(06-25) 15:54 PDT DAY: Thursday — Michael Jackson, the troubled recording artist who covered himself in sequins and appointed himself “King of Pop,” died in Los Angeles today. He was 50. The cause was cardiac arrest, according law enforcement sources.

According to wire reports, the singer was unresponsive when paramedics arrived at the Bel Air home he was renting while rehearsing for a series of 50 sold-out shows at London’s O2 Arena beginning next month and continuing into 2010.

The concerts, financed by a pair of billionaires, were planned as a way of reviving his career. Those close to the singer hoped it would serve as a trial run for a lengthy world tour, new album, Michael Jackson museum and Las Vegas stage show, according to news reports.

Jackson, however, had publicly protested that he was not physically ready for shows, which sold out almost instantly. The opening dates had already been pushed back.

Earlier this month, he reportedly told a group of fans outside his Burbank rehearsal studio, “I’m really angry with them booking me up to do 50 shows. I only wanted to do 10, and take the tour around the world to other cities, not 50 in one place. I went to bed knowing I sold 10 dates and woke up with the news I was booked to do 50.”

Jackson started singing at the age of eight as a member of the Jackson 5, the family band that included his brothers Jermaine, Jackie, Tito and Marlon. It was the start of a long and turbulent career that peaked with the release of 1982′s “Thriller,” which holds the title of the best-selling album of all time.

On the 16th of June Sotheby’s held a sale of Indian art at their Bond, St. London Saleroom which, with the recent downturn in the demand for contemporary Indian art, was an important sale. Works by the modern masters fared well as was to be expected with works by the famous Maqbool Fida Husain proving particularly popular. Even though only 67% of the 86 lots on offer were sold the sale total of 2,067,400 GBP (3,376,684 USD) exceeded the pre-sale estimate of 1,193,500-1,754,000 GBP. This was mainly due to two works the first being the catalogue cover lot by Jogen Chowdhury titled ‘Day Dreaming’ which sold for 373,250 GBP against an estimate of 80,000-120,000 GBP and the other being ‘Orange Head’ by Francis Newton Souza which made 403,250 against an estimate of 80,000-120,000 GBP.

All seven works by Husain found buyers with five of the works exceeding the top estimate including an untitled work from 1953 which fetched the third highest price of the auction of 109,250 against an estimate of 50,000 – 70,000 GBP. The two Husain works that didn’t exceed their top estimate were minor works on paper which proves that quality and rarity were important factors for buyers.

A safety net of historical works from the 16th to 19th centuries made up more than a third of the catalogue and sold well. The highlight of the historical works was an illustration from the Harivamsa circa 1820 that depicts Krishna and his consorts frolicking in the heavens while his companions watch from the Yamuna, India, Kangra or Guler which sold for 23,750 GBP against an estimate of 3,000—5,000 GBP. Works by lesser known and contemporary artists did not do as well with two major works by Thukral and Tagra each estimated to bring in 30,000 – 40,000 GBP failing to sell. The disappointing results for the works by contemporary artists were to be expected considering the overall decline in the demand for contemporary art.

The top four lots went to US private collectors as did the 8th and 10th highest priced lots. Indian private collectors took home the 6th and 7th highest prices lots with the 5th and 9th highest priced lots purchased by London dealers on behalf of private collectors. Overall the sale was a success for Sotheby’s who managed to put together a small and safe catalogue of works that would appeal to a wide range of buyers. The inclusion of several rare top quality works by the most sought after Indian artists satisfied the discerning collectors who are driving the market and gave Sotheby’s a solid result.

Works by Indian artists are having a wonderful run at recent auctions including Christie’s and Sotheby’s by successfully appealing to buyers despite the downturn and sending a very positive and encouraging message to the market.

According to Zara Porter-Hill, director and head of Indian art at Sotheby’s, “By choosing desirable works by leading artists at appropriate pricing levels, we assemble a sale that we knew would appeal to buyers in the current market, and the competitive and lively bidding that we witness throughout the sale, principally from private collectors, ratifies our strategy. “says Yamini Mehta, Christie’s senior specialist of South Asian Modern Contemporary Art: “Our auction comes at a precipitous time as increasingly, international institutions are showcasing Indian and Pakistani art.”

Sotheby’s annual sale of Indian art in London on June 16 achieved Rs 16.33 crore, much above the pre-sale expectations of 1.2 million pounds (Rs 9.44 crore) while Christie’s South Asian Modern and Contemporary Art sale in London on June 10 saw a 1960 painting by M F Husain fetching a staggering Rs 3.1 crore.

The Sotheby’s sale, which brought to the market a fine assortment of 86 lots by leading modern and contemporary Indian artists as well as rare and important Indian miniatures, saw an ink and pastel work by Jogen Chowdhury selling for a record Rs 2.95 crore. Chowdhury’s “Day Dreaming” graced the cover of the sale catalogue and was greatly admired during its pre-sale exhibition and had an estimate of 80,000-120,000 pounds.

