Art

Fire in Italy destroys ‘Venus of the Rags’ by Michelangelo Pistoletto

Published

1 year ago

July 13, 2023

A fire in Naples has destroyed a large-scale artwork by one of Italy’s most influential living artists, the municipal government said Wednesday, with the mayor of the ancient city vowing that “vandalism will not stop art.”

The towering open-air installation of “Venus of the Rags” by Michelangelo Pistoletto was inaugurated two weeks ago and depicted the Roman goddess of love behind a mass of tattered cloths. It was on view in the city’s Piazza del Municipio.

The Naples municipality said in a statement on Facebook that the fire occurred at dawn and appeared to be “malicious” in nature, but investigators are still trying to determine the cause. Mayor Gaetano Manfredi told reporters the incident was an “act of great violence” and promised to launch a fundraiser to recreate the work. “When you attack art, you attack man,” he said.

Pistoletto told local media the destruction reflected how society continues to respond to “any offer of beauty, peace and harmony” with “fire and war.”

A contrast between classical beauty and contemporary waste, the sculpture was installed in Naples as a part of a citywide artistic revitalization effort led by the city government and curated by Vincenzo Trione. Pistoletto, who was a prominent figure in Italy’s Arte Povera movement, originally created the work in 1967 and has since made several iterations, which are included in major museum collections such as that of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden in D.C. and the Tate Modern in London.

At a news conference in June, Pistoletto said the “Venus of the Rags” is now “considered an icon of our time,” so in Naples it is “presented at an iconic size.”

Over the years, “Venus of the Rags” has been praised for its increasingly urgent message about sustainability and the visceral way it conveys the perils of waste. At a time when activists are attacking museum artworks in a controversial effort to convey the threat of climate change, Pistoletto’s piece, which literally obscures artistic beauty with man-made garbage, is particularly compelling.

Some were not so pleased by the appearance of the towering Venus and her mountain of trash in their city, however. Online commenters complained about the work on a Facebook post from the mayor that announced its inauguration. One user wrote that the Venus represented “exactly the conditions of Naples, a city reduced to rags,” while another person told local media Venus “ironically” symbolized Naples’s “urban decay.”

Artistically speaking, the garbage is the point. The work is considered emblematic of the Arte Povera, or “poor art,” movement that thrived in the 1960s and ’70s. Embracing banal materials such as rocks, coal and rags as artistic media, Arte Povera artists sought to undermine the elitism and increasing commercialization of the art world. They created juxtapositions of past and present, as seen in Pistoletto’s work, to comment on the effects of modernization.

In art, “all forms, materials, ideas, and means are available and to be used,” Pistoletto said in 1967.

Pistoletto created the first “Venus of the Rags” from rags he used to clean other artworks in his studio. Later, he made a gold-clad version, and in 1980, he turned the piece into a performance artwork, with a live model as the statue.

The fire is another episode in the sculpture’s decades-long evolution. While Manfredi, the mayor, said Pistoletto was angered and hurt by Wednesday’s incident, the artist also told him that it “must be interpreted as a moment of restarting.”

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Art

A misspelled memorial to the Brontë sisters gets its dots back at last

Published

4 weeks ago

September 26, 2024

Anne Joseph

LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.

More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.

The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.

They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.

“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”

It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.

Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”

Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.

“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.

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Art

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

Published

1 month 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.