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Wednesday, 24 August 2016 14:47

An early canvas by the Abstract Expressionist, Willem de Kooning, has been discovered online. The work, which depicts a young boy in a red coat, was acquired for a little over $500 by a Belgian couple who were browsing classified listings. The painting, which was created in the 1920s, is estimated to be worth around $113,000. The buyers recently had the work authenticated on the popular BBC television program, Fake or Fortune?

Wednesday, 24 August 2016 14:45

Hearst Castle—the historic estate of newspaper magnate, William Randolph Hearst, in San Simeon, California—will remain shuttered as wildfires continue to burn about two miles to the east of the landmark structure. All tours of the Castle have been cancelled through Sunday, August 28. Built in 1919, the 165-room estate was designed by the architect Julia Morgan and housed Heart’s monumental art collection.

Tuesday, 23 August 2016 16:29

During the last three years Historic New England has transformed the Quincy House, in Quincy, Massachusetts, to reflect the period around 1880, when three elderly sisters resided in the historic house. They were the last family members to live at the property before their heirs sold the house and divided up the estate for development. We chose to return the house to that period because one of the sisters, Eliza Susan Quincy, documented the furnishings in a memorandum written in 1879 and had the first floor photographed.

Tuesday, 23 August 2016 16:28

The Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum in Wethersfield, Connecticut, is currently hosting the exhibition Wallace Nutting: Preservation Pioneer. The event celebrates the life and work of Wallace Nutting, a popular artist and photographer who also manufactured high-quality reproduction furniture that helped spur the Colonial Revival movement. The show will also explore Nutting’s role as a respected collector of American antiques, lecturer, author, and restorer of historic buildings, including the Joseph Webb House, which is owned by the Webb-Deane-Stevens Museum.

Tuesday, 23 August 2016 16:26

On December 8, the Serpentine Sackler Gallery in London will unveil an exhibition of rarely seen paintings, drawings, and digital works by the late British-Iraqi architect, Zaha Hadid. Hadid, who is known for her geometric and decidedly futuristic structures, designed the Serpentine Sackler Gallery in 2013. Hadid passed away suddenly in April after suffering a heart attack. She is currently the subject of an exhibition at the Palazzo Franchetti in Venice.

Tuesday, 23 August 2016 16:24

The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego has eliminated eight full-time positions and twenty part-time positions as it readies for a major expansion that will quadruple the exhibition space at its La Jolla campus. The museum will close briefly in January to prepare for the project, which is being helmed by the New York-based architect, Annabelle Selldorf. The institution also includes three buildings in downtown San Diego.

Tuesday, 23 August 2016 16:20

The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation—an organization founded by philanthropists and mega-collectors, Eli and Edythe Broad, to advance entrepreneurship for the public good in education, science, and the arts—has named Gerun Riley as its President. Riley, who has worked with the Broads for the past thirteen years, played a pivotal role in managing the architectural competition for The Broad—the Diller Scofidio + Renfro-designed contemporary art museum that opened in downtown Los Angeles in September 2015.

Monday, 22 August 2016 12:40

1. This home by Theodore Pletsch tempers modern design with classical elements.

There’s something incredibly unique about this retreat in Pasadena, California. While decidedly modern, with its geometric facade, beamed ceilings, and walls of glass, the residence also features more classical elements, such as grand white columns, a formal garden, and a Greco-Roman swimming pool, which was originally part of a sprawling Orange Grove estate designed by the storied architecture firm, Bennett & Haskell.

Monday, 22 August 2016 12:39

The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston has partnered with the Smithsonian's Freer Gallery of Art to restore an ancient Japanese hanging scroll from its collection. The conservation will take place in the museum’s Asian Paintings gallery, allowing visitors to observe the project’s progress first-hand. The scroll, which was painted in 1713 by Hanabusa Itchō,  will return to Japan after the five-month restoration, where it will be part of a touring exhibition.

Monday, 22 August 2016 12:38

The High Museum of Art in Atlanta announced that it will mount a major exhibition dedicated to Regionalism—an American art movement that rose to prominence in the 1930s—this winter. Acting in response to the rapid industrialization of the United States, Regionalist artists created scenes that focused on rural life. Cross Country: The Power of Place in American Art, 1915-1950, opening February 12, will include works by some of the movement’s most notable figures, including Thomas Hart Benton and Grant Wood.

