Irvine Contemporary is pleased to announce Introductions5, our fifth curated “MFA annual” that brings a selection of new artists from leading art college programs to Washington, D.C. Through a combined process of thesis exhibition visits, artist studio visits, and open submissions, we reviewed over 200 recent graduates from leading MFA programs across the US.

Opening reception with artists, Saturday, August 8, 6:30-9 PM.

Congratulations Introductions5 Participants:

Jonathan Dankenbring (MFA, Indiana University): Sculpture and Installation

Ultra, 2009. Hematite and jade. 4.3 x 2.4 x .3 inches each

John Hill, Jr. (MFA, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill): Drawing

Proactive Teamwork (scene 4), 2008-2009, Pen on paper, 24 x 32 inches

Christopher LaVoie (MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art): Sculpture

Headstone Milestone, 2009. Concrete and cord. Dimensions variable

Paris Mavroidis (MFA, Pratt Institute): Digital Media & Film

Divers, 2009. Short Animation (Color), 3 minutes

Matt Sartain (MFA, Academy of Art University, San Francisco): Photography

Untitled (Night), 2009. Archival digital pigment print. Dimensions variable

Wayne Toepp (MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art): Painting

Monitor #12, 2008. Oil on canvas. 36 x 48 inches.

Yi-Hsin Tzeng (MFA, Savannah College of Art and Design): Painting and Mixed Media

Invisible: Box Series (Black), 2008. Acrylic and printmaking on panels, 8.5 x 8.5 x 19.5 inches

Stacey Lee Webber (MFA, University of Wisconsin-Madison): Sculpture

Screwball 1, 2009. Screws, thread, mixed materials. Dimensions variable

Program and Events for Street/Studio

Lineup: Shepard Fairey (LA), Swoon (NY), Gaia (Brooklyn), Imminent Disaster (Brooklyn), Oliver Vernon (Brooklyn), James Marshall (Dalek) (NY and Raleigh, NC), EVOL (Berlin), and PISA73 (Berlin).

June 17-20: On-site wall murals and installations in progress

Artists will create murals and installations in the alley and rear of the gallery at 14th and P Streets. Preview day: Friday, June 19, 1:00-4:00PM.

Above: new works by James Marshall (Dalek). Arcylic on panel, 10 x 10 and 14 x 14 inches each

June 19: Public Program: Katzen Arts Center, American University Museum, 7:00 PM

Panel discussion on the impact of street art in the contemporary artworld with curators and artists. Panelists include Pedro Alonzo (Independent Curator, and Curator of the Shepard Fairey Retrospective at the Boston Institute of Contemporary Art), Anne Goodyear (Assistant Curator, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery), and artists Oliver Vernon, EVOL, Pisa73, and Gaia. Moderator: Martin Irvine, Director, Irvine Contemporary. Katzen Arts Center, American University Museum, Washington, DC.

EVOL (Berlin, Germany) Berlin Shroud, 2009. Spray paint, stencil on cardboard. 20 x 20 inches

June 20: Opening Reception and Alley Block Party, 6:00-11:00 PM

Join us for an opening reception with the artists and block party in the alley behind the Irvine Contemporary gallery, 14th and P Streets, NW, Washington, DC. Live music by DJs Iona Rozeal Brown and Jahsonic. New wall murals and installations by the artists will be on view.

Gaia Brooklyn, NY) Hand print on found plywood, street mural, 2009.

New print edition by Gaia for the exhibition published by Irvine Contemporary. Three-color screenprint on Kitakata paper. Edition of 30. Printed by Pyramid Atlantic, Silver Spring, MD.

Gaia, Bear. 2009. 3 color screenprint on Kitakata paper, ed. of 30. 20 x 13.5 inches

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Don’t get as excited as I did; it isn’t the case you/I were hoping for …  http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/06/charges_dropped_1.html

because of Facebook, my apologies.

