Art In Europe

Last week art-enthusiasts flocked to Basel, Switzerland for the city’s highly-anticipated annual art fairs.  Art Basel, the world’s premier international art fair of modern and contemporary works (and Basel’s largest art fair), saw over 62,000 visitors this year! Art 41  Basel kicked off on June 16th and ended yesterday.

The show exhibited about 300 galleries from North America, Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa. More than 2,500 artists exhibited their highest-quality paintings, sculptures, drawings, installations, photographs, videos and editioned works.

Of course, what would an art fair be without its accompanying satellite fairs?

SCOPE Basel kicked-off its fourth edition in the Swiss city last week. SCOPE welcomed  85 international galleries and featured solo and thematic group shows along with museum-quality programming, collector tours, screenings, and special events. New this year, SCOPE partnered with Kaserne’s cultural organizations to display film, music, theater and performance pieces.

Other satellite fairs in Basel last week included Volta6, Liste 15 – the Young Art Fair in Basel, Hot Art Basel, and Verge Art Fair Basel.

Click here to read about the “positive buzz” coming out of Basel

Pal Sarkozy, father of French president Nicolas Sarkozy, has delved into the art world, launching a second career as an artist after having worked in the advertisement industry for decades. Pal recently opened an exhibition with his creative partner, Werner Hornung at the Espace Pierre Cardin, a  renowned gallery close to the gardens of Elysee Palace, where the French president currently lives and works. The show features portraits of Nicolas Sarkozy together with his ultra-fashionable former-model wife Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, as well as boldly colored works that depict allegories of contemporary life and experiences of the artists’ pasts.

While the elder Sarkozy had been an aristocrat in Hungary, he arrived in post-war Paris in 1948 poor and alone. Pal always had a talent for drawing – which is how he got involved in the advertising industry in the first place. Sarkozy thrived in the industry, and throughout his successful career, he married four times and had five children with different women. The 83-year old admits he has had a full life, but states he still has enough energy to start a new career as an artist together with his friend Werner Hornung.

While some critics have slammed Pal Sarkozy’s efforts, suggesting he only learned to paint three years ago and claiming his current show at one of the city’s most prestigious art spaces was made possible only because of his famous last name, Hornung firmly states that both he and Sarkozy have been privately active as artists throughout their entire adult lives.

Sarkozy and Hornung collaborate in a unique way. As Sarkozy begins by drawing with black ink on paper, Hornung then scans the drawing on his computer and integrates photos and colors using software. The result is printed on canvas – like a lithograph and the pair call the compositions “digital fine art.” A maximum of six printouts are made, each numbered with its own certificate of authenticity. The pair has sold about 50 of their colorful works of fantasy over the past two years and their work has been included in exhibitions in eight cities around the world.

Click here to read more about the exhibition and the “brouhaha” surrounding it

Click here to see pictures from the opening

Click here to check out what else is going on in the Paris art world

Over the past several decades, visual artists have contributed their photographs to the Royal Collection of Graphic Art. This collection, which stretches over the last 50 years and also includes several photos from the 1920s and 1940s, differs from that of most art and photography museums. The Royal Collection’s photos are not a broad representation of photographic history, but rather, the images display an overarching context in art history, as represented artists have related to the camera in a more open, experimental (and even, at times, disrespectful) way. In expressing their creative talents and playing with experimentation, the photographers have sought new forms, such as the conceptual art of the 1960s, in which photography experienced its breakthrough as a modern, critical media that opposed classical art forms.

The unique exhibition at the National Gallery of Denmark (through August 29th) displays 250 photos, which include a broad selection of works by Danish and international artists. The show highlights critical ideas, concepts and strategies in the multiple histories of art and photography. These interconnected themes live and thrive off one another.

The Royal Collection’s show also offers a narrative that spans the many forms and methods of photography – from experimental photography, via conceptual art and photography as a document, through to the subject-oriented products of staging and setting and so on.

Click here for a list of artists whose photos are on display – and for the rest of the article associated with this post.

Check out more photography exhibitions going on this month in Copenhagen

There are currently two “must – see” exhibitions going on in Basel, Switzerland. So whether you’re stopping in Basel on your way back from skiing in the Alps (lucky) or passing through on business, check out these two unique exhibits.

