The Great Art Treasure Hunt

The new movie, Monuments Men, is creating a lot of excitement in the art world today.  For those of us who enjoy learning about history and art theft, this movie directed, co-written by and starring George Clooney draw a lot of attention.  What I find interesting about this movie is that it is based on a book that has was not pretty much unknown. The book, Monuments Men—Allied Heroes, Nazis Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History, written by Robert M. Edsel with Bret Witter in 2009.

This book is now on the best seller’s list.  Like most movies today based on history the story has been slightly embellished.  The original Monuments Men were teams of artists, museum curators and art historians.  Like other movies based on history starring a great cast, there should be plenty to learn and enjoy about art.

 I’m looking forward to seeing the movie as well reading the novel.




Nella's Books and Collectibles

 

Gifts to the Tsars

Today’s article is another in the series on art exhibitions I wished I could have attended. The exhibition, Gifts to the Tsars 1500 – 1700 – Treasures from the Kremlin, was organized by the Indianapolis Museum of Art and the State Historical-Cultural Museum Preserve, Moscow Kremlin. This exhibition took place in Indianapolis in 2001 and 2002.

A point of interest about this exhibition is that it was as much as a history and cultural lesson about a far away country as it was a presentation of great art. The show included gifts of the sixteenth and centuries, European decorative arts, and ambassador gifts which included masterpieces of silver.

This exhibition not on presented treasures in the form of objects from a very unique museum as well as rare documents. Jewelry, gemstones, silver and gold vessels, plates, cups and other items were included in this exhibition. Many of the items in the exhibit were from other countries but some were items created in the Kremlin workshops.

Smithsonian Libraries Exhibition

Today’s I am continuting the series on art exhibitions I wished I could have attended. The featured exhibition is An Odyssey in Print – Adventures in the Smithsonian Libraries. This exhibition was held at the Grolier Club in New York in 2001 and the Smithsonian in Washington D.C in 2002 - 2003.

The Smithsonian Institution Libraries in located in numerous places throughout the United States and the Republic of Panama. The Smithsonian Institution Libraries in the center of the world’s largest museum complex. The museum contains over 1.5 million books and manuscripts.

The exhibition organized as a 3-part adventure through the magnificent collection. Part 1, Journeys over Land and Sea, concentrated on works that demonstrated how the world was seen and recorded by Europeans and Americans. Part 2 Journeys of the Mind, explored how scientists have provided information that helps us understand the world. The final part, Journeys of the Imagination, presented work created through the imaginations of artists, architects and book designers.

It’s hard to imagine that this exhibition did not include something for nearly every one. If you are a lover of books and libraries, this would have been an excellent exhibition to attend.

Art Exhibition - Munch and Scandinavian Art in Late 19th Century

Today’s article is about an exhibition on late 19th century Scandinavian art. The exhibition, Munch and the Spirit of the North – Scandinavian Art in Late 19th Century, took place in September 25, 2010 to March 6, 2011 in Italy. This show was an exhibition within an exhibition. The larger show featured great artists of the North in the late 19th Century. The smaller exhibition presented work by Edvard Munch. The exhibition presented thirty paintings and 10 works on paper by Munch. This exhibition was the most extensive showing of work by the Norwegian artists. The show focused on his early works and many were landscapes from Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. More recent exhibitions have focused on the darker periods of Munch. A lot of attention in recent years has been directed to Munch’s “Scream” paintings. This was an exhibition that celebrated Edvard Munch’s early work without visiting his depressive nature. You can find a great collection of art books and exhibition catalogs at Nella’s Books and Collectibles.

Art Exhibition - American Watercolors

The exhibition chosen for today’s article is American Watercolors from The Metropolitan Museum of Art. This exhibition was organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The American Federation of Art. This exhibition of 150 works took place at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1991. Two selections of 75 water colors each were on national tour. This exhibition featured landscapes, topographical views, architectural studies and still lifes painted over a period of almost 150 years. The pieces were carefully chosen and represented the best of the bests. Many of the artists included in this exhibition are some of my favorite painters. Among my favorites are John Singer Sargent, John Marin, John La Farge and Childe Hassam. There were, however, a number of painters with work included in this exhibition that were unknown to me. A few of the artist with work in this show there were previously unknown to me were: James David Smillie, William Stanley Haseltine and William Guy Wall. Visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art is always exciting and viewing American Watercolors from the Metropolitan Museum of Art would have made the experience one that I would have treasured forever. You can find a great collection of art books and exhibition catalogs at Nella’s Books and Collectibles.

Art Exhibition of Betye Saar

Today I continue my series of articles on art exhibitions I have chosen an artist that does not create the ordinary. The American artist is Betye Saar. The exhibition, Betye Saar Cage – A New Series of Assemblages, was held at the Michael Rosenfeld Gallery in New York on November 6 – January 15, 2011.


The exhibition presented Saar’s mixed media creations: installations, assemblages, and collages using the motif of cages. She is thought to be a master of assemblage. This artist typical uses culture and politics with her creations and most of her work in this exhibition included objects that she collected. The art work presented in this exhibition was created after years of collecting cages from yard sales and various other places. She also used scrap metal, artificial hair and feathers.



Betye Saar’s art work this exhibition was influenced by many things as most of her art work has over the years. The exhibition encouraged viewer to think differently about common objects and to have deeper thoughs about many things in life that are often ignored. This exhibition said to be very thought-proving.



You can find a great collection of art books and exhibition catalogs at Nella’s Books and Collectibles.

Norman Rockwell - Art Exhibition for the American People

Today I am continuing the series of articles on art exhibitions I wished I could have attended with one of America’s most popular artist and illustrator, Norman Rockwell. The exhibition, Norman Rockwell – Pictures for the American People toured several seven cities in the U.S. from January 2000 to March 2002. The national tour began at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta and ended at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.
The two organizing institutions, The Norman Rockwell Museum of Art and the High Museum of Art clearly made this exhibition unlike any other. If has been referred to as a landmark exhibition. Great care was taken to make sure American history portrayed in Rockwell’s art and history of yesteryear was prevalent in this exhibition.
The exhibition contained all the familiar Rockwell images that many of us have seen through the years. There were also some not so familiar Rockwell paintings in this exhibition. Images from magazine covers, original paintings from private collections and familiar illustrations from books were included.
If you are like me and never tire of viewing the art work of Norman Rockwell, this is one exhibition that would have been a joy to attend. You can find a great collection of art books and exhibition catalogs at Nella’s Books and Collectibles.