Gustav Klimt, Giuditta I. Image: dipintiautenticita.com

The booming art market means that crime really can pay, especially if you know how to knock up a phoney Picasso or dodgy Dali….Read more in this article from the Independent:

Click HERE

A recent copy of Giuditta I. Image: dipintiautenticita.com

For more information on determining authenticity of contemporary artworks, please click HERE

Norval Morrisseau,The Offering, acrylic on satin, 1976. Image: coastline-publishing.com

Aboriginal artist Norval Morrisseau has died. The only First Nations artist to have had a solo show at the National Gallery of Canada, (in 2006) in 1978 he was appointed to the Order of Canada.

Norval Morrisseau, Shaman’s Ride. Image: thebucketshop.com

Norval Morrisseau, Copper Thunderbird: Merman Ruler of Water. Courtesy National Gallery of Canada.
Image: cbc.ca

Norval Morrisseau, Double Headed Snake, 1974. Image: bau-xi.com
57 x 68 in.

For more on Norval Morrisseau, please click HERE

For more information on Shamanism, please click HERE

Scott McFarland, Orchard View, Early Spring; Rubus discolour, Prunus nigra, Prunus serrulata, 2004.
Image: monteclarkgallery.com

In her review of the New Photography 2007 exhibition at New York’s MoMA, the New York Times‘ Martha Schwendener had this to say about Vancouver artist Scott MacFarland’s work:

Mr. McFarland’s picture of a young family watching a keeper feed porcupines at the Berlin Zoo could be a (Jeff) Wall from around 1989 or a student facsimile. (It’s no surprise, then, to discover that Mr. McFarland once worked as Mr. Wall’s assistant.)

Mr. McFarland’s photographs of nature controlled by human beings — an orchard digitally manipulated to present all four seasons at once or a series merging different areas in a botanical garden — recall Thomas Struth.

Mr. McFarland’s aesthetic and techniques feel overly familiar and dated.

Continue reading →

Eli Broad with his art collection. Image: forbes.com

1. American billionaire contemporary art collector Eli Broad, who has amassed an 1,800-piece collection and will have a wing of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (Lacma) named after him in February, thinks art prices are heading for a fall:

Read the New York Post article HERE

Fully fledged art star Cecily Brown. Image: boston.com

2. Young artists, don’t despair. Read this handy program for attaining Art Stardom — no student loans, art bins or social skills needed!

On Artnet.com. Click HERE to read the full article.

Art Review magazine has published it’s annual Power 100 - a list of its picks for the most powerful people in the international art world (with last year’s ranking in brackets).

Note that former AGO director - now MoMA director - Glenn Lowry is at number 4.

French fashion magnate François Pinault, also the owner of Christie’s auction house. Image: cbc.ca

01. François Pinault (1)
02. Larry Gagosian (2)
03. Sir Nicholas Serota (3)
04. Glenn D. Lowry (4)
05. Eli Broad (6)
06. Damien Hirst (11)
07. Charles Saatchi (7)
08. Jay Jopling (19)
09. Steven A. Cohen (32)
10. David Zwirner (16)
11. Sam Keller, Cay Sophie Rabinowitz, Annette Schönholzer, Marc Spiegler (5)
12. Brett Gorvy & Amy Cappellazzo (12)
13. Jeff Koons (10)
14. Iwan Wirth (14)
15. Michael Govan (33)
16. Harry Blain & Graham Southern (54)
17. Matthew Slotover & Amanda Sharp (8)
18. Tobias Meyer & Cheyenne Westphal (23)
19. Richard Serra (73)
20. Daniel Birnbaum (31)
21. Marian Goodman (15)
22. Marc Glimcher (18)
23. David Geffen (New)
24. Don & Mera Rubell (29)
25. Dakis Joannou (27)
26. Richard Prince (28)
27. Matthew Marks (77)
28. Thomas Krens (80)
29. Lisa Phillips & Richard Flood (New)
30. Ann Philbin (92)
31. Paul Schimmel (21)
32. Agnes Gund (New)
33. William Acquavella (76)
34. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan (New)
35. Simon de Pury (34)
36. Barbara Gladstone (24)
37. Dominique Levy & Richard Mnuchin (53)
38. Frank Gehry (58)
39. Patricia Phelps de Cisneros (New)
40. Bernard Arnault (New)
41. Robert Gober (36)
42. Sadie Coles (35)
43. Victoria Miro (26)
44. Thomas Hirschhorn (42)
45. Chris Kennedy (New)
46. Donna De Salvo, Shamim Momin & Chrissie Iles (30)
47. Eugenio López (37)
48. Julia Peyton-Jones & Hans Ulrich Obrist (46)
49. Jerry Speyer & Katherine Farley (New)
50. Gerhard Richter (17)

For space considerations, VoCA has re-printed the top 50. For the rest, please click HERE

Yayoi Kusama. Image: yayoi-kusama.jp

NOTA BENE: Check out the October issue of Art Review magazine - with Yayoi Kusama on the cover - for my review of the Power Plant exhibition Auto Emotion: Autobiography, Emotion and Self-Fashioning.

Kate Moss at the Frieze Art Fair, 2006. Image: faz.net

The Frieze Art Fair in London is on now:

Read about one of the biggest contemporary art events in the world, HERE, and take a virtual tour, courtesy of the Guardian, HERE.

Claudia Schiffer at the Frieze Art Fair, 2006. Image: faz.net

Read Waldemar Januszczak from the Sunday Times on why the Frieze Art Fair is the hippest place to be, right HERE.

