MoMA is Expanding Again, Drawing Criticism

Last week MoMA announced its new expansion plans which is basically adding more space by razing the adjacent old building of the Folk Art Museum (purchased by MoMA in 2011), and criticism is coming from both sides of the Atlantic. Michael Kimmelman of the New York Times criticised the plan calling it "lacking vision" while Los Angeles Times Archicture critic Christopher Hawthorne explains the facts and reasoning behind this expansion, but concludes "The great irony of this plan, as with so many recent museum expansions, is that out of frustration with its packed galleries MoMA has decided to raise hundreds of millions of dollars to build more of the same."

If you remember, MoMA had a big expansion just back in 2002 which had the museum move to Queens temporarily until it was re-opened to the public in September 2004. There were critics of that expansion too and the Guardian's Michael Wolf tells you why he thinks "...it is really too late for MoMA. The damage is done. Glenn D Lowry is the villain of the piece" because "The intimate, jewel-like space has become a standard-issue institutional structure, more suited to a corporate headquarters in Los Angeles or Dallas."   Read the rest of his article here.

British Museum Expands Contemporary Collection with Canan Tolon, on view at Parasol Unit

Tonight is the opening of the Turkish-born artist Canan Tolon's first major London show at Parasol Unit. Dividing her time between San Francisco and Istanbul, Tolon's work is based on and deals with space, time, gravity, and chance interactions between disparate materials. She had an early interest in the marks left by the processes of growth and transformation over time which led to her using unusual techniques such as applying coffee grounds, letting grass grow on a canvas, or allowing rust to occur naturally and mix with pigment in her paintings. This exhibition also coincides with the British Museum's recent acquisition of a set of Tolon's drawings, Futur imparfait, 1986–1999, a series of 33 ink-wash and crayon figurative drawings. Since 2009, the British Museum has an active acquisitions committee for Modern and Contemporary Art from the Middle East since 1980s, CaMMEA. This patrons group has joined forces with the Turkish SAHA Association that provides funding to projects and museum acquisitions which contribute to the presence and visibility of contemporary art from Turkey. There is a good educational program alongside the show as well with talks, poetry and concerts. Spanning over Tolon's career from the 1980s until present day, this show promises to be an interesting one to visit. It is on view until 16th of March 2014.

An Artist wins Best Picture at the Golden Globes (first time!)

Congratulations to Steve McQueen, whose “12 Years A Slave” won the Best Picture at the Golden Globes last night, making him the FIRST ARTIST to win this title – what an honor!  McQueen is not new to receiving praise and awards for his film projects, remember his 2008 feature film “Hunger” which got him the Camera d’Or at Cannes Film Festival (and thus became the first British director to win the title)

Moving between film and art circles, "Hunger" was followed by McQueen’s brilliant representation of Britain at the 2009 Venice Biennale with his new video piece “Giardini,” and followed by his 2^nd feature film “Shame” 2011 which also received good reviews.  But regardless of being a feature film or an artwork, McQueen’s imagery is always beautifully haunting and at times faces you with the harsh realities of life. Michael Fassbender, who starred in all three of McQueen’s feature films so far, explains why he thinks McQueen’s works are so powerful:

With his (Steve's) films, as an audience member you end up participating in the experience instead of just sitting there safely in your seat, removed from what's happening on the screen. I think that's what makes it difficult, and rightly so. When I saw the film (12 Years a Slave), it took a couple of hours to digest.

Tales from the London Old Master Sales: from 17,000 to 3.2 million!

Following the low energy at Christie's and Bonhams Old Master sales in London, there was more buzz and  excitement at Sotheby’s evening last night and the sale did quite well. Although some of our favourite works are reserved for the New York sales in January, there were still some works that we loved in the mix. Such as the delicate tiny "Lucretia" by Lucas Cranach the Elder which sold for just over £1million, and the Rogier van der Weyden of the Pieta - although by a follower, it is a strong work and it’s not like you can buy the original from the Musée Royaux des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. One of the highlights of the evening was the Portrait of a Gentleman by Sir Peter Paul Rubens, a very fine, Velazquez-like work by the master. This portrait was sold for £3.2million, well above its estimate £400,000-600,000.  What makes the story interesting is that this painting was purchased at Christie’s Paris in 2003 as Circle of Rubens for a mere € 17,000!! Christie’s must be upset for getting this one wrong, so is the owner who consigned it to them. This is where one clearly sees the importance of expertise and talent for spotting good quality paintings.

What Do Artists Do All Day? with Edmund de Waal

If you love the bestselling book, The Hare with Amber Eyes, and were curious about its author, Edmund de Waal, here is your chance to watch this celebrated ceramics artist at work! A Thousand Hours, the film directed by Camilla Robinson and produced by Alan Cristea Gallery, will be shown at 8.30pm, 6 November, on BBC4. This 30 minute film of Edmund de Waal at work was premiered at the British Film Institute and now reappears as part of the BBC series What Do Artists Do All Day? So far the series have featured Norman Ackroyd, Polly Morgan, Jack Vettriano, Cornelia Parker, and John Bryne, and will focus on Shani Rhys James on 13th of November.

