Cars by Warhol,

Cars by Warhol, Fleury, Longo, Szarek from the Chrysler Collection Opens at Albertina artlover7766558888888

A visitor takes a photo of Andy Warhol's Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Coupe (1954) at the Albertina museum, in Vienna, Austria, Thursday, Jan. 21, 2010. Under the title "Cars" the Albertina museum is showing an exhibition from the artists Andy Warhol, Sylvie Fleury, Robert Longo and Vincent Szarek. AP Photo/Ronald Zak.

VIENNA.- CARS presents works from the Daimler Collection, by artists Andy Warhol, Robert Longo, Sylvie Fleury, and Vincent Szarek. Common to all of the works is their examination of the history, the types, or the design of the Mercedes-Benz car. The core of the exhibit are the thirty-five silkscreen paintings of Andy Warhol’s (1928–1987) series CARS, which employ eight selected types of Mercedes to document the history of the automobile. This important late series by Warhol remained unfinished and after around twenty years is being shown again complete. Joining this series are drawings and airbrushed paintings by Robert Longo (*1953). Videos by Sylvie Fleury (*1961) blend the myth of the legendary Mercedes-Benz automobile with some of the most contemporary ideas from the art and fashion worlds. Vincent Szarek (*1973) uses design elements from the Mercedes-Benz SLR as the starting point for his group of sculptures, which were digitally developed as a modern form of drawing, rendered with 3D programs. Andy Warhol’s CARS series from 1986/87 can be seen as a highlight in the late working phase of the Pop artist. Commissioned on the occasion of the hundredth anniversary of the automobile, it would be the artist’s last series and remained incomplete. Of the eighty planned pictures, intended to use twenty selected Mercedes-Benz models to document the history of the car from the 1886 Daimler Motor Carriage and the Benz Patent Motor Car to 1986, Warhol completed thirty-five paintings (thirty-two of them belong to the Daimler Art Collection) and twelve large-format drawings showing eight different models. The first eight models were completed by early January 1987, each in two versions: a single and a multiple portrayal. The artist produced the three additional large-format works in the last two weeks before his death on February 22. Between 1988 und 1991, the Warhols CARS serie has been exhibited in museums internationally, starting in the Kunsthalle Tübingen and in the Guggenheim Museum New York as well as in Tokyo, Bern, Madrid und Barcelona. After around twenty years the series is again shown complete. The commission that went to Andy Warhol in 1986 was groundbreaking for the intense cooperation with artists as well as for the early international direction taken by the Art Collection. A second commission went to the New York-based artist Robert Longo in 1995, who created a sequence of five black-and-white automobile “portraits” and a “big-screen” grid profile of a compressor convertible. Vincent Szarek, New York, examined the phenomenon of individualized mass production, using his shiny-painted picture objects to connect the design history of the car with hybrid surfaces from the Baroque to the contemporary wireframe. In 2005, Sylvie Fleury created a series of six three-channel videos for the Mercedes-Benz Center in Paris. These films, which form an outstanding part within Fleury’s multimedia work created since 1990, blend the appeal of legendary Mercedes-Benz automobiles—from the Lightning Benz and the Gullwing to the C 111— with the latest contemporary ideas from the worlds of art and fashion. Since the eighties, commissions to design and realize site-specific works have gone to Max Bill, Heinz Mack, François Morellet, Walter De Maria, Nam June Paik, Robert Rauschenberg, Ben Willikens, Tamara K. E., Gerold Miller, Auke de Vries, Pietro Sanguineti, Franz Erhard Walther, Jan van der Ploeg, Nic Hess, Andreas Schmid, Stephane Dafflon, and other artists, who created large sculptures, wall objects, or murals for various company sites. The Daimler Art Collection is one of the most renowned German corporate collections. It focuses on the area of twentieth-century Abstract Art: from the circle of artists around Adolf Hölzel in Stuttgart in the nineteen-tens, Bauhaus, Constructivism, Concrete Art, the European Zero avant-garde, Minimalism, Conceptual tendencies, and Neo Geo, all the way to the most recent contemporary art. There are areas dedicated to photography and media art as well as a total of thirty large public sculptures in Stuttgart, Sindelfingen, and Berlin. In-house exhibitions, at the Daimler Contemporary exhibition space at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, and at international museums as well as grants awarded to upcoming artists communicate the Daimler Art Collection to a wide audience.

Picasso and Renoir, Unseen for Over 40 Years, Go on Public Display at Christie's

Picasso and Renoir, Unseen for Over 40 Years, Go on Public Display at Christie's artlover223448888888 A Christie's employee looks at a 1963 painting entitled "Tete de femme (Jacqueline)" by Pablo Picasso on display at the auction house in London, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010. The painting is to be auction at 'Impressionist and Modern Art' sale on Feb. 2 with an estimated price of 3 to 4 million pounds (US$4.9 to 6.5 million or 3.5 to 4.6 million euro). AP Photo/Sang Tan.

