Art

Sylvester Stallone Art Exhibit Unveiled at Toronto Film Festival (Exclusive)

Published

1 year ago

September 7, 2023

Artist-turned-actor Sylvester Stallone will have a retrospective of his original paintings and art pieces at the Toronto Film Festival, starting today.

The exhibit with mixed-media art, writings and memorabilia by the Rocky and Expendables star will run throughout TIFF, leading up to the world premiere of Netflix’s Stallone documentary Sly that is set to close the Toronto festival on Sept. 16 with a gala screening.

The Bell Lightbox exhibit features 12 original paintings and art pieces created by Stallone from 1975 to 2020. Most are abstract, with vivid paintbrush swirls enveloping images of boxers and commentary on Hollywood fame and royalty. One work, Family Ties, depicts a pregnant mother and a distant father and illustrates the artist’s use of a limited color palette of black, white and red.

Stallone art exhibit
Mathew Tsang/Netflix

Stallone art exhibit
Mathew Tsang/Netflix

Before becoming a superstar in Hollywood, Stallone as a young man started out as a painter, before choosing script writing and then acting as a career. Another painting in the TIFF exhibit is Finding Rocky, an early-1970s work where a screwdriver was used to carve the figure of a boxer onto the canvas, which was then framed with fight headlines from newspapers and a city skyline as Stallone turned to art to help flesh out his Rocky movie character.

The exhibit also underlines Stallone’s early artistic inspiration from abstract expressionism and artists like Jackson Pollock and Willem de Kooning. Still other paintings are more representational, including one, Death of a Friend, which Stallone did on the day he learned his first manager, Jane Oliver, had passed away in 1977 after being instrumental in launching his career.

Additionally, fans will see the original script from the 1976 Rocky movie signed by the big screen star.

Sly, set to a streaming debut on Netflix on Nov. 3, is directed by Thom Zimny (Springsteen on Broadway), who leads Stallone through a Hollywood journey that catapulted him to fame after his star turn in the inspirational underdog story Rocky. His other film credits include Demolition Man, Cliffhanger, Cop Land, Escape Plan and more recently Creed, which earned Stallone an Academy Award nomination in 2016.

The art exhibit will run from Sept. 7 to 17 at the Canadian Film Gallery at Bell Lightbox. Fans needn’t worry, as Stallone hasn’t given up on that acting gig.

His art retrospective and Sly doc on Netflix coincides with a career resurgence on TV where Stallone stars in the Paramount+ dramedy Tulsa King, which has been renewed for a second season, and his Paramount+ family reality show, The Family Stallone, which just finished airing its eight episodes and has also been renewed for a second season.

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Art

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

Published

3 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.