Lyn Bishop : Sharing Secrets

The Los Angeles Times reports a lawsuit filed against the temporary Louis Vuitton boutique created to sell Takashi Murakami products in the Geffen Contemporary at the Museum of Contemporary Art. According to the Times, the Vuitton luxury shop failed to provide the collector with the proper documentation in the form of a Certificate of Authenticity for the the Murakami prints he purchased there.

Do you know what a Certificate of Authenticity is? Did you know that it is required by law to be provided upon collector request when purchasing a multiple in the State of California? Why should you care?

A Certificate of Authenticity, as defined by California Civil Code Section 1740-1745 is a written or printed description of the multiple sold, exchanged, or consigned by an art dealer.

A Multiple, as defined by this same California Civil Code is any fine print, photograph (positive or negative), sculpture cast, collage, or similar art object produced in more than one copy.

(more…)

Here are my del.icio.us links for the past week in no particular order - Enjoy:

ArtReview.com: A social network of artists. The UI feels little unorganized, but the community of artist is pretty strong. It’s a good place to see and discuss art.

Mike’s Amazing Cakes: Okay, I want to order one of these cakes for a special occasion. They are amazing, don’t you think?

Six Revisions: 16 sites for web design inspiration. I’m redesigning my Mom’s website and need some ideas. These sites were loaded with readers favorites.

Southeast Asia Photography by Scott Stulberg: OMG! This site gave me a huge hit of wanderlust. The faces and places are so familiar, and the photography is ever-fine! I’m ready for another journey! (more…)

This is the question I find myself asking recently as more and more curators and gallery directors are choosing to exhibit controversial and shocking art that involves the death of living beings at the hands of the artists they represent.

Let me be clear, I do believe that the artist has a role to play in holding up a mirror for society to study their own, often hypocritical and cynical, behavior in relationship to the darker sides of humanity. I also acknowledge that artists have a long history of using dead animals in their work. However, I draw the line when artists and curators exploit the killing and torture of animals for the publics’ entertainment and for their own profit and fame. (more…)

Today’s New York Times reports that Robert Rauschenberg has passed away at age 82.Rauschenberg is my favorite American artist. An innovative painter, photographer and printmaker, he has always been able to find beauty and meaning in the seemingly “mundane” and “everyday” objects around him. He is a master at layering disassociated objects, texture, and color into his work.He is also fearless when it comes to appropriating images, such as John F. Kennedy, or NASA photographs, and as a result his artwork helped to define a generation. Most of all, Rauschenberg is a tireless creator, always willing to try new techniques and technologies.It’s his printmaking that I enjoy most. Having been inspired by an exhibit of his large screenprints at Gemini G.E.L. at Joni Moisant Weyl gallery in NYC, I returned home, confident to pursue my interest in culture and to continue my own experiments with transfer printing. Perhaps Appointment is my favorite of this series. (more…)

The arts in San Jose are gearing up for the summer months, and last night art lovers were shaking off the winter chill down at Anno Domini with outside live music, an urban street market and the opening of Stephan Doitschinoff’s solo show in the gallery there.

Doitschinoff is a self-taught Brazilian street artist a.k.a. †CALMA†, who is now hitting it big with shows in London, Germany and the US.

His work is highly symbolic, including religious and Alchemical forms that he has modified and repurposed into his own personal symbolism. His use of intertwining body parts and latin folk imagery hint at a Frieda Kahlo like personal suffering, while Asian elements like wave forms and lotus flowers reflect the artists own distant Chinese ancestry.

His solo show includes both small detailed pencil drawings and large elaborate paintings. In addition, he’s extended his symbolism beyond the canvas onto the walls and floor of AD, keeping him true to his street painter roots.

On Exhibit thru June 21 at Anno Domini, 366 South First Street, San Jose.