Richard Gere’s Guitar Collection Sells for $936,000 at Christie’s Auction

A Gibson styla A-1 mandolin owned by actor Richard Gere. An auction of the actor's guitar collection fetched a total of $936,000. Source: Christie's via Bloomberg

A Gibson ES-335TD guitar owned by actor Richard Gere. An active philanthropist for Tibet and HIV-AIDS education, Gere has said the proceeds will go to causes he supports. Source: Christie's via Bloomberg


A C.F. Martin D-28 guitar owned by actor Richard Gere. Source: Christie's via Bloomberg

A 1958 Gibson Flying V guitar owned by actor Richard Gere. It sold for $74,500. Source: Christie's via Bloomberg

A 1960 Les Paul solidbody guitar owned by actor Richard Gere. It sold for $98,500. Source: Christie's via Bloomberg

By Katya Kazakina - Oct 12, 2011 2:00 AM GMT+0700

Richard Gere’s vintage guitar and amplifier collection brought in $936,438 at Christie’s in New York today.

The top lot was a 1960 Gibson Les Paul that fetched $98,500, surpassing its presale high estimate of $90,000. The winning bid came by telephone. The room was full of quiet guitar aficionados, including musician Steve Miller and redhead model, singer and songwriter Karen Elson.

“You are being too quiet,” said auctioneer Andrew McVinish. “If you want to rock ‘n’ roll -- rock ‘n’ roll.”

The 107-lot group, amassed by the “Pretty Woman” male star since he was a kid, was expected to realize about $1 million. Only 4 percent of the lots failed to find buyers.

“Without ever thinking I was putting a collection together, there seems to be one,” Gere said in his catalog statement. “I just bought what I liked, what sounded good -- what played well.”

An active philanthropist for Tibet and HIV-AIDS education, Gere has said the proceeds will go to causes he supports.

Other notable guitars in the sale included a 1931 Martin D- 28 that fetched $62,500, in the middle of its presale range of $50,000 to $70,000.

A 1934 archtop made by John D’Angelico and later owned and played by James D’Aquisto, two of the premier New York luthiers, sold for $20,000, above its top estimate of $15,000.

A 1958 Gibson Flying V sold for $74,500, also within its estimate range of $60,000 to $90,000.

After placing the winning $9,500 bid ($11,875 with the buyer’s premium) on a Gibson ES-335TD with Sunburst finish, Scott Forman hollered: “Yes!”

B.B. King

“It’s gorgeous and the sound is amazing,” said the New York ophthalmologist. “B.B. King plays a guitar he calls ‘Lucille.’ It’s the same model.”

What attracted him to the sale was the quality of guitars not the provenance.

“It’s not about Richard Gere. It’s about the instrument,” Forman said. The sale prices include the buyer’s commission; the estimates don’t.

Miller, who sat in the back of the room wearing sunglasses, kept his paddle idle. His appearance at Christie’s was being filmed for a documentary titled “Burst: In Search of a Perfect Guitar,” about his quest to find a pristine 1959 Les Paul Standard Sunburst.

“I wasn’t tempted by anything,” he said. “I have 450 guitars.”

Gere, who won a Golden Globe for his performance in the movie version of “Chicago,” studied trumpet as a child and is a self-taught guitarist and pianist.

A March auction of Eric Clapton’s guitars, amplifiers and other memorabilia at Bonhams in New York raised $2.2 million for the musician’s Crossroads Centre Antigua, for drug and alcohol rehabilitation, almost four times its presale total of $400,000 to $600,000. The priciest item was a 1948 Gibson L-5P guitar that fetched $82,960.

To contact the reporter of this story: Katya Kazakina in New York at kkazakina@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.

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Billionaires Lured by $350 Million Art as Frieze Fights Investors’ Concern

"Joel" (1993) by Chuck Close. The painting will be shown by the New York-based Pace Gallery at its debut appearance at the Frieze Art Fair in London. The event previews in Regent's Park on Oct. 12. Source: Pace Gallery via Bloomberg


"Abstraktes Bild" (1982) by Gerhard Richter will be shown by the London dealers Simon Dickinson Fine Art at the Pavilion of Art & Design fair in Berkeley Square, London, previewing on Oct. 11. Source: Simon Dickinson Fine Art via Bloomberg



A model of the new-look Frieze Art Fair designed by architects Carmody Groarke. The event previews to VIP visitors on Oct. 12. Photographer: Richard Davies/Carmody Groarke via Bloomberg


