Rothko’s Seagram Mural Tagged

London’s Tate Modern was temporarily closed after a mural by US modern artist Mark Rothko was defaced by black paint. The gallery shut for a short time after the damage was found on the corner of one of Rothko’s Seagram murals.

“Tate can confirm that there was an incident in which a visitor defaced one of Rothko’s Seagram murals by applying a small area of black paint with a brush to the painting,” a spokeswoman for the popular gallery said.

The Seagram murals, commissioned by New York’s Four Seasons restaurant in 1958, arrived in London for display at Tate Modern’s sister gallery on February 25, 1970 – the day the artist committed suicide aged 66. A large-scale painting by the artist fetched $US86.9 million at a New York auction in May this year, setting a new record for any contemporary work of art :: Read the full article »»»»

Jack White??

Critically acclaimed guitarist – he’s ranked 70th best by Rolling Stone Magazine – and songwriter Jack White has enraged fans by walking off stage after just 45 minutes into his Saturday night concert at New York City’s famed Radio City Music Hall. The former front man of White Stripes and The Raconteurs – now touring behind his solo record Blunderbuss – pulled the plug after just 12 tunes.

According to the New York Observer, staff at the concert were equally as mystified by White’s early exit, one member of the security team later offered an explanation to the reporter. “He wasn’t happy with the sound,” the security guard said. “I don’t know why he pulled that.” The Observer also noted that White had several “angry exchanges” with a shirtless fan in the front row who was removed by security.

White (né Gillis) 37, thanked his audience, abruptly exiting stage right, leaving the capacity crowd chanting for more. The crowd’s enthusiasm initially turned to perplexity as roadies removed White’s guitars but transformed into anger as the curtain fell on the stage :: Read the full article »»»»

Musée du Louvre’s Art of Islam

Twenty years after the Louvre’s great pyramid project was finished, it has created a new Department dedicated to the collection of Islamic art.

The World’s most famous art gallery and former palace – Musée du Louvre – has opened a new wing dedicated entirely to the art of Islam. In absolute contrast to the deadly Muslim uprising and protests that continue to rage outside the resplendent walls of the gallery, inside  hoses one of the most important collections of Islamic art.

The Louvre describes the permanent collection as an architectural, cultural, artistic, and civilizational offering, inviting visitors on a veritable sensory voyage of discovery into the world of Islamic art, revealing the radiant face of a civilization that encompassed an infinitely varied wealth of humanity :: Read the full article »»»»

Brazen Art Thief Mails Back Dali

The Salvador Dali water-colour – Cartel des Don Juan Tenorio – stolen from a New York City gallery last week has been mailed back in pristine condition.

Earlier this week the gallery received a brief email message by an unknown person, saying Cartel de Don Juan Tenirio is “on its way back to you already”.

The message clearly raised hope that the 1949 ink and watercolour piece may be returned.

Deputy New York Police Commissioner John McCarthy said the package was mailed from a location in Europe, and bore a fake address and sender address. Deputy Commissioner McCarthy said via statement that police detectives took possession of the painting from postal inspectors at John F. Kennedy International Airport when it arrived in New York on Thursday.

It was returned on Friday to the gallery, where it is being authenticated.

A spokesman for the gallery, which opened just this year on Manhattan’s fashionable Upper East Side, has declined to comment.

A second police source has speculated that publicity surrounding the theft had complicated efforts to sell the painting on the black market.

Brazen Art Thief Steals Dali Work

An audacious thief posing as an art lover snatched a Salvador Dali watercolour and ink painting worth an estimated $US150,000 from a New York private art gallery this week.

Police said the man walked into the Venus Over Manhattan art gallery on Madison Avenue on Tuesday afternoon, posing as a “potential customer”.

“He removed the painting and he fled,” a police spokeswoman said.

Video surveillance cameras showed the man, in his mid-30s to mid-40s, wearing a black and white shirt and jeans, casually walking out with the painting sticking out of a shopping bag.

Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali’s 1949 Cartel des Don Juan Tenorio was on display as part of the gallery’s debut exhibition, which opened in May.