Monday, 22 August 2016 12:36

On September 21, Christie’s New York will offer a collection of furniture, decorative objects, and jewelry owned by Nancy and Ronald Reagan. The sale, which is expected to fetch over $2 million, includes Hollywood Regency furniture by Billy Haines as well as jewelry by Van Cleef & Arpels and Bulgari. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute—a nonprofit organization that, according to its website, is “dedicated to the promotion of individual liberty, economic opportunity, global democracy, and national pride.”

Monday, 22 August 2016 12:35

The Wildenstein family—the art dealing dynasty that is currently embroiled in a tax evasion case in France—has relisted its Upper East Side townhouse after a deal with the Qatari government fell through. Designed by Horace Trumbauer, the Gilded Age treasure spans over 21,000 square feet and carries a $100 million price tag. This is the first time that the limestone-clad structure has been on the market since 1932.

Friday, 19 August 2016 12:02

The Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show may be celebrating its thirty-sixth year, but that doesn’t mean innovation has fallen by the wayside. Held August 25-28, 2016, at the Baltimore Convention Center, this year’s fair will feature an exciting new fine craft component. The Baltimore Fine Craft Show, collocated with the Baltimore Art, Antique & Jewelry Show, will feature spectacular, one-of-a-kind objects, including jewelry, ceramics, and sculpture, from a juried exhibition of artists.

Friday, 19 August 2016 12:01

The New York Public Library’s beloved Winnie-the-Pooh dolls are back on view at the institution after a year-long conservation. The toys, which have resided in the museum’s collection since 1987, belonged to the real-life Christopher Robin—the son of Winnie-the-Pooh creator, A.A. Milne. The restoration commemorates Winnie-the-Pooh’s ninety-fifth birthday. The toys are housed  in the library’s Children’s Center.

Friday, 19 August 2016 12:01

On August 19, Houston’s Menil Collection began screening a rare film by Andy Warhol. Created in 1967, Sunsets was commissioned by the Menil’s founders, John and Dominique de Menil. Warhol shot sunsets in San Francisco, East Hampton, and New York City, but never completed the project. The film, which features vocals by Nico, was restored and re-released in 2000 thanks to The Andy Warhol Film Project—an initiative helmed by the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York that is aimed at researching, cataloguing, and preserving Warhol’s film work.

Friday, 19 August 2016 12:00

Jack Lang, who served as France’s Minister of Culture from 1988 to 1992, has voiced his opposition against the ongoing restoration of the Galerie Vivienne—an iconic covered arcade in Paris’ Second Arrondissement. Built in 1823, the Galerie was designated a National Historic Monument in 1974. Lang believes that the renovation, which involves replacing the original vaulted glass ceiling, will destroy the space’s original charm and overall aesthetic.

Friday, 19 August 2016 11:59

A woodcut by the German Renaissance master, Albrecht Durer, has been discovered at the Museum Kunsthaus Kleve. The 500-year-old work was spotted by two students who were inspecting and cataloguing the German museum’s Wörner collection, which includes approximately 5,000 artworks donated to the institution by local architects, Gustav and Rose Wörner. The discovery came less than a month after a Durer engraving was found at a French flea market.

Thursday, 18 August 2016 15:32

In her first monograph, designer Gil Walsh proves that when it comes to color, she is fearless. “I want to show that there’s more to life than beige,” says Walsh, who decided to focus on color in the tome after laying out her portfolio for the first time in a long while. “The message was so clear,” she admits. “Color, color, color” was the key ingredient uniting her various projects, which encompass a variety of styles and periods.

Thursday, 18 August 2016 15:31

The NSU Art Museum in Ft. Lauderdale has received a collection of works by female artists from philanthropists David Horvitz and his wife, artist Francie Bishop Good. The gift includes pieces by Cindy Sherman, Louise Bourgeois, and Kara Walker. Seventy of the works from the bequest will be presented in the upcoming exhibition, Belief + Doubt: Selections from the Francie Bishop Good and David Horvitz Collection, which opens on August 26.

Thursday, 18 August 2016 15:29

After a ten-year legal battle, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, can keep Adam and Eve—a pair of masterpieces by the German Renaissance painter, Lucas Cranach the Elder. An heir of the paintings’ former owner had sought ownership of the works, but was denied after she failed to file a claim by the mandated deadline. The paintings have been on display at the Norton Simon since 1971.

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