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“Where’s Andy Murray?” Famous family fires up over Wimbledon faux pas

<p>The family of Andy Murray are up in arms after the tennis champion was left out of a promotional artwork ahead of the annual Wimbledon competition. </p> <p>On Tuesday, the All England Club unveiled the promotional image to their social media accounts, which shows 15 past tennis champions, past and present, walking down the stairs of the main building at Wimbledon. </p> <p>At the forefront of the image are members of the “next generation of headline acts” Spaniard world No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz and Italian Jannik Sinner, surrounded by sporting legends such as Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and the Williams sisters Serena and Venus.</p> <p>Despite the image being filled with famous tennis faces, there is no image of Andy Murray, a two-time Wimbledon champion, whose famous victory in July 2013 ended 77 years of waiting for a homegrown British male singles winner.</p> <p>Andy's family and fans reacted with outrage that Murray, who was officially knighted in May 2019, was left out of the composition.</p> <p>Murray’s uncle Niall Erskine tweeted, “Appalling at every level, all about the men in the forefront and your own British history-maker nowhere to be seen. You should be ashamed of yourselves.”</p> <p>Elder brother Jamie – who has won two Wimbledon mixed doubles titles – asked, “Where’s Andy Murray?”</p> <p>LA-based freelance illustrator Grant Gruenhaupt responded to the criticism by saying, “Worry not Jamie, there are more paintings on the way.”</p> <p>He added, “Back with Wimbledon on another fun series celebrating historic moments and players!"</p> <p>“This one featuring the greatest rivalries of the past and present as they make the historic walk through the clubhouse and onto Centre Court."</p> <p>“A lot of nuance in this one. Definitely one of the more challenging scenes I’ve had to tackle.”</p> <p><em>Image credits: All England Club / Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Even after his death, Rolf Harris’ artwork will stand as reminders of his criminal acts

<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gregory-dale-1441894">Gregory Dale</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p>Australian entertainer and artist Rolf Harris has died at the age of 93.</p> <p>After a prominent career as an artist, particularly in the UK, in 2014 <a href="https://theconversation.com/rolf-harris-guilty-but-what-has-operation-yewtree-really-taught-us-about-sexual-abuse-28282">Harris was convicted</a> of 12 counts of indecent assault.</p> <p>For his victims, his death might help to close a painful chapter of their lives.</p> <p>However, what will become of the prodigious output of the disgraced artist?</p> <h2>Jack of all trades, master of none</h2> <p>Harris developed an interest in art from a young age. At the age of 15, one of his portraits was <a href="https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/archibald/1946/">selected for showing</a> in the 1946 Archibald Prize. Three years later, he won the Claude Hotchin prize.</p> <p>These would be among the few accolades he would collect in the art world. In truth, he was never really recognised by his peers.</p> <p>The Art Gallery of Western Australia in Perth, from where he hailed, never added any of his artworks to its collection.</p> <p>Harris rose to prominence primarily as a children’s entertainer and then later as an all-round television presenter. There is a generation of Australians and Britons who grew up transfixed to their TV sets as Harris transformed blank canvases into paintings and cartoons in the space of just 30 minutes.</p> <p>His creativity also extended to music. He played the didgeridoo and his own musical creation, “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wobble_board">the wobble board</a>”. He topped the British charts in 1969 with the single Two Little Boys. However, he is probably more famous for the song Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport.</p> <p>Perhaps the ultimate recognition came in 2005, when he was invited to <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Her_Majesty_Queen_Elizabeth_II_%E2%80%93_An_80th_Birthday_Portrait">paint Queen Elizabeth II</a>. His audience with the queen was filmed for a BBC documentary starring Harris. His portrait of her majesty briefly adorned the walls of Buckingham Palace, before being displayed in prominent British and Australian galleries.</p> <h2>Criminal conviction and the quick retreat from his art</h2> <p>In 2014, Harris was found guilty of 12 counts of indecent assault against three complainants, aged 15, 16 and 19 years at the times of the crimes. These incidents occurred between 1978 and 1986.</p> <p>Before sentencing Harris to five years and nine months imprisonment, the sentencing judge <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/the-full-statement-from-the-judge-who-sentenced-rolf-harris-to-jail-20140704-3bee0.html">commented</a>:</p> <blockquote> <p>You took advantage of the trust placed in you, because of your celebrity status, to commit the offences […] Your reputation now lies in ruins.</p> </blockquote> <p>What followed was a public retreat from his artwork.</p> <p>It is worth asking why this was the public response, when the subject matter of his artwork was innocuous and unremarkable. Among his visual artworks were portraits and landscapes. None of them depicted anything particularly offensive or controversial.</p> <p>Nevertheless, many of those who owned his works felt the need to dissociate themselves with Harris. His portrait of the queen <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-28105318">seemed to vanish</a> into thin air. In the wake of his convictions, no one claimed to know of its whereabouts.</p> <p>Harris had also painted a number of permanent murals in Australia. Many these were <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/rolf-harris-mural-in-caulfield-to-be-painted-over-20140706-zsy3n.html">removed</a> or <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-03-06/rolf-harris-mural-on-theatre-survives-vote-for-destruction/9518358">permanently obscured</a>.</p> <h2>The roles of guilt and disgust</h2> <p>Guilt seems to play a <a href="https://espace.library.uq.edu.au/view/UQ:d3f7264">prominent role</a> in explaining why owners remove such artworks from display.</p> <p>Art is inherently subjective and so it necessarily forces the beholder to inquire into the artist’s meanings. When an artist is subsequently convicted of a crime, it is perhaps natural to wonder whether their art bore signs that there was something untoward about them.</p> <p>Some artists even promote this way of thinking. In fact, Harris authored a book entitled <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2883465-looking-at-pictures-with-rolf-harris">Looking at Pictures with Rolf Harris: A Children’s Introduction to Famous Paintings</a>.</p> <p>In it, he wrote:</p> <blockquote> <p>You can find out a lot about the way an artist sees things when you look at his paintings. In fact, he is telling us a lot about himself, whether he wants to or not.</p> </blockquote> <p>When facing the artwork of a convicted criminal, our subjective feelings of guilt persist because we have, in some tiny way, shared a role in their rise and stay as an artist. This makes it difficult to overcome the feeling that the artwork contains clues to the artist’s criminality. We can also feel guilty deriving pleasure from a piece of art whose maker caused others great pain.</p> <p>Disgust also plays a central role in our retreat from the criminal’s artwork.</p> <p>Disgust is a powerful emotion that demands we withdraw from an object whose mere presence threatens to infect or invade our bodily integrity.</p> <p>Related to disgust is a anthropological theory known as the “<a href="https://www.latimes.com/science/sciencenow/la-xpm-2014-feb-24-la-sci-sn-price-of-fame-celebrity-contact-boosts-value-of-objects-20140222-story.html">magical law of contagion</a>”. An offensive person leaves behind an offensive trace that continues to threaten us. It is not based on reason but instinct.</p> <p>In essence, the criminal has left their “negative” traces on their artwork.</p> <p>This explains why Harris’ paintings, although of innocuous images, suddenly became eyesores and their market value dropped. Owners of such artwork might also feel compelled to show their disgust openly, to publicly extricate themselves from the artist.</p> <p>No one wants to be seen to condone the behaviour of a sexual offender.</p> <p>Even after his death, Harris’ artwork will continue to stand as reminders of his criminal acts.</p> <p><em>If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call <a href="https://www.1800respect.org.au">1800RESPECT</a> on 1800 737 732. In an emergency call 000.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/206282/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></em></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gregory-dale-1441894">Gregory Dale</a>, Lecturer, TC Beirne School of Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-queensland-805">The University of Queensland</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/even-after-his-death-rolf-harris-artwork-will-stand-as-reminders-of-his-criminal-acts-206282">original article</a>.</em></p>

