News | Art Practical

Bruno Mauro

2012-05-16T15:01:48+00:00

It is impossible to write the news of his passing without feeling the profoundest sense of loss. Bruno's ardent support of artists and passion for art was most visibly articulated in Ampersand International Arts, a gallery he ran from his home starting in 1999. The most frequently used format was pairing artists in two solo exhibitions, resulting in often inspired juxtapositions. He was diagnosed with melanoma in 2009 and until recently, most of us thought he would beat it. Working with him at his home, one got to experience the deep love and affection he felt for his family, and our deepest sympathy goes to his wife Surma, and his children Thea, Saskia, and Rafael. - Patricia Maloney

Picasso in 3D

2012-05-15T17:38:23+00:00

From the Art Newspaper: The Artists Rights Society has sent the film director James Cameron a letter claiming compensation because the movie Titanic 3D includes a reproduction of Picasso’s Les Demoiselles d’Avignon, 1907. A copyright infringement was filed—and resolved—after the release of the original film in 1997. “A settlement was reached to the satisfaction of both parties pretty quickly,” says Theodore Feder, the chief executive and founder of the society. However, the new 3D version of the film breaches that agreement, he says. The Picasso estate did not give its permission to use the painting, which belongs to the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Art Handlers Arrested in China

2012-05-14T16:17:25+00:00

From ArtInfo: The company specializes in art handling, storage, and installation throughout Asia. The two men, one of whom is a Chinese citizen while the other is German, were arrested after customs agents raided the company's Beijing offices on March 30. They were held for questioning for 36 hours, IFAS director Torsten Hendricks said. The exact nature of the charges against them remains unclear.The arrests are another symptom of the great disparities between Western and Chinese business practices, a clash of corporate cultures that has only become more problematic as Chinese authorities have sought to control the flow of art into and out of the country's booming art market.

Mobile Homestead

2012-05-14T16:06:38+00:00

From the New York Times: The project had been in the planning stages for several years. After his death, the full project was put on hold and there were doubts that it would ever be realized. But construction on the full-size home will begin in June on a vacant lot behind the museum, and the home is expected to open by early 2013. It will function nothing like a traditional museum or gallery and will show none of Mr. Kelley’s work, at his own insistence. The mobile-home part will remain detachable and will sometimes take its leave of the rest and journey through Detroit. The home as a whole will operate as an unconventional community service office, providing things like haircuts, social services, meeting space and a place to hold barbecues and perhaps for the homeless to pick up mail.

ACAW

2012-05-12T16:38:10+00:00

This is the inaugural Asian Contemporary Art Week in San Francisco (ACAW-SF). An unprecedented event in connecting cultural institutions across the Bay Area, ACAW-SF features a variety of programs to celebrate the dynamic of Asian contemporary art practice. 2012 marks the inception of this collaborative effort with sixteen participants presenting exhibitions, tours, receptions, screenings, panel discussions and more. ACAW-SF was initiated by the Asian Contemporary Arts Consortium San Francisco (ACAC-SF) with the intention of generating diverse discourses, creating stimulating conversations, building a larger audience group, inviting broader interpretations, and promoting sustainable interests around Asian contemporary arts in the Bay Area. For a full list of events, visit http://www.asiancontemporarysf.org/acaw/

Art Practical is proud to be a media sponsor and a participating organization in ACAW.

BAC Call for Entries

2012-05-11T17:35:58+00:00

The exhibition dates are July 28 to September 9, 2012. Berkeley Art Center's annual juried exhibition, BEAUTY, is open to artists working in all media and living in California. The theme is a suggestion to artists to consider how beauty resonates in their work both literally and/or figuratively. Creative interpretations are welcome. There is a $5 fee to all applicants that goes directly to SlideRoom; additional charges apply to non-members: $35 for three images, $10 each additional image up to five. Deadline for submissions: June 11, 2012. For more information, visit http://www.berkeleyartcenter.org/

President Obama supports gay marriage

2012-05-10T17:08:12+00:00

From the New York Times: A sitting United States president took sides in what many people consider the last civil rights movement, providing the most powerful evidence to date of how rapidly views are moving on an issue that was politically toxic just five years ago. Mr. Obama faces considerable risk in jumping into this debate, reluctantly or not, in the heat of what is expected to be a close election. Mitt Romney, the probable Republican presidential candidate, was quick to proclaim his opposition to gay marriage after Mr. Obama spoke. And however much national attitudes may be shifting, the issue remains highly contentious among black and Latino voters, two groups central to Mr. Obama’s success.

Vishakha Desai resigns

2012-05-10T16:30:22+00:00

From the New York Times: Ms. Desai will join the Guggenheim Foundation as a senior adviser for global policy and programs, a new consulting position. She is also talking with several universities to develop an initiative focusing on the intersection of culture and international relations. She had overseen the development of two new multimillion-dollar buildings, one of which opened in Hong Kong in February, the other in Houston last month. During her tenure, Asia Society also expanded its New York headquarters and established new offices in India and South Korea.

Maurice Sendak dies

2012-05-08T16:05:10+00:00

From the New York Times: Maurice Sendak, widely considered the most important children’s book artist of the 20th century, who wrenched the picture book out of the safe, sanitized world of the nursery and plunged it into the dark, terrifying and hauntingly beautiful recesses of the human psyche, died on Tuesday in Danbury, Conn. He was 83 and lived in Ridgefield, Conn. The cause was complications from a recent stroke, said Michael di Capua, his longtime editor.

Collector Sues

2012-05-07T16:08:22+00:00

From Artforum: The Washington Post reports that an art buyer from Monaco has filed a lawsuit against artist Robert Indiana. Joao Tovar brought the suit against Indiana, claiming Indiana’s actions made Tovar’s investment in versions of the “LOVE” sculptures with the word Prem—Hindi for love—that he thought were created by Indiana and paid $1.5 million, worthless. According to the lawsuit, the artist did not actually make the works.