as awesome as
the original 1987
classic Predator.
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Europe Gets Introduced To A Great American Portraitist, Alice Neel.
above: detail from Alice Neel's 1965 portrait of Hartley, the artist's son.
An inspiring exhibition, and the first major retrospective of one of the 20th century's greatest portrait painters, American artist Alice Neel, has made its way to London's Whitechapel Gallery after debuting last fall at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.
The late artist, who passed away in 1984, one of my personal favorites who clearly inspired several of my other favorite portrait painters (Lucian Freud, David Hockney and David Tomb) and is best known for her portraits of celebrated artists and writers.
above: detail from Alice Neel's Portrait of Andy Warhol, 1970
The comprehensive exhibit, Alice Neel: Painted Truths, features 68 paintings divided into sections according to Neel´s thematic preoccupations: allegory, the essential portrait, the psychological portrait, portraits from memory, cityscapes, nudes, parents and children, the detached gaze, and old age.
above: A young Alice Neel surrounded by some of her works in her Harlem Studio, 1944. (photo still courtesy of See Think Studios)
above: Alice Neel stands before her 1980 self-portrait, and a 1970 photo by Brigid Berlin of Andy Warhol sitting for Neel.
If you are not familiar with this monumental talent, here are images of almost half the exhibit, divided up by decades, rather than themes.
Early works from the 30s and 40s:
Ed Meschi, 1933:
Ninth Avenue El, 1935:
Elenka, 1936:
Jose, 1936: Audrey McMahon, 1940:
T. B. Harlem, 1940:
Dead Father, 1946:
Richard, 1945: Fire escape, 1948:
Works from the 50s and 60s:
Dor Ashton, 1952: The Last Sickness, 1953:
Sam, 1958: Frank O'Hara 2, 1960:
Max White, 1961: Robert Smithson, 1962:
Hartley, 1965:
Later works from the 70s and 80s:
David Bourdon and Gregory Battcock, 1970:
Andy Warhol, 1970: Jackie Curtis and Rita, 1970:
Pregnant Woman, 1971:
Nancy and the twins, 1971:
Carmen and Judy, 1972: Ginny and Elizabeth, 1976:
The De Vegh Twins, 1975:
Victoria and Cat, 1980 Don Perlis and Jonathan, 1984:
Geoffrey Hendricks and Brian, 1978:
Self-portrait,1980: Ginny, 1984:
In addition, two archival films play on loop in the gallery: an eight-minute silent film by Neel´s son Hartley, documenting the artist painting her daughter-in-law Ginny; and Michel Auder´s film showing Neel painting Margaret Evans Pregnant.
International Tour
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston: March 21—June 13, 2010
Whitechapel Gallery, London, July 8—September 17, 2010
Moderna Museet, Malmö, Sweden, October 10, 2010—January 2, 2011
from the original press release:
Committed to portraiture throughout her life, an era when the genre was considered practically obsolete, Neel captured both the physical likenesses and the psychological essences of her sitters in bold, sometimes searing paintings. Neel painted neighbors in her gritty Manhattan district and members of the art-world elite, as well as her lovers, friends and children. Alice Neel: Painted Truths is the first major museum exhibition of Neel´s work in ten years, and the first to present her work in Europe. The show examines Neel´s oeuvre from a highly focused perspective, showcasing masterworks culled from the 1920s to the 1980s. Along with her famous portraits, a section of the show will also be devoted to her lesser-known cityscapes that document tenement life from the inside.
Alice Neel: Painted Truths is organized by the MFAH and co-curated by Barry Walker, MFAH curator of modern and contemporary art and curator of prints and drawings, and Jeremy Lewison, former Director of Collections of London´s Tate Gallery and currently an independent curator and advisor of the estate of Alice Neel. After the presentation in Houston, the show will travel to Whitechapel Gallery in London and Moderna Museet in Malmö. The show will be accompanied by a major catalogue distributed by Yale University Press.
"Despite almost single-handedly reviving portraiture in the 20th century—with a little help from contemporaries like Andy Warhol, of course—Neel did not receive recognition until late in life," said Dr. Peter C. Marzio, MFAH director. "Neel´s work is a true tour de force, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, is pleased to present a selection of the most compelling paintings by this seminal American artist. The tour will give European audiences their first opportunity to assess the full range of her achievement in a large-scale museum exhibition."
"Because so many exhibitions have plumbed Alice Neel´s engaging bohemian life to interpret her work, we have focused on the art rather than the biography in Painted Truths, examining it from both traditional and postmodern points of view," states Walker. "This is, to use a politically incorrect term, a ´masterpiece show,´ tracing the evolution of the artist´s work through what are, arguably, her very best paintings."
Alice Neel: Painted Truths is showing at the Whitechapel Gallery from July 8 through September 17, 2010
If you can't see the exhibit in person, a lavishly illustrated book of the exhibit is available with essays by Jeremy Lewison, Barry Walker, Tamar Garb and Robert Storr, appreciations by artists Frank Auerbach and Chris Ofili, and a chronology.
