1. A great gathering in Berlin – and let’s take a trip to the south.
The SMB / MOMA not-to-be-missed “Geschichter der Renaissance. Meisterwerke italienischer Portrait-Kunst” (“Renaissance Faces. Masterworks of Italian Portraiture”) is running from 25 August to 20 November 2011 in the Bode Museum, Berlin. I found both the boldest and sharpest comments (by Andreas Kilb and Peter Geimer, respectively) in the same newspaper, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. On the other hand, and as usual in Germany, there are other exhibitions for those who want to go deeper on the subject. Another side of the Renaissance will be presented in “Himmlischer Glanz. Raffael, Dürer and Grünewald malen die Madonna” (“Heavenly Splendour. Raphael, Dürer and Grünewald paint the Madonna”) in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden – just 2 hours away from the capital by train, or as fast as you like by the A13 Autobahn. However, the real counterpart to the Berlin show lies further in the south. From 16 September 2011 to 15 January 2012, the exhibition entitled “Dürer – Cranach – Holbein. Die Entdeckung des Menschen: Das Deutsche Porträt um 1500” ( “Dürer – Cranach – Holbein. The Discovery of Man: German Portraiture around 1500”) is hanging in the Kunsthalle of the Hypo-Kulturstiftung in Munich – not far from Dürer self portrait in the Alte Pinakothek.
2. Getting ready for Miró.
The Tate / Fundació Miró / National Gallery Washington major retrospective on the Catalan artist is arriving in the Fundació Miró in Barcelona this 16 October. Its London version was memorable. But have a look at some of the reviews in the British press: Alex Danchev (The Times); Adrian Sarle (Guardian); Alastair Sooke (The Telegraph); and the finest one, Sarah Withfield in the August issue of the Burlington Magazine (access for £4.5). A series of talks and discussions in the Fundació are scheduled from 26 November to 8 February; speakers include Marko Daniel and Matthew Gale (2 November) and co-curator Teresa Montaner (23 November).
3. Why not a shopping spree in Paris?
“Paris Tableau”, a new Old Masters Fair, opens from 4 to 8 November 2011, at the Palais de la Bourse. Key players have enrolled (http://www.paristableau.com).
4. Just discovered in the bookshop:
The catalogue raisonné of Murillo’s paintings , by Enrique Valdivieso (“Murillo. Catálogo razonado de pinturas”, Madrid: El Viso, 2010; 624 pages; 465 colour ill. + 40 b/w; 113,46 € at the publisher’s website).
5. The Chabad case’s complications.
The dispute over the Nazi-looted books and documents, later seized by the Soviets and now claimed by the Brooklyn-based Hasidic group (which holds a default judgement from US courts), is leading to a general halt on loans between major American and Russian institutions.
6. Good news for the Courtauld.
A recent fund-raising campaign brought in 2,800 donors; £9.5 million (plus £2.75 million to be claimed to the HEFCE) and a proud director (see the official press note).
7. You’ll never walk alone.
And last but not least, five other blogs I do follow – and that I hope you might find as interesting as I do:
– artmarketblog, by Nic Forrest;
– Jonathan Jones on Art, hosted in The Guardian website;
– Art Institute Chicago blog;
– La Tribune de l’Art, by Didier Rykner (technically not a blog, but a free newsletter by a true connoisseur and his guests);
– The Secret History of Art, by art crime specialist Noah Charney, hosted in ARTINFO website.
Miss anything? Send me your good ideas either as a comment below or by email to jordi@jordidenadal.com.