Art

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Eco-activist attacks on museum artwork ask us to figure out what we value

<p>In the last few weeks <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/23/arts/claude-monet-mashed-potatoes-climate-activists.html">climate change activists have perpetrated various acts</a> of reversible vandalism <a href="https://twitter.com/artnews/status/1585745905512169473">against famous works of art in public galleries</a>. </p> <p>In the latest incident on Oct. 27, two men entered <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/oct/27/girl-with-a-pearl-earring-vermeer-just-stop-oil-protest-mauritshuis-the-hague">the Mauritshuis gallery in the Hague</a>. After taking off their jackets to reveal t-shirts printed with anti-oil slogans, one proceeded to glue his head to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/famed-girl-with-pearl-earring-painting-targeted-by-climate-activists-nos-2022-10-27/">glass overtop</a> <a href="https://www.mauritshuis.nl/en/our-collection/artworks/670-girl-with-a-pearl-earring/">Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring</a>, while the other bathed the head of his partner-in-crime with what appeared to be tinned tomatoes before gluing his own hand to the wall adjacent to the painting.</p> <p>This was just the latest in a series of similar art attacks that have peppered the news. </p> <p>The motivation of the eco-activists involved is to draw attention to the crisis of climate change, the role of big oil in hastening the deterioration of the environment and the necessity to save our planet.</p> <p>By attacking a famous and high-value cultural target like Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring — it <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335119/">even starred in its own movie</a> — the protesters are asking us to examine our values.</p> <h2>Big oil protests</h2> <p>The first Vermeer painting to come to auction for almost 80 years <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/vermeer-fetches-record-price-1.506190">sold for almost $40 million in 2004</a>. Today a Vermeer (<a href="http://www.essentialvermeer.com/how_many_vermeers.html">there are not that many)</a> could easily be valued at twice that. Whether you like Vermeer or not, the monetary value of the targets under attack enhances the sheer audacity and shock value of the current art attacks.</p> <p>The eco-activists want to appear to desecrate something that people associate with value and with culture. Their point is that if we don’t have a planet, we’ll lose all the things in it that we seem to value more. </p> <p>As activist Phoebe Plummer of Just Stop Oil <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/just-stop-oil-protestor-van-gogh-sunflowers-why-video-1234643678">told NPR after being involved in the attack on Van Gogh’s Sunflowers at London’s National Gallery</a>: “Since October, we have been engaging in disruptive acts all around London because right now what is missing to make this change is political will. So our action in particular <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/11/01/1133041550/the-activist-who-threw-soup-on-a-van-gogh-explains-why-they-did-it">was a media-grabbing action to get people talking, not just about what we did, but why we did it</a>.”</p> <p>Note, the idea is disruption, not destruction. As acts designed for shock value, the activists did draw immediate public attention.</p> <h2>Attacking art</h2> <p>By staging their attacks in public galleries, where the majority of visitors carry cell phones, activists could be assured film and photos of the incidents would draw immediate attention. By sticking to non-corrosive substances and mitigating damage to the works under attack, they don’t draw the kind of public ire that wilful destruction would evoke. </p> <p>In recent news, attacking art as a form of public protest has largely been limited to public monuments outside the gallery space, like the <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/02/us/confederate-monuments-removed-2021-whose-heritage/index.html">destruction and removal of Confederate</a> or colonial statues. </p> <p>But it’s also true that works of museum art have come under attack before. Over the course of its history, <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2019/02/19/trimmed-splashed-and-slashed-the-anatomy-of-rembrandts-the-night-watch">Rembrandt’s Night Watch in the Rijksmuseum</a> in Amsterdam was stabbed in two separate incidents in 1911 and 1975; in 1990, it was sprayed with acid; but all of those attacks were ascribed to individuals with unclear and less clearly rational motives.</p> <p>I see a few issues at stake with assessing what these recent art attacks could mean.</p> <h2>1. How effective is the messaging?</h2> <p>The activists have been articulate about their objectives, but those objectives haven’t been <a href="https://twitter.com/BrydonRobert/status/1587587106997960705">obvious to everyone who sees</a> via social media, but doesn’t stick around to hear the explanation. When a broad <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-are-climate-activists-throwing-food-at-million-dollar-paintings-180981024/">range of media</a> <a href="https://time.com/6224760/climate-activists-throw-food-at-art/">outlets all</a> perceive <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/rebeccahughes/2022/08/05/why-are-climate-activists-gluing-themselves-to-art-in-italy/?sh=1e2e8a6a246a">the need to publish</a> editorials on why eco activists are targeting art, something is getting lost in translation.</p> <p>People see the endangerment of the works of art, but may ascribe that to the activists, not to the planetary erosion wrought by climate change. I don’t think everyone is getting the message.</p> <h2>2. Possible misplaced outrage</h2> <p>The incidents up until now have been pretty effective and harmless acts. But what if something is irreparably damaged? People will be outraged, but they’ll still be outraged about the art, not about the planet. </p> <p>And while there will be a call for stiff prison sentences, precedent suggests that’s an unlikely outcome. </p> <p>A man who damaged a Picasso valued at $26 million USD at the Tate Modern <a href="https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/tate-modern-picasso-damaged-man-sentenced-1234569349">in London in 2020 was sentenced to 18 months in jail</a>.</p> <h2>3. Violation of public trust</h2> <p>The third effect is what I consider a violation of the public trust, and this gives me pause. Works of art, even the most famous ones, lead precarious lives of constant endangerment; war, weather, fire, floods. The protesters are destabilizing the idea that public galleries are “safe” spaces for works of art, held in public trust. </p> <p>As fari nzinga, inaugural curator of academic engagement and special projects at the <a href="https://www.speedmuseum.org/">Speed Art Museum</a> in Louisville, KY, pointed out in a 2016 paper: “The museum doesn’t serve the public trust simply by displaying art for its members, <a href="https://incluseum.com/2016/11/29/public-trust-and-art-museums">it does so by keeping and caring for the art on behalf of a greater community of members and non¬members alike</a>, preserving it for future generations to study and enjoy.” </p> <p>Right now these acts, no matter how well-intentioned, could lead to increased security and more limited access, making galleries prisons for art rather than places for people. </p> <p>At the same time, part of the activsts’ point is that economy that sustains <a href="https://grist.org/climate/can-art-museums-survive-without-oil-money/">big oil is entwined with arts infrastructure</a> and the art market.</p> <h2>The thing that saves us?</h2> <p>The pandemic taught us, I think, that art could be the thing we share that saves us; think of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q734VN0N7hw">people during quarantine in Italy singing opera together from their balconies</a>. </p> <p>Eco-activists engaged in performance protests ask us to question our public institutions and make us accountable for what they, and we, value. Their climate activism is dedicated to our shared fate.</p> <p>If you’re willing to fight for the protection of art, maybe you’re willing to fight to protect the planet.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/eco-activist-attacks-on-museum-artwork-ask-us-to-figure-out-what-we-value-193575" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Art