The picture was purchased by a US private collector, establishing a new auction record for a work on paper by a post-Independence Indian artist. “Orange Head” by F N Souza saw strong competition from a number of buyers before selling to a US private collector for 403,250 pounds, more than three times the presale high estimate of 80,000-120,000 pounds.

This price represents the highest price of the summer auction series of Indian Art at any auction house. Hill said many results were seen sending a very positive and encouraging message to the art market. An untitled painting by Manjit Bawa, which featured on the front cover of the first ever issue of Art India in 1996, sold to an Indian private collector for 85,250 pounds while works by Husain were also highly sought-after with five of the seven paintings offered achieving prices in excess of their pre-sale high estimates at Sotheby’s.

At Christie’s 76 lots of celebrated artists went under the hammer for Rs 18.98 crore. Ram Kumars Untitled (Benares) sold for Rs 1.04 crore while Husain’s other works The Preacher at Mecca” fetched 121,250 pounds (Rs 9.5 million) and Untitled (Horses) Rs 5.7 million. Mumbai-based Saffronart’s online auction held on June 10-11 saw sales of Rs 10.4 crore.

A 1984 untitled oil canvas by V S Gaitonde top the sales at Rs 1.5 crore. Saffronart CEO Dinesh Vazirani says it was a well-curated sale with competitive estimates. “This shows a clear vote of confidence in the market from existing collectors as well as new buyers,” Vazirani says. Global interest in Indian art has established the category as a mainstay of the contemporary scene in London, New York and Hong Kong. Since launching Modern and Contemporary Indian Art sales in New York in 2000, worldwide sales in this category at Christie’s have grown from $656,000 to over $45 million in 2008.

Here is an array of oils, acrylics, water colours and mixed media to delight the aesthete in you. As this potpourri of paintings and sculptures emerges from brushes, palette knives, pens, ceramics and other exciting media you know that you have a show on your hands.

                    ….Come be a part of this visual extravaganza in the heart of the capital city !!

Venue:

 The Attic, 36, Regal Building, New Delhi

Timings:

11am to 6.30pm

Date:

26th and 27th June’09

What was unique, however, was the fact that these five weren’t trained artists; on the contrary, each of them had made the ‘transition’ from other professions to art. Rupali Madan, Kiran Chopra, Prithvi Soni, Devyani Parikh and Gautam Patole (teacher, poet, poster-artist, doctor and photographer by profession respectively) took centrestage at the Jehangir Art Gallery on Wednesday evening as guests marvelled at their latent talent.

Featuring a variety of landscapes, portraits, abstracts and sculptures, the show was inaugurated by Pooja Bedi who spent time with each artist, understanding the concepts behind each of their works. The show was also attended by friends of the artists including gallery owner Morvarid Tafty who struck up a long conversation with Devyani and Kiran; Prafulla Dahanukar who lamented about the existing system to gallery owner Samina Lokhandwala — “Galleries have to select around 140 artists from 2000 applications every year. We need more galleries,” she stated; Vipta Kapadia who caught up with the rarely seen Suhas Bahulkar and Milon

Mukherjee, who was just back from a great art-sojourn in Sydney. Gallery owner Bharat Patel, who helped put the show together, hoped that this show could be a starting point for fresh talent in the future. We second that!

IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME…

For Pooja, the evening was a thoroughly nostalgic one — not just as she tucked into savouries at the adjacent cafe that she used to frequent with mom (late) Protima but also because she remembered making her first investment at this very gallery! “In 1989, when I received my first pay-check and was all ready to blow it up on a music system, it was mom who pulled me to Jehangir and made me invest in a painting by Amba Das, which has now become a treasure. It was that experience which got me hooked onto art.”

JAIPUR: As new vistas open in the creative world, the number of institutes offering degree courses in fine arts too have increased. No wonder then

that Satakashi Saraswat, who recently completed Class XII (science) is keen to take admission in the undergraduate programme in the department of fine arts, Rajasthan University. Talking about her shift from science to fine arts, she said, “My inclination towards animation has forced me to leave my stream and pursue this one.”

Satakashi is not the only one who plans to pursue a course in fine arts. There are many like her from other streams who are finding fine arts more promising than their usual streams in school. Neha Sharma, a graduate in fine arts from Kurukshetra University is exploring more opportunities in the Pink City and her goal is clear. She said, “I would like to pursue my masters in visual arts from RU. This degree will enable me to get a teaching job in still photography.” After drama and theatre, this is the only specialized stream that attracts students to display their artistic skills.

The private institutes have also taken a keen interest in this subject by highlighting job placements and faculty in their respective prospectus and advertisements. This year more than four private institutes have introduced undergraduate programmes in still photography, painting, imaging and sculpture.

