Murales at Orgosolo

Written by Heather Cowper

If you’re holidaying on the Eastern coast of Sardinia, take the opportunity to venture inland to the village of Orgosolo for an interesting alternative view of this rocky island. In Orgosolo, the murals that you frequently see on the sides of houses and shops in Sardinia have started to take over and the whole village has become an outdoor gallery of street-art.

In fact the sleepy mountain village has become a tourist attraction in its own right purely because of the murals that people come to see and photograph. This part of Sardinia has a history of banditry and protest against the central government and the themes of war, poverty and hunger are expressed in many of the murals. Some of the locals who owned shops and bars were benefiting from the money spent by visitors on drinks and souvenirs, but I got the feeling that some of the locals might wish that their village was left alone.

One of the main artists is Francesco del Casino who was a teacher at the Orgosolo High school for 20 years, and you can see the influence of Picasso and the cubist movement in his work. The mural painting started in the 1970s when teachers and students at the local high school decided to create outdoor posters to commemorate liberation and the Resistance movement. From posters the work moved on to murals with many of the works were created and supervised by Francesco Del Casino while he was an art teacher at the school.

If you enjoy street art and art in the environment, you’ll spend a happy hour or two wandering and photographing the murals of Orgosolo in Sardinia

All photos by Heather on her travels on Flickr

Keith Haring

Birth, death, love, sex and war. These are the main themes in Keith Haring’s work.

I have been a big fan of Keith Haring for many years, since I discovered him. I like the more colorful and stronger drawings. But each one of his pieces is incredibly powerful. Haring was able to condense into a very simple sketch a thousand words, an entire dissertation about an aspect of life.

 

 

  His art is dramatic, exciting, sad, violent and disturbing. It punches you in the stomach all the time. You cannot escape its intensiy. All his characters have been captured a fraction of a second before doing something that is going to have devastating implications for the lives of millions.
They are participating to life, making and transforming the world as we know it. Breaking down all barriers, freeing us from conventions and ignorance. Embarrassing us, naked, in front of others and ourselves.

Be alive, sin, understand and be reborn, that is his message to me.
Useful links
Find out more about Keith Haring here

Will Cotton Bakery

When? Until the end of November 2009.

Where? Partners & Spade, 40 Great Jones St. New York, Saturday & Sunday ONLY from 12 to 6pm.

How? Free (unless you wish to purchase a piece)

Why? I first read about Will Cotton’s (www.willcotton.com) artistic adventures on another blog. Apparently he has been a full-time painter since he completed his art degree at the New York Academy of Art in 1988. What separates this artist from others are his subjects. His composition in painting and drawings are solely based on deserts and women. Cakes, chocolate, cloud of cotton candy and ginger wrapped around the flesh of women gives the sexy edge to a sweet scenery.

What is so intriguing is how Cotton’s talent in drawing has finally brought out his talent in another profession: baking. He has worked with so many different types of deserts that it was almost unavoidable to test a bakery shop where he could let visitors both look and taste. The Will Cotton Bakery was recently opened at the Partners & Spade shop.

Partners & Spade, est. in 2008 by Andy Spade and Anthony Sperduti, is a storefront and studio on Great Jones Street off the Bowery in lower Manhattan. The studio produces films, books, apparel and conceptual products as well as consults on marketing and branding projects for select clients. The shop, open on weekends to the public, showcases a transitional and continuous group show of artwork, collections, found objects, and ideas generated by Spade and Sperduti as well as a changing cast of collaborators.

Tamara de Lempicka’s workshop on sale

This apartment, on sale through Sotheby’s, used to be the workshop of famous Polish Art Deco painter Tamara de Lempicka. The artist came from a wealthy family and has been surrounded by influential art since childhood.  Famous collectors of Lempicka’s paintings include Madonna and Jack Nicholson.

Set on 4 floors, the apartment houses two terraces and a high ceiling living room in the 14th arrondissement close to St. Michel and Jardin du Luxembourg.

All the three bedrooms have their separate bathrooms. The price tag is above USD 10m.

