Nazi Art Hoarder Dies: So Who Gets the Art?

Cornelius Gurlitt, the infamous son of a Nazi art dealer, died on Tuesday at the age of 81. Gurlitt shocked the world when German police found 1,280 works from venerated artists like Picasso, Chagall and Matisse, in his Munich apartment, many of which were believed to be stolen Holocaust-era Nazi loot. The German government had been holding the works, researching their provenance in an attempt to return them to their rightful owners but Gurlitt been fighting to have these works returned to his possession. Unless proven otherwise, the works remain Gurlitt’s property. With very little progress made in discovering the provenance of these works, legal pressures had been building to return the works to Gurlitt.

Read the fascinating article here.

My suggestions for the new US Women's History Museum

This may be a surprise to some, but I don’t think that having a new US History Women’s Museum is a good idea.

Nothing against women; if you read this blog consistently, then you know that I am generally against any and all museums that segregate people by race (there are several race-centric museums in the US), ethnicity (such as the planned National Museum of the American Latino in DC), gender (such as the National Museum of Women in the Arts in DC), or any other label, instead of leading efforts to incorporate those same people into the major museums.

And yes, I do get the point that many of those “other major museums” are essentially mostly focused on mostly men from or of European ancestry.

My original opening argument and position usually falls on deaf ears, and DC’s only Frida Kahlo painting remains in the NMWA instead of the National Gallery of Art, where it belongs. 

Nonetheless, it is my position and I’ve become used to people reacting to it by attacking me, rather than my ideas. That is, unfortunately, collateral spillage from the toxic political dialogue between the vast right wing conspiracy and the even vaster left wing nuthouse: If you disagree with someone’s political ideas/position, then you attack the person, rather than debate the ideas/position.

The new US History Women’s Museum will be built, regardless of what I think, and as such, here are some early suggestions, cough, cough…

First and foremost, mostly progressive, liberal women are allowed to be honored and included in the museum, regardless of any “firsts” or historical contributions that any overtly Republican or Conservative woman has ever made to American history. We’re not sure of Betsy Ross’ political leanings or most of those Revolutionary War women, so they’re OK, as long as the DAR is not too enthused about any particular one of them.

Contemporary women are another issue and the one where all the headlines will be made.

As such, in spite of the remarks that she made about Barack Obama, Geraldine Ferraro must be included and honored as the first woman VP candidate from a major party; but Crom save the poor curator who suggests even mentioning Sarah Palin! Second doesn’t count anyway... right?

However, because of Ms. Ferraro's Obamistic remarks, the whole female VP part of US women's history may have to be skipped all together... cough, cough...

Representative Jeannette Rankin of Montana was the first woman to serve in Congress, and she’ll probably need to be included, even though she was a Republican. But since that was in 1917, those were the “good” Republicans back then, so she’ll be OK. 

All the other such female political “firsts” will of course need to be there – after all they led the way: Hattie Wyatt Caraway (first elected female Senator), Nellie Tayloe Ross (first female elected governor of a state),  Esther Morris (first female judge in the US)… and so on.

Mrs. Clinton hasn’t accomplished any firsts… yet… and may have to wait and see if she gets elected in the next elections to deserve inclusion in the museum… unless Senator Elizabeth Warren decides to run also and somehow beats Mrs. Clinton and then wins the Presidential election and will thus become not only the first female President, but also the first Native American President… cough, cough…

The museum will then, in order to be progressive, have to include also female firsts according to race and ethnicity.

And in the race category, no one deserves to be there more in these segregated categories than the vibrant Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress – and in 1972 not only the first woman, but the first African American (period) whose name was nominated for President. 

She was also my Congresswoman when I lived in Brooklyn and my Congressional sponsor for the US Naval Academy. She nominated me in 1977 (and I was accepted and offered an appointment!) for the class of 1981 – I declined the appointment and instead went on to the University of Washington. When Chisholm found out, she called me and yelled at me for half an hour on the phone and damned near changed my mind. She is one of my personal heroes! If Shirley is not highlighted in this museum, I will be pissed!

The first Latina elected to Congress will be hugely problematic to include, as she is the fiery, brilliant (and very right wing) Republican Ileana Ros-Lehtinen; a fellow peeps Cuban-American and another personal hero of mine. I suspect that she will barely get a mention. Five gets you ten that California’s very cute Loretta Sanchez gets more attention (even though California’s Lucille Roybal was elected first, and no, I am not objectifying congresswomen…).

