31 December 2017
Things I Hate About The British Art World Today – Edward Lucie-Smith
The British contemporary art world is apparently in a healthy state at the moment.
18 December 2017
Elisabeth Murdoch Appointed To Arts Council England National Council – Should We Worry?
On 5th December, seven new appointments were quietly made to Arts Council England’s (ACE) National Council, its governing board. This included the controversial choice of Elisabeth Murdoch, daughter of media mogul Rupert Murdoch.
Matisse vs The Multi-Cultural Multi-Ethnic 21st Century Art World – Edward Lucie-Smith
I went to see the R.A.’s new Matisse show, but not at the press view, as I was abroad. I did go very shortly after it opened. Not unexpectedly, it was jammed with visitors, and I mean jammed. You had to dodge round backs to get a proper view of some of the smaller items, notably the drawings.
2 July 2017
Virtual Masterpiece The Masterpiece Art Fair By Edward Lucie-Smith
What people choose to describe as ‘a masterpiece’ is usually pretty much a matter of context. On the whole, at this annual beanfeast for conspicuous consumers, you won’t find much in the way of graffiti art lurking around, though it’s just possible that you might be confronted with a work by Jean-Michel Basquiat now that he’s included in the pantheon of artists with multi-million dollar price tags.
Qatar Boycott: Will It Marginalise The Region’s Cultural Renaissance?
Last October I was in Doha the capital of Qatar which seemed like a well-oiled machine when it came to Art, Education, and Culture.
Tate Britain Comes Out – Queer British Art 1861–1967 By Simon Tarrant
Imagine in 1988 the public furore if the Tate had hosted an exhibition of queer British art – marking the 21st anniversary of the 1967 Sexual Offences Act, which decriminalised private homosexual acts between men over 21 in England and Wales.
Michelangelo Plaster Casts More Convincing Than Sebastiano – National Gallery – Edward Lucie-Smith
The current Michelangelo & Sebastiano show at the National Gallery here in London is very much the kind of exhibition that one feels a great institution ought to be doing: spaciously presented, tirelessly scholarly, you couldn’t wish for a better introduction to these major names in Italian Renaissance art.
Fourth Plinth Commission “Good For A Disposable Laugh” – Edward Lucie-Smith
The next two occupants of the so-called Fourth Plinth Commission in Trafalgar Square have just been announced and, true to form, the British visual arts establishment has laboured and given birth to a mouse. Or, to be fair, to two mice, one of them just slightly larger than the other. I speak not in terms of size, but in those of probable effect.
George Boorujy An Artist Highlighting And Protecting Our Precious Natural World
Artist George Boorujy feels particularly pumped to take on the environmental cause, especially since ‘Day One’ the Environmental Protection Agency has been quieted with regard to global warming. Boorujy, an artist devoted to highlighting and protecting our precious natural world says, “This shouldn’t be a partisan issue! Democrats, as well as Republicans, need to breathe.
Knoedler Fraud Sentencing Sends Out Mixed Messages To Our Unregulated Industry
The Knoedler & Co. gallery fraud case which involved selling $80m/£63m in fake Abstract Expressionist artworks to unknowing collectors seems to be edging to a lenient closure for the corrupt dealer Glafira Rosales.
Maria Balshaw: What’s A Great Contemporary Art Museum Without A Living Shaman
When Maria Balshaw takes over from Sir Nicolas Serota at Tate (not yet officially confirmed as I write this, but a racing certainty), she takes over an empire that seems to be in excellent health.
The Art World NOW – Deconstructing The Avant-Garde By Edward Lucie-Smith
During the last few years, the world of contemporary art has undergone a number of drastic changes, which many leading participants seem extremely reluctant to acknowledge.
Art Impacted – A Radical Response To Radicalisation By Revd Jonathan Evens
We face the world in which it appears ever more likely that a Clash of Civilisations will be played out on the world stage, potentially with weapons of mass destruction, as the axis of the world appears to have shifted significantly in this year of political shocks.
The Art Of The Firing Squad: Execution Expressed In Painting
In art, the firing squad is composed as much in time as it is in space; in these first words of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude, we encounter a plethora of narrative potential for past future heroism.
