The idea of moving a local sex club, Element6, into the Vienna space in an effort to shock visitors, however, falls short of Klimt’s “frank eroticism.” It’s an exercise in forcing a polemic where none exists. If only far-right conservatives are offended, there’s much further to go. That reading seems too simplistic, though, and likely the only point of interest for media outlets. I’d rather see an historical angle, a better understanding of Klimt - and Büchel may have done that. I’ll seek out the original press release and proposal to update on what I’ve found.

Finally, after reading about this so long ago on Boing Boing, Takashi Murakami’s piece from last year’s Tate Modern exhibition, Pop Life: Art in a Material World, curated by Alison Gingeras, hits the Internet.  The video, produced by Murakami and directed by McG, features actress Kirsten Dunst in anime-inspired garb and blue hair frolicking in Tokyo’s Akihabara district while singing The Vapors tune “Turning Japanese.”

Confusing Perez Hilton, Technorati, and a slew of others across the web, this wonderful, contemporary slice of pop art pushes all things otaku, commercial,  and stereotypically Japanese to a fever pitch.

It’s not often that I cite the Los Angeles Times (or update, for that matter), but this article speaks as to the obstacles and successes gallery owners face in LA:

Sales have all but dried up for many L.A. area dealers, quite a few galleries have closed and others have downsized. But in a period of retrenchment and reshuffling, solidly established dealers are soldiering on with tightened belts, and a surprising number of galleries are growing, with the help of reduced rent. Unsettling as the current economic climate is, the expansions seem to confirm the resilience of L.A.’s art scene.

“Then the recession came and I wasn’t sure I really needed more space,” [Susanne] Vielmetter says, “but the landlords were getting more and more reasonable, to the point that they are now extremely reasonable. And in the new space the landlord is doing a very substantial build-out for me. As ridiculous as it sounds, the only way for me to stay in Culver City and have the space I have always wanted was this recession.”

I really do want the gallery scene there to succeed and provide some valid counterweight to NY — it would give me an excuse to travel and get some sun once in a while.

The Art Newspaper, by Andrew Goldstein, has been covering the unfolding legal tête-à-tête between French photographer Patrick Cariou and Richard Prince over the latter’s appropriation of 30 photographs from the former for his Canal Zone (2008) exhibition at Gagosian Gallery.

First filed December 30, 2008, the complaint (.PDF link) alleges copyright infringement by Prince for the use of Cariou’s images from his book, Yes Rasta, in the production of the Canal Zone series. In addition to the artist, the suit aims to hold Larry Gagosian and his gallery liable for their display and sale, and Rizzoli International Publications, Inc. for distribution of the accompanying book.

Continued coverage by The Art Newspaper (and a comparative analysis between UK and US copyright law) reveals that both Prince and Gagosian and Co. (.PDF links) are claiming an affirmative defense of the doctrine of ‘fair use,’ while Rizzoli cross-claims (.PDF link) it is indemnified of the culpability of their co-defendants — a claim both Prince and Gagosian deny in the absence of any written, binding or executed contractual obligations.

Sifting through the legal claims and analyses, the validity of the ‘fair use’ and ‘transformative’ nature of Prince’s work(s) will be determined by taking a look at these same images in contrast to Cariou’s. The Frenchman’s assertions may not hold up against all of the works, but some may receive greater scrutiny. Depending on how many, and whether the demand for their destruction is taken seriously by the defendants, a settlement/licensing agreement may be less costly overall.

While not contemporary, the story about the 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa is a fascinating episode of greed, conspiracy, secrets, lies, and more lies. An excerpt from the upcoming book, The Crimes of Paris: A True Story of Murder, Theft, and Detection, by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler appears in the May issue of Vanity Fair detailing the most important aspects of this national embarrassment and an act of apparent patriotism serving as the veneer for something much more sinister.

The shocking theft of the Mona Lisa, in August 1911, appeared to have been solved 28 months later, when the painting was recovered…[T]he authors suggest that the audacious heist concealed a perfect—and far more lucrative—crime.

The film tracks Vezzoli’s scandalous life and art career, the plot hinging on coverage of a fictional project by Vezzoli, an implausible remake of Maximilian Schell’s 1984 documentary Marlene, 1984, about Marlene Dietrich.

(more…)

Yoshitomo Nara should not be underestimated.

The NY Post reports that on his way home after installing his current solo show at Marianne Boesky in Chelsea, Nara was accosted by the NYPD allegedly struggling briefly with officers before eventually being “charged with resisting arrest, making graffiti, criminal mischief, possession of graffiti tools and damaging property” for drawing a smiley face on a wall at the First Avenue L station. He spent the night before the February 28th opening in jail.

Staff at the gallery declined comment yesterday, but a Japanese television crew doing a piece on Nara said the arrest would only give the artist more street cred at home.

“He’s going to get big notoriety for this here and in Japan,” a crew member said.

Yoshitomo Nara at Marianne Boesky
February 28 – March 28, 2009
509 West 24th Street
New York, New York 10011

Press Release [.PDF link]

On February 3rd, 2009, Intelligence Squared (IQ2US) hosted an Oxford-style debate on the motion, “The Art Market Is Less Ethical Than the Stock Market.”  Panelists Richard Feigen, Michael Hue-Williams, and Adam Lindemann (”FOR”) and Chuck Close, Amy Cappellazzo, and Jerry Saltz (”AGAINST”) all presented their propositions, and what you get is a riveting exchange between insiders of all sorts from the art world.

My position is that the idea of the art world held by many has become detached from the reality of the billion-dollar, luxury goods industry it has become (until our recent economic meltdown, of course), which is precisely why detailing reasons for market regulation is helpful.  Coincidentally, the victorious position sways the audience by a large margin by the end of the debate.

The audio is available on NPR.org, which distributes the series on the web.

Debate Images

Debate Transcript (.PDF link)

Debate Audio (unedited .mp3 link)

[Panelist Biographies after the jump…]

(more…)

Tonight, February 6, opening at Gallery 1988 in San Francisco, see the work of artist Nanami Cowdroy from Sydney, Australia in a group show titled Some Kind of Wonderful. The show brings together an array of vastly talented, young women working in several fields — fine art, design, character design, textiles, toy design, concept art, animation.

Other artists include:

Allison Sommers, Cherri Wood, D’holbachie-Yoko, Kendra Binney, Mari Inukai, Rachel J. Wong, Rebecca Artemesia Urias, Sarah Joncas

Gallery 1988

Opening Reception 7 - 10pm

1173 Sutter Street (at Polk Street)
San Francisco, CA 94109
Ph: 415.409.1376

Artwork Preview