Susana Martinez, also a Republican, will be also an issue… she’s the first Latina elected to be a governor of a US state… What’s with these Republicans electing all these minority women first? That's no way to win a war... Cough, cough...

And what will the museum do about Condoleezza Rice? After all, according to Rutgers University Professor Francois Cornilliat (who is apparently not a fan of free speech), she’s “not a role model”, and 50 or so opinionated Rutgers students think that she is a “war criminal” … Sorry Condie… cough, cough.

Sally Ride, the first American woman in space should be there… is that the best astronaut name ever? 

Mae Jamison, first African American woman in space and Ellen Ochoa, first Latina in space, will also be there… other possibilities are first Jewish woman in space, first Asian-American, etc.

Nanny Pelosi, as the first female Speaker of the House is a shoo-in and rightly deserves to be there, will be there, and it better be a damned good spot!

Although all the high schools and streets are named after Cesar Chavez, once you do a little research, one realizes that Dolores Huerta actually carried a lot of the load, did a lot of the organizing and seldom got the credit that Chavez did; reserve a spot for Huerta.

Military US women who paved the way for today’s sailors, soldiers and airwomen should also be honored and a special scientific spot as well should be reserved for Admiral Grace Hopper.

And they better have a friggin’ good spot for the incredible Civil War exploits of Loreta Janeta Velazquez, the Cuban woman otherwise known as Lieutenant Harry T. Buford during the war.  Think of how many angles the museum can cover with that selection!

Will female entertainers be part of the museum? That will be entertaining to see… 

I'm pretty sure that today's Hollywood does not allow any Conservative woman to become a leading star, so we should be pretty safe from debate with anyone from the 60s onward.

If entertainers are included, don’t forget Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino  in Brooklyn) as she can cover the Hispanic angle as her father was from Spain, but not the Latina angle, as her father was… ahem, from Spain, and as some people know, Spain is actually in Europe and not Latin America… cough, cough.

Female athletes will be easy: Sports Illustrated has already assembled a list of the top 100 female athletes ever – just pick the Americans out of the list.

If only everything was that easy!

Good luck to the US History Women’s Museum; I know that your intentions are good, but you should have fought better to have American women contributions to American history better represented in the American History Museum, rather than segregating women in their own museum.

Sunday Arts section

Hey!

Guess who was in the WaPo Arts Section today!

Click on the images...

Bethesda Fine Arts Festival this weekend

This festival is one of the best ranked outdoor fine arts festivals in the nation...

It is this weekend around the Woodmont triangle in Bethesda... All free and plenty of parking.

Details at www.bethesda.org

I really need to clean up the studio...

Portnoy's Complaint, The Constitution and Fallen Angel

Below you will find three new works. 

"Fallen Angel" (From the Genesis Series). Charcoal and Conte on Paper. 2014. 27.5 x 11.5 inches. Matted and framed under glass in a black, minimalist wood frame to 28x12 inches. 

"Portnoy's Complaint" (From the Written on the Body Series). Charcoal and Conte on Paper. 2014. 11x13 inches. Matted and framed under glass in a white, minimalist wood frame to 16x20 inches. 

"The Last Copy of The Constitution" (This is version II -- also from the Written on the Body Series). Charcoal and Conte on Paper. 2014. 22x17 inches. Matted and framed under glass in a black, minimalist wood frame to 38x34 inches.

These are all available via the galleries which represent my work.
 

"Fallen Angel" (From the Genesis Series). Charcoal and Conte on Paper. 2014. 27.5 x 11.5 inches. Matted and framed under glass in a black, minimalist wood frame to 28x12 inches.

"Fallen Angel" (Detail)

"Portnoy's Complaint" (From the Written on the Body Series) by F. Lennox Campello. Charcoal and Conte on Paper. 2014. 11x13 inches. Matted and framed to 16x20 inches

"Portnoy's Complaint" (From the Written on the Body Series).Detail.

"The Last Copy of The Constitution" (also from the Written on the Body Series). Charcoal and Conte on Paper. 2014. 22x17 inches. Matted and framed under glass in a black, minimalist wood frame to 38x34 inches.

"The Last Copy of The Constitution" (detail)

An Open Letter from East City Arts

For the past four years, we have covered the visual arts in NE and SE DC as well as the Gateway Arts District.  The ECA staff met on several occasions to discuss how we could best expand our coverage.  As a result we have decided to include the following areas:

• Northern Prince George's County, MD
• The "Mid-City" area of DC or as we like to call it "the East City of NW"

Starting this week, you will see articles and posts related to these areas.  In the Fall 2014 Quarterly, listings for Mid-City will be included in print.

