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    Whimsical Parade of Banksy Animals Sends Fans on a Giddy Hunt

    Each day for nine straight days, a new Banksy artwork appeared somewhere in London. For some, it became a citywide treasure hunt.The first Banksy piece to show up was a mountain goat, spotted by passers-by on a wall near the River Thames. The second work, a pair of elephants, appeared overnight on a house in southwest London. Then came some playful monkeys, a howling wolf, two hungry pelicans and a cat.For nine straight days, Banksy, the famed and elusive street artist, unveiled a menagerie of animal artworks around the city, a prolific outburst that thrilled Londoners.For Banksy fans, finding the works became a daily, citywide scavenger hunt.“It’s like an adventure,” said Daniel Lloyd-Morgan, an artist who sketches live street scenes. “It’s turned into a safari around London.”Every day since the first one appeared, Mr. Lloyd-Morgan checked social media to figure out the location of each new Banksy and pay it a visit. “This is like a happening,” he said. “So basically I put everything else on hold.”It was an unusually whimsical outpouring from Banksy, a British artist known for his socially and politically charged street art, which has appeared in New York City, the West Bank, Ukraine and other areas around the world. More recently, he sent an inflatable boat with dummy passengers to surf across a crowd at the Glastonbury Festival in England, a commentary on the plight of migrants crossing the Mediterranean Sea.But what message was Banksy trying to send with the animals scattered across London? That has spurred speculation, even as the works have delighted the residents of the neighborhoods they popped up in.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Manfred Kirchheimer, ‘Indispensable’ New York Filmmaker, Dies at 93

    For decades, he meticulously crafted short films and documentaries in relative obscurity. Then, in his 80s, he enjoyed a burst of productivity and acclaim.Manfred Kirchheimer, a filmmaker who was drawn to stickball, jazz, subway graffiti, gargoyles on old buildings and the memories of aging immigrants, and who after decades of slowpoke perfectionism earned a reputation as a master of nonfiction cinema, died on July 16 at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. He was 93.The cause was cancer, his son Gabe said.Mr. Kirchheimer often wrote, produced, directed and edited his movies as well as photographed them. He worked hard to get funding from nonprofit sources, and he earned a living as a freelance film editor and a film professor at the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan from the mid-1970s until the mid-2010s.His camera moved at the speed of people-watching: lingering for an extra moment to relish a certain scene, turning to something else in the bounty of street sights, then returning his gaze somewhere it had already been, hungry for a second helping.He found dignity and delight in what other New Yorkers overlooked or even disdained. Mayor Ed Koch, for instance, called subway graffiti blight, but Mr. Kirchheimer exulted in the subway exteriors of the late 1970s as traveling canvases. He made the subway the main character of his 1981 movie, “Stations of the Elevated,” with a soundtrack by Charles Mingus that suggested that graffiti could have the same rough, improvisational genius as his jazz.The subway cars that Mr. Kirchheimer filmed featured a portrait of a hitchhiking snowman; a verdant landscape overseen by a smiling, big-eyed sun; and cryptic messages in bubble letters — “HEAVEN IS LIFE,” “am nor disaster!” He followed the trains from Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, at the city’s northern edge, past South Bronx tenements whose stoops hosted playing children, all the way to the beaches of Coney Island.Mr. Kirchheimer exulted in the subway exteriors of the late 1970s as traveling canvases and made them the focus of his 1981 movie, “Stations of the Elevated.”Manfred Kirchheimer/Cinema ConservancyWe are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    New York’s Secret Signatures

    Across New York City, people have written their names in places that only a select few ever get to see.Good morning. It’s Wednesday. Today we’ll look at hidden signatures in places you might not expect people to scribble their names. We’ll also get details on Senator Robert Menendez’s decision to resign in the wake of his conviction on corruption charges.James Barron/The New York TimesThis is not about the many things in New York that are hidden in plain sight. This is about things that are just plain hidden — little secrets that are understood only by those who know they are there.Specifically, signatures — the unseen John Hancocks of the people who made something or built something.For generations, the workers at the Steinway & Sons factory in Astoria, Queens, signed the pianos in places not even a virtuoso could find — until the managers said, No more.And construction workers have a long history of signing a beam that is put in place forever — a tradition that extends well beyond New York and usually includes people who designed or financed the building, or are the reason it is being built. Former President Barack Obama signed such a beam at the topping-out ceremony for his presidential center in Chicago last month. His signature won’t be visible in the ceiling of the room where the beam is going, which a spokeswoman described as “an intricately designed, angled affair.”We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    “Re-vision of a Granada Landscape” by Alberto Montes in Granada, Spain

