Contemporary Fine Art News and Advice from Agora Gallery

The first fall exhibition of the year is coming to Agora Gallery. Masters of the Imagination: The Latin American Art Exhibition will be open from September 10, 2010 until October 1, 2010. The opening reception will take place on September 16, 2010. As always, entrance is free and art-lovers are warmly encouraged to visit this remarkable exhibition.

Masters of the Imagination remains a firm favorite on Agora’s annual calendar, tapping into an audience who are deeply touched by the dynamic atmosphere created by lively, energetic paintings. Love of life and its variety shines out of these works, spreading this sense of appreciation to all who see them. The audience will be able to feel the vitality of the artists and their view on the world, both that of their inner emotions and the physical structure which surrounds them and through which they move in their daily lives.

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News stories from around the world:

Cave paintings of ‘exceptional’ artistic quality are uncovered in the desert http://bit.ly/d3r2V4

How did the thieves gain access to the stolen Van Gogh? Simple. The alarms were broken http://bbc.in/9mZHCx

The Eli Broad Museum has a location – it’s downtown L.A., and that’s official http://bit.ly/clRvGA

Wrangling over Warhol; the scandal so far http://bit.ly/aBvXSC

A new generation of museum directors steer their charges in new directions http://bit.ly/9hZw7N

Popular stories from the week:

So bad it’s good? The late work of Salvador Dali http://bit.ly/9nO8fd

The magical beauty of marine algae (from space) http://bit.ly/c86FLO

Art, apps and the potential of the digital http://nyti.ms/bdy8Z5

A filmmaker lost an eye. He put a camera in its place http://bit.ly/9vf8Vs

See the sun setting in Queens – time lapsed for your convenience http://bit.ly/a51Lo8

Many visitors to Agora Gallery will remember Nellie. She’s one of our friendly gallery assistants, and our Exhibition Coordinator. Art is an important part of her life and interests, and that doesn’t stop at her professional role. For some time now, Nellie has been volunteering at Art-Start, a wonderful local organization we’ve mentioned on this blog before. This post is what she has to say about her experience.

Guest post by Nellie Scott

Mentoring is one of the best gifts you can give to a child. When given a new set of tools, their young minds expand with a flood of inspiration and purpose. It’s as if you poured water onto a piece of paper, and before your eyes, it suddenly grew into the tree it used to be. It’s been said many times, in many different ways, but the youth of today ensure that our world’s tomorrow is bright and colorful. In 2009, I joined the Art-Start volunteer family and since have enjoyed every moment spent with the children. This unique organization works with non-profit shelters and group homes throughout the New York City area, providing workshops for transitional and homeless youth between the ages of 6 and 21.

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Art news from around the world:

Who owns Michelangelo’s David? City and state battle it out http://bit.ly/c2OCxL

A ‘toy village’ bursting with art; Governors Island is worth a visit http://nyti.ms/9RRUBV

Propaganda posters from North Korea form an art exhibition in Vienna Museum … Controversy abounds http://nyti.ms/dCcgt8

Eli Broad lectures museums: share art with as big an audience as possible http://bit.ly/dfQwDg

Who owns looted art? An enduring question http://bit.ly/bZrdi4

Popular stories from the week:

Marvelous Matisse at MoMA (and why art should be measured like alcohol) http://bit.ly/abovdQ Anyone checked this out yet?

Why ordinary people love culture – so long as they’re appreciated http://bit.ly/bTKbKI

TOP’s best photography ‘How to’ books http://bit.ly/cwdKeL

Impressionists, gardens and horticulture… It’s not what you think http://bit.ly/bKBm80

Britain’s most talked about art sensation is a painting prodigy of … 8 years old http://bit.ly/ag0qlP

We’re all familiar with the cliche of the ‘starving artist’ and although it’s generally an exaggeration, it’s true that the life of an artist is well known to be one with relatively little financial certainty. Unless you’re a commercial artist, working for a company, you’re not likely to have a regular salary coming through your work. For this reason, many artists have other jobs as well as their artistic career, sometimes in related fields such as design or restoration.

Of course, this is not to say that it is impossible to make enough money as a full-time artist. There are many talented artists who manage to do just that. Yet it takes time to build up the kind of awareness of your work, exposure in wider markets, and circle of buyers you need to be able to make a living simply from your fine art. Even with all that, a certain amount of luck is involved which means that income can fluctuate from year to year.

