SCULPTURE BENEFIT
If you're fond of sculpture and have a lot of space to fill, put in a bid on the ISC Collection IV on view at the Wood Street Gallery in Chicago through July 15. The collection, which features works by 32 sculptors, is being sold as a whole in a silent auction to benefit the International Sculpture Center, a sculpture advocacy group headquartered in Hamilton, N.J., that publishes Sculpture Magazine.
The collection includes works by Magdalena Abakanowicz, John Adduci, Bill Barrett, William Carlson, Anthony Caro, Dale Chihuly, Eduardo Chillida, Woods Davy, Mark di Suvero, Guy Dill, Lin Emery, Virginio Ferrari, Rob Fisher, Linda Fleming, Gene Montez Flores, Neil Goodman, Michael Gutzwiller, John Henry, John Hock, Stephen Hokanson, Jon Isherwood, Randy Jewart, Dan Kainz, Bob Mangold, David Nash, Alissa Neglia, Denise Milan/Ary Perez, Joel Perlman, Lincoln Schatz, Steve Urry, Mark Warwick, and Isaac Witkin.
The theme of ISC Collection IV is "Sculpture at the End of the 20th Century," says Terry Karpowicz, the Chicago sculptor who organized it. Karpowicz, who staged sculpture exhibitions at Navy Pier for five years during Art Chicago, said that the artists all agreed to donate work.
"The collection is for sale as a unit with bids starting at $250,000," says Wood Street Gallery director Mary K. O'Shaughnessy. "Interested parties can see images of the work on www.sculpture.org. We have four bids so far, two from collectors and two from museums," she adds. O'Shaughnessy thinks the collection is worth "at least" $500,000.
One notable work in the collection, currently installed in the back room of Wood Street Gallery and its beautiful sculpture garden, is Abakanowicz's Steel Hand. Guy Dill's Wolf Angel is a six-foot-high stainless steel sculpture, all curves and ovals, painted matte black. Virginio Ferrari's Via Veneto, made from square steel tube, could hardly be more elegant and effective. Another graceful, economical piece is Neil Goodman's Variable Composition II.
The blue-ribbon sculpture in the group is Gene Montez Flores' Upper Falls at Red Rock Canyon, a wall-hung work in steel that opens and closes like a book. Upper Falls recalls the eroded landscape of the American West. Another prizewinner is Portable Sculpture by Denise Milan and Ary Perez, a valise that opens to reveal tiny blocks of marble cut and arranged as maquettes for semicircular outdoor sculptures.
For more information, call Mary O'Shaughnessy at (773) 227-3306.
-- Victor M. Cassidy
HOME AWAY FROM HOME FOR ELGIN MARBLES
The Greek government is leaving a space for the Elgin Marbles in the design for a £40-million Parthenon museum to be built at the foot of the Acropolis in Athens, in what is seen as the latest move in the diplomatic tug-of-war is far from over for the historic frieze, currently in the British Museum in London. Greek archaeologist Demetrios Pandermolis hopes to get the sculptures back in time for the 2004 Olympic games in Athens. As he says, "Never is no a no and never is yes a yes."
NAME CHANGE FOR FOLK ART MUSEUM
The Museum of American Folk Art in Manhattan, which is building a new $22-million headquarters on West 53rd Street down the block from the Museum of Modern Art, has changed its name to the American Folk Art Museum. The new moniker is designed to reflect the international scope of the institution, and takes effect when the new facility is unveiled on Dec. 11, 2001. The folk art museum began life in 1961 as the Museum of Early American Folk Arts.
GORMLEY LINGAMS RILE BRIT COUNCIL
London's Southwark Council is underwriting an art-starred makeover of the run-down district of Peckham in southeast London, enlisting over 40 artists to design new lampposts, brick treatments, topiary, murals and other public-art enhancements. But the bureaucrats blanched at the penis-shaped bollards -- metal or stone posts along the edge of sidewalks -- crafted by former Turner Prize-winner Antony Gormley, and these phallic forms are being funded privately. Other contributions, according to a report in the London Independent, include heart-shaped lampposts by portrait-painter Tom Phillips, a pink bus stop by designer Zandra Rhodes, African mask bollards and palm tree sculptures by Sokari Douglas Camp, a sculptural tribute to Peckham native son William Blake by Andrew Logan and a bridge by Bill Woodrow.
HERB ALPERT RETROSPECTIVE
Renaissance man Herb Alpert gets his first retrospective exhibition in "Herb Alpert: Music for Your Eyes" at the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville, Aug. 3-Sept. 30, 2001. The show features 75 paintings and 40 bronze sculptures dating from 1978-2001, and will be accompanied by a 150-page catalogue containing an essay by L.A. Weekly art critic Peter Frank. The multi-talented Alpert, best known for his Grammy-winning trumpeting on 34 Latino-pop albums, co-founded A&M records, has produced Jelly's Last Jam and other musicals, and established the Herb Alpert Foundation to support young artists and arts education.
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