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Banksy encourages stealing from luxury store after unauthorised use of his artwork

<p dir="ltr">Banksy has appeared to encourage shoplifters to target a luxury fashion store in London after they used his artwork without permission. </p> <p dir="ltr">The elusive street artist told his followers on Instagram to go to the Guess store in Regent Street to steal items after they “helped themselves” to one of his most iconic artworks for a recent campaign. </p> <p dir="ltr">Posting a photo of the front window display of the store, he wrote, “Attention all shoplifters. Please go to GUESS on Regent Street.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“They’ve helped themselves to my artwork without asking, how can it be wrong for you to do the same to their clothes?” he told his 11.5 million followers. </p> <p dir="ltr">The Guess display, which showcased their capsule collection called Brandalised, features several of Banksy’s works, which he claims were used without his authorisation. </p> <p dir="ltr">The clothing company’s <a href="https://guess-hub.mmbsy.be/guess-in-partnership-with-brandalised-to-create-a-special-capsule-collection-with-graffiti-by-banksy">official announcement</a> for the capsule collection used the word “inspired” and said the items were produced in partnership with Brandalised, an urban graffiti license “whose mission is to offer Banksy fans affordable graffiti collectibles.” </p> <p dir="ltr">“The graffiti of Bansky has had a phenomenal influence that resonates throughout popular culture,” Guess Chief Creative Officer Paul Marciano said in the press release. </p> <p dir="ltr">“This new capsule collection with Brandalised is a way for fashion to show its gratitude.”</p> <p dir="ltr">After Banksy posted the message on Instagram, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-63682298">the BBC reported</a> that Guess closed the store, put security outside, and covered the window display.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Instagram / Getty Images</em></p>

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Artwork displayed upside down for 75 years

<p dir="ltr">An art historian has claimed that an artwork by the abstract Dutch painter Piet Mondrian has been displayed upside down for 75 years. </p> <p dir="ltr">The artwork, titled New York City I, was originally put on display at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 1945, four years after it was completed. </p> <p dir="ltr">Since then, it has been on display in various galleries around the world, and is currently hanging in the art collection of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia in Düsseldorf, where it has been since 1980.</p> <p dir="ltr">Curator Susanne Meyer-Büser noticed the longstanding error when researching the museum's new show on the artist earlier this year, but warned it could disintegrate if it was hung the right side up now.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The thickening of the grid should be at the top, like a dark sky," Meyer-Büser told <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2022/oct/28/mondrian-painting-has-been-hanging-upside-down-for-75-years">The Guardian</a>, about the unfinished and unsigned red, blue and yellow striped lattice artwork.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Once I pointed it out to the other curators, we realised it was very obvious. It is very likely the picture is the wrong way around," she added when contacted by the BBC.</p> <p dir="ltr">The evidence seems to bear this theory out, as the similarly-named New York City by the same artist, which is on display at Paris's Centre Pompidou, displays a thickening of lines at the top, rather than the bottom.</p> <p dir="ltr">In order to prevent any damage to the work, it will continue to be displayed upside down. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

Art

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Mona Lisa voted the greatest artwork of all time

