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Two cancelled exhibitions and an auction!!
(Wednesday 30 June 2004)
compiled by Susan Hunt
Dalí exhibition
in Helsinki closes early
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the
birth of Salvador Dalí, but his attitude to his own later
output means that many a doubtful chicken is coming home to roost.
For example, an exhibition of prints and sculptures by Dalí in
Helsinki has been cancelled amid fears that many of the works
may be fakes. The exhibition, which began in May, was due to close
today but was shut down two days early when Helsinki police confiscated
a number of the works in the show.
Police had been alerted to the counterfeit
artworks by a number of art collectors who had purchased some
of the prints in the exhibition and by art connoisseurs who had
attended the show. At present the entire collection of c.400 works
which were on display are under investigation. Jyrki Seppala of
the Helsinki Police said of the the seized artwork,
There is a whole range
of works which are suspicious. For some of them, we might need
expert help from outside the country. Others are obvious to us
with just a magnifying glass.
He also said that
whoever is responsible for the fake artwork will face possible
charges of counterfeiting, fraud and copyright violations.
Attempts to contact
the Helsinki-based company, Artco Scandinavia, who were responsible
for the exhibition have apparently so far proved fruitless. The
company conveniently had an unlisted phone number! Sound just
a little bit suspicious to me!!
More here
and elsewhere.
Genetic Art exhibition vanishes
from larger show
The Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary
Art (MASS MoCA) opened a new show entitled The
Experimental University
in late May of this year. This large art display was to be composed
of a number of different exhibitions. Unfortunately one of the
intended exhibitions had to be cancelled at the last minute because
of unseen circumstances in the form of an FBI seizure. The story
behind the missing exhibition began in early May with the confiscation
of some of the Critical Art Ensemble (CAE) artist Steve Kurtz's
work from his home in Buffalo by the FBI (story covered here
and here).
Among the objects taken from Kurtz's home was a machine which
could analyze bacteria and the genetic makeup of food, which he
was using as part of his art work. As a result, the exhibition
(entitled
Free Range Grain) which
he and other members of the CAE had been working on for the MASS
MoCA show had to be cancelled. Since the raid on Kurtz's home
eight other artists have been called before a federal jury, despite
the fact that artists from all over the globe have written off
the police investigations as an over-enthusiastic response to
fears of terrorism.
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| An FBI hazardous materials team enters
Steve Kurtz's Buffalo house, where they found unusual art
materials; image held here.
|
The CAE group believe that Kurtz is under FBI
investigation because of three bacteria which he had in his home
at the time of the raid. All three bacteria, however, were purchased
legally and are harmless according to them. Paul Moskal, special
agent for the Buffalo office of the FBI, said of the investigation,
These days we need to err on the side of caution.
This wasn't some knee jerk reaction on the side of law enforcement.
Many members of the public, however, were unhappy
that the CAE exhibition could not be displayed in the new MASS
MoCA show. One visitor to the show said,
I just thought it was disappointing that I couldn't
see what the government found so threatening. It's art, for
God's sake.
More here.
Oscar winner to auction art collection
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| Actress Jessica Lange; image held here. |
The Oscar winning actress Jessica Lange is
today auctioning many items from her own personal collection at
the Rose Galleries in Roseville. The large variety of objects
up for sale include glassware, china, eighteenth-entury furniture,
oriental rugs, bronze and marble figures as well as a significant
number of artworks. Among the paintings are works by Alfred Vickers,
William Baptist Baird, Benjamin Sigmund, W. K. Blacklock and Andre
Gisson.
Tom Goff, a cataloguer and appraiser at the
auction gallery said (profoundly) of Lange's collection
It just appears these are things she has accumulated
over the years.
For more information on today's auction go
to http://www.rosegalleries.com/June30/previewlisting.htm
Most recent news items:
• New Director at An Chomhairle Ealaíon / Art and Galway - are you ready? (Tuesday 29 June 2004)
• Facing art: an audience with Mick O'Dea (Monday 28 June 2004)
• Australian art mystery soon to be solved / Bacon from Tehran (Monday June 21 2004)
• Third blow in a matter of weeks for Emin as art terrorists strike again (Thursday 17 June 2004)
For a full list of news items, click here.
Latest reader
feedback:
News item 603
I have to say I agree with Circa. I have been working on a projec...
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The idea of exhibiting a group of objects bought on eBay, though ...
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It'd be interesting to see how many visitors attended the gallery...
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re. Comment 2 - most people who get turned down for grants have t...
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'sour grapes aside, what are culture ireland up to?' i think we n...
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hang on a minute... surely the feller who won the prize at art st...
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try and make work that doesn't topple over in future!...
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| Responses so far |
| Comment 1 |
re Steve Kurtz:
Art is Still Not Terrorism, nor is it Mail Fraud or whatever
other ridiculous charge the US govt. has cooked up to save
face.
Following the latest news on the indictment of Steve Kurtz
from Critical Art
Ensemble (see www.caedefensefund.org), although the original
bioterrorism charges are now completely off the table, the
trial still
promises to be financially and psychologically draining for
the defendant.
Barry Schwabsky, Warren Neidich and Anjalika Sagar, with the
Arts Catalyst
and ArtsAdmin invite you to join us in an unmissable
gathering of artists,
academics and concerned individuals to help raise the legal
costs of his defence.
The benefit on July 9 19.00 at the Courtroom, Toynbee
Studios, 28 Commercial
St, Aldgate, London, goes ahead, with speeches and messages
from celebrities, including defendant Steve Kurtz by video,
DJ mixes by Kodwo Eshun and music by si-cut.db among
others, including surprise guests
(contact anjalisaga@blueyonder.co.uk before THIS Friday July
2 if you have a short set to offer, zero-minimal tech
backup!)
How much? Free, but bring your chequebook. We are suggesting
a donation of
at least 24 pounds sterling.
The recent decision by the courts to throw away the charges
of Bioterrorism and replace them with mail fraud is a
victory for all of us. It shows that we can make a
difference. Our benefit is as important to raise
money for the debts Steve has incurred and the court case he
still needs to defend.
Benefit Committee: Kathy Battista, Julien Dobbs-Higginson,
Kodwo Eshun, Charlie Gere, Jan Hietala, Janis Jefferies,
Susan and Ben Keisler, Karen Knorr, Kathy Kubicki, Warren
Neidich, Sandra Percival, Anjalika Sagar, Marq Smith, John
Slyce, Barry Shwabsky, Mark Tribe, Paul Wombell, Karen
Wright, and Robert Zimmer.
We can accept cash or cheques only, no cards (payable to The
Arts Catalyst), either on the door or to The Arts Catalyst
at the above address. If you are
unable to attend but would like to make a donation, please
do so either
direct to the defence fund - www.caedefensefund.org - or by
sending a cheque
to Arts Catalyst. The Arts Catalyst is a charitable arts
organisation (charity number: 1042433). Money donated will
be transferred directly to the CAE Defense fund.
Organisational help from: www.artscatalyst.org
www.artsadmin.co.uk
light fare sponsored by Story Organic deli
rsvp to info@artscatalyst.org
if you are coming so we can calculate numbers. Don't forget
your chequebook!
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