Forthcoming Frida Kahlo book denounced as fake

A collection of Frida Kahlo oil paintings, diaries and archival material that is the subject of a book to be published by Princeton Architectural Press on 1 November has been denounced by scholars as a cache of fakes. Finding Frida Kahlo includes reproductions of paintings, drawings and handwritten letters, diaries, notes, trinkets and other ephemera attributed to the artist. They belong to Carlos Noyola and Leticia Fernández, a couple who own the antique store La Buhardilla Antiquarios in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The publisher describes it as “an astonishing lost archive of one of the twentieth century's most revered artists...full of ardent desires, seething fury, and outrageous humor”.

According to an interview in the forthcoming book, and to emails from Noyola to The Art Newspaper, the couple acquired the items incrementally from 2004-07 from a lawyer who in turn had acquired them from a woodcarver who allegedly received them from the artist. Noyola tells The Art Newspaper he has more than 1,200 Kahlo items in all.

Read the story in AN here and check out the book here.

Hitler Watercolors Hit the Auction Block

A series of three paintings by Adolf Hitler will be sold on September 5 at Nuremberg’s Weidler auction house. Bidding for the three signed watercolors, made in 1910 and 1911, will begin at €3,000 ($4,270).

Read all about it at AFP here and see the watercolors here.

When actors bite write

"Actress Claire Forlani is accused of wielding a pen that is indeed mightier than the sword ... and killing the reputation of an art dealer in the process.

The former "CSI NY" star is being sued for allegedly crushing the "fragile and intangible" reputation of art dealer Paul Rusconi in a mass email she sent out to a bunch of her friends."

Read the TMZ story here.

Artists' Websites: Grant Silverstein

If my memory serves me right, the second or third show that we ever did back in our first gallery in Georgetown was the amazing work of Grant Silverstein.

Her brother's arrest. Intaglio Etching, 8x8 inches by Grant Silverstein.
We sold a lot of Grant's gorgeous etchings (they are priced as low as $35) and we thought naively, "hey! this gallery business is gonna be easy!"

Tribulations of a Childless Couple. Intaglio Etching, 5x6 inches by Grant Silverstein.

This self-taught artist is a throwback to the masters of printmaking who toiled along and discovered, step by step, the secrets of the printing press. His meticulous etchings have the look and feel of the 15th century but the resonance and dialogue of the 21st.

See his works here and his prices are a great deal for the money.

The Franz and Virginia Bader Fund

Deadline: September 15, 2009

The Franz and Virginia Bader Fund welcomes applications from visual artists aged 40 years or older, who live within 150 miles of Washington, D.C. and can demonstrate that they have the potential to benefit as artists from a grant.

The Franz and Virginia Bader Fund does not, however, accept applications from filmmakers, video artists, and performance artists.

The deadline for applications is September 15, 2009. Application forms may be downloaded from the fund's web site: www.baderfund.org or may be requested by sending an email to grants@baderfund.org or by sending a request to:

Bader Fund
5505 Connecticut Avenue, NW #268
Washington, D.C. 20015

Opportunity for Artists

Columbia Journal is an arts and literature annual publication that is edited, designed, and produced, entirely by graduate students at Columbia University. The Journal was founded in 1977 and has published work from such writers and artists as Raymond Carver, Jorge Luis Borges, Lorrie Moore, Louise Gillick, Phillip Gourevitch, Noam Chomsky, Kara Walker, Wayne Koestenbaum,and many others.

They are currently extending an open call for the arts section of their next issue

Please find a sample below:

"How do you create a warning system to prevent an accidental unearthing of 200 million pounds of radioactive nuclear waste? A simple sign, some chain link and a military post might work today. But what about 10,000 years from now? In 2002 the U.S. Department of Energy brought together engineers, archaeologists, anthropologists and linguists and asked them this question. What type of warning system can be put in place so people, 370 generations from now, won't open the glowing door?

What they came up with is hardly inspiring: a large earthen mound with a salt core and two identical Dr. Strangelove-esque control rooms with a warning message written in the six official languages of the U.N. and Navajo. Construction of this Waste Isolation Pilot Plant is scheduled to begin in less than three years.

What if an artist designed the system?

Columbia: A Journal of Literature and Art is asking artists, architects, cartoonists, computer engineers, graphic designers, scientists-and anyone else up for the challenge- just that question.

Design a warning sign or create a work, a system, that speaks to the nuclear gravesite issue. Graphic novelists might translate the project and solution into story panels.

Architects may offer a blueprint for the facility itself. The artistic focus may be as narrow as an image on a sign, or as broad as a full-scale vision of the future. The Journal is encouraging maximum interpretation and creativity.

Further Information: www.columbiajournal.org or email to columbia.journal.arts@gmail.com

Job in the Arts

Deadline: August 30, 2009

The Torpedo Factory Artists’ Association is seeking applicants for an Administrator of the Torpedo Factory Art Center. This person will manage daily operations of the facility and its staff as well as also promoting the objectives of the TFAC by enhancing its reputation among both the Washington arts community and the general public.

The Administrator will report to the TFAA Board of Directors through its President, working closely with Board committees and ensuring that all activities further the goals of the TFAC.

Requirements include: Bachelor’s degree (Master’s preferred), with 5 to 8 years’ management experience working with a board of directors, preferably in an art-related organization; Experience including personnel management, time management, and oversight of financial operations; Excellent verbal and written skills assumed; Familiarity with computer applications and website control a plus.

Qualified applicants should apply in writing by August 30, 2009. No phone calls please. Please send letter and resume to:

Torpedofactorystaffing@gmail.com
Website: www.Torpedofactory.org