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Amsterdam's Huit Marseille, Museum for Photography displays an array of photographs from worldwide artists and always manages to obtain unique works with interesting themes and bold depictions. Thus, it's no surprise that the museum is currently exhibiting a show of works by Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky. The artist's dynamic photographs all share a common, yet broad theme: oil.


Burtynsky masterfully details the seemingly ugly (or at least un-artistic) machinery associated with oil's extraction. Many of his photographs reveal the connection between society's use of oil and the subsequent effects our oil use has on the environment. While not making any outright personal or political statements, the artist's photographs do force the viewer to think about fossil fuel use and how the world might look once fossil fuel resources have run out.

Burtynsky's depicts his photographic landscapes in a traditionally large format, but the artist is anything but traditional. While few photographers work extensively on one subject for a long period of time, this Canadian artist has successfully managed to keep his oil-themed photographs, which he has been creating since 1997, fresh and visually intriguing.

To read more about Burtynsky, his strategy, and other aspects of the photographers' work, click here.

Above image: Edward Burtynsky, "SOCAR Oil Fields #6," Baku, Azerbaijan, 2006.

L.A.'s Museum of Contemporary Art is celebrating the big 3-0 this month, and in traditional Los Angeles style, the celebration will be quite the party. Wacky pop star Lady Gaga  will be performing with Bolshoi Ballet dancers at the museum's Saturday night soiree.  The following day, MOCA will open its largest exhibition to date, displaying a wide range of prized paintings (creation dates range from 1939 to 2006) , with only five borrowed paintings.

Other than commemorating its 30 years in existence, MOCA is also celebrating its recent rebirth. Combined with last year's worldwide economic fiasco, the museum endured nearly a decade of ongoing fundraising problems and funding deficits which forced museum director Jeremy Strick to resign in 2008.

In an effort to climb back to the top of the LA (and US) art world and convince funders that everything is okay again, former UCLA chancelor Charles Young came out of retirement. In his strong efforts to relieve the museum's financial woes, the new director and the board cut staff and spending 25%. As a sign that things are looking up, MOCA recently began buying art for its collection again after a six-month freeze.

Read more about MOCA's past struggles, upcoming celebration, and newest exhibition in this recent article from the LA Times.

Berlin's Neues Museum re-opened on Friday, after it had been closed for 70 years.  The museum, which suffered severe damage during World War II, houses Berlin's neoclassical galleries. Historic artifacts will also be on display -- most notably the limestone and stucco bust of Nefertiti (which Egyptian antiquities chief, Zahi Hawass, tells German newspapers belongs in Egypt). 

David Chipperfield's nearly $350 million revamp of the museum also ignited controversy. While the British architect added modern touches to the neoclassical architecture of the building, he left some of the historic decay untouched. Some are annoyed at the juxtaposition of modern stairways and old brick (that shows WWII bullet holes) along with the building's original columns, which display fire damage.

Despite the above, large turnouts are expected.

Click here to read the full article.

Above Image From MSNBC

This week it was announced that superstars Steven Spielberg and George Lucas are coming together, or at least having their art collections come together, for an exhibition at the Smithsonian's American Art Museum.  The directors have extensive collections of work by the beloved artist Norman Rockwell, both citing Rockwell as a  major influence on them cinematically.  The exhibition will also feature video interviews with the directors.  The show will open next July in Washington, D.C. 

 A new art museum has just opened in Italy, but its collection has been around for quite a while.... Read the New York Times article (excerpt below):



In addition, Mr. Gagliardi is organizing a new contemporary art festival to run at the museum every two years, highlighting the work of 160 artists from around the world. The first Biennale di Chianciano, which will replace the museum’s permanent collection temporarily, begins today and runs through Sept. 27 (www.museodarte.org/EN/Biennale.html; admission is free). Works include some that have been lent to museums as far afield as the Picasso Museum in Barcelona and the Whangarei Art Museum in New Zealand.  

keep reading the article - click here

When I think of Aspen, I think of ski bunnies, multi-million dollar homes, super clean streets, gondolas, and.... art?  The Aspen Art Museum houses an impressive collection and amazing programming thanks in part to their very wealthy taxpayers.  The museum recently hosted their annual fundraising weekend, and ArtForum reported all about it. 

