Stuckism show in London turns eyes

Stuckism was founded by Charles Thomson and Billy Childish in 1999 with 12 artists to promote contemporary figurative painting and oppose conceptual art. It has since grown to an international art movement of 233 groups in 52 countries. The name was coined after Childish’s ex-girlfriend, Tracey Emin, said he was “Stuck! Stuck! Stuck!” The concept struck, the Stuckism movement brought forth several Stuckist manifestos in an effort to draw other artists to their cause, including one where the term "Remodernism" was coined.

This month the Bermondsey Project Gallery at 46 Willow Walk, London UK will host a special event titled: "Stuckists: Elizabethan Avant-Garde" and will run from Friday the 5th to Sunday the 21st of October, open 7 days a week, 1 – 6 pm. A press launch will be held on Thursday the 4th at 6:30.


For more info about the event visit www.bermondseyproject.co.uk or phone 020 7036 2416.

The special event will include paintings from over 30 Stuckist artists from the UK and abroad.

For more information on Stuckism we recommend reading "A Stuckist on Stuckism".

If you are looking for more information on other art movements check out the following art history links:


Abstract Expressionism  
American Scene 
Constructivism 
Cubism 
Dada  
Earth Art 
Fantasy Art 
Impressionism  
Neo-Gothic Art  
Neo-Pop Art  
Neue Sachlichkeit 
 Pin Up Art  
Pop Art  
Precisionism  
Prehistoric Art  
Romanticism 
Salon de la Rose Croix 
Social Realism 
Stuckism 
Surrealism 
Video Art 
Visionary Art 
World of Art

Renoir found at flea market for $50

A buyer at a Virginia flea market, who paid less than $50 for the box lot that held it, also purchased what is now believed to be a painting by the illustrious French Impressionist artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

The newly discovered Renoir is scheduled to be auctioned off on Sept. 29th. The small pastel-coloured painting is believed to be Renoir’s “Paysage Bords de Seine”. It is believed to be valued at $75,000 to $100,000.

Zombie-fied British Royals

Worth a peek.

Zombie-fied Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth from 'Zombiewood' by Canadian artist Rob Sacchetto.

The Art of Turn of the Century Mug Shots

ART HISTORY - They're not abstract art paintings like those of Toronto artist Laura Warburton... but they're definitely interesting to look at.

The Helen McClung Gallery at the Archives of Ontario building at York University is displaying 100 striking photographs in “Arresting Images” until December 9th 2011. The photos were part of a cache of 474 turn of the century photographs from the OPP’s Niagara regional headquarters and were uncovered during some housecleaning in the 1960s.

The photos are mostly for petty crimes such as burglary and shoplifting. The one at the top here was arrested for having a tattoo of a woman on his arm. (Apparently tattoos of women were illegal in 1907.)

And if mug shots isn't your thing, check out Laura Warburton's Open House on Saturday, December 10th. 1 PM to 6 PM. It is at 55 Mill Street, Building #74, Studio #401, the Distillery District, Toronto.

9/11 Foreshadowing in Art and Film

ART HISTORY / ENTERTAINMENT

There is a plethora of artworks and films out there made before September 11th 2001 which are considered to foreshadow the events of 9/11. As the 10th anniversary of 9/11 approaches this coming Sunday we would like to share some of these foreshadowed pieces.

#1. The Spiderman Film Trailer 2001.



#2. Alex Grey's painting "Gaia" from 1989.

The painting contains the WTC Twin Towers in the lower right, along with 2 planes and in the foreground are three figures resembling George W. Bush, Dick Cheney and Osama bin Laden.

#3. Sculptor Michael Richards

Perhaps the most striking, tragic and bizarre example is the case of sculptor Michael Richards, the only artist with a studio in the Twin Towers that perished that day. Michael was killed in Tower 1 and his entire body of work was thought to be destroyed. One piece, discovered later at the North Carolina Museum of Art, was a self-portrait figure sculpture depicting the artist with many airplanes penetrating his body in a style similar to St. Sebastian.

Other examples abound. X-Men and Superman comic books, song lyrics by Prince, album art by bands, etc.

One might argue that there was no shortage of ideas about planes crashing into buildings that it was only a matter of time before someone used it for evil purposes.

In related news check out the videos of Barrie Zwicker, one of many filmmakers making documentaries which assert that 9/11 was an elaborate deception.