Although this book focuses on Neel’s portraits, it includes a selection of her cityscapes that chronicle the artist’s intense involvement with life in New York City. Structured thematically, sections trace the evolution of Neel’s style and examine themes that she revisited throughout her career.
Hardback, 296 pages, 120 colour and 26 black and white illustrations.
Buy the book here
Alice Neel: Painted Truths, as it appeared at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
above photos: courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Special thanks to Macolm Varon, the Estate of Alice Neel, and the MFA in Houston for many of the images.
some reviews of the London show:
The Guardian
The Independent
The Telegraph
Shop for Alice Neel Books, catalogs, videos and posters
.
Money in the Bank
The Money in the Bank ladder match is
a professional wrestling ladder match
held by(WWE).
The match can feature anywhere
from six to ten participants from
any WWE brand, with the objective
being to retrieve a briefcase that is
suspended 20 feet above the ring
The briefcase contains a contract that
guarantees a match for one of WWE's world titles,
which include the WWE Championship
and the World Heavyweight Championship.
It's Blue. It's A Boat. And It's Bomb. The RAL 5015 By Xavier Veilhan.
John Dodelande of Artcurial invited artist Xavier Veilhan to draw a nautical sculpture to be built by the Frauscher shipyard. This unique project marks the first time artist Xavier Veilhan has been invited to design a functional object in sync with his aesthetic beliefs.
above: Veilhan's oversized animal sculptures are faceted and always one color
First off, if you're not familiar with Veilhan's work, he's best known for his sculptural installations and had an impressive show at Versailles in 2009:
above: Veilhan's purple horse-drawn carriage at Versailles
Now, back to his RAL 5015 with tons of images, auction info and a video, too.
The name of the boat refers to the actual color. RAL is the standard color system when it comes to painting and coating (the way Pantone is for printing).
above: The artist, Xavier Veilhan, stands in his RAL 5015
The unique design corresponds perfectly to Xavier Veilhan’s approach to movement and means of transport – from the horse to more sophisticated types of craft… such as this motor-boat.
Veilhan's moving sculpture can hold 8 people and functions beautifully with a maximum speed of 40 knots:
The Shark - Stainless steel Shark sculpture (50 cm length) on remote controlled platform.
As an integral part of the RAL 5015 boat, "The Shark" is a small object with a length of 50 cm, made of solid stainless steel that ascends and descends by remote control! A rectangular cover of composite material is provided, which is why you don't see the shark in all the images) and protects the piece from unwanted attention.
Dimension of the Shark : 20 x 49,7 x 21,7 cm
Dimensions of the stand : 3,5 x 6 cm made of solid stainless steel, fitted in the bulk.
Material : Polished solid stainless steel
Surface treatment : The shark is permanently protected from sea salt as the roughness of the metal has been diminished through a special wash, making it non-oxidizing
Protective case : In blue composite material (monochrome RAL 5015) ; 60 x 30 x 25 cm
Remote control : 2 buttons
The boat was designed on computer:
And thanks to the expertise of the Frauscher shipyard, the work of Veilhan, RAL 5015 is also a powerful boat and at the forefront of marine technology.
A sneak preview of the boat was shown from May 27 to June 14, 2010 at the Hôtel Marcel Dassault, Paris, prior to its auction.
The functional artpiece, made of composite resins and metal was auctioned on July 20th at the Hôtel Hermitage in Monte-Carlo, by Artcurial. The sale results have not yet been disclosed. Estimate for the auction price was $235,000.00 to $260,000.
Specifications of the piece:
Frauscher 686
Vessel hull identification number (HIN) : AT FRALOO82D010 Length : 6.90m Width : 2.20m
Water-level : 6.40m
Visible height above water : 1.25m
Draught : 0.65/1.00m
Dry weight : 1700kg
Tank capacity : 157 litres
Maximum speed : 40 knots
Cruising speed : 25 knots
Engine : MERCRUISER Output 220 HP
Cubic capacity : 4.3 l MPI, 220 PS ; Alpha 1
Number of persons : 8 max.
A standard gauge and construction certificate, as required for navigation permit, will be provided to the purchaser.
The hull of the RAL5015 has a 2-year guarantee from the Frauscher shipyard; its engine has a 3-year constructor’s guarantee.
An artist certificate was also given to the buyer
Photos for this post, courtesy of the artist, © Fabien Lemaire 2010, © John Dodelande 2010 and © Nicolas Thiery
The Artist:
Born in 1963, living and working in Paris, Xavier Veilhan has established itself as one of the major artists of his generation, winning over his exhibitions international recognition. Emerged in the early 90s, Veilhan established the elements of a singular and unique vocabulary. If his work borrows the most varied forms: from sculpture to painting, photography, installation, film or live performance, all these practices converge towards creating a world whose wealth stems from a relationship very strong history and a profound reflection on modernity.
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