Alexander Calder "Batmobile"

American painter and sculptor Alexander Calder  created a one-of-a-kind car for BMW back in 1975. The 3.0 CSL "Batmobile" GT racer helped launch the auto brand's "Ultimate Driving Machine" campaign message and will soon be on display at Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.

The colorful auto debuted to the public in May 1975 at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs at the Louvre. "It was an elegant creative alliance of racer and art auctioneer Herve Poulain and American sculptor Alexander Calder, mixed with the foresight of BMW Motorsport chief Jochen Neerpasch," says the Amelia Island Concours. 

Journeys of Invention

Discover more of the Science Museum’s   collection with this new iPad app, taking you on 14 interactive journeys through the most revolutionary scientific inventions of all time.

Journeys of Invention lets you navigate through a network of over 80 objects which you can rotate, see in close up detail and even operate. Step inside the Apollo 10 Command Module, encode your own secret message on a World War II Enigma Machine and examine a flea with Robert Hooke’s 17th-century microscope.

The app is available to download worldwide from the App Store. Two journeys (Connected and New Science) are available for free, with 12 further journeys available via an in-App purchase of £6.99 ($9.99).

Hieronymus Bosch. The Complete Works

In the midst of the realist-leaning artistic climate of the Late Gothic and Early Renaissance, Netherlandish painter Hieronymus Bosch (c. 1450–1516) was more than an anomaly. Bosch’s paintings are populated with grotesque scenes of fantastical creatures succumbing to all manner of human desire, fantasy, and angst. One of his greatest inventions was to take the figural and scenic representations known as drolleries, which use the monstrous and the grotesque to illustrate sin and evil, and to transfer them from the marginalia of illuminated manuscripts into large-format panel paintings. Alongside traditional hybrids of man and beast, such as centaurs, and mythological creatures such as unicorns, devils, dragons, and griffins, we also encounter countless mixed creatures freely invented by the artist. Many subsidiary scenes illustrate proverbs and figures of speech in common use in Bosch’s day. In his Temptation of St Anthony triptych, for example, the artist shows a messenger devil wearing ice skates, evoking the popular expression that the world was “skating on ice”—meaning it had gone astray. In his pictorial translation of proverbs, in particular, Bosch was very much an innovator.

Bosch—whose real name was Jheronimus van Aken—was widely copied and imitated: the number of surviving works by Bosch’s followers exceeds the master’s own production by more than tenfold. Today only 20 paintings and eight drawings are confidently assigned to Bosch’s oeuvre. He continues to be seen as a visionary, a portrayer of dreams and nightmares, and the painter par excellence of hell and its demons. 

Featuring brand new photography of recently restored paintings, this exhaustive book, published in view of the upcoming 500th anniversary of Bosch’s death, covers the artist’s complete works. Discover Bosch’s pictorial inventions in splendid reproductions with copious details and a huge fold-out spread, over 110 cm (43 in.) long, of The Garden of Earthly Delights. Art historian and acknowledged Bosch expert Stefan Fischer examines just what it was about Bosch and his painting that proved so immensely influential.

Neo Rauch

Bursting with radiant and unsettling juxtapositions, Neo Rauch’s paintings are wormholes into worlds of startling psychological power and cultural collisions. His scenes involve the viewer in a history that is at once mythic, intimate, and present. Through a deep consideration of philosophy, art history, literature, and his own dreamscape, Rauch’s paintings depict the precipices of progress and the struggles of communication. Electrified by their rich palettes, Rauch’s fragmented landscapes and timeless characters dance between pop and baroque, social and psychological, graphic and painterly.

Born in Leipzig in 1960, Rauch learned his trade behind the Iron Curtain. His influences and interests were shaped by personal hardship and the tumultuous changes of East Germany after the Wall fell. In the late 1980s, having finished his studies at the Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig under Arno Rink and Bernhard Heisig, he explored diverse approaches to painting in dialogue with works he encountered by Francis Bacon, the New Wild painters, and the pre-Renaissance painters he saw during his travels in Italy. By 1993, he had arrived at the unique style of intertwining figuration and abstraction that characterizes his oeuvre and has brought him international attention and respect.

Only a book of truly epic scale could begin to unpack the emotional, historical, and formal density of Rauch’s canvases. Comprising over 450 pages, including more than 250 large-scale reproductions, this monograph is the most inclusive collection of his work to date. It offers a generous range of writings that illuminate the personal, symbolic, and formal complexities of Rauch’s world. Wolfgang Büscher’s open and sensitive account of a walk through Rauch’s neighborhood reveals the painter’s compassion and modesty. Harald Kunde tracks Rauch’s stylistic development through its main semantic threads and historical influences. Gary Tinterow draws from his work on Rauch’s exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum to offer the reader a guide to the symbols that form the painter’s extensive mythology. These essays complement Rauch’s work with nuanced insights while allowing the images room to speak on their own. Within this atlas, readers will discover the rich density and enigmatic openness of Rauch’s paintings.

