Touchpuppet » Art

Da Vinci Portrait Found in Cathedral Window

Zachary Hayes — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 19:06:08 +0000

A new, vividly colored portrait of Leonardo da Vinci has emerged from the windows of Arezzo’s Cathedral in Tuscany, Italy, claims an Italian scholar who has published the finding in a new book, “The Portraits of Leonardo.”
Depicting an amiable, bearded old man wearing a red hat, the portrait is one of many figures appearing in the stained glass on the cathedral’s right wall.

Read the full article over at discovery.com.

Paintings by Genevieve Simms

Zachary Hayes — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 22:16:44 +0000

Paintings by Canadian-based Genevieve Simms.

Via: PICDIT

Berlin Artists Being Evicted From Commune

Zachary Hayes — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:43:50 +0000

Berlin artists being evicted from famous commune
By JESSICA MANN

BERLIN (AP) — An artists’ commune that became an icon of the German capital’s post-reunification creative boom celebrated its 19th anniversary Friday amid doubts about whether it’ll be around for its 20th.

Tacheles was once one of dozens of decaying buildings in East Berlin occupied by artists, anarchists and bohemians after the Wall fell in 1989. But the graffiti-covered, dilapidated structure has seen its value skyrocket as the area around it gentrified — leaving the group of sculptors and painters in a fight to buy the former department store in a bid to avoid eviction.

“Our plan is to secure Tacheles for the artists,” said Linda Cerna, a spokeswoman for the commune.

“It’s not just about the money we’ve invested in the building — Tacheles is a successful project developed by the artists and we’re optimistic that they’ll be allowed to continue.”

The group occupied the building in February 1990, two months before it was scheduled for demolition. The squatters saved it by getting the city to declare it a historic landmark.

“Those first two years were complete freedom. It was the craziest time of my life,” said Txus Parras, a Spanish-born artist who was one of the original squatters.

“East Germany suddenly didn’t exist — cops would just lean back in their cars, not working, because they didn’t know what to do.”

Now, Tacheles is a top tourist attraction, housing 31 studios, a cinema, cafe, performance venue, and bar. “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” enthused Pauline Koningsveld, a student from Amsterdam.

The artists became official tenants 10 years ago, securing a unique deal to rent the building for the symbolic price of one German mark, or about 50 euro cents annually, from the Fundus Group, which owns the five-story building.

That lease ended Dec. 31, and residents were advised to move out though no court order was issued.

Johannishof Project Development announced plans in 2003 to turn Tacheles into apartments, restaurants, and a hotel for business travelers. The company is a subsidiary of the Fundus Group, which has invested in high-profile development projects in Berlin.

But the building fell into receivership administered through Hamburg-based HSH-Nordbank, which ordered the artists out. Both Fundus and Nordbank refused to comment on the case.

The artists hope that theeuro300,000 (US$384,690) they have invested in the building — in renovations — might count as a down payment if the building is sold in a foreclosure sale.

“We’ve bought it already and now we want it,” said Martin Reiter, the leader of the collective. “They should have to sell it to us.”

Fundus and Nordbank have not disclosed what they consider the property to be worth; the Tacheles collective says a surveyor last year estimated a value of euro3.6 million ($4.6 million) for the building and its surrounding 1,200 sq.-meter (13,000 sq.-foot) plot.

But Reiter’s group remains hopeful, planning to raise funds through donations.

“We’ve always survived on improvisation,” Reiter said.

KAWS + 808s and Heartbreak Billboard

Zachary Hayes — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:36:08 +0000

Kanye West, having previously worked with TOUCHPUPPET favorite Takashi Murkami (I’ll post my Murakami tattoo sometime), has now teamed up with KAWS to create this billboard in New York. The work of KAWS is also featured on Kanye’s 808s and Heartbreak album cover.

Here’s what Kanye has to say about the billboard in his own subtle, understated manner.

AS YOU CAN SEE IN THIS PIC THE BILLBOARD IS PLACED THE OPPOSITE THE FLOW OF DRIVING TRAFFIC. WE GOING TO THE OFFICE AND WE GONNA GET MORE BILLBOARDS!!! MORE PRESENCE!!! KAWS T’S!!!!!!!!!!! WE SOLD 72,000 LAST WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YO PEREZ POST THAT!!!! TOP 3 ALBUMS IN THE COUNRTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HEARTLESS 12,0000 SPIIIINS!!!!!!!! LOVE LOCKDOWN 9,000 SPINS!!!!!!!!!!!!! ART WINS!!!!!! ART WINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ART WINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Did he just ask Perez Fucking Hilton for publicitiy? 0_______o I must say though, I do like the work of KAWS (how could I not, it’s rather like Murakami’s minus the shadow lines) and I do very much like Kanye’s own personal artistic vision.

Via: Hypebeast

Houston’s Top 10 (12) Exhibitions of 2008

Zachary Hayes — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 03:12:19 +0000

Chron.com has put up a list of Houston’s “top 10 commercial gallery/non-profit art-space shows of 2008.” None of my friends made the list. Nevertheless, it’s a fairly interesting list. Wish I would’ve made it to all of them.

EDIT: They updated the list and added two more shows: do it here, with your mouse and finger. Also check out their choices for the top 10 museum shows of 2008.