Uncategorized 2 | Art Privee ™

Munich, Salzburg and Vienna

Written by Linda on November 21, 2017. Posted in Uncategorized.

When one visits Munich, the first thing to do is not sign up for a “City Tour” but to visit the Documentation Center that focuses on World War II and the rise of the National Socialism party aka the “Nazi party”. The Center shows, in a very objective way, how the Nazi party started and its rise. The Documentation Center chronicles what part Munich played in the support, rule and crimes of the Nazi dictatorship. It is a fascinating museum with news clips, videos, and films explaining the history of the Nazi party.

If you are interested in Contemporary art, the Museum Brandhorst is a must see destination. The museum houses what was once the private collection of Audi and Annette Brandhorst. Their collection started in the 1970’s and shows some of their collection as well as rotating exhibitions focusing on prominent artists and important themes in contemporary art.
When I visited, on view was an extraordinary exhibition titled “Cy Twombly: In The Studio”. This retrospective of paintings, sculptures, drawings and photograph spans an arc that reaches from the early 1950s right up to a picture from Twombly’s very last series of works, completed in 2011.

The Lenbachhaus museum is known for their large collection of the works form the Blue Rider group. Established in 1911, the artists that are associated with this movement are Wassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc and Paul Klee and their works are shown prominently. Joseph Bueys is also highlighted with room after room of his works on view. The Lenbachhaus also shows international contemporary artist and when I visited there were a room filled with Sarah Morris’ works and Franz Ackermann’s wall paper and collages. It is worth the visit just to see the Olafur Eliasson mammoth chandelier in the entry hall.

The Pinakothek der Moderne collection is housed in a gorgeous contemporary building, dedicated to art from the last 50 years. The building is breathtaking inside and out and the collection is first class. What I found to be amazing were two photographs from Anselm Kiefer’s studio. The photos show how Kiefer “styles” his complex works before they are attached to canvas or lead.
Give yourself at least two hours to enjoy this this exceptional museum.

A little jewel of a museum is the Glyptothek which houses one of the world’s greatest collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. The sculptures are dazzling and definitely worth a visit.

A tour of the BMW building and showroom was a fun surprise. The architecture designed by Coop Himmelblau is exciting and a great place to visit if you are a car buff. On the tour we saw elegant Rolls Royce cars, the newly designed electric vehicles and other very fast cars. This is were consumers can pick up their ordered cars with great fanfare.

I was disappointed that I was not able to see the Goetz Collection. It is house in a Herzog + de Meuron building that looks beautiful. I will have to put it first on my list for my next visit to Munich.

I engaged a lovely art guide in Munich when I arrived a day early. Marion Bierbling took me to some contemporary museums that were not on our group’s schedule. She was terrific!

We decided to drive to Vienna because we wanted to visit Thaddaeus Ropac’s gallery and home on the way. Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, was one of the highlights of the trip. His gallery represents heavy hitting contemporary artists such as Antony Gormley, Tony Cragg, Alex Katz and Georg Baselitz. On view was Stephan Balkenhol’s wood sculpture and new wood paintings.

After the gallery tour we were hosted to a fabulous lunch at Ropac’s home, Villa Emslieb. This beautifully scaled villa filled with art is situated in a vast garden on the outskirts of Salzburg. Ropac is famously quoted as saying, “as a gallery owner, I am my own best client!” This is true. In his private collection there are wonderful works by Andy Warhol, Joseph Beuys, Anselm Kiefer and Sigmar Polke among others.

The most fun art piece was in his swimming pool. Big bold letters spell out two words, “BE AMAZING”. On this particular fall day the weather was perfect, the lunch in his magnificent dinning room was delicious and his art first rate. Thaddaeus Ropac “IS AMAZING”!

The numerous museums in Vienna are overwhelming. There are just so many excellent museums!