Catherine Taft writes:
THERE ARE FEW THINGS more scenic than cruising at twenty-five thousand feet over the green and white Rocky Mountains of Colorado’s high country; but as my Bombardier Turboprop approached Aspen’s tiny airstrip last Wednesday, it was the views of the private ranches, man-made lakes, and sprawling vacation homes that caught my eye. Though the picturesque (and hard-to-reach) community is famous for its exclusivity, it has garnered a new reputation as a fund-raising powerhouse, and the three days of events benefiting its own Aspen Art Museum were proof positive. I arrived in town with just enough time to find my way to the modernist mountain home of collectors John and Amy Phelan, who were hosting a benefit wine tasting and four-course meal as a kickoff to the fifth annual “ArtCRUSH” events... (click here to continue reading)

Left: Collector Amy Phelan with MoMA trustee James Niven. Right: Tobias Meyer, Sotheby's head of contemporary art.
 

Left: Anna Hansen and Lance Armstrong. Right: Collector Mera Rubell with dealer Perry Rubenstein.

 I've got to run, but my friend just called to make some plans for the weekend and mentioned this news... that Vermeer's The Milkmaid will be coming to the Met in just a few weeks!  I am so excited and I can't wait to see the show which includes 5 other paintings by the true master of light (yeah, that's right Thomas Kincaid... you could never ever compare).



From the Associated Press:

  I happen to be heading to Boston this weekend, and while I know that the ICA (Institute of Fine Arts) and the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts) are there, I am slightly more interested in veering off the beaten path.  However, my usual trusty Boston guide happens to be on her honeymoon, so I went to my other typical source – the internet – for advice. 

 

After googling “art museum boston” and “art gallery boston”, which came up with so-so results, I decided to go a different route.  There are quite a few websites out there that aggregate information about the art world – exhibitions, artists, auction information, etc., but I have found that MutualArt.com tends to give me the best results.

 

For example, with an advanced search I can come up with a list of art museums in Boston.

 
… or art galleries in the South End neighborhood of Boston


...or exhibitions this weekend in Boston - for me it's August 14-16, 2009 - but you can change the dates by using the calendars they provide

The website used to be for members only, but I noticed that they recently changed some things - for the better - over there at MutualArt, and anyone can access the site without having to log in... go check it out!

oh, and you can also still join (for free!) and get some recommendations about shows and venues you may like

As the oldest museum on the West Coast, the Portland Art Museum (PAM) also holds a reputable and large collection of art, including modern and contemporary art, Asian and American art, photographs, prints, drawings, and English silver.  To house this impressive permanent collection, 90 percent of the museum’s 112,000 square feet is dedicated for their display.  Nevertheless, the PAM still holds in high regard producing challenging and interesting temporary exhibitions.  Until September 13, M.C. Escher’s law defying prints are on show.

The Museum’s campus of landmark buildings, a cornerstone of Portland’s cultural district, includes the Jubitz Center for Modern and Contemporary Art, the Gilkey Center for Graphic Arts, and the Northwest Film Center.

Random fact: PAM is the only museum on the West Coast that owns a van Gogh painting.

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The Frick Collection is a wonderful small museum located in Manhattan's Upper East Side.  Housed in the former residence of steel magnate Henry Clay Frick, it really does feel as if you are you walking through someone's home.  Velvet curtains and plush carpet line the space, giving the museum an intimate atmosphere.  The collection is still arranged in Frick's original design, although the Frick Collection has acquired additional works that correspond with the collection's aesthetic.
Old Master paintings and fine furniture are housed in 16 galleries within the formerly occupied residential mansion. 


Albrecht Durer, Knight, Death, and the Devil, 1528.

Hans Holbein, the Younger, Sir Thomas More, 1527.


James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Symphony in Flesh Colour and Pink: Portrait of Mrs Frances Leyland

The Dia Art Foundation, founded in 1974, is an exceptional art institution which includes permanent holdings, as well as commissions new projects.  Dia has several locations and sites throughout the country, but a large portion of their permanent collection is housed at Dia: Beacon in Beacon, New York.

