Saturday 27th November 2010Bauhaus Celebrates Kurt Kranz on the 100th Anniversary of his Birthday
Kurt Kranz: Programming of Beauty is the latest exhibition to be held at
Bauhaus in Dessau, Germany. The exhibition is set to mark the 100th birthday of Kranz who, inspired by a lecture by Laszlo Maholy-Nagy, joined the Bauhaus in April 1930.
The Bauhau was a design school that was active between 1919 and 1933, and despite its short lifespan, is has left a lasting mark on the history of architecture, design, art and even 20th century culture as a whole. The Bauhaus was a melting pot for artists, architects and designers to come together in a place that promoted creation and debate about the relationship between modern living and cultural productions.
Founded in 1919 by Walter Gropius, the Bauhaus encouraged its teachers and students to consider how craft and design are integral to industrial production and that all aspects of art and design, and how they are used to construct objects and spaces, will be central to the development of society.
In 1923 the focus of the Bauhaus became every more industrial. The first Bauhaus exhibition, which opened in 1923, saw a unification of art and technology, covering the whole range of Bauhaus modes of production, from art and photography, right up to full scale building design.
The Bauhaus moved to Dessau in 1924 due to strict funding cuts, and it is there that many of the great works of art and design that we associate with the Bauhaus were created. Walter Gropuis resigned as director of the Bauhaus in 1928, due to the constant struggles that were necessary to keep the school alive and thriving under conditions in Germany at the time. He was succeeded by Swiss architect, Hannes Meyer, who held key Bauhaus concepts close at heart however, his Marxist sympathies saw him removed from the post in 1930, given the political turbulence in Germany in that period.
Famed architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe took charge from 1930 to 1933, changing the focus of the Bauhaus to concentrate more on architecture. As the Nazi party began to really take hold in Germany, the Bauhaus was first forced to move away from Dessau in 1932, before finally closing down in 1933 under increasing pressures from the Nazis.
Kurt Kranz can be counted amongst the many great artists, architects and designers that proudly attended the Bauhaus school of design, and although he joined in 1930; just three years before its closure, the things that he learned at the Bauhaus would stand him in good stead for the rest of his creative career.
Kranz took a class in photography under Walter Peterhan, learning how to experiment with the medium. Kranz went on to produce striking abstract works based on the repetition of an image or theme. As well as celebrating these abstract photographic works that were produced during the Bauhaus years, the exhibition also takes a look at Kranz's later work as an advertising graphic designer and how his earlier experiments informed his later career.
The exhibition will run until the 27th March 2011 at the Bauhaus Building in Dessau. For more information, please visit the
Bauhaus website.
Posted on November 27th 2010 on 01:05pm
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Friday 26th November 2010Downtown From Behind - Brilliant Photography Project
If you are going to set about creating a photography project, why not make it fun, a bit quirky, and a little bit of a challenge. That's certainly what the folks over at
Downtown From Behind did.
This cropped up on the
It's Nice That blog and I was instantly captivated playing the game of 'guess the street' (without looking at the name of course!) As the blurb on the website will tell you, Downtown From Behind is a photography project wherein the aim of the game is to capture subjects riding their bikes, from behind, on every single street, avenue and lane below 14th Street in Manhattan, New York.
That is over 200 locations, 200 people, 200 bikes. We have put some of our favorite images further down, and as you'll see from the selection, the challenge isn't just in the volume of scenes that there are to capture, but there's also the issue of capturing just the right moment, the one before the yellow cab mows down the subject of the photograph.
The subjects chosen for the projects are unique and noteworthy in themselves. Photographs to date include artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, academics and restauranteurs. The projects draws attention to some of the most interesting and understated characters of the downtown area.
Alongside their focus on figures worth celebrating through photography, there is also a green angle to the project; a big hats off to sustainability and a support of the environment. In a city crammed to the max with people and traffic, it certainly gives the project a sense of gravity and purpose. Revenue produced by the project goes towards Little Ambitious, a philanthropic initiative that supports young designers and inventors in their pursuit of green endeavours. Definitely a worthy cause.
Here are some of our favourite photographs, and just a taste of what the project has to offer. To find out where they were taken, and who the subject is, please visit the
Downtown From Behind website:
Posted on November 26th 2010 on 09:55am
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Thursday 25th November 2010An Object of Beauty - Steve Martin Examines the New York Art Scene
We are probably more familiar with Steve Martin as a comedian and actor, pursuing roles in films such as The Jerk, The Pink Panther remakes, The Man with Two Brains and Father of the Bride. What he is marginally less known for are his pursuits as a novelist.
Martin has just released
An Object of Beauty
, a new novel that attempts to capture the zeitgeist of the New York art world through a female protagonist named Lacey Yeager. During the course of the book, Yeager makes her way up from the basement of Sotheby's to running her own show in Chelsea, but not necessarily on the straight and narrow.
The book is told from the point of view of an art writer and admirer of Yeager, Daniel Chester French. The book talks of the rich and famous of the New York art scene and pitches in a mystery artist, named Pilot Mouse, who, it has been suggested, is based on British artist Banksy.
