Blanton Museum of Art adds 5000+ works by Latinx and Chicanx artists

A SUMMARY OF THE MOST EXCITING ART NEWS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE

While we focus on Indian art, we can’t obviously function in a vacuum. It’s a small world and everything is connected, especially on the web. So, let’s train our spotlight across the world map to see what’s going on — from art trends to socio-political issues to everything that affects the great aesthetic global consciousness. Or, let’s just travel the world and have some fun!

Purdue University receives major gift of Edgar Degas sculptures

A bronze ballerina poised in plie and belonging to one of the most famous companies in art history, the oeuvre of Edgar Degas, is among a collector’s major gift to a U.S. university. Chicago businessman Avrum Gray has given 74 bronze works to his alma mater, Purdue University in Illinois. The group includes “La Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans (Little Dancer, Aged Fourteen),” one of a few copies of his most famous work, which is valued around $21 million. This is the second significant gift of Degas artworks to the college, transforming it into one of the top stewards of artworks by the famed French Impressionist in the country. The university, which is renowned for its technical programs, is now preparing to exhibit the entire Gray collection in its art museum this fall, though more details are forthcoming. Read more on Purdue University.

Oldest complete Hebrew Bible to be auctioned at Sotheby for $30M-$50M

The earliest and most complete Hebrew Bible ever discovered – a “vital touchstone of human history” that dates back more than 1,100 years – is to be sold at auction. The ninth-century volume, referred to as the Codex Sassoon, is a critical link between the Dead Sea scrolls and the Bible of today. It is being offered by Sotheby’s with an estimate of $30m-$50m (£25m-£42m), making it the most valuable historical document or manuscript to appear at auction. Composed of 24 books divided into three parts – the Pentateuch, the Prophets and the Writings – the Hebrew Bible is the foundation of Judaism and other Abrahamic faiths. In Christianity, the texts are referred to as the Old Testament and are incorporated into the biblical canon. Islam also holds the stories of the Hebrew Bible in special regard, with many of them included in the Qur’an and other significant works of Islamic literature. Details on The Guardian.

Blanton Museum of Art adds 5000+ works by Latinx and Chicanx Artists

In most U.S. museums, Latinx and Chicanx art continue to be under-represented — if they are represented at all. But this will no longer be the case at the Blanton Museum of Art in Austin, Texas, which has received a massive gift that is likely to make its collection in that area one of the biggest in the country. Gilberto Cárdenas and Dolores Garcia have given 5,650 works of Latinx and Chicanx art to the Blanton, which is located on the campus of the University of Texas, Austin. The majority of these works are set to remain in the holdings of the Blanton. Yet the Blanton also said it will work to distribute some of these pieces to other U.S. museums in an effort to grow the representation of Latinx art nationwide. The gift is meant to complement the Blanton’s expansion of its Latino art initiatives: The museum is set to hire an associate curator of Latinx art using funding from the Mellon Foundation, and it will unveil two galleries specific to that area in March. Reaad more on Art News.