Was Caravaggio A Good Christian? By Revd Jonathan Evens St Stephen Walbrook
Caravaggio – “What a man! What a painter, but what a man and what a believer.” Those are the words of François Bousquet, Rector of San Luigi dei Francesi in Rome, the church which, in the stunning Contarelli Chapel, houses the magnificent paintings which formed Caravaggio’s first major commission and made his reputation. Bousquet makes his assertion in the introductory film […]
OPINION: Shepard Fairey’s Eiffel Tower Installation Reflects The Freedom Of Paris
The famed street artist Shepard Fairey has recently revealed his contribution to the climate and sustainability debate in Paris, ahead of the Conference of Parties (COP21) in the french capital. The artist’s massive sphere – a truly global Christmas bauble for the city – dangled between the first and second floors of the Eiffel Tower. […]
OPINION: Paris Terror Attacks – Art Must Express Egalité
In light of the recent events in Paris, Artlyst reflects on the artists engagement with society in times of socio-political crisis; either influencing or being influenced by events; surely works should remind and speak directly to concerns relating to human rights, and freedom of speech? There were seven coordinated terror attacks in Paris carried out […]
OPINION: Southwark Council’s Shameful Rejection Of 800 Artists’ Studios
After Boris Johnson recently called for new artists’ studios and cultural spaces it seems that little is changing for the betterment of London artists, or the capital’s cultural evolution. This important cultural plea came as the London Mayor published guidance for councils, planners and developers on protecting arts venues – and with good reason – […]
OPINION: Boris Johnson Calls For New Artists’ Studios And Cultural Spaces
Boris Johnson has called for new artists’ studios and cultural spaces. This important cultural plea comes as the London Mayor publishes guidance for councils, planners and developers on protecting arts venues – and with good reason – as artists continue to be priced out of the UK capital, as developers move in, stripping London of […]
OPINION: Anish Kapoor’s Orbit Tower Dismaland-Style Disappointment
In light of Anish Kapoor’s Olympic Park ArcelorMittal Orbit tower losing £520,000 in 2014-15, burning through £10,000 every week, Artlyst thought it would re-evaluate Kapoor’s towering work. The sculpture/tower, was funded by the ArcelorMittal steel company to the tune of £16 million received £3 million in public funds It opened in 2012 as an observation […]
OPINION: Ai Weiwei And Anish Kapoor Inseparable At Frieze London 2015
Artlyst is again attending Frieze week, the 13th edition of Frieze London taking place in The Regent’s Park, from 14 to 17 October 2015. Having recently attended Ai Weiwei and Anish Kapoor’s march, after the artists joined forces for a walk across London, striding down London’s Piccadilly for an eight-mile journey to show solidarity with […]
Jeff Koons: Anti-Consumerist Art Or Its Own Subject Matter?
In an interview with Austrian daily Der Standard, the most expensive living American artist spoke about his relationship to the art market. Jeff Koons did so after unveiling of his Balloon Venus (Orange) (2008-12) statue at the city’s Natural History museum. In a twist – that could be seen as quite an interesting turn in […]
Art Under Austerity – Contemporary Art Abides Amidst The Greek Economic Crisis
In his 1965 novel The Magus, John Fowles describes the way in which so many Greeks “wished to leave Greece never to return, yet never learnt to accept their exile”. This condition, Fowles ruminates, is “the cost of being born in the most beautiful and most cruel country in the world.” At the risk of […]
Freedom Of Panorama: Potential Law Change May Affect Us All
It would seem with recent events, artistic freedom is being threatened on a near-daily basis; firstly with a copyright change that has art publishers deeply disturbed due to the new regulation making copyright breach in Britain a criminal, rather than a civil offence – suggesting that we will now send art editors, and publishers to […]
Richard Prince: Images Appropriated – Copyright Artlyst 2015 All Rights Reserved
Gagosian Gallery Davies Street is currently showing Richard Prince: New Portraits, a collection of appropriated images pulled from unsuspecting Instagramers accounts, including provocative ‘selfies’ and pseudo-glamour shots that decorate the walls of the gallery. The artist has continued his long-standing practice of appropriating images without permission to create his art, in this instance selling the […]
Richard Prince: Instagram Art – Is Appropriation Art Appropriate?
The famed American artist Richard Prince is in the news again for his particular practice of appropriation, and as usual questions of copyright infringement have dominated the dialogue surrounding the works on sites such as Business Insider. Prince pulls the photographs from the Instagram pages of his subjects, which is in fact the digital version […]
Visual Arts Overlooked On Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2015
The Queens Birthday Honours list has again snubbed the Visual Arts. This is the second time since 2015 began, with the New Years Honours List thin on rewarding the Visual Arts sector, despite considerable cultural accomplishments. It is truly astounding that not one noted British visual artist has been presented with an order of chivalry in this […]
Roger Hiorns In Race To Bury Boeing Aircraft Before Swiss Rival
The Turner Prize nominated artist Roger Hiorns plans to bury a jumbo jet for a site-specific installation near Birmingham. Meanwhile the Swiss artist Christoph Büchel has a similar plan in progress. Great minds think alike, perhaps they should collaborate? No this is heading for the biggest aviation competition since the ‘Space Race’ Mr Hiorns decommissioned plane will be installed […]
Hoxton Artists: Redevelopment Or The Devolution Of Cultural Wealth
A decent studio space is hard enough to acquire in London but now it seems it’s also hard to hold on to it. Artists at the Cremer Street Studios have recently been told to sign letter in support for the destruction of their own working environment, yes you read that correctly. The group of over […]
Blight Or Beauty: Steve Messam’s Red PaperBridge Unveiled In Lake District
Does art add anything to places of natural beauty? It seems to be popular at the moment for site specific art to interact with the landscape. Many well known artists such as Richard Serra have tried their hand at enhancing beauty spots, but is it successful? The subject needs to be addressed and the public needs to ask the fundamental question […]