The Latest Art World News from Park West

Attention Park West Gallery Newsletter fans,
ISSUE 16: DECEMBER 2009 is here!

Issue 16 features include:

• 2009 Holiday Sale Event



• Romero Britto Creates 44th Montreux Jazz Festival Poster



• Park West Gallery Launches Tim Yanke Microsite



• Park West Gallery Artist Interviews: Leslie Lew



• Art On the Berlin Wall – 20 Years Later



• Linda Le Kinff Named Official Artist of 2010 Kentucky Derby

READ ISSUE 16: DECEMBER 2009 >>
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• I want a FREE Subscription to the Park West Gallery Newsletter!



• Park West Gallery Newsletter: Previous Issues Catalog

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Attention Park West Gallery Newsletter fans,

ISSUE 13: SEPTEMBER 2009 is here!

Issue 13 features include:

• Park West Launches Marcus Glenn Website



• Britto Pop Art Will Adorn Miami Dolphins’ Stadium



• An Interview with Legendary Artist Peter Max



• Salvador Dalí Sculpture Workshop Opens to the Public



• Authentic Rembrandt Painting Emerges From Hiding

READ ISSUE 13: SEPTEMBER 2009 >>

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Related Links:

• To receive your FREE subscription to the Park West Gallery newsletter, email pwgnews@parkwestgallery.com



• Have you missed past issues of the Park West Gallery newsletter? Visit our online catalog at parkwestnews.com

Get the Latest Art News from Park West Gallery

Attention Park West Gallery Newsletter fans,
ISSUE 12: AUGUST 2009 is here!


Issue 12 features include:

• Park West Gallery Receives Best of Southfield Award


• Park West Gallery Judges 2009 American Art Awards


• Peter Nixon’s Goddesses of the Moon


• Simon Bull Unveils Tribute to Michael Jackson


• Dali and Disney: The Art and Animation of Destino

READ ISSUE 12: AUGUST 2009 >>

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Related Links:

• To receive your FREE subscription to the Park West Gallery newsletter, email pwgnews@parkwestgallery.com


• Have you missed past issues of the Park West Gallery newsletter? Visit our online catalog at parkwestnews.com

Share your feedback or ideas for upcoming newsletter issues by leaving a comment below!

Park West Gallery July Art News!

Attention Park West Gallery Newsletter fans,
Issue 11: July 2009 is here!

• Join the Park West Art Forum,
• Ann Arbor Art Fair Turns 50,
• Britto Turns Bentley Into Pop Art,
• Ace for Life Golf Outing,
• Vote "4 the Best",
• Andrew Bone's African Safari,
• Artists as Reality TV Stars?,
  …And More!

READ ISSUE 11: JULY 2009 >>

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Making Sense of Thomas Kinkade

MIDDLEBURY, VERMONT - The Middlebury College Museum of Art presents Making Sense of Thomas Kinkade, an exhibition about the enormously successful but controversial contemporary landscape painter. The exhibit is currently on view through August 9, 2009.


It is easy to dismiss the work of Thomas Kinkade as kitsch and brush aside his popular success as only a marketing phenomenon, but to do so ignores his sincere zeal and the deep resonance his pictures have with huge numbers of people. While an appreciative audience of millions is not a sure sign of aesthetic quality or profundity, the wide appeal of Kinkade's art indicates that he has tapped into powerful personal and cultural longings. In other words, whether his work is good or not, it is telling.

The exhibit considers works by Kinkade along side paintings by Thomas Hill (1829-1908) and Norman Rockwell (1894-1978), two artists he greatly admires, as well as America's Most Wanted, a 1993 landscape print by Vitaly Komar (born 1934) and Alex Melamid (born 1945), that aims to distill into a single work the artistic preferences of a random sample of American adults.

Kinkade's images are consistent with popular preferences in art, but what's more his work is deliberately based on a relevant, respectable artistic heritage. He has reshaped and updated the tradition of Romantic landscape painting in particular and consistent ways to create his nostalgic, sentimental confections. Consistently running through the art that has most influenced Kinkade is a search for relief from the pressures and shortcomings of modern life.

Kinkade's own work may be popular because it is uplifting and painless, but it is not without content. His fantasy alternative existence consists of a tranquil domestic setting in a timeless but nonindustrial world free of social and psychological tensions. His images offer daydream relief from real, serious social and cultural stresses. This redress, however, occurs mostly in wistful imagination rather than in action, and thus Kinkade's pictures help viewers to adapt to a life out of balance with their ideals instead of working toward reconciling conflicting desires in practice.

