Hypermodern dadist in the livery of a trebuchet, even

May 26, 2009 Imagine for a moment that the "Bachelors" or "Nine Malic Molds" of Marcel Duchamp's Large Glass, represent the eight pawns material to a chess player, that they connote the eight files or eight paths which a pawn is compelled to take toward the eighth and final rank, or what is for the pawn its long sought place and moment of gratification, union, and transition. Imagine that the Ninth Malic Mold, the Stationmaster of Duchamp’s notes, represents Duchamp, the artist as gu.. read more...

53rd Venice Biennale; and coinciding Europe exhibitions

May 21, 2009 Opening June 7 and lasting until November 22, this will be the 53rd Venice Biennale since it was founded in 1895. Including national and international exhibitors and artists, the event spans the entire city of Venice expanding into the lagoon. Highlighted artists include Bruce Nauman, Tracey Emin, and Steve McQueen. Coinciding with the Biennale are outstanding exhibitions at the Royal Academy, Tate Britain, and Tate Modern. Tate Modern will be exhibiting a survey devoted .. read more...

Jeu d’echecs avec Marcel Duchamp (1963) on UbuWeb

May 20, 2009 "This film records an in-depth interview with Duchamp which took place five years before his death, at the time of his first ever one-man show (at the Pasadena Art Museum). It records for posterity Duchamp talking about his life, his ideas on art, why he chose to continue living in America after fleeing France in 1915, and why he virtually abandoned his work as an artist in 1923. An engaging dialogue takes place between Duchamp and film-maker Jean-Marie Drot as they go around.. read more...

The stuff that dreams are made of; Exhibition at Galerie Moderna, Prague

May 19, 2009 "Decades after its demise, Surrealism still flourishes in Prague Surrealism came belatedly to the Czech lands, but when it arrived, it came to stay. The Czech Surrealist movement was an outgrowth of the Poetism practiced by the avant-garde Devětsil group, two of whose founding members, Toyen and Jindřich Štyrský, moved to Paris in 1926 and formed close ties with the leader of the French Surrealist movement, André Breton. Another Devětsil member, Josef Š�.. read more...

Putting on the dog: William Wegman at Akron Art Museum

May 18, 2009 Akron Art Museum in Ohio currently showcases 56 photographs, in addition to 13 videos by William Wegman, "a conceptual artist who works in a variety of attitudes and approaches, not only in film and photography, but also drawing and painting, moving easily between the various mediums." Using his Weimaraner dogs as vehicles for inspirations and characters in his photographs and videos, Wegman made his work accessible to a larger audience, "For beyond his fame and respect in.. read more...

Philips Contemporary Auction Falls Short of Estimate; Homage to Duchamp livens auction room

May 15, 2009 After this weeks contemporary art auctions held throughout New York City, Philips de Pury & Company fell over $4 million short of their $12.1 million low estimate. 12 works out of the 43 offered failed to sell. Carol Vogel of the New York Times states "the salesroom did come alive occasionally, however. One of the more spirited moments was when “Fountain (Buddha),” a 1996 cast bronze urinal by Sherrie Levine, sold for $446,500, above its $200,000 high estimate. Four b.. read more...

Trees + Flowers – Insects Animals: Man Ray; NEW Book June Release

May 14, 2009 "Trees + Flowers - Insects Animals" to be published later this upcoming June is a unseen collection of photographs by Man Ray, focusing on recurring themes he was not generally acclaimed for. The photographs subjects range from buildings, landscapes, grasshoppers, rocks, stars, trees, flowers, and animals. Unlike his infamous rayographs and solarized portraits of artworld celebrities, these works show his intimate attraction to using nature as conceptual forms in his compo.. read more...

NEW Film Release: “Little Ashes;” Salvador Dali, Luis Brunuel, Fredrico Garcia Lorca

May 12, 2009 Full Synopsis taken from Little Ashes Official Website: WARNING Spoiler Alert!! "Madrid in 1922 is a city wavering on the edge of change as traditional values are challenged by the dangerous new influences of jazz, Freud and the avant-garde. Salvador Dali arrives at university at the age of 18 years old, determined to become a great artist. His bizarre blend of shyness and rampant exhibitionism attracts the attention of two of the university's social elite- Federico Garci.. read more...

This is Not a Museum: NEW Rene Magritte Museum, Opens June 2

May 11, 2009 On June 2, 2009, the Royal Museum of Fine Arts Belgium in collaboration with the Magritte Foundation will proudly open the long awaited Rene Magritte Museum. The museum will showcase over 170 works by Magritte separated chronologically by floor. In addition to its three floors of galleries the building is set to house vast archives of Magritte's paintings and drawings, photographs, letters, exhibition ephemera, as well as a library, resource center, and museum shop. Re.. read more...