Copyright 2012 Judith H. Dobrzynski Sat, 04 Feb 2012 01:40:02 -0500 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Judith H. Dobrzynski :: Writings http://www.judithdobrzynski.com jhdobrzynski@nyc.rr.com (Judith H. Dobrzynski) webmaster@pundicity.com en-us http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/11045/icons-what-in-a-certain-name-a-big-boost-in-price Sat, 21 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST Two years ago, Sotheby's offered a 10¼–inch-tall ivory depicting Pluto, god of the underworld, abducting the goddess Proserpina, with a presale estimate of $120,000 to $150,000. It fetched $1.2 million. Now the same 17th-century sculpture is for sale at... http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/11035/latin-american-art-derivative-no-more Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST With her spiked, streaked hair and rapid-fire, exhortatory way of speaking, Mari Carmen Ramírez, the curator of Latin American art at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, could easily have been a political agitator. And in her own way, she is. Ms. Ramírez... http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/10996/the-new-allure-of-old-master-sculpture Sun, 8 Jan 2012 09:00:00 EST Last summer, much of the art world was aflutter about a 17th-century bronze by Adriaen de Vries (1550-1626) that suddenly appeared on the market. Cast in the year the renowned Dutch Mannerist died, it had never been recorded in the literature. Christie's... http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/10936/icons-in-san-francisco-a-duped-lover-stony-revenge Sat, 24 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST When in Rome, tourists regularly trek to see the Berninis. The artist's many sculptures, fountains and St. Peter's Basilica itself are woven into the city—rarely traveling, even if they can. But now Rome has sent an example by this master, often compared... http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/10851/crystal-bridges-museum-an-uneven-view-of-american Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:00:00 EST Over the past decade, as she set about creating the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Northwest Arkansas, Alice Walton has annoyed, alarmed and antagonized not only the art world but much of the rest of the populace too. Her offense? Ms. Walton,... http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/10692/at-age-850-still-in-the-game Sat, 12 Nov 2011 09:00:00 EST The Lewis Chessmen, found in a sandbank in 1831 on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland's chilly Outer Hebrides, remain a mystery. They were found by a peasant who thought they were gnomes and fled, but then told his wife, who made him retrieve them. Or, they... http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/10603/dress-code-jewelry-by-leading-artists Sat, 29 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EST Frank Stella was adamant. Despite several entreaties from fellow artist Bernar Venet some years ago, the painter declined to make a piece of jewelry for Venet's wife, Diane, a collector of wearable works of art. "He was not interested," says Diane. In... http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/10562/going-to-an-art-fair-what-it-takes Sun, 23 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EST Art Basel Miami Beach officially rolls into southern Florida on Dec. 1 this year, marking its 10th incarnation with more art and more flair than ever. When the show started in 2002, no one knew whether it would secure a place on the art circuit. But the... http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/10561/contemporary-and-boston-opposites-no-longer Sun, 23 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EST "There's one thing I've heard over and over again here," says Edward Saywell, the top contemporary art curator at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, who is showing off works by Ellsworth Kelly, Kara Walker, Cindy Sherman and other contemporary artists in... http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/10497/clyfford-still-stalwart Tue, 11 Oct 2011 09:00:00 EST Not many museum directors have the opportunity Dean Sobel has—which is nothing short of the chance to rewrite a chapter of American art history. As the first director of the Clyfford Still Museum, set to open in Denver on Nov. 18, Mr. Sobel will be... http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/10312/the-academy-dilemma Thu, 15 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EST In recent years, few museums have weathered rough times as publicly as the National Academy Museum on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Lackluster exhibitions, low attendance, annual operating deficits and a dearth of donors were suddenly compounded in 2008,... http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/10277/one-masterpiece-can-go-a-long-way Sat, 10 Sep 2011 09:00:00 EST There might be less money to organize exhibitions in many museums, but by borrowing one masterpiece, putting it on display, and so turning a single work into a star attraction – all by itself – several are stretching their budgets a long way. Titian's La... http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/10121/iceland-culture-palace Mon, 15 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST On the ride into Reykjavik from Keflavik International Airport, it's hard to miss the shimmering glass building that sits on the water's edge. "What's that?" I ask the driver. "Harpa," he replies. Harpa—the Reykjavik Concert Hall and Conference Center—is... http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/10068/want-to-help-purchase-a-lime-green-icicle-tower Sat, 6 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST From the minute the artwork went up last spring at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, says museum director Malcolm A. Rogers, visitors have besieged him with one question. "They ask, 'Are we keeping it?' and I know exactly what 'it' is." "It" is "Lime Green... http://www.judithdobrzynski.com/10069/detroit-uses-purchase-funds-to-plug-deficit Fri, 5 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EST With the blessing of the descendants of the relevant donors and his trustees, Graham Beal, the director of the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA), has had to rob Peter to pay Paul, diverting the interest from acquisitions endowments to balance the museum's...