sul paesaggio dal titolo “Belvedere”, 2012-2013. Si compone di diversi oggetti, materiali e immagini che riflettono sulla formazione del paesaggio moderno, sul rapporto con le rovine delle persone che camminano oggi sul sito archeologico.
ROME â For centuries antiques and the classics have been sources of inspiration for generations of artists. But what do they represent for the artists of today? An exhibition, curated by Vincenzo Trione and promoted by the Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Rome in collaboration with Electa, answers this question through the works of 17 contemporary artists exhibited in the monumental spaces of the Roman Forum and the Palatine from May 23 to Sept. 29.
It is the first time that the art of the present enters these majestic spaces, creating a dialogue between antiquity and modernity. The classical values of beauty, harmony, perfection, measurement and wisdom are reinterpreted in a modern key through artworks that in some cases have been created for the occasion.
Among the artists included in the exhibition, titled “Post-classics,” there are representatives of Arte Povera such as Jannis Kounellis, Michelangelo Pistoletto and Giulio Paolini; protagonists of the Transavanguardia like Mimmo Paladino; photographers Mimmo Jodice and Antonio Biasiucci; up to younger artists like ZimmerFrei, Alis/Filliol and Francesco Barocco. What connects their poetic, which are very different one from each other, is the recovery of the ancient not as something to copy faithfully, but rather to rewrite and propose again with quotes hanging in the balance between past, present and future.
The work by Gianluigi Colin (1956), for example, evokes the antiquity through the printed word on the contemporary media (Colin is art director of the newspaper Corriere della Sera) and recalls a lost world. The title of his work, The Ruined Ruins (2013), refers to the collapse that occurred in the recent past in Pompei and the bad condition of the archaeological site. The series, consisting of newspaper pages that were creased and photographed, is located in a basement corridor of 130 meters called the “Criptoportico neroniano.”
The well-known collection of photographs by Mimmo Jodice (1934) titled “Anamnesi” (1982-2008), instead, is inside the Palatine Museum. His portraits of ancient statues are the background to the statues of the collection and charge the atmosphere with solemnity and mystery.
The classic is also a major theme in the work of Vanessa Beecroft (1969), who is among the most famous Italian artists abroad. Also on this occasion the focus of her work is the female body, of which the artist underlines the fragility in contrast with the matter of the sculptures.
The other female artist involved in the project is Marisa Albanese, who presents at the Palatine Stadiumâreopened after years of restorationâthe series of the “Combattenti” (2000-2013): statues of seated women whose composure contrasts with the contemporary frenzy.
Again in the Palatine Stadium is the work by Jannis Kounellis (1936). The work was created specifically for this space using the ruins of the same stadium, which the artist ordered to form a square.
The other exponent of Arte Povera, Michelangelo Pistoletto (1933), presents once againâexactly in the Temple of Venusâthe famous Venus of the Rags (1967-2013), which incorporates antiquity, and in particular the canonical beauty of Western art, and associates it with rags, a contrasting element and a symbol of the everyday.
In the same place is the work of the representative of the Transavanguardia Mimmo Paladino (1948), who also mixes a classic motif such as the shield with alienating elements such as shoes, guns and numbers in an uninterrupted flow from the past to the present.
Considerable space is devoted to the work of Claudio Parmiggiani (1943), who has always maintained a deep dialogue with antiquity. At the stadium the artist exposes a work from 1970, a plaster head painted yellow and blindfolded, accompanied by a typical element for the artist’s work, the butterfly. In the Temple of Venus, Parmiggiani shows a series of 90 recumbent heads that seem to have fallen from the sky. In both cases, the theme is that of transience and the fate of humanity, which is subject to the inexorable passage of time.
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Among the younger artists, the duo Alis/Filliol, formed by Davide Gennarino (1979) and Andrea Respino (1976), presents a sculpture of the god Janus (Ianus, 2013), which itself represents the connection between past and future (the deity was represented with two faces, one looking to the past and one that looking to the future). But it is not only the choice of theme that goes back to antiquity. The technique chosen for the realization of the sculpture draws on ancient techniques elaborated in a modern sense, while at the same time the sculpture stands in stark contrast to the aesthetical concept of the past.
