Lisa Gold to depart from WPA

Letter from the WPA's Lisa Gold:

7.14.15

 

Dear Friends,

 

I want to share with you the bittersweet news that I will be leaving WPA in a few weeks.  

 

Over the past 6 years, I've had the great fortune to meet and work with so many talented and generous people. WPA has been such an important part of the contemporary art landscape in DC and you have all contributed in myriad ways to its success. I'm very proud of what we've accomplished and the course we've set for the organization. I know you'll join me in ensuring that WPA's growth continues well into the future with your ongoing support and participation.

 

At the end of August, I will take on a new challenge as the Director of Public Engagement at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. You can be assured that I will be a fixture at WPA events and I hope you will visit me at the Hirshhorn in the fall.

 

For now, please join me for one last hurrah on August 15 to watch one of my favorite WPA events--the SynchroSwim. Come say goodbye at the Capitol Skyline Hotel pool on Saturday, August 15 at 5:00 and enjoy some of DC's most entertaining performance art then stick around to celebrate this fantastic adventure with me.

 

I thank you all for the incredible experiences that WPA has given me over the years. I look forward to witnessing the next chapter in WPA's storied history.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lisa Gold

Executive Director

 

Porn in Word Girl?

There we were, my son and I watching one of his favorite PBS cartoons - Word Girl - when the opening credits showed up...

WTF? Is it me, or is the "World's Best Dad" sporting a world class boner?

Mock theft

Cleveland artist Frank Oriti said the National Portrait Gallery in London, England, has assured him that a painting he submitted for an exhibition is safe and in good condition after having been subjected to a mock theft by protesters on Sunday.

 Read the story here.

Art Scam Alert!

Beware of this mutant!

Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2015 08:08:15 -0700
From: mrsmichaelanderson@zoho.com
Subject: Order enquiry

Hi there,

During the last exhibition campaign /competition, I'm just wondering if your gallery would be able to ship to my Country In Europe?And shipping costs shouldn't be  prohibitive for sending paintings overseas

Kindly get back to me with your online portfolio for more information about your available works and price guide list.

Yours sincerely.

Stari Grad, Zelene beretke 

15A Sarajevo

71141 Sarajevo

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Hypocritical art or political art?

Gone are the days when modern art used sex to earn your embarrassed attention. The latest Venice Biennale shows that to get international visibility these days, contemporary art must play with something much hotter: politics.

 Hypocritical art or political art? Details here.

Stolen Rodin recovered in NYC

From the folks at Art Recovery Group:

LONDON, 9 JULY 2015 – A version of Auguste Rodin’s ‘Young Girl with Serpent’ stolen 24 years ago has been recovered in New York.

In 1991, thieves stole artwork valued at over $1 million USD in a series of raids on a private residence in Beverly Hills whilst the owners were out of town. Among a number of high-value works of fine art stolen during the robberies was an edition of ‘Young Girl with Serpent’ by esteemed French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840-1917).

The residence was left unoccupied for several weeks, allowing multiple visits by thieves whose access had been arranged by the victims’ trusted housekeeper. It is understood that the individual in whose care the residence was regularly left had bragged about his employers’ wealth at a local bar and was convinced to sell a duplicate of the house keys for $5,000 when propositioned by criminals.

Upon their return, the victims described their home as looking as though it ‘had been hit by an earthquake’ and, with no sign of their housekeeper, they immediately informed the Beverly Hills Police Department of his assumed involvement in the crime. A police search identified the existence of a previously-unknown arrest warrant for the housekeeper, issued in his native Switzerland. He was subsequently tracked to a Miami hotel and arrested whilst sunbathing by the pool.

The location of all stolen items remained unknown until Rodin’s ‘Young Girl with Serpent’ was identified when consigned for sale at Christie’s in New York.  Art Recovery Group was appointed by the insurer and led the negotiations with the consignor’s legal representative. With title to the work unconditionally relinquished by the consignor, the sculpture has been offered back to the theft victims in line with the benefits of their insurance policy.

Speaking this morning, Christopher A. Marinello, CEO of Art Recovery Group, said:

“This case was a perfect example of public and private sector collaboration. We are extremely grateful for the steadfast determination of the Beverly Hills Police Department, and in particular the perseverance of Detective Michael Corren, in keeping this case open for 24 years and seeing through its resolution."

Additional artworks taken in the raid remain unaccounted for but the outstanding losses have been recorded on the ArtClaim Database. The last time the Rodin was offered for sale at Christie’s, its value was estimated at around $100,000.

In accordance with the confidential resolution agreed between the loss victim and their insurance company, this work will now be consigned for sale later this year.

Artist's Talk

My good friend Philip Brookman (former Corcoran photog curator, current NGA) has a new book combining his photos and a novella. 

He's speaking at the new Takoma Busboy on July 21st in the reading room named after Communist poet (and suffocater of Cuban voices while he was the President of the National Cuban Writers' Union), Nicolás Guillén.

Brookman will be in conversation with Henry Allen, a former WaPo journalist, poet, and novelist. He won the Pulitzer Prize for criticism in 2000.
  Details here.