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News stories from around the world:

Abstraction is the new black – in Manhattan this summer http://nyti.ms/cYeMVO

‘Art and money are inextricably linked’ in Nigeria, where the art market is rising from nothing http://bit.ly/da0rec

Popularism but limited popularity – how the Brooklyn Museum struggles to stay on the map in a city of art giants http://nyti.ms/cUxD3s

Graffiti causes controversy in Rome as protecting ancient buildings clashes with life in a modern city http://bit.ly/bGhIC4 while on the other hand, San Francisco partners with street artists to defeat urban graffiti http://bit.ly/9hvTJE

A breath of fresh art comes to one of China’s previously less cultural cities http://nyti.ms/b0kTxV

Popular stories from the week:

The value of photography workshops http://bit.ly/bYtcGU Anyone had experience of this recently?

Photographic self portraits, an art form that’s 170 years old http://bit.ly/aEnoj1 Anyone ever tried this?

Does great art make you sick? Well, maybe http://bit.ly/cp7efq

The Museum of Bad Art and its awful collection http://n.pr/cFDVyJ No, really. And here are 15 of the worst paintings: http://bit.ly/cZ8EYl

Agora Gallery is the proud sponsor of the annual Chelsea International Fine Art Competition. Every year, a new juror is chosen to review the entries which are sent in by emerging, mid-level and established artists from all around the world. Among the prizes which the juror awards in this distinguished competition is the chance to participate in an exhibition, hosted at Agora Gallery. The 2010 exhibition will take place from August 17 to September 7, with the opening reception being held on August 19. Entrance, as always, is free, and art-lovers are invited to attend.

The juror of this year’s competition was Megan Fontanella, who is an Assistant Curator at the famous Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York City. She is involved with conducting collections research for the Guggenheim, in addition to having curated exhibitions. She has chosen a stunning selection of work from this year’s competition entrants, resulting in what will be a truly memorable exhibition.

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News stories from around the world:

The idea of the Armory Show comes to London http://bit.ly/ckeElv

The doubts over the claimed ‘Ansel Adams prints’ http://bit.ly/aozJVB , and the man who might have really taken them http://bit.ly/9aXGRm

New show at MoMA is not a knockout, but does give a new way at looking at art http://nyti.ms/9QzoKP

Calling on UK artists and art-lovers to stand together against cuts http://bit.ly/953NAZ Would this work in the US?

Reading the small print for the Eli Broad museum deal http://bit.ly/9NDGCy

Popular stories from the week:

Breaking up the gallery routine – the artist whose works glow and are hung in the middle of the room http://bit.ly/aaHhdH

Is this art, or merely annoying? The photos of a professional celebrity stalker http://nyti.ms/aHCcTE

The designer behind Twitter’s famous Fail Whale (who doesn’t want it to be called that) http://bit.ly/diy10i

Unlawful mischief in Vermont – fibreglass cow-tipping http://bit.ly/d09ps9

Enormous, ethereal soap bubbles. Enough said. http://bit.ly/b94dAZ

Artists sometimes complain that they find it difficult to work in the summer, and that the sunny season can be even more of a ‘dry spot’ for them, creatively speaking, than it is for the garden physically. There are lucky individuals who thrive in the heat, love summer and are never happier than when the sun is beating down on them and their canvas and paints, but if you’re not one of them, don’t worry. You are not alone – and there are ways to deal with the summer blues!

There are a few problems that many artists have with working in summer, but the most obvious is the heat. Of course, an easy solution for some is to turn to air conditioning, but this doesn’t work for everyone – for one thing, not all studios have air conditioning, especially if they are separate from the main house. Artists who do have sometimes prefer to work without, either for environmental reasons or because it produces the wrong atmosphere. Finally, the many artists who find much of their inspiration out of doors cannot take the cool air with them; they have to manage somehow by themselves.

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News stories from around the world:

Sign of the times – U.S.-Cuba cultural relations on the rise http://nyti.ms/9ZDzua

The U.S. promises to speed up artist visas – at last http://nyti.ms/a2XCua

The Vatican’s ‘developing relationship’ with modern art takes a step forward with Matisse rooms http://bit.ly/duN2GC

A brave or mad bet of confidence as museum is convinced it can afford the new look and the designer who comes with it http://bit.ly/9eocxQ

Popular stories from the week:

The First Lady and the art she highlights http://bit.ly/9Ebjq3

The unexpected beauty of an MRI (as long as it’s not yours, anyway!) http://bit.ly/dw7mDH

The Iron Curtain project that unites artists from both sides http://bit.ly/dkXevG

Landmark video art taken down from YouTube http://bit.ly/9p3gvo Are they missing the point?