    Alberto Montes, a renowned Spanish urban artist, has unveiled his latest creation titled “Re-vision of a Granada Landscape” at Livensa Living Granada Cartuja. This mural, Montes’ first in Granada, is situated on the rooftop of the student residence.The artwork showcases the unique flora of Granada, featuring plants like borage, Clypeola Eriocarpa, and pomegranates.Through a combination of composition and color, with an emphasis on green, orange, and ochre tones, the mural captures the essence of the Granada Mediterranean landscape and fosters a dialogue between the artwork and its surroundings. The fragmented aesthetic employed by Montes seamlessly integrates the mural into the architectural environment. Ultimately,the artist aims to evoke reflection and enjoyment among viewers, while also providing an aesthetically pleasing backdrop for student interaction.Alberto Montes (born 1995 in Los Corrales, Seville) is a prominent figure in the Spanish mural scene. With a Fine Arts degree from the University of Seville and a Master’s in Interdisciplinary Production from the University of Malaga,Montes boasts a career that spans Spain, Portugal, the United States (Miami and New York). The recipient of a scholarship from the Antonio Gala Foundation and the winner of the XXX Madroño Awards (Madrid, 2022), Montes is a celebrated artist with a growing reputation.This mural is a collaborative effort between Livensa Living, a leading owner and operator of student residences, and Rebobinart, a company specializing in urban art production. The artwork marks the fourteenth urban art installation sponsored by Livensa Living, and it adheres to the company’s philosophy of promoting both established and emerging artists across their various residences in Spain and Portugal.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); More

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    “Spaces & Between” by Misterpiro in Malaga, Spain

    Esteemed urban artist Misterpiro has taken center stage at Livensa Living Málaga Feria with his latest creation, “Spaces & Between”. This striking mural isn’t just visually captivating, it embodies the very essence of connection between people and their surroundings.Misterpiro, a recognized name in the international urban art scene, has graced cities like London, Rome, and New York with his artistry. “Spaces & Between” marks his Malaga debut and signifies a significant milestone – the 13th urban art installation commissioned by Livensa Living across Spain and Portugal. Their dedication to enriching the residential experience through art is evident. The two murals themselves are impressive, towering at 3.3 meters high and stretching 23 meters long. To bring his vision to life, Misterpiro utilized a vibrant palette boasting over 40 unique paint shades.The mural isn’t the only transformation happening at Livensa Living Málaga Feria. The complex is undergoing a comprehensive renovation, with a focus on functionality as well. Recognizing the evolving needs of their residents,Livensa Living is converting 120 individual flexible accommodation units into doubles, maximizing their capacity.Beyond functionality, the renovation extends to the common areas. These spaces are being revitalized to reflect Livensa Living’s design philosophy. Expect a refreshing infusion of vibrant colors, youthful prints, and nods to Malaga’s rich culture and traditions. The goal is to foster a sense of community and well-being for residents, visitors, and the neighborhood itself.With Misterpiro’s captivating mural and the thoughtful redesign of the common areas, Livensa Living is creating a dynamic and inspiring environment for students and young professionals. Their commitment to artistic expression and community building shines through in this exciting transformation.(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); More

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    Beyond Outlaw: New Paths for Aging Taggers

    At Lehmann Maupin, exhibitions of new work pushing the form of street art forward, from San Francisco’s Barry McGee and Osgemeos, the Brazilian artists he inspired.Street art is in a funny place. More than 50 years since its invention as the urgent, unruly markings of kids scrawling their names on walls and the flanks of subway cars, it has evolved into a worldwide language and commercial behemoth — from a position outside the mainstream to one in its center. Its progenitors, having reached late middle age, are still searching for ways to push the form forward, even if that way moves beyond its improvisatory and outlaw mode into something tidier and more well mannered.Two exhibitions of new work by the artists Osgemeos and Barry McGee at the Lehmann Maupin gallery in Manhattan illustrate divergent paths for the aging tagger. Neither represents a significant departure for either artist so much as retrenchments of their well-defined practices, honed for gallery consumption over the last 30 years. But familiarity can be instructive, a map for longevity over novelty. Their work suggests the street is more of a mind-set than a medium.Their presentations here are linked, but not by style, which could scarcely be more different. Osgemeos (Portuguese for “the twins”) — the Brazilian identical twin brothers Otávio and Gustavo Pandolfo — are enamored with the nascent hip-hop culture of late 1970s New York City: style writing, break dancing and D.J.-ing, which the ’80s had floated down to South America. The brothers began making work as teenagers, bombing fat letters that chugged along like a rail car around their native São Paulo.Eventually they expanded into baroque murals featuring cartoony humanoid figures rendered in an obnoxiously lurid palette that looked more like a hallucinatory children’s television show than anything happening on the street. (Even now, it’s easy to imagine their characters launching into an extended reverie on words that start with the letter A, say, or listening intently as an adult patiently explains the concept of anxiety.)Osgemeos, “Cultivando os Sonhos (Cultivating Dreams),” 2023, mixed media on MDF Board.via Osgemeos and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and LondonOsgemeos, “A Vênus (The Venus),” 2023, mixed media on MDF board with sequinsvia Osgemeos and Lehmann Maupin, New York, Seoul, and LondonMcGee, about eight years older at 58, is a product of San Francisco’s countercultural tendencies. He came to tagging as a reclamation of public space from the incursion of commercialism, and as an empathetic witness to those whom that commercialism dispossessed; his work is often punctuated by a slumped caricature with sagging eyes and defeated air.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Osgemeos Rocked Brazil. Can the Graffiti Twins Take the U.S., Too?

