A Cheaper Last Supper: Colin Gleadell does a clever bit of packaging on this column exploring Sotheby’s new sale of Old Master works that are copies of known works or of an acknowledged master’s style. The story’s lede homes in on a 200-year-old copy of Leonardo’s Last Supper that is estimated starting at $2600. …
Speaking of Leonardo, An Early Look at Isaacson’s Biography: Claudia Roth Pierpont has a detailed synopsis/review of Walter Isaacson’s new biography of Leonardo that focuses more on his status of an “innovator” than his importance as an artist:
- “Beneath its diligent research, the book is a study in creativity: how to define it, how to achieve it. Isaacson’s answer, repeated like a mantra, lies precisely in the Leonardesque (or Jobsian) refusal to distinguish art from science, observation from imagination, and to attain a “combinatory creativity.” And this goal isn’t just the prerogative of genius; we can all approach it.” …
The Stedelijk Museum Loses a Director: The Art Newspaper reports that Beatrix Ruf has resigned from being the head of the Stedelijk Museum after news reports suggested her art advisory business is a conflict of interest with her role at the museum. “Her spokeswoman told The Art Newspaper to ‘bear in mind that press reports are pure speculations. The only fact is that Ruf has decided to step down in the interest of the museum today.'” …
Botero Lists His NYC Pied-a-Terre: “Renowned artist Fernando Botero has owned his 2,123-square-foot duplex at 900 Park Avenue since the 1980s but the time has come for him to part ways with the expansive home. For years, Botero utilized the Upper East Side pad as a pied-a-terre as he split his time between New York and Europe …”