A visitor looks at a the 1936 painting "Nu aux jambes croisees" by Henri Matisse, on display at the Christie's auction house in London, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2010. The painting is to be auction at 'Impressionist and Modern Art' sale on Feb. 2 with an estimated price of 2.5 to 4 million pounds (US$4.1 to 6.5 million or 2.9 to 4.6 million euro). AP Photo/Sang Tan.

LONDON.- From 20 January 2010, Christie’s will host a public exhibition showing masterpieces by Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Natalia Gonchorova that have been unseen in public for nearly 40 years, as well as an outstanding masterpiece by Yves Klein and important works by Henri Matisse, Peter Doig, Rene Magritte, Frank Auerbach, Kees van Dongen and Martin Kippenberger. These are the leading highlights from the forthcoming series of auctions of Impressionist and Modern Art and Post-War and Contemporary Art which will take place at Christie’s in London from 2 February, and which is expected to realise in the region of £120 million. Jussi Pylkkanen, President of Christie’s Europe and Middle East: “Christie’s modern exhibition space in London allows us to present to the public works of art that have often been hidden in private collections for decades, and which may be sold to private collectors and be unseen for years to come. From 20 January we look forward to hosting a special exhibition that will show exceptional works of art from the 19th and 20th centuries, including important works by Picasso, Renoir, Matisse and Goncharova that haven’t been seen in public for over 40 years, alongside one of the most important works by Yves Klein ever offered at auction, and masterpieces by Peter Doig, Natalia Gonchorova, Frank Auerbach and Kees van Dongen.” Works of art on view: · Tête de femme (Jacqueline), 1963, by Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) is a portrait of the artist’s second wife. It has been unseen in public since 1967 and is expected to realise £3 million to £4 million. · Mademoiselle Grimprel au ruban rouge, 1880, is an important work by Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) which dates to the highpoint of the artist’s portrait painting. It will be shown in public for the first time since the 1960s and is expected to realise £1.8 million to £2.5 million. · Relief éponge or (RE47II) is an outstanding masterpiece and one of only two gold sponge reliefs ever created by Yves Klein (1928-1962). It is expected to realise £5 million to £7 million. · Espagnole, circa 1916, by Natalia Goncharova (1881-1962) is one of the finest examples of the artist’s work to be offered at auction. It will be exhibited to the public for the first time since 1971, and is expected to realise £4 million to £6 million. Gonchorova holds the world record price for any painting by a female artist sold at auction. · Head of J.Y.M., 1973, by Frank Auerbach (b.1931) is one of the artist’s most important portraits and portrays his most famous Muse, Juliet Yardley Mills (estimate: £900,000 to £1,200,000). The artist’s Head of Helen Gillespie VI, 1966, will also be on view (estimate: £600,000 to £800,000). Auerbach is one of the most important living British artists alongside his great compatriot and one of his biggest fans, Lucian Freud. · Gitane, circa 1910-1911, by Kees van Dongen (1877-1968) is a striking portrait by the Dutch artist which was executed at one of the most important periods of his career. It carries an estimate of £5.5 million to £7.5 million. · Nu aux jambes croisées, 1936, by Henri Matisse (1869-1954) will be exhibited to the public for the first time since 1951 (estimate: £2.5 million to £4 million). · Anthropométrie (ANT 5) by Yves Klein (1928-1962) is the largest of only six works from this celebrated series to incorporate a mixture of fire and blue pigment (estimate: £1.5 million to £2 million) · Concrete Cabin West Side by Peter Doig (b.1959) is arguably the greatest example from the series that was the inspiration for the artist’s Turner Prize installation at the Tate in 1994 (estimate: £2 million to £3 million). · La robe du soir, 1955, by René Magritte (1898-1967) was painted for the celebrated Belgian writer Jan-Albert Goris (1899-1984) (whose pseudonym was Marnix Gijsen) and will be offered with an estimate of £400,000 to £600,000. · Untitled (from the series Lieber Maler Male mir / Dear Painter Paint Me), 1983, is an important self-portrait by Martin Kippenberger (1953-1997) (estimate: £800,000 to £1,200,000).

Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation Presents Never Before Seen Photos by Robert Doisneau

Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation Presents Never Before Seen Photos by Robert Doisneau artlover666777888888888

Two visitors to the Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation look at photographs by Robert Doisneau. EFE/Lucas Dolega.