“Form and Freedom” @ Kunsthaus Baselland – This exhibition, on display through March 21st, shows the contemporary poetic-themed work of Glasgow-based artist Lorna Macintyre. “Form and Freedom,” which refers to a phrase penned by poet William Carlos Williams, includes sculptures, photographs and videos that relate to T.S. Eliot’s famed poems “Four Quartets” and “The Waste Land.” Macintyre doesn’t quote Eliot’s poems, but her works do make implicit reference to lyric poetry’s dominant themes of the seasons, the elements, magic and mysterious darkness. Among other works, her exhibition includes four new sculptures that each embody a different element and three short videos that offer literal poetic fragments (see image below).

“Old Ideas” @ Kunstmuseum Basel, Museum Für Gegenwartskunst – This group show engages numerous oldies – such as institutional critique, ideas of materiality and the built environment, and feminist and queer theory. While, the included artists are extremely diverse in nationality, gender, use of materials and age (ranging from 31 to 101!), they come together to form a crisp and cohesive show that combine old ideas with new works (see image below).

See what else is going on in Basel.

Artists Rob Ryan and Stephen Walter are currently displaying images of London at the city’s Exposure Gallery. The joint exhibition, presented by the gallery and TAG Fine Arts, show each artist’s own unique perspectives of the city and accurately exhibit the talented artists’ creative styles and detailed techniques.

Rob Ryan, who studied fine art at Nottingham and completed his MA in printmaking at the Royal College of Art, creates elaborate works made from cut paper. The artist’s delicately constructed works contain romantic themes -often showing loving couples with clasped hands surrounded by objects like church bells and boats. However, his works are also filled with darkness and portray bits of love, hate, loss, pain, fear and death.

Ryan’s “London Bridge Lady,” commissioned by Elle Magazine to celebrate 25 years of London’s Fashion Week, is fairy-tale-esque (like many of Ryan’s works). In this creation, a fashion queen is perched on London Bridge and over looks the city. She represents the beauty of the global fashion empire, something very central to London’s cultural heritage (see image, left).

Alternatively, Stephen Walter gained inspiration from the unfolding drama of city life. “The Island: London Series” is a collection of detailed drawings that map the 33 individual boroughs, which are then clumped together into one large island. The series, which took two years to complete, requires the use of a magnifying glass and intricately ties the mapping of the city to its historical legacy(dating all the way back to pre-Christian times). The geographically accurate map includes many of London’s main roads, railway lines, landmarks and green spaces. However, the artist also includes idiosyncratic symbols, adding his own unique quality to the map(see image below).

The artist discusses his creations,

“A city’s ability to constantly reinvent itself, building on top of what was before, continually shifting its cultural identity has been a source of enduring fascination.”

Visit ArtDaily to read more about the exhibition.

Berlin is one of Europe’s most thriving art locales. There’s so much to see and do in one of my favorite European cities, that it can be somewhat overwhelming.  However, there are two “must see” exhibitions, so if you’re in Berlin (I’m Jealous) check them out!

Isa Genzken @ Galerie Daniel Buchholz: The artist’s exhibition, “Wind,” pays homage to Michael Jackson in a unique way. Rather than calling attention to the played out themes of the myths and fictions associated with the “King of Pop,” Genzken’s works bring forth notions of the natural force of wind in various ways.  According to one of the exhibition statements, the artists’ works parallel the “paintings of Leonardo da Vinci.”  Genzken uses psychedelic materials, like foil, CDs, spray paint and plastic in making muddled references through the use of consumerist paraphernalia.

“Berlin 89/09: Art Between Traces of the Past and Utopian Futures” @ Berlinische Galerie: Aspects of Berlin’s turbulent, yet interesting history are ubiquitously present throughout the city. Appropriately, for the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, the exhibition at Berlinische Galerie portrays an array of art created during the past twenty years that display how the recent history of Berlin (and Germany) have affected various elements of modern society. The survey examines the tension between Berlin’s difficult past and the city’s regeneration occurring today. Highlights include: Fred Rubin’s light-fixture installation, which consists of large 1960s-era glass orbs salvaged from a disused government building, Bjorn Melhus’ video Jetz– Now, which details distruption that took place during the early-1990s official reunification party at the Brandenburg Gate and Norbert Kottmann’s Build Tatlin, a more lighthearted documentation about the artist’s failed attempt to construct Vladimir Tatlin’s skyward-spiraling tower in Potsdamer Platz.