Dia: Beacon, Riggio Galleries holds a very large collection of work from the 1960s and 1970s.  Located in an old 300,000 Nabisco factory, the museum opened in 2003 after a renovation by Robert Irwin and OpenOffice architects.  The museum has a stunning display of work by the likes of Bruce Nauman, Richard Serra, and Louise Bourgeois - all in huge, lofty spaces.  The museum is accessible from New York City by train, and is a perfect day trip for the weekend.  As a sort of mecca for conceptual or minimalist art, Dia: Beacon differs from many traditional museums in their approach to display, both inside the walls and out.


Aerial photograph of Dia: Beacon


Walkway outside of the museum


Dia: Beacon, Riggio Galleries


Bruce Nauman at Dia: Beacon

El Museo del Barrio, started by artist Raphael Montañez Ortiz in 1969, has slowly been making its way to being on of the premiere art institutions in New York. It has certainly become an extremely important part of East Harlem, as well as made significant contributions to New York's art scene. The only museum in New York dedicated to the art of the Caribbean and Latin America, the museum focuses on culture, education, and community.

Currently, the building is going under massive remodeling, updating the galleries and shop. It will be ready in the Fall of 2009 (the museum's 40th anniversary). The museum is continuing its community programs during the renovations - click here to see the calendar.

Traditionally museums, hospitals, institutions, and the like that are associated with universities or colleges excel in their research and programming. The Yale University Art Gallery (which is more like a museum) is no different, as it is located on the campus of Yale University in New Haven, CT.  Needing no introduction, Yale is home to the oldest university art museum in the western hemisphere, being founded in 1832. The collection boasts a holding of over 185,000 objects, ranging from African, early Italian, to modern art.

The museum is housed in two parts - the older building built in 1928, and the newer main building designed by Louis Kahn in 1953. The Kahn building recently underwent a massive renovation, which saw the building turn back to many of the designs Kahn envisioned.

The museum is free and open to the public and is a quick train ride away from New York via the Metro North Railroad.

WIth its roots going back to 1888, the Milwaukee Art Museum has a collection of more than 20,000 works of art. Located in Wisconsin, the museum is just one of many great, surprising resources for artists in the state.

The Milwaukee Art Museum actually consists of three buildings. The 341,000-square-foot Museum includes the War Memorial Center (1957) designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen, the Kahler Building (1975) by David Kahler, and the Quadracci Pavilion (2001) created by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. The newest building features special engineering which allows for a wing-like brise soleil (large sun shade), which opens during the day and closes at night.

Currently on display are Class Pictures: Photographs by Dawoud Bey, American Furniture / Googled, and American Originals.  A large Warhol exhibition is planned for Fall 2009.

Previously known as the Pasadena Art Museum and the Pasadena Art Institute, the Norton Simon Museum in, yep - Pasadena, California, truly stands out amongst the West Coast museums.

In 1974, Norton Simon and a reorganized Board of Trustees assumed control of the Pasadena Art Museum, taking up management of its building and incorporating its important collection of 20th-century European and American art with the outstanding collections of the Norton Simon foundations. Highlights from the PAM collection include the Galka Scheyer Blue Four Collection, a body of works by artists Lyonel Feininger, Paul Klee, Alexei Jawlensky, Vasily Kandinsky and others assembled by art dealer, scholar and muse Galka Scheyer; post-war American art, particularly from Southern California-based artists including John Altoon, Larry Bell, Wallace Berman, Bruce Conner, Richard Diebenkorn, Llyn Foulkes, Sam Francis, George Herms, Robert Irwin, and Ed Ruscha; and a photography collection comprised of works by Ansel Adams, Lewis Baltz, Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Imogen Cunningham, Frederick Sommer, Edward Weston, and Minor White, among others. 

With a collection of well over 4.5 million objects, London's Victoria and Albert Museum is the world's largest museum devoted to decorative arts and design.  The museum was founded in 1852 and was named after Prince Albert and Queen Victoria. 

The museum's collections span over 3,000 years of history, and are particularly noteworthy for ceramics, jewelry, Asian art, and furniture.

Recent exhibitions at the Victoria and Albert Museum tend to compliment the collection, and offer a glimpse into the vast amount of treasures in the holdings.

I'll leave you with a few images...

