January 18, 2008

The
city of Florence is considering relocating Michelangelo’s David in an
effort to ease congestion in its city center, reports the Canadian
Broadcasting Corporation. Some 11 million tourists come to Florence
each year to see David and other attractions, filling the city streets
and damaging ancient structures. "Florence has reached an unsustainable
level of tourists," said Tuscany’s top cultural official, Paolo Cocchi.
"The actual site of David in the center of town is logistically
unfortunate. It would be beneficial for everyone to move it so that the
tourist area can be enlarged and decongested." The city is also
planning to build tram lines to reduce car traffic. The 14-foot marble
statue, from the early 16th century, has stood in the Galleria
dell’Accademia since 1873, when it was moved indoors to protect it from
the weather. The theater to which David would be relocated is not
slated for completion until November, 2010. (Artinfo, January 18, 2008)
Read more >>

An
enormous installation inspired by shoe factories has won the first
Northern Art Prize, the Guardian reports. The artist duo Karen Guthrie
and Nina Pope took home the £15,000 ($29,000) award on Thursday, which
was presented by Turner prize winner Martin Creed. The artwork,
incorporating everything from honeycomb to a film of the Czech Bata
company’s former shoe plant, is meant "to give voice to peripheral
sections of society," the artists said. The Northern Art Prize, which
will be awarded annually to an artist working in England’s three
northern regions, is aimed at "reinvigorating the north’s long
tradition of leading artists" and enticing artists to remain in the
area. (Artinfo, January 18, 2008)
Read more >>

New York:

–
Lecture: "Mark Bradford, Christian Holstad, and Wangechi Mutu discuss:
Collage: The Unmonumental Picture" 3 pm @ New Museum of Contemporary
Art, www.newmuseum.org
– "Captive Visions: Contemporary Canadian
Art" 6-9 pm @ Eli Klein Fine Art, www.elikleinfineart.com/html/home.asp
– Jennifer Bolande @ Alexander Bonin, www.alexanderandbonin.com
– Dan Perjovschi "Do You Remember My Pin" @ Lombard-Fried Fine Arts, www.lombard-freid.com
– Photography: "Post-War Perspectives" @ Laurence Miller, www.laurencemillergallery.com
– Michael Weber "Charismatic Rally" @ DAC, www.dumboartscenter.org
– Peter Mallo "Scapegoat" @ Madarts, madarts.org

National:

– "The Time Has Come"@ Blankspace, San Francisco, www.blankspacegallery.com
– Bob Persichetti "MAN OH MAN" @ LittleBird Gallery, Los Angeles, www.littlebirdgallery.com
– April Street, Eraldo Mauro @ Ruth Bachofner Gallery, Santa Monica,
www.ruthbachofnergallery.com

International:

– Julian Schnabel @ Shanghai Zendai Museum of Modern Art, Shanghai, China, www.zendaiart.com
– "Helter Skelter – Painting with the Beatles", Bachmann/Banz @ Galerie
Urs Meile, Lucerne, Beijing, China, www.galerieursmeile.com 

Openings and Art Events on Sunday, January 20

National:

– Masterpiece Replayed: Monet, Matisse and More @ Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, AZ, www.phxart.org