I would suggest going first to the museum Belvedere (Upper Belvedere) which is world renowned for its collection of masterpiece by Gustav Klimt, Egon Schiele and Oskar Kokoschka. A tourist warning, it is very crowded and I would visit this particular Museum early in the day.
The Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien (MUMOK) is a fantastic contemporary art museums and deserves a couple of hours to enjoy the many floors. The architecture is very interesting, especially the elevator bank. When I visited the only artist that I was familiar with was Candida Höfer. Be sure to check out their fabulous book/gift shop and tea and cupcake bar. The gift shop sells multiple works by well-known artists. There are other museums in this museum complex that are worth while, all you need is a lot of time.

I visited 21er Haus (Museum of Contemporary Art) not far from the center of Vienna. The works shown were very contemporary. Some of the installation made me smile. Yoko Ono’s “Mend Pieces” is an instillation that I saw last year in Chelsea. The concept is to put together some of the broken pieces of pottery and if you can mend the pottery pieces you can help mend world.

The World famous Albertina Museum does not fail to please. The big deal exhibition was “Monet to Picasso”. The show was excellent as well as the downstairs galleries filled with international contemporary artists.. Many American artists were represented. Such as Alex Katz, Roy Lichtenstein, Ross Bleckner and many more.

Germany and Austria is so full of cultural institutions it is hard to see everything that is worthwhile.

I must mentioning the “Sacher Torte” as part of the Vienna experience. It is the most delicious dessert that I have ever tasted. Visitors line up for hours to experience this treat at the Hotel Sacher where the torte was first created.

Museum Listings for Munich:

Museum Brandhorst

Lenbachhaus

Pinakothek der Moderne

Glyptothek

Museum Listings for Vienna:

Museum Belvedere

Museum Moderner Kunst Stiftung Ludwig Wien (MUMOK)

Albertina Museum

Museum of Contemporary Art

Austrian Museum of Applied Art

Hotels and Restaurants:

Zum Schwarzen Kameel; Hotel Sacher

Munich Art Guide:

Marion Bierling

0049 (0) 179 9313300

kunst@mukstudio.de

Visiting Japan’s Art Islands

Written by Linda on June 20, 2017. Posted in Uncategorized.

I was traveling in Japan when a Japanese billionaire bought a Basquiat painting at Sotheby’s for $110.5 million. I was not surprised.

The buyer, Yusaku Maezawa is the founder of the very popular online retail site, Zozotown. Maezawa has established a contemporary art foundation in Chiba Prefecture, Tokyo, and plans to show the work there after it tours institutions and museums around the world. There are many wealthy people in Japan who have spent billions creating their own private museums to showcase their collections. I was eager to visit as many private museums as I could on this trip. Some are very accessible like the Mori Art Center located on the top two floors of the Mori Tower designed by American architect Richard Gluckman. Others, like the the three museums on Naoshima Island, Teshima Island and Inujima Island, take a lot of planning and work to visit.

We started our visit at the charming Nezu Museum in Tokyo, which was once railroad industrialist Nezu Kauchiro’s private home and has a magnificent garden and tea houses. The galleries are filled with traditional Japanese art such as sculpture, ceramics, lacquer ware, bronzes and textiles, which is a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

The Miho Museum, about an hour from Kyoto, is a an I. M. Pei-designed jewel. As you walk through a stainless steel tunnel under a mountain, you arrive at this spectacular private museum. It is small but reminiscent of the East Wing of the National Gallery in Washington DC. The museum houses the antiquities and Asian art from the collection of Nihoko Kiyama and her daughter Hiroko.

Other private museums espcially the three museums on Naoshima Island, Teshima island and Inujima Island take a lot of planning and work to visit. For example, to reach Naoshima island, visitors must be prepared to take a plane or train, taxi and a ferry!

There are three major museums on Naoshima Island. The Benesse House is a contemporary museum and hotel designed by Tadao Ando. This is where I stayed and my third floor hotel room allowed me access to works by Cy Twombly, Richard Long, Frank Stella, Bruce Nauman, and Hiroshi Sugimoto day and night. To walk to breakfast passing these masterpieces is an exceptional experience!