Blaze by Yvonne Beever

Yvonne Beever trained in fashion and textiles at St. Martins School of Art. After a career in the fashion industry, she decided to concentrate her highly original talents on her passion for embroidery. Experimenting with different fabrics and different methods of drawing and painting together with her highly-skilled freehand machine embroidery, she has fashioned pieces unlike anything seen before. Juxtaposing the gentle, modest ‘WI’ image of old-fashioned needlework with a decidedly immodest choice of subject matter, her work has a cute wit and charm so often lacking in erotic art. Inspired by 50's ‘girlie’ magazine covers given a typically light-hearted twist, these 11 unique pieces have been created exclusively for 20ltd.com. Each piece comes framed in a hand-made natural oak and set behind glass to protect the embroidery, the width of the frame is approximately 13mm.

Tamara de Lempicka at Sotheby’s New York

On May 5 and 6, 2009, fashion designer Wolfgang Joop will offer ten paintings by Tamara de Lempicka at Sotheby’s New York. . Four paintings will be included in the evening sale of Impressionist and Modern Art on May 5th and six will be offered the following day

Emmanuel Di-Donna, Vice Chairman, Impressionist and Modern Art Worldwide and Head of Sotheby’s Evening Sales, New York, commented, “This group of paintings, all from Lempicka’s prime period, embodies the spirit of the Art Deco era and its sense of style and modernity. These iconic images range from intimate and sensual to bold and monumental. As an artist, Lempicka drew on the avant-garde art and design around her, Cubism in particular, to derive a distinct aesthetic all her own.”


“Tamara’s appeal to me is comparable to that of a blue diamond,” said Wolfgang Joop. “From the first moment I saw her paintings, I was captivated by the unique way in which she presented women, and I have been fortunate to enjoy a long and intimate history with her. In turn, she inspired my work with a distinctive style that embodies the image of a modern woman.”

Art in enamel with Jaeger-LeCoultre: World exclusive personalization

In an unprecedented challenge, Jaeger-LeCoultre has made in enamel one of the most exclusive piece of art on the case of a Reverso watch, which can be worn on the owner wrist as part of a watch!! The swivel case of the reverso allowed its owner to decorate it and gives him the absolute assurance of possessing the most complete artistically decorated work one could imagine.

A private British art collector who owns an incredibly valuable Lord Leighton original oil painting called ‘Pavonia’ wanted to personalize his Jaeger-LeCoultre reverso watch. This piece of art, one of his most precious paintings, as part of his private collection, is rarely seen in public. (The last time was at the Royal Academy in celebration of Lord Leighton’s work over a decade ago.) He asked to the Manufacture if it was possible to have a duplicate of the painting recreated on the case of his favorite watch with an Enamel.

This is an incredibly challenging task with only a handful of artisans in the world being able to create such a feat. It took 120 hours for our master enamellers to complete it. In order to celebrate this truly unique item’s arrival the new owner has agreed to let exhibit both the watch and the original Painting in the George Tarratt show room in Leicester for one week in June.

With his enamel’s specialists, Jaeger-LeCoultre is nowadays one of the rare watches
Manufacture to offer one of the oldest techniques applied to watch decoration.

PORTRAITS OF THE RENAISSANCE SPECIAL EDITION

PORTRAITS OF THE RENAISSANCE SPECIAL EDITION

Memling, Van Eyck, Antonello da Messina, Raphael, Holbein, Titian, Leonardo . . . these are the greatest names of the Renaissance which symbolize the ultimate in artistic achievement. Now their work is reproduced in this spectacular, luxury volume printed on cotton paper and exquisitely presented in a brown and turquoise linen case.
Whether Italian, Flemish, or German, all were masters of the portrait, a style that was popular and much appreciated during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The genius of these artists allowed them to overcome the limits of the genre and inscribe the art of portraiture into the universal history of mankind. Sharply focused and featuring meticulously researched illustrations, this beautiful book is the first of its kind to shed light on some of the most familiar images in art history.

Franco Maria Ricci Michelangelo La Dotta Mano Book

Franco Maria Ricci has released a Michelangelo book depicting his life’s greatest works. The book’s cover features a reproduction of his Madonna della Scala fresco made on marble by artisans using the same techniques used by Michelangelo over five hundred years ago. The book contains detailed photographs of Michelangelo’s work as well as an extensive history of his life and works. Only thirty three copies of the book will be made.

Albert Watson's 1993 nude Kate Moss, Marrakech at Christie's

Christie's London will auction off a collection of photographs on Nov. 19. The collection will include a 2000 portrait of Brazilian model Gisele Bundchen by Mark Seliger, estimated at $9,000 to $12,000 - Martin Schoeller's 2003 Angelina Jolie with Blood, est. at $23,000 - $39,000, Albert Watson's 1993 nude Kate Moss, Marrakech, est. at $23,000 - $31,000; David LaChapelle's 1999 Britney Spears, Baby, est. $23,000 - $31,000; Michel Comte's 1996 James King, New York City, est. $6,000 - $9,000; and Gavin Bond's 2007 snap of Victoria's Secret stunner Adriana Lima, est. $5,000 - $8,000.

