February 2011
13 posts
Disappointing Student Show at Brown
I regret going to the show, which initially I thought was going to be very different than what I saw. I was anticipating more faculty members.. and more importantly, more impressive work. Really there’s not much more to say. There were maybe only 50 something students there supporting the Visual Arts program at Brown. I was told that many of the works were from the Seniors’ thesis...
Opening of RISD Biennial Faculty Show
Last night I attended the packed opening for the Biennial Faculty Show at RISD. It was full of Providence’s art scene who’s who. I listened in on conversations between professors, local collectors, and RISD students meeting up after a long day in the studio.
Held in the Chace Center on the 2nd and 3rd floors, there was something behind every corner. I wish they had the...
Emerging Artists Show at Chazan Gallery
Last night I went to the opening for the new show at the Chazan Gallery titled “Finding A Way.” My article for this show will be coming out March 1st in East Side Monthly. It was the first time I had seen the work in person, which is part of the drawback of having my deadline be over a month before the issue comes out. I spent some time talking to Susie Keller, who is the assistant...
Gagosian Gets the Warhol
Well, the results are in… and even though Christie’s made an excellent go at it, I must report that Sotheby’s pulled ahead. Tonight’s Christie’s Contemporary sale finished at approximately 66.4 million gbp. The Warhol went for 10.8 million gbp ($17.4 million) to the most powerful person in the artworld, Larry Gagosian. The Warhol was the top earning lot of the 64...
Auction Results Round 2
Tonight in London was the Contemporary Auction and it started off with a bang. Ai Weiwei’s pile of porcelain sunflower seeds were estimated at 80,000-120,000 gbp. When the hammer went down and the deal had been finalized, the piece went for 349,250 gbp (that includes the buyer’s premium). This is a new record price for Weiwei at auction.
The night was full of high hammer prices...
In The Age of Post-Media, With the Granoff Center...
Last night, while most people were at the I Heart Providence event at City Hall, I was lucky enough to attend the opening dedication reception for the new Granoff Center. It was packed, but still a great crowd. I can’t remember the last time anyone asked me where I went to school. Most people were asking me which year I graduated from Brown only to find out that I’m an outsider and...
Gauguin Bites the Big One
For those who know me personally… or listened to me at the Duck & Bunny last week, Paul Gauguin is not my favourite. So, imagine my pleasant surprise when I opened my email this morning to discover the top lot at last night’s Christie’s sale, Gauguin’s “Nature Morte a L’Esperance”, failed to find a buyer. This is especially surprising because there...
3rd Party Bids in London
Well, the Sotheby’s website is not as easy to use anymore to watch the auctions. Christie’s is much easier to use to join the room through the video feed. The Picasso “La Lecture” hammer just went down for 25.2 million pounds, which is $40.5 million. It was estimated between 12-18 million pounds. Clearly this latest bubble is still expanding.
Scott Reyburn (love) was...
Artist Rights in Rhode Island
I feel a bit inspired this morning…. perhaps it is because of my new muse. I stood up on a small soapbox this morning and sent an email to the executive director of the Rhode Island State Council for the Arts asking him why there is no link on the RISCA website in the Resources section under the Artist heading regarding the legal rights of artists working and living in Rhode Island.
...
Gallery Owners Are Asking For Their Money Back
Don’t you love when couples get together for drinks on a Saturday night? They all exchange the goings-on in their worlds. One of these couples might be a pair of art dealers, relaying to their friends the politics they see at art fairs (James Cohan Gallery is a participating gallery at Basel Miami) and while the husband explains, his wife rubs his knee to comfort him while she sips on her...
My first article in East Side Monthly ...
On the third floor of the RISD Museum is the Spalter New Media Gallery. This relatively small space currently holds the eye-opening and provocative work of digital artist, Brian Knep. In his first Providence- based exhibit entitled, “Exempla,” Knep explores the human condition.
Even though this may be the first time his work has been in Providence, Brian Knep is no stranger to the East Side...
On a Brighter Note
Last night was Pecha Kucha here in Providence. Unfortunately, the RISD Artisan Cafe was not the right location, especially when so many people turned out. It also was lacking food. I understand going home, eating, then going to PK, but sometimes it’s just better to stay out. Plus, with a name like Artisan Cafe, of course we were expecting food. Instead we got plastic cups of popcorn,...