<p dir="ltr">The <em>Mona Lisa</em> has been voted the greatest artwork of all time in an extensive poll of British art enthusiasts. </p> <p dir="ltr">The survey found that the majority of Brits still consider the classics to be the greatest works of art, and that two thirds consider themselves “art lovers”. </p> <p dir="ltr">Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece has been hailed the country's favourite piece of art, with 34 percent of Brits voting it number one.</p> <p dir="ltr">The <em>Mona Lisa</em> is widely regarded as the most iconic artwork, with millions travelling to the Louvre each year to see her elusive smile. </p> <p dir="ltr">Vincent Van Gough's <em>Sunflowers</em> was not far behind in second place, with the painting getting 32 percent of the vote.</p> <p dir="ltr">Painted in Arles, in the south of France, in 1888 and 1889, the series consists of five large canvases with sunflowers in a vase.</p> <p dir="ltr">Painted in Arles in the south of France in 1888 and 1889, the series consists of five large canvases with sunflowers in a vase, with it being said that the sunflower paintings had a special significance for Van Gogh, communicating gratitude.</p> <p dir="ltr">Third on the list of the most admired works of art was the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.</p> <p dir="ltr">With six million visitors flocking to the Vatican every year to gaze at its beauty, the ceiling was painted in fresco by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, and is considered a cornerstone work of High Renaissance art.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other great works on the list included Antony Gormley's <em>The Angel of the North</em>, <em>Balloon Girl</em> by Banksy, Edward Munch’s <em>The Scream</em>, and <em>The Kiss</em> by Gustav Klimt. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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The value of a banana: understanding absurd and ephemeral artwork

<p>In September 2020, the Guggenheim Museum in New York acquired <a href="https://news.artnet.com/art-world/guggenheim-banana-cattelan-1909179">Maurizio Cattelan’s Comedian</a> by anonymous donation. The work – a banana duct-taped to a wall — was first shown and sold at the <a href="https://www.theartnewspaper.com/news/this-art-is-bananas-maurizio-cattelan-presents-first-new-work-for-an-art-fair-in-15-years#:%7E:text=The%20maverick%20Italian%20artist%20Maurizio,wall%20with%20grey%20duct%20tape.">Art Basel fair in Miami Beach</a> in the autumn of 2019 where it generated attention, derision and <a href="https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-scoops/art-basel-2019-art-banana-memes-1203395572/">innumerable memes</a>. Social media was, for a brief time, overflowing with images of <a href="https://www.news18.com/news/buzz/people-are-coming-up-their-own-duct-tape-art-after-banana-in-art-basel-sells-for-rs-85-lakh-2416655.html">just about anything duct-taped to walls</a>: tamales, beer cans, cabbage, a <a href="https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1668205-duct-tape-banana">durian</a> fruit, a sandal, someone’s cat. <a href="https://adage.com/article/digital/brands-are-trying-one-art-basel-banana/2221661">Companies quickly countered with online ads</a> where their products, from deodorants to French fries, were shown duct-taped to the wall with a modest price tag.</p> <p>Comedian reignited a set of questions that seem to flare up with some regularity: what makes something a high-priced artwork when another, seemingly identical, object is not? </p> <p>Since the work was shown at an art fair, it is relevant to consider what exactly is being bought when acquiring an artwork like Comedian. The original banana had to be replaced several times during the course of the fair, once after it was eaten as <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50704136">a stunt by another artist</a>.</p> <p>The collectors who bought and subsequently donated the work to the Guggenheim did not receive an actual banana or a piece of duct tape. Instead, what they got was a document, a so-called certificate of authenticity that granted them the right to recreate the work and instructions of how to do so. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/18/arts/design/banana-art-guggenheim.html">It stipulated</a>, among other things, that the banana should be hung 175cm above ground and that it should be replaced every seven to ten days.</p> <h2>A banana is a banana is a banana</h2> <p>Although the art world has accepted the idea of <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/r/readymade">ready-made</a> everyday objects as art, at least since the mid-20th century, Cattelan’s artwork invited a collective focus on the structure of evaluation of artworks. If anyone can tape anything to the wall — as many did — what is the point of a document granting the legal right to do the same?</p> <p>Let’s compare Comedian to another fruit-based artwork: Zoe Leonard’s <a href="https://www.philamuseum.org/collections/permanent/92277.html">Strange Fruit</a> (1992-1997), a large installation of fruit peels, carefully stitched together by the artist. It was made during the Aids crisis and functioned as a ritualised act of mourning and memorialising.</p> <p>After closely working with a conservator who developed a method of halting material decay at a particular point, <a href="http://contemporary.burlington.org.uk/journal/journal/intent-in-the-making-the-life-of-zoe-leonards-strange-fruit">Leonard decided</a> that it was more in line with the work’s idea to have it turn slowly into dust. In contrast to Comedian, replacing the fruit peels was not an option since the specific acts of stitching as mourning was key to the work’s meaning. The material manifestation of Leonard’s organic objects is far from stable – time passes and they change – but it is crucial that it is these precise pieces of fruit that undergo that transformation.</p> <p>Conceptual artists in the 1960s argued that an artwork’s identity is not to be found in its physical manifestation but in the artist’s idea. That idea can, but does not have to, take material form. </p> <p>Following that logic, the material object is a manifestation of an idea, and it is the idea that is bought and sold on the art market. When the object is reproducible or immaterial, the certificate of authenticity ensures the artwork’s identity as an artwork. Comedian is not dependent on a specific banana, any banana could be used without altering the meaning of the work. That, however, is very different from saying that any banana and piece of duct tape is an artwork by Maurizio Cattelan.</p> <h2>Poking fun at the market</h2> <p>Even though the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/dec/06/maurizio-cattelan-banana-duct-tape-comedian-art-basel-miami">US$120,000 (£92,000) price tag for Comedian</a> was by contemporary art standards fairly moderate, it is obviously a huge mark-up for the act of combining two very cheap and readily available materials. </p> <p>The work’s title hints that it is aware of the comedic absurdity of its own evaluation on the art market. Also, the banana’s upward curve on the wall recalls a stylised smiling face, and the banana peel, as we know, is involved in the most basic of slapstick skits. </p> <p>Comedian was in fact not the first time Cattelan poked fun at the market, art dealers and their place within this system. In 1995, he made his dealer Emmanuel Perrotin (in whose booth at Art Basel Comedian was shown) <a href="https://www.frieze.com/article/maurizio-cattelan">dress up as a giant pink penis-shaped bunny</a> for the duration of his exhibition at Perrotin’s Paris gallery. The piece was called “Errotin le vrai lapin (Errotin the true rabbit). By making Perrotin wear a ridiculous and humiliating phallic costume while carrying out his day-to-day work as a commercial gallery owner, the spectacle of the art market came into sharp view.</p> <p>Comedian is not the only of Cattelan’s works that has drawn attention to the Guggenheim in recent years. In 2016, the artist installed the work <a href="https://www.guggenheim.org/exhibition/maurizio-cattelan-america">America</a> in one of the lavatories of the museum. The 18-karat gold toilet is a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the excesses of America’s rich; a piece of satirical participatory art that welcomes people to actually use it. It has reverberations of <a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/duchamp-fountain-t07573">Marcel Duchamp</a> and <a href="https://whitney.org/media/760">Sherrie Levine</a>’s lavatorial works. </p> <p>It <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2018/01/the-art-museum-that-offered-donald-trump-a-solid-gold-toilet">could have been President Trump</a>’s after he requested to borrow a Van Gogh from the Guggenheim but was offered America instead – he declined. It then was taken in by Blenheim Palace in Oxford in 2019 where art critic Jonathan Jones <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/sep/13/maurizio-cattelan-blenheim-palace-review-hitler-golden-toilet-blenheim-churchill">commented, "</a>How does it feel to urinate on gold? Much like peeing on porcelain. But here, among all the photos of young Winston, it also feels like pissing on British history."</p> <p>Soon after, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/20/arts/design/gold-toilet-america.html#:%7E:text=14%2C%20a%20fully%2Dfunctioning%20toilet,the%20birthplace%20of%20Winston%20Churchill.&amp;text=The%20police%20may%20not%20know,palace%2C%20have%20plenty%20of%20theories.">it was stolen</a>. Its whereabouts remain unknown.</p> <p>Cattelan’s works — like other pieces — must be considered in relation to other artworks and the structures in which it operates. The questions they raise are relevant but in part unanswerable: are we to take Comedian seriously, or is it an elaborate joke? And if it is a joke, who is in on it and who, or what, is mocked?</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-value-of-a-banana-understanding-absurd-and-ephemeral-artwork-147689" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