Speaking from a statistical perspective, buildings don't fall straight down. The chances of 2 buildings (3 if you count Building 7) falling straight down in the manner the WTC buildings did is highly improbable (if not impossible). (Plus in the videos you can clearly see the demolition squibs, which any demolition expert will tell you is explosions knocking out the support structures on each level on a timer. Bringing a building straight down using controlled demolition explosions requires months of planning.)

Thieves try to steal abstract sculpture

ART HISTORY - Three "dumb thieves" tried to steal an $1-million sculpture by famed Canadian abstract artist Jean-Paul Riopelle ended up ditching the pricey sculpture in the Quebec woods. The sculpture was found, broken but fixable.

Art experts say the thieves probably hoped to sell the one-of-a-kind bronze sculpture for scrap metal, which would have netted them as little as a few hundred dollars.

The sculpture, titled "La Défaite", had been sitting for 40 years outside the studio and home of the late artist in the Laurentians town of Estérel, north of Montreal. The massive sculpture weighs about a thousand pounds and over 6 feet tall.

A groundskeeper noticed on Monday that one of the pieces had been toppled. When a security guard showed up to check the grounds, he surprised the thieves at work.

One of the thieves fled into the woods, while two others drove away in a white van.

The thieves didn’t get far. News of the theft quickly spread via Twitter and in the news media, and Quebec police found the empty van Tuesday. A few hours later, they found the sculpture in the woods about two km from the Riopelle property.

The sculpture was found broken into 4 pieces to make them easier to carry.

“These guys were imbeciles. They were certainly not professionals,” said Simon Blais, an abstract art gallery owner and Riopelle expert in Montreal. He said it would have been close to impossible to unload an artwork of that bulk and weight. “You can’t smuggle it. You can’t put it on a plane.”

The loss of the 1963 sculpture would have been a tragedy. Riopelle, known chiefly for his abstract mosaic canvasses painted with a palette knife, also produced sculptures in the 1960s. Adding to its value was the fact that it was a single cast and came from his early sculpture works. It was purely one of a kind.

“This is a major work of art of an iconic Canadian painter and sculptor of the 20th century,” says Simon Blais. “It’s a part of Canada’s heritage. Imagine losing it because some dumb thieves hoped they might get a few hundred dollars in scrap metal. It would have been tragic.”

It wouldn't be the first time.

A two-tonne bronze sculpture by Henry Moore worth £3-million was stolen from the estate of the Henry Moore Foundation in England in 2005, and police believe it was melted down and sold for about £1,500.

The thieves in the Laurentians didn’t realize what they’d put their hands on – and didn’t appreciate that the odd-shaped, highly abstract piece of art sitting outside a rustic waterfront home was the work of a man whose canvasses hang in the most famous museums of the world.

Montreal-born Jean-Paul Riopelle, who died at 78 in 2002, was an abstract art master and one of Canada’s most internationally celebrated painters.

“I think the thieves didn’t realize the gravity of what they’d done,” says Jean-Paul Riopelle’s widow, Huguette Vachon. “Once they saw all the publicity, they realized their mistake and panicked.”

The damaged sculpture will be appraised, restored and then eventually displayed again in a safer place.

The three thieves are still at large.

See Also
Canadian Art

Time Magazine rips off Charles Moffat painting

ART HISTORY/POLITICS - Time Magazine has ripped off a famous painting by Canadian artist Charles Moffat. The painting in question, "United States Censorship", was painted in September 2001 shortly after the events of September 11th.

The painting "United States Censorship" has been featured in two documentaries, including F*CK, The Film That Dare Not Speak Its Name. Its also been used by various anti-censorship organizations over the past 9 1/2 years and has become an iconic painting from the time period. The painting was also featured in a Hip Hop video.

Indeed if you do a Google image search for United States Censorship the painting is the first one in the list and there is 9 copies of it on the first page of results.

Moffat himself has been asked to sell the painting several times, but keeps refusing. He insists that if the painting is ever sold it will be to a public art gallery so it can be seen by the general public.

The Time Magazine cover in question features Julian Assange as the muzzled person in the picture, but what confirms it is a rip off is how the person is done in black and white with high chiaroscuro and only the American flag is in colour, and the background is also done in a similar way.

So did Time Magazine ask to use Moffat's painting?

"No," says Moffat. "I don't really care either. I consider it an honour and an homage. Its nice to know my painting has been so far reaching."

