Neues Museum Berlin Monday, Mar 8 2010 

Art international and Exhibitions and International art and Museum , , , , , art4dealers 4:02 pm

The Museum re-opened in October 2009 and reviews are popping up everywhere. The latest review can be read in the February issue of the Museum Journal of the Museum Association UK which is why I’d like to post something about the refurbishment here as well.

The rebuilding and restoration of the surviving ruin of the Neues Museum on the Museum Island in Berlin is undoubtedly one of the most significant projects of its kind in Europe. The Museum Island’s designation as a World Heritage Site and the planned restoration programme for this “northern Acropolis” establish the buildings and their collections as a cultural asset

The rebuilding design and restoration concept are both subject to a sound intellectual evaluation basis, comparable to highly respected documents such as the ICOMOS charter from Venice. However, such were the special circumstances on the Museum Island that a more far-reaching and refined approach had to be developed to satisfy the requirements.

Click here for an:

Architectural tour of the restored building


For more information please see the musem’s website at: http://www.wiederaufbauneuesmuseumberlin.de/

 

New Medieval and Renaissance Galleries Tuesday, Oct 6 2009 

Arts & Architecture and Exhibitions and Favorites and London and Museum and Renaissance Art , , , , , , , art4dealers 12:37 pm

The V&A will be opening their new Medieval and Renaissance Galleries next month (November 2009) as part of their 5-years future plan.

The Victoria and Albert Museum’s Medieval and Renaissance collection is outstanding in its depth and range, and contains some of the greatest surviving treasures of the period 300-1600 and McInnes Usher McKnight Architects (MUMA) is the architectural bureau which was appointed to design the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries.

The new galleries will be the biggest part of the world-famous museum of Art and Design and will be located in the east wing over level 1 and 2.  You can see the floor plan here.

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One of my favorite items from the Renaissance Collection is The Book of Trades (Das Ständebuch):

published in Augsburg in 1568

published in Frankfurt in 1568

The Book of Trades was published in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in 1568, with text by Hans Sachs (1494–1576) and illustrations by Jost Amman (1539–91). It features detailed woodcut illustrations of various professions, each accompanied by a short poem in rhyming couplets and provides a fascinating insight into the diverse trades and crafts practised in 16th-century Nuremberg.

Hans Sachs was born in Nuremburg in 1494. A cobbler by trade, he had also learnt the art of the ‘Meistersinger’ or ‘master singer’. This enabled him to compose poetry and music. When he died, in 1576, his works numbered more than 1700. They included comedies, topical poetry and short plays to celebrate religious festivals.

In the ‘Book of Trades’, Sachs emphasises the importance of hard work and modest living to achieve a pious existence and a harmonious society. His views reflected the Protestant doctrines of Martin Luther, whose beliefs had been rejected by the Catholic Church at Nuremberg in 1522.

Sachs’s descriptions are not an entirely faithful reflection of Nuremberg society. He makes derogatory and anti-Semitic references to the Jewish community, even though the town had expelled the Jews in 1499. His attitude to pilgrims reflects his Protestant sympathies.

source: V&A

 

ArtQuid Friday, Dec 19 2008 

Art international and Art market and Collecting art and Exhibitions and International art and Magazines , , , , , , art4dealers 9:49 am

artquid logo

This online marketplace combines trading platform, exhibition gallery and magazine in one and covers artwork throughout the centuries and for every taste.

ArtQuid was created in 2006 and exists in English, French and Spanish. It has a well structured website with links to artists and art galleries/dealers and provides a platform for trade online. Artists can exhibit their works online and promote them through the website. Buyers can make price offers and contact sellers directly and are therefore guaranteed the best possible price without the heat and bidding war of an auction.

Fazit: thumbs up!

 

Mystery solved? Thursday, Dec 4 2008 

Art international and Exhibitions and Favorites and Works of Art , , , , , , art4dealers 11:08 am

Gabrielle d’Estrées and her sister, the duchess of villars. Dated circa 1594, artist unknown.

Gabrielle d'Estrees and her sister, 1594

Gabrielle d'Estrées, 1594, Louvre Paris

This painting is on display in the Louvre in Paris and the reason why it is one of my favourites is the mystery behind it. It’s presumed to be Gabrielle d’Estrées, mistress of King Henry IV of France, and her sister, the duchess of villars.

In the painting, Gabrielle sits up nude in a bath, holding (assumedly) Henry’s coronation ring, whilst her sister sits nude beside her and pinches her right nipple. Henry gave Gabrielle the ring as a token of his love shortly before she died.

The painting is a symbolic announcement anticipating the birth of Gabrielle’s first child with Henry IV and her maternity is expressed in three ways: her sister pinches the source of the new mother’s milk, the servant in the background knits in preparation for the child, and the fire in the fireplace signifies the mother’s furnace. The love between Gabrielle and Henry IV is expressed by the painting of a love scene on the back wall and by the coronation ring.

The reason why it caught my attention is a historic novel/thriller that I got as a present a couple of years ago. The book is called “The purple line” (original title “Die Purpurlinie”) by Wolfram Fleischhauer. He claims to have found secret correspondance related to the painting which uncovers scandalous intrigues surrounding Gabrielle d’Estrées. Fleischenhauer spent years of research in Paris and based his book on old top secret telegrams and letters. The result is a fascinating page turner which leaves the reader stunned and puzzled with one question: Is this just a novel or are these events true?

picture: wikipedia

 

Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster Saturday, Oct 18 2008 

Exhibitions and International art and London and Modern Art and Museum and Works of Art art4dealers 9:04 pm

The Tate Modern’s newest Turbine Hall exhibition started last Tuesday, 14th October 2008, and was created by Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster under the title TH.2058 as part of the Unilever Series. It includes the original steel version of Louise Bourgeois’ MAMAN.

50 years into the future: London, rain, constant rain. Sculptures have grown into giant monuments and in order to preserve them mankind has taken them inside… well, at least that’s what the entrance to this extraordinary exhibition says:

pictures: myself

 

Renaissance Faces: Van Eyck to Titian Tuesday, Oct 14 2008 

Exhibitions and Renaissance Art , , , art4dealers 6:46 pm

Renaissance Faces

Well, this is not so much related to auctions and prices of art work but mainly related to my personal specialisation on Renaissance Art. I just love Van Eyck and can’t wait to see this exhibtion which will open tomorrow, Wednesday 15th October 2008, at The National Gallery London. Many of the works are already part of the Gallery’s collection but there are some fine works that have never been shown in UK before.

The exhibition is organised in cooperation with the Museo Nacional del Prado Madrid and features many intriguing compositions from Holbein’s ‘A Lady with a Squirrel and a Starling’ (National Gallery) to Arcimboldo’s ‘Emperor Rudolph II’ as Vertumnus (Skokloster Castle, Sweden), on display in the UK for the first time.  There will also be works by Dürer, Cranach, Massys and Bellini.

Tickets are available for £10 (a bargain considering the works that will be on display). For more information, see The National Gallery website.