"Hermaphrodite" by Thomas Houseago. The 2011 bronze will be shown by the London and Zurich dealer Hauser & Wirth in the sculpture park of the Frieze Art Fair, which will preview in London on Oct. 12. Source: Hauser & Wirth via Bloomberg. Photo by Fredrik Nilsen, copyright Thomas Houseago. bronze ``Hermaphrodite'' will be shown by the London and Zurich dealers Hauser & Wirth in the sculpture park of the Frieze Art Fair. The event will preview in London on Oct. 12. Photo courtesy the artist Hauser & Wirth via Bloomberg. Photo by Fredrik Nilsen. Copyright Thomas Houseago.


A 1/250th-scale replica of "White Horse" by Mark Wallinger. Made in epoxy resin in an edition of 35, they will be offered by the London dealer Anthony Reynolds at the Frieze Art Fair in London, previewing on Oct. 12. Source: Anthony Reynolds Gallery via Bloomberg
By Scott Reyburn - Oct 11, 2011 6:00 AM GMT+0700
Billionaire collectors are gathering for the contemporary-art market’s latest test as volatile financial markets threaten to slow big-ticket spending.

Dealers are watching to see if demand holds up at the Frieze fair in London. This year, the five-day Regent’s Park event is offering $350 million worth of art, $25 million less than last year, according to the estimates of insurer Hiscox Ltd. (HSX) The VIP preview tomorrow is the centerpiece of a crowded week of satellite fairs, museum shows, gallery openings and auctions valued at more than $500 million.

Frieze is Europe’s biggest commercial event focused primarily on the work of living artists. The ninth edition comes after stocks dived amid worries about government debts.

“Collectors are being more cautious,” said the London-based adviser Tania Buckrell Pos, who has Russians and Asians among her clients. “A few indicated they thought prices may even come down a little. Nonetheless, Frieze will attract a lot of attention and there will be some solid buying activity.”

Frieze, sponsored by Deutsche Bank AG (DBK), will look different this year. The architecture firm Carmody Groarke has designed a series of interlinked temporary structures to house dealer booths and hospitality functions, replacing the single tent of previous years. The number of galleries is unchanged at 173.

New York-based Pace is one of four dealerships making their debut at the fair. The Manhattan gallery’s booth will show Chuck Close’s 1993 portrait “Joel,” priced at about $5 million.

New works priced at less than $500,000 tend to be the main draw for collectors who fly in for Frieze and its satellite events. Sculpture looks set to be the flavor of the week.
White Horse

London exhibitor Anthony Reynolds has already sold 10 of an edition of 35 apartment-friendly replicas of Mark Wallinger’s “White Horse” sculpture planned for Ebbsfleet in Kent. Initially pitched at 10,000 pounds ($15,660), the 1/250th scale polyester resin and chalk powder versions have yet to be priced.

London and Zurich dealer Hauser & Wirth now represents the British sculptor Thomas Houseago. His bronze “Hermaphrodite” will be shown in Frieze’s sculpture park, priced about $400,000.

The bronze “Ghost of Humankindness” by New York State-based sculptor Huma Bhabha will be shown on the booth of the London dealer Stephen Friedman. The unique sculpture will be priced at about $250,000.

Works by emerging artists can be snapped up for less than $20,000 at events like the SUNDAY fair at 35 Marylebone Road, or the Saatchi Gallery & Channel 4 New Sensations and The Future Can Wait show at Victoria House in Bloomsbury Square.
American Buyers

“My clients are ready and itching to buy work,” said the New York-based adviser Heather Flow, who will be visiting Frieze and its satellite events. “The majority are American and our focus is on works under $30,000.”

Others are less confident about the outlook for contemporary pieces. Robert Read, fine art expert at specialist art insurer Hiscox, regards the “cutting-edge” material on offer as the most volatile and speculative sector of the market.

Next year, as well as opening a new fair in New York in May, Frieze will be bolstered in London in October by its own separate “Masters” event with dealers offering pre-1950 works by artists with established reputations.

In the meantime, the boutique Pavilion of Art & Design London fair in Berkeley Square will be the shop window for such classic works.

Barcelona dealer Manuel Barbie will be offering three pieces by Pablo Picasso. Acquired from the German-based collection of Richard von Radack, they include a 1922 Synthetic Cubist still life painting at 2 million euros ($2.73 million) and a 1915 Analytical Cubist collage at 1.8 million euros.