The Chichu Museum is another museum on the island and an Ando-designed masterpiece. Opened in 2004, it highlights only 3 artists: a breathtaking instillation room by Walter de Maria, Claude Monet’s water lily paintings displayed in a beautiful light-filled gallery and a James Turrell outdoor installation.

The Lee Ufan Museum is a tribute to Korean artist Lee Ufan and highlights his work in this third Tadao Ando designed museum on Naoshima Island.

In the charming town of Naoshima, houses have been turned into art installations. Some of the artists who created these interventions are familiar names such as James Turrell and Hiroshi Sugimoto. I was told that there are 8 million abandoned houses throughout Japan due to low population and young people wanting to move to the city.

Another ferry is required to visit Teshima Island. Visiting the museum is a surreal experience, a combination of a futuristic visual dome and primitive amoeba-like water features rising from the floor of the dome joining other larger pools of water. It is both very meditative and mesmerizing.

Inuijima Island showcases Seirensho, an abandoned copper refinery where architect Hiroshi Sambuichi and artist Yukinori Yanagi collaborated to create a dramatic installation. This is the smallest of the three island with a population of just 45 inhabitants.

While coming from or going to Naoshima, you may want to visit the shrine- like Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum.

Visiting these art islands is an extraordinary experience but keep in mind you must adhere to tight schedules and book months in advance.

If there were to be two national treasures in Japan, one would be Tadao Ando and the other Yayoi Kusama. Many of the museums and private homes were designed by Ando and every museum gift shop sold Kusama products. They represent the best of Japan.

List of museums:

Mori Art Center, Nezu Museum, Miho Musuem, Benesse House, Chichu Museum, Lee Ufan Museum, Teshima Art Museum, Isamu Noguchi Garden Museum

Art, Architecture, and Design in the Netherlands

Written by Linda on July 13, 2016. Posted in Travel, Uncategorized.

Rotterdam

Rotterdam is a vibrant city with a unique contemporary architecture, a showcase for modern design. This extensive harbor area is one of the busiest in Europe. The city is dotted with bridges, buildings and even staircases designed by well-known architects, many of whom have relocated their offices to this Netherlands hub.

I was compelled to visit Rotterdam when I saw a picture in a travel magazine of the MRDV designed Market Hall. The design and interior mural were so fascinating that I had to see this structure in real life. As it turns out, the Market Hall was more stunning in real life than I could have imagined.

Amsterdam

At first glance, Amsterdam has an unchanging old world charm that seems even more quaint in 2016. But don’t let the exterior fool you. This city is home to the most extraordinary and advanced interior design workshops.

Designer and entrepreneur Joris’ Laarman created a “lab” which utilizes the most advance technology in creating chairs, tables, other interior accessories and even bridges. He collaborates with scientists, engineers and craftsmen using 3-D printing to create these works. His gigantic machinery that produces these objects is something straight out of Star Wars.

We also visited the design studio of the great Marcel Wanders. He is a prominent interior and product designer. His works can be seen at the Andaz Hotel. Wanders also has a design store where one can purchase his works in Amsterdam and New York called Moooi.

Studio Drift was founded in 2006 by Ralph Nauta and Lonneke Gordijn. The aim of this studio is to merge nature and technology. We saw that concept in full force on our visit. Real dandelions were dissected and glued to LED lights on a bronze structure. We were all mesmerized by the process. I was able to purchase one of their lights at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and am thrilled to have it in my collection.

We saw amazing private collections and visited artists’ studios. Many of the studios had government support. Entire buildings were were devoted to artists’ studios in some of the nicest part of Amsterdam with moderate rents.

The food was delicious and we especially enjoyed eating at the restaurant in the Rijksmuseum.

I intend to return to the Netherlands soon. Museum Voorlinden, a private museum located in Wassenaar, is opening in the fall of 2016.