Moffat says he won't be pursuing any legal action for the clear rip off of his painting. "As long as they're using it for something I agree with, I don't have a problem with it. Julian Assange has been dealt a huge injustice and I fully endorse Time Magazine wanting to help clean up his reputation," says Moffat. "I painted it because I wanted to fight censorship in the wake of September 11th. I think its definitely doing that, even if the topic has changed over time."

Is the AGO's Curator/CEO overpaid?

ART HISTORY/CANADA - Two more employees of the Art Gallery of Ontario have left the AGO as the largest art gallery in Canada continues to struggle with its budget problems.

Part of the problem is curator/director/CEO Matthew Teitelbaum who in 2009 was paid $1.07 million in salary and bonus.

According to ex-employees, who don't want to be named, Teitelbaum will be paid over $1.2 million in 2010, despite the fact that he is doing such a shoddy job trying to get paying visitors through the doors.

The two latest employees to leave are:

Kristin Ferguson, executive director of corporate services and operations.

Michael Parke-Taylor, senior curator of modern art, who has been with the gallery for 23 years.

Recently the AGO also "let go" former curator/director Dennis Reid, one of the leading authorities on Canadian art.

And these are just 3 of a slew of employees who have been "let go" while the AGO continues to flounder financially and Matthew Teitelbaum continues to get paid more.

Teitelbaum's big summer exhibit "Drama and Desire" was a huge financial flop.

Some people might call that incompetence. Others might call it greed. Even more people might call it both.

Unless the AGO changes its spending the AGO will be at least $2 million dollars in debt by March 31st 2001.

Oh wait, is that not Matthew Teitelbaum's salary from the last 2 years?

Meanwhile Teitelbaum claims there’s no cause for alarm. Teitelbaum argues that rapid turnover is perfectly routine at the end of a huge expansion, such as the expansion and re-opening of the AGO two years ago after its makeover by architect Frank Gehry.

“It’s the norm at other institutions as well that after a completing a big project that has gone on for several years, people are ready for a change,” said Teitelbaum recently before flying to Paris on the AGO account.

But wait Matt... that was TWO YEARS AGO!

That does not explain why he has been paying himself such huge bonuses. And it certainly does not explain his jet setting around the world on the AGO account to view exhibitions at other art galleries.

Gail Dexter Lord, a respected Toronto-based consultant who works for five-star museums all over the world, does not agree with Teitelbaum. She also points out that 2 years have passed by and other cuts took place two years ago to try and balance the budget.

“What is happening now,” says Lord, “is typical for museums that have made unrealistic attendance and revenue projections to sell the project and then, after re-opening, failed to achieve those targets. There are usually systematic problems that have not been addressed in the building phase. And those problems don’t go away.”

Lord did not point at Teitelbaum or his excessive salary and yearly bonuses.

Ferguson and Parke-Taylor both said in interviews Tuesday they chose to leave on a voluntary and personal basis.

In the past several years the following people have been let go, retired or pushed out the door:

Bruce Ferguson: director of exhibitions in 2007; Catherine de Zegher: director of exhibitions and publications in 2009; Kate Davis, director of exhibitions in 2010; Paul Gilbert, Contract marketing director in 2010; Susan Bloch-Nevitte, Executive director of public affairs in 2010; Arlene Madell, Director of marketing in 2009; Linda Milrod, Program director of Transformation in 2010; Paul Altheer, Chief operating officer in 2007.

It would take 1 million visitors per year to make the AGO financially successful. Right now its getting roughly half of that. When you add that up the 500,000 paying visitors per year are basically giving $2 each to Matthew Teitelbaum.

Does the CEO of a failing art gallery really deserve a $1 million+ annual salary + bonus? Very doubtful.

Rebuilding the World Trade Center in NYC

ART HISTORY - As architecture goes the new World Trade Center in New York City is going to be one of the most iconic and controversial buildings of the 21st century.

As the 9th anniversary of September 11th approaches the pace of construction on the site is rapidly changing the shape of the site now known as Ground Zero. Approx. 2,000 construction workers are busy like bees there, every day, 7 days a week. They're pouring concrete, arranging new beams and columns, pipes and electrical lines.

You can even watch their progress on a webcam at rebuildgroundzero.org.