The work by the other collective involved, ZimmerFrei, formed by Massimo Carozzi, Anna de Manincor and Anna Rispoli, is a meditation on landscape titled Belvedere, 2012-2013. It consists of several objects, materials and images that reflect on the formation of the modern landscape, on the relationship between the ruins and the people walking on the archaeological site today.
1941 Wurlitzer model 850 jukebox, also called ‘the Peacockâ because it features a brilliant peacock reverse painted on glass. Fontaineâs Auction Gallery image. PITTSFIELD, Mass. â Two outstanding 35-year collections to be sold without reserve, featuring items in many categories, will be included in a specialty auction slated for Saturday, Sept. 21, at 11 a.m. Eastern by Fontaineâs Auction Gallery. Approximately 450 fresh-to-market lots will be offered. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet live bidding.
The 35-year collectionsâone from Jerry and Doris Soldner of Kingston, N.Y., the other from a collector in the Elk Mountain region of northern Pennsylvaniaâwill headline the event, the first of three major auctions planned by Fontaineâs this fall.
The auction will feature musical items (rare Victrolas, gramophones, music boxes, phonographs, jukeboxes and speakers), automatons, coin-op, country store, advertising, slot machines, toys, arcade games, vending and soda machines, cash registers, wall phones, trade stimulators, tin litho, signs and posters, display cases, scales, figural canes, bicycles and more.
âThe two major collections are certain to attract bidders, for two reasons,â said John Fontaine of Fontaineâs Auction Gallery. âOne, they have been tucked away in homes for over 35 years and are just now seeing the light of day, so theyâre truly fresh to the market. And two, both will be sold without reserve. These are wonderful items, many of them rare and very desirable.â
At least 30 floor model jukeboxes will be offered, to include a 1941 Wurlitzer model 850 jukebox, also called âthe Peacockâ because it features a brilliant peacock reverse painted on glass. It also boasts an arched top with chromed filigree mounts. Also sold will be a Wurlitzer table model 71 jukebox on stand (1940), 58 inches tall and taking nickels, dimes and quarters.
One item sure to wow the crowd is a circa 1900 Yale Wonder Clock, made in Burlington, Vt. The coin-operated mechanical marvel sports a roulette-type dial, spinning pointer, flashing lights, 15 1/2-inch Regina music box and token system designed to reward a lucky patron with merchandise from the store where the machine was displayed. It is one of only a handful known.
Phonographs will feature a rare Burns & Pollack Lampophone phonograph, with electric-driven disc turntable with Burns Capitol reproducer, brass tone arm, three needle bins and single interior light socket; and a Victor mahogany Type VI phonograph and stand in original finish, signed on a brass tag âVictor Talking Machine Co.â and with a 12-inch spring-driven turntable.
Also selling will be a custom paint-decorated butlerâs secretary cabinet with electric model Victrola, having a painted green cabinet with gilt carved moldings and trim and a fancy gilt carved base in scrolling legs; and an oak Victor Type V phonograph with a 12-inch turntable, rear-mounted oak horn, black painted support arm with gilt stenciling and a nickel tone arm.
Coin-op machines will feature a 1-cent floor model Mills Perfect Muscle Developer, with a portrait of a man flexing his muscles and reading, âShow Your Strength,â over an index chart comparing average strength-to-weight ratios; and a circa 1939 C.R. Kirk & Co. free weight coin-op scale, with a red hand pointing to the âguessedâ weight and black hand for âactual weight.â
Cash registers will include an inlaid National Cash Register having a beautiful mahogany case with carved trim, 25 lever buttons and a domed lid with shell and swirling inlays. Also sold will be an early 20th century Royal Typewriter advertising display, a functional model mounted with a pressed tin store advertising display sign.