To see the full reviews and descriptions, exact locations and dates of the exhibitions, and more, click here.

For a list of current art exhibitions going on in Berlin, click here.

Last week employees at several major museums around Paris went on strike to protest looming job cuts. While many of the museums remained open during the strike, it seems things will get worse before they get better. Unions have been furiously protesting the government’s plans to replace only half of the retiring civil servants (which will presumably take a huge toll on the Paris Museum Scene — and ultimately, may affect the city’s tourism).

French President Nicolas Sarkozy had promised to cut the budget deficit during his 2007 election. However, the plan Sarkozy once stated would only affect government ministries, has now surpassed its initial pledge, encompassing state-owned organizations (like museums and research institutes). The seven unions called for a strike on December 2nd – and employees at the various museums have met every day to vote on whether or not to keep the strike going.

Unions say demands have not been met, but many employees have returned to work because museum management agreed to speak with them.  This is the case at the Louvre, where the museum’s president, Henri Loyrette, will discuss contracts with union reps.

To read the entire article associated with this post, click here.

Vienna’s Essl Museum has decided to celebrate its tenth anniversary in a productive and unique way. The museum invited ten international art museums to display work in an exhibition titled “Aspects of Collecting.”  In the vaguely outlined invitation, the ten museums received a budget  and were asked to gather contemporary artwork viewed as “interesting and significant.”

The ten museums were carefully selected based on their differing cultures and socio-political climates as well as with the desire to improve and facilitate future networking connections and to promote intercultural exchanges.

With such loose guidelines, it is interesting to see how museums around the world (from Tokyo’s MOT Museum of Contemporary Art to Zagreb’s MSU Muzej suvremene umjetnosti) have interpreted the task. Of course, the resulting diversity has occurred not only because of the different cultures and nations represented, but also because the range of “interesting and significant” contemporary art is so vast in general.

To read more about the unique exhibition and see the complete list of museums and artists involved, click here.

The Prado Museum in Madrid, one of Europe’s most significant and highly-visited art institutions, currently possesses the world’s greatest collection of Spanish paintings. The museum’s 4,600 Spanish paintings date from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century and include masterpieces from artists like Berruguete, El Greco, and Goya.

Over the past month, the Prado opened 12 new galleries that exhibit over 170 works (all from the 19th century, and many of which are newly acquired or have never before been exhibited). The exhibition, “A New Century in the Museo del Prado” displays the works as an uninterrupted chronology and presents an accurate and detailed overview of Spanish art from the 12th century to the early 20th century.

The new galleries begin with Goya, Neoclassicismand the Origins of the Museum and end with Naturalism, Sorolla and landscapes by Auerliano Beruete (with much not to be missed in between). Highlights from the newly acquired and exhibited paintings include Jose de Madrazo’s “The French Cuirassier,” Jose Jimenez Aranda’s “Penitents in the Lower Church at Assisi,” and Francisco Domingo Marques’ “Large Landscape.”

Art enthusiasts, European History buffs, and anyone who enjoys Spanish culture are sure to enjoy the Prado’s new and expansive exhibition.

To read the entire article, click here.

The Frieze Art Fair opened its doors to previews today, and already news is pouring out of London:

The Guardian is giving their initial review of Frieze – complete with news about Monica Sosnowska removing her giant piece at the last moment.

Impressively casual … the Lisboa 20 stripper. Photograph: David Levene/David Levene (via The Guardian)

Just Jared is reporting the celebrity news from Frieze, including Gwyneth Paltrow’s attendance.

(via JustJared)

…And Reuters is focusing on the recession’s toll on Frieze

An installation is displayed at the Frieze Art Fair in central London in this October 2008 file photo. (via Reuters)