The fifth edition of the French-owned Pavilion fair will preview on Oct. 11.

London dealer Simon Dickinson Fine Art will be showing two Gerhard Richter abstracts at the fair to coincide with the artist’s retrospective at Tate Modern. Both offered on consignment from collectors, the 1976 monochrome “Grau” is priced at 1.4 million euros and the 1982 turquoise, green and red “Abstraktes Bild” at 4.2 million pounds.

(Scott Reyburn writes about the art market for Muse, the arts and culture section of Bloomberg News. Opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer on the story: Scott Reyburn in London at sreyburn@hotmail.com.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.

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Dragons, Virgins Beguile in Paris Fra Angelico Exhibit: Jorg von Uthmann

"Virgin with Child" (1450) by Fra Angelico. The painting is on view at the Musee Jacquemart-Andre through Jan 16. Source: Musee Jacquemart-Andre via Bloomberg


"St. George Slaying the Dragon" (1440) by Paolo Uccello, at the Musee Jacquemart-Andre through Jan. 16. Source: Musee Jacquemart-Andre via Bloomberg


"Scenes from the Life of St. Nicholas" (1447-49) by Fra Angelico, at the Musee Jacquemart-Andre. Source: Musee Jacquemart-Andre via Bloomberg

By Jorg von Uthmann - Oct 11, 2011 6:00 AM GMT+0700

Painters are no saints, except perhaps one: In 1984, Pope John Paul II beatified Fra Angelico, the first step in the process toward sainthood.

The pope also appointed him the Roman Catholic Church’s official patron of the arts.

Exhibitions of Fra Angelico’s work are rare events. His masterpieces -- especially the frescoes in the dormitory cells at the convent of San Marco, one of Florence’s most popular tourist attractions -- don’t budge. His large altarpieces are too delicate to travel.

That explains why the show at the Musee Jacquemart-Andre in Paris is the first organized in France.

To bring together 25 of Fra Angelico’s works, mostly from Italian collections, is no mean feat: Many curators strongly object to lending paintings on wood.

They are embedded in an equal number of paintings by contemporaries such as Lorenzo Monaco, Fra Angelico’s teacher, Filippo Lippi and Benozzo Gozzoli.

It’s a small yet delightful show.

Fra Angelico (ca 1395-1455) was born near Florence as Guido di Pietro. Around 1420, he joined the Dominican order adopting the name Fra (Brother) Giovanni.

The name by which we know him was inspired by Giorgio Vasari’s 1568 “Lives of the Painters,” which praised his luminous colors as worthy “of a saint or an angel.”

Much of his fame rests on the elaborate golden haloes around the heads of divine or holy figures.

Naive Image

Vasari portrayed Fra Angelico as a naive artist of endearing simplicity who worked directly from divine inspiration, even refusing to retouch his pictures because he believed them to be “the will of God.”

That image was further sentimentalized by the Nazarenes and the Pre-Raphaelites in the 19th century, who claimed to pick up where Fra Angelico and other “Primitives” had left off. Research has shown that to be mostly wishful thinking.

The painting monk may have been humble, yet he also was a professional artist of great subtlety and sophistication.

Looking at his Virgins, Crucifixions and Last Judgments, you realize that neither the style nor the choice of subjects was revolutionary. The Dominicans were known for conservative views. It’s no accident that the popes, after having launched the Inquisition, entrusted them with administering it.

While Fra Angelico was busy decorating his monastery in Fiesole, his fellow Dominican Pierre Cauchon oversaw the trial of Joan of Arc that ended with her death at the stake.

In the 1440s, the painter was twice called to Rome to decorate two chapels at the Vatican. Here, far from the strict rules of his order, he opened up and took new artistic risks, even toying with the great novelty of his age -- perspective.

One of the inventors of that novelty was Paolo Uccello (1397-1475). His “St. George Slaying the Dragon,” from the museum’s own holdings, is the most original -- and the most amusing -- picture in the show.

“Fra Angelico et les Maitres de la Lumiere” is supported by GDF-Suez (GSZ) SA and runs through Jan. 16, 2012. Information: http://www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com or +33-1-4562-1159.

(Jorg von Uthmann is a critic for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer on the story: Jorg von Uthmann in Paris at uthmann@wanadoo.fr.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.