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AI system sees beyond the frame of famous artworks

<p dir="ltr">A new AI tool can provide a glimpse of what could potentially be going on beyond the frame of famous paintings, giving them a brand new life. </p> <p dir="ltr">OpenAI, a San Francisco-based company, has created a new tool called 'Outpainting' for its text-to-image AI system, DALL-E. </p> <p dir="ltr">Outpainting allows the system to imagine what's outside the frame of famous works such as <em>Girl with The Pearl Earring</em>, <em>Mona Lisa</em> and <em>Dogs Playing Poker</em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">DALL-E relies on artificial neural networks (ANNs), which simulate the way the brain works in order to learn and create an image from text. </p> <p dir="ltr">Now with Outpainting, users must describe the extended visuals in text form for DALL-E to “paint” the newly imagined artwork. </p> <p dir="ltr">Outpainting, which is primarily aimed for professionals who work with images, will let users 'extend their creativity' and 'tell a bigger story', according to OpenAI. </p> <p dir="ltr">US artist August Kamp used Outpainting to reimagine the famous 1665 painting <em>Girl with a Pearl Earring</em> by Johannes Vermeer, extending the background in the original style. </p> <p dir="ltr">The results show the iconic subject in a domestic setting, surrounded by crockery, houseplants, fruit, boxes and more.</p> <p dir="ltr">Other Outpainting attempts took a more creative turn, with one showing the <em>Mona Lisa</em> surrounded by a dystopian wasteland, and a version of <em>A Friend In Need</em> showing an additional table of gambling canines.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Outpainting: an apocalyptic Mona Lisa” by tonidl1989<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dalle?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dalle</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/dalle2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#dalle2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/aiart?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#aiart</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/aiartwork?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#aiartwork</a> <a href="https://t.co/puYVxjyFMm">pic.twitter.com/puYVxjyFMm</a></p> <p>— Best Dalle2 AI Art 🎨 (@Dalle2AI) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dalle2AI/status/1565168579376566278?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Used DALL-E 2’s new “outpainting” feature to expand the world’s greatest work of art… <a href="https://t.co/0HXQzngt9P">pic.twitter.com/0HXQzngt9P</a></p> <p>— M.G. Siegler (@mgsiegler) <a href="https://twitter.com/mgsiegler/status/1565398150482784256?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 1, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">DALL-E is available to more than one million people to create AI-generated images, all with a series of text prompts. </p> <p dir="ltr">DALL-E is just one of many AI systems infiltrating the art world, joining the likes of Midjourney and Imagen redefining how we create and appreciate art. </p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: DALL-E - August Kamp</em></p>

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Woman cons her mother out of $82 million artwork by claiming it was “cursed”