Graphophones will be plentiful throughout the sale. Examples will include a Columbia Type BC graphophone with large-size oak case and large mechanically amplified reproducer; and a Columbia Type AD Home Grand gramophone on a stand, having an oak case with fancy domed, patented Dec. 1898.
Also offered will be a Graphonola DeLuxe with serpentine form floor-standing mahogany case holding a Regina music box playing 15 1/2-inch discs on a double combed spring-driven mechanism signed with a metal tag on the soundboard; and a Chicago Coinâs Band Box jukebox orchestra speaker deluxe model 1951, with an animated band that plays when the curtain is open.
Rounding out just some of the dayâs expected top lots are a Seeburg âShoot the Bearâ arcade game with a bear figure that runs around a cluster of trees with a hound chasing it, and a rifle that fires a laser at the display; and a double singing bird cage automaton with a pair of mechanical birds inside a brass cage that flick their tails, move their heads and whistle a tune.
Fontaineâs Auction Gallery is actively seeking quality consignments for all future sales. To consign an item, estate or collection, call 413-448-8922 and ask for John Fontaine. Or, e-mail him at info@fontaineauction.com.
1941 Wurlitzer model 850 jukebox, also called ‘the Peacockâ because it features a brilliant peacock reverse painted on glass. Fontaineâs Auction Gallery image.
The auction will feature musical items such as rare Victrolas, gramophones, music boxes, phonographs, jukeboxes and speakers. Fontaineâs Auction Gallery image.
Chicago Coin’s Band Box jukebox orchestra speaker deluxe model, 1951. Fontaineâs Auction Gallery image.
Mills 1-cent floor model Perfect Muscle Developer with index chart comparing average strength-to-weight ratios. Fontaineâs Auction Gallery image.
Double singing bird cage automaton in brass cage. The mechanical birds flick their tails, move their heads and whistle a tune. Fontaineâs Auction Gallery image.
Circa 1900 Yale Wonder Clock, Burlington, Vt., with 15 1/2-inch Regina music box, one of only a handful known. Fontaineâs Auction Gallery image.
Zhang Chunji, ‘Ayangbai No. 25,’ 2008. Courtesy of Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions. LONDON – An exciting new venture brings together the art market auction expertise of Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions and the Chinese cultural and artistic experience of Yourun International (UK) Art Investment & Management Ltd. With the combined aim of raising international awareness of emerging Chinese artists, 150 contemporary works of art will, for the first time, be exhibited and go under the hammer at Mall Galleries in London. The Sept. 7 auction of 120 art lots, which follows an extended Sept. 2-7 exhibition, is open to bidding worldwide via the Internet through LiveAuctioneers.com.
There is an ancient Chinese proverb that defines the transitional period between the young and the mature as Blue & Yellow, with blue signifying youth and yellow, maturity. Titled “Blue & Yellow, Swift Transitions of Self,” the exhibition and auction reflect this Chinese idiom in the works of more than 100 emerging contemporary Chinese artists. Participating artists are from the most acclaimed art academies in China. The range of works on offer provides the collector or investor with a stunning range of contemporary Chinese artwork, with pieces to suit all tastes, and prices to suit all pockets. This exhibition will capture the vibrancy of the current contemporary art scene in China and bring it to London collectively for the first time and offer the discerning art buyer a rare opportunity to invest in the future of the Chinese art market.
Mr. Li, CEO of Yourun International, commented on the significance of the ground-breaking exhibition and auction: “The unique cooperation between Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions and Yourun International has been a delightful journey in bringing the best of China’s emerging Contemporary art to the U.K art market,” he said.
