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!
A rare Giacometti chandelier of $300, set to make millions at auction
Courtesy- The Guardian
It’s the story every antique store sleuth hopes to star in: a curious object, purchased for a pittance, reveals itself as the work of a blue-chip artist. In the 1960s, an eagle-eyed customer bought a chandelier for £250 at a London shop, and later learned it is one of the few lighting fixtures made by famed Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti. The chandelier, which dates to the 1940s, will appear at Christie’s next month. The house has said it may even bring in more money than a similar piece that sold in 2018 for roughly $9.3 million. Sculptures by Giacometti, who died in 1966, are among the most expensive on the market. His 1947 bronze piece, L’Homme au Doigt (The Man with the Finger), sold in 2015 for $141.3 million, and it remains the single priciest sculpture to be sold at auction. His prices are preceded by his towering legacy as one of the most important artists of the 20th century. The works are easily recognizable, too, often featuring small, slender figures whose skin resembles harshly hewed rock. Details on The Guardian.
Workers at the British Museum and other British institutions to strike in February
Courtesy- UK Daily
Museum and cultural workers in the UK plan to go on strike in February over wages and working conditions. Security and Visitor Services staff at the British Museum in London and officials at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) said they were refusing to continue working under current conditions. Staff from the Wallace Collection, Historic England, National Museums Scotland and the National Museum of Liverpool are expected to join. Officials working for the DCMS – the government department that runs the cultural sector and politics in the UK – will begin their strike on February 1. Up to 500,000 workers are expected to join the cause, as well as 100,000 members of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents workers in various government departments. Up to 123 government agencies could be affected. Read more on UK Daily.
Gustave Caillebotte’s Boating Party acquired by France with $47M in funding from LVMH
The luxury holdings company LVMH has backed France’s acquisition of a valuable painting by Gustave Caillebotte. The painting will now be held by the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. The work, A Boating Party (1877), features a close-up view of a man rowing a wooden skiff along a river. It’s the latest addition to the Musée d’Orsay’s substantial collection of Impressionist art, which is already substantial. The core of those holdings were established after work from Caillebotte’s estate, which included pieces by Auguste Renoir and Claude Monet, was gifted to the French state upon his death in 1894. A Boating Party was sold by Caillebotte’s descendants. An adviser to LVMH’s owner, Bernard Arnault, told the Associated Press that the painting was one of the few major works still held privately. Arnault is a prominent collector who regularly appears on the ARTnews Top 200 Collectors list. His company supplied $47 million for the French state’s purchase of the work. Details on Fortune.
