Russian Icon Collection Buys High-Quality Antique Russian Icons

BLUE MOUNTAIN EAGLE

NEW YORK, June 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The online gallery Russian Icon Collection is pleased to announce that we buy high-quality antique Russian icons from collectors and the general public looking to sell these precious pieces of religious art. We can buy a portion or an entire collection of Russian icons dated to the 16th-19th century or earlier. Russian Icon Collection also provides professional icon appraisal and icon restoration services performed by the leading experts in the field. Our services are flexible, convenient, and customized to meet the specific needs of collectors and connoisseurs of religious art. [More]

The Artist’s Caretaker: Once He Controlled Everything. No More.

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Graham Bowley

Robert Indiana and one of his famous LOVE sculptures in Central Park, New York, in the early 1970s. Jack Mitchell/Getty Images

When Robert Indiana died, the man who had directed his affairs was supposed to help run the artist’s foundation and its new museum. Those plans have changed. One person was conspicuously absent from an event at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine, last year, a gathering as close to a memorial for Robert Indiana as has been held since his death two years ago. But missing from the celebration was Jamie L. Thomas, the artist’s caretaker in his final years and the man Mr. Indiana — whose bold rendering of the word “love” became one of the most recognizable artworks of the 20th century — had picked to help guide his artistic legacy. [More]

RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK -- Israel Solomon

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton

"Christ with Wound" (2020) by Israel Solomon; 24x24 inches. Collection of Alpha & Omega Project for Contemporary Religious Arts

Before COVID-19, Black artists had 28-days in February, but prayed for 365 days where Black art matters. That prayer is beginning to be answered in Indianapolis, as artists, like Israel Solomon, paint murals over boarded-up storefronts damaged after peaceful protests. Solomon's work is an inspiring fusion of cubism and pop art, and reminded us of Saint Paul's letter to young Timothy, "...do not neglect your gift, which was given to you...". (1 Timothy 4:12-14a). We purchased his "Christ with Wound," and that makes Israel Solomon, our collector's tip of the week.

Hisham Matar on How the Black Death Changed Art Forever

THE GUARDIAN
By Hisham Matar

‘No thought is born in me which has not “Death” engraved upon it’ ... the ‘La Creazione’ fresco by Michelangelo on the ceiling of the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel. Photograph: Plinio Lepri/Associated Press

Before Italy became a nation, it was made up of a collection of city-states governed by un’autorità superior, in the form of a powerful noble family or a bishop. They took the Black Death as proof of their guilt. The speed of the Black Death was so staggering that in just over a year it had conquered the known medieval world, reducing the population of each country by an average of 45%. The religious fervour the Black Death inspired in Siena instilled a powerful commitment to the church. Barely seven years had passed when, in 1355, the city’s civic rule ended. The clergy now were the principal clients. They had a great deal of money and influence. They determined what was painted. [More]

Should the Uffizis Art Be Returned to Churches?

ART AND OBJECT
By Chandra Noyes

Andrea del Verrocchio and Leonardo da Vinci, The Baptism of Christ, detail, c. 1475. Oil on panel. Originally commissioned by the Church of Saint Salvi, now housed at the Uffizi Gallery.

As museums grapple with if and how to reopen with new social distancing measures in place, they are getting more creative in their approaches to reaching a greater audience. Nearly all major museums and galleries have done this by going online, be it through online viewing rooms, virtual reality tours, social media promotions, or increased educational opportunities. Even before the COVID-19 crisis kept us all in our homes, you could tour the Uffizi virtually and see many of its works online. But the Uffizi may be the first to suggest taking precious works out of the galleries and into other venues to expand beyond their own four walls. [More]

Faith Ringgold Will Keep Fighting Back

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Bob Morris

Faith Ringgold at her dining table in Englewood, N.J., surrounded by her work “California Dah #3, 1983,” envisioning what her mother experienced when she died. “I always have to feel something to paint it,” Ms. Ringgold says. The doll is Cassie, from her children’s book, “Tar Beach.” Meron Tekie Menghistab for The New York Times