The list of artists is impressive. For example, Fang Zanruâs technique creates a stunning fusion of the traditional and contemporary in both the Chinese and Western art forms. She sees herself as part of the unseen scenery; through her painting she tries to explain the way she looks at the world and some of the countries she has only experienced through the artwork of the old masters. Her work flows effortlessly between guessing and interpreting these unseen lands where art can continue to develop. Zanru began studying in the Oil Painting department at the China Academy of Art in 2009. Highly influenced by the masters, in particular Piero della Francesca, and contemporary artists who draw on the traditional technique, such as Balthus, she favors works that have a deep connection with tradition. Her representative works, the “Invisible Landscape” series, have been exhibited in China where they have been well received and resulted in her being awarded two important scholarships in 2012.
An exciting mixture of artists calls on both traditional and modern techniques and inspiration that weaves its way magically through this collection of contemporary works, each artist displaying a unique tone and style. Amongst the most established of the artists is Wang Chaogang, Deputy Director of the Oil Painting Department at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute. His fascination for ancient Chinese culture and profound understanding of Western art creates a juxtaposition of modernity and traditionalism throughout his work, which is largely based on the natural elements. In 2006 Chaogang traveled and lived in Europe as a visiting scholar at the Pantheon-Sorbonne University in Paris. His experiences and cultural observations are very much a part of his artistic endeavors.
A preoccupation with the natural world infuses Zang Chunjiâs work, and his paintings stand testament to his deeply rooted belief of the power of the natural world to attract an audience. As the original creative source, his work is inspired by his unique understanding of “landscape” and “scenery.” He describes Chinese artists as being too close to nature and Western artists as being too detached, and throughout his work he strives to highlight what both approaches neglect: natureâs own forces. A teacher at the Sichuan Academy of fine Art, Chunjiâs works are collected and exhibited by the Ministry of Culture Exchange Center, Xiangning Art Museum and the CITIC Industrial Bank. His current work belongs to “A Central White” series, which was exhibited at the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam in 2008.
Many of the artists have never before exhibited their works internationally, so this unique exhibition allows for an exciting and rare opportunity to witness the Chinese Contemporary art scene first hand.
John Deston, Gallery Manager at The Mall Galleries commented: “As a champion of contemporary figurative art by living artists, Mall Galleries are very pleased to welcome Yourun Art and Dreweatts & Bloomsbury Auctions for this auction of Contemporary Chinese Painting. These works show a level of dedication to technique and draftsmanship that the Federation of British Artists is thrilled to see.”
The raised-platform bed and Hollywood lights in this bedroom at the Hempel Hotel would bring out the rock star in anyone.
LONDON – The Hempel Hotel, a 5-star luxury establishment located next to Hyde Park, has ceased trading due to redevelopment. Its furnishings, art and other contents will be going under the hammer on September 12th.
Located in Craven Hill Gardens — a beautiful garden square that boasts many fine examples of Victorian architecture — the Hempel Hotel was recently voted one of the Top 10 London Luxury Boutique Hotels.
The hotel was designed by legendary designer Anouska Hempel, and each room was a masterpiece of minimalist art. The Hempel was a favorite of celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, while Michael Jackson famously booked the entire hotel during a stay in London in 2006.
The sale will take place on the hotel premises — 31-35 Craven Hill Gardens, London, W2 3EA — via two rostrums, commencing at 10:00 a.m. local time. Preview hours are 8:30 a.m. till 6:30 p.m. on September 10th and 11th.
The hotelâs entire stock of furniture, fixtures and fittings will be auctioned, creating a unique opportunity for private and hospitality industry buyers alike to acquire high-quality items that once adorned this luxurious residence. The items include designer furniture, dining chairs and tables, bar fittings and a huge range of beautiful crockery and cutlery. As befits the hotelâs status as a destination for art lovers, there will also be a selection of designer art pieces available, including a sculpture of an elephant named Bobby.
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ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
The raised-platform bed and Hollywood lights in this bedroom at the Hempel Hotel would bring out the rock star in anyone.
