Art is not beauty It shouldn’t be believed, as young children are often told, that art is simply what is beautiful. If that was the case, neither Rembrandt nor Cezanne, nor Schiele for instance (See here the report about Michelangelo and his...
Albertina: In the drawings of Michelangelo even warriors become graceful
Corporeal quality There’s only a handful of artists capable of giving drawings an almost corporeal quality in their works on paper. In Ingres we don’t just see portraits in black and white, but rather figures whose eyes sparkle with life. In...
Art Basel Miami Beach: the uncertainties of the world and the art market
Noisy parade Since it was founded in 2002, the fair showcasing current art, Art Basel Miami Beach (ABMB), has seen its image change considerably. Initially it suffered from a reputation mitigated by the very nature of the city hosting it, as an...
Parreno + Gordon = Zidane. A 21st-century masterpiece
Athletes like divinities In Greek and Roman times, as in the Italian Renaissance, athletes were celebrated by artists as veritable divinities. Alas, this idea was resurrected during the Nazi period, but that’s no reason to abandon the monopoly...
Paul Guillaume: The dealer who made Modigliani move from sculpture to painting
Tortured artist https://youtu.be/1kbP4hweCBE?si=4x-0L34R3J5ReCM2 The most high-profile exhibitions are often the ones that bring together a maximum number of artworks. But there are smaller displays that can also be savoured with relish. Until...
Antony Gormley at the Musée Rodin in Paris: “my new pieces are the result of the teachings of Rodin”
https://youtu.be/j-TmBXCxmMg?si=CAylDj4l4akb2H4F Two stars of sculpture British sculptor Antony Gormley (born in 1950) is a star of contemporary sculpture. His repertoire is limited, like Rodin’s, to using human silhouettes as his subjects. But...
Ser Serpas at Pinault Collection: ghosts and the deconsecration of the art market
https://youtu.be/M8A3Qyex0VI?si=cm960DT9VROfbZCS In her mother's arms When she was a child Ser Serpas (born in 1995), daughter of a female police officer who raised her by herself in Los Angeles, created a cinematographic culture for herself,...
Modern and contemporary art sales in New York: all the methods that continue building confidence in the market
Brave face It’s rare that Sotheby’s and Christie’s have interests that coincide. But during these times of acute uncertainty, as wars rage from Eastern Europe to the Middle East, environmental challenges shake the planet – Extinction Rebellion...
Paris Photo: disasters of war, memories of segregation and the grace of young models
Poor war hero The first thing that draws you in is his steady, clear gaze. In this image his face is tilted to the side because his head rests on a pillow. Then you notice his shaved head, marked at the top by a bloody swelling. In...
Anish Kapoor: blood, illusions and “l’origine du monde”. A new exhibition in Florence
https://youtu.be/U5-513yUZMM?si=TTwzLBKr5dzpOUYf Palazzo Strozzi The colossal Palazzo Strozzi in Florence has become, thanks to its director Arturo Galansino, in just a few years the benchmark site for two kinds of exhibitions. On the one hand...
Is the art market resilient or not? The Fisher Landau collection goes to auction as the world worries
Andy Warhol diaries “I did her portrait but it never really looked good, and the reason I wanted to do it again was because she has all these great paintings like Rauschenbergs and Picassos and I didn’t want to have mine looking bad there.” On...
Art advisors: whispering “secrets” into the ears of collectors
A colossal amount of money There has never been such a large number of contemporary art fairs in the world. Auction sales of current artistic creation bring in a colossal amount of money. Artists who are in fashion – thanks to social media –...