ENGLEWOOD, N.J. — Faith Ringgold has seen plenty of shake-ups and strange moments in her 89 well-traveled years. But the provocative Harlem-born artist — who has confronted race relations in this country from every angle, led protests to diversify museums decades ago, and even went to jail for an exhibition she organized — has had no reference point for the pandemic keeping her in lockdown and creatively paralyzed in her home in this leafy suburb for much of the spring. “I’m just keeping my eyes wide open so I can find a point of view on all this,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve been waiting for the inspiration that can help me inspire others.” [More]

Send the Religious Art in Museums Back to the Churches

THE ART NEWSPAPER

By Anna Cocks

Detail The Rucellai Madonna by Duccio, 1285, Uffizi, Florence.

Eike Schmidt, the director of the Uffizi gallery in Florence, told the press on 27 May that he thought many religious works of art currently in Italy’s museums and stores should be returned to the churches from which they came. He went on to suggest that one of the most famous early medieval works in his gallery, the Rucellai Madonna by Duccio, painted around 1275, should go back to its original home, the Florentine church of Santa Maria Novella, from which it was removed in 1948. This idea is part of the Uffizi’s reaction to the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis, in which it is thinking about diversification and the distribution of its works of art in order to create a “wider” [diffuso] museum beyond the immediate premises of the gallery. [More]

Eclectic Trios From the Henry's Collection Confront the Past in 'The Art of the Triptych'

THE DAILY
By Rachael Sage Payne

Abigail Dahl

With over 27,000 pieces in their physical collection, the Henry Art Gallery recently decided to focus on the power of three. “The Art of the Triptych,” the latest in the Henry's Re/frame series, was presented in its temporary online format May 21. The event allowed attendees to view a selection of 12 curated works from the gallery's extensive collection in a slideshow format presented by Ann Poulson, the associate curator of collections at the Henry. Although triptychs are generally thought of as the tri-fold Christian altarpieces of medieval times, the curated collection for this event, which included works by Carrie Mae Weems, Sharon Lockhart, Robert Longo, and Buster Simpson, among others, was anything but traditional. [More]

Raphael, a Past Master of Religious Art Available in New Book

THE IRISH CATHOLIC 
By Peter Costello

"Madonna della seggiola" by Raphael (1513–1514);  Oil on panel; 28 in × 28 in; Location: Palazzo Pitti, Florence

Raphael’s World by Michael Collins (Messenger Publications, €19.95 / £17.95) The Renaissance painter Raphael (1483-1520) is an artist whose work is widely familiar to many people without them being aware of it. His images affect their imagination because of their content, not because of whom they are by. Hailed by his contemporaries as “the divine painter,” Raphael Sanzio of Urbino (1483-1520) was one of the greatest artists of the Italian Renaissance. A contemporary of Michelangelo and Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael was sought out by popes, kings and aristocrats to decorate their residences. Michael Collins’ new biography, Raphael’s World, portrays the era in which the divine painter lived. [More]

RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK -- Jammie Holmes

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton

"Forgive us" (2020) by Jammie Holmes. Acrylic and Oil Pastels on Canvas 72h x 57w x 1.50d inches

Before COVID-19, the male figures in the paintings of Jammie Holmes never smiled. They still don't. "They are like me," he told the Dallas Observer. This week, as uprisings spread nationwide over the police killing of unarmed George Floyd, our cousin Dominic Britton took his own life. While Jammie Holmes and artists here in Indianapolis and worldwide angrily staged protests with art, Greg sang on Facebook, Ernest led arts leader talks, and we donated together. Resilience in adversity makes artist Jammie Holmes, our collector's tip of the week.

