Lost Banksy mural uncovered on Berlin gallery wall

birou notarial

Dj Nunta

Pret aparat dentar

Baloane

n">(Reuters) - British street artist Banksy's mural "Every Picture Tells a Lie" was rediscovered in Berlin this weekend, eight years after a gallery layered it in paint to create space for new works.

Banksy, whose identity is unknown to the public, is a world-renowned graffiti artist. His newly recovered mural was spray-painted in 2003 for an exhibit at a contemporary art gallery in Germany's capital.

The mural was excavated as part of an art project by Brad Downey, a Berlin-based American artist, whose exhibition is titled "What Lies Beneath" and focuses on layers of paint.

"The unearthing is Downey's project -- he wanted to play with it," said Stephane Bauer, head of the Kunstraum Bethanien gallery, where the Banksy work is being displayed.

Downey, who also took part in the 2003 exhibit, remembered Banksy's work and wanted to uncover it for his 2011 project.

Under Downey's careful instructions, restorers uncovered the artwork, which portrays winged-soldiers with smiley faces carrying guns. The words "Every Picture Tells a Lie" are scrawled in blood-red paint above them.

Banksy first drew attention in the early 1990s with controversial stenciled graffiti, seen by some as subversive and by others as satire.

His commercial pieces have sold for huge sums -- the most famous of which is "Space Girl and Bird," which was auctioned in 2007 for 288,000 pounds, or close to half a million dollars.

The gallery is unsure of what will happen to Banksy's work once Downey's exhibit ends on Oct 23rd. It could go back to hibernating behind white-washed walls -- that is, if someone doesn't try to buy it first.

But Bauer said it was difficult to say how much the Banksy is worth. "I don't think it can be worth much since it is just one layer of paint among many," Bauer told Reuters.

Gareth Williams, who has helped sell Banksy pieces in the past, said that in order to price one of his artworks, details are first sent to the artist's agency for authentication before the pieces can sell.

Williams, head of the Urban Art department for Bonham's Auction House in London, said that if the mural found in Berlin is authenticated, Bonham's would be happy to help the gallery owners sell it.

(Reporting By Natalia Drozdiak)

Birou Notarial Bucuresti

Cost aparat dentar

Dj Botez

Aranjamente baloane

Gallery finds art by Nazi-branded "degenerate" Dix

birou notarial

Dj Nunta

Pret aparat dentar

Baloane

Gallery owner Herbert Remmert looks at recently discovered paintings of German artist Otto Dix during an exhibition in his gallery in Duesseldorf, August 31, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Ina Fassbender

By Natalia Drozdiak

BERLIN | Wed Aug 31, 2011 2:14pm EDT

BERLIN (Reuters) - A gallery has discovered four paintings by Otto Dix, the German expressionist whose art chronicled the horrors of World War One, the depravity of the Weimar Republic and was labeled "degenerate" by Adolf Hitler.

Famous for works critical of the darker side of German society in the 1920s, Dix's paintings were discovered among the belongings of his wife, gallery owner Herbert Remmert told Reuters Wednesday.

The paintings were found in a portfolio untouched for decades on an estate in Bavaria owned by the ancestors of a Duesseldorf doctor and art collector who remained close to Dix even after his wife left him for the artist.

The three watercolors and one painting-study date from the first two years Dix spent in Duesseldorf from 1922-1925.

"This period represents some of the most important years for Otto Dix as an artist," Remmert said. "It was during this time that Dix really developed his themes. Even his technical skills developed -- his watercolor paintings matured and became more refined."

Dix was one of the leading artists of his era. When World War One broke out in 1914, he volunteered for the army and served on various frontlines, including the Somme, until he was wounded and discharged from service in 1918.

He initially produced gruesome drawings and paintings portraying mangled soldiers in battle. As time went on, Dix also became increasingly critical of postwar German society during a period in which soaring inflation meant financial ruin for most.

In his works from the 1920s, he captured the depravity of indulgence and destitution that marked the Weimar Republic.

His famous 1928 triptych "Metropolis," contrasts a crippled veteran surrounded by prostitutes in a Berlin red-light district while rich patrons dance in an American-style jazz club.

