Happy New Year from Park West Gallery

From the Park West Gallery Family to Yours,
Happy New Year!!

Champagne (2005) by Steve Bloom

Artist Birthdays December 31 – HENRI MATISSE

HENRI MATISSE (December 31, 1869 – November 3, 1954)

• Nationality: French
• Field: Painting, sculpture, printmaking
• Art Movement: Fauvism
• ARTiFact: In 1888 he passed the bar exam and began to practice law. The following year, an attack of appendicitis caused his mother to bring him art supplies to keep him occupied; he began to paint for the first time.
• Artist Quote: “From the moment I held the box of colors in my hands, I knew this was my life. I threw myself into it like a beast that plunges towards the thing it loves.”
• Notable Artwork (shown below): The Joy of Life, 1905-06.

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Related Links:

• Learn More About the Artist Henri Matisse
• Selections from the Park West Gallery – Henri Matisse Collection
• Park West Gallery Artist Biographies
• More Artist Birthdays and Art Trivia
• Take the Park West Gallery Virtual Tour

Art Museum Unfurls an Enormous Salvador Dali Masterpiece After 33 Years

An art museum in Pittsburgh has uncovered from its archives a unique Salvador Dali masterpiece that hasn’t seen the light of day in 33 years. Fans of the Surrealist artist, including many of us Dali-enthusiasts at Park West Gallery, are eagerly waiting to see how and when the giant work of art will be displayed…
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Carnegie Officials are Bullish to Display Huge Dali Work
By SALLY KALSON • Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | December 29, 2009

Staff at the Carnegie Museum of Art roll up Dali’s 1942 curtain “Theseus Minotaur” after inspecting it yesterday. [Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.]

An enormous stage curtain created by Salvador Dali for the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo was unfurled yesterday at the Carnegie Museum of Art for the first time since the museum acquired it 33 years ago. The purpose: to evaluate its condition, photograph it for the museum’s internal use and figure out how to display it. The work is so huge it had to be laid flat on the marble floor of the Hall of Sculpture. Measuring 26 1/2 feet high by 49 1/2 feet wide, it is almost 10 feet higher than the museum’s tallest gallery ceiling.

“It’s spectacular,” said Louise Lippincott, the Carnegie’s chief curator. “It’s in amazing condition for something that’s been rolled up in a dark closet since 1976.”

The curtain was a gift from Leon Falk Jr. It is from the 1942 Ballet Russe production of Labyrinth, based on the Greek myth of Theseus, who killed the evil Minotaur and escaped from the monster’s lair by following yarn woven by the beautiful Ariadne.

Painted in black oil on beige canvas, it depicts a struggle between the Minotaur and Theseus, who has a knife in his hand. “It looks like a really large drawing in pen and ink, with some light-colored highlights and one strip of an intense light blue to represent water,” said Dr. Lippincott. “It’s a very classic Dali with the imagery and brush strokes.”

The work is signed by the artist’s wife, Gala Salvador Dali, and dated 1942. Dr. Lippincott said that was typical for the couple because she did a lot of the production and design. Salvador Dali, she noted, did paintings for nine ballets.

Labyrinth was choreographed by Leonide Massine to the music of Franz Shubert. It toured the country under impresario Sol Hurok, and appeared in Pittsburgh in 1942, although Dr. Lippincott was still checking on the exact location. Massine gave the curtain to Mr. Falk. It first went to the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, then to the Carnegie in October 1976 with the understanding that the ballet could use it should the need arise. “I don’t think that would be a good idea,” said Dr. Lippincott. “It would probably shred.”

The next step is figuring out how and where to display it. It could be left on the floor of the Sculpture Hall and roped off so that people could look down on it from the balcony. Or it could be hung in that room, which is two stories high. “You have to be able to stand back from it,” Dr. Lippincott said.

A detail from Dali’s “Theseus Minotaur.”  [Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.]
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Related Links:

• Park West Gallery Master Sites: Salvador Dali
• Salvador Dali Sketch for Marx Brothers Goes On Display
• Salvador Dalí’s Sculpture Workshop at Port Lligat Opens
• Rare Salvador Dali Portrait of His Wife Gala Goes On Display
• Salvador Dali Sculpture Saved by Spanish Supreme Court
• Park West Gallery Exclusive Salvador Dali Video: The Biblia Sacra

Artist Birthdays December 30 – Francois-Andre Vincent

FRANÇOIS-ANDRÉ VINCENT 
(December 30, 1746 – August 4, 1816)

• Nationality: French
• Field: Painting
• Art Movement: Neoclassicism
• ARTiFact: He was generally acknowledged as the leader of the neoclassical movement in French art, before his rival Jacques-Louis David returned to France and usurped the position.
• Notable Artwork (shown below): The Drawing Lesson, 1777.

