ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By
Ernest &
Gregory Disney-Britton
The burning question at
Alpha Omega Arts this week is where will
Albrecht Dürer's work appear next? Last month, we announced exhibits of his prints at the
Seattle Art Museum and
The Hyde Collection in New York. And this week, we shared that his “
Mary Crowned by an Angel” (above), engraved in 1520, was discovered at a
flea market in France. So, who is this
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528), and why is his work so highly prized?
Dürer was a painter and printmaker whose reputation for high-quality woodcut prints was already well established when he was only in his twenties. Today museums and individual collectors continue to prize his work for the vision and intensity. So, instead of wondering where
Albrecht Dürer will appear next, head out to your local museum and maybe you will discover him yourself.
When we web-searched the collection of our local art museum, the
Indianapolis Museum of Art, we found 59 prints by
Albrecht Dürer. The website of the
Metropolitan Museum of Art describes him as “a supremely gifted and versatile German artist of the Renaissance period,” and the
Seattle Art Museum has placed him right alongside
Rembrandt and
Picasso. As a category of fine art, printmaking is one of the most accessible, and limited edition prints are highly collectible.
Recently, when we attended
Antiques Roadshow the line for appraisals of prints was longer than all six other lines combined (including paintings, furniture, and jewelry). Prices for a
Dürer print range according to quality and rarity, but according to
AlbrechtDurerBlog.com, at least one
Dürer print realized more than $800,000. You can also bid on
eBay.com for less sought-after prints for around $10,000. If you’re like us, you may never own an $800,000 print by
Albrecht Dürer, but if you visit his work in museums, you'll know what to look for at the next
flea market.
For other
NEWS OF WEEK from across the USA, and around the world, see below:
