Contemporary Fine Art News and Advice from Agora Gallery

Art stories from around the world:

One of the founders of Art Basel, who was also a well known contemporary art dealer, passes away http://nyti.ms/dn5UB0

Miami Art Museum shows off its growing collection http://bit.ly/bo2nlY

The new face on the Parisian art scene who’s putting noses seriously out of joint http://bit.ly/bG9Fja

Is production outweighing consumption in Berlin’s once bustling art market? http://bit.ly/b9mXDj

Fighting for attention – NYC’s expanding art fair world http://bit.ly/aFihuo

Popular stories from the week:

The 75 year old painter who redid his mural from scratch, after it had been destroyed by fire http://bit.ly/asLhVs

The story of the kidnapped da Vinci http://bit.ly/bNc3oP

San Francisco muralist is brightening up the city – you can tell it’s working when the entire subway car applauds http://bit.ly/cNUIUR

Tattoo removal techniques turn out to be great for art restoration http://bit.ly/9r5jIi

It’s often a topic for jokes, or even sarcasm, but for an artist facing the famous creative block, it’s no laughing matter.

We’ve almost all been there – sitting in front of a blank screen, baffled by the non-appearance of the words that must be buried somewhere within your head, standing before an empty canvas, the white space staring back at you and uncooperatively refusing to provide you with ideas. It can come at any time, sometimes for no obvious reason, and it leaves you confused, frustrated and most importantly, stuck.

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News stories from around the art world:

Similarity versus plagarism in the art of photography http://bit.ly/cHBJ9K

The mystery of Bronzino – the power and the conventionality http://nyti.ms/awey6n

LA airport gets a new public art project http://bit.ly/cG4ADH

Drama continues as London’s ICA fights for survival http://bit.ly/a6p0yz

How the recession is affecting the arts in major arts capitals http://bit.ly/d39GqY

Popular stories from the week:

Now funding the visual arts…. music managers. http://bit.ly/bvAxpV

Artist whose work is on environmental damage finds most can’t see her Olympics work – it’s in a restricted access area http://bit.ly/b7oOGn

Thieves make off with a huge, heavy banner in Rotterdam. It was part of an exhibition on… Morality http://bit.ly/dryAM5

George Washington in snow – from 1913 http://bit.ly/9Dfs6u

This week, a new exhibition is beginning at Agora Gallery. We are delighted to announce that Matrix of the Mind: Contemporary Fine Art by Japanese Artists will open on February 26, 2010 and run until March 19, 2010. The opening reception will be held on Thursday, March 04, 2010.

Some readers may remember the popular return, last year, of this exciting exhibition, and we are very much looking forward to this year’s event.

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News stories from around the art world:

The new fear added to art transportation http://nyti.ms/9G7EbB

Get used to satellite fairs, guys – they’re inevitable http://bit.ly/9jBN7z

Ouch – a critic attacks late Renoir as, basically, ‘bad Renoir’ http://bit.ly/a7FpAx

Picasso Museum gets a makeover, while it’s 5000 paintings go on tour http://bit.ly/cD4dFz

Popular stories from the week:

Art that’s good enough to eat inspires real recipes http://bit.ly/bcvIhP

MoMA uses art to help young offenders get creative, not destructive http://bit.ly/cZcOSV

British artist uses floppy disks to create his paintings http://bit.ly/9jze7n

This week’s post is the result of several recent conversations on the subject of time management and how difficult it can be to incorporate your career in art, and your artistic impulses, into the rest of your life. It’s evidently a problem that many artists worry about, and getting it right (or at least finding a reasonable balance) can be the work of years, and remain an ongoing challenge.

The nature of the problem varies a little depending on whether you are a full-time artist, or whether your art is something that must fight with other work commitments. Maintaining both a job and your art can be difficult, of course, because both together can place significant stress on both your time and your energy, particularly when both are important to you and are things you take seriously. There can be advantages to such an arrangement, for experiences and discussions from one aspect of your work can contribute to the development and interest of the other.

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There’s been a fascinating discussion on Agora Gallery’s Facebook page during the past week on the topic of how artists price their work – what factors go into it, which are more important, and so on. It has been great hearing different opinions and perspectives. Feel free to add your comment on the blog!