A hand-colored albumen print mounted on card shows Lt. William Miller Owen and his brother Pvt. Edward Owen as they appeared in their Confederate uniforms around 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War. Both rose in rank during the conflict. The pair sat for the photograph in New Orleans at Guay’s Temple of Art, a gallery on Poydras Street. With its strong local appeal, the image brought $7,050 at the Neal Auction Co. in 2007. Courtesy Neal Auction. The rapid development of affordable photographic techniques in the mid-19th century was a technological innovation that affected every level of society. By the time of the American Civil War, photographs had an impact on family relations, battlefield strategy and national politics. Scenes of conflictâonce portrayed as heroic in paintings and drawingsâwere now revealed with tragic realism, and even 150 years later, the viewer cannot help but be moved by the images.
Historians and collectors have a valuable new resource, the scholarly catalog Photography and the American Civil War, which accompanies an exhibition of the same name organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. After an initial run in New York, which will end Sept. 2, the show will travel to the Gibbes Museum of Art in Charleston, S.C., Sept. 27 to Jan. 5 and the New Orleans Museum of Art, Jan. 31 to May 4, 2014. The exhibition was timed to coincide with sesquicentennial of the Battle of Gettysburg, a turning point in the war, which took place July 1-3, 1863.
In the volume, Jeff L. Rosenheim, the MMAâs curator in charge in the Department of Photographs, writes that the attack on Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861 spurred the popularity of family photos: âLincolnâs order for militia to protect and preserve the United States government was heeded across the North, and was a boon to photographers from Massachusetts to Michigan. Similarly, in the South it was a catalyst for Confederate militiamen to seek their portraits before heading off to serve their equally new leader, Jefferson Davis. The result of this military activity was the creation of an unparalleled mass national photographic portrait of men and women of all means, of large and small families, and of groups of soldiers.â
Soldiers carried photographs of wives and sweethearts into battle, while the women who waited back home had an image of their absent warrior nearby. Most common images were tintypes printed on sheet metal or ambrotypes printed on glass; both were often mounted in decorative cases with embossed borders. Small carte de visite prints on paper were another easy way to carry a photo. Women and men often carried lockets with a cherished image inside. People began to share photos when they met, much as we do today.
Rosenheim explains, âIt was a matter of practicalities more than aesthetics. If a soldier had the cash and wanted only a single picture, he paid for an ambrotype or a tintype and within a few minutes departed the studio, near camp or in town, with a handsome cased image; if he wanted multiple examples of his portrait, or had lost most of his cash the night before in the last hand of poker, he bought a carte de visite or a dozen copies thereof. If he chose the carte de visite, he had to return the picture gallery later in the day, or on the next day, since the photographer had to print the negative in the sun and then mount the miniature portrait on card stock. The next stop for the soldier often was the post office.â
Soldiers put on a brave face for these images; they look young, alive, and ready to fight. Almost all are in blue or gray uniforms, some obviously homemade. Whether they sit or stand at attention, many display weaponsârifles, small arms, swords and even large knives.
The Civil War also saw the broad use of field photography at major battle sites, which illustrated what type of damage these armaments could do. Stark images of the dead and wounded gave families back home an accurate view of the results of modern warfare, which had an effect on political sentiment on both sides of the conflict.
Perhaps the best-known name in Civil War photography is Mathew Brady (circa 1822-1896), who had opened a daguerreotype portrait studio on Broadway in New York City in 1844, when he was a young man. But Rosenheim notes, âBy the time of the fall of Fort Sumter, Brady was less a photographer than an entrepreneur who managed what we would call today a picture agency, which operated much like the Associated Press. He hired the best photographers, worked all the picture outlets (newspapers and magazines), and hobnobbed with influential politicians and the social elite.â Many of the historic images he exhibited in 1862âand took credit forâhad actually been taken by Alexander Gardner (1821-1882), one of his team of photographers, who eventually left Brady to establish his own studio.