If we ignore the controversy about how the building was brought down, whether it was really terrorists or a conspiracy by George W. Bush and the Bush Administration and even the allegations that the building was brought down using explosives in a controlled implosion because jet fuel doesn't burn hot enough to weaken girders... well then what you're left with is a memorial site dedicated to the 2,977 who died on September 11th.

The memorial is planned to be finished by September 2011, just in time for the 10th anniversary of September 11th.

But apparently that is not good enough. Americans also want their tall building(s) back and so they've made plans to build a new glass and steel structure designed by American architect David Childs.

The new building will be 1,776 feet (541.32 meters) tall, have 105 floors, 2.6 million square feet (241,000 square meters) of floor space, an observation deck, restaurant, parking, and broadcast and antenna facilities and is due to be completed by April 2013.

The old World Trade Center buildings had to be torn down anyway due to faulty construction and asbestos lawsuits. Larry Silverstein, the owner of the lease on the WTC buildings really lucked out when it all came crashing down in a stellar example of a controlled implosion. Whether you believe that or not is up to you.

Lucian Freud portrait to be auctioned

ART HISTORY/FASHION - Model Jerry Hall and Sotheby's has announced plans to auction off her art collection on October 15th and 16th, including a portrait by Lucian Freud from when Jerry Hall was eight months pregnant with her son Gabriel.

Jerry Hall is the ex-wife of Rolling Stone legend Mick Jagger and the London UK auction will also include works by Andy Warhol, Damien Hirst, David Bailey and other contemporary artists. Jerry Hall separated from Jagger in 1999 and has worked in the theatre ever since. Several of her daughters have gone into modelling.

The Lucian Freud portrait, "Eight Months Gone", is estimated to fetch more than £300,000 (about $480,000 CDN). Her collection includes two other works by Freud, known for his often grotesque realism.

Guerrilla Art in Toronto

ART HISTORY/CANADA - A group of Canadian activists and artists made history this past weekend, ripping down illegal advertising and putting up art instead.

The group of 16 people are TOSAT, short for Toronto Street Advertising Takeover. Armed with little more than an electric screwdriver, duct tape and a stepladder they dismantled illegal ads by "Pattison Outdoor" and replaced the ads with artwork which had been submitted from countries around the world including Spain, Germany, the USA and Canada.

Yesterday, in teams of 2 or 3 the group replaced 85 illegal ads on 41 pillars with public art, part of their "Public Ad Campaign" in which their goal is to replace illegal ads with guerrilla art for the masses.

“Public space should be a place for public communication,” says Jordan Seiler, founder of the group. “I feel like I have a right to react against (advertisements) when, in particular, they’re done illegally.”

The Pattison Outdoor ads are essentially pillars which were installed in public locations by the company, but without asking for permission and without paying the appropriate city taxes. Toronto’s billboard laws require an annual billboard tax ranging from $850.68 to $24,000, which adds $10 million per year to the city budget.

Pattison Outdoor's non-compliance with the law and the tax, combined with the fact they were installing the pillars in the middle of the night without authorization or permits, is why their pillars were targeted by the activist group.

Toronto has been super lax about actually enforcing the law. City councillor Adam Vaughan claims the city is on top of the issue, but frankly that is just rhetoric on his part. The city is annoying slow at fixing potholes and getting around to removing illegal advertising isn't considered a high priority.

But for the activists enough was enough. It was time for them to go.

Local residents are pleased with the art which replaced the ads. Its so much better to see something intelligent and interesting that isn't trying to sell you something.

AGO fires curator Dennis Reid

By Charles Moffat - July 2010.

ART HISTORY/CANADA - I have multiple art history books on my shelf written by Dennis Reid so it comes as a shock that the curator of the Art Gallery of Ontario has been forced into retirement, but without a public explanation.

“I am retiring, and I can confirm that the timing is not of my choice,” said Dennis Reid, at his home yesterday. He refused to comment on why he was forced into retirement. The 67-year-old Reid is a highly respected Canadian art scholar and member of the Order of Canada has been working for the AGO for 30 years. He was chief curator from 1999 to 2005, before becoming the director of collections and research and transferred again in 2009 to the role of chief curator of research.

Dennis Reid's retirement will officially begin August 31st.

What is disgusting however is that the current curator, Matthew Teitelbaum, of the AGO is paid $1,070,000 per year... and 23 full-time employees were laid off in April 2009 as a "cost cutting measure". And yet Teitelbaum continues to be paid such an outrageous salary.