Must See in Amsterdam:
Stedelijk Museum
Rijksmuseum
Van Gogh Museum
Anne Frank House
Portuguese Synagogue, 1675

Must See in the Hague (very close to Amsterdam):
The Mauritshuis: On view “The Girl with the Pearl Earring” and the “Goldfinch”
The Gemeentemuseum Den Haag: This museum holds the largest collection of Piet Mondrian and many other world class artists.

Art Basel Miami Beach 2015

Written by Linda on December 20, 2015. Posted in Uncategorized.

Everyone seemed to be a VIP at Art Basel Miami Beach 2015. Besides the stabbing, the rain, the floods, and traffic jams, collectors said they had a great time at the fair because the art was fantastic. In fact, there was so much material for sale, I wondered how it would all be absorbed?The most apparent trend this year was an emphasis on “women artists” who are being shown and highlighted in many of the private museums, private collections and commercial galleries. Pace Gallery showed Louise Nevelson‘s work, and many pieces sold immediately. The Rubell Family Collection focused on the women artists that were in their collection such as Janine Antoni, Rineke Dijkstra, Yayoi Kusama, and Isa Genzken.

Janine Antoni at the Rubell Family collection.

Their open breakfast, where fiancées were working together to provide buttered bread for the throngs of visitors in Jennifer Rubell‘s Devotion, was a lot of fun. The man cut loaves of bread, and the woman buttered it and gave it to guests. The line was very, very long.

Ana Mendieta‘s work is always on view at the de la Cruz Collection. I think of her third floor space as more of a shrine than an art installation.

The most exciting new space was the Jeffrey Dietch and Larry Gagosian pop-up gallery showing figurative works by well known artists. Architecturally, the space was fascinating and beautifully curated. They also showed many women artists, such as Marlene Dumas, Elizabeth Payton, Jenny Saville, and Dana Schutz, whose works were figurative.

Pop-up gallery from Jeffrey Deitch and Larry Gagosian

Dana Schutz at the Rubell Family Collection.

The Margulies Collection at the Warehouse was a knock out. Their new installation of Anselm Kiefer‘s work was museum quality and a “must see.”

Anselm Kiefer's work in the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse — Anselm Kiefer’s work in the Margulies Collection at the Warehouse

Tracey Emin's work "Always More," a perfect description of the art frenzy — Tracey Emin‘s work “Always More,” a perfect description of the art frenzy

As usual, there were too many auxiliary fairs, museum shows, and installations to see everything, but Art Basel Miami Beach 2015 was a high-quality experience, leaving art lovers feeling that they should have seen more.

Turin: A City of Art Surprises

Written by Linda on October 24, 2015. Posted in Uncategorized.

My first surprise as we drove to Turin was a stop at La Reggia di Venaria Palace. Their magnificent gardens host bronze tree sculptures by Giuseppe Penone and dancing water fountains in the courtyard.

Once we got to Turin, we toured the Foundation Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. Located in a streamlined contemporary building by architect Claudio Silvestrin, it is a perfect setting to see the most forward and challenging art exhibitions. Be sure to eat at the cafe and look at the art vases in the gift shop.

The 11th century Castello di Rivoli, which houses Turin’s Museum of Contemporary Art, was another big surprise. The contrast of the ancient, architecturally restored rooms with the international, more contemporary collection of art works dating from the 1950s is memorable. Be sure to make a lunch reservation at their restaurant, Combal.Zero which has a two-star Michelin guide rating.

I was excited to tour the newly renovated Egyptian Museum. Critics have raved about the renovation, and justly so. It is spellbinding the way they show the Egyptian artifacts in context as to how the treasure was excavated: the viewer sees the entire room as it was originally found in the tombs.This museum is a “must see” when visiting Turin.

Juxtaposed with the opulence of the Egyptian Museum is the excellent Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli. This museum highlights the extreme restraint of architect Renzo Piano, who designed this small, private museum perched on the roof of the historic Fiat building.