Art news from around the world:

London’s National Gallery staff set to strike tomorrow http://bit.ly/bZ53Ye

Californian minimalism and where it comes from (no, not NY) http://bit.ly/92TgUn

The unexpected bounce-back success of contemporary art http://nyti.ms/9xZavC

Opinion piece: Art-talk ought to be simple. Artspeak is for adolescants. http://bit.ly/byWjAF

Popular stories from the week:

The artist who is devoting documentaries to plants’ enjoyment http://bit.ly/9Ga44o

Evaluating outsiderness – what is it, what makes it, and what it’s like http://nyti.ms/bp4SRW

Not prim and proper – new Met exhibit brings to light the artistic advances of upper-class Victorian English women http://nyti.ms/cy7Frj

News items from the week:

“Arts funding is not a grant. It’s an investment” Why funding the arts makes political and strategic sense for all http://bit.ly/9SuzXB

The dangers of taking art too seriously http://bit.ly/9Qif57 Any thoughts on this? Please share, I think it’s an interesting question.

A new discovery opens up a whole new window into El Greco’s work – a Greek insight http://bit.ly/dpU2ZK

Exhibitions about the unknown – museums who are saying ‘we’re not sure’ http://bit.ly/9ukTfR

The impact of Asian buyers in the art market (and what auction houses are hoping it will mean) http://bit.ly/9dDhn6

Popular stories this week:

Artists are so often afflicted by perfectionism – here’s an analysis to help concentrate on the positive side http://bit.ly/bHxk8F

Addictive, non-material art comes to an empty Guggenheim http://bit.ly/bRpuay

The days of basement museum cafes are fading – enter new, stylish dining options http://bit.ly/dDfQYq

And last but certainly not least, the tale of the uncollectable work of art that’s taken off with a bang http://bit.ly/dgMzjU and what people think http://bit.ly/bifReV

As ever, we are delighted to hear what you think – share thoughts, projects and grumbles in the comments section!

NOW OPEN

Agora Gallery is delighted to announce the opening of the 25th annual Chelsea International Fine Art Competition. Entries can be sent in from February 4, 2010 until March 14, 2010 when the submission process closes.

The competition is open to all international visual artists of 18 and above. Emerging, established and mid-level artists are all invited to enter their work. A variety of media is accepted, with the exceptions of video art, film, performance art, jewelry and crafts.

This year, entry is only through the online entry system and requires contact information, details about the artwork, and, of course, images of the artwork itself. Please remember to submit high quality images – even the best work cannot be properly appreciated if the image viewed is of poor quality.

As a result of the competition, 15-20 artists will be selected by the juror to take part in a contemporary art exhibition in the summer of 2010. The exhibition will take place in New York’s art district, Chelsea.

Six artists will win the prize of being able to place six images on online gallery Art-Mine, whilst one other will be awarded a page-long review in contemporary art magazine ARTisSpectrum, including two images of their work. There are also three cash prizes, of a total of $1,000.

The competition is judged every year by an independent juror. This year’s juror is Megan Fontanella, Assistant Curator at the famous Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York. She engages in research for the museum, particularly focusing on areas of provenance and institutional history, and has also been involved with curating installations for the museum.

Agora Gallery is proud to sponsor this annual event, which encourages talented artists from around the world in their ambitions and provides them with an opportunity for greater exposure and publicity, as well as valuable professional experience.

Agora Gallery’s director, Angela Di Bello, speaks of the sponsorship of the competition as part of the gallery’s efforts to promote new talent and increase the possibilities open to artists who are considering breaking into the competitive New York market – an openness that benefits artists, galleries and the art world as a whole. “Carving a space for new talent is very much at the core of our business,” she says, speaking from her own considerable experience of the art scene.

In addition, 25% of Agora Gallery’s proceeds from the sale of artwork from the competition exhibition will be donated to local city charity Art Start, which brings art into the lives of underprivileged children through the volunteered time and effort of artists. Last year’s competition exhibition featured work by an Art Start student.

News stories from around the art world:

Another casualty in Haiti – the once robust and rich art culture http://bit.ly/8HVZuK

London’s Institute of Contemporary Art in danger of closure – the first major British recession victim http://bit.ly/7K5LQE

Concern over the ripped Picasso http://bit.ly/7Zzn16 and how to fix it http://bit.ly/5G21eP

Being a freezing artist can be a life choice http://bit.ly/5Tfdtb

Encouraging artists to come into the center of towns http://bit.ly/62PC97

Popular stories from the week:

Strange and beautiful images – straight from Mars http://bit.ly/7ErNeO

Digging up da Vinci, in an attempt to tie his face to the Mona Lisa’s http://bit.ly/5HjQwI

Art museum directors betting lease of major artworks on Superbowl outcome http://bit.ly/9aF4y1

Yes, she fell into a Picasso – but that kind of mishap isn’t as rare as you might think http://bit.ly/aPNAoh

The dazzling detail of a solar eclipse http://bit.ly/9mUtrA