I can think of at least six artists whose work never received any critical acclaim but now have museums dedicated solely to their work... can you? Read the whole article quoted above here.
In the months before his death, Thomas Kinkade was "extremely focused" on establishing a museum of his artwork at his Monte Sereno home, his embattled girlfriend said in court papers filed Thursday."Thomas appreciated that while his art never received critical acclaim, he had legions of fans who were moved and uplifted by his art," Amy Pinto-Walsh wrote in a declaration filed in Santa Clara County probate court. "Thomas wanted to create this museum for his fans."
Pinto-Walsh said Kinkade took her on several trips to art museums -- including the Getty in Los Angeles -- for inspiration.
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Winging It!-In Europe: An Empty Nester's Plan for Travel: Designed for Those Young at Heart but Older of Body by Linda Stringer and Jim StringerI did a ton of illustrations for this book back in 1991 when I was living in Scotland and the authors were traveling around Europe gathering data for their book, which has become an underground classic of European travel tips... get a copy here. |
The Muhammad Ali Center is suing a Michigan art donor, seeking to force the gallery to take back a gift of more than 180 pieces or allow the center to display it without any conditions set in the donation agreement.
At issue is the authenticity of Ali autographs on six pieces donated in 2009. The center says the signatures are not Ali's and are not in an online database that authenticates signed artwork.Details here.
The notable Washington, DC art couple Dana Ellyn and Matt Sesow are keeping it local with their latest exhibition Stocking The Fridge. Known internationally for their whimsical, politically charged, and allegorically satirical paintings, Dana and Matt will "stock" the gallery with nearly 100 fresh, locally grown paintings.
Stocking the Fridge will feature a selection of the best works from the couple's past 31 Days in July projects and include a painting from the first week of the 2012 edition. Matt and Dana's annual 31 Days in July began in 2003. The artists create 31 unique paintings inspired by the morning news from July. Each painting is a reflection of current events, mostly political, and showcases each artist's unique approach to painting.
Octobomb by Dana Ellyn
A thief who swiped a Salvador Dali painting off the wall of a New York art gallery may have escaped, but experts say the painting will likely be recovered when it comes back onto the art market.
Police are searching for a slim man with a receding hairline who walked into a Madison Avenue art gallery on Tuesday posing as a customer and walked out with the $150,000 Dali watercolor and ink painting in a large black shopping bag.
M. Helene Baribeau (mixed media knit sculpture) 04Stephanie Booth (photography/needlework) 09Brash (poetry) everywherePeter Byer (illustration) 08Justin Cameron (installation) 08Valeria Caflisch (painting and mixed media sculpture) 07David D’Orio (glass and mixed media sculpture) 08Cavan Fleming (painting) 04Eric Gordon/DC Creepers (drawing) 11Kelly Guerrero (sculpture) 08James Halloran (painting) 08Dale Hunt (painting) 09Rose Jaffe (drawing) 02Glen Kessler (painting/pastel) 01Paul Mericle (painting) 07Greg Minah (painting) 03Cory Oberndorfer (painting) 11Thomas Petzwinkler (photography/video) 10Lynn Putney (painting) 08Henrik Sundqvist (printmaking) 08Christian Tribastone (drawings/works on paper) 09Edmond van der Bijl (sculpture) 02Steve Wanna (mixed media/installation)09Stephanie J. Williams (painting) 08Joanna Knox Yoder (photography) 11
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| Admirer by Kathryn Freedman |
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| Their Wolf Ancestors by Anna Dibble |
“Felix, who’d limped into the bar to try and dull the trauma of alteration surgery, realized he’d made a mistake. Buster, an office acquaintance, pontificated about how their wolf ancestors royally screwed up by allowing themselves to be domesticated. This idea irritated Felix. He was rather attached to regular kibble and the blue couch at the Chapmans’. He decided against a 2nd glass of Pinot.”Go see this show before it ends!
Every year the overall "quality" of AOM improves and this year is noticeably better looking and more professional-looking than any other year. Well, I wouldn't say better than any other year, but I will agree that the presentation was better. Not sure about the art being better.
