ARTES MAGAZINE

  The issue of identity in the visual arts emerged in a new light, with the shift away from formal modernism to a postmodernist paradigm, in the later decades of the 20th century. However, when we speak of identity, what do we mean? How does cultural identity contribute to the development of personal/private identity and vice-versa? [...]

New England’s harsh winds and beating rain seemed to be conspiring against me as I rushed to the airport, for a flight that I hoped would not be cancelled or delayed. My ultimate destination was 1200 miles away and much warmer—opening night of Art Basel/ Miami Beach. Carried up by a gust of wind, my [...]

Jim Dine, Viennese Hearts V (1990) Experts who deal regularly in the art world, as auctioneers, appraisers, dealers or collection consultants share a common assumption that is not widely recognized in the extended world of art appreciation: that is, that art is a commodity like any other (oil, precious metals, corn, etc.) and, in certain [...]

The vista of Indian art reflects a diverse terrain of creative influences unfolding over the centuries, each artist mirroring his or her own individual response to the ever changing realities of a given time and space. The sophistication in the artistic development of ancient India art is exemplified in the temple statuary of the early [...]

‘The richness of textile traditions link people the world over, for fabrics are a non-verbal language that tell us the cultural history of a people, their place in the world and even their beliefs.’ (Dhamija 2006:266). Meaning is encoded in cultural objects in many different ways and is never static. Objects continuously travel in and [...]

At first, it seemed that a mass migration might be underway. People by the dozens and then by the hundreds moved along sidewalks and curbsides, pushing carts, pulling wagons and dollies, arms laden, backs straining under the weight of their worldly goods. Were they fleeing the oppressive heat and humidity of Washington, D.C., or perhaps [...]

October 12, 2010 Hirst out, Mehretu in Prior to the Lehman collection sale, Skate’s predicted that if the work, We’ve got Style, (the Vessel Collection – blue/green), right did not sell, it would be a nail in the coffin of Damien Hirst’s art market. Nailed in he is—the failure to find a buyer for Hirst’s work, number [...]

 Lafayette Maynard Dixon always claimed that he had little interest in fabricating visual fiction. For him, his Native American West had been needlessly over-romanticized by Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran and George Inness. They had been mere interlopers with brushes and tourist visas in hand. “Painting, as I see it, must be human rather than arty,” [...]

In advance of his keynote presentation at the Art of Leadership symposium on October 5, 2010, at Bonhams in New York City, I spoke with Ben Genocchio (left) about the search for value in the art market during challenging economic times. “Who still has the money to spend on fine art and collectables today and [...]

This is a tale of two historic homes in a beautiful seaside, New England town, and of how visionary zeal and coincidence braided history, friendship and a passion for things beautiful together in a most unusual way… On May 1, 1915 Alfred Vanderbilt boarded the Lusitania bound for Liverpool as a first class passenger. It [...]