Beautiful art collection in Canada

Now most of us don't have the capacity to acquire a museum-quality art collection, but sometimes it's just nice to appreciate what can be done by a group of people when they are given the right amount of money, great taste, and a love for really amazing art.

From Raphael to Carracci: The Art of Papal Rome at the National Gallery of Canada explores the work of such amazing artists as El Greco, Titian, and Michelangelo. The show was curated by Dr. David Franklin, an expert in the Italian Renaissance.

The exhibition reflects two levels of "collecting art" - (1) The acquiring of the National Gallery of these works and (2) the history of papal commissions and collections during the Renaissance.

The show will be continuing through September 30.

Repost from Apartment Therapy

I often, and I mean often, guiltily peruse the pages of one of my favorite sites, ApartmentTherapy. So it makes me really happy when there is a post that relates to the art world and I don't feel so bad for wasting time. It seems like more and more recently there have been some good art-related entries. Recently there was an entry entitled "Art Resource Roundup: Framers, Galleries & Online Sources" that seemed to perfect to not insert here. Allison Marvin sat down and spoke with the Washington Post about her best advice for art collectors - where to find art, where to frame, local D.C. art resources, etc. Click here for the post.

Lehman brothers collection to go on the block

Lehman Brothers, the global financial firm, will be auctioning off much of their corporate art collection on November 1. 650 lots will go on the block at Freeman's, and is said to be worth $1 million.

A Louis Lozowick lithograph depicting a crew repairing the Brooklyn Bridge os expected to fetch $7,000 to $10,000.

"It's a very contemporary collection," Freeman's marketing director Tom McCabe said this week. So far, Freeman's is the only auction house to have gotten part of the Lehman action, he said.

Freeman's got the consignment because of its reputation in the field of corporate artwork.

"Freeman's was able to offer Lehman Brothers an exceptional place to sell and market the first part of their art collection," Paul Roberts, president of Freeman's Auctioneers, said in the release. "Over the last 10 years, we have made selling corporate collections one of our specialties."

Freeman's is still accepting consignments for the sale, scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Nov. 1. So far, the top item is a 1959 limited-edition Picasso linocut, Femme Accoudee, which has a presale estimate of $50,000 to $80,000, according to a flier for the sale.

- David Iams for the Philadelphia Inquirer

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Is Government and art really such a bad thing?

I just read Jonathan Jones' recent rant over at the Guardian and I must say I'm a little annoyed. He criticizes the British government's art collection and the choices that it has made. £500,000 of taxpayers' money was used to collect contemporary art last year, and many of the choices have upset people, including a work by Dan Batchelor which involves the use of old light bulbs and wire.

Part of me commends the Telegraph (the original publisher of the report on the government's art spending) and Jones for questioning the quality and enormous cost of the collection. Questioning is essential to any good democracy and should always be encouraged. However, their flagrant disapproval of the work of Batchelor - describing it as though it is almost a piece of trash - is so unbelievably hypocritical. They want works of "high quality" to be purchased, and don't believe the government should be wasting money on silly work like Batchelor's, yet praise the work of Lucian Freud. Who are they to say that Batchelor's work will be any less significant than the work of Freud in 50, or 100 years, or is at this very moment. I almost couldn't believe what I was reading - I felt like I we must have regressed to a time before Modernism hit us... and gasp!!! postmodern art --- eek! yuck!

They also are riled up at the mere idea that the government is spending such enormous amounts of money on art in a time of economic turmoil. Maybe if governments throughout the world would spend even more money on the arts, then we would have more well-rounded societies and economies. Art investment - at the "high level" like through auctions & galleries... and on the "low" level like public education for our children - is essential to the growth and success of our nations. But feel free to question me... I encourage it.

Ms. Bell

I recently came across a great profile of an art collector in the Times. Patricia Bell is a senior vice president with Merrill Lynch, but her home offers an incredible view into a contemporary art collection, with works by Chuck Close, Tom Nussbaum, and Yinka Shonibare. Her story reminds me why so many of us fall in love with this maddening addiction known as "collecting art".

From the article:

Ms. Bell is the kind of collector artists dream of.

“When an artwork comes into my home I feel as though I’ve made a connection to the soul of the artist,” said Ms. Bell, who clearly gets it — the struggle, challenge and intellectual rigor that goes into the creation of a work of art.

According to Ms. Bell, “there are lots of different ways to tell history, but art is one of the most interesting ways to keep track of what’s going on.”

She began collecting in 1989 and is largely self-taught in contemporary art and art history, although she has benefited from the advice and knowledge of others.

“Beginners should get out and look, keep an open mind and listen to experts,” Ms. Bell advised, adding that museum docents are a great resource who are often overlooked. “They’re passionate about art and can provide important background and insights into artists and their work, whether you’re just looking or looking with the intention of collecting.”

Attenborough art collection up for sale

The director and actor Sir Richard Attenborough has decided to put his art collection up for sale. Attenborough, who directed Ghandi (1982), said "that he felt that after 60 years collecting art it was time to pass the works on for others to enjoy."

Sotheby's will auction the work on November 11 and it is expected to fetch upwards of 2 million GBP.

Sad, sad day

I was just going to leave it with a retweet - "RT@MutualArt - sad day for art - DC collector's house burns, along with the art inside - http://su.pr/2fnz10" - but it seemed like I should spend a few more minutes on this tragic story...

The home of D.C. art collector Peggy Cooper Cafritz burned last week, along with her very large and significant collection of work by minority artists. It shocked to read about it - no amount of money will be able to replace the work or mend Cafritz's heart after this devastation. See below to see before and after images of the incredible home:

(slideshow)