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Car Collectors Push 37 MPH Steam-Power De Dion to Record $4.6 Million Sale

An 1884 steam driven De Dion. Capable of a top speed of 37 mph, the car was sold by RM Auctions in a classic car sale in Hershey, PA, on Oct. 7. The car fetched $4.6 million, more than double the catalog estimate and is world record for an early motor car at auction. Photographer: Darin Schnabel/RM Auctions via Bloomberg

By Scott Reyburn - Oct 8, 2011 6:01 PM GMT+0700

The world’s oldest running automobile sold for $4.6 million in Pennsylvania last night. The price with fees was more than double the catalog estimate and is a world record for an early motor car at auction.

The steam-driven 1884 De Dion, capable of 37 miles per hour on a straight, was the most highly valued of 115 cars being offered by RM Auctions at Hershey on Oct. 6-7. The vehicle drew a standing ovation from the audience as it drove onto the auction stage.

The bidding started at $500,000 and immediately jumped to $1 million, before climbing to the record. RM didn’t identify the buyer. The four-seater was being sold by the estate of the Texas-based collector John O’Quinn, who died in 2009.

It was originally built for the French entrepreneur the Comte de Dion by the engineers Georges Bouton and Charles-Armand Trepardoux. Named “La Marquise” after the count’s mother, the quadricycle had only been through four owners.

It was restored in the late 1980s by the U.K. veteran car enthusiast Tim Moore who raced it four times in the annual London-to-Brighton run. Moore sold the vehicle in 2007.

(Scott Reyburn writes about the art market for Muse, the arts and culture section of Bloomberg News. Opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer on the story: Scott Reyburn at sreyburn@hotmail.com.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.

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Marilyn Movie, Picasso, Jens Lekman, Mack the Knife at BAM: N.Y. Weekend

Michelle Williams in "My Week with Marilyn." The film about the making of the romantic movie starring Monroe and Laurence Olivier, "The Prince and the Showgirl," will be screened at the New York Film Festival. Source: New York Film Festival via Bloomberg

"17 h's" by David Smith, in "David Smith: Cubes and Anarchy" at the Whitney. Photographer: David Heald/Whitney Museum of American Art via Bloomberg

"Tanktotem IX" by David Smith, part of "David Smith: Cubes and Anarchy" at the Whitney Museum of American Art through Jan. 8, 2012. Photographer: David Heald/Whitney Museum of American Art via Bloomberg

"Pierrot and Harlequin" by Pablo Picasso is part of "Picasso's Drawings, 1890-1921: Reinventing Tradition" at the Frick. Source: Frick Collection via Bloomberg

Valery Gergiev and his Mariinsky Orchestra will be at Carnegie Hall on Sunday. Photographer: Alexander Shapunov/Carnegie Hall via Bloomberg

"Head of a Woman" by Pablo Picasso in the exhibition "Picasso's Drawings, 1890-1921: Reinventing Tradition," on view at the Frick Collection through Jan. 8, 2012. Photographer: Peter Schibli/Frick Collection via Bloomberg

The Mariinsky Orchestra from Russia will be playing at Carnegie Hall on Sunday. Photographer: Richard Termine/Carnegie Hall via Bloomberg


By Zinta Lundborg - Oct 7, 2011 11:01 AM GMT+0700

Jens Lekman brings his charmingly idiosyncratic brand of post-modern pop to Music Hall of Williamsburg on Friday.

His lush crooner’s voice soars over deftly arranged melodies that harken back to 70s-era love songs.

What saves Lekman from overwhelming sop is the droll specificity of his lyrics. Every song is a story -- some are tragic, all are sweet.

66 North 6th St., Brooklyn. Information: +1-718-486-5400; http://www.musichallofwilliamsburg.com.

Saturday

Take this last chance to see Nick Cave’s arresting Soundsuit sculptures at Jack Shainman Gallery.

These are strange creatures constructed of buttons, wire, bugle beads, baskets and upholstery, some sporting jaunty bunny ears, others with tuba heads.

Here the palette is mostly black, white and gray. In one group, seven figures wear an interconnected poncho, covered with shimmering buttons. An upbeat video shows them hopping, twirling and dancing.

At Mary Boone, Cave’s Soundsuits erupt into color with the addition of such found objects as sock monkeys, pipe cleaners, recycled sweaters, dogwood twigs and lots of glitter.

“Ever-After” runs through Oct. 8 at 513 W. 20th St. Information: +1-212-645-1701; http://www.jackshainman.com.