Industrial roof of the Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli

Pinacoteca Giovanni e Marella Agnelli has masterpieces that include works by Picasso, Matisse, and Modigliani. As part of their programming, the museum invites artists to curate and show their private collections.

The best surprise happened on the day we were leaving for the airport. We visited the GAM, the Museum of Modern and Contemporary art in Turin. A splendid Claude Monet show was on view. Over 40 paintings were lent from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Room after room of world class masterpieces were on view, showing gorgeous impressionist landscapes and portraits of elegant late nineteenth-century women. The show was beautifully curated and received rave reviews.

The sign above the museum summed up this trip perfectly:

"All art has been contemporary" — “All art has been contemporary”

What a great way to say goodbye to a beautiful city.

@Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz

Written by Linda on March 26, 2015. Posted in Uncategorized.

@Large, the Alcatraz installation of Ai Weiwei’s work, is not easy to access. One must first book a ferry trip to the abandoned island where the former prison is located. Now under the auspices of the National Park Service, the Pacific Ocean island has breathtaking views of San Francisco and the Bay Area.

In the New Industries Building’s first room, Ai Weiwei installed Chinese dragon kites. There are pictures of birds and plants representing nations that violate the human rights of their citizens.

The second room, the LEGO room, displays portraits of more than 175 people from around the world who have been detained because of their beliefs. Their portraits are made of 1.2 million LEGO bricks.

In the Cellhouse-Block, fragile-looking white porcelain bouquets of flowers can be found in bathtubs, sinks and toilets. In other cells, Tibetan and Native American chants can be heard.

Give yourself plenty of time to get on the ferry back to San Francisco and Pier 33. When we visited there were massive amounts of people trying to return and big lines. Alcatraz is now under the auspices of the National Parks Service.

Art Basel Miami: A Week of Great Art and Parties

Written by Linda on December 21, 2014. Posted in Uncategorized.

With all the fairs, installations and art openings, art collectors complained that it was impossible to see everything. Below is what Art Privée felt were the top ten exceptional art experiences.

The Best of ABMB 20014:

1. The Rubells’ 50th Anniversary celebration: Black tie and bites of cake at 9:00 in the morning.

2.Do-Ho Suh at the Margulies Collection: A full scale replica of his apartment corridor made of translucent nylon.

3. Marina Abramović: In the main convention hall, we were shocked to see colorful blankets on cots where people were sleeping with noise eliminating headphones. Marina Abramović partnered with the Beyeler Foundation to present one of her mind bending installations.

4. “One Way: Peter Marino”: Peter Marino’s newly opened collection at the Bass Museum is beautiful and edgy. The installations were created in the most unique way. As you walk the ramp to the gallery, his collections of painting are encased by a black wall frame. A unique and exciting art experience.

5. Jugofresh: We were delighted to discover this juice bar, that has a mural of the Last Supper behind the counter. Delicious!

6. The Perez Art Museum: PAMM is currently showing a Beatriz Milhazes retrospective, with room after room of color and patterns — very joyful! They hosted a one-year anniversary party Thursday night in what is the best museum event space we’ve ever seen!

7. Decobikes: Getting around South Beach proved to be a real challenge, as traffic was horrendous and Uber/Lyft rates were often double to quadruple the standard. The solution: Decobikes, Miami’s bike sharing system sponsored by Citibike. For $4 per half hour, it’s a great way to circumvent traffic and get some exercise!

8. Hypersalon: The brainchild of Hyperallergic, Transfer and XPO Gallery, Hypersalon offered ABMB visitors daily artist talks and exhibitions exploring “networked culture in contemporary art.” One of our favorite pieces on view was Carla Gannis’s delightfully tongue-in-cheek “Garden of Emoji Delights.”

