Jeanne-Claude, June 13, 1935 – November 18, 2009

Jeanne-Claude died, aged 74, on November 18, 2009, from complications of a brain aneurysm. Tis sad. I wonder how Christo will carry on. Jeanne-Claude very much seemed to run the show. Every interview I've ever seen with them, Jeanne-Claude does all the talking and even cuts off Christo to finish his sentences...

Cut with the Kitchen Knife Dada Through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany (Hi-Res)

Hannah Höch
Schnitt mit dem Küchenmesser Dada durch die letzte Weimarer Bierbauchkulturepoche Deutschlands
(Cut with the Kitchen Knife Dada Through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany)
1919-20
photomontage and collage with watercolor
44 7/8 x 35 7/16 in
Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Nationalgalerie

Little Orphan Annie Liebovitz

CNN posted a story about Annie Liebovitz. Apparently she's about to lose custody of her entire life's photographic work, real estate, and assets because of mounting debt of upwards of $24 freakin MILLION dollars if she doesn't pay back a loan! Geez. How in the world, as an artist, does she have that much debt? What is she buying? Is she using gold leaf as toilet paper? I could produce work for the rest of my life for just $1 mil....easy...which is a steal. Where do I sign up?

As a famous artist (photographer) you are supposed to be MAKING money. I could understand if she is a no-name, struggling artist who has a little bit of debt. But her case is entirely different. Liebovitz is famous for photographing everyone from The Rolling Stones to John Lennon to the controversial preggers Demi Moore and lately the awkward tweeny-bopper Miley Cyrus scantily clad...ew.

She better get busy making some prints or something.

The Last Supper Perspective

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The Death of Sardanapalus, (hi-res)

Eugene Delacroix
The Death of Sardanapalus
oil on canvas
395 x 496 cm
Musée du Louvre, paris

Da Vinci, The Last Supper, (after restoration) Hi-Res

Leonardo Da Vinci
The Last Supper
oil and tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic
181 in × 346 in
1495–1498
Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan

American Gothic, Hi-Res

Grant Wood
American Gothic
oil on beaverboard
29¼ in × 24½ in
Chicago Art Institute

From Russia with Love

I think it's sad that I had to hear about this story on perezhilton.com... nevertheless! A deranged Russian woman threw a ceramic mug at the Mona Lisa a few days ago. Add this to the list of assassination attempts against poor Mona. The woman was apparently bitter about being denied French citizenship. She's really not going to get it now. Oh well, as the French say: "C'est la vie!" But fear not, being prolly the most important painting in the world, it was deflected by bullet-proof glass. They don't just keep that painting out in open air anymore.



There have been various examples of people trying to damage the picture (from wikipedia);

In 1911 The Mona Lisa was stolen from the Louvre. Vincenzo Peruggia stole it by entering the building during regular hours, hiding in a broom closet and walking out with it hidden under his coat after the museum had closed. Peruggia was an Italian patriot who believed Leonardo's painting should be returned to Italy for display in an Italian museum. Peruggia may have also been motivated by a friend who sold copies of the painting, which would skyrocket in value after the theft of the original. After having kept the painting in his apartment for two years, Peruggia grew impatient and was finally caught when he attempted to sell it to the directors of the Uffizi Gallery in Florence; it was exhibited all over Italy and returned to the Louvre in 1913. Peruggia was hailed for his patriotism in Italy and only served a few months in jail for the crime.

During World War II, the painting was again removed from the Louvre and taken safely, first to Château d'Amboise, then to the Loc-Dieu Abbey and finally to the Ingres Museum in Montauban.

In 1956, the lower part of the painting was severely damaged when a vandal doused the painting with acid.

On December 30 of that same year a young Bolivian damaged the painting by throwing a rock at it. This resulted in the loss of a speck of pigment near the left elbow, which was later painted over.

In April 1974, a handicapped woman sprayed red paint at the painting while it was on display at the Tokyo National Museum.

King of Pop or King Tut?

Yes another Michael Jackson post, but this one is just too good to resist!

This egyptian sculpture has been around for awhile...but the funny thing about it is how people started noticing the uncanny resemblance to Jacko! I mean look at the nose, eyes, pale skin, hair, chin. If this isn't Michael Jackson, I don't know what is... Right down to the botched nose job. I expect it to burst out into Billie Jean at any second.

This egyptian sculpture is located in the Field Museum and is called Statue of a Woman.

Statue of a Woman
Egyptian, New Kingdom
ca. 1550 B.C.-1070 B.C.
Limestone
The Field Museum, Chicago

Warhol's Michael Jackson painting up for auction

Even though it's been quite awhile since Jacko died, he is still plastered all over the news! All the tabloids and gossip channels love the baggage and the drama...and then comes the art scene. Back in 1984 Andy Warhol did a silkscreen painting of Michael Jackson. Well, that is coming up for sale now. It is to be auctioned in New York and is expected to fetch around $10,000,000. But prolly even more considering the resurgence of memorabilia prices because of his death. So there's no telling how much it will fetch.