Seriously, as a fellow art historian I could do that job for a FRACTION of the cost. $100,000 per year would be quite reasonable to me. And with $870,000 in savings the AGO could hire back the 23 employees they canned.

Colleagues of Dennis Reid are all shocked at the sudden loss to the art gallery.

“I think it came as a shock to a lot of us. A shock and a surprise,” says Fred Schaeffer, former chairman of the Canadian art historical committee. Schaeffer believes the gallery “probably made a mistake.” “There are not many left in Canada who are great Canadian art scholars and he [Dennis Reid] is one of them.”

“I think the real issue is the resources internally to manage and research and present the historic Canadian collections, and that is a loss to the AGO because Dennis knew the collections well,” says Charles Hill, a curator with the National Gallery of Canada.

“He’s one of the finest scholars in Canadian art that Canada’s ever had. He has really defined the field,” says Tom Smart, director of the McMichael Canadian Art Collection and a former student of Reid's back when he was a professor at U of T.

Frank Frazetta dies, age 82

ART HISTORY - Arguably the greatest fantasy artist to ever live died yesterday. Frank Frazetta was a fantasy art legend famous for his images of Conan the Barbarian, Tarzan, the Death Dealer and other heroic figures of fantasy fiction.

Frazetta suffered a stroke on May 9th and died May 10th in Lee Memorial Hospital in Fort Myers, Florida. He was 82 years old.

Frank Frazetta's artwork is famous in the fantasy art world. To draw comparisons he is like Andy Warhol to Pop Art, Pablo Picasso to Cubism or the Group of Seven to Canadian Art.

Frazetta’s paintings were mostly in oil, but his canvases were rarely seen in museums because fantasy art is considered too low brow by some art critics. His fans however were the millions of readers who enjoyed all variety of fantasy books, comic books and a simple pleasure in the heroic art form.

As an art historian fantasy art in its purest sense is about hero worship. Man Vs. Beast. Man rescuing Woman. Man vanguishing evil. All the simplicity of Bruce Willis in a Die Hard movie, but with all the swords and sorcery of The Lord of the Rings.

Right: In November 2009, a berserk battlefield image that graced a Conan the Conqueror paperback (painted in 1967) sold for $1 million to a private collector.

Frank Frazetta's long, restless career started in the 1940s and took him into Hollywood work, posters, animation, commercial art and almost every corner of American illustration. He was still painting in the late 1990s when his health began to dwindle.

John Milius, the director and co-writer of Conan the Barbarian, the 1982 film that was based on the warrior character created by pulp writer Robert E. Howard in 1932. Milius said Monday that it was Frazetta’s muscular paintings of Conan that defined the character for him and modern generations of fans. "Not that I could ever redo Frazetta on film—he created a world and a mood that are impossible to simulate—but my goal in Conan the Barbarian was to tell a story that was shaped by Frazetta and Wagner," says Milius.

In July 2009 Frank Frazetta’s wife Eleanor or Ellie died. Frank's health was deteriorating and his children began to squabble over his custody and his art collection, which is estimated to be worth $20 to $50 million.

Frank Frazetta is survived by two sons, two daughters and 11 grandchildren.

See Also
Conan the Berserker

Michael Jackson's art collection

ART HISTORY - Years ago when Michael Jackson sold off one of his houses he accidentally misplaced his art collection.

An opportunistic man managed to snatch up Michael Jackson's collection and started selling it over the internet and Michael had to sue him to get his collection back, which he eventually did succeed in doing.

But by the time Michael got his collection back the secret contents of it had become well-documented by the court case.

The thing about Michael Jackson's collection was its unusual theme of naked boys. The sample shown here is just one of hundreds of pieces from his collection depicting children, often with little or no clothes on.

Now that Michael Jackson is dead his collection is being slowly sold off, but I have to question... who would buy this?

Amazingly there are devout Michael Jackson fans out there who still refuse to believe that Michael Jackson was bisexual and a pedophile. They somehow turn a blind eye to all the lawsuits Michael Jackson settled by paying out vast numbers of dollars because all the lawyers involved knew he was guilty. He tried to keep it as quiet as he could.

