Post-Basel in Miami

Miami Beach; image via Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau
Miami Beach; image via Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

The 14th edition of Art Basel in Miami Beach closed on December 6 and the fair was as stupendous as ever. 267 galleries from 32 countries attracted 77,000 visitors to the convention center, and more than 20 satellite art fairs expanded Miami Art Week beyond South Beach into downtown, Wynwood, and the Design District.

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Ólafur Elíasson, Ice Watch

Video still from #IceWatchParis © 2015 Ólafur Elíasson
Video still from #IceWatchParis © 2015 Ólafur Elíasson

At the Place du Panthéon in Paris, twelve enormous blocks of ice are melting as world leaders are gathered nearby at Le Bourget for the UN Climate Summit. The ice is an installation by the Danish-Icelandic artist Ólafur Elíasson, whose work frequently joins nature and public installations to affect perceptions of the environment.

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La Biennale de Lyon, La Vie Moderne

Yuan Goang-Ming 袁廣鳴, Landscape of Energy, 2014; single-channel video, 7:30, edition of 5; image via La Biennale de Lyon
Yuan Goang-Ming 袁廣鳴, Landscape of Energy, 2014; single-channel video, 7:30, edition of 5; image via La Biennale de Lyon

La Biennale de Lyon was launched in 1991 and has become one of the largest contemporary art events in the world, with greater attendance and broader representation than Manifesta and the Whitney Biennal. For its 13th edition in 2015, the Biennale de Lyon brings together 60 artists from 28 countries to explore the theme of La Vie Moderne. Continue reading “La Biennale de Lyon, La Vie Moderne”

Amedeo Modigliani’s Nu Couché

Amedeo Modigliani, Nu Couché, 1917-18; oil on canvas, 23 5/8 x 36 1/4 inches; image via Christie’s Images LTD
Amedeo Modigliani, Nu Couché, 1917-18; oil on canvas, 23 5/8 x 36 1/4 inches; image via Christie’s Images LTD

It has been a superlative auction season in New York with sales of Impressionist, modern, and contemporary art totaling more than $2 billion. Christie’s reported a decline from last November with sales of $968 million, and Sotheby’s increased to $978 million notwithstanding a poor third quarter and concern about the margins on its $500 million guarantee for the Taubman collection.

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Power and Pathos at the Getty Museum

Torso of a Youth, “The Vani Torso,” 200–100 B.C. Bronze, 105 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm; Georgian National Museum, Vani Archaeological Museum-Reserve; Installation view of "Power and Pathos" at the Getty Museum, 2015; photo © codylee.co
Torso of a Youth, “The Vani Torso,” 200–100 BC; bronze, 105 cm x 45 cm x 25 cm; Georgian National Museum, Vani Archaeological Museum-Reserve; Installation view of “Power and Pathos” at the Getty Museum, 2015; photo © codylee.co

During the Hellenistic period – from the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC to the establishment of the Roman Empire in 31 BC – Greek power and cultural influence were at their peak throughout the Mediterranean and Macedonia. The vast empire was controlled by dozens of generals and rulers, and a new market for portraits was formed with the development of bronze as a primary artistic medium.

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Dismaland

Exterior view of Banksy's Dismaland, 2015; image via CNN
Exterior view of Banksy’s Dismaland, 2015; image via CNN

In Weston-super-Mare, England, an abandoned seaside resort has been transformed into a dystopian theme park. On August 20, following weeks of speculation, the artist Banksy announced a five-week contemporary art project called Dismaland Bemusement Park.

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Louvre to Move Collections from Paris to Liévin

rendering of the Louvre project in Liévin; image © Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners
rendering of the Louvre project in Liévin; image © Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners

Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners has been selected to construct a new storage and conservation center for the Musée du Louvre. The new facilities will be located in Liévin, 200 kilometers north of Paris near the Louvre-Lens. The center is expected to open in 2018, and moving the collections will take until 2023.

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Guggenheim Helsinki Design Revealed

Rendering of the winning design by Moreau Kusunoki Architects for the Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition; image by artefactorylab, courtesy of Moreau Kusunoki Architects / Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition
Rendering of the winning design by Moreau Kusunoki Architects for the Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition; image by artefactorylab, courtesy of Moreau Kusunoki Architects / Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation has announced that Moreau Kusunoki Architectes is the winner of the Guggenheim Helsinki Design Competition. The French architecture firm’s design, Art in the City, is proposed for a site at Eteläsatama on Helsinki’s South Harbor. The Finnish outpost would be the Guggenheim’s fifth museum, and its third in Europe, if it is constructed.

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