The intriguing book has done enough to create a stir in New York, suggesting that Martin knows more than an odd thing or two about the way the New York art world works. Not one for the jargon laden writings of the academic art world, Martin puts his views across with an ease and fluidity that suggests he really takes a great amount of pleasure in art, and the fun and games of the market.
Posted on November 25th 2010 on 10:47pm
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Wednesday 24th November 2010Auction will Raise Money for Centre Dedicated to Illustration
Quentin Blake's Illustrations for
Roald Dahl's character, the BFG
World famous illustrator, Quentin Blake, who is perhaps best known for his illustrations in books written by Roald Dahl, is leading the rally to raise money for a new centre that will be dedicated to the art of illustration.
Blake has been encouraging fellow artists and illustrators to submit their original works of art for an auction which is to be held at
Sotheby's in London, this December. Amongst the illustrators set to participate in the auction are Raymond Briggs (
The Snowman), Eric Carle (
The Very Hungry Caterpillar), Ronald Searle (creator of
St Trinians) and Gerald Scarfe (cartoonist for
The Sunday Times and
The New Yorker).
A particular work of note from those going on sale is an original illustration of the butterfly from his famous book,
The Very Hungry Caterpillar
. Pre-sale estimates suggest that the work could sell for around £3,000 - £5,000.
Blakes work doesn't just stop at getting artists and illustrators to join in with the auction; the 77-year old has been integral to the House of Illustration project as a whole, which will be housed in the King's Cross area of London.
Blake himself has donated a watercolour of the BFG character for the auction, which is perhaps one of the better known characters from the stories of Roald Dahl.
All of the illustrations that have been donated will be on view at Sotheby's from the 12th December.
Posted on November 24th 2010 on 06:03pm
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Tuesday 23rd November 2010Build an Artist Website or Art Website - What Do You Want to See?
Gallereo has been going through a lot of development over the past year. A large amount of that development has come straight from suggestions and recommendations made by Gallereo users who got involved at an early stage and have worked with us to create a system that is great for hosting art gallery website templates, building an artist website or for allowing people to create photo web templates.
We have been endlessly impressed with the dedication of some of the people who have offered us feedback and we hope to continue a pattern of being able to build on Gallereo through the comments of our dedicated user base.
So, in that spirit, we are asking you what you would like to see in terms of us building and developing art gallery website templates? What would your perfect artist website template feature? What sort of design aspects do you think would make your paintings, prints, sculpture or photographs look good?
If you have any comments or suggestions, please leave a comment below, or contact us at
info@gallereo.com.
We look forward to hearing from you!
All the best,
The Gallereo Team
Posted on November 23rd 2010 on 02:35pm
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Monday 22nd November 2010Annie Leibovitz to Take Sydney by Storm
Annie Leibovitz, My Brother Philip and My Father, Silver Spring, Maryland, 1988
Photograph © Annie Leibovitz
Annie Leibovitz is undoubtedly one of the worlds most sought after photographers, with a truly remarkable photographic oeuvre. Having toured through Europe and the US,
Annie Leibovtiz: A Photographers Life 1990 - 2005 now makes its presence felt at the
Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, Australia.
Having opened on the 19th November, it is estimated that the Museum in Sydney will see large crowds, as the exhibition will attract everyone from critics and hardcore collectors through to photography fans and art-lovers.
Around 200 images form the core of the show, pulling together Leibovitz's portraits of famous people as well as very personal photographs of her family and friends. The exhibition is arranged chronologically so that the audience can gather a sense of narrative from the photographers life and work. On one hand you may see images of Leibovtiz's children on vacation or pictures of her parents, next to photographs of people like Al Pacino, Brad Pitt or Cindy Sherman.
Leibovitz has made a very successful career from photography; from the early 70's when her work appeared in Rolling Stone magazine, right through to working for Vanity Fair, Vogue and advertisting campaigns such as Gap and American Express.
All in all, Annie Leibovitz: A Photographers Life should make a great addition to the exhibition schedule at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney, offering the Australian audience the chance to view some truly world class photographic works.
Posted on November 22nd 2010 on 11:30pm
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Friday 19th November 2010iPad App from MoMA to Coincide with Abstract Expressionism Exhibition
First the Museum of Modern Art iPhone App let us get closer to their collection and exhibition schedule, now the latest app from
MoMA lets you get up close and personal on your iPad with one of the great New York movements; Abstract Expressionism (AbEx).
Abstract Expressionist New York is on at MoMA until 25th April 2011 and the exhibition comprises of a range of key AbEx works drawn entirely from their collection. MoMA is showing paintings, prints, drawings, and sculpture from the movement that can boast such names as Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, Barnett Newman, Willem de Kooning, David Smith and Mark Rothko. The exbhibition is noteworthy for being the first occasion upon which MoMA have devoted an entire floor of the museums space to a single theme.
To go alongside the exhibition you can now pick up the Ab Ex NY app for your iPad which acts to encourage interaction with and understanding of the works on show. With imagery, audio and video, you can indulge in around 60 works from the exhibition, along with related art-historical texts to keep the works in context.