    Their street murals, monumental sculptures, intricate drawings and vivid paintings pop up at Lehmann Maupin gallery on the eve of their Hirshhorn debut.Just inside the door to the studio of the Brazilian artists Osgemeos is a self-portrait.Spray painted onto the concrete wall of the old metal workshop’s entryway, the image shows the identical twins Otávio and Gustavo Pandolfo, 50, standing next to each other, hands at their sides and looking forward. They’re wearing colorful printed clothing, bags slung over their shoulders and baseball caps propped on their heads.Their skin is the same shade of yellow as the other characters they’re known for throughout their art, a nod to the fact that they, too, might be from Tritrez, the fantastical world they explore in their graffiti-style murals, monumental sculptures, intricate drawings and vivid paintings that have for more than three decades rocked their native Brazil.The self-portrait is just a snippet of what’s to come after passing through a small doorway at the back of the room that leads to a work space that allows the twins to create on an enormous scale. Here, preparations are underway for “Endless Story,” their first museum survey of work in the United States. The full-floor presentation will run at the Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum, in Washington, D.C., from Sept. 29 to Aug. 3, 2025, using the circular museum and its outside gardens to showcase some 1,000 artworks, photographs and archival materials.One of the brothers’ imposing sculptures, wrapped in black plastic so it can be shipped for the exhibition, hangs from chains on the sweeping ceiling and another is tucked away in a corner, a smidgen of what looks like a subway car visible.Under the studio’s mezzanine sits a model of the Hirshhorn, miniature versions of paintings and a photo of the pair as teenage B-boys placed on tiny gallery walls as the brothers decide where they should go. Working with Marina Isgro, the curator, has been a massive undertaking — not only do the artists have to select pieces they’ve done since art became their profession, but they also have to comb through the thousands of drawings their mother saved that they did as boys. Some depict sketches of cars and fire trucks, while others are an attempt to explain to their parents the importance of Tritrez to their journey.That magical world is also the focus of a solo exhibition at Lehmann Maupin gallery in New York. “Cultivating Dreams,” their sixth solo show with the gallery, runs through Aug. 16 and features 13 new paintings and an immersive installation, taking visitors through Tritrez, a dreamworld they first started drawing when they were just five years old.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Review Article: Dubai Fine Arts – Elevating Art Handling in the UAE

    Dubai Fine Arts: Revolutionizing Art Handling and Transportation in the UAEIn the thriving art scene of the UAE, where galleries and collectors demand the highest standards of care and precision, Dubai Fine Arts has emerged as a game-changer in the realm of art handling and transportation. Despite being relatively new to the UAE, this company has quickly established itself as a trusted partner for many prestigious galleries and collectors.Expertise Rooted in Global ExperienceDubai Fine Arts may be a fresh face in the UAE, but it brings with it a wealth of experience from operating in the UK and USA. The company has seamlessly transitioned its high standards and meticulous practices to cater to the needs of the Middle Eastern art market. With a robust track record of handling everything from delicate paintings to massive sculptures, Dubai Fine Arts ensures that every piece of art is treated with the utmost respect and care.Custom Solutions for Unique ChallengesOne of the standout features of Dubai Fine Arts is their ability to provide custom packaging solutions. Recognizing that not all artworks can fit into standard boxes, they employ cardboard sheets to build tailor-made packages, ensuring that even the most uniquely shaped or oversized pieces are securely packed. This attention to detail is particularly crucial for artworks that are 2 meters or taller, which would be impractical to transport in ready-made boxes.Handling Large-Scale Art with PrecisionDubai Fine Arts has proven its capability to manage and transport large-scale art pieces, an essential skill in a market that values monumental works. A testament to their proficiency is their recent handling of a 2-ton bronze sculpture. Such projects highlight their technical expertise and their ability to coordinate complex logistics to ensure safe and efficient transport.Continuous Production and Reliable ServiceThe company’s operations are marked by continuous production and reliable service. Dubai Fine Arts produces tens of crates and packages weekly, a volume that speaks to their efficiency and trustworthiness. Their clients can rest assured that whether it’s a single painting or an entire gallery’s collection, every piece will