Kamla Garg, dean of department of fine arts, RU, explained the reason behind the sudden spurt in the number of students. “Fine arts has gained unprecedented popularity in the last couple of years due to increase in job opportunities in sectors like animation and designing,” she said.

However, this year the number of students in branches like painting and sculpture is likely to fall as it has been affected by global meltdown. Rakesh Sahu, a fine arts expert said, “Paintings are not being sold at very good prizes as the market is in doldrums.”

Head of the Students Advisory Bureau, RU, Deepak Saxena’s advise to the students seeking admission in fine arts is that they should have some inclination towards any form of art. He said, “Students should not be carried away by the glamour and fame that comes at a later stage. Instead, they should seek proper guidance before they enrol for the course.”

KOLKATA: Dearth of museums in India is seeing a cross-section of privately run art galleries unveiling ‘not-for-sale’ solo shows of leading artists

from prize individual collections. These exhibits are normally comprehensive shows covering various phases of an artist’s creative life. The galleries also help document a large collection through publication of catalogues or books.

“Collectors could have a section of their works mounted in their homes, which only friends can view. But, some of them have this urge to bring the works out of their repository and display them for the broader arts community. After all, the bulk of the artworks can’t be shown in a residential setup because of the sheer size of the collection. And, the museum structure in India rarely makes room for private collections to be unfurled for public viewing. This is where a clutch of private galleries are stepping in to fill the vacuum,” an art collector and specialist told ET.

A recent show which typified this trend is a large exhibit of famed Bengal artist Shyamal Datta Ray from a private collection. In fact, the artist, who had passed away sometime back, had not seen such a huge show during his lifetime. The exhibition embraced more than 30 works from different periods of the artist’s life. Staged by Kolkata’s well-known Akar Prakar Gallery, the event exposed art connoisseurs and aficionados to the range and depth of Shyamal Datta Ray’s creativity. The show also helped the works gain more significance and momentum.

Another gallery which is known to have launched solo shows from its collections is Delhi-based Delhi Art Gallery (DAG). DAG has systematically brought exhibits of reputed artists like Sunil Das, Rabin Mandal, Laxman Pai and V. Vishwanadhan to viewers. These shows have also been accompanied by high-quality publications.

In the same breath, frontline Mumbai-based art house Osian’s also organises non-commercial shows of collections from its archives. The Seagull Foundation for the Arts, too, just wrapped up a Somnath Hore show of bronzes and drawings sourced from private collectors. In tandem, the city’s oldest modern and contemporary art gallery Chitrakoot brought home an exhibit revolving around early Bengal art contributed by collectors. “In these shows, art is more an experience than being mere objects of acquisition,” the art specialist said.

The Cintas Foundation presented the 2009 Cintas Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award in the Visual Arts (Posthumous) to Ana Mendieta. Her sister, Raquelin Mendieta, received the award in her honor.
Ana Mendieta (Nov. 18, 1948 – Sept. 8, 1985) is recognized for her pioneering work in performance-based art and land art. In a prolific career that spanned only 13 years (1972 to 1985), Mendieta created a powerful and compelling body of work that has had a lasting legacy and inspired subsequent generations of artists around the world, including artists working inside Cuba. Today, Mendieta is considered a key figure in the histories of contemporary Cuban, Latin American and feminist art as well as in the development of performance-based art and land art.

As a Cuban exile who left her homeland in 1961 at age 12 following Castro’s revolution, Mendieta made films, photographs and sculptures rooted not only in conceptual art and in performance but also in her own passionate search for origins. She received her education in Iowa in the 1960s and moved to New York in the late 1970s. She evolved a singular approach to art making she called “earth body art,” based on her own body, or its haunting silhouette, which she integrated with the land in myriad variations.

She sought to blur boundaries between media and disciplines in her art and fused elements from Cuban history and culture with cultural references from around the globe. Her work sought the commonalities between cultures and peoples, rather than the differences. Throughout her career, Mendieta embraced her identity as well as her own hybridity as a bicultural person, yet she resisted all forms of boundaries and limiting stereotypes that culture often imposes on individuals. In this way Mendieta has served as an important touchstone to artists all over the world who navigate issues of identity.

Mendieta died tragically in 1985 at age 36 as her career was gaining momentum and she was receiving increased notoriety. The Cintas Board is immensely pleased to recognize the important contributions of this singular artist to the art of our time.

Here is an array of oils, acrylics, water colours and mixed media to delight the aesthete in you. As this potpourri of paintings and sculptures emerges from brushes, palette knives, pens, ceramics and other exciting media you know that you have a show on your hands.

….Come be a part of this visual extravaganza in the heart of the capital city !!

Venue:   The Attic, 36, Regal Building, New Delhi
Date:     26th and 27th June’09
Timings:  11am to 6.30pm