by Sandy | Sep 3, 2007 | Art, Artist, Blogroll, Galleries
“AdeleBloch-Bauer“, (1907 – oil, silver and gold on canvas), is the subject of Gustav Klimt’s famous work featured at the “Neue Galerie” in NYC.
My niece Cybel and I paid our respects to this picture purchased by Ronald Lauder in 2006. Klimt was a member of the Vienna Secession, a group of artists that broke away from the traditional way of painting. The picture was commissioned by Adele’s husband, Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer .
Rumor has it that Mr. Lauder paid approximately $135 million for this fabulous piece. Regardless of the cost, this lovely woman warrants all the media attention and the stream of visitors she has garnered at her new home on 86th and 5th.
When you visit, you go up the winding marble staircase and into a room at the right. She looked paler than I expected at a distance, but as I moved closer, the painting became more vibrant. The “Silver and gold” on canvas is not only the glitter/glint shine of the Sun, but, there is also a gentle Moon- like “glow” about her, (very lady like).
You can see why it took Klimt 3 years to complete this layered, elaborate work.
It is beautiful.
Neue Galerie Museum for German and Austrian Art,
104 E 86th St, at 5th Ave, NYC
by Bob Martin | Jun 26, 2007 | Art, Galleries, Museums
There is a saying that says Busy People get things Done. Well I’ve been busy and I am challenging that statement. I’ve not gotten much done lately and I have deadlines to meet.
A bright spot this past week (I should say a brighter spot) was that our daughter came to town unexpectedly to visit my wife and I. We took time off from being busy and drove up to Jerome AZ, a mile high city. 
Jerome is an old mining town just south west of Sedona. It’s built on a hill, has about 500 residents, half of them Artists. There is a section of the town that was crippled from a mining accident years ago. Lots of old photographs and old timers to talk to as well as people from all over the country who decided that they wanted to live there. There are shells of buildings that date back over a hundred years, views of the San Francisco Peaks
. It’s a destination for both breeds of Motor Bikers.
by Sandy | Jun 1, 2007 | Galleries, Museums, Photograhy
International Center for Photography, NYC – portraits of men and women of achievement from 1850 to the present:
Earth Kitt, Paul Robeson, Louis Armstrong Marian Anderson, Langston Hughes, Judith Jamison.
The exhibition includes portraits produced by photographers such as Berenice Abbott, James VanDerZee, Edward Weston, Gordon Parks, Irving Penn, Carl Van Vechten.
It’s called the history of black achievement, but, needless to say only a fraction of the “accomplished” ones`during this period can be represented – but, still definitely worthwhile seeing.
According to the I.C.P site, this inaugurates the new National Museum of African American History and Culture, and features 86 pieces from the collections of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, DC.
MUSEUM |1133 Ave. of the Americas at 43rd NY, NY
Phone 212-857-0000
www.icp.org
by Sandy | May 8, 2007 | Art, Galleries
“My painting is visible images which conceal nothing; they evoke mystery and, indeed, when one sees one of my pictures, one asks oneself this simple question ‘What does that mean’? It does not mean anything, because mystery means nothing either, it is unknowable.”
24 rare graphic prints by surreal Belgian artist Rene Magritte will be on sale at this San Francisco, CA gallery from 5/10
to 6/9/07.
http://www.pasqualeart.com/
by Cybel Martin | Mar 2, 2007 | Art, Artist, Events, Galleries
I went to the most incredible gallery art exhibit ever last night. I can’t remember ever seeing a group show with this many artists (24 artists) that was so well curated and inspiring. If you are in the New York area, please check out the show, Big Picture at the Nathan Cummings Foundation at 475 Tenth Avenue, 14th floor. I went to support to a friend, Brett Cook’s work. And the huge treat was seeing a Kehinde Wiley in person. Just from seeing his work on CBS’ Sunday Morning, I have become a huge admirer of his work. This show solidified my admiration.
by Bob Martin | Feb 9, 2007 | Art, Books, Galleries
In a recent interview of Tom Stoppard on the Charlie Rose Show, Stoppard talks about one of the main characters, a philosopher (I believe is the real life Mikhail Alexandrovich Bakunin) in his epic Play The Coast of Utopia who has the opportunity to live in France or Germany, countries, at the time where he could write and speak with out fear of being imprisoned (or worst). But he preferred to stay in St. Petersburg, where it was dangerous but where he believed his ideas would be heard. Big Fish Small Pond.
With the Internet, there are a lot of artist, in all categories, who are being seen. But we wonder are we being heard, is there just to much noise? Are we getting drowned out by all of the images that are available?
A post on Art and Perception ask the question on why is there such a focus in some art school on learning how to impress gallery owners, collectors and art magazine editors? What has happen to art for art sake? Are we pandering? Are we not willing to spend the time to go deeper in our work, putting in the effort that would result in art that gets to stand on its on own? Martin Amis talks about the need to go deeper when writing, avoiding the expected cartoon version of life when telling a story. Forgive me but George Lucas made the same Star Wars’ movie six times (bless him, but).
When it comes to visual art, I wonder how many of us struggle with the need to go deep and to speak to something in our paintings etc that is not a cliche, but rather an honest interpretation of what it is that we see and want to say about who we are and how we lived. Question, if we went deep would we be heard?
“AdeleBloch-Bauer“, (1907 – oil, silver and gold on canvas), is the subject of Gustav Klimt’s famous work featured at the “Neue Galerie” in NYC. 