When the Nazis took power in 1933, Hitler branded Dix a degenerate and had many of his most important works burned.

Gallery owners Peter Barth and Remmert tracked the works down at the Bavarian estate by accident. They were searching for other art on the estate owned by the daughter and granddaughter of the Duesseldorf collectors Hans and Martha Koch.

Dix became entangled in the lives of the Kochs in Duesseldorf. Hans Koch was a doctor and a leading art collector. Koch's wife, Martha, fell in love with Dix and their affair led her to divorce Koch and leave her two children. Dix later married Martha in 1923.

Hans Koch and Dix nevertheless remained close.

The Remmert gallery in Duesseldorf has collaborated with the family for more than 20 years and has discovered other treasures on the estate. But this is the first Dix discovery.

Last year, Remmert and Barth found a watercolor by Dix contemporary George Grosz titled "Germany, a Winter's Fairytale."

Dix was famous both for his portraits and his dour depictions of Weimar society. The new discoveries will likely add to his legacy.

Among the works found, two watercolors are titled "Naechtens" and "Soubrette" and the third is a large-scale work titled "Strich III," depicting a street-scene with prostitutes.

The fourth work is a study for the portrait of art-dealer Alfred Flechtheim. The famous portrait painted in 1926 currently hangs in the New National gallery in Berlin.

The newly found works are valued at about 200,000 euros ($287,960) each, according to Remmert.

The Remmert gallery plans to show the discovered paintings among other Dix works in an exhibition later this year.

Remmert suspects the Koch estate holds additional undiscovered works. The estate also houses several children's books painted by Dix but the family wants to hold off on releasing them.

"For that, we will have to be a bit more patient," Remmert said.

(Reporting By Natalia Drozdiak; editing by Erik Kirschbaum and Paul Casciato)

Birou Notarial Bucuresti

Cost aparat dentar

Dj Botez

Aranjamente baloane

Free Chinese artist, says bold sign at UK gallery

birou notarial

A sign along the top of the Tate Modern art gallery reads '''Release Ai Weiwei'' in London April 8, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Luke MacGregor

LONDON | Fri Apr 8, 2011 4:34pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - A "Release Ai WeiWei" sign went up at the top of London's prominent Tate Modern art gallery on Friday in support of the detained Chinese artist and activist.

The gallery put the words in large capital letters on the lightbox capping the former power station which is situated on the bank of the River Thames.

The Chinese government said Thursday Ai was being investigated for "suspected economic crimes," while his family said he was the innocent victim of a political witchhunt.

His secretive detention has caused an international uproar.

Burly, bearded Ai had a hand in designing the Bird's Nest stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and has juggled a prominent international art career with colorful campaigns against government censorship and political restrictions, often using the Internet.

The artist filled the Tate Modern's cavernous Turbine Hall with over 100 million handmade porcelain sunflower seeds for an installment in 2010.

(Reporting by Olesya Dmitracova; Editing by Sophie Hares)

Birou Notarial Bucuresti

Baloane

A sign along the top of the Tate Modern art gallery reads '''Release Ai Weiwei'' in London April 8, 2011.

Credit: Reuters/Luke MacGregor

LONDON | Fri Apr 8, 2011 4:34pm EDT

LONDON (Reuters) - A "Release Ai WeiWei" sign went up at the top of London's prominent Tate Modern art gallery on Friday in support of the detained Chinese artist and activist.

The gallery put the words in large capital letters on the lightbox capping the former power station which is situated on the bank of the River Thames.

The Chinese government said Thursday Ai was being investigated for "suspected economic crimes," while his family said he was the innocent victim of a political witchhunt.

His secretive detention has caused an international uproar.

Burly, bearded Ai had a hand in designing the Bird's Nest stadium for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and has juggled a prominent international art career with colorful campaigns against government censorship and political restrictions, often using the Internet.

The artist filled the Tate Modern's cavernous Turbine Hall with over 100 million handmade porcelain sunflower seeds for an installment in 2010.

(Reporting by Olesya Dmitracova; Editing by Sophie Hares)

Baloane