ArtPourri

Painting Discovered—The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, have discovered a painting by Vincent van Gogh underneath the artist’s painting Ravine, owned by the MFA.  X-Rays and close examination of the paint surface confirmed this is likely the painting entitled Wild Vegetation, a drawing of which Van Gogh sent to his brother in mid-1889.

NEA News—The NEA has announced the 2007 recipients of the National Heritage Fellowships, the country’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.  Twelve fellowships, which include a one-time award of $20,000 each, will be presented to honorees from 9 states. The awardees were chosen from among 259 nominations on the basis of their artistic excellence, cultural authenticity and contributions to their fields.

Stamp Issued—The USPS has issued the Louis Comfort Tiffany commemorative stamp, which pays tribute to all of Tiffany’s artistry and is the seventh in the USPS “American Treasures” series.  Titled Magnolias and Irises and dating to around 1908, the stamp art is considered a “detail” of the memorial window featured on the stamp, since the original photo had to be slightly cropped.

Agreement Reached—After lengthy and complex discussions, an agreement regarding antiquities has been reached between the Italian Ministry of Culture and the J. Paul Getty Trust. The Getty will transfer 40 objects in its collection to Italy, including the Cult Statue of a Goddess, which will remain on display at the Getty Villa until 2010.

New Gallery to Open—The Metropolitan Museum, New York City, will inaugurate the Joyce and Robert Menschel Hall for Modern Photography on Sept. 25. The Hall is designed specifically to accommodate large-scale photographs, and the inaugural installation is entitled Depth of Field:  Contemporary Photography at the Metropolitan.

Exhibitions:

Denver, CO – Denver Art Museum –Capturing America’s Game:  Photographs of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig features about 20 photographs as well as baseball bats, rare baseball cards and a poster.  The images capture the excitement of baseball in the ‘20s and ‘30s, as well as the larger-than-life personalities of Ruth and Gehrig. Through Sept. 30.

Blue Mountain Lake, NY – The Adirondack Museum – Adirondack Rustic:  Nature’s Art 1876-1950 features art, architecture and furniture from throughout the region with some of the best examples of rustic artistry.  Photos, documents and ephemera enhance the story and illustrate “rustic” as an aesthetic, an architectural style, and a way of life. Through Oct. 2008.

Copyright ARTtalk Vol. 17 No. 11 — September 2007