Guide to PERFORMA 2013

Every two years in November, the city of New York buzzes with exciting performances and programs all under the roof of PERFORMA, founded by RoseLee Goldberg. We are warned that tickets are selling fast! For instance, Rashid Johnson's revival of Amiri Baraka's famous play "Dutchman" to be staged at the Russian and Turkish Baths is already sold out. Tonight is the opening night gala, and until Thanksgiving, Performa loving New Yorkers will be running around the city trying to see all the action (which we tried once and found it impossible!)  Check out what looks from this year's program from Art F City.

Mike Kelley Screenings in London !

http://vimeo.com/77221402 It is officially November and time for the special Mike Kelley screenings in London!  Organized by Artangel and the Mike Kelley Foundation for the Arts, and coinciding with the major survey of Mike Kelley's work at MoMA PS1, the Mobile Homestead videos will be screened at independent cinemas across the city 2nd-18th November. Mobile Homestead was the final work made by the great American artist Mike Kelley before his untimely death in 2012. The project involved Kelley building an exact replica of his childhood home, a 1950s suburban house in the Detroit suburb of Westland, with a special detachable façade that could be mounted on a chassis and driven around like a conventional mobile home. Check out the full program and more information on Artangel website.

Heartfelt Goodbye from Lou Reed's Wife Laurie Anderson

Laurie Anderson has published a short message in remembrance of her late husband, Lou Reed in a small newspaper of East Hampton, New York where they have been spending much time. Read her moving words here: To our neighbors:

What a beautiful fall! Everything shimmering and golden and all that incredible soft light. Water surrounding us.

Lou and I have spent a lot of time here in the past few years, and even though we’re city people this is our spiritual home.

Last week I promised Lou to get him out of the hospital and come home to Springs. And we made it!

Lou was a tai chi master and spent his last days here being happy and dazzled by the beauty and power and softness of nature. He died on Sunday morning looking at the trees and doing the famous 21 form of tai chi with just his musician hands moving through the air.

Lou was a prince and a fighter and I know his songs of the pain and beauty in the world will fill many people with the incredible joy he felt for life. Long live the beauty that comes down and through and onto all of us.

— Laurie Anderson his loving wife and eternal friend

Favorite Show of Frieze Week (so far!)

One of the best shows currently on in London, Hurvin Anderson at Thomas Dane presents only new works. The Jamaican descent British artist is known for his large interiors and landscapes that bear marks of his life: makeshift barbershops, public parks, gardens and swimming pools all evoke memories, adopting visual languages of both England and Jamaica. Some of the paintings on view at Thomas Dane reminds us of the same spacial construction of his Peter's Series (2007-9) depicting make shift barbershops set at home, a popular trend amongst newly arrived Caribbean immigrants in 1950s. Other works on view are landscapes, hinting at lonely journeys and solitary. Still, these are not dark, gloomy paintings but have vivid brushwork and dynamic palette. Our favorite show that opened during Frieze so far, but we still haven't made it to Gagosian for "The Show is Over" and to Sprueth Magers for Cyprien Gaillard/Morris Louis that we heard good news. And not to forget the Mark Bradford show at White Cube, which we are curious about. So many exhibitions are opening this week, it is overwhelming.

1980s Generation Enters the Major League of Evening Auctions in London

This week London offers so many options and distractions for art lovers from around the world, with several art fairs, gallery shows and auctions taking place around the major attraction of Frieze Art Fair. We already made a must have list from a visit to the Christie's contemporary viewing, but it's barely our first stop and we are breaking the bank already, even if it is imaginary. When did even the young good art become so unobtainable? Ryan Trecartin, Oscar Murillo and Tauba Auerbach, all born  in 1980s, are the new young talent making their debut in the major league of Contemporary Evening Auction this week. Those who follow the art market were probably expecting this, as both Murillo and Auerbach have reached amazing auction records this past year: Auerbach's 2010 canvas made 505,875 pounds in June 2013, and Murillo's 2011 work sold for 253,875 pounds at the same sale. It is so encouraging to see a video work by the young Trecartin included in the evening sale too, with an estimate of 20,000-30,000 pounds. We want more collectors buying video works! Another of our favorite is a large work by the brilliant Arte Povera artist Pino Pascali from 1964. Pascali was one of the driving forces behind this Italian movement, and exploded the traditional boundaries between painting, sculpture, language, and performance; all present in the work on view at Christie's. The artist died in an accident at the age of 32, cutting his career short having produced about only 100 works or so. Estimated at 400,000-600,000 pounds, we think it might go for much higher at the Italian Sale on 18th of October.