Here is one of my recent favorites – I was totally obsessed with this case while living in London in ‘05.  Only in the UK would 2 guys load a Henry Moore sculpture onto a lorry and bring it to a chop-shop to sell to East Indians for the price of bronze.

May 19, 2009 (NY Times)

Missing Moore Sculpture May Have Been Sold For Scrap

The Henry Moore Foundation The Henry Moore sculpture “Reclining Figure,” which was stolen from the artist’s estate in 2005.

The British police believe that they have solved the case of a Henry Moore sculpture that has been missing for four years, and now suspect that it was sold for scrap, The Guardian reported. In 2005, the two-ton bronze sculpture, “Reclining Figure,” was stolen from Moore’s estate in Hertfordshire, 30 miles north of London, and a flatbed truck and crane believed to have been used in the crime were quickly recovered. After more than three years of investigation, Jon Humphries, the detective chief inspector of the Hertfordshire police, said that evidence suggests the work was “cut up” on the night of the crime, “then taken to a location where it was irreparably damaged before it was shipped abroad.” He added, “In my mind we’ve managed to kill off the mystery as much as is possible.” The sculpture, valued at about $4.6 million, would have yielded about $2,300 in scrap metal, Detective Humphries said.

INTRODUCTIONS5: Call for Submissions
An exhibition of works by recent art school graduates in August 2009

APPLICATION PROCESS
Deadline: Friday June 5, 2009
Notification: No later than June 21, 2009
Eligibility: Artists who have graduated in 2008 or 2009 and are available for gallery exhibition

Application must include:
•    Artist’s statement
•    Artist’s resume
•    A CD-ROM of up to ten images.  For New Media and Time Based Media (Sound, Film/Video, etc)
please submit only ten minutes worth of work.
•    Self-addressed stamped envelope – required to have submitted materials returned

Submitted materials will be handled with care, but Irvine Contemporary cannot assume responsibility for lost or damaged materials.

Send to:
Lauren Gentile, Director of Sales
Irvine Contemporary
1412 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005

Irvine Contemporary specializes in contemporary art by emerging and mid-career artists with
growing national and international reputations.  We participate in major nation and international art
fairs and have launched the careers of young artists now in major private and institutional
collections.

Sobering news about the leading to the the lesser.

I don’t know if it was excitement over my last post about restitution attempts by the Chinese Government during Christie’s YSL auction that drove 100s of people to the blog this week…

(Or was it because one of my posts from 2007  was tagged “Nicollette Ramirez” and everyone is googling the Gagosian out of her after the NY Times article was published this week?)

For those of you who aren’t sleazy gossip-hounds but actually care about repatriation, here is a fun game to play and an interesting tool to teach how the complicated decision making processes of The Politician, The Art Collector, The Heiress and The Museum Director work.

It’s Saturday and I’m sure everyone has played out the usual art fair talk-tracks: “Hiiiiiiii, how are you?” “So, how are sales?” “Have you been affected, everything okay?” “Is it true you can roll a bowling ball down the aisles of your fair?” – here is something much more interesting to think/talk about:

An article I read this week gave me flashbacks to the 1980s. Remember the speculative run in the art market and the subsequent bust in the 1990s due to the downturn in the Japanese economy?   Many would recall the apogee of these times was when one weekend Ryoei Saito bought Vincent van Gogh’s Portrait du Dr. Gachet for $82.5 million from Christie’s NY and Auguste Renoir’s Au Moulin de la Galette for $78.1 million from Sotheby’s NY and then he and his paper company went bankrupt and he was charged with criminal activities.

The van Gogh was seized by Japan’s Fuji Bank  (even though Saito asked to be cremated with it) and resold for a fraction of the price.  In the end, Japan’s banks had confiscated over $200 million dollars of art from Japanese businessmen putting it all into bank vaults and then going under themselves.  Some Eurocentrics describe this time as the devouring of Western culture by Japanese speculators. In these days, I would describe it as familiar.