Photography and the American Civil War is illustrated with over 250 images from the Metropolitanâs extensive holdings and other public and private collections. Rosenheimâs research provides new information on the history of the photographic process, the photographers who labored to chronicle the war, and the effect their images had on American life. As the exhibition travels and more collectors have access to the catalog, this information will prove valuable to buyers and sellers in the auction market who focus on material from the âWar between the States.â
In many cases, Civil War portrait photographs have been carefully preserved in family albums and come to auction complete with the names of the sitters and their regiments. They may also be attached to archives of letters or military records, a fortunate circumstance that increases their value for historians. Certain auction houses specialize in sales that focus on historical and political memorabilia.
Cowanâs Auctions in Cincinnati, Ohio, presents American History sales several times a year, which include vintage photography. The interest in history and archaeology comes naturally to founder Wes Cowan, who holds a Ph.D. in anthropology, a subject that he taught at Ohio State University. Cowan grew up in an antique-oriented household and had a strong interest in early photography, particularly stereoscopic views.
Katie Horstman, director of American history at Cowanâs, was in charge of the extremely successful American History auction this June. Highlights included an albumen print of Abraham Lincoln with Gen. George B. McClellan and his staff on the battlefield of Antietam in October 1862, taken by Alexander Gardner, which brought $15,275, and a print titled âGeneral R.E. Lee and Staffâ made by Matthew Bradyâs Washington, D.C., firm in 1865, which sold for $19,975.
âThere were over 150 lots of Civil War photography,â notes Horstman. âSome of our consignors are individual private collectors, who have been accumulating things over a long period of time. The first part of the June sale consisted of carte de visite images of Civil War soldiers, primarily out of Maine, and many of those in this sale were involved in the Battle of Gettysburg in some way.â These came from the estate of a single collector who focused on Maine regiments. Other consignments for the history sale come from institutions which are deaccessioning items or from dealersâ inventories.
Horstman continues, âThe buyers range from private collectors to dealers, some of whom may be buying for institutions. Our next live American History Auction will take place on Nov. 15, 2013, and we are currently in the process of accepting consignments for the sale. It will feature early historic photography, with a focus on Civil War cased images and paper photographs.â
Tennessee is known as the Volunteer State, a claim that goes back to the Revolutionary War when the Overmountain Men from the Appalachians fought in the Battle of Kings Mountain. At Case Auctions in Knoxville, images of soldiers with a local connection often bring a premium. President John Case says, âWe get excellent prices for Tennessee-related items; they bring more than I would have expected. When we get them, I think folks recognize the rarity, and the lots bring pretty strong bidding from institutions and private collectors.â
Case continues, âAn important sale that comes to mind is the McCammon Archive that sold for $10,400 (est. $4,000-$5,000). It had his tintype image accompanied by his letters.â The letters, which were written by Union Capt. Oliver Pinkney McCammon to his future wife, A.E. McCall, of Blount County, Tenn., over the course of the war, document important military actions, political concerns and general conditions in the camps.
Citing an important lot sold in 2011, Case says, âWe also had a tintype of Sirenius Mort, who was a Union lieutenant and came from a family of East Tennessee potters. That went to an institution for $5,290 (est. $700-$1,000)âbut that was because we knew who he was and he was also a potter. His family was split in its loyalties; his other brothers went and fought for the Confederacy. Union images tend to bring as much sometimes as the Confederate ones because we were so pro-Union in East Tennessee.â
He emphasizes that families are willing to part with such photographs and accompanying material because they know they will be documented in the catalog and become available to historians. Case says, âI have a lot of ambrotype Confederate soldiers coming up in January.â Sometimes the smallest details add to the value, as was the case with one lot destined for that sale: âWhen you looked at the image of the soldier with a magnifying glass, you could see that he had a star on his buckle. That changed everything because that meant he was from Mississippi and that commands double.â
Jeff Rosenheim wrote an article about the landmark exhibition he organized, “Photography and the American Civil War,” in the March/April 2013 issue of The Magazine Antiques, which states why these portraits are so important: âThe show examines the role of the camera during a cataclysmic period in American history and attempts, as much as is possible, to effect a balance between North and South, and between what we know and what we do not. Formal field portraits of well-dressed officers are tempered by more intimate likenesses of common soldiers, Rebels and Yankees, in whose eyes and body language rest much of the pathos of the war.â
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ADDITIONAL IMAGES OF NOTE
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A hand-colored albumen print mounted on card shows Lt. William Miller Owen and his brother Pvt. Edward Owen as they appeared in their Confederate uniforms around 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War. Both rose in rank during the conflict. The pair sat for the photograph in New Orleans at Guay’s Temple of Art, a gallery on Poydras Street. With its strong local appeal, the image brought $7,050 at the Neal Auction Co. in 2007. Courtesy Neal Auction.
