CAIRO (AP) – Egypt’s antiquities minister says the long-planned Grand Egyptian Museum will have an independent, international directorship in an effort to overcome bureaucracy.
Grand Egyptian Museum to be managed internationally
New book raises questions about weapons dealer’s Nazi-era art
GENEVA (AFP) – How to define Nazi-era “loot” is central to what could prove a touchy book launched Tuesday on the controversy surrounding one of Europe’s most prestigious private art collections, the impressionist works acquired by E.G. Buehrle.
Boy in Taiwan may have stumbled onto a fake
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP) – Doubts emerged Wednesday over the authenticity of an Italian painting supposedly worth $1.5 million, which hit headlines after a 12-year-old boy punched a hole through it as he tripped and fell during an exhibition.
Organizers said the Flowers painting, which forms part of a collection of 55 artworks in Taipei, was by Italian artist Paolo Porpora and dated back to the 1600s.
But a report in Taiwan’s Apple Daily said the painting seemed identical to an artwork titled “Composizione con vaso di fiori,” a 17th-century piece by Mario Nuzzi, which was listed in the 2012 catalog of the Della Rocca Casa d’Aste auction house, with a guide price of 25,000 to 30,000 euros ($28,700-$34,000). The work went unsold.
David Sun, head of TST Art of Discovery Co. which sponsored the Taiwan exhibition, insisted that the two paintings were different, without going into details.
His defense of the show, however, has failed to quell suspicions from professionals and the media.
“From a professional’s perspective, if the paintings are so old and expensive, they should not have been exposed to an environment without constant temperature and humidity,” curator Sean Hu of Taipei-based Hu’s Art Co. told AFP.
“There are too many questions about it. … No one knows if the paintings are genuine or fake.”
Video footage released by the organizers shows the boy on Sunday tripping over a platform in front of the artwork and then bracing himself against the painting to break his fall. He then looks around helplessly before walking away.
The 200-centimeter painting was restored on site Monday and is now back on display. The organizers decided not to seek damages from the boy’s family, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency.
A self-portrait by Leonardo Da Vinci worth 200 million euros ($231 million) is also on display, according to the exhibition’s website.
Contemporary furniture stands out boldly in Capo auction Aug. 29
NEW YORK – Capo Auction Fine Art and Antiques in Long Island City will host their summer’s end auction on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 11 a.m., with the spotlight this month on a unique selection of both antique and modern furniture pieces, along with some unusual decorative items. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide absentee and Internet live bidding.
Furniture designer Wendell Castle melds craftsmanship, technology
NEW YORK — From Oct. 20 to Feb. 28, the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) presents “Wendell Castle Remastered,” the first museum exhibition to examine the digitally crafted works of Wendell Castle, acclaimed figure of the American art furniture movement. A master furniture maker, designer, sculptor and educator, Castle is now in the sixth decade of a prolific career that began in 1958—one that parallels the emergence and growth of the American studio craft movement.
Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibit explores 500 years of ‘Kongo’
NEW YORK – A landmark presentation that will radically redefine the understanding of Africa’s relationship with the West will open at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Sept. 18. “Kongo: Power and Majesty” will focus on one of the continent’s most influential artistic traditions, from the earliest moment of direct engagement between African and European leaders at the end of the 15th century through the early 20th century.
Islamic State destroys temple at Syria’s Palmyra, say activists
BEIRUT (AP) – Islamic State militants have destroyed a temple at Syria’s ancient ruins of Palmyra, activists said Sunday, realizing the worst fears archaeologists had for the 2,000-year-old Roman-era city after the extremists seized it and beheaded a local scholar.
Activity Auctions to sell pictures of Hollywood stars Aug. 28
BURBANK, Calif. – Activity Auctions will present a Celebrity Photo Collection Auction on Friday, Aug. 28. The auction will consist of 75 lots of vintage to current images of some of Hollywood’s elite and most famous celebrities. LiveAuctioneers.com will provide Internet and Internet live bidding.
Julian Onderdonk masterpiece restored at Dallas museum
DALLAS – The painting Road to the Hills by famed Texas artist Julian Onderdonk has been newly restored in the DMA’s Paintings Conservation Studio. Considered a masterpiece of early 20th-century Texas art, the painting will go on view Tuesday in the museum’s American art galleries on Level 4 after an absence of 60 years.
Meijer Gardens commissions sculpture by Korean artist Lee Ufan
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park has announced the acquisition and permanent siting of a major work by Korean painter sculptor Lee Ufan. Ufan specifically selected to place his minimalist and earthwork piece, Relatum: Forest Path, in the Gwen Frostic Woodland Shade Garden.