Kinkade's trademarked tagline is "The Painter of Light" and indeed light is a crucial element of his images. His luminous skies are a standard Romantic convention for suggesting a divine presence permeating nature. Unique to Kinkade's work, as in his painting Hometown Morning, is a bright warm golden light blazing out improbably from every single window of his cozy dwellings.

"I paint glowing windows," notes Kinkade, "because glowing windows say home to me. Glowing windows say welcome. They say all is well. They say that someone's waiting, someone cares enough to turn a light on."

Some pictures show paradise already obtained, or nearly so, which encourages viewers to use them as sedatives, not spurs to soul searching. Kinkade, however, hopes for more. He consciously offers his works as a remedy for psychological and more broadly cultural malaise. Other pictures are invitations to wander, but in their picturesque sweetness and lack of incident and turmoil they assure a safe and happy trip. In this way, Kinkade pictures are like bourgeois vacations: an adventure of sorts, but not dangerous, complete with comforts, replicating one's daily existence at home without its cares and shortcomings but with more novelty and whimsy. [Source: http://www.tfaoi.com/aa/9aa/9aa67.htm]

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Related Links:

• For more information on Making Sense of Thomas Kinkade, visit museum.middlebury.edu



• Visit Park West Gallery's website dedicated to artist Thomas Kinkade and his artwork http://www.parkwest-kinkade.com/default.asp



• Recent news about "The Painter of Light" parkwestgallery.wordpress.com/category/artists-special-collections/thomas-kinkade/

What are your thoughts about the artwork of "The Painter of Light," Thomas Kinkade? Share your comments here!

Park West Gallery - May '09: Breaking ART NEWS!

Attention Park West Gallery Newsletter fans:
Issue 9, May '09 is here!



This month's featured newsletter articles include:

• New Old Masters Websites,


• Experiencing Rockwell,


• CNN Interviews Peter Max,


• Latin Art Show Features Britto,


• Park West Launches Fanch Website,


• Park West Artists at Sea,


• ...And More!

READ ISSUE 9, MAY '09

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE!

Park West Artist Yaacov Agam Builds Sculpture at Entrance to World Games Stadium

Photo courtesy of Ron Schimon

Innovative Kinetic Artist Honored by International World Games Association

United States of America (Press Release) March 25, 2009 -- Yaacov Agam has recently completed work on a sculpture gracing the entrance to a new stadium built in Kaohsiung, Taiwan for The World Games 2009, which will take place in July.

The sculpture entitled “Peaceful Communication with the World” is, as with much of Agam’s work, an exploration of how art exists and can interact with time.

By walking through the sculpture on their way into the stadium, visitors are invited to experience, rather than merely “view,” the work. The piece consists of nine 10m high hexagon pillars positioned in diamond formation — or square, depending on where you are standing.

All 54 sides of the nine pillars are painted in different patterns and hues, totaling more than 180 shades. A closer look reveals that the one side of each pillar is also lined to segment the structure into sections.

The purpose of the segment, Agam said, is that as children grow, their perception of a pillar will change because they will see whole different pillars as their eyes hit at a different height.

“Yaacov has been a member of our Park West family of artists for 30 years, and we are constantly impressed but never surprised by his achievements,” said Gallery Director Morris Shapiro. “He is firmly established in the history of art. We’re thrilled that the world will be able to experience Agam’s work up close at the World Games.”

About Yaacov Agam
Apart from his influence on the evolution of the visual expressions of the period, Agam extended the fourth dimension (time) into his large scale sculptures. Examples include the monumental fountain at La Defense district in Paris, the Fire and Water Fountain in Tel-Aviv. The unity through the diversity of his creations emphasizes the scope of his prophetic artistic intuition. Agam’s art explores not only new dimensions, but also experiments with new technologies and unique materials. Additionally, Agam never fails to take part in the historical events of his time. From creating a revolutionary environment for the Elysee Palace in Paris to producing a multidimensional art work for President Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Begin of Israel in order to promote peace in the Middle East, Agam strives to make his work not only exist in time, but relevant to the time from which it comes.

