Art

Alfredo Jaar makes art from the news – The Economist

Published

4 years ago

June 18, 2020

LIKE MUCH of his art, “Between the Heavens and Me”, Alfredo Jaar’s most recent video, was drawn not from his imagination but from the news. In this case it began with a report on the BBC about Hart Island off the Bronx. The prison detail at the island’s cemetery—where, for decades, indigent New Yorkers were interred in mass graves—was working round the clock to bury the unclaimed bodies of those who had died, alone and unloved, with covid-19. “My brain could not comprehend what my eyes were seeing,” Mr Jaar says.

He slowed down the footage, replacing the commentary with a haunting tune by Anouar Brahem, a celebrated Tunisian oud player. Over and over the scene repeats itself: uniformed gravediggers stack coffins in a freshly dug trench with solemn deliberation, as if they are making an offering to Mother Earth. “Here we have the poorest people in New York,” Mr Jaar explains, “the anonymous, the invisible, the no-name people being buried by prison inmates, many of whom are poor and black like them. I wanted the film to be a lament.”

In an artistic tradition made famous by Andy Warhol and Robert Rauschenberg, his videos force viewers to consider the effects of their incessant exposure to horrific images. They also highlight the tendency of the news to focus on a tragedy, then move on. “News events cover reality in both senses of the word: reporting it even as they conceal it,” remarked Hartwig Fischer (now director of the British Museum) when he included Mr Jaar’s work in a show at the Kunstmuseum Basel in 2005.

Now 64, Mr Jaar was a teenager in Chile when Salvador Allende was ousted in a military coup, but has lived in New York since his mid-20s. He is not a conventional studio artist, reckoning he has travelled 7m miles (11.3m kilometres) to create art that is meant to provoke. He has staged over 100 “public interventions”, art-world-speak for performances in which audiences gather to watch or even take part. In 2019 he walked the streets of Edinburgh wearing a sandwich board reading “I Can’t Go On, I’ll Go On”, a quotation from Samuel Beckett. Next year, when a retrospective of his work opens at the Hiroshima City Museum of Contemporary Art, his board will read, “Teach Us To Outgrow Our Madness”. That is a reference to the Japanese Nobel laureate Oe Kenzaburo, but it is also what Mr Jaar feels like saying “when I see the madness that is taking over this planet”.

“People see new meaning in his work every time they confront it,” says Pablo León de la Barra, a curator at the Guggenheim Museum, which owns one of his best-known pieces, a series of electronic billboards called “A Logo for America”. One panel superimposes an image of the two American continents onto the word “AMERICA”, quietly insisting that there is more than one kind of American. Another enigmatically combines the words “This is not America” with a map of the United States. When it was shown in Times Square in 1987, during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, viewers interpreted the sequence as a critique of his administration’s interference in Nicaragua and Grenada. Displayed on the square again in 2014, it seemed a comment on the treatment of migrants. Now, Mr León de la Barra says, it might be regarded as a statement about racism.

Mr Jaar’s travels have ground to a halt this year. Confined to his apartment in SoHo, with books stacked to the ceiling and several thousand CDs, he has slept in the same bed for weeks on end for the first time in decades. He has been reading poetry, listening to the melancholic music of love and longing known as saudade, which is made most commonly by the Portuguese diaspora—and working. “It’s for my mental health, as much as anything else,” he says. He will have much to do when the lockdown lifts; four big exhibition projects have been postponed because of the pandemic, and more are in the offing.

In August Clara Kim, senior curator at Tate Modern in London, hopes to reopen “A Year in Art: 1973”, a show that includes “Studies on Happiness”, a video installation by Mr Jaar that portrays emotional reactions to the coup in Chile. “Violence might be invisible to us,” he says. “But it exists out there, and we will see the consequences of it sooner or later.” The power of his work, says Ms Kim, stems from his dual role as artist and witness—not just through the contemporaneous recording of violence, but in teasing out responses that stretch over decades.