Jude Law at the Frieze Art Fair, 2006. Image: faz.net

Is power relevant when it comes to something like contemporary art?

Read the article from the Wall Street Journal HERE.

Stay tuned for previews, interviews and more on Toronto’s upcoming international art fair - TIAF - that runs October 25 - 29, 2007.

Visit TIAF’s website HERE.

From the pages of Wallpaper magazine, to art-filled boutique hotels like Ian Schrager’s new Grammery Park, to Tom Ford’s new shop on Madison Avenue furnished with artworks from his personal collection, these days it simply won’t do to have a home void of art.

Yet for the new homeowner, selecting and hanging art can be a daunting task. As with fashion, trends come and go, what’s in one year is out the next. And as with fashion, many of the old rules no longer apply.

Artist Julian Schnabel’s interior design for the Grammercy Park Hotel, New York City. Image: nytimes.com

To help you navigate the waters, we’ve provided some tips on what to consider when you’re starting out. We also address some concerns you may have about adding art to your home. It’s easier than you think!

First, you will need to assess your space. Is it classic or modern? Large or small? How high are the ceilings? Are the furnishings large and boxy or fine and delicate? Is the room light-filled or cozy and dark? What kind of natural lighting have you got?

Next, assess your personal style. Do you prefer cutting-edge contemporary art? Colourful paintings? Prints? Photography? If so, what do you like images of? Do you like folk art? Do you buy art on your travels? In short, what are your interests?

Traditional Mexican ceremonial dance masks. Image: irisartes.com

If you already own the art, then great. If not, you might want to begin by visiting some galleries. See below for a list of some of Toronto’s best. They will be able to advise on framing, mounting and protecting your art from humidity, dust and sunlight.

Once you have a feel for the space and the type of work that you like, think about balancing rather than matching. Large walls can benefit from more dramatic pieces, while small spaces can handle more delicate artworks in tighter groupings, like prints or watercolours in slim frames. Black and white photography can look crisp and masculine, while mid-size oil paintings in gilt frames tend toward a classic look. And remember, dark artwork in a dark space will be, well, dark. And vice versa.

Country Rock by Peter Doig (after a scene familiar to anyone who has driven up Toronto’s Don Valley Parkway).
Image: contemporary-magazine.com

Finally, don’t be too precious with art - it only makes your interior seem untouchable. Yes, you should frame your children’s drawings and have them hanging in your living room, just be sure that they stand up – visually – to your other masterpieces. (You’ll find that lot of children’s art does.)

A painting of fireworks by a child. Image: show.me.uk

Having art in your home is all about creating a space in which you feel comfortable and that reflects who you are. Any individual touches, no matter how ‘improper’, will make your environment unique to you, and, after all, that’s what good style is.

SOME EXCELLENT TORONTO GALLERIES:

Photography:
Stephen Bulger Gallery - please click HERE
Jane Corkin Gallery - please click HERE
Monte Clark Gallery - please click HERE

Painting:
Odon Wagner Contemporary - please click HERE
Gallery Moos - please click HERE
Angell Gallery - please click HERE
Nicholas Metivier Gallery - please click HERE

Cutting-edge contemporary:
Jessica Bradley Art Projects - please click HERE
Diaz Contemporary - please click HERE
Susan Hobbs Gallery - please click HERE
Birch Libralato Gallery - please click HERE

Prints/multiples:
Art Metropole - please click HERE
Elizabeth Legge Fine Antique Prints - please click HERE
Stuart Jackson Gallery (Japanese prints) - please click HERE

This article first appeared in the Fall 2007 Toronto issue of Royal LePage e-newsletter by Kathleen Slater.

Image: ioncinema.com

1. My Kid Could Paint That: This documentary follows Marla Olmstead, a cheerful little girl from upstate New York whose paintings - reminiscent of Pollock or de Kooning - made her an international sensation when she was just four years old. But how authentic is her work?

Willem de Kooning, Composition, 1955. Image: haberarts.com

Read the New York Times article HERE

2. Works on paper - watercolours, prints - by Harold Klunder, one of Canada’s best respected artists, are on view at Transit Gallery, Hamilton. Klunder is known for his cerebral portraits. These smaller pieces offer an alternative to Kluder’s large-scale, often heavy oil paintings.

The exhibition runs October 2 - 28, 2007.

Harold Klunder, Head and Halo, 1999. Image: transitgallery.ca

Harold Klunder, Full Moon IV, 2002. Image: transitgallery.ca

View more of the works on show HERE.

Works by Klunder also available from Michael Gibson Gallery, London Ontario HERE, from Clint Roenisch Gallery, Toronto HERE and from Trepanier Baer Gallery, Calgary HERE.

Incidentally, a film about Mr. Klunder is also available on DVD. Right HERE.

1. LOVED & LOATHED:

VoCA LOVES creative installations like this one of Marcel Van Eeden’s work at Clint Roenisch Gallery, Toronto.

Marcel Van Eeden at Clint Roenisch Gallery

Marcel Van Eeden at Clint Roenisch Gallery

The exhibition runs to October 28th, 2007.

Continue reading →

Skywalkers - Art Blimp Parade, Art Basel Miami Beach, 2006. Image: vinylpulse.com

As the international art fair season begins…courtesy of the Wall Street Journal.

Click HERE.

VoCA will preview the highlights of the Toronto International Art Fair (October 25 - 29) in mid-October.