<p dir="ltr">A 48-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of swindling her elderly mother out of a painting worth $82 million, by making her believe it was “cursed”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sabine Coll Boghici allegedly tricked her 82-year-old mother Genevieve into handing over <em>Sol Poente (1949)</em> by Tarsila do Amaral.</p> <p dir="ltr">The artwork belonged to Genevieve’s late husband, who was an art collector, as the artwork had previously been exhibited at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. </p> <p dir="ltr">Sabine’s art con is just one part of a haul of cash, art and jewellery worth almost $200 million allegedly defrauded by the Brazilian woman. </p> <p dir="ltr">The scam to obtain Genevieve’s artwork began in 2020, when a psychic approached the elderly woman with prophecies of her daughter’s imminent death.</p> <p dir="ltr">The victim was then taken to several more psychics, who police say used personal information provided by her daughter to scam her distraught mother into transferring money to pay for “spiritual treatment”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Sabine and an accomplice posing as a psychic “began to take the artwork from the (mother's) house, claiming that the painting was cursed with something negative, with negative energy that needed to be prayed over,” said Rio de Janeiro police officer Gilberto Ribeiro.</p> <p dir="ltr">After almost a year of being mistreated by Sabine and her accomplices, Genevieve decided to go to the police.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police say 16 paintings were stolen, including works by renowned Brazilian artists like Cicero Dias, Rubens Gerchman and Alberto Guignard.</p> <p dir="ltr">Police say seven people are suspected of involvement in the years-long crime, facing charges of embezzlement, robbery, extortion, false imprisonment and criminal association.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Rio de Janeiro Civil Police / AFP</em></p>

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Musician sells artworks she created live on stage

<p dir="ltr">Grammy-nominated pop star Halsey is doing her bit to support reproductive rights in the US, as she enters the world of fine arts. </p> <p dir="ltr">Currently on tour around America, Halsey has created five artworks while performing live on stage, with the pieces now for sale at Sotheby’s. </p> <p dir="ltr">All proceeds from the sales will benefit the National Network of Abortion Funds. </p> <p dir="ltr">The drawings are included in the <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/auction/2022/contemporary-discoveries-4?locale=en">Contemporary Discoveries</a> exhibition, which features artists such as David Hockney, Andy Warhol, and Os Gêmeos. </p> <p dir="ltr">Halsey’s works are expected to fetch around $7,000 each, with bids currently ranging </p> <p dir="ltr">between $5,500 and $6,500.</p> <p dir="ltr">She created each piece on different nights of her Love and Power Tour, while singing an untitled three-minute song. </p> <p dir="ltr">Hand moving in tandem with the melody, Halsey swiftly brought to life on white canvas androgynous faces punctuated by primary colours. </p> <p dir="ltr">According to the artist, the paintings are meant to symbolise the individual energies of each audience.</p> <p dir="ltr">Halsey has long been an outspoken advocate for women's rights and reproductive healthcare access. </p> <p dir="ltr">After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe V. Wade in July, she <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/my-abortion-saved-my-life-roe-v-wade-halsey">shared her personal experience</a> with a life-saving abortion procedure in an essay for Vogue. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I miscarried three times before my 24th birthday,” She wrote. “One of my miscarriages required ‘aftercare,’ a gentle way of saying that I would need an abortion, because my body could not terminate the pregnancy completely on its own and I would risk going into sepsis without medical intervention.”</p> <p dir="ltr">“Many people have asked me if, since carrying a child to term after years of struggling to do so, I have reconsidered my stance on abortion,” Halsey continued. “The answer is firmly no. In fact, I have never felt more strongly about it.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images / Sotheby’s</em></p>

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Original artwork found in rubbish on sidewalk

<p dir="ltr">A Sydney man has hit the jackpot after finding an original piece of artwork worth thousands of dollars left on the sidewalk for council pick up. </p> <p dir="ltr">Leonardo Urbano stumbled across a cardboard box which contained several art pieces for children when he found one that stood out. </p> <p dir="ltr">Not thinking much about the price of it, Leonardo knew he wanted to give it a new home when he saw  Sydney artist and two-time Archibald Prize finalist Dapeng Liu's signature at the bottom.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I thought it was beautiful and I don't normally think about the price, I just think if someone would want it, then I'll take it with me," he told <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/sydney-man-discovers-3000-artwork-hidden-council-throw-out-090958132.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Yahoo Australia</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">He sent the artwork to his local art gallery who then confirmed that it was in fact an original and not  a copy. </p> <p dir="ltr">There is also a similar piece of artwork at the museum from Dapeng’s nude collection priced at a whopping $2,900. </p> <p dir="ltr">Leonardo has since been in touch with Dapeng and apologised to him saying the artwork was found in council pickup rubbish. </p> <p dir="ltr">Dapeng then informed Leonardo that he had actually gifted the piece of art to someone.</p> <p dir="ltr">"I said to him 'look, I'm sorry I found it in the street but I will treasure it as my own’.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Yahoo</em></p>

Art

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Aquaman in hot water after disrespecting artworks

<p dir="ltr">Jason Mamoa has landed himself in hot water after taking photos inside Apostolic Palace.</p> <p dir="ltr">The <em>Aquaman</em> star shared several photographs of himself and others inside the Palace on Instagram with the caption: I LOVE YOU ITALY what a beautiful start to our day off enjoying ROMA.</p> <p dir="ltr">The 42-year-old however was called out by fans who claimed he was given special treatment by being allowed to take photos.</p> <p dir="ltr">Photographs are banned inside the Apostolic Palace because the flash from cameras can harm and destroy the beautiful artworks. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Omg of course they let you take pictures (I thought it wasn’t allowed for preservation purposes),” someone commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You cannot touch any of our masterpieces!!!” another exclaimed.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We, regular people, are not allowed to film inside the Sistine Chapel,” another added.</p> <p dir="ltr">“We can’t take pics but ofc  celebrities can. Nothing against Jason (I adore him) but it’s not fair,” someone else commented.</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdVJaeLOv4y/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CdVJaeLOv4y/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by Jason Momoa (@prideofgypsies)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p dir="ltr">“I thought it was forbidden to take pictures at the Sistine Chapel. It WAS two weeks ago, when we visited. So disrespectful,” someone else wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Wow! You got a private viewing of the Vatican AND you were allowed to take pictures?!” another pointed out.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mamoa has since issued a video in which he apologised for disrespecting the historic artwork and culture. He however has not removed the photos off Instagram. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I just also wanted to say, if you ever felt that I disrespected your culture, it wasn’t my intention,” Momoa said in the video shared by <a href="https://www.justjared.com/2022/05/14/jason-momoa-apologizes-to-fans-offended-by-his-sistine-chapel-visit-exclusive-video/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Just Jared</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I came here when I was 19 or 20 to experience the Sistine Chapel. I’ve always wanted to and now that I can, I gave a wonderful donation to bring my friends and crew because we only had a couple days off to experience these places.</p> <p dir="ltr">“And then I found people wanted to take pictures with me, which is very odd, during a trip to the Vatican with all this wonder and they want to take pictures with me, which I don’t get, but regardless, I did.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I was very respectful and I asked for permission from what I thought, would be okay. I would never want to do anything to disrespect someone’s culture. If I did, I apologise. It was not my intention. I paid to have that private moment and gave a nice donation to the church. I love you. I’m sorry if I offended you.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Woman steals artwork then WEARS it back to the museum

