First UK Solo Exhibition of American Artist Nancy Holt Opens At Haunch of Venison

Nancy Holt, Sunlight in Sun Tunnels, 1976. (detail). Composite of thirty photographs of sunlight and shadow in one tunnel photographed every half hour from 6.30 AM to 9.00 PM in 14 July 1976 Composite inkjet print taken from original 35mm colour transparencies; printed on archival rag paper 2012.Nancy Holt is a pioneer of land art--a movement that began in the 1960s. Land art takes art outside of museum and gallery settings--and places it in the natural environment. Of course, land art cannot be bought or sold--and this changed the way people perceive art. Holt is also well known for her film, video and photographic work--related to site specific projects.

“LONDON.- Haunch of Venison presents the first UK solo exhibition of American artist Nancy Holt. Holt is one of the leading artists of her generation and a pioneer in site-specific art and film and video work. She is one of a group of important international artists who initiated the Land art movement in the late 1960s.”

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Invisible Art - Can It Be?

“The Telegraph” has reported that “a leading gallery is to push the boundaries of visual art with an exhibition of works which cannot be seen.” They claim that the “show” will include works by such artists as Andy Warhol, Yves Klein and Yoko Ono. What’s more--they’ll be charging £8 a person for the privilege of attending this first-of-its-kind exhibit.

Now...I’m quite flexible with regard to definitions of art. We’ve seen some incredible creations--on this site alone: sculptures in the eyes of needles; paintings on matchbooks; masterworks copied using jelly beans; and magnificent pencil and lego sculptures. I consider all of these works of art. But blank pieces of paper and empty plinths (bases)? I’m not so sure. If we stare long enough at a white piece of paper or an empty space--we probably will imagine (not see) something--if for no other reason than we’re bored. But unless an artist has specifically developed something either on or surrounding an environment--something designed to stimulate some type of a response--then it’s difficult for me to define this as art.

The idea of invisible art isn’t new. Yves Klein (one of the forerunners of Minimalism) proposed an “architecture of air” back in the 1950s. However, his exhibits along these lines did include particular setups by the artist--so he was involved in the artist/viewer collaboration. Whether or not this current exhibit includes actual “creations” remains to be seen. If it does not, however, then it may be time to start reestablishing some boundaries. If we reach a point where anything--or nothing--is art, then art ceases to exist.

Banksy Diamond Jubilee Graffiti Springs Up Overnight on London Street

The new artwork, purported to be a Banksy, on Wood Green High Road, London Photo: Luke Giles (click photo for larger image)"A new piece of street art purporting to be from graffiti artist Banksy has appeared on a London street in what could be a dark commentary on the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations."

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Unseen Egon Schiele Work to be Unveiled at the New Richard Nagy Gallery in UK

Egon Schiele, Kneeling Nude in Coloured Dress, 1911. Gouache, watercolour, and pencil on paper, 56 x 38.4 cm (22 x 15 1/8 in). Private Collection, Courtesy of Richard Nagy Ltd, London

From ArtDaily.org

More than forty-five extraordinary works by Austrian artist Egon Schiele, previously unseen in the UK, will be unveiled at Richard Nagy’s new gallery on Old Bond Street from 07 February – 04 March 2011. Much of the four thousand works Schiele produced during his short lifetime can only be seen in Vienna; at the Belvedere, the Albertina and the Leopold Museum, or New York, primarily at the Neue Galerie

While Schiele is recognised as one of the greatest draftsmen of the 20th Century, with watercolours making over $11 million at auction, his work is absent from museum collections in the United Kingdom and has been given little public attention in the past twenty years. In 1989, the Royal Academy of Arts staged the first and last museum exhibition in the country, Egon Schiele and his Time. Since then Schiele’s work has only made fleeting appearances in group shows, to which Nagy has loaned pieces. Focusing exclusively on women, this exhibition provides a rare opportunity to discover museum-quality drawings and watercolours from the artist’s most creative ‘Mature Period’ (1910-1918).

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