“For Now” runs through Oct. 22 at 541 W. 24th St. Information: +1-212-752-2929; http://www.maryboonegallery.com.

Saturday Afternoon

Check out David Smith’s stainless steel totems at the Whitney Museum of American Art. Bringing together 60 sculptures, drawings, paintings and photographs, the exhibition focuses on geometry in the artist’s work.

Smith, who died at 59 in 1965, used found and industrial materials to stack up cubes, plates, rods and spheres into playful abstractions.

“David Smith: Cubes and Anarchy” runs until Jan. 8 at the Whitney, 945 Madison Ave. at 75th St. Information: +1-212-570- 3600; http://whitney.org.

Saturday Night

To get a real taste of class warfare, go to “Threepenny Opera” by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht, first produced in 1928 Berlin.

Goes one of the lines: “Who is the greater criminal: he who robs a bank or he who founds one?”

Robert Wilson’s production with the Berliner Ensemble evokes German expressionist art and sleazy Weimar night clubs.

Stefan Kurt as Macheath gets to sing the famous murder ballad “Mack the Knife,” while Stefanie Stappenbeck does “Pirate Jenny,” in which a lowly maid yearns for the massacre of all the townspeople.

Brooklyn Academy of Music, Howard Gilman Opera House, 30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn. Information: +1718-636-4100; http://www.bam.org.

Then cross the street to Berlyn for some hearty fare, beginning with a refreshing Schwartzwald Spritz, a mix of gin, pine liquor and sekt. It’s autumn, so why not dive into the choucroute with pork loin and bratwurst?

25 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn. Information: +1-718-222-5800.

Sunday

See Picasso’s 1901 self-portrait, power practically streaming off his intense face and shoulders. It’s in a show of 60 drawings from his first three decades, now at the Frick Collection.

There’s the amusing “Hercules,” drawn by the artist in 1890 when he was nine years old and preserved by his proud parents.

You can see his quick mind exploring everything from the 1907 “Yellow Nude,” a study for “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” and an early cubist “Bust of a Woman” (1909) to a consideration of African arts in “Standing Woman from the Back.”

At 1 E. 70th St. until Jan. 8. Information: +1-212-288- 0700; http://www.frick.org.

Sunday Afternoon

Valery Gergiev and his Mariinsky Orchestra are throwing a mini-festival at Carnegie Hall, part of a monthlong celebration of Russian composers and the venue’s 120 years of musical splendor.

Today there are two works by Tchaikovsky, the powerful Symphony No. 5 and the playful No. 2 or “Little Russian.”

57th St. and Seventh Ave. Information: +1-212-247-7800; http://www.carnegiehall.org.

To continue the Russian spirit, head over to Petrossian and feast on caviar with shots of icy vodka.

At 182 W. 58th St. Information: +1-212-245-2214.

Sunday Evening

During the filming of “The Prince and the Showgirl,” Marilyn Monroe royally annoyed director and co-star Laurence Olivier.

See the fireworks in “My Week With Marilyn,” as Michelle Williams portrays the Hollywood diva and Kenneth Branagh takes on the uptight, classically trained actor.

The rest of the cast is not too shabby either: Judi Dench, Derek Jacobi, Zoe Wanamaker, Dominic Cooper and Eddie Redmayne.

At Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center. Part of the New York Film Festival, crammed with movie-goodies, running until Oct. 16. Information: +1-212-875-5050; http://www.filmlinc.com.

(With assistance from Lili Rosboch and Katya Kazakina. Zinta Lundborg is an editor for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are her own.)

To contact the reporter on this story: Zinta Lundborg at zlundborg@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.

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David Bailey Swaps Nude Photos for Painting Hitler, Donald Duck: Interview

A David Bailey painting of model/muse Jerry Hall, at Scream gallery through Nov. 12 . Source: Scream/Lee Sharrock PR via Bloomberg


A mixed-media painting of actor Jack Nicholson by David Bailey, part of a new exhibition in London. Source: Scream/Lee Sharrock PR via Bloomberg


"Hitler Killed the Duck" (2007) by David Bailey, at Lonson's Scream gallery through Nov. 12. Source: Scream/Lee Sharrock PR via Bloomberg


A self-portrait by David Bailey. The image has the photographer dressed as a pope flanked by a stripper, in a homage to painters Velazquez and Francis Bacon. Source: Scream/Lee Sharrock PR via Bloomberg

By Mark Beech - Oct 6, 2011 6:00 AM GMT+0700

David Bailey is putting down his camera and picking up a paintbrush. The man who shot some of the best-known images of the past 50 years is returning to his childhood memories to draw Mickey Mouse and Adolf Hitler.