Italians Rediscover Their Museums, With No Tourists in Sight

THE NEW YORK TIMES 
By Elisabetta Povoledo

Visitors at the Sistine Chapel on Monday, when the Vatican Museums reopened after a nearly three-month coronavirus closure.Credit...Alessandra Tarantino/Associated Press

ROME — There was no red carpet, but even so, a cadre of photographers snapped frenziedly as the objects of their attention — the first visitors to the Vatican Museums when they reopened on Monday after the coronavirus lockdown — squirmed in the unexpected spotlight. With travel between Italian regions restricted until Tuesday, it was a local lineup, ready to experience what many Romans dream of: a tourist-free visit to one of the world’s greatest — and most popular — museums, which last year drew nearly seven million visitors. The museum’s coffers had suffered, she said, not only for lost ticket and trinket sales but also because the Vatican had refunded thousands of tickets booked for 2020. [More]

Andy Warhol’s “Sixty Last Suppers” Was One of the Catholic Artist’s Last Works

ALETEIA
By Zelda Caldwell

Ilya S. Savenok | GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA | Getty Images via AFP

LONDON - A major exhibition of the artist Andy Warhol’s work is on display at London’s Tate Modern (12 March – 6 September 2020). While the doors to the museum are shuttered due to the coronavirus lockdown, interested would-be gallery-goers can check out this room-by-room tour of the exhibit here. The retrospective, which includes the artist’s iconic images of Marilyn Monroe and Campbell’s soup cans, also includes a 1986 work entitled “Sixty Last Suppers,” a large-scale compilation made up of repeated images of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper.” As a leader in the contemporary art movement known as pop art, and a familiar figure in the drug-fueled celebrity culture of the 1960s, few think of Warhol as a religious artist. [More]

Artworks That Inspired Josh Safdie, Jlin, Ferran Adrià, and More

ARTNEWS
By Andy Battaglia, Maximilíano Durón, Alex Greenberger

Hiernonymous Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1503-15. COURTESY MUSEO DEL PRADO, MADRID

Ferran Adrià — chef Culinary star at the legendary restaurant elBulli and founder of elBullifoundation in Spain… …on Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights (1503–15) [pictured above]

"When you see The Garden of Earthly Delights, you say, “It’s not possible this is from the 1500s!” The work has been an inspiration to numerous people, from Tim Burton to Salvador Dalí, and it seems very ancient and at the same time very modern. I discovered it after I closed the restaurant, but now it serves as inspiration for everything we do. I had the good fortune of seeing it during a private tour at night in preparation for a program I did at the Prado, explaining cooking through artworks. It was one of the works I chose, and I consider it one of the works that everyone should know. The Garden of Earthly Delights is the avant-garde." [More]

RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK -- Harmonia Rosales

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton

"Crucifixion" by Harmonia Rosales. Limited edition prints now available.

Before COVID-19, Black men in America were lynched and crucified. It continues today, and artists continue to tell their story. Listen to this week's "Take Your Knee Off Our Necks" by Jenifer Lewis, and the "The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed," a choral work by Joel Thompson, where he quotes the final words of seven Black men before they were killed. The music in both is beautiful, and the impact is devastating. In solidarity with protestors of the killing of George Floyd (May 2020, Minneapolis), "Crucifixion" by Harmonia Rosales is our art of the week.

What Do You Do With a Stolen van Gogh? This Thief Knows

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Nina Siegal

Van Gogh’s “Congregation Leaving the Reformed Church in Nuenen,” was one of two works by the artist stolen by Mr. Durham in 2002. Reuters

AMSTERDAM — The televised security footage clearly showed the man smashing glass doors at the Singer Laren Museum, then walking out moments later with a painting by Vincent van Gogh under his arm. “Look at that,” Octave Durham said as he watched. “His gear is not even professional. If you’re a professional you’re fully in black. He’s got jeans and Nike sneakers on.” Mr. Durham’s exasperation is not that of some couch potato who has seen one too many crime shows. He’s a thief who 18 years ago stole not one, but two van Gogh paintings from Amsterdam’s famous Van Gogh Museum. [More]

