Art

I value Brummie art, but who else does? – The Guardian

Published

5 months ago

April 14, 2024

Why should the people of Birmingham have 100% arts cuts imposed on them? Brummies are quite capable of devaluing their own art without official encouragement. In 2020, the director Michael Cumming and I completed King Rocker (“One of my all time favourite rock docs” – Mark Kermode; “the new gold standard for rockumentaries” – the Scotsman), which interwove the tale of typically self-effacing Birmingham post-punks the Nightingales with that of a giant piece of neglected Birmingham public art. Nicholas Monro’s King Kong, an 18ft-high fibreglass ape, was a ferocious presence in a brutalist sunken square in Birmingham, subtly mirroring his namesake’s annoyance with the art deco architecture of 30s New York. In the King Kong movie, beauty killed the beast. But the giant ape I loved as a child was murdered by Birmingham. Twice.

Hated by 1970s regional-news-television talking-head Brummies and sold into nomadic slavery by the ignorant city fathers only months after it was unveiled in 1972, the stupendous ape was eventually rediscovered in 2016, and critically rehabilitated, by Leeds’s Henry Moore Institute. Like all great Birmingham geniuses, Kong had to go elsewhere to get recognised. But for many Brummies, Birmingham’s fear of getting above itself is one of the region’s most endearing traits. The alternative, of course, is being Manchester, the city equivalent of an endlessly farting dog that expects nauseated passersby to applaud.

Indeed, it’s Birmingham week here at the Observer, but the Midlander’s innate modesty means it’s rarely even Birmingham week in Birmingham itself. The humble Brummie would eschew Birmingham week and insist they should have given the week to Kidderminster instead because it has a nice carpet museum. And even if it was Birmingham week, Brummies would say it was a waste of money and the cash spent on the massive inflatable Joan Armatrading should have been put towards rebuilding something astonishing that until recently they all hated and said should have been knocked down anyway.

Abandoned in Lichfield in 1968 and raised in Shirley on the city of Birmingham’s fringes from 1969 onwards, I spent my childhood in the landscape of Steven Knight’s new This Town drama, from Philip Larkin’s cut-price Coventry in the east to Noddy Holder’s faggot-fed Wolverhampton in the west. The series echoes the original and best Brummie TV drama, Philip Martin’s Gangsters. Like all the best Birmingham art, it is forgotten.

Gangsters graced BBC One from 1976 to 1978, grafted spaghetti western tropes on to Birmingham’s multicultural backstreets, featured a spooky prog theme by Greenslade and showed Martin himself, dictating his script to a typist. No one thought anyone from Birmingham could be as brilliant as Martin clearly was, so Gangsters was assumed to be a mistake caused by Bovril and was buried, briefly available again in 2006 on a DVD label that has since gone bust. Of course.

It’s hard making Birmingham-based art. But, after our critically acclaimed King Rocker raised the King Kong statue’s profile, a replica was commissioned from Monro in 2022 and placed in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. When we visited it, Cumming posed cooperatively for a selfie with a fan who mistook the director for Lawrence from art pop pioneers Felt, another Brummie artist in exile, recently memorialised in marble by Corin Johnson in London’s Fitzrovia Chapel, typically unacknowledged in the city that spawned him.

But Lawrence, and Monro’s King Kong, both feature in Benny’s Babbies, a collage by Birmingham’s Cold War Steve, showing the many culturally significant figures the region has produced, which hangs enormously in the city’s art gallery. I am there in my capacity as “the world’s greatest living standup” (the Times), standing next to Robert Lloyd from the Nightingales, and yet, typically, he and I are the only two Midlands icons in the work not to be identified in the chart placed beneath it, a fact that amused my children greatly when I conceitedly took them to see it.

Some Birmingham art is not neglected. The giant bull statue that featured in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022 now has a permanent home in New Street station, but that bull is lucky. Birmingham’s first fibreglass bulls – Trewin Copplestone’s iconic 1963 quartet of tectonic silhouettes, Bull Forms – were simply lost when the Bull Ring shopping centre they adorned for four decades was redesigned in 2000. Each sculpture weighed nine tonnes. Perhaps Adrian Chiles has made them into a massive home urinal.

Birmingham’s relationship with its cultural history remains complicated, partly because the world beyond Birmingham finds Birmingham inherently funny. I am under no illusions that one reason the documentary I narrated for Radio 4 last year, The Balsall Heath Bohemians, which celebrated the Birmingham surrealists, gained traction was precisely because no one would expect Birmingham to be in at the birth of a globally significant art movement. In fact, put the word “Birmingham” in front of anything and it’s weird. Birmingham cheese. You wouldn’t offer it to a lady. Why?

Birmingham’s cultural significance is a well-kept secret and perhaps that’s best. An underrated female Birmingham pre-Raphaelite awaits recalibration. Somewhere in a church in a village in a forest south-west of Birmingham, a beautiful freestanding screen she painted lies unguarded in a dusty corner. I will not name the woman. I will not name the church. Secrecy is best. Birmingham’s beauty has a habit of being destroyed.

Prove me wrong. In a piece of Birmingham brilliance, the recast statue of Monro’s King Kong was last seen, in July last year, in pieces at Garvey’s scrapyard in Telford, but now it’s gone. Garvey has no record of what happened to the statue and it was unable to confirm whether it was sold in pieces to be reassembled, or just for scrap. To lose an important artwork once might be forgivable. To lose it twice looks like carelessness. On balance, Birmingham can go fuck itself.

King Rocker is newly available to stream. Stewart Lee vs the Man-Wulf opens in London in December before a national tour

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Art

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

Published

5 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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Art

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

Published

1 month 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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