For Bailey, this isn’t a radical departure. He started sketching long before buying his first Rolleiflex. He’s an artist, not a painter, he insists.

They are all just images, he says, gesturing across his London mews studio. He has photos of Mick Jagger, the Beatles, Rudolph Nureyev, Jean Shrimpton and Andy Warhol as well as thousands of fashion shoots, nudes and landscapes.

These have won many awards: Bailey got his first prize when he was 12 in a City & Guilds contest, for a drawing of Bambi. Disney and London’s wartime bombing helped inspire the paintings. Rolling StoneRonnie Wood’s son James organized Bailey’s show at his London gallery Scream under the title “Hitler Killed the Duck.”

“I spent most of the war down the cellars and air-raid shelters,” Bailey, 73, recalls. “I used to go to the cinema in Upton Park. One morning, I woke up and Hitler had bombed it -- a bit of a blow. I was probably six at the time. Hitler has always been a dark angel in my life.”

Nod to Bacon

Some of the paintings are as childlike as Bailey’s photos are stylish. They include primitive Hitler portraits, the wartime character Chad peering over walls, and slogans: “Wot no beer?” and “1942 WAS A BAD YEAR.” There are many religious references and a self-portrait of Bailey dressed like a pope with a striptease artist. It’s a wry homage to Velazquez and to Francis Bacon, who was inspired by the Spanish artist’s work.

“Bacon tried to pick me up once when I was about 20,” Bailey says. “I didn’t know who he was. I said, ‘Who is this old guy who is buying me Scotch and sodas?’

“I don’t believe in God or anything of that nonsense,” he says. “I love myths. I think we have to have some mystery in our lives. If you are too practical it takes away all the magic in life. I don’t believe I’m going to go to heaven and sit in a nice comfortable chair with Jesus.”

The paintings pay homage to Picasso’s curvy nudes. Bailey is an admirer of the female form: He has been married four times. His mixed-media works marry photos of La Cicciolina, Kate Moss, Jerry Hall and others with oil, canvas and silk. Asked about a frontal picture of Hall covered with orange and red brushstrokes as if she is on fire, the asthmatic Bailey wheezes with laughter and says, “Well she’s a very hot lady, that one.”

Books on Delhi

Bailey has published more than 30 books and is working on a raft more: two on Delhi, one of Polaroids he shot in Australia, maybe three on the East End of London and Warhol.

He left school on his 15th birthday with no education and dyslexia. His teacher told him, “somebody has to sweep the roads.” Bailey remarks, “People say, ‘Why do you do what you do?’ I say, ‘Because I can’t do anything else.’”

He wastes no time in taking charge of the video shoot during the Bloomberg interview, directing the camerawoman, setting the angle and lighting, constantly firing off questions: “Do I look like I’ve got personality?”

“And then some,” I say.

He praises his friend Jagger’s “SuperHeavy” CD, criticizes Tony Blair over Iraq and rattles off anecdotes such as his bafflement at seeing a blind man in a camera shop.

Bailey’s advice to someone wanting to be a photographer?

“What should people be doing?” he says. “Be true to yourself, as simple as that. Use your common sense.”

“Hitler Killed the Duck” runs at Scream, 34 Bruton Street, London, W1J 6QX, through Nov. 12. Information: http://www.davidbailey.com, http://www.screamlondon.com or +44-20-7493-7388.

(Mark Beech writes for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own. This interview was adapted from a longer conversation.)

To contact the writer on the story: Mark Beech in London at mbeech@bloomberg.net or http://twitter.com/Mark_Beech.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.

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Grayson Perry Mixes Teddy Bear, Relics at British Museum: Martin Gayford

A statuette of the ancient Egyptian god Bes sitting on a lotus flower, with a monkey between his feet, (BC 664-332), in artist Grayson Perry's exhibition "The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman." Source: British Museum via Bloomberg
"The Rosetta Vase" (2011) by Grayson Perry, in his exhibition "The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman," at the British Museum until Feb. 19. Photographer: Stephen White/British Museum via Bloomberg
"Pilgrimage to the British Museum" (2011) by Grayson Perry, in "The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman" at the British Museum. Source: British Museum via Bloomberg
A painted wooden shrine decorated with scenes from Hindu mythology, from western India, (19th-20th century), is included in "The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman." Source: British Museum via Bloomberg

By Martin Gayford - Oct 5, 2011 6:00 AM GMT+0700

Once upon a time, an emissary from England journeyed to the peoples of the East on a mission of peace. With him he carried his totemic deity, a bear.

