Latest news with #artwork
BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Mural designed 'to bring a smile' to Leicester approved
Plans for a mural celebrating the "rich" heritage of Hindu people in part of Leicester have been given the City Council has approved proposals from Inspirate for artwork showcasing a dancing tiger on the Doncaster Road substation in Belgrave, which faces Melton Road, also known as the Golden to planning documents, the proposed design would include a QR code which would link to a website that provides information about the mural and its connection to said the proposed mural had been "sensitively designed" and would incorporate "traditional motifs" as well as "vibrant colours". Documents added: "The design aims to bring the streetscape to life and showcases a dancing Leicester tiger as a symbol of civic and cultural pride to create a joyful, happy and colourful design that brings a smile and laugh to people said the proposed mural would be painted and finished with a waterproof coating to ensure it lasts a minimum of 10 years.
CBS News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBS News
The iconic sculptures of Louise Nevelson
Louise Nevelson's artwork looks right at home at the Whitney Museum of American Art, mingling with the skyscrapers of Manhattan. She found inspiration in the city as early as the 1920s, yet it would take the art world decades to recognize her and her iconic sculptures. "She was given her first respective at the Whitney in 1967," said Maria Nevelson, the artist's granddaughter, who runs the Louise Nevelson Foundation. "I was seven years old. And there was a line of people all the way around the block, up to the front door. I really did get chills. It was the first time I responded to artwork in general, and to my grandmother's artwork." Nearly six decades later, the Whitney is holding a new Nevelson exhibition, which is open until August 10. Asked what Louise was like as a grandmother, Maria laughed: "Oh, she was intimidating and unconventional. What comes to mind first is her atmospheric dressing. Anything could have been pulled into this assemblage and this layering of rich brocades and silks." That fancy wardrobe didn't stop Nevelson from getting her hands dirty: "She'd dumpster dive, she'd get into the garbage can, she'd pull out filthy pieces of wood, and we'd have to take 'em home," said Maria. "I would say the streets of New York weren't paved with gold for her; it was paved with garbage. And she loved it!" Nevelson's attraction to wood may have grown from her family tree – her family owned lumber yards in present-day Ukraine, where she was born in 1899. Louise was a young girl who spoke no English when her father decided to move the family to Rockland, Maine. "It was a bustling seaport town," said Maria. "They got off the train and, she said, rednecks threw mud at them. And she said, 'I knew I was a Jew, I knew I was different.' She was about five, six years old then. That's her greeting to America." Undaunted, Nevelson learned English, and at age nine, announced she was going to be a sculptor. "She knew always what she wanted to be and do, and she pursued it fiercely," said Brooke Minto, executive director and CEO of the Columbus Museum of Art, where Nevelson's work is also currently on display. "It was a decade's long journey, and she just kept at it." Nevelson would choose a monochromatic palette to unify her materials. Minto said, "She really understood that she could create an all-over, immersive experience in her sculpture by pairing them down to a single color. It's this wonderful accumulation of very simple and humble objects into something that's quite monumental and immediately historical." According to Maria Nevelson, Louise did her best work when she was in her 70s and 80s, "right up to when she passed away at 88." In 1979, Charles Osgood, of "Sunday Morning," spoke to Louise when she was 79 years old and, arguably, at the height of her career. The artist remarked, "You see, dear, if you are doing your creative work, you don't have age or time as such, and consequently you're not caught in it. So, you go on." Maria said, "My grandmother's legacy is to leave her message, which is to get out there, drop the limitations, follow your passions, teach yourself what you need to know … and do it. Why not?" For more info: Story produced by Lucie Kirk. Editor: Lauren Barnello. See also:
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Royal Academy ‘displays anti-Semitic art' for a second time
The Royal Academy of Arts has been accused of displaying anti-Semitic artwork inspired by the war in Gaza for a second time. Jewish visitors said they had been left upset by two pieces of artwork by Michael Sandle, a Royal Academy member, that were still on display at the Summer Exhibition as of Friday. One £6,000 piece in the display titled 'Terrorist versus smiling mass murderer of innocents', shows what appears to be a Hamas member standing next to an Israeli air force pilot with a damaged building in the background. A second work, titled 'Apropos terror – a pilot doesn't hear the screams of the women and children he is massacring with impunity', is a slightly larger version of the first piece and priced at £25,000. Caroline Turner, the director of UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), wrote to Natasha Mitchell, the Royal Academy's interim secretary and chief executive, calling for them to be removed. Ms Turner wrote: 'The titles of both these drawings imply that Israel is purposely slaughtering women and children.' 