<p dir="ltr">A 72-year-old French woman has been arrested after stealing an art installation from a museum. </p> <p dir="ltr">Catalan artist Oriol Vilanova exhibited a blue jacket filled with postcards visitors could remove and examine at the Musée Picasso in Paris.</p> <p dir="ltr">However, the elderly woman took the interactive exhibit one step further by taking the entire jacket and walking out with the garment. </p> <p dir="ltr">The woman returned to the museum a few days later wearing the jacket, which she had tailored to fit her properly. </p> <p dir="ltr">She was arrested by the police upon her return, who happened to be at the museum collecting evidence at the time. </p> <p dir="ltr">While in custody, the retiree – who was reportedly “passionate” about art – confessed immediately to taking the jacket, according to local news outlet Le Parisien, but claimed she did not know it was an artwork.</p> <p dir="ltr">After hours of interrogation, the public prosecutor’s office let the woman off with a warning and dropped the case. According to Le Parisien, the woman had been placed under guardianship.</p> <p dir="ltr">The artwork, titled Old Masters, involved filling the pockets of a blue jacket with postcards depicting artworks by major figures in art history. </p> <p dir="ltr">At the Musée Picasso, the jacket was filled with postcards purchased at flea markets and museum shops, all with images of Picasso’s work.</p> <p dir="ltr">“When the museum told me the work had been stolen, I was surprised, but it was impossible to envisage the story that followed,” Vilanova told Artnet News.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Le Parisien</em></p>

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Finland returns $46 million of detained artwork to Russia

<p dir="ltr">The Finnish foreign ministry has announced that Finland will return three shipments of art bound for Russia that had been confiscated by customs officials. </p> <p dir="ltr">The sculptures and paints, which are worth a collective $46 million, were seized at the Vaalimaa border crossing on suspicion of violating European sanctions on Russia, according to Customs Enforcement Director Hannu Sinkkonen. </p> <p dir="ltr">The works, which originated in Italy and Japan, were destined for various museums in Russia when they were confiscated. </p> <p dir="ltr">Finland’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs released a statement saying that the European Union amended its existing rules to exempt certain cultural artefacts from its list of sanctions. </p> <p dir="ltr">The rule change extends only to “cultural goods which are on loan in the context of formal cultural cooperation,” the statement said, without further elaboration on its motivation for the exemption.</p> <p dir="ltr">Many of the confiscated works were on loan from Russia’s State Tretyakov Gallery and the State Museum of Oriental Art for temporary exhibits at two Italian galleries. </p> <p dir="ltr">Other artworks were returned to Moscow’s Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts from Chiba City Museum in Tokyo.</p> <p dir="ltr">Following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has been hit with severe sanctions from the European Union, which originally included “luxury items” such as art. </p> <p dir="ltr">France has also been halted by the sanctions, with several French art galleries and museums showcasing on-loan Russian works. </p> <p dir="ltr">France’s Ministry of Culture announced that at least two paintings on display at Paris’ Fondation Louis Vuitton in a blockbuster exhibition of works from the collection of Ivan Morozov, a deceased Russian businessman and collector of avant-garde French art, will remain in France.</p> <p dir="ltr">The ministry said that paintings will not return to Russia “so long as their owner remain targeted by an asset freeze.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p>

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New artwork appears over existing Banksy art

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A mysterious artwork has appeared on the wall of a house in Bristol that once showcased an original Banksy work before it was vandalised. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The original artwork, which shows a girl firing a slingshot of flowers, appeared on Valentine’s Day in 2020 and was subsequently vandalised. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The destruction of the piece prompted the owners of the house to cover up the ruined work, and encase the untouched flower explosion in a glass case to prevent any further damage. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now, a new tag has appeared on the wall that shows a man in a balaclava attempting to pry away the covering with a crowbar.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846891/banksy-bristol.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/78080f293fda4bbfa32b94145cb127e7" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The original artwork appeared on Valentine’s Day 2020. Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite the new work being in Banksy’s signature street art style, the work featured a tag of the word “Pouchy”, leaving locals to wonder if the new work is Banksy’s at all, or the work of a copycat artist.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Banksy has yet to claim the piece online. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After the piece was originally vandalised and covered up, Banksy </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">himself released a statement in which he said he was “kind of glad” the artwork was vandalised as he released a series of “better” sketches of it. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images / Instagram @damianjvcunningham</span></em></p>

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Christopher Walken destroys $20million Banksy artwork

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An original Banksy artwork has been painted over by Hollywood royalty Christopher Walken while filming his new TV show. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 78-year-old actor erased the artwork, which is estimated to be worth $20million, as part of a scene of the new comedy drama show </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Outlaws</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The elusive street artist Banksy had painted the images of a rat holding two spray cans specifically for the  upcoming BBC series, which is set in his home city. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, it’s claimed that the mysterious artist had collaborated with the show bosses for the stunt. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The six-part series follows a group of misfits who are tasked with renovating a derelict community centre in Bristol as part of a community service sentence. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A spokesperson for </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Outlaws</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> confirmed, “We can confirm that the artwork at the end of <em>The Outlaws</em> was an original Banksy, and that Christopher Walken painted over that artwork during the filming of this scene, ultimately destroying it.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The wrecking of the artwork was seemingly agreed upon by Bristol-native Banksy, who is reportedly a big fan of Christopher Walken, and admired the fact that Stephen Merchant, a fellow Bristonlian, was showcasing the city. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A source told </span><a href="https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/tv/4041091/banksy-artwork-destroyed-outlaws/">The Sun</a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, “The creative team came up with the dream scenario and got in touch with the artist’s representatives in the faint hope that he might help them.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Then they discovered shortly afterwards that he’d been to the location where they were filming and left something behind. They couldn’t believe their luck as he’d painted a giant rat using his hallmark stencilling technique as well as his distinctive signature.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They added, “His only stipulation was that they really did paint over it — and it would be his hero Christopher holding the roller.”  </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Check out the trailer for </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Outlaws</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> below:</span></p> <p><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k_-6-hYP7Dk" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Art

