Mona Lisa Revealed

An exhibit entitled Joconde: From the Mona Lisa to the Nude Gioconda is on display from June 14 through September 30, 2009, at the Museo Ideale Leonardo Da Vinci in Vinci, Italy, Leonardo’s birthplace. It features 5,000 paintings, sculpture and new media created over the past 500 years, inspired by Leonardo’s immortal portrait of Mona [...]

Congressman Comments on Ronald Reagan Statue

Congressman Wally Herger, representing the people of California’s District 2, was on hand at the unveiling of the Ronald Reagan statue in the Capitol Rotunda on June 3, 2009. Below are his written comments about the event, and a video he recorded as he stood in front of the statue: I wanted to let you [...]

Reagan Statue in National Statuary Hall Collection

Nancy Reagan will be on hand for the unveiling of the Ronald Reagan statue in the National Statuary Hall at the United States Capitol on Tuesday, June 3, 2009. On Monday, Mrs. Reagan was at the side of President Barack Obama as he signed the Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act, which calls for national celebrations [...]

Damien Hirst, Dead Cows and Cradles of Hope

“I have a really good business manager,” said Damien Hirst. “He told me a long time ago ‘You’d better make sure that you’re using the money to chase your art ideas rather than the art to chase your money ideas.’ Which is a very important thing to never forget.” That is sound advice coming from [...]

Obama, Churchill, the Mau Maus and Artless Diplomacy

A bronze bust of Sir Winston Churchill, created by American-born artist Sir Jacob Epstein in 1946, was loaned to the White House in 2001 by the Tony Blair administration as a symbol of the enduring special relationship between the United Kingdom and the United States. President George W. Bush kept the sculpture on display in [...]

Traditional Art in an Economic Downturn

There were signs this week that the commodity value of traditional art may be adversely affected by the struggling economy. That’s what the early indicators show, even though a bronze version of Edgar Degas’ sculpture “Little Dancer” (Petite danseuse de quatorze ans) sold at Sotheby’s in London on Tuesday night for a record £13.3 million [...]

Shoe Sculpture Tossed Out

A bronze-colored fiberglass shoe sculpture erected in front of a children’s orphanage in Saddam Hussein’s home town of Tikrit, Iraq has been dismantled and thrown out a day after it was erected. The Salaheddin Provincial Joint Coordination Center ordered its removal. Salaheddin Deputy Governor Abdullah Jabara told CNN, “We will not allow anyone to use [...]