We will continue to diligently serve our original coverage area and we will add a couple of new writers to ensure our content keeps pace with the expansion.

In the future look for the following:

• An updated website (mid-2014) with posts organized by category (openings, classes, interviews, etc...)
• Increased ECA Quarterly circulation
• Notices of June meetings for public participation and feedback
• The announcement of the creation of an East City Art nonprofit dedicated to expanding the reach of our region's visual arts movement via exhibiting opportunities and documentation through a small press

We greatly value your readership and your opinion here at East City Art. As we undertake this expansion please send us you feedback and comments on how we can serve you better or please attend one of our meetings in early June to discuss in person.

With warmest regards,
Phil Hutinet
Founding Publisher

Art Scam Alert!

This walking cockroach is trying to scam artists - Beware!

From:     Lindsey Supply Co. (contact@connectagri.com)
Sent:    Mon 5/05/14 11:37 AM
To:    lennycampello@hotmail.com

Good day,
  I want to place an order in your store/Gallery/Company and i will like to
 know if you ship to Singapore and my payment will be remitted via Credit
 Card Issued in United States.

 please let me know if you can assist me with the order,and please do not
 forget to include your website in your reply.Your quick response will be
 highly appreciated,I will be very glad if you treat this email with good
 concern.

 Regards,
Lindsey Supply Co.
 Shun Li Industrial Complex,
 603 Sims Drive, #03-10,
 Singapore 387384

Stephen King Redux

A while back I took this pic while watching an episode of Revolution, the most excellent TV show about an apocalyptic world sans electricity... In this scene, the Aaron Pittman character, who looks like a lot like the world's best selling writer, the amazing Stephen King, stands next to a poster of the great American storyteller.

In this scene, Pittman is hiding in some abandoned school, and the writers of the series pay an homage to King, as in the background we see him next to Papa Hemingway. 

If you've ever seen and met the bearded King of the 90s, as I did, then you'd get the irony and smart scene-making of this clever scene, where SK and an SK-look alike are juxtaposed for a brief moment.

Art Bank 2014 Call for Artists

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is once again calling for DC artists and DMV area artists to submit works for consideration to be acquired for the permanent collection of the city.

There is no fee to enter and the entire process is done online and it is super easy. Ahead of time you will need to have a current CV, and Artist's Statement, 10 images of the artwork and and Image Listing.

The deadline is May 23 and you can submit your materials online at http//:dcarts.slideroom.com

Do it now - not at 11:45pm on May 23rd!

Little Guy in the Studio

Little Junes getting into some art materials... cough, cough

Baddest Pinkie Ring Ever!!!

Tough crowd... Sometimes pictures tell a story!

Art Talk with Michael Janis this coming Sunday

When: Sunday, May 4, 2014, 2pm

Join the Smithsonian American Art Museum and Michael Janis, an architect-turned-glass-artist who has become one of the DMV's uberartists - he works with powdered glass, high-fire enamels, and decals to create dreamlike imagery, as he elaborates on his techniques, work, and career.

If you collect DMV artists and don't own a Janis, you have a big hole in your collection. He is represented locally by Maurine Littleton, the premier art glass gallery on the planet.

Location: Smithsonian American Art Museum, McEvoy Auditorium

Tickets: Free

Event Link: http://americanart.si.edu/calendar/event.cfm?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D109063429

Art Scam Alert

Beware of this mutant:

From: Marc Kessper

Sent: Thursday, May 1, 2014 10:30 AM
Subject: Art

Good Morning,

My name is Marc Kessper. I lived and worked in Dallas for twenty years. I'm in the process of moving to Italy to expand my business field. I just bought a house in Milan, Italy and I'm interested in collecting some artworks for some spaces within my house to make it unique and beautiful. Can I have a few images of your recent works?  I won't mind having your website so as to explore more into your works.

I look forward to hearing back from you soonest.

Regards,

Marc

La Frida - an etching from 1979

Another find of a set of 10 etchings that I did as an assignment in a Printmaking class at the University of Washington School of Art when I was a student there... If you wanna buy one, send me a note and I'll pass it to one of my dealers.

"La Frida II" Etching, 3"x3" c. 1979 by F. Lennox Campello

Wanna be in a show this weekend?

16x16 Small works call for entry! 

Details here.

In this all-inclusive show, artists are invited to submit art limited to 16x16 inches! Each 16”x16” space in the show will have a $14 hanging fee. 

Submit work including, but not limited to, photography, painting, mixed media, sculpture, lead, ceramics, glass, and more. 