Jean Paul Getty (1892 - 1976) was the founder of the Getty Oil Company, and one of the richest Americans to have ever lived.  As an active collector of art, his collection was the foundation for the works that would come to form the J. Paul Getty Museum.  He also left over $661 million to the museum in his will.

The J. Paul Getty Museum, or simply "the Getty", is actually comprised of two locations - the Getty Center in Los Angeles ad the Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades.  The Getty Villa shows work from ancient Rome, Greece, and Etruria, and the Los Angeles location is concerned with Western art dating from the Middle Ages to contemporary.

The Getty Museum is part of the J. Paul Getty Trust.  "One of the largest supporters of arts in the world, the J. Paul Getty Trust is an international cultural and philanthropic institution that focuses on the visual arts in all their dimensions. The Getty serves both the general public and a wide range of professional communities in Los Angeles and throughout the world."



The Getty Center, Los Angeles
1200 Getty Center Drive
Los Angeles, California 90049
(310) 440-7300
Tuesday–Friday - 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
Saturday - 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.
Sunday - 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.





The Getty Villa, Malibu
17985 Pacific Coast Highway
Pacific Palisades, California 90272
(310) 440-7300
Thursday–Monday - 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.

Opened in 1949, the George Eastman House in Rochester, NY is one of the world's leading venues for photography and film, as well as the oldest photography museum.  Located inside the former home of George Eastman, the founder of the Eastman Kodak Company, the museum is also a leader in film and and photography preservation and conservation. 

Their mission statement is:

George Eastman House, an independent nonprofit museum, is an educational institution that tells the story of photography and motion pictures - media that have changed and continue to change our perception of the world. We:

• Collect and preserve objects that are of significance to photography, motion pictures, and the life of George Eastman.
• Build information resources to provide the means for both scholarly research and recreational inquiry.
• Keep and care for images, literature, and technology to tell the story of photography and the motion picture in history and in culture.
• Care for George Eastman’s house, gardens, and archives, maintaining them for public enjoyment and as a memorial to his contribution to our lives and our times.

Below are some images from their collection:


Harry Callahan, #123 Providence, Gelatin Silver Print, 1967


Ralph Eugene Meatyard, Lucybelle Crater and her 15 year Old Son's Friend, Gelatin Silver Print, 1974


Lazlo Moholy-Nagy, Chairs at Margate, Gelatin Silver Print diptych, 1935

MASS MoCA (the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art) was opened in 1999 in North Adams.  They recently completed a massive project of Sol Lewitt Drawings.  Sixty-five artists and art students were employed for about six months to install the show.  The show consists of 105 large-scale wall drawings and will be up for twenty-five years.  The idea was conceived by Lewitt (before his 2007 death) and the Yale University Art Gallery.

From MASS MoCA:

"Each wall drawing begins as a set of instructions or simple diagram to be followed in executing the work. As the exhibition makes clear, these straightforward instructions yield an astonishing—and stunningly beautiful—variety of work that is at once simple and highly complex, rigorous and sensual. The drawings in the exhibition range from layers of straight lines meticulously drawn in black graphite pencil lead, to rows of delicately rendered wavy lines in colored pencil; from bold black-and-white geometric forms, to bright planes in acrylic paint arranged like the panels of a folding screen; from sensuous drawings created by dozens of layers of transparent washes, to a tangle of vibratory orange lines on a green wall, and much more. Forms may appear to be flat, to recede in space, or to project into the viewer’s space, while others meld to the structure of the wall itself."



A visit to the museum is a must - not only because of the Lewitt show, but because they are dedicated to showing new contemporary work.  In fact, their mission statement reads "MASS MoCA seeks to catalyze and support the creation of new art, expose our visitors to bold visual and performing art in all stages of production, and re-invigorate the life of a region in socioeconomic need."

Some of Lewitt's drawings:

Currently located in it's third building, an 1893 Beaux-Arts building, the Art Institute of Chicago is the second largest art museum in the United States, second only to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The AIC recently opened a new Modern Wing which houses the museum's collection of 20th and 21st century works.  Designed by famed architect Renzo Piano, the addition adds an astonishing 264,000 square feet to the building and cost approximately $294 million.  To read the full article from Time.com, click here

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