January brings Americana Week to New York, including a slate of auctions that focus on a range of all-American antiques. Three strong results at Sotheby’s stand out.
Art News
One of the largest porcelains in the Sir Percival David Collection held at the British Museum, a beautiful glazed blue and white garden seat dating from the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), is set to tour the UK in 2020.
Striking Power examines iconoclasm in Egypt, focusing on the legacies of kings Hatshesput and Akhenaten, as well as the late Antiquity.
Van Gogh peers out of the canvas with a sidelong, suspicious glance. With hollowed cheeks and a full beard, the painter is recognizable but also doesn’t look as composed and self-possessed as in his numerous other self-portraits. The painting’s surface is rough, with thick brushstrokes that are ragged and aggressive, less precise and controlled than in Van Gogh’s other works.
Storyworld, a new Dutch museum for comics, animation and games, opened its doors on January 11 with the aim to embody the crumbling division between fine art and visual storytelling.
Melding personal ephemera; used lingerie and designer footwear, costume jewelry, religious relics and Hanukkah decorations with old paint brushes, children’s toys, souvenirs and studio refuse, she creates prismatic, self-narrative vessels investigating nostalgia, ritual, memory, and the act of remembering.
Traditionally, memorial poles — known as lorrkkon, ḏupun or ḻarrakitj — were used to house the bones of the deceased.
The immensely popular official portraits of Barack and Michelle Obama are hitting the road next year, and may be coming to a city near you. The National Portrait Gallery has announced a five-city tour that will bring the famed paintings to new museums and new audiences.
This special edition show will host 60 international galleries and a focused schedule of events, performances, and special projects celebrating SCOPE’s journey from entrepreneurial upstart to full-fledged heritage brand.
A work from a titan of American self-taught art could set a new auction record for the artist.
