Top Art Stories: March 15, 2013 Edition

The top art stories this week round up important art shows – TEFAF Maastricht & Venice Biennale – and follow up on our story last week regarding the LACMA-MOCA deal. The world will discover Ai Weiwei’s singing talent very soon too. Read on:

The Venice Biennale is around the corner

Established in 1895, the Venice Biennale was founded to promote the market for contemporary art. This year the show will run from June 1 to Nov 24, and is titled “The Encyclopedic Palace.” Read about the upcoming show: The Art Newspaper. For the full list of artists, click here: GalleristNY.

Ai Weiwei will sing!

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in front one of his works.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei in front one of his works.

The Chinese contemporary artist, known for sculpture, installation, photography and many more forms of art, will be making an entry in the world of music. Ai’s first brush with music was last year when we recorded his version of “Gangnam Style”. His choice of genre for the upcoming album – heavy metal! And guess who is giving him advice on distribution. None other than Elton John himself! The Guardian.

US comes up to the top at TEFAF Maastricht

In its 25th year now, TEFAF Maastricht is one of the leading art fairs globally. Traditionally known for the Old Masters, this year the fair has a fair representation of Modern & Contemporary art as well. Here is a report on the art market this year. ARTFIXdaily.

Pope in pictures

Diego Velazquez, Pope Innocent X

Diego Velazquez, Pope Innocent X

Papal portraiture has always been an important subject throughout the centuries. With the new Pope now in the Vatican, here is an interesting review on the portraits of Popes. The Guardian. Read also about a contemporary artist Spencer Finch who has drawn inspiration from one such portrait. galleryIntell.

The plot continues to thicken

The LACMA-MOCA party has another important player – Eli Broad. The philanthropist will be launching “Broad Collection Museum” across the street from MOCA next year, and he sure is planning a smart strategy to stay in the game. Los Angeles Times.

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