Steven Meisel limited-edition jigsaw puzzle

This limited-edition jigsaw puzzle features a pattern-on-pattern photograph of model Meghan Collison as a tattooed pin-up. The image originally appeared in Vogue Italia, a publication for which Steven Meisel has created every cover and lead editorial story for nearly two decades.

Each custom-made cloth box is signed and numbered by Steven Meisel. The jigsaw puzzle
is manufactured by Editions Ricordi, makers of high-quality jigsaw puzzles since 1808.

Puzzles are $750 each.

Puzzles are also available at Colette in Paris, at Barneys New York, and at 10 Corso Como in Milan.

E.H. Shepard’s original drawings for Winnie-the-Pooh books on auction

Sotheby's London will offer for sale the finest single collection of E.H. Shepard’s original drawings for Winnie-the-Pooh books to come to auction. This important collection includes the original drawing ‘He went on tracking, and Piglet . . . ran after him’ (est. £40,000-60,000). Also to be offered is a selection of significant A.A. Milne books, some of which are extremely limited editions and others that are signed or inscribed by the author.

PICASSO - THE SCULPTURES OF PICASSO

Portfolio format with ribbons and loose 'poster' like photo prints in a beautiful slipcase. PICASSO - THE SCULPTURES OF PICASSO

Christie's to offer Lucian Freud portrait of Francis Bacon

Christie's will offer one of the two Lucian Freud portraits of Francis Bacon in its Post-War and Contemporary Art auction in London this October. The piece is estimated to reach bids of up to £7 million.

Sylvie Fleury Designs Dom Pérignon Wineglasses

Swiss Pop artist Sylvie Fleury has designed pair of Dom Pérignon– commissioned wineglasses, due out in October. The artist, imprinted a whimsical trompe l’oeil red lipstick smudge on each glass reports W. Only 999 pairs will be sold for $600 and comes with a bottle of Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 1998, nestled with the glasses in a special case.

Thomas Lyte Art Insider - how to find the next Banksy

The Art Insider is an on-line art-investment club is all about how to make money in the Contemporary art world – and will
range from revealing the emerging street artists to where to find a Damien
Hirst for £1,000. Compared to the stock market slow-down, the Contemporary
art market has continued to boom – and the idea of The Art Insider is to bring clever art investment tips to everyone. A Banksy five years ago would have been £200 which is possibly worth over £20,000 now – there are new artists out there to look out for, which cost a few £100 now, and are worth investing in.

Working with luxury brand Thomas Lyte (who as you know also have been working hard on The Thomas Lyte Modern Heritage Award with The Craft Council), it is written by a London collector who has made over £1million in three years thanks to his collection of Banksy's, Murakami's and Failes which he has gradually built over this short time. The first 200 subscribers will be eligible to win a signed Takashi Murakami print worth £1,000. The Thomas Lyte Art Insider is a subscription only online members club and will include access to biweekly features, and regular news stories on the latest sales and auctions. Membership will be available on www.thomaslyte.com.

Fornasetti

Piero Fornasetti is often described as a visionary. A Milan artist, Fornasetti was at the same time a painter, sculptor, designer, craftsman, and an engraver of art books. In his lifetime, he created more than 11,000 items, most of which are one-of-a kind. It is actually said that his production of objects and furniture is one of the largest in the 20th century. Perpetuating the workshop tradition today is his son Barnaba, who has revived his most popular pieces and created new ones. In an illustrated Mémoire devoted to Piero Fornasetti¹s work, the book critically discusses his contribution to 20th century art and design.

U2 To Auction Off Artwork

Rock band U2 , will auction a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting on July 1 at Sotheby's London. Untitled (Pecho/Oreja), completed in 1983, is estimated to sell for £4-6 million. U2 bassist Adam Clayton bought it in 1989, a year after Basqiat's death. It has hung in their Dublin studio ever since.

THE LIGHT OF PARIS

As king François I once said: “Paris is not a city, it’s a world.” Long after the swarming crowd has deserted it, at dusk or dawn, after the hum and buzz of traffic has subsided, Paris still resonates with a life of its own: muted, subdued, and mysterious. That’s precisely the moment photographer Jean-Michel Berts has elected to capture it, in black and white. From Opera to Montmartre, along the banks of the Seine or its Grands Boulevards, stepping in the footprints of Baudelaire, Brassai, Huysmans, framed by Berts’s camera obscura, the buildings, completely deserted streets, and even its trees and empty flights of stairs take on a poetic, ethereal, almost dream-like quality. Much more than a hymn to the City of Lights and featuring a beautiful text by the French novelist Pierre Assouline, this book is a moving homage to Paris, seen as a virtuoso sculptor’s masterpiece. Each of the prints are given ample breathing space in this volume, whose opulent trim size befits the spectacular quality of the shots.

China, Portrait of a country

This book brings together a vast selection of images by Chinese photographers since 1949, giving readers a visual journey across the great People's Republic; edited by esteemed photojournalist Liu Heung Shing, longtime Associated Press correspondent and Time magazine contributor.