The app also has some short videos by MoMA's Marie-Josée, Henry Kravis, and Ann Temkin who offer their insights on the movement and it's artists. Another nice feature is also an interactive map of New York City and Long Island that lets you take a look at where the AbEx artists lived and worked.
Visit the MoMa website to find out more about the app, and how you can
download it.
Posted on November 19th 2010 on 04:36pm
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Wednesday 17th November 2010In Giacometti's Studio
In Giacometti's Studio
is a new book by the leading authority on the artist, Michael Peppiatt. The book has been published to coincide with an exhibtion at the Eykyn Maclean gallery in New York.
Eykyn Maclean was set up in 2006 by Christopher Eykyn and Nicholas Maclean, to exhibit musem quality 19th and 20th century art. The pair had previously been co-heads of the Impressionist and Modern art department at Christie's and so we well placed to take on such a venture.
In Giacometti's Studio: An Intimate Portrait will run until 18th December, and is the first public exhibition to be held at the gallery and the works on show are not for sale. Around 100 sculptures, paintings and drawings are on show thanks to a generous loan from the Giacometti family.
The exhibition, and the book, take a look at the tiny studio that Alberto Giacometti inhabited behind Montparnasse, in the last four decades of his life, churning our creations based on his views of mankind. The book charts the life of the studio from the time that Giacometti and his brother arrived in 1927, with their possessions in a wheelbarrow, until Giacometti's death in 1966.
The book both gives an in-depth look at Giacometti's life in those years within his hub of creativity, but also sheds light on the influences and experiences that shaped his artwork. Peppiatt came close to meeting Giacometti, through his relationship with Francis Bacon, but that meeting was never to be, with Giacometti dying not long before.
Regardless, Peppiatt got to know the people in Giacometti's world, and through those relationships he has managed to create a key book on the life of Alberto Giacometti.
Posted on November 17th 2010 on 05:50pm
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Monday 15th November 2010LACMA To Hold Exhibition For American Sculptor David SmithDavid Smith (1906 - 65) is arguably one of the greatest American sculptors of the 20th century, and now he will get recognition for that at the
Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
David Smith: Cubes and Anarchy is the first major thematic exhibition to be devoted to the sculptor.
The exhibition will be in view from 3rd April until 24th July 2011 in the new part of the museum; the Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion. The exhibition will show around 100 of Smiths works, that span his entire career as a sculptor, including drawings, paintings and photographs alongside his more known sculptural works.
Famed for his hard-edged geometric style and deeply linked with working class motivations which has seen his work placed under the banner of international constructivism, Smith owed a lot to his early experiences in life when it came to building a career as a sculptor. Smith worked as a welder at the Studebaker automobile factory in Indiana whilst he was a student, and to this he owed the education of manufacturing and building things from raw materials.
With Mondrian, Kandinsky and Picasso noted amongst his influences, Smith was well positioned to produce some fantastically solid, geometrical formations that sit well in the canon of art history, speaking to movements such as Abstract Expressionism and Minimalism.
The show at LACMA looks set to be an excellent comment on Smiths life and career. To find out more about the show, visit the
LACMA website.
Posted on November 15th 2010 on 06:11pm
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Saturday 13th November 2010If Banksy Could Knit...If Banksy could knit, he'd probably be a fan of Yarn Bombing. Yarn Bombing is the new term that I learned today. I'm not sure where I was when Yarn Bombing hit the scene, but a post on
It's Nice That earlier this week alerted me to it. The post was about Olek, a Polish-born artist who uses crochet as her medium. Currently showing at the Christopher Henry Gallery in NYC, Olek's bizarre artwork prompted me to take a closer look at Yarn Bombing.
Olek at Christopher Henry Gallery, 127 Elizabeth Street, NYC
At
YarnBombing.com (a blog written by knitters Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain) the tag line says it all, "Yarn Bombing: Improving the urban landscape one stitch at a time", or as it is referred to on their blog page, "knit graffiti". Much like Banksy or the Guerrilla Girls, Yarn Bombers go around making 'hits', but instead of spray paint or posters, they use wool, and lots of it.
Yarn Bombing, which started in Vancouver, is now a worldwide phenomenon, and here are just a few examples of Yarn Bombing hits from the Yarn Bombing blog.
>
This first is the creation of a Yarn Bomber known as Brifrischu, whose knitting playgrounds are in Aachen Germany and Nottingham, England. Here bollard creatures are known as 'FadenMonsters'.
The above sign post creation comes all the way from Western Australia and could possibly be the work of local Yarn Bomber Captain Plaknit (
check out the blog here). Apparently Captain Plaknit's skills have been called upon to Yarn Bomb an entire street for a festival in Perth, later this year.
Our final peek into the world of Yarn Bombing comes in the shape of a wooly car parking meter. This hit was found in Chinatown in Vancouver although the creator of the work remains unknown.
For more information on Yarn Bombing, and to see more crazy creations, visit the
Yarn Bombing blog.
Posted on November 13th 2010 on 06:56pm
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