Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Confessions of an "Artoholic"

Bose Krishnamachari, a self proclaimed "artoholic," was born in India in 1963. His work (see image, left) has been included in various international solo and group exhibitions. He is also praised for his curatorial skills and possesses an impressive personal art collection. In a recent interview, Krishnamachari discusses collecting art and what his collection means to him.

The artist says he collects art in order to archive time and history and as an artist, to understand the life, times and works of fellow artists. He calls his collection, "A dead investment, but a wealth of knowledge."
In responding to a question about the Andy Warhol and Damien Hirst works he owns, he applauds Warhol's clear understanding of the era in which he created his pop-art and states that Warhol's works reflect a celebration of film, fashion, design, music and media. Additionally, Krishnamachari celebrates Hirst's "Dot" Series (which has gained much negative criticism), claiming the works mark a major phase in the life and works of the artist, who Krishnamachari refers to as "a legend who supported his own contemporaries by collecting, curating and exhibiting."


To read more about the famed artist / collector and his entire interview, click here.

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Velazquez and Sargent: Like Peanut Butter and Jelly

John Singer Sargent's "The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit" and Velazquez's "Las Meninas" can arguably be called two of the all-time greatest paintings illustrating themes of childhood and innocence. While they share this honorable title, the inherently linked American (Sargent) and Spanish (Velazquez) paintings have never before been displayed in the same museum (much yet the same collection, side-by-side).




However, that's about to change, as Boston's Museum of Fine Arts has generously agreed to loan "Las Meninas" to Madrid's Museo del Prado. The paintings will temporarily hang next to each other (something Sargent would be honored and delighted to see, as Velazquez's "Las Meninas" acted as the main source of inspiration for "The Daughters of Edward Darley Boit," painted in 1882).

While Malcolm Rogers, the MFA's British-born director, says it is a "big sacrifice" to loan out Sargent's painting (which is one of the museum's most important and treasured paintings), he is also excited about the display and hopes the Prado will reciprocate.

It will also be interesting to see if the MFA's loan opens the gateway to a unique cross-cultural collaboration between the two museums.