You could also analyze the lyrics of his songs like "Keep it in the Closet" or you could survey his art collection in books like "Michael Jackson Opus: The Ultimate Celebration of an Icon", but the end result is still dubious at best. We have to assume that the really explicit art pieces from his collection will never make it into print. The kind of artwork that would probably make Robert Mapplethorpe blush.

Fans will no doubt take it as a matter of faith and try to ignore such things.

The piece above by artist David Nordahl was commissioned by Michael Jackson in 1999.

Is the Asian Aesthetic the Future of Art?

By Ai Lung Nguyen - March 2010.

ART HISTORY - Epochs in art are rare and usually the result of major shifts in the art world. In the 21st century however we will see the rise of China as a growing mega power, dwarfing the United States and old Europe in both size, scale, concept and popularity...

Korea, Japan, Vietnam and other Asian countries will no doubt follow suit. Whatever China does they will try to emulate and perfect in their own way, and contextually so will the rest of the world.

Beijing is the new capitol of the art world. Some might argue New York is still the capitol but this is wholly untrue. More art, both old and new, now goes through Beijing and the growing list of Beijing art galleries is testimony to the fact that the financial world and the art world are both shifting towards China and as China's economy continues to saunter and outpace all other world economies, so too will artists start to gravitate towards the new capitol.

New York will always be the capitol of the North American art world, just like Paris is in Europe, but New York's galleries are old... they are institutions now. Trying to open a new art gallery in NYC is an unlikely prospect because the costs of renting/buying a space are too high and galleries simply aren't profitable during the early years, resulting in many failing all too quickly.

But in Beijing the art world is booming. Galleries start up and are almost instantly successful. The people of China are in an art buying frenzy, but not just art by Chinese artists, but also art from international artists and old masters alike.

Thanks to globalization and the internet this trend will only continue to grow, but more so is another trend... that of Asian artists becoming more dominant internationally and attracting more attention, and likewise artists globally beginning to emulate the styles of Asian artists. Its happening already and it doesn't take much effort to find contemporary artists who have been influenced by the Asian aesthetic.

I propose an experiment... go look for a book depicting contemporary art, or do a Google search for the topic if you feel that's more convenient. But before you do so make a list of what aspects you think of when you think of the Asian aesthetic. Define that first and then compare that against contemporary art pieces and see how many have a similar aesthetic to Chinese landscape paintings, Japanese manga, modern Chinese art and whatever other aesthetic qualities YOU think exemplify this shift.

After all I could easily name specific artists or pop culture references like Disney movies, Quentin Tarantino films, cartoons like Samurai Jack, Astro Boy and a plethora of other artistic / pop culture references, but it wouldn't really matter. Only you can decide for yourself.

McDonalds opens inside the Louvre

ART HISTORY - Shocked art lovers are going to be munching on more junk food in future trips to the Louvre in Paris.

Why?

Because McDonald's is opening a franchise right in the middle of the place. Visitors will now be able to much on double cheeseburgers while staring slack-jawed at old masters.

Actually that is not completely true.

The Louvre has been a tourist trap for generations and has an underground mall beneath the museum itself, so it technically won't be IN the museum. The mall connects to Rue de Rivoli, the busiest street in all of France.

8.5 million paying visitors come to the Louvre every year, and presumably quite a few of them will leave the Louvre's underground mall / tourist area a bit fatter.

This is nothing new to France, home to 1,100 McDonalds franchises, the 2nd largest market outside of the United States.

Art thieves net Andy Warhol portraits

ART HISTORY - In L.A. a group of art thieves have gained 15 minutes of fame after stealing a series of Andy Warhol portraits of famed athletes.

The series of Andy Warhol pop art portraits include Muhammad Ali, Jack Nicklaus, Pele, Dorothy Hamill and other famous athletes were stolen from a collector's home. Andy Warhol was commissioned in 1977 by businessman Richard Weisman to create the portraits.

The collection of 10 silkscreen paintings of famous athletes of the 1970s was taken from Weisman's home sometime between Sept. 2nd and 3rd.

A $1 million reward has been offered for information leading to the return of the paintings.

Art recovery expert Robert Wittman, a former investigator for the FBI's national art crime team, says most rewards are offered for about 10% of a stolen collection's value. That suggests the value of the ten works is about $10 million.

"The real art in an art theft is not the stealing but the selling," he said. "People know what they are. You can't sell it to the industry, it's not going back to the market and you also can't sell it at auction," says Wittman. 95% of stolen artworks, especially famous pieces, are recovered by police.

