Last week, I took my five-year-old nephew to see the new Banksy in London. As we were walking, I told him it was a new, magical tree that had suddenly appeared overnight, put up by a masked man, and that it was up to us to solve the mystery. He came up with all sorts of theories.
When we got there, crowds of people were arriving by bike and on foot, or slowing down as they passed in their cars – people of all ages and backgrounds. Like us, they were marvelling at the new green splattered wall that, from some angles, looks like a tree in full bloom. People were conversing, asking each other their thoughts, spotting the stencilled outline of a person holding a pressure hose next to the tree, or imagining how the artist was able to construct it so secretly.
The strength of the painting lies in its ability to accentuate the recently pollarded cherry tree in front of it. By being painted in March, it gets us to pay close attention to the minuscule sprouts on the (currently leafless) cherry tree’s branches that will soon be covered in wild, pink blossom. I love how this artwork will change with the seasons: concealed in summer as if hiding away, only to reveal itself once again in winter.
Public art can have a social and political agenda. It gets us to think about who and what lives around it, and how much that landscape might have changed. Between 1999 and 2001, the New York-based artist Ellen Harvey took to the streets to paint 40 tiny, meticulously rendered landscapes reminiscent of the European old masters. Painted on graffiti sites, subway signs or traffic control boxes, each work was made in an oval shape evocative of a Claude glass, those dark convex mirrors that were popular with tourists in the 18th century, allowing them to reflect and frame fine views.
Called The New York Beautification Project, this was intended to be a “love letter to everyone who’s wanted to make a city more beautiful”, as Harvey told me. But it also spoke poignantly to what the city once was. If you held up a Claude glass there today, what would you find? A plethora of skyscrapers and developments, with few trees in sight. Like Banksy, Harvey makes us realise the rarity and sacredness of green spaces in urban environments – and the urgent need to protect them.
Taking public art to an almost impossibly expansive scale, Jeanne-Claude and her husband Christo dedicated their lives to literally embracing nature, coating entire coasts of archipelagos in bright pink fabric, wrapping trees in parks in Switzerland and Australia, and installing a giant orange curtain across a valley and over a highway in Colorado. It was an eye-popping way of prioritising the environment, a means of treasuring it, or even mummifying it, as if it was about to be dispatched to a higher place.
Public art requires us to be present, to bring it to life with our imaginations, to think about how it was constructed, what its location looked like before, and how the art ties in with what already exists – all tools we can use for dreaming up a better world.
In 1996, Yoko Ono put these tools into action with her Wish Tree series, which has since been exhibited across the globe, from Dublin to San Francisco. They are currently on view outside Music of the Mind, her show at Tate Modern in London. Providing participants with pens, paper, a tree and string, Ono offered the following instruction: “Make a wish. Write it down on a piece of paper. Fold it and tie it around a branch of a Wish Tree. Ask your friends to do the same. Keep wishing. Until the branches are covered with wishes.” Not only does joining in get us to think more positively but, like Banksy and Harvey, Ono makes us question what qualifies as art, what it can or should look like, where it can appear and who it is for.
This is public art’s great strength: it’s a celebration of communal looking.. Everyone is able to participate/contribute on an equal basis, engaging in the work however best suits them, no matter what their age or level of artistic knowledge – from those driving past slowly to those who stop and find the time to make a wish. By being physically present in our streets, parks, valleys and coastlines, it can spark vital conversations about the state of society. But it is often ephemeral – not a single one of Harvey’s landscapes exists today. This encourages us to cherish the limited time we have with it.
In a world of increasing smartphone addiction and loneliness, public art can provide a sense of togetherness, community and play. It can bring unexpected joy to commuters, show children that their opinion – and participation in society – matters, and that everyone is invited to this magical thing we call art.
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.
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.