This show has a 0% commission for sales in the gallery. All transactions for this show are direct to the artist! If you sell something and value the experience, feel free to pay them whatever commission you think is fair! No price limit!

The 16” x 16” will coordinate with the Gateway Open Studio Tour.
Details here: www.gatewayopenstudios.org May 10, 2014   12-5pm

Install Sunday May 4, 2014 1pm

Reception May 10, 2014   12-2pm (They’ll be open till 5pm for those who can’t make it).

It is an all Madrid final

Has this ever happened before? 

Over in Europe, the UEFA Champions' League Cup is the world's second toughest soccer competition (after the World Cup), some would say the toughest...

And this year it is an all-Madrid final, as the city's storied Real Madrid Football Club (who destroyed the reigning champion - Bayern of Germany) will fight it out with Madrid's other soccer team, Atletico de Madrid (who beat England's Chelsea FC).

That's like the NY Giants vs the NY Jets at the next Superbowl... only bigger... or the Brooklyn Nets vs the NY Knicks.... cough, cough.... or the LA Clippers vs the LA Lakers...

Anyway... congrats to all the Madrilenos!

Iranian Campaign Medal Ribbon finds a home

"Iranian Campaign Ribbon" by F. Lennox Campello
Oil on Canvas, c. 2007
24 x 48 inches

This painting was exhibited first in 2008 at the "Color Invitations" exhibition at the R Street Gallery in Washington, DC and subsequently at the Red Door Gallery in Richmond, VA at my solo show there. It continued the series commenced in 1999 based on my own military awards. With this 2007 work, this series began to create new imaginary military awards conceived as future ribbons and medals to be awarded in future military campaigns. I call this series "The Colors of Wars to Come" and it is discussed here.  

That show at Richmond's Red Door Gallery was reviewed in the Richmond Style Weekly by Amy Biegelsen. Read it here.

The painting is now heading to a major collection in New Jersey.

The Iranian Campaign Medal was established by Executive Order 13875 signed by the President on 13 January 2015. It may be awarded to American military and naval personnel for participating in prescribed operations, campaigns and task forces ranging in dates from 2 November 2014 to present.

The area of operations for these various campaigns includes the total land area and air space of Iran, and the waters and air space of the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean within 12 nautical miles of Iranian coastline.

Personnel must be members of a unit participating in, or be engaged in direct support of, the operation for 30 consecutive days in the area of operations or for 60 non-consecutive days provided this support involves entering the area of operations or meets one of the following criteria:

• Be engaged in actual combat, or duty that is equally as hazardous as combat duty, during the operation with armed opposition, regardless of time in the area of operations;

• While participating in the operation, regardless of time, is wounded or injured and requires medical evacuation from the area of operations;

• While participating as a regularly assigned aircrew member flying sorties into, out of, within, or over the area of operations in direct support of the military operations.

One bronze service star shall be worn on the ribbon for qualifying participation during an established campaigns. However, that if an individual's 30 or 60 days began in one campaign and carried over into another, that person would only qualify for the medal with one service star. The medal is not awarded without at least one service star. 

The executive order provides that service members who qualify for either the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal or the Armed Forces Service Medal for service in Iran between 2 November 2014 and 12 January 2015, remain qualified for those medals. 

However, upon application, any such member may be awarded the Iranian Campaign Medal in lieu of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal or the Armed Forces Service Medal, but no Service member may be awarded more than one of these three medals for the same period of service in Iran.

The suspension ribbon for the medal's purple and gold colors were suggested by the historical Imperial colors of Iran’s millennial Persian history and the golden sunsets of the Persian Gulf.

Copy Me: a Web Series about Copying

Copy Me: a Web Series about Copying recently launched a crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo. Their goal is to develop eight informative animated shorts on the questions people have surrounding copying. Is copying a file fair? Is copyright hurting anyone? Is the public domain a good thing? They hope to debunk the myths of copying and look at copyright in the context of the new “sharing” generation. The Copy Me Indiegogo Campaign lays out some of the topics they will cover including: fairness in the digital realm, how artists can make money without restricting their work, and the effect of copyright on society.

On the surface, these topics sound innocuous, but the producers may be hiding a more controversial message, as this quote written by the producer in the site’s comment section suggests; it’s not wrong to ASK people to pay, it’s wrong to MAKE people pay for creative works.  That message may not go over very well with many production companies, galleries, studios or other business entities who want more control over their properties’ pricing, marketing, production and distribution efforts.  But alternate approaches are starting to become very popular.

Read the whole article here.