Smithsonian board seeks changes after video flap

Last Updated: Tuesday, February 1, 2011 | 9:04 AM ETThe Associated Press A man watches David Wojnarowicz’s A Fire in My Belly outside the Transformer Gallery in Washington in December, after the art video was removed from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery due to complaints.

Submited at Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011 at 2:00 am by samantha

Paintings damaged in Montreal fire

Dozens of pieces of art were saved from destruction during Sunday’s fire. (CBC)Montreal fire fighters rescued several valuable works of art Sunday night after an accidental fire started in a downtown building housing a gallery. The blaze broke out at about 5 p.m. Sunday on a floor above the Jean-Pierre Valentin gallery, which houses hundreds of works by artists such as Jean-Paul Riopelle, Marc-Aurèle Fortin, and Jean-Paul Lemieux.

Submited at Tuesday, February 1st, 2011 at 2:00 am by hilman

Egyptian artifacts in danger: antiquities chief

Protesters march in front of an army tank, past the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo on Saturday, as the ruling National Democratic Party headquarters burns in the background. (Amr Nabil/Associated Press) Egypt’s antiquities chief has expressed concern the country’s valuable treasures are at risk because of the continuing chaos in the country.

Submited at Monday, January 31st, 2011 at 2:00 am by Alina

National Gallery acquires rare vase for $660K

The National Gallery has acquired George Paulding Farnham’s Ptarmigan Vase, with the Ottawa gallery and the Canadian government teaming up to buy the luxe artifact for $662,500 US. (Sotheby’s) The Ptarmigan Vase, a rare artifact inspired by First Nations and British Columbian imagery, has been acquired by the National Gallery of Canada.

Submited at Saturday, January 29th, 2011 at 1:01 am by Gillan

MoMA acquires controversial Fire in My Belly video

An excerpt from David Wojnarowicz’s video artwork A Fire In My Belly. (The Museum of Modern Art) A controversial video artwork that was removed from a Smithsonian exhibit last year is now on display at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. MoMA director Glenn D. Lowry announced on Thursday that a complete version of David Wojnarowicz’s A Fire in My Belly was among the museum’s latest acquisitions.

Submited at Saturday, January 15th, 2011 at 7:00 am by hilman

Vancouver mulls downtown ‘cultural hub’

The present Vancouver Art Gallery building is too small to exhibit its growing collection, VAG officials say. (Tomas Svab/Canadian Press) Vancouver city council is considering creating a “cultural hub” in the downtown core. At a meeting scheduled for Jan. 20, councillors will debate a staff proposal to create a new public plaza at the corner of Cambie and West Georgia streets — the same location used as a live concert site during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games.

Submited at Friday, January 14th, 2011 at 7:00 am by sofia

Obama ‘Hope’ artist settles copyright claim with AP

Last Updated: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 | 1:25 PM ETThe Associated Press The Associated Press and the artist who created the Barack Obama “Hope” image have concurred to settle their copyright infringement claims against each other in a deal that calls for them to work together on future projects involving the news agency’s pictures.

Submited at Thursday, January 13th, 2011 at 7:00 am by chuck

AUDIO: Brian Eno on his multimedia artwork

Last Updated: Tuesday, January 11, 2011 | 3:33 PM ETCBC NewsAUDIO: Brian Eno poses in front of his installation 77 Million Paintings in Sydney, Australia, in 2009. In an interview with Jian Ghomeshi, host of CBC’s Q cultural affairs show, he describes how he wanted to make “paintings that behave the way music does.” The artist and former member of Roxy Music brought his multimedia work to Calgary as part of its High Performance Rodeo arts festival. (Sergio Dionisio/Getty Images) ...

Submited at Wednesday, January 12th, 2011 at 7:00 am by sofia

Eli Broad unveils new L.A. museum design

Last Updated: Friday, January 7, 2011 | 1:21 PM ETThe Associated Press Billionaire Eli Broad at the unveiling of the Broad Art Foundation contemporary art museum designs in Los Angeles on Thursday. (Jae C. Hong/Associated Press) Billionaire Eli Broad unveiled plans Thursday for the future home of his 2,000-piece art collection and a hoped-for catalyst for the continuation of downtown Los Angeles’s halting renaissance.

Submited at Saturday, January 8th, 2011 at 7:00 am by hilman

ROM’s terracotta warriors show a blockbuster

The ROM’s exhibit included several life-sized terracotta figures, like this armoured general, that were meant to guard the First Emperor in the afterlife. (Shaanxi Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau/Shaanxi Cultural Heritage Promotion Centre)Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum says the recently finished display of China’s terracotta warriors was its biggest success in years.

Submited at Friday, January 7th, 2011 at 7:00 am by sofia