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Banksy’s shredded work sells for 300 percent over estimated price

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">British street artist Banksy has reappeared in the headlines after his painting that shredded itself after it sold for $US 1.4 million ($AUD 1.9 million or $NZD 1.98 million)  has been sold again, this time for an even greater sum.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Love is in the Bin</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, formerly known as </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Girl With Balloon</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://7news.com.au/news/world/shredded-banksy-artwork-sells-at-auction-c-4240790" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 400;">was sold</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> for $USD 25 million ($AUD 33.71 million or $NZD 35.37 million) at Sotheby’s in London.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With a pre-sale estimate of 4 to 6 million pounds ($AUD 7.4-11.0 million or $NZD 7.75-11.52 million), the work was sold for more than three times its estimated price.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The artwork consists of a half-shredded canvas depicting a spray-painted image of a girl reaching for a heart-shaped balloon, with half of the piece still in one piece within an ornate gold frame.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844914/banksy1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/9a381196478843a3bd62b6f88e30edcb" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: @Sotheby’s / Instagram</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When the artwork was first sold at Sotheby’s in 2018, a shredder embedded in the frame started tearing it just as the winning bid was made.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Banksy later implied that the work was supposed to be turned entirely into scraps, but didn’t due to a malfunction.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sotheby’s said the work created by the stunt is “the ultimate Banksy artwork”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It was a big moment because nothing like that had been done before,” art historian Matthew Israel told </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">CNN </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">in an earlier email interview.</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bokt2sEhlsu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bokt2sEhlsu/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Banksy (@banksy)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The self-destructing artwork was “entirely at odds with the aims of the auction house, where the condition of an artwork is paramount and the knowledge and expertise about it is core to its authority and value”, he explained.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The most recent auction took the artist’s record for the highest sale price, beating the sale of </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Game Changer</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> last year.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That artwork sold for 16.7 million ($AUD 31 million or $NZD 32.47 million) to benefit UK hospitals, with the piece depicting healthcare workers as superheroes.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Though the identity of the new owner of </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Love is in the Bin</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has not been revealed, Sotheby’s described the person as a female collector from Europe with a long-standing history with the auction house.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The buyer can also choose to pay for the work in cryptocurrency.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image: Getty Images</span></em></p>

Money & Banking

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Muhammad Ali’s artworks turn a huge profit at auction

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Muhammad Ali’s artworks have sold for almost $1 million at an exclusive auction in New York. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The boxer’s little-known passion for art saw him create a collection of works that were sold by Bonhams Auction House recently. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The collection included 26 drawings and paintings that Ali created throughout the 1970s, and sold for a collective $945,000. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His biggest work, titled Sting Like A Bee, set a record for the athlete’s art as it was sold to a British collector for $425,000. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The artwork depicts one of Ali’s boxing ring victories, and was made while he was filming </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">the 1979 movie </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Freedom Road</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in Mississippi.</span></p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7844805/ali-art.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b103d95a1de7494e89c6e99c83a7704e" /></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: Bonhams Auction House</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The selling price was 10 times higher than the low estimated price of $40,000, showing the works to be in higher demand than previously thought. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Also in the sale was a 1979 painting on canvas reading “I Love You America” that sold for $150,000, and a 1967 pen sketch that alludes to Ali’s faith, which sold for $24,000.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The works originally came from a private collection belonging to Ali’s confidante Rodney Hilton Brown. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brown was the publisher of a series of editions by Ali based on serigraphs commissioned by the World Federation of United Nations Associations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As part of the World Federation series, Ali created a politically-charged drawing titled </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Let My People Go</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, which depicted an enchained African-American man being whipped. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The artwork was subsequently censored by the government agency for its graphic depiction of racial violence. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The controversial artwork sold for $72,800 at Bonhams, after being estimated at just $40,000. </span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credits: Getty Images / Bonhams Auction House</span></em></p>

Art

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Picasso’s daughter exchanges famous artworks for a tax bill settlement

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The French Government has negotiated a unique deal with Pablo Picasso’s daughter, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maya Ruiz-Picasso, to settle an inheritance tax bill. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">France is set to receive six paintings, two sculptures and a sketchbook by the world-famous artist, as French finance minister Bruno Le Maire announced during a press conference at the PIcasso Museum. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It is an honour for our country to welcome these new artworks by Picasso. They will enrich and deepen our cultural heritage,” Le Maire wrote on Twitter.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Le Maire presented one of the artworks at the press conference: the 1938 painting called </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Child with a Lollipop Sitting Under a Chair</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to Picasso’s grandson Olivier Widmaier-Picasso, the painting depicts his mother Maya as a child. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">French citizens have been permitted to settle debts similar to Maya’s with a payment of profitable art, books, and collectibles of national importance since 1968. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The collective total of the nine objects given by Picasso's daughter was not publicly disclosed. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to France’s culture minister Roselyne Bachelot, the artworks will enter the national collections at Paris’s Musée Picasso in 2022, and will be exhibited as a whole to the public in the spring of 2022.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“It is with deep emotion that I come to celebrate the entry into the national collections of the works,” said Bachelot, who called the donation an “exceptional event.”</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Image credit: French Ministry of Culture</span></em></p>

Art