The paintings were on display in Weisman's dining room and his house was locked. Nevertheless the thieves managed to make a clean get-away.

A neighbour saw a maroon van in the driveway of Weisman's home around the time of the robbery.

Tom Thomson painting fetches only $350,000

ART HISTORY/CANADA - A small Tom Thomson painting sold for much less than expected Sunday after an unusual auction that saw the buyer storm out of the room before eventually being allowed to buy the piece.

The painting, a muted portrayal of a lake at dawn near Algonquin Park in Ontario, was expected to sell for between $500,000 and $600,000.

"I hadn't really planned on showing up, I hadn't really planned on being here. I didn't think I was going to own that painting," said new owner Tom Budd, a retired Calgary investment banker who said he came on a whim after an afternoon of racing sports cars.

Despite interest from across the country, when the piece, called Dawn on Round Lake, was first raised at the front of the Calgary auction, the bids did not fly.

Only Budd raised his hand, bidding $350,000.

Doug Levis of Levis Fire Art Auctions & Appraisals tried to ramp that bid higher, but when it was revealed the painting could not sell for a price less than $400,000, Budd objected that his lower bid was accepted in the first place.

(Note: For those that don't know, auctioneers get a percentage of the sale price, so the auctioneer in this case was likely just being greedy.)

After a few minutes of arguing that several art collectors called "shocking" and "unprecedented," the painting was declared unsold and Budd marched out of the room.

"You've got to encourage the bidding somehow to get to your minimum bid or whatever you're going to sell it for," said one man after the outburst. "That's how auctions work."

A brief meeting between Budd and Levis, and a phone call to the elderly woman whose family has owned the painting for 94 years, resulted in a deal.

"I am pleased to announce the painting did sell. It sold for $350,000," said Levis. "I talked to the client and she agreed she would sell it at those kind of numbers."

Budd only had kind words for the outcome saying: "I've met a lot of people in business, and I would put the owners of this company at the forefront of ethics and morals when it come to tough situations."

The elderly woman, brought the painting to Calgary by bus, the wood panel wrapped in a towel. She's a relative of the painting's original owner, Dr. Robert McComb, who accompanied Thomson on the hunting trip in northern Ontario where it was painted in November 1915.

Thomson was one of the first painters to focus on the Canadian landscape, favouring Algonquin Park with a style that would heavily influence the work of the Group of Seven painters and Emily Carr.

In 1917, at age 39, Thomson drowned under mysterious circumstances in the area, leaving behind more than 300 sketches and only about 50 paintings.

Budd admitted he only began reading about Thomson and the Group of Seven a few weeks ago, but said he was quickly drawn in to the story. "It was the artist, not the painting," he said of his decision to buy the piece.

While he has collected some art - he bought one other piece at the auction before he realized he'd be taking the Thomson home - he said this will be the first painting of such a calibre.

"I'm probably the least knowledgeable person in this room on art. But I'm a quick learner."

Other Thomson paintings have sold for between $300,000 and $1.7 million. (Although to get millions Sotheby's would be a better choice as auctioneer.)

Some had hoped the painting would be sold to a public gallery rather back into private hands. Budd said that wish would likely come true, noting the monetary value of the piece wasn't the issue for him.

"I didn't buy the painting to make money, I don't really need to make money. I've been giving money away," he said. "This painting will end up being donated to somebody at some point."

See Also:
Canadian Art History

Lawren Harris painting sells for $2,072,500

ART HISTORY - An Arctic painting of Nerke, Greenland by Group of Seven artist Lawren Harris sold today for $2,072,500.

The Canadian Art piece was originally estimated at only $300,000.

The Sotheby's sale also included works by Emily Carr, Jean-Paul Riopelle, Tom Thomson and Alex Colville.

Art market sales were down earlier this month in the United States and London were hurt by sagging demand for high-end pieces, but Canadian art sales have been doing surprisingly well despite the current economic recession.

Carl Schaefer

We added Carl Schaefer to the Art History Archive today. The Canadian landscape artist from Hanover Ontario lived from 1903 to 1995 and his most famous work is Ontario Farmhouse done in 1934.

Carl Schaefer is one of numerous Canadian artists that are taught in Canadian high schools, including the Group of Seven, Emily Carr, Daphne Odjig, Paul Peel, Tom Thomson, Ken Danby and Joyce Wieland.