ART WORKS GALLERY OPENS A VIEW TO YOURSELF BY MYLES YOUNG AND 89 SECONDS TO MIDNIGHT BY ANTHONY WHITE THIS WEEK
Art Works Gallery opened two solo exhibitions this week by artists Myles Young and Anthony White, with a Vernissage held on Wednesday 23rd April. Myles Young was present for the preview evening, with an artist Q&A during the opening night led by Art Works’ Global Fine Art Director Cassi Young. The artist gave the audience insights into the exhibition, from the inspiration behind his works to the evolution of his artistic practice. In one half of the gallery visitors were immersed in Young’s vibrant landscapes, brimming with lush botanical imagery, while White’s powerful ensembles highlight the current plight of the world. A View to Yourself encourages viewers to consider the possibilities that lie within one’s imagination and how one can perceive nature and landscapes through this lens. A sense of serenity and emotional attunement is present throughout the works, encouraging viewers to consider the potential within these imagined landscapes. Anthony White's 89 Seconds to Midnight provides a different interpretation of landscapes, exploring themes of environmental degradation, political oppression, and nuclear threat. The exhibitions will be open at Art Works Gallery from 24 April until 25 May 2025.
Installation shot of A View To Yourself
Installation view of 89 Seconds to Midnight
CONTEMPORARY ARTISTS BRING THE REALITIES OF CLIMATE CHANGE INTO FOCUS
This year’s Earth Day fell on 22nd April, marking a time to reflect on the current environmental pressures that the world is facing. Climate journalist Mary Annaïse Heglar has written, “For too long, the climate fight has been limited to scientists and policy experts…When I survey the field, it’s clear that what we desperately need is more artists.” Art can often convey the emotional narratives that accompany problems caused by climate change, in a way that data and numbers sometimes struggle to convey. Art also has the potential to reflect the scale of the problems through mediums such as installation and sculpture. Many of the works highlight the consequences of environmental issues on communities, and as poet and writer Guy Davenport wrote in 1982, “Art is always the replacing of indifference by attention.” Tiffany Chung’s floating architectural models are an example of this; titled stored in a jar: monsoon, drowning fish, color of water, and the floating world (2010–2011), the works are based on the impact that flood-related crises have had on communities in Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, and India. Another artist discussing these issues is Brooklyn based artist Josh Kline, who explores the intersection between environmentalism and social equity. Using mediums including installation, video, sculpture, and photography, Kline tackles topics like technological automation, the erosion of the public sphere, and the threat of environmental collapse. Other artists in the list include Francesca Gabbiani, James Casebere, Jessie Homer French, and Samara Golden.
Tiffany Chung, installation view of stored in a jar: monsoon, drowning fish, color of water, and the floating world , 2010-2011
SOTHEBY’S SECURES $70 M. GIACOMETTI BUST FOR MAY AUCTION
Sotheby’s have announced one of their top lots for its Modern Art Evening Sale in New York on May 13. Grande tête mince (Grande tête de Diego) (1955), is a bronze bust by Alberto Giacometti and is estimated at more than $70 million. The piece is a tribute to Giacometti’s brother Diego and is the highest profile lot that has been announced so far for the spring auctions. The work is being sold through the Soloviev Foundation, having been a part of the estate of the late Sheldon Solow. The bust has also been exhibited at the 1956 Venice Biennale and was on view at the Fondation Maeght in France before being acquired by Solow in 1980. The bust is one of six casts, with other casts bringing in high hammer prices at previous auctions; in 2010 one cast sold for $53 million at Christie’s and another fetched $50 million at Sotheby’s in 2013. Simon Shaw, a senior adviser for Impressionist and modern art at Sotheby’s, has highlighted the rarity of such a work as it is the only one with a painted surface. The bust will be on show at Sotheby’s New York galleries from May 2 until May 13, prior to the evening auction.
Alberto Giacometti, Grande tête mince (Grande tête de Diego), 1955
CLEAR, LUCID, AND AWAKE AT ART SONJE CENTER
This May, Art Sonje Center in Seoul is opening Clear, Lucid, and Awake, an exhibition that critically analyses the way in which we view culture. For the most part, the works have been sourced from the TBA21 collection, a foundation that focuses on works that emphasise the agency that is held by nature and the possibility of peace. Counter narratives are offered in reaction to official histories, exploring themes of memory, ecology, and speculative thinking. Artists like Asunción Molinos Gordo uses the mediums of ceramics and film to reclaim ancestral knowledge, presenting traditional weather forecasting as a tool for climate resilience. Other artists include Claudi Pagès, Irene de Andrés, Belén Rodríguez, Daniel Steegmann Mangrané, and Álvaro Urbano. All ten artists are Spanish, the exhibition celebrating the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Spain and the Republic of Korea. The exhibition was curated by Chus Martínez and co-produced by TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary and Art Sonje Center. Chus Martínez has shared, “that is why the best way to “celebrate” bilateral relations is through an exhibition—a space where the experiences of very different places and cultures are presented as similar, possible, future-oriented, and close. An exhibition is, in other words, a negotiating front.”
A still from Irene de Andrés film La Isla. A través del cauce, 2023
A TROVE OF ARTWORKS FROM THE LEGENDARY BASS HOUSE IS BOUND FOR AUCTION
A selection of works from Anne and Sid Bass’ collection from their house in Fort Worth, Texas, will be auctioned by Christie’s as part of its Spring Marquee Week in May. 9 works will be featured, including artists like Agnes Martin and Mark Rothko. Bonnie Brennan, CEO of Christie’s, has released in a statement, “Anne and Sid Bass stand among the world’s most formidable and influential art collectors, combining exquisite taste with the highest level of connoisseurship. The fantastic home they built together was a singular representation of their combined vision—built to perfectly showcase their inimitable collection. It is an honour to present Art from the Bass House to the market this season.” The couple’s house was built by Paul Rudolph due to Sid Bass’s enthrallment with the art and architecture building at Yale that Rudolph had designed, having first seen it as a student at the university in the 1960s. Throughout the house, masterpieces by prominent artists like Frank Stella, Ellsworth Kelly, and Mark Rothko can be seen. For the auction, Rothko's No. 4 (Two Dominants) [Orange, Plum, Black] (1950-51), is estimated at around $35 million. The work was created during the height of the Abstract Expressionism movement and was featured in the 15 Americans exhibition at Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York in 1952. The artworks will be on view at Christie’s Rockerfeller Center galleries prior to the sales in May.
Installation view of Mark Rothko, No. 4 (Two Dominants) (Orange Plum Black) (1950-51) in the Piano Room of the Bass House.
Jordan Tan holds an MA in History of Art from the prestigious Courtauld Institute of Art. With a passion for fine art and the art market, Jordan plays a key role at Art Works by researching and interpreting trends across the primary and secondary markets, delivering valuable insights and business intelligence for the fine art department.