Park West Gallery Spring Sale: Ideal for All Your Spring Gift-Giving Needs

Fine art and jewelry treasures make perfect
birthday, Mother's Day and graduation gifts

SOUTHFIELD, MI, March 19, 2009 -- Plan a spring outing to the elegant Park West Gallery. Tour 3-1/2 acres of beautiful galleries and gardens while shopping for unique birthday, Mother's Day and graduation gifts.

From now through May 15th, more than 250 works will be on display from some of the world's greatest artists including Rembrandt, Picasso, Linda Le Kinff, Marcel Mouly, Goya, Simon Bull, Dali, Marcus Glenn, and Itzchak Tarkay. Customers can find the perfect gift in Park West's outstanding collection, which features paintings, jewelry and even autographed sports memorabilia. In honor of Park West's 40th anniversary, some prices will be reduced by as much as 40 percent.

Sale hours: Monday-Wednesday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. / Thursday, Friday 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. / Saturday 11 a.m. - 6 p.m. Sale items are also featured on the web at the Park West Seasonal Sale.

Park West Gallery is located at 29469 Northwestern Highway, Southfield.

Park West Gallery Blog Poll #4: The Results

Thank you to all who participated in Park West Gallery's Blog Poll #4!

Question: I typically collect artwork from...?

Here are the results:

Art Galleries = 41%

Art Fairs = 38%

Art Auctions = 17%

Internet Websites = 4%

Flea Markets/Garage Sales = 0%

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Be sure to vote in this week's poll:

Question: If you could dine with any of the following masters, who would you choose?

• Salvador Dali
• Pablo Picasso
• Joan Miro
• Marc Chagall
• Rembrandt van Rijn

Voting ends Tuesday, March 24 at 9am EST

Park West Gallery Artist Speaks to Fine Art Magazine

"THE LUCKIEST DAY OF MY LIFE was the day I met Mr. Albert Scaglione. You don't need many art dealers. You need the best. The trick is to find him amongst the others. There are not great artists without great dealers, because, while one is creativity, the other is its revelation;...they can only exist in recognizing each other and working with each other. The triumph of the artist will be that of the dealer, but the artist will never have any limelight or recognition if his dealer doesn't bring it about. The only way for an artist to exist is to be seen by others. The art dealer offers this to him." - LINDA LE KINFF Published in Fine Art Magazine, Spring 2009

Park West Gallery Blog Poll #3: The Results

Thank you to all who participated in Park West Gallery's Blog Poll #3!

Question: If you were renowned as a “master artist”, in which medium would your skills be recognized?

Here are the results:

Oil Painting = 37%

Drawing/Sketching = 20%

Acrylic Painting = 19%

Watercolor Painting = 12%

Sculpture = 12%

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Be sure to vote in this week's poll:

Question: I typically collect artwork from...?

• Art Galleries
• Art Auctions
• Internet Websites
• Flea Markets/Garage Sales
• Art Fairs

Voting ends Tuesday, March 17 at 9am EST

Park West Gallery Director Morris Shapiro Featured in Detroit Jewish News

Article & Images courtesy of The Detroit Jewish News Online

PLATINUM: Decor - Art & Soul
Peek inside the personal collection of Park West Gallery’s director.

WRITTEN BY KHRISTI ZIMMETH
PHOTOGRAPHS BY GENE MEADOWS

A large work by Marc Chagall hangs in the front hall of Morris and MaryAnn Shapiro's Novi home.

"It's definitely one of my favorites," the 56-year-old Park West Gallery director says of Le Mariage, a 1976 aquatint framed in black that depicts a traditional Jewish wedding. "We bought it for each other as a wedding gift."

A tour of the Shapiros' contemporary home reveals more than 100 other works, all with personal meaning. Hanging over the living-room sofa is a large contemporary piece by Miro; and nearby, the small gold-framed Portrait of Jan Lutman the Goldsmith is by Rembrandt. In the family room, a large piece by Detroit artist Marcus Glenn hangs over the fireplace. Other walls hold a Matisse-like drawing, works by 1998 World Cup artist Linda LeKinff and mysterious and otherworldly images by New York artist Robert Kipniss. Many share Shapiro's Jewish heritage.

"I don't have a traditional art collection, per se," he explains. "I'm immersed in art. My collection is eclectic and based on personal experiences and relationships with artists. Each means something special to me."

Working with Southfield's 63,000-square-foot Park West Gallery has enabled Shapiro to meet many of the artists whose work now hangs in the home he shares with MaryAnn and 14-year-old daughter Amanda. Three other children - Mia, Myles and Mason - are grown. A family portrait by artist Peter Max hangs over the living room's grand piano, and a tour of his collection is sprinkled with stories and reminiscences of artists he has been fortunate enough to meet and work with.

