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!
Paris auction house reports best year of sales despite a downturn in trade of 20th and 21st century art
Stéphane Aubert leading a sale at Artcurial in Paris
The Paris-headquartered auction house Artcurial has reported sales for 2022 of €216.5m across all categories—the house’s highest total since it was founded in 2005. This figure is up 21% from 2021, and also represents a 6% increase from Artcurial’s previous record total of €203.1m, made in 2019. Of the 2022 total, 20th- and 21st-century art (including comics and prints) account for a 31% majority, making €66.9m. This is the lowest total taken by 20th- and 21st-century art (both in terms of sales and overall share) in recent years. In 2021 the same category accounted for 48% of total sales, and in 2019 it represented 46%, or €93.4m. The next two highest categories—both accounting for 28%—are motorcars and “fine arts”, the latter of which encompasses pre-20th century work, furniture and books. Read more on Art Newspaper.
Hudson River school painter’s New York estate to undergo $25m, ecologically-minded revamp
A rendering of the future Frederic Church Center
Big changes are coming to the Olana State Historic Site, the 150-year-old house museum and surrounding landscape in Greenport, New York, once home to the Hudson River School painter Frederic Edwin Church. The estate will undergo major construction over the next two years courtesy of a $25m investment from state and private funding, New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced on 13 December. The historic mansion will remain untouched, save for a new exterior paint job and woodwork restoration, but a new all-electric and carbon-neutral visitor centre, named the Frederic Church Center for Art and Landscape, will eventually grace the 250-acre site. Additional projects include the construction of a maintenance facility and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant parking area, the rehabilitation of a dam and spillway, the integration of native plant species and outdoor lighting that reduces light pollution. “The new projects will build on the legacy of Olana—the visionary home, studio and landscape design of artist Frederic Church and his family,” Hochul said in a statement. “The Frederic Church Center will add to this canvas and help to welcome patrons to one of the most strikingly beautiful places in New York State.” Details on Art Newspaper.
Canada’s national portrait gallery with ambitious plans
The Portrait Gallery of Canada booth at the Art Toronto fair in October
The most recent edition of Art Toronto, Canada’s biggest commercial art fair (27-30 October), included an unexpected exhibitor, the Portrait Gallery of Canada, whose stand displayed a wide variety of colourful headwear. Though it is still primarily an online entity, and has been since 2020, the gallery is hoping to set up shop in or near Ottawa in the not-too-distant future. The gallery’s primary mission is to create a collection of historical and contemporary portraits reflecting Canada’s history, current contexts and future direction. On the business side, it is a registered, national, non-profit corporation that aspires to partner with the Canadian government down the road. “The Portrait Gallery of Canada’s focus right now is on programming and building a constituency across the country,” executive director Robert Steven says. “This is about proving ourselves and our ideas first, and trusting that this will lead us to a suitable site and donor support for a future capital campaign in the next few years.” Read more on Art Newspaper.
