Nearly two months ago, the Brooklyn Museum's* press office sent me links to two blog posts about its Russian paintings, saying I might be interested. I was, but not until now, as you will see shortly. The first was about an exhibit of the museum's modern Russian paintings collection, acquired starting in 1906. Russian Modern, "celebrates for the first time in over eighty years its renowned collection of modern Russian paintings," wrote Richard Aste, Brooklyn's curator of European paintings. Which makes one wonder why such a … [Read more...]

There've been so many deaccessions this fall that they seem routine, hardly worth noting -- but this one is a darn shame. Even the seller, the Birger Sandzen Memorial Gallery of Bethany College in Lindsborg, KS, admits that it's selling one of its treasures, and a curator at another museum calls it the collection's "crown jewel." I saw the painting myself over the weekend, at Sotheby's American paintings exhibition, and although Sotheby's gave watercolors by Winslow Homer and Edward Hopper the place of honor, this painting … [Read more...]

It's sometimes a little dangerous to compliment an exhibition from afar, but I'm going to do it anyway with a show that opened earlier this month at the Tate Liverpool -- for two reasons. One, I love the concept: Alice in Wonderland is, the museum says, "the first exhibition of its kind to explore how Lewis Carroll's stories have influenced the visual arts, inspiring generations of artists." It seems a no-brainer, doesn't it? And speaking of brains, that's the second reason for highlighting this exhibition, more about which in a minute. The … [Read more...]

I'd venture that a $25,000 prize means a lot to the author of an art book, and that's what Mary L. Levkoff (below) just won: The Frick Collection's Center for the History of Collecting* announced last Tuesday that Levkoff's book, Hearst the Collector, was chosen as the winner of the second Sotheby's Book Prize. Levkoff, since 2009 the curator of sculpture and decorative arts at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, wrote the book while she was curator of European sculpture and classical antiquities at the Los Angeles County … [Read more...]

Everyone loves a good restoration story, and here's one: On Tuesday, the Dulwich Picture Gallery unveiled a 17th century painting of Saint Cecilia, which as you can see from the photograph below was in pretty sad shape. The painter is unknown, although when the painting was purchased in 1790 by Noel Joseph Desenfans from the well-known French print-maker and dealer, Jean-Baptise Pierre Le Brun, it was thought to be by Bolognese painter Annibale Carracci. Desenfans hung it in pride of place at … [Read more...]

How funny, and inconsistent, the public is sometimes. When the Metropolitan Museum* raised its suggested price to $25 earlier this year, the outcry was tremendous. Ditto the Museum of Modern Art's* admissions hike -- mandatory -- to $22.50.   But when Christie's charges $30 per ticket to see 850 items once owned by Elizabeth Taylor --  "including [her] legendary jewelry, haute couture, ready-to-wear fashion, handbags and accessories, and a selection of decorative arts, and film memorabilia being sold in the live … [Read more...]

As I've been away, I've got a lot of catching up to do -- it's amazing how much can happen or be written about in the art world in just five days.  Let's start with a headline that intrigued me: The Accidental Art Mogul. I quickly learned that the moniker was given to someone who deserves attention -- the art dealer Marian Goodman. Writing in Newsweek magazine, Blake Gopnik shines a light on a gallerist (the term she prefers) whose track record of showing artists that matter, early in their careers, not after everyone … [Read more...]

Dear RCA Readers, If you've been wondering why I haven't posted, my apologies. I am just back from a quick trip to Italy, where I expected to have more access to a computer -- and more time to post -- than I actually did. But I'll be posting again soon, probably later today.       … [Read more...]

So much attention is paid to contemporary art in China that I thought it might be a good idea to highlight two exhibitions, on opposite sides of the country, that focus on modern, but historical Chinese art. Since Oct. 30, the Denver Museum of Art has been showcasing the work of Xu Beihong (1895-1953). His name may not ring a bell, but it should. The Denver museum calls Xu "the father of modern Chinese painting." Xu, who was one of the first Chinese artists to study in Europe -- Paris, in his case -- was an advocate for … [Read more...]

The Clyfford Still Museum opens officially on Friday at 10 a.m., although the grand opening party takes places Wednesday night -- and it's sold out. I'm sure many people will visit at first. But it's an open question whether Still's art has the staying power, whether there's enough interest in his works, enough variety in his works, to keep people coming. Last week's auction, with four paintings selling for $114.1 million, brought much wanted attention, raising his public presence, but people will soon forget … [Read more...]