There's a lot less porn in AOM this year. In fact, there's a lot less nudes of all kinds. Good. The range of the quality of the work, even in a postmodern world where everything is art, still ranges from the mind-boggling bad to the artistically sublime. So many people you stand there and ask "what were they thinking?" 10 seconds of your attention. There are several brand new (at least to me) artists in AOM who can show anywhere right now. Agreed. There is a lot of art about The Beatles and blues musicians. Why Beatles? But true. There's more video art than I expected. I never saw Tim Tate's video? There are a lot more well-known DMV area "gallery" artists in this AOM than any previous one (except the first one in 1999). I also saw this, and noticed that when I was drawn to something it often turned out to be someone I already knew fairly well. There's a lot of artists working with discarded computer boards and parts. Eric Celarier is the best. There are a lot of glass artists and every single one of them is really good. Amazing. And they keep getting better. There are a lot of dark room style galleries and a lot of "blue light" art. Really hated most of it. There is a lot of artwork about Obama. There is a lot of left-wing nuttery artwork. There are a lot of really good sculptures. Davide Prete's exhibit was lost in a sea of junk. His work is actually fascinating, based on mathematically derived shapes. There are a lot of artists who make it really hard for someone interested in buying their work to get the basic details (how much is it and how do I buy it?) This was still very true. Even their identities were often obscure. I thought that listing the artists by first name on the program was absurd. I liked:David D'Orio's bicycle sculpture installation. When I was there, the radio was tuned to some guy on a right wing rant. Perfect.Joseph Corcoran. Wrote his name down as someone to remember.Greg Minah. Interesting that when I first saw his work I didn't like it, but now it does really stand out.Emily Piccirillo.Andrew WodzianskiFrank Warren's video about Post Secret. Yes, we all know the story, but I was really caught by the video presentation.Michael Janis. His work just keeps moving forward into new and interesting tracks.Blair Jackson photographs. Made me stop moving for a while. First time seeing this artist.Michele Banks. Would love one of those petri dishes.Ellen Hill. Wonderful work that also is evolving.That's 10, but I also liked:Linda Lowery (big paintings of crying babies)Nicolas Zimbro (he was a former student of mine)Maryann Pranulis (abstract paintings)Lola Lombard (dresses)Eileen Williams (collages)
"Preparing and designing a solo show is a great responsibility since you represent yourself, your art, your view of the world," said Parris, of Gaithersburg, who is now a veteran of the local art scene..Read it here.
As a local independent curator, who has been around for awhile, I am a fan of Artomatic. It is a truly fun and useful Washington tradition. Every time I visit, I see it as a chance for discovery of a fabulous, new artist. Granted that it’s a bit of a needle in a haystack search, and this year with 1,000+ artists, the haystack has reached perhaps unmanageable proportions. Visual overload has become a serious factor in appreciating what Artomatic has to offer. However, I also have come to appreciate some unique services offered by Artomatic:AFFORDABLE ARTArtomatic has art for every taste, often at truly affordable prices, and I believe that original art always beats posters, commercial replicas, etc. By purchasing original art, you are helping to support/encourage a human being and acquiring something unique. Much better then mall art.POST SECRETAt 500,000 and growing, this project by Frank Warren (which got a start at Artomatic) is a great example of the type of participatory, successful artform that can spring from the Washington community.NICHE ARTISTSArtomatic alerts the public to the best wedding photographer (Amber Wilkes), pet photographer (Lee Anderson), pet portraitist (Sheppard Bear), and bacon photographers (Rebecca and Eric Gordon). Who knew?PEEPSGotta love them!LOCAL SCHOOLS/WORKSHOPSI noticed that local institutions such as the Washington Glass School, Glen Echo Pottery, DC Glass Works, Critical Exposure and PG County artists posted signage identifying and giving further exposure to their artists. Great idea.CRAZY STUFFLego art by 11 year olds, black light art, money mosaics, pet paintings juxtaposed with gay porn (8th floor). All I can say is, wow.After combing through all nine floors, I have some advice for artists about what helps it work for viewers:Presentation counts. I know curation is verboten at Artomatic, but let’s face it, the artists who “curated” their own space, painting the wall, taking care in arrangement, putting their name on the wall, leaving business cards, perhaps coordinating with another artist to create a distinctive space, look the best. Painting the wall black or scribbling on it doesn’t count.MY TOP FOURTEEN (some are new discoveries, some were a delightful relief from all the other stuff. And yes, I definitely could have missed some greats given the circumstances):Julia BloomMei Mei ChangPierre DavisDavid D’OrioMo FogartyLori GoldbergPat GosleeJames HalloranRobert KincheloeRahshia Linendoll-SawyerJessica MurrayThomas PetzwinklerHenrik SundqvistEdmond van der Bijl
In 1952, a small group of artists presented an outdoor art show at the Virginia Beach
boardwalk, with the proceeds benefiting a fellow artist who had fallen
ill. Those artists later formed an organization which is today the
Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). In 1956, the first official
Boardwalk Art Show was held. Top prize was $25 and 104 artists
participated. Today, Best in show wins $10,000 and the Boardwalk show is
ranked as on of the top 100 outdoor art shows in the country. In 1952, a small group of artists presented an outdoor art show at the Virginia Beach
boardwalk, with the proceeds benefiting a fellow artist who had fallen
ill. Those artists later formed an organization which is today the
Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA). In 1956, the first official
Boardwalk Art Show was held. Top prize was $25 and 104 artists
participated. Today, Best in show wins $10,000 and the Boardwalk show is
ranked as on of the top 100 outdoor art shows in the country. 
