Hui | February 28, 2009
But once the seed fell on the fertile ground, it grew rich and fast like fruits in California. The many moods of the clouds and lights, the forceful ocean yet gentle hills and the harmonies of contrast of the nature, all serve to be the integral elements of paradise for tonalism painters. [Read More...]
Geo | February 28, 2009
It can be difficult to authenticate a piece of furniture in person and so identification from a photo online can be completely problematic. Still we can’t help but wonder from time to time if something is really period, or if something thought to be out of period is actually older. Brunk Auction’s is offering a [...]
Hui | February 25, 2009
My view is that even though there is no legal issue with respect to the auction transaction. The bronze statues, due to their significant symbolic meaning (favorite objects of the Emperor QianLong in the Royal Garden which was burned and looted by British and French in 1860), they should be returned to the Chinese government. The buyers must be aware that they would never be proud to exhibit them unless they get the nod from the origin country. Great collections are not built on greed, but on persistence, patience, discipline and consciousness. [Read More...]
Hui | February 23, 2009
Ruins of the European palaces (From Wiki Commons) I lived a few blocks away from the Old Summer Palace for almost a year. The current two bronze statues which were looted from the royal garden reminded me my visits there. Yuan Ming Yuan (“Gardens of Perfect Brightness”) , situated in the north of the Capital, [...]
Geo | February 23, 2009
From the wires: Collector and philanthropist Iris Cantor announced the donation of Femme nue étendue sur un divan (1873) by French Impressionist Gustave Caillebotte as a promised gift to The Metropolitan Museum of Art, as a tribute to Philippe de Montebello, the Museum’s Director Emeritus, who served as the institution’s Director from 1977 through December [...]
Hui | February 23, 2009
A French judge on Monday rejected a petition by a pro-China association to block the sale of two Chinese bronze animal heads at the auction of late fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent’s art collection, French radio reported. Jean-Paul Chazal, a lawyer for Christie’s, said he was “entirely satisfied” by the ruling, and chastised APACE for [...]
Pearl | February 22, 2009
Bronze Rat head Statue I have been watching the progress of the story for a while about Christie’s auctioning bronze relics from Royal Summer Palace. The collections of Saint Laurent Sale have been called a “sale of the century” which could restore market confidence. Now here is the updated news on most of the Western media. And [...]
Hui | February 19, 2009
Funny, I was in the Pittsburgh airport early this month. When I passed by the familiar dinosaur, I was curious about what those workers were doing with a panel of aluminum grids. It has never appeared as art for me. Some shining stuff hanging on the wall is not impressive in the airport where everything else looks clean and shining. But the story always follows the same pattern: Some collection or artwork stays unknown or unrelated until it faces its doom days. Then suddenly, we hear the public outcry . And here is the outcry from Pittsburgh, PA [Read More...]
Hui | February 17, 2009
However, few may realize or care about the curatorial perspective behind the exhibition: the relationship between the factual characteristics of postcards of common places with Walker Evans’ lean anti-arty photograph style. All visitors were busy: They were busy in finding what a piece of common place that they know of looked like before the great war. [Read More...]
Hui | February 15, 2009
There are eight works by William Trost Richards. It is unusual to see an artist with such a caliber of mastering colors (as shown in his painting “Coastal Scene” in 1862) depicted aquatic scenery with an almost puritanical restrain. In his marvelous watercolor works such as crushing waves or white masts under stormy clouds, nothing would be associated with romanticism like those done by Thomas Moran. The simplicity and clarity in his marine works has a factual tendency, which I found is very enchanting. If Charles Temple Dix found the beauty of seas from the excitement of traveling, then Richards praised rocks and waves that he owned and lived with with unassuming sincerity. [Read More...]
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