9. Daniel Arsham, “Welcome to the Future” at Locust Projects: Arsham created a huge excavation site, filling an enormous pit in the gallery floor with 20th century“artifacts” such as boom boxes, Walkman’s, VHS tapes, electric guitars, portable televisions and more.

10. UNITLED: In its third year, this beach-side satellite fair closed with a record attendance of 32,000 visitors. Untitled was dubbed one of the “Hidden Gems of Miami’s Satellite Art Fairs” by Artnet. One of many highlights: Ebony G. Patterson’s vibrant Bling Funeral series (pictured below) at Monique Meloche Gallery, depicting coffin sculptures on sticks.

Modern & Contemporary Auction Week in New York

Written by Linda on November 15, 2014. Posted in Uncategorized.

We started the modern and contemporary auction week by visiting Sotheby’s and viewing the Mrs. Paul Mellon sale. We then went on to Christie’s and Phillips, and were amazed at how much excellent material was for sale. We were right: Christie’s and Sotheby’s sold more than $1.78 billion worth of art in one week.

We were privileged to have an exciting private walk-through at the Guggenheim with Valerie Hillings, curator of the show Zero: Countdown to Tomorrow: 1950s-1960s.

Heinz Mack, Otto Piene and Günther Uecker’s works seemed so fresh and new, though some were created in the 1950s. This show brings together over 40 artists from ten countries. It is thrilling to be exposed to art from the twentieth century that looks like it could be created tomorrow.

Visiting private collections and showing how collectors live with art is always a unique experience. We had the pleasure of visiting Jane Lombard’s home, Lisa and Richard Perry’s Pop Art collection (that makes one happy just being there) and Jo Carol and Ronald S. Lauder magnificent collection with spectacular views of New York City.

The Skarstedt Gallery opened a new space in Chelsea and hosted us to a delicious private lunch with artist George Condo whose new works are on view. He told us how he worked on these dynamic painting in a one-car garage in East Hampton. Condo shared that “painting got me through life, a way of surviving.” What is next for Condo? Abstract sculpture.

In the spring of 2015, the Louise Bourgeois Study Center and Museum will open in two New York City townhouses, under the name of the Easton Foundation. There, collections of her diaries, personal writings and photographs will be archived.

Her residence will be left as is and made into a museum with a sculpture garden. The 2 houses are next to each other at 347 West 20th street. We visited the townhouses, which are now being renovated, and her longtime assistant Jerry Gorovoy spoke to us about the foundation’s goals.

Our last stop was with artist Mary Heilmann who generously opened her studio and spoke about moving to New York and how her art career unfolded. We sat comfortably on her colorful chairs that she had created, surrounded by her paintings.

It was an epic week for the auction houses, and exhausting for art enthusiasts trying to see it all!

The Aspen Ideas Festival

Written by Linda on July 15, 2014. Posted in Uncategorized.

Attending the four-day Aspen Ideas Festival is like being able to go to Harvard without filling out a killer application or doing homework.

The first opening session (there are two four-day sessions) began with a discussion titled “What’s the Big Idea?” Presenters gave us an overview of what they would discuss in their individual seminars. The most brilliant intellects in the world gave the audience a smorgasbord of what to expect in the coming days.

The first seminar we attended was called “Millennials and the Next Generation” presented by Paul Taylor of Pew Research Center. The gist of his talk was statistically heavy and showed how the greying of America and immigration have changed our demographics.

Read more here…

The 9/11 Memorial Museum

Written by Linda on June 21, 2014. Posted in Uncategorized.

I was reluctant to visit the newly opened 9/11 Memorial Museum.

I am a board member of an organization called “Women for Women” that hosts the spouses of Ambassadors to the UN in New York. The core of the organization is planning events for these women from all over the world. The spouses are able to meet women from New York, get to know us and hear our stories, as we get to know theirs. The mantra of this group is “The friendship of women as the route to understanding and peace.”

A museum visit to the 9/11 Memorial Museum was planned so that we could all reflect on this tragedy together.

Read more here…