Painter's Keys by Robert Genn One of the few art newsletter I actually read is Painter's Keys by the Canadian painter Robert Genn. It's published each Tuesday and Friday. Robert talks about different issues that affect artists or whatever happens to be on his mind at the time.
He covers a wide range of topics and sometimes answers questions from subscribers, like here where someone was concerned about their name and if they should change it.. where Robert commented that "While we are all part of a great human family.. with only a few degrees of separation.. we owe it to ourselves to sign our names uniquely. A name is an entity on which a career hangs. Never underestimate the value of ego. Do whatever it takes to find and hold the person that you are and can become."
There's also a good artists directory and a collection quotations relating to art on the site that are worth checking out.
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  Picasso Exhibition in Istanbul Turkey Pablo Picasso has created quite a media frenzy in Istanbul, Turkey with a major exhibition by the Spaniard being opened this week. It is a major step forward for Turkey, being one of the most important exhibitions of any western artist ever held in the country.
The exhibition will have 135 works by Picasso, spanning the artist's entire career. They include paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and photographs of Picasso.
The tapestry of the Les Demoiselles D'Avignon painting commissioned by Picasso is among the works on show, which seems appropriate in Turkey where the art of carpet making has been such an important part of the Turkish culture.
"Picasso in Istanbul" will be on at the Sakip Sabanci Museum until March 2006.
Excitement in "Equestrian Villa" Over Picassos
Ms. Sabanci said she regards the exhibition as a turning point, "Turkey is a part of Europe. We have a museum of such capacity. The first six weeks of children's programming are fully booked shows the existence of a young generation who wants to learn." Zaman
>> Pablo Picasso News  ¶ 3:27 AM 2 comments

  Michelangelo's David makes people go Crazy According to a psychiatrist in Florence by the name of Dr Graziella Magherini, great works of art can make people feel anything from disorientation and queasiness, to temporary panic attacks, and even moments of madness in sensitive or cultured onlookers. Magherini has even labeled the condition as "David Syndrome".
Art loves go nuts over dishy David
"In the past 10 years, Magherini has studied more than 100 people who were rushed to Florence's Santa Maria Nuova hospital suffering from the syndrome as they were absorbed in contemplation of great works of art.The artistic intoxication is caused by a combination of several things, including the stress of the trip, an "overdose" of beautiful art and the degree of sensitivity of the person, says Magherini."We should not forget that a work of art is a very powerful stimulus and can stimulate memories in our unconscious, sometimes triggering a crisis," she says." ABC Health
>> Art News  ¶ 5:04 AM 1 comments

  Top 10 FBI Art Thefts The FBI have released a top 10 list of art crimes and are seeking the help of the public. They are a list of masterpieces from some of the biggest names in art. Here's a the list..
Caravaggio, Nativity with San Lorenzo and San Francesco.
Estimated to be worth $20 million
Stolen from the Oratory of San Lorenzo, Palermo, in Italy in October 1969 by two thieves. and removed the Caravaggio Nativity from its frame.
Edvard Munch, The Scream.
Stolen in August 2004 from the Munch Museum by two masked gunmen during daylight hours.
Rembrandt, The Storm on the Sea of Galilee.
Stolen in March 1990 from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston by two men. The thieves removed works of art whose value has been estimated as high as $300 million, with the Rembrandt work being one of the more notable paintings.
Cellini, Salt Cellar
Estimated to be worth $55 million
Taken in May 2003 from the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria.
Davidoff-Morini Stradivarius Violin
Valued at $3 million
Taken from a New York apartment in October 1995.
Vincent van Gogh, View of the Sea at Scheveningen
Estimated value of $30 million
Taken from the Vincent van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam in December 2002. Thieves took two paintings by Vincent.
Leonardo Da Vinci, Madonna of the Yarnwinder
Painting is estimated to be worth $65 million
Taken from the Drumlanrig Castle in Scotland by two men during a guided tour of the castle in August 2003.
Statue of Entemena, Iraq
Priceless
Many priceless artifacts stolen from Iraqi institutions in 2003, including 7,000 to 10,000 items from the Iraq National Museum.
Renoir, Young Parisian and Rembrandt, Self Portrait
recovered in September
Paul Cezanne, View of Auvers-sur-Oise
Valued at $3 million
Taken from the Ashmolean Museum in England in 1999.
>> Art Theft News  ¶ 6:02 PM 1 comments

  Henri Rousseau Exhibition Henri Rousseau has never been one of my favorite painters, but he was a great artist. The French painter (1844-1910) was a late starter, getting the brushes out when he 40 years old, and didn't go to art school. Rousseau painted in a naive, primitive, or childlike manner, depicting people and nature scenes often set in the forest.
He was also confident in his art, quoted as saying "We are the two great painters of this era; you are in the Egyptian style, I in the modern style." to Pablo Picasso.
An exhibition is on at the Tate Modern in the United Kingdom between November 3 and February 5, 2006. There will be 50 works by Henri Rousseau, the first exhibition by the artist in the United Kingdom for eighty years!
Stumble in the jungle
"What a wonderful and wonderfully bad painter Henri Rousseau was. There is even something touching and gauche about the big, wonky signature that always decorates a corner of his paintings: it is as if the painter were amazed to find himself there." Guardian
>> Art Museum Exhibitions  ¶ 5:27 PM 0 comments

  Hirst no1 on ArtReview List The ArtReview magazine has released its fourth annual listing of the art worlds most powerful players. British artist Damien Hirst was number 78 on the list of 100 last year, making it quite an impressive jump.
The Art Review Power 100 is not a measure of wealth or paintings sold or prices reached, but a measure of "influence", which makes it all quite subjective. The list includes artists, art collectors, gallery directors, and other notable arts personalities. This year was the first year that an artist was number 1.
See the top 40 art figures in 2004 that we commented on last year.
The Top Ten Most Influential Arts People 2005

1. Damien Hirst - British Artist
2. Larry Gagosian - Art Dealer (Hirst is in the Gagosian stable)
3. Francois Pinault - Art Auction Christie's
4. Nicholas Serota - Tate Gallery in the UK
5. Glenn D Lowry - (MoMA) The Museum of Modern Art in New York
6. Eli Broad - Art Collector
7. Sam Keller - Art fair director
8. Iwan Wirth - Art dealer
9. Bruce Nauman - American artist
10. David Zwirner - Art dealer

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