Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Manet Sets $33.1 Million Record


View of French Impressionist Edouard Manet's Self Portrait , 1878-1879, which sold at auction at Sotheby's in London, for $33.1 Million Tuesday June 22, 2010. AP Photo/Max Nash.

LONDON (REUTERS).- Sotheby's sold an Edouard Manet self-portrait for 22.4 million pounds ($33.1 million) on Tuesday, a record for the artist but toward the lower end of pre-sale expectations of 20-30 million pounds. The painting, one of only two self-portraits by the artist and the only one in private hands, was the centerpiece of the auctioneer's main impressionist and modern art sale in London this summer. (Excerpted from eporting by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Charles Dick) Reprinted from ArtDaily - 23 June 2010

Edouard Manet broke new ground by defying traditional techniques of representation and by choosing subjects from the events and circumstances of his own time. His Déjeuner sur l’herbe (“Luncheon on the Grass”), exhibited in 1863 at the Salon des Refusés, aroused the hostility of critics and the enthusiasm of the young painters who later formed the nucleus of the Impressionist group. Manet’s debut as a painter met with a critical resistance that did not abate until near the end of his career. Although the success of his memorial exhibition and the eventual critical acceptance of the Impressionists—with whom he was loosely affiliated—raised his profile by the end of the 19th century, it was not until the 20th century that his reputation was secured by art historians and critics. Manet’s disregard for traditional modeling and perspective made a critical break with academic painting’s historical emphasis on illusionism. This flaunting of tradition and the official art establishment paved the way for the revolutionary work of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. Manet also influenced the path of much 19th- and 20th-century art through his choice of subject matter. His focus on modern, urban subjects—which he presented in a straightforward, almost detached manner—distinguished him still more from the standards of the Salon, which generally favored narrative and avoided the gritty realities of everyday life. Manet’s daring, unflinching approach to his painting and to the art world assured both him and his work a pivotal place in the history of modern art. Even the recognition he has finally received does not do him justice. He was a remarkable painter.

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Spain's Cultural Ministry to Reopen Caves of Altamira Despite Scientists' Warnings


Spain's Cultural Minister Angeles Gonzalez-Sinde said Tuesday June 8, 2010 that Spain has decided to reopen a cave complex with prized prehistoric paintings after 8 years of closure, despite scientists warnings' that heat from human visitors damages the art. AP Photo/Pedro A. Saura.

MADRID (AP).- A cave complex boasting prized prehistoric paintings will reopen after eight years of closure, despite scientists' warnings that heat and moisture from human visitors damage the site known as the Sistine Chapel of Paleolithic Art. The Culture Ministry and the site's board of directors said Tuesday that visits to the Caves of Altamira in the northern Cantabria region will resume next year, although on a still-unspecified, restricted basis. The main chamber at Altamira features 21 bison painted in red and black, which appear to be charging against a low, limestone ceiling. The site was declared a UNESCO world heritage site in 1985. The paintings are estimated to be 14,000 to 20,000 years old. Discovered in 1868, the cave complex became a tourist magnet and by the 1970s received 3,000 visitors a day. Body heat and moisture from people's breath were blamed for a gradual deterioration of the images, and from 1982-2002 only a handul of visits were allowed each day. The cave was completely shut off to most visitors after scientists detected green mold stains on the paintings in the main chamber. A replica of the caves was built in a museum in 2001. In April of this year, the government's main scientific research body, called the CSIC, recommended that the caves remain closed. "The people who go in the cave have the bad habit of moving, breathing and perspiring," CSIC researcher Mariona Hernandez-Marine wrote then. The site's board voted to reopen, however, calling the caves too valuable to keep closed. "Altamira is an asset we cannot do without," the Cantabria region's president, Miguel Angel Revilla, said.

Excerpted from "Art Daily" - Copyright 2010 The Associated Press.