Art & Culture

‘Degenerate Art’ Opens at Neue Galerie in the Spring

‘Degenerate Art’ Opens at Neue Galerie in the Spring

by Carol Vogel via “NY Times”

The Neue Galerie’s big spring show, “Degenerate Art: The Attack on Modern Art in Nazi Germany, 1937,” has been nearly three years in the making, yet it seems particularly prescient after the discovery last month of what may well be the biggest trove of missing 20th-century European art — about 1,400 works suspected of being traded or looted during the Nazis’ reign, including paintings by Matisse, Chagall, Renoir, Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso and a host of other masters. Some disappeared in the late 1930s, around the time the Nazis raided German museums and public collections, confiscating works they called degenerate because Hitler deemed them un-German or Jewish in nature. . . .

This would be interesting to catch; I’m surprised so many works survived, since the Nazis destroyed so much of what they disapproved of (the loss in literary history was devastating).  It is a relief to know that so much survived, and I would be fascinated to attend this showing.  If anyone has a chance to go, a review would be greatly appreciated!

 

When the Rights of Artists Meet the Rights of Ecologists

“Tone Deaf? Musician claims feds destroyed rare flutes at airport”

by Judson Berger via “Fox News“

“Everyone’s a critic. 

A Canadian musician claims that U.S. Customs officials seized and destroyed 11 rare flutes as he passed through New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport last week. The reason? Concerns they were an ecological threat. 

The charge from Boujemaa Razgui, who is based in the U.S., has drawn widespread attention — in the U.S., in Canada, and particularly in the music community.  . . . “

The government disputes the claims, arguing that they merely destroyed random bamboo stalks, but that isn’t really the point. The real questioned the situation begs is when the Artist’s right goes too far.  Personally, I think that if the story proves true, the government officials were out of line.  However, what’s your opinion?  Given how far artist’s rights have been allowed to extend in the past, where should the line be drawn?  Art denigrating religious beliefs has been permitted.  Racist and fairly Vulgar works have been permitted. Is a minor potential threat to ecology more heinous? What’s your opinion?

“Art Worthy of a Hard Look”

Art Worthy of a Hard Look

by Karen Wilkin via “Wall Street Journal“


“The most memorable exhibitions of 2013 ranged from close examinations of a single aspect of an artist’s oeuvre to broad overviews. Some placed familiar works in informative contexts. Others were surprising. Some were all of this, all at once. All demanded that we look hard and rewarded that attention by enlarging our understanding. . . ”

 

Modern Art: “Man Walks All Day to Create Massive Snow Patterns”

“Man Walks All Day to Create Massive Snow Patterns”

by Pinar via “My Modern Met“

“English artist Simon Beck never ceases to amaze us with his large-scale murals of geometric patterns in snow. Each visually breathtaking piece, which Beck manually creates by walking through the snow and leaving behind his track prints, adds a surreal element to its natural landscape. Walking countless miles on end, the dedicated artist manages to produce startlingly symmetrical and elaborate designs on the soft, white bed of snow that covers acres upon acres of land.

Beck’s ability to not only trek through the slippery surface and icy temperatures but to also keep track of his steps is absolutely remarkable. The beautifully plotted details of the artist’s work complement the untouched expanse of snow and ice capped mountains that surround them each year. With the next winter season just around the corner, we’re excited to see Beck’s next series of artistic snow exhibitions. In the meantime, check out some of his work from earlier this year, just before the snow melted away. . . . .”

 

 

“Rediscovering China, India and Southeast Asia at the Cleveland Museum of Art: The new West Wing”

“Rediscovering China, India and Southeast Asia at the Cleveland Museum of Art: The new West Wing”

by Steven Litt via “Cleveland Art“

Exhibition: “Chinese, Indian and Southeast Asian Galleries”

Location: 

The Cleveland Museum of Art
11150 East Blvd., Cleveland

Opening Date: Jan. 2., 2014

Cost of Admission: Free

Further Information: www.clevelandart.org

“They were destinations of conquest and desire for millennia. Reaching them by caravan or by sea was dangerous, if not deadly. Yet traders and invaders from across Europe and Asia couldn’t resist the allure of China, India and Southeast Asia.

Thanks to the completion of the Cleveland Museum of Art’s new West Wing, Northeast Ohioans can now travel with ease – artistically speaking – to places that once fired the imaginations of Alexander the Great, Marco Polo, Columbus and Magellan.

 On Thursday, the museum will launch a members-only preview of six new galleries containing nearly 500 works of art in jade, silk, bronze, gold, porcelain, ink on paper and dozens of types of stone, including the blue-gray schist of Afghanistan and the red sandstone of the Ganges Valley. . . . .”