'This is far from the truth, since the Israeli army does all it can to avoid harming women and children, while targeting Hamas terrorists, who unfortunately use women and children as human shields,' the letter added. The letter was also sent to Batia Ofer, the chairwoman of the Royal Academy Trust and an Israeli-Canadian patroness and philanthropist. Explaining why the artworks were anti-Semitic, the Ms Turner wrote that the pictures applied 'double standards by requiring of Israel a behaviour not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation which can be anti-Semitic according to example eight of the IHRA's [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] working definition of anti-Semitism'. 'The images use the symbols and images associated with classic anti-Semitism (eg claims of Jews killing children) to characterise Israel or Israelis; This is anti-Semitic according to example nine of the IHRA definition,' the letter says. The letter, seen by The Telegraph, adds: 'Accusing Jews of killing babies/children is an old-fashioned blood libel. Sandle should be aware that Israel aims to kill terrorists, not innocent children and others.' Mrs Turner also claimed the Royal Academy was breaching the 2010 Equality Act because Sandle's art was 'likely to create an intimidating, hostile and offensive environment for Jews and Israelis who visit the gallery'. One Jewish visitor said: 'I just went to the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition. And there is some disgusting anti-Semitic art hanging there by an artist called Sandle. Unsurprisingly, this isn't the first time.' Last year, the Royal Academy apologised for displaying artwork likening Israel to Nazi Germany in an annual Summer Show competition. One piece by a 16-year-old named as 'Andy', which was later removed, appeared to compare Israel's actions in Gaza to Nazism by featuring Arab women screaming under the shadow of a swastika and the looming figure of Buddha. A note with the piece stated: 'Watching the conflict unravel in Gaza draws many parallels with the Nazis and Chinese oppression, hence the Buddha symbol and the swastika.' A second piece, which was removed, was a photograph of a protester claiming Israel was committing genocide. The photograph, taken by an 18-year-old named 'Kausar', featured a man holding a sign stating: 'Jews say stop genocide on Palestinians: not in our name.' Ms Turner claimed the Royal Academy has 'failed to take the concerns of your Jewish visitors into account'. She added: 'We are of course, in favour of freedom of artistic expression, but not freedom to express hateful anti-Semitic sentiments, which stoke up hatred against Jews and Israelis.' In a statement, the Royal Academy said works in the exhibition 'often reflect current societal and political topics'. It said that artworks in the Summer Exhibition 'should not be read as the Royal Academy supporting any particular artist's point of view'. The Royal Academy added: 'We always take all concerns about artworks on display in the Summer Exhibition seriously; however, our role, as an artist and architect-led organisation, is to allow all artists the ability to express themselves. 'The Royal Academy is an organisation led by artists and architects and is committed to freedom of expression.' In a further letter, Ms Mitchell insisted they were not breaching the Equality Act and added: 'It is simply untrue to state that we are ignoring the matter, or the concerns raised.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword
Telegraph
5 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Royal Academy ‘displays anti-Semitic art' for a second time
The Royal Academy of Arts has been accused of displaying anti-Semitic artwork inspired by the war in Gaza for a second time. Jewish visitors said they had been left upset by two pieces of artwork by Michael Sandle, a Royal Academy member, that were still on display at the Summer Exhibition as of Friday. One £6,000 piece in the display titled 'Terrorist versus smiling mass murderer of innocents', shows what appears to be a Hamas member standing next to an Israeli air force pilot with a damaged building in the background. A second work, titled 'Apropos terror – a pilot doesn't hear the screams of the women and children he is massacring with impunity', is a slightly larger version of the first piece and priced at £25,000. Caroline Turner, the director of UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), wrote to Natasha Mitchell, the Royal Academy's interim secretary and chief executive, calling for them to be removed. Ms Turner wrote: 'The titles of both these drawings imply that Israel is purposely slaughtering women and children.' 'This is far from the truth, since the Israeli army does all it can to avoid harming women and children, while targeting Hamas terrorists, who unfortunately use women and children as human shields,' the letter added. The letter was also sent to Batia Ofer, the chairwoman of the Royal Academy Trust and an Israeli-Canadian patroness and philanthropist. Explaining why the artworks were anti-Semitic, the Ms Turner wrote that the pictures applied 'double standards by requiring of Israel a behaviour not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation which can be anti-Semitic according to example eight of the IHRA's [International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance] working definition of anti-Semitism'. 