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Related Links:

• Learn More About the Artist François-André Vincent
• Park West Gallery Artist Biographies
• More Artist Birthdays and Art Trivia
• Take the Park West Gallery Virtual Tour

Park West Gallery Exposes Cruise Passengers to the Art World

If you’ve recently cruised with Park West at sea or attended a Park West Gallery art auction we would love to hear from you! You can visit the Park West Gallery Customer Reviews Blog to read the latest testimonials — and be sure to send us an email if you would like to see your comments posted!

Following are excerpts from some of our favorite letters recently written by satisfied Park West Gallery art collectors…
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• John W. | Australia:
“Apart from some passing interest in art due to a famous, long past relative (a bloke called James McNeill Whistler), my wife and I had never really been exposed to the art world until this cruise. What an eye-opener!”
Read: “Park West Auctions Are Fascinating Experiences”

• Bob A. | Daytona Beach, Florida:
“I just wanted to say thank you and I will be doing more business with your company in the near future.”
Read: “Art Auctioneers are a Big Hit with Collectors”

• Amaryllis D. | Memphis, Tennessee:
“I absolutely love all your art auctions. The staff is always wonderful and helpful! I love the ‘excitement’ of the auction and it was so great to meet Dominic Pangborn!”
Read: “Art Auctions are Exciting and Informative”

• Dennis S. | Ridgeville, South Carolina:
“We (my wife and I) learned so many new things about art. I bought several pieces from the artist Peter Max and I am looking forward to displaying them in our home.”
Read: “Art Auctioneers Passionate about Fine Art”

• Ken N. | University Place, Washington:
“I truly enjoy working with Park West as we always come away with a better understanding and knowledge of art after an auction and the time spent with your representatives.”
Read: “Park West Art Auctions Are Learning Experiences”

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Related Links:

• Park West Gallery Customer Review Blog
• Take the Park West Gallery Virtual Tour
• Cruise Art Auctioneers | Plymouth Auctioneering

Artist Birthdays December 29 – DAVID ALFARO SIQUEIROS

DAVID ALFARO SIQUEIROS (Dec. 29, 1896 – Jan 6, 1974)

• Nationality: Mexican
• Field: Painting
• Art Movement: Mexican Mural Movement, Social Realism
• ARTiFact: He was one of the three founders of the modern school of Mexican mural painting (along with Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco).
• Artist Quote: “The artist must paint as he would speak. I don’t want people to speculate what I mean, I want them to understand.”
• Notable Artwork (shown below): From the Dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz to the Revolution – The People in Arms, 1957.

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Related Links:

• Learn More About the Artist David Alfaro Siqueiros
• Park West Gallery Artist Biographies
• More Artist Birthdays and Art Trivia
• Take the Park West Gallery Virtual Tour

Peter Max Rock ‘n’ Roll Video Retrospective

The authors of the Park West Gallery blog are constantly scouring the internet for the latest stories and videos featuring the artists represented in our collection. Here’s a gem we recently discovered (courtesy of the Peter Max YouTube Channel) and posted below for your viewing pleasure.

If you’re a fan of Pop artist Peter Max and a rock ‘n’ roll lover, you must watch this video! Turn the volume up on your speakers and prepare to be wowed!

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Related Links:

• The Art of Peter Max – There’s an App for That!
• The Park West Gallery – Peter Max Collection 
• All You Need Is Love and the Art of Peter Max
• Meet Peter Max: CNN video
• Peter Max, Painting Through the Recession: CNN video
• How Artist Peter Max Met His Muse

Artist Birthdays December 28 – FELIX VALLOTTON

FELIX VALLOTTON (Dec. 28, 1865 – Dec. 29, 1925)

• Nationality: Swiss-born/French
• Field: Painting, printmaking
• Art Movement: The Nabis
• ARTiFact: The woodcuts he produced during the 1890s were recognized as radically innovative in printmaking, establishing him as a leader in the revival of true woodcut as an artistic medium.
• Artist Quote: “The life I live is literally the opposite of the life I dreamed of. I love seclusion, silence, cultivated thinking and reasoned action – and I have to deal with machinations, foolish talk and vain affectation.”
• Notable Artwork (shown below): La Paresse, 1895.

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Related Links:

• Learn More About the Artist Felix Vallotton
• Park West Gallery Artist Biographies
• More Artist Birthdays and Art Trivia
• Take the Park West Gallery Virtual Tour