Here is a link to a review in the Boston Globe of an exhibition that I co-curated which is currently on view in Newton, MA, until April 12, 2017. If you can, its worth a visit!
https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2017/03/29/approaching-abstraction-systematically/IachZ283taOHBLizmqfYYP/story.html
A new study reveals a surprising gender distinction in how males and females relate to art – while men connect more with the artist and his/her biography, women tend to focus more on the art object itself.
In order to make this discovery, over 500 subjects were given a fictitious artist’s biography to read and an unknown work of art by said artist to observe. While the artwork was actual, none of the participants knew the book was fiction. When asked if they liked the artist and the object they had created – enough to own the work – the men cited biographical detail as a more important barometer of desirability than an artwork’s artistic merits. In contrast, women chose to delve more deeply into the artwork and its characteristics, deemphasizing biography.
The researchers could not decipher a neurological cause for these distinct approaches to art; however, they did determine that perhaps the social construct of art-making as a “girl” thing, with females understanding technique, form, color, and other innate features of an art object more profoundly than men, played a significant role in the varied gender responses. It seemed clear that for men, value was based on investment, while for women, value emerged from the aesthetic experience.
Take a peek at: http://www.scienceagogo.com/news/20140909184943.shtml.
Vastari, a unique and useful online platform, has been serving the needs of art collectors and curators for almost 2 years. Vastari assists curators from a variety of fields who seek objects for upcoming shows. Based in London, Vastari has facilitated collaborations that have resulted in successful placements of privately held artwork at noteworthy exhibitions around the world. Led by an all-female team, Vastari is named after Italian Giorgio Vasari (1511-1574), who many consider the first “official” art historian.
The Vastari database includes a plethora of objects – from paintings to coins, sculpture to skeletal remains – that are available for the perusal of curators who are in pursuit of objects to be included in exhibitions. Vastari serves an important role since, prior to its founding, the process of connecting art owners with curators required a great deal of time and resources, which did not always yield success. Vastari’s networking tools facilitate communication between curators and owners, who have the choice to register their work anonymously, and make it easier for museums to see what sort of work is available for potential loan.
By taking a complicated offline process online, Vastari is opening up channels of communication that serve to expose work to a wider audience, hence enhancing both provenance and value.
Check it out: www.vastari.com
There is an incredible new art app that I am proud to announce to you here on my web blog. The product is called Second Canvas, and it offers a novel way to experience art through tablet and smartphone devices that combines images, stories, and sharing options. Right now, it is only being used by the Museo National del Prado in Madrid, though it clearly signals an innovation in how people can and will experience art objects. Check out the YouTube video I attached to see just what Second Canvas does. However, never let the screen be a substitute for seeing and experiencing the power of paint, marble, paper and other wonderful mediums that can only truly be felt in the presence of art.
http://www.youtube.com/
Perhaps you can tell me your thoughts on how you like to experience art and how you feel in the presence of truly remarkable works of art. One of my favorite paintings is The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch, located at the Prado. In Boston, at the several museums like the Museum of Fine Arts, the ICA, the Gardner and the Fogg (among others), the list of fine work is long, and I’m not really sure I can pick a few favorites fine art objects. Which ones are yours?
My newly established business, AFP Art Consulting, will allow me to use my extensive knowledge, culled from many years of experience in the arts, to serve my clients in a variety of ways. From research and writing, to art appraisal and collections management, to assistance with the acquisition and disposition of artwork, I hope to provide excellent service. In this blog, I will be adding news, information, trivia, and perhaps some images from time to time related to art history, collecting, art acquisition and sales, and things that may help make the mysterious and daunting world of art valuation, appraisal and ownership a bit more comprehensible. What I hope my readership will discover from these posts is a little bit about my tastes and sensibility towards art and objects, and through that, find ways to formulate their own ways to see and experience art. Perhaps it may lead you to want to build your own collection? Visit galleries, museums, artist studios? Attend auctions, both large and small, to get a sense of the vast array of material available to all sorts of collectors? Whatever it may be for you, I hope I can literally open your eyes to new things, new ways of seeing…! There is no way I could ever choose a favorite artist or artwork, but here are a couple that I am proud to share:
Anselm Kiefer, The Unknown Masterpiece, 1982 (watercolour, gouache, graphite on paper)
Wayne Thiebaud, River Sides, 2007 (oil on canvas)