PARIS.- The Henri Cartier-Bresson Foundation opened an exhibition of approximately 100 photographs taken by Robert Doisneau. The photographs have been gatheres from the Foundations collections and other museum and private collections. The exhibition aims to show the viewer the world Doisneau wanted to prove existed. The catalog, published in French by Steidl, is accompanied by a text written by Agnès Sire and of a review made by art critic Jean-François Chevrier in 1983. "There are several photographs in this show that have always been presented in other exhibitions, but there are others that have never before been seen,"said the curator Agnès Sire to EFE. Robert Doisneau (April 14, 1912 - April 1, 1994) was a French photographer noted for his frank and often humorous depictions of Paris street life. Robert Doisneau was one of France's most popular and prolific reportage photographers. He was known for his modest, playful, and ironic images of amusing juxtapositions, mingling social classes, and eccentrics in contemporary Paris streets and cafes. Influenced by the work of Kertész, Atget, and Cartier-Bresson, in over 20 books Doisneau has presented a charming vision of human frailty and life as a series of quiet, incongruous moments. Doisneau has written: "The marvels of daily life are exciting; no movie director can arrange the unexpected that you find in the street." Among his most recognizable work is Le baiser de l'hôtel de ville (Kiss by the Hôtel de Ville), a photo of a couple kissing in the busy streets of Paris. The identity of the couple was a mystery until 1993, when Denise and Jean-Louis Lavergne took Doisneau to court for taking the picture without their knowledge. This action prompted Doisneau to reveal that he posed the shot in 1950 using actor/models Françoise Bornet and Jacques Carteaud. Françoise was given an original print as part of her payment. In April 2005 she sold the print for 155,000 € at an auction. Paris was one of the favorite photographic subjects of Doisneau. Doisneau's work gives unusual prominence and dignity to children's street culture; returning again and again to the theme of children at play in the city, unfettered by parents. His work treats their play with seriousness and respect. In his honour, and owing to this, there are several Ecole Primaire (Primary Schools) names after him. An example is at Veretz (Indre-et-Loire).

Van Gogh's Starry Night Named World's Most Popular Oil Painting of the Decade

Van Gogh's Starry Night Named World's Most Popular Oil Painting of the Decade artlover44558888688 Van Gogh's Starry Night Named World's Most Popular Oil Painting of the Decade "Cafe Terrace at Night" by Vincent Van Gogh. The second piece in the "Van Gogh Starry Night Trilogy". It's popularity in the past decade has soared and is a synonym for style and sophistication.

"The Kiss". Gustav Klimt.

WICHITA, KAN.- overstockArt.com, the leader in handmade oil painting art reproductions, has officially released its Top 10 list of the most popular oil paintings from the past decade. Topping the list is Vincent van Gogh’s irrefutable magnum opus, "Starry Night". “We release an annual Top 10 list and thought it would be interesting to look back over the past decade to determine the trendiest and most sought after hand painted oil painting reproductions,” said David Sasson, CEO of overstockArt.com. “Not surprisingly, the notoriously eccentric artist, Van Gogh, leads the list with his masterpieces "Starry Night" and "Café Terrace at Night".” According to overstockArt.com’s statistics, Van Gogh’s total sales numbers have far exceeded those of any of the other great masters. The top ten oil paintings sold online in the last decade according to overstockArt.com are: 1. "Starry Night" – Vincent van Gogh 2. "Café Terrace at Night" – Vincent van Gogh 3. "The Kiss" – Gustav Klimt 4. "Poppy Field at Argenteuil" – Claude Monet 5. "The Mona Lisa" – Da Vinci 6. "Le Rêve" (The Dream in French) – Pablo Picasso 7. "Luncheon of the Boating Party" – Pierre August Renoir 8. "The Scream" – Edvard Munch 9. "Red Cannas" – Georgia O’Keeffe 10. "Persistence of Memory" – Salvador Dali In the past decade overstockArt.com sold more than a million oil paintings. They are one of the Web’s most successful distributors of wall décor items with over 10,000 daily visitors and 100,000 loyal customers. “As the Modern Art movement was conquering the auction floors getting record breaking numbers in Sotheby’s and Christie’s, we slowly became the destination for art lovers who could not afford the high price tags of galleries, but wanted to enjoy the hand painted art of the great masters in their homes,” explained Sasson. One of the interesting points that the top 10 oil paintings of the decade presents is that the modern artists from the turn of the last century such as Van Gogh, Monet and Klimt are still the most desirable artists in the world. “Our numbers indicate that as the years turn and our world evolves some things remain consistent,” said Sasson. “People are still captivated by the elegance and beauty that the classic artists bring to their home. It will be interesting to see when, if ever, this trend begins to fade.”