Here is the latest fine art news that we have gathered throughout the planet! Let’s look at the brightest and most discussed events in the world of art!
Experts have found a new “Mona Lisa”
British experts have concluded that the Mona Lisa’s famously enigmatic smile (“La Gioconda,” 1503-1506) is not the only one of its kind. According to them, another girl from Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait “La Bella Principessa” (1495-1496) has the same mysterious half-smile. This portrait of a young girl sitting in profile in fashionable Renaissance costume and hairstyle has been recently assigned to Da Vinci. Created in colored chalks and ink, the masterpiece depicts Bianca Sforza, the illegitimate daughter of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. It is assumed that the portrait that, by the way, contains fingerprints of Leonardo had to become Bianca’s wedding present. However, three months after the wedding, a 13-year-old girl died. As for her mysterious smile, “La Bella Principessa” has the same effect as “Mona Lisa” – the smile appears and disappears when viewed from different angles. Another brilliant work by the great artist!
Rodin sculpture was stolen from the museum in Denmark
The Danish police have notified of theft committed in the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, an art museum in Copenhagen. As it became known, a bronze bust by Auguste Rodin estimated at around $300,000 was stolen in broad daylight. Two intruders posing as tourists managed to steal the sculpture among a large number of visitors in just 12 minutes. As seen on surveillance camera, the thieves simply took down the heavy bust from its base, put it in a plastic bag and then into another bag, and calmly left the museum during its normal opening hours. The stolen sculpture is the “Man with a Broken Nose” made of bronze in 1863 that refers to the early works by Rodin. Its marble version is exhibited at the Rodin Museum in Paris. There is speculation that the theft was committed by an organized international criminal group. The police investigations supported by Interpol and Europol are ongoing.
Paolo Porpora’s painting was damaged by a 12-year-old boy
A 12-year-old visitor of the museum in Taipei accidentally punched a hole in a 350-year-old painting. As it turned out, the affected artwork is a famous Paolo Porpora’s oil on canvas work known as “Flowers,” which was displayed at the “Face of Leonardo: Images of a Genius” exhibition. The incident was recorded by surveillance cameras. The boy suddenly tripped at a museum and lost his balance. Unfortunately, his fall was broken with a prominent painting… According to the exhibition organizers, the cost of the damaged masterpiece dating back to the 1660s is more than $1.5 million. It is needless to say that the little culprit was extremely concerned about that incident. However, the organizers are not going to ask the boy’s family to pay for the restoration costs as the painting was insured. For today, Andrea Rossi, the exhibition curator, is in talks with a conservator in order to restore Paolo Porpora’s “Flowers” in Taiwan before the painting travels back to Italy.
The first house designed by Gaudi will be turned into a museum
Casa Vicens, the first building designed by the renowned Spanish architect Antoni Gaudi will be renovated and turned into a museum. This family home built in 1883 – 1888 is located in Barcelona. It is scheduled to open to the public next fall. Casa Vicens was originally ordered by the ceramics factory owner Manuel Vicens in 1878. In 1899, his widow sold the house to the Herrero-Jover family who used it as a family home for three generations until in 2007 it was put up for sale again. In 2014, the building was bought by the Andorran bank MoraBanc for an undisclosed sum. The Mora’s family, new owners of Casa Vicens, immediately began the restoration works approved by a government commission to transform the building into a museum. Unfortunately, it is impossible to return the original state to this Gaudi’s masterpiece. Nonetheless, it is still an architectural monument named a UNESCO World Heritage building that remains the famous “Gaudi House.”
Yoko Ono: One Woman Show
Almost a decade before Yoko Ono became famous for her marriage to John Lennon, she had already been a household name among the participants of Fluxus, an international network of artists. It happened so that the family union with Lennon played with Yoko a cruel joke – the society forgot her as an artist. To fix this problem, the Museum of Modern Art has presented its first New York fine art exhibition dedicated exclusively to Yoko Ono and her works. The “One Woman Show” is not her first exhibition at MoMA, but it is the first one that is official. It brings together approximately 125 of Ono’s early works, including those on paper, performances, installations, films, audio recordings, and archival materials that have been rarely seen before. In accordance with the tradition of the Fluxus movement, most of the works “live” in the special space where art meets everyday life. The participation of the public is essential! The exhibition is on view until September 7, 2015.
The “Haywain” Triptych by Hieronymus Bosch returns to the Netherlands
The “Haywain” Triptych by Hieronymus Bosch will return from Madrid to the Netherlands for the first time over the past 450 years. The key creation of one of the greatest masters of the Northern Renaissance will stay at home for more than six months. Moreover, the public will have a unique opportunity to see this work at two exciting exhibitions dedicated to the 500th anniversary of the painter’s death. The “Haywain” Triptych is one of the jewels belonging to Madrid’s Prado Museum collection. King Philip II of Spain (1527 – 1598) was an avid collector of Bosch’s works and bought the triptych for his private collection in 1570. The masterpiece has never left Spain since that time. However, this fall, it will be exhibited at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, and since the beginning of 2016, the triptych will be on view at the North Brabant Museum in Brabant. The painting depicts a procession of people who followed the wagon of hay, which is a metaphor for materialism going straight to hell. In the foreground, you can see the scenes from medieval life with drunken monks, dental healers, cheerful musicians, and Gypsies. A pair of lovers on top of the wagon is surrounded by angel and demon – a symbol of old and new traditions connection. Thus, the “Haywain” is one of the first paintings in the history of art depicting scenes from everyday life. What’s more, in this work, Hieronymus Bosch showed worlds that his contemporaries considered imaginary. It should also be noted that the two exhibitions will become the culmination of the national event of the year called “Bosch-500,” which will take place in the Netherlands in 2016.
These were the most important fine art news stories from Fine Art Shippers, a professional shipping company specializing in local and international shipping, as well as packing and storage, of art objects. We are always up to date with all the events happening in the world of art!