In the mid-1990s Mr Jaar began to focus on the Rwanda genocide. Reports about the massacres compelled him to go to the country, he recalls; over several trips, he took thousands of pictures from which he has created installations around the world (see picture). Returning to New York he found some of his own images so shocking that in one work, “Real Pictures 1995”, he entombed the photographs in a series of black boxes, never to be opened.

Later this year Mr Jaar’s Rwandan work will appear at the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art in Cape Town, the first time it has been exhibited in Africa. Audiences will once again be forced to think about, and beneath, scenes they have encountered on television or social media. “I want people to see these images,” Mr Jaar says, “to actually see them, in order to bring them inside in their brain, in their heart, in their soul, to try to understand what’s happening to us.” As Ezra Pound said of literature, Mr Jaar’s art is news that stays news. ■

This article appeared in the Books & arts section of the print edition under the headline “Opening the black box”

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Calvin Lucyshyn: Vancouver Island Art Dealer Faces Fraud Charges After Police Seize Millions in Artwork

Published

3 days ago

September 13, 2024

Harry Miller

In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.

Alleged Fraud Scheme

Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.

Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.

Massive Seizure of Artworks

In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.

Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.

Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed

In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.

Court Proceedings Ongoing

The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.

Impact on the Local Art Community

The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.

For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.

As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.

While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.

Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.

As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.

Art

Ukrainian sells art in Essex while stuck in a warzone – BBC.com

Published

2 weeks ago

September 2, 2024

Harry Miller

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Ukrainian sells art in Essex while stuck in a warzone BBC.com

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Somerset House Fire: Courtauld Gallery Reopens, Rest of Landmark Closed

Published

4 weeks ago

August 18, 2024

Harry Miller

The Courtauld Gallery at Somerset House has reopened its doors to the public after a fire swept through the historic building in central London. While the gallery has resumed operations, the rest of the iconic site remains closed “until further notice.”

On Saturday, approximately 125 firefighters were called to the scene to battle the blaze, which sent smoke billowing across the city. Fortunately, the fire occurred in a part of the building not housing valuable artworks, and no injuries were reported. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Despite the disruption, art lovers queued outside the gallery before it reopened at 10:00 BST on Sunday. One visitor expressed his relief, saying, “I was sad to see the fire, but I’m relieved the art is safe.”

The Clark family, visiting London from Washington state, USA, had a unique perspective on the incident. While sightseeing on the London Eye, they watched as firefighters tackled the flames. Paul Clark, accompanied by his wife Jiorgia and their four children, shared their concern for the safety of the artwork inside Somerset House. “It was sad to see,” Mr. Clark told the BBC. As a fan of Vincent Van Gogh, he was particularly relieved to learn that the painter’s famous Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear had not been affected by the fire.

Blaze in the West Wing

The fire broke out around midday on Saturday in the west wing of Somerset House, a section of the building primarily used for offices and storage. Jonathan Reekie, director of Somerset House Trust, assured the public that “no valuable artefacts or artworks” were located in that part of the building. By Sunday, fire engines were still stationed outside as investigations into the fire’s origin continued.

About Somerset House

Located on the Strand in central London, Somerset House is a prominent arts venue with a rich history dating back to the Georgian era. Built on the site of a former Tudor palace, the complex is known for its iconic courtyard and is home to the Courtauld Gallery. The gallery houses a prestigious collection from the Samuel Courtauld Trust, showcasing masterpieces from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. Among the notable works are pieces by impressionist legends such as Edouard Manet, Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, and Vincent Van Gogh.

Somerset House regularly hosts cultural exhibitions and public events, including its popular winter ice skating sessions in the courtyard. However, for now, the venue remains partially closed as authorities ensure the safety of the site following the fire.

Art lovers and the Somerset House community can take solace in knowing that the invaluable collection remains unharmed, and the Courtauld Gallery continues to welcome visitors, offering a reprieve amid the disruption.

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