The time was 2010, the man was the artist Grayson Perry and he traveled to Germany on a combined motorcycle and shrine (for the god) entitled the “AM1.” It can be seen at the entrance to Perry’s new exhibition, “The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman,” which opens tomorrow at the British Museum in London.

The bear, a teddy named Alan Measles that has been worshipped by Perry since the early 1960s, is too precious to exhibit and is replaced by a replica. The journey, as Perry, born in 1960, explains in the catalog, was undertaken because in his childhood “the Germans were the default enemy, and so they became a metaphor for all that was bad in my experience. Alan and I needed to make peace with our old imagined adversary.”

If you think that’s unbearably twee, then the show isn’t for you. Those prepared to suspend disbelief and briefly enter Perry’s fantasy world, will have eye-opening fun. He is, of course, well known for being both a transvestite and a contemporary artist many of whose works take the form of decorated pottery.

Some might say he is an extremely English phenomenon. I remember on the night he won the Turner Prize in 2003, a fellow guest at the award dinner -- who happened to be German -- leaned across the table and whispered, “Only in Britain.” Perry, dressed as his female alter ego Claire, was taking a photo call along with his wife and daughter.

Bears and Shamans

In fact, there is a Teutonic aspect to him. You could say Perry is a unique amalgam of bear-loving Christopher Robin, Eddie Izzard and Joseph Beuys (1921-1986) of Germany, who came up with the notion of the artist as a latter-day shaman, injecting magic and mysterious ritual into modern life.

Although there are some bears and a bear shrine on view, and one female costume -- the “High Priestess Cape” (2007) -- it’s the third side that’s most evident: the artist as myth maker and medicine man.

This is that usually horrible thing, an “intervention” -- a contemporary artist doing something, usually embarrassing, in a museum. This one, perhaps because it was Perry’s idea not the museum’s, is the exception. It works.

The exhibits are a mixture of items from the collection and works by Perry. Unexpectedly, they enhance each other. The museum pieces, some of them thousands of years old, look edgy and contemporary; Perry’s own stuff looks timeworn and in context. In other words, he does what artists often try to do: He invents an artistic ancestry for himself.

Erotic Touch

His choice from the museum’s collection is highly personal. There’s nothing grand and little classical, these are mainly humble and vernacular objects, many from Africa and Japan, all the product of anonymous men and women, some rough, some beautiful, a few highly sexual (a Perry touch).

He exhibits some of his own signature pots, and also a large tapestry and several sculptures, including the centerpiece, an iron boat festooned with casts of works from the museum. Like the other Perry pieces, it looks antique and is brand new.

At first glance, it’s often hard to tell whether you are looking at a Grayson Perry or an artifact from an ancient civilization. That’s a good sign. The show is one mammoth work by Perry, and the most interesting he has created to date.

“The Tomb of the Unknown Craftsman” opens tomorrow and runs through Feb. 19, 2012, at the British Museum, London. The show is supported by AlixPartners LLP and LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA. (MC) Information: http://www.britishmuseum.org.

(Martin Gayford is chief art critic for Muse, the arts and leisure section of Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer on the story: Martin Gayford in London at martin.gayford@googlemail.com or http://twitter.com/martingayford.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.

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Spirit of the past

Zhang Xiaochuan's installation, Dream Pavilion, presents a dreamlike scene with cloud-shaped artworks floating above white lattice-patterned tents. [Photos by Wang Jing / China Daily]

Both Liu Feng's Opened Cage Screen and Chen Xuan's Horse Instinct convey traditional Chinese aesthetics and an avant-garde touch.

The artworks on display at China Design Week aim to showcase nation's tradition of innovation. Chen Nan reports.

More than 30 Chinese designers are taking part in Beijing Design Week that opened on Sept 26 at China Millennium Monument, with at least 150 artworks linked to its theme, Landscape of the Spirit.

"It isn't just another exhibition," says award-winning furniture and interior designer Liu Feng, who is also one of the curators of the exhibition. "It's an opportunity to show original Chinese design from veterans and newcomers, and introduce new brands."