Vincent van Gogh’s Portrait du Dr. Gachet and Auguste Renoir’s Au Moulin de la Galette

So with that background in mind, I present the ArtDaily headline of the week: Chinese Bidder at Christie’s YSL Auction Refuses to Pay for Controversial Works of Art.  With quote of the week from this bidder who committed over $40 million dollars to 2 sculptures in the auction: “I must stress I do not have the money to pay for this”.

Um, really Mr. Cai Mingchao? Really?!  So I thought, here we go again, but now with China.

NO, it’s so much more interesting – issues of cultural rights and heritage, patrimony and national sentiment – you can read here and here.

And a quote I would like to end on from Chinese Government Rep. Zhao Qizheng regarding the situation: “[Cao's bid] was a lesson to the rest of the world, including the French”.

Now go party and discuss…

In Smithsonian news, LA and DC have  made a respectable exchange in museum professionals. Today, it was announced that Anne Ellegood, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Hirshhorn will be leaving us for LA, but in return we’ve gotten a new Director of the Hirshhorn, Richard Koshalek.

In Corcoran news, my favorite fundraiser is coming up in March – Artini.  Since most of us in DC are still riding on the Obama stimulus plan (aka December, January and February, the inauguration months), why not continue to celebrate and also enjoy Maya Lin: Systemic Landscapes which opens March 14.

In DC gallery news, we’re all still here and everyone is doing fine.  We have the fascinating Lesser Madonnnas exhibition opening tonight of new work by Corcoran School of Art + Design graduate Melissa Ichiuji.  As a dealer and collector of her work, I highly advise a visit.  And for my street art audience, expect a treat in June at Irvine…

In Manifest Hope news, where do I begin?  Some important points:  All the merchandise from the exhibition can be bought on this website.  We raised over $20,000 for the Duke Ellington School of Arts. Arnold Schwaznegger is stunning. This link just sums up the experience.

In NY Armory news… I’ll have some after my visit this week.  If you want to stay updated on the NY gallery RIP list, you can join the speculation here.

Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery Acquires

Shepard Fairey Obama HOPE Portrait

from Irvine Contemporary’s Regime Change Starts at Home Exhibition

We are pleased to announce that the National Portrait Gallery has acquired Shepard Fairey’s iconic Obama HOPE portrait through a generous gift of Tony and Heather Podesta. The unique hand-stenciled and collaged painting will be on view in the “new acquisitions” wing of the National Portrait Gallery in time for the inauguration of President Obama on January 20. Congratulations to Shepard Fairey on this important achievement, and many thanks to our friends Tony and Heather Podesta for their generosity and support of this acquisition at this historic moment!

Fit for a T: Portrait Gallery Gets Obama ‘Hope’ Collage

That campaign-defining image of Barack Obama that burned itself into your brain this past year is headed to the National Portrait Gallery.

The original red-and-blue “Hope” collage by graphic designer Shepard Fairey that inspired countless posters, T-shirts and buttons has been obtained by the gallery via a gift from Washington superlobbyists Tony and Heather Podesta.

The two are longtime fans of Fairey who have several other works of his in their large, eye-popping modern-art collection. Though they’ve donated to other local museums, this is their first to the Portrait Gallery — and the Portrait Gallery’s first Obama image to join its permanent collection.

“It seemed like a historic moment for the country, and a chance to do something for art and Democrats,” Tony Podesta, brother of transition co-chairman John Podesta, told us. The gift is in honor of their late mother, Mary K. Podesta, who became an ardent supporter of the future president after meeting him at their fundraiser for his 2004 Senate race. “She would giggle and say, ‘He liked my cooking!’ ” Heather Podesta recalled.

The surprisingly large work — 60 inches by 44 inches — will hang in the “new arrivals” gallery on the museum’s first floor, where its nearby neighbor will be the newly unveiled Laura Bush portrait. Gallery spokeswoman Bethany Bentley said it will be up by Inauguration Day.

(From The Washington Post, Reliable Source, Style, January 7, 2009 – image courtesy of National Portrait Gallery ©Shepard Fairey)