Art News

7 Things To Know This Week In Art

#1: A Greenhouse Made of Everything Other than Plants

Products, not plants, line the shelves of this Scotland greenhouse [via Design Boom]

A closer look at this greenhouse reveals more than meets the eye. Situated on the grounds of Lust and the Apple, an indoor/outdoor gallery space just outside Edinburgh in Scotland, this greenhouse contains a number of green-colored objects, surreally stylized to mimic the look of potted plants. The installation, entitled “Fruitless,” was created by PUTPUT, a Swiss-Danish artist collective known for their cheeky compositions pairing two unrelated concepts. With “Fruitless,” PUTPUT gathered green household products—hairbrushes, kitchen tools, a neon wig—to simulate a lush greenhouse nursery.

Of the project, PUTPUT explained:

We find it striking how many of those objects bear a resemblance to forms found in nature and that placing them, or, in this instance, planting them changes how they are perceived.

Don’t miss this visual delight until October 18th.

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#2: Case Closed on Caravaggio

“Young Sick Bacchus,” a 16th century self-portrait by Caravaggio [Art Docent Program]

The particulars surrounding the death of Italian Baroque painter Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio have long been a mystery. Whether felled by fever or murder, the cause of his death has been largely left to conjecture—until now. Scientists believe that bones recently excavated in Tuscany may be his. Bearing an 85% match with his DNA, the bones contain “levels of lead high enough to have driven the painter mad,” reports The Guardian.

Based on this new evidence, researchers now discount speculation that Caravaggio’s death was a murder. The effects of lead paint are known to cause depression, nervous system damage, and an array of other fatal maladies, which may explain Caravaggio’s infamous mood swings.

If true, Caravaggio would join other artists suspected of suffering from exposure to lead from painting, among them Francisco de Goya and Vincent Van Gogh.

Read more on The Guardian.

#3: Spotlight on Scandinavia

Clean lines and a minimal aesthetic are hallmarks of Scandinavian design [Freshome]

This week in honor of Copenhagen’s Art Week, our resident design expert Hayley Miner turned her eye to Scandinavia for design inspiration. Paired with a new collection of art curated by Chief Curator Rebecca Wilson, Hayley explains some of the hallmarks of Scandi design and how to incorporate it with art into your own home.

See Hayley’s Scandi design primer

Check out our spotlight on Scandinavian artists

#4: Steven Weinberg’s Must-See Antidote to August for Artists

Steven Weinberg understands artists’ pain [Hyperallergic]

August may be the hardest month for artists. Steven Weinberg understands, and he’s got the perfect solution. Check out his comic post on Hyperallergic for your August-antidote, even if you’re not an artist.

Beat the end-of-summer dread. 

#5: Woojung Son Channels Wonderland

South Korean artist Woojung Son with her painting “M95”

Each week at Saatchi Art, our chief curator Rebecca Wilson shares her pick for an artist to watch. Her latest “One to Watch” is South Korean artist Woojung Son, whose spectacularly surreal paintings draw on the playful world of her imagination: floating polar bears, hot air balloons, and fantastical mountains fill her dreamlike compositions. Of her work, Woojung writes:

‘Imagine. Have a dream. Be free.’ These are the most important elements in my work. As a little girl, I loved spending time daydreaming. My parents and teachers used to say it wasn’t a good habit. But I couldn’t stop. I enjoyed imagining things and the things I imagined often appeared in my dreams. Sometimes I felt my dreams were much more realistic than reality itself, and that notion thrilled me. I’ve always liked to paint, and I’ve made my own imaginary space through my work. In my imaginary place, there was no concept of time or space, and everything was free.

Learn more about Woojung Son and discover her work.

#6: Happy Birthday, Henri Cartier-Bresson!

“Seville, Spain, 1933” by Henri Cartier-Bresson [ASX]

The photograph itself doesn’t interest me. I want only to capture a minute part of reality.–Henri Cartier-Bresson

Henri Cartier-Bresson is widely considered the master of candid photography, and during his lifetime he helped establish street photography as a legitimate form of fine art. Cartier-Bresson began taking pictures in the early 1930s as a sort of diary, documenting France and his travels around the world through his signature Leica camera. Inspired by the Surrealists, he sought to capture the intimate and utterly human in the seemingly mundane.

Check out our collection Inspired by Cartier-Bresson

#7: These Haunting Self-Portraits Approach Abstraction

Self-portraits by Noell Oszvald [We The Urban]

We love the stunning self-portraits of Hungarian artist Noell Oszvald. With starkly simple compositions, she relies on contrast and minimal lines to create evocative scenes. Moody and visually striking, her photographs reveal a ghostly world that feels ominous yet familiar.

What art happenings are you talking about this week?