Pankabestia: Punk Beasts of the Swimming Cities of Serenissima

When? opening reception: 20 November 2009, 6-9pm

Where? Anonymous Gallery: 169 Bowery, New York, NY 10002

How? Free. More info at www.anonymousgallery.com

Why? Caledonia Curry (nickname SWOON) is a street artist based in NYC. The exhibit will be a retrospective of her “Swimming Cities of Serenissima” from the 53rd Venice Biennale. It is the result of an enduring travel from Slovenia to Italy through the Adriatic Sea with hand crafted vessels and includes large-scale wall drawings, original Swimming Cities boat installations, portions of the ships, found objects acquired from sea, performances from the original members of the journey, photographic documentation and artwork. “Pankabestia” was what the villagers called the 30+ crew made up of artists when they sailed into the Italian towns.

YSL 2nd Auction

After the enormous success of fashion designer, Yves Saint Laurent’s estate’s auction in February 2009, his partner Pierre Berge and Christie’s are partnering up again for a second round. This time, among other pieces, the furniture and artwork inside Chateau Gabriel, Laurent’s vacation estate in Deauville, France will be auctioned off in Paris between 17 and 20 November 2009.  The February auction brought in USD 484m for 733 pieces. It was well over the estimate of USD 250-380m.

Jacques Grange, the interior designer of Chateau Gabriel, was inspired by several movie sets such as the one of “L’Innocente” by Marcel Proust to create a luxurious getaway for Berge and Laurent. It took him two years to complete the whole castle.

One of the most expensive pieces that will be auctioned off during the November sale is a gouache drawing by the French painter, Fernand Leger, estimated to be worth between USD 74-103K. Paintings of Miro and Delacroix are also among the artwork that will be on sale in the upcoming weeks. All the auction pieces will be available for display between 12 and 16 November 2009 (from 10am to 6pm) at 9 Avenue Matignon, Paris.

The IFPDA Print Fair

Where? The Park Ave. Armory located at 643 Park Ave., New York, NY

When? 5 to 8 November 2009 from Noon to 6pm. Opening Night: 4 November 2009, 5-9pm

How? More info and tickets at www.ifpda.org

Why? The International Fine Print Dealers Association is a nonprofit organization of art dealers, galleries, and publishers with expertise in fine prints. Visitors will be able to view limited prints and litographs of famous artists such as, Joan Mitchell.

Lehman Auctions Off Artwork

(AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

The Wall Street Journal reported today that the bankrupt Lehman Brothers auctioned off some of its art collection that hanged in its corporate New York headquarters during the weekend in Philadelphia. The result of the auction was beyond expectations with all the 238 modern and contemporary pieces finding a new owner. The total sales amounted to USD 1.34m, which is well above the expected USD 750K. More than 2,000 collectors bid on the auction on sight, on the telephone and online, reflecting the great interest towards the souvenirs of the bankrupt bank. Freeman’s Auctioneers directed the sale. It will auction off the next set of 650-piece total collection on 6 December 2009. Money raised from the sale will be used to repay the bank’s current creditors.

Barcodes

Barcodes may be a potent symbol of consumerism, but they aren’t just found on product packaging anymore. Whether imbued with meaning or merely appreciated for their visual impact, barcodes are turning up everywhere, from tattoos to graffiti to home décor. These 15 forms of barcode art take these ubiquitous black and white lines and make them fun, provocative and beautiful.

Keep reading at The Web Urbanist

Banks’ Troves of Art May Need Some Air

October 26, 2009, 4:36 am

Many of the world’s biggest banks — and biggest recipients of government bailouts — have some of the largest collections of art. Some of the works, including abstract pieces and old masters, are hanging in hallways or boardrooms. But much of it is packed away in storage. The art owned by financial institutions should get out more — at the least to give the taxpayers, who have been so generous with the financial sector, an aesthetic return, Breakingviews argues.

Deutsche Bank is believed to own the largest corporate collection in the world, with some 60,000 pieces of contemporary art. UBS owns 40,000 pieces, and JPMorgan Chase 30,000, the publication says. Combined, that approaches the Museum of Modern Art’s trove. Banks have various explanations for their hoarding instincts: lots of walls to cover, clients to impress, corporate identities to build. Or perhaps just some past director was a devoted patron.

If banks were temples of culture rather than lucre, the collections would be easy to justify, Breakingviews says. As a financial asset, however, much of the art is of dubious value.

Go to the full article from the New York Times