"Ours is the country that invented gunpowder, wrought iron, the compass, paper, silk and printing. We have a tradition of design and discovery," he says.

Visitors entering the exhibition space are immediately surrounded by cloud-shaped artworks floating above white tents with a lattice pattern. These are the installations, Dream Pavilion, of designer Zhang Xiaochuan.

The paintings and poems printed along the walls of the hall contrast with the futuristic artworks, and are aimed at juxtaposing the modern with the ancient.

"We want to lead visitors into a dream world," says one of the curators Sun Wentao. "This is an exhibition whose theme is Chinese design, so Chinese culture is the focus. You can feel the Chinese flavor in not only the artworks, but also in the decoration of the venue, which is quiet and surreal, like a traditional Chinese garden."

All the works displayed employ elements of Chinese culture that speak to the nation's rich history of innovation.

Sun's Bamboo Series is itself inspired by the 36-year-old designer's love of bamboo.

Sun, who hails from Shenyang of Liaoning province, graduated from the Academy of Art and Design of Tsinghua University with a major in sculpture.

The Bamboo Series, which was completed in 2010, comprises five artworks that use steel to make objects resembling bamboo articles.

Bamboo is one of the "Four Men of Honor", the others being plum, orchid and chrysanthemum.

"It is integral to Chinese culture, so I want to introduce it to more people around the world," Sun says.

Designer Chen Xuan's Horse Instinct is inspired by traditional Chinese ink paintings that often feature horses.

Chen, who grew up in the coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province, studied architecture at Central Academy of Fine Arts and founded her own workshop after graduation.

"My father has a number of paintings of majestic horses," Chen says. "I've always wanted to incorporate horses in my designs and I finally found a way of doing so - by making a table with horse legs."

Chen's creations have sold not just in China but also the United States. She also has her own design studio, located in Beijing's 798 art district.

Taiwan designer Chen Renyi has had his eyes on traditional Chinese arts and culture since the 1980s. His works, such as Lifting Plate and Tabelware, are mainly made of wood, and feature engravings of traditional Chinese aesthetics.

"While contemporary Chinese designers, especially the younger generation, have plenty of access to ideas from abroad, China remains a goldmine of inspiration," says the curator Liu, whose Opened Cage Screen transforms a bird cage into a traditional Chinese screen.

The 56-year-old designer, Zhu Xiaojie, also uses the bird cage as the theme for his works. But unlike 32-year-old Liu's audacious combination, Zhu keeps the original form of the bird cage and turns it into a lampshade.

"Chinese culture is unique and cannot be learned or borrowed. Our poems, architectures, paintings, everything is a treasure trove for designers," Liu says.(China Daily)

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Forte’s Lowry Paintings May Fetch $26.2 Million at Christie’s London Sale

By Scott Reyburn - Oct 3, 2011 7:17 PM GMT+0700

"Piccadilly Circus, London'' (1960) by the 20th century British artist L.S. Lowry. It is one of 14 works by the Lancashire-born painter formerly owned by the cater and hotelier, the late Charles Forte, that will be offered by Christie's International at an auction in London on Nov. 16, 2011. Source: Christie's via Bloomberg

A collection of paintings by L.S. Lowry formed by the U.K. caterer and hotelier, the late Charles Forte, is estimated to raise as much as 16.9 million pounds ($26.2 million) at an auction in London next month.

Lowry (1887-1976) was a Lancashire-born artist best known for his industrial scenes inhabited by crowds of stick-like figures. Forte’s descendants will be offering 14 of these paintings at Christie’s International on Nov. 16, the London- based auction house said today in an e-mailed statement.

“Piccadilly Circus, London,” is the most highly valued work in the group, estimated at 4 million pounds to 6 million pounds. It dates from 1960 and has never been offered at auction before. The 1953 oil “Fun Fair at Daisy Nook” is priced at 1.5 million pounds to 2 million pounds.

Forte bought the paintings during the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s. Lowry continues to be a favorite name with wealthy collectors of 20th-century British art. In May, Christie’s achieved a record auction price of 5.6 million pounds for a 1949 painting, “The Football Match.”

(Scott Reyburn writes about the art market for Muse, the arts and culture section of Bloomberg News. Opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer on the story: Scott Reyburn in London at sreyburn@hotmail.com.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Manuela Hoelterhoff at mhoelterhoff@bloomberg.net.

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