Working directly with artists is one of the best parts of the job, he says, and a dream since he was a child. Shapiro grew up in Chicago in the 1950s and '60s. His mother, he says, decorated the house with gaudy French Provincial furniture and accessories. "It was really hideous," he remembers. "There was no art on the walls, so I made my own. I drew and painted in part to rebel against my parents."

Thumbing through a book on the Holy Land one day in his parents' library, he came across a woodcut of Adam and Eve by Albrecht Durer. "I was mesmerized by the contours and lines and Durer's use of space," he says. "From that moment on, I was smitten.

"He eventually followed Durer into drawing, going on to study at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. While there, he shifted his emphasis from studio art to art history and art criticism, later working at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts before returning to the Windy City to pursue another passion - music.

After playing the drums professionally for a time, Shapiro took a position as gallery director for Chicago's Merrill Chase Galleries, where he worked from 1977-1983. In 1983, he came to Detroit to head Park West's retail gallery, where he's been ever since.

After 25 years, he's still passionate about the company's philosophy of bringing art to the public.

"In many ways, art has been taken away from the people and made less accessible," he says. "It's gratifying to be able to swing the pendulum back and to allow people to experience art firsthand."

While Shapiro is serious about his art, not all of his art is serious. Another favorite piece in his collection is a drawing by animator Chuck Jones, dedicated to daughter Amanda. "It was really neat to meet him," Shapiro says.

While eclectic, Shapiro says his collection reflects his interests and his life. He's passionate about reading, writing and music and loves to travel. He participates in jazz jam sessions whenever possible and is currently collaborating with Amanda, a burgeoning singer-songwriter, on her first demo recording. He enjoys spending time with his first grandchild, Matthew.

A member of Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield, Shapiro also is passionate about his family and his faith. He believes it "is about being appreciative of the blessings I have in life, the sanctity of family, the observance of and passing on of tradition," he says. "My religion also provides for me a perspective of how short life is, how miniscule and insignificant we are, how God's creations are miraculous and infinite and how fortunate [we are] for every day we are given. Each day is a gift of inestimable value."

He believes others interested in collecting art should follow the same philosophy, allowing art to enhance their life, not just their wallets.

"Knowing what you like is the entrance into the art world," he says. "People should buy art because they love it. It should be collected for its emotional and spiritual benefits, not its financial benefits. It's really the only way to go." Read More

Park West Gallery FREE Giveaway: Twitter Contest #1

Park West Gallery is giving away a FREE PRIZE to one of our Twitter followers!!

Prize Details and Contest Rules are as follows:

THE PRIZE

The winner will receive Linda Le Kinff: The Graphic Work, a 278-page hard cover book featuring a chronology and a beautiful, full-color retrospective of the artist's work. The book also contains a foreword written by Anthony F. Janson, co-author of History of Art - the most widely used textbook on fine art ever written; and a biographical essay contributed by Joseph Jacobs - art historian, author, critic, and former Curator at the Newark Museum.

Visit Linda Le Kinff's website

CONTEST RULES

1. The winner must be following Park West Gallery (@ParkWestGal) on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ParkWestGal
2. The winner must Tweet the following message on their Twitter feed:
   
   Follow Park West Gallery ( @ParkWestGal ) for a chance to win a FREE artist coffee table book! Details --> http://twurl.nl/oqm72z
3. One winner will be randomly selected when @ParkWestGal reaches 500 followers (hopefully this will be sooner than later)!
4. The winner will be announced in an upcoming Blog Post and on Twitter.
5. The winner will be asked to Direct Message @ParkWestGal with their shipping address.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!

Park West Gallery Blog Poll #1: The Results

Thank you to all who participated in the first Park West Gallery unofficial blog poll!

Question: Which artist would you like to learn more about?

Here are the results:

Peter Max = 44%

Itzchak Tarkay = 19%

Thomas Kinkade = 0%

Alex Gockel = 25%

Salvador Dali = 12%

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Be sure to vote in this week's poll:

Question: If you could collect any famous painting which would you choose?

• Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa"
• Monet's "Water Lilies"
• Van Gogh's "Starry Night"
• Dali's "Persistance of Memory"
• Picasso's "Guernica"

Voting ends Friday, February 27 at 12pm EST