How the Madonna and Child Have Inspired Artists For Centuries

MY MODERN MET
By Kelly Richman-Abdou

Filippo Lippi, “Madonna With Child and Two Angels,” ca. 1460-1465 (Photo: Wikimedia Commons [Public Domain])

Images of the Madonna and Child—a title that typically denotes a visual representation of the Virgin Mary and her infant son, Jesus—are among painting’s most praised motifs. Originally an ancient devotional practice stemming from biblical beliefs, artistically representing these figures has become a central theme in the canon of art history. Given its longevity, it is no wonder that the tradition has evolved over time, culminating in a host of works that range from divine icons to down-to-earth portrayals. Only by observing the motif’s role throughout history is one able to fully grasp its significance—both in Christian art and beyond. [More]

RELIGIOUS ART | NEWS OF WEEK -- Diane Kahlo

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton

Detail of Diane Kahlo's "Alma Venesa Cardenas Ramos" (2010) purchased from Mason-Nordgauer Fine Arts Gallery in New Harmony, Indiana. Our Lady of Guadalupe icon stands in for the portrait of Ms. Ramos whose face was never photographed. 

Before COVID-19, our plans for Memorial Day week focused on a crowded Indy 500 race and packed NYC Broadway shows. Instead, we drove to tiny, isolated New Harmony, Indiana. There, we were introduced to the work of Kentucky-based sculptor Diane Kahlo. Second-cousin to feminist icon Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), Diane uses traditional Mexican religious iconography to create memorials to honor dead girls and women murdered in Mexico. We purchased her "Alma Venesa Cardenas Ramos," and that makes Diane Kahlo, our collector's tip of the week.

How Did St Jerome Help the Lion? Take the Great British Art Quiz

THE GUARDIAN

Saint Jerome in the Wilderness, c 1450, Giovanni Bellini (1430/35-1516) Photograph: The Barber Institute of Fine Arts

This quiz is brought to you in collaboration with Art UK, the online home for the UK’s public art collections, showing art from more than 3,000 venues and by 45,000 artists. Each day, a different collection on Art UK will set the questions. Today, our questions are set by the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, University of Birmingham. The Barber Institute’s collection, owned by the Henry Barber Trust, is housed in a gem of an art deco building on the leafy university campus. Although modest in size, the collection is of remarkable quality and particularly well-balanced, with works ranging in date from Simone Martini (1320) to Frank Auerbach (1981-82). [Take Quiz]

Harmonia Rosales Releases Limited Edition Prints

ALPHA OMEGA ARTS
By Gregory & Ernest Disney-Britton

"Crucifixion" by Harmonia Rosales, detail courtesy of artist's instagram

Before COVID-19, we felt some sense of order and harmony in the world. That's been missing for 60-days of shelter-in-place (under Zoom conditions). On Friday, Indiana lifted travel restrictions, and we headed to New Harmony, Indiana, for a Memorial Day retreat. Another person seeking harmony is Chicago-based painter, Harmonia Rosales. Her faith in harmony, while living in a world of racial and gender injustice, is reflected in her renaissance inspired paintings. That's why new limited edition prints of "Crucifixion" make Harmonia Rosales our collector's tip of the week. [Purchase]

10 Virtual Museums Tours We Can Enjoy During Self-Quarantine

UPSCALE LIVING

The Sistine Chapel is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the official residence of the pope, in Vatican City.

Due to the spread of COVID-19, museums across the world are offering virtual tours of historical timepieces, from the comfort of your couch, or desk chair, or whoever else you are safely staying and social distancing. For those sick of binging a new favorite show, taking the same walk around your neighborhood, or zooming with friends, getting a little culture and education while confined is a great relief. Since you can’t go to the museum, these top museums – along with over 2500 museums and galleries who teamed up with Google Arts & Culture, according to Fast Company – around the world are bringing their expansive and impressive galleries to you. [More]