'The images use the symbols and images associated with classic anti-Semitism (eg claims of Jews killing children) to characterise Israel or Israelis; This is anti-Semitic according to example nine of the IHRA definition,' the letter says. The letter, seen by The Telegraph, adds: 'Accusing Jews of killing babies/children is an old-fashioned blood libel. Sandle should be aware that Israel aims to kill terrorists, not innocent children and others.' Mrs Turner also claimed the Royal Academy was breaching the 2010 Equality Act because Sandle's art was 'likely to create an intimidating, hostile and offensive environment for Jews and Israelis who visit the gallery'. One Jewish visitor said: 'I just went to the Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition. And there is some disgusting anti-Semitic art hanging there by an artist called Sandle. Unsurprisingly, this isn't the first time.' Last year, the Royal Academy apologised for displaying artwork likening Israel to Nazi Germany in an annual Summer Show competition. One piece by a 16-year-old named as 'Andy', which was later removed, appeared to compare Israel's actions in Gaza to Nazism by featuring Arab women screaming under the shadow of a swastika and the looming figure of Buddha. A note with the piece stated: 'Watching the conflict unravel in Gaza draws many parallels with the Nazis and Chinese oppression, hence the Buddha symbol and the swastika.' A second piece, which was removed, was a photograph of a protester claiming Israel was committing genocide. The photograph, taken by an 18-year-old named 'Kausar', featured a man holding a sign stating: 'Jews say stop genocide on Palestinians: not in our name.' Ms Turner claimed the Royal Academy has 'failed to take the concerns of your Jewish visitors into account'. She added: 'We are of course, in favour of freedom of artistic expression, but not freedom to express hateful anti-Semitic sentiments, which stoke up hatred against Jews and Israelis.' In a statement, the Royal Academy said works in the exhibition 'often reflect current societal and political topics'. It said that artworks in the Summer Exhibition 'should not be read as the Royal Academy supporting any particular artist's point of view'. The Royal Academy added: 'We always take all concerns about artworks on display in the Summer Exhibition seriously; however, our role, as an artist and architect-led organisation, is to allow all artists the ability to express themselves. 'The Royal Academy is an organisation led by artists and architects and is committed to freedom of expression.' In a further letter, Ms Mitchell insisted they were not breaching the Equality Act and added: 'It is simply untrue to state that we are ignoring the matter, or the concerns raised.'
BBC News
7 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Kett's Oak sculpture could be saved despite demolition plans
A sculpture of an oak tree on the side of a 1960s office block could be saved, even if the building is knocked down. Developers said they were "confident" they could save the sculpture on Kett House, on Station Road in Cambridge, if the site was demolished to make way for new a Cambridge City Council meeting on Wednesday, they added that the Kett Oak sculpture could be reused in their proposed sandstone artwork, by Wilhelm Josef Soukop, depicts the oak tree where the famous East Anglian rebel, Robert Kett, would meet his followers. At a previous meeting in May, the developers had no plans for the had been one of the main questions raised by the public about the development, said Peter Fisher, an architect working on the said: "The Kett Oak sculpture was quite a prominent observation during the various bits of consultation, including the public exhibition."Since then, we have had a demolition audit undertaken and we are now confident that it can be removed from the building, stored, and reinstated in some way."Mr Fisher said the architects were working with an art consultant on "how to work with a sculpture of this nature". He explained the primary proposal was to reinstate it in a similar position on the ground floor to the first floor of the new the meeting in May, the proposed height of the building was also reduced by one storey, said the Local Democracy Reporting including Martin Smith and Richard Robertson, said they wanted to see the sculpture reinstated, but raised concerns about the height of the suggested it was in "conflict" with the 2004 framework for the Station Road said it had set out that the heights of buildings leading away from the station should get "gradually lower".Mark Derbyshire, part of the development team, said the 2004 document referred to by Robertson had been "overtaken" by subsequent planning documents, such as the city council's local developers will hold a second public consultation before a formal planning application for the project is submitted to the city council. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