âPhotography and the American Civil War,â a landmark exhibition organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will travel to Charleston, S.C., and New Orleans. In this quarter-plate ambrotype with applied color, an unknown artist has photographed Capt. Charles A. and Sgt. John M. Hawkins of the Georgia Volunteer Infantry, 1861-1862. David Wynn Vaughan Collection; photo Jack Melton. Courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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This large albumen print titled âGeneral R.E. Lee and Staffâ was made by Matthew Bradyâs firm in 1865, not long after Appomattox. A âholy grailâ for Confederate image collectors, the photograph sold for $19,975 at Cowanâs in June. Courtesy Cowanâs Auctions Inc. Â
The four young Kentucky cavalrymen armed with sabers paid $4 for this half-plate ruby ambrotype before they went to war. Their names are written in pencil in the case. The well-preserved image brought $15,275 at a Cowanâs auction in 2009. Courtesy Cowanâs Auctions Inc. Â
This Civil War tintype of Union soldier Sirenius M. Mort had extra value because the sitter was a member of the important Mort pottery family of Jefferson County, Tenn. The lot sold for $5,290 in 2011 at Case Auctions. As was often the case at the period, the photograph was mounted in an attractive embossed gutta-percha case for home display. Courtesy Case Auctions. Â
Civil War photographs often descend in the family of the subject and may be attached to important historical material. This locket with circular tintype of Capt. Oliver Pinkney McCammon (OPM) of the 3rd East Tennessee Cavalry was part of over 120 items, mostly letters of correspondence between Capt. Pinkney and his future wife during the war years of 1861-1865. The complete archive brought $10,440 in June 2012 at Case Auctions in Knoxville. Courtesy Case Auctions.
A stony meteorite (H5) found just north of Barstow, Calif., in 2006. Image by Meteoritekid at en.wikipedia. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
CHICAGO (AP) â Five U.S. institutions will share parts of a rare meteorite that exploded in a fireball over California last year, the Field Museum said Wednesday.
The meteor dates to the early formation of the solar system 4 to 5 billion years ago. It was probably about the size of a minivan when it entered the Earth’s atmosphere on April 22, 2012 with a loud boom. It was seen from Sacramento, Calif., to Las Vegas and parts of northern Nevada.
Field Museum curator Philipp Heck said the institution will preserve the meteorite for âfuture generations of scientists who will be armed with analytical tools which we can only dream of today.â
The Smithsonian cut the 205 gram meteorite into five sections that will go to five institutions: the Field Museum in Chicago; the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington; the American Museum of Natural History in New York; Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz.; and the University of California-Davis.
Scientists plan to use the pieces for research. They used a CT scan to determine the meteor’s age and chemical composition.
Private collector Robert Haag owned the meteorite and contacted Meenakshi Wadhwa, director of Arizona State University’s Center for Meteorite Studies. She contacted the other institutions to discuss sharing the piece.
After the explosion it was possible that bits of the meteor were strewn over an area as long as 10 miles, most likely stretching west from Coloma, where James W. Marshall first discovered gold in California, at Sutter’s Mill in 1848.
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
AP-WF-08-21-13 2354GMT
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
A stony meteorite (H5) found just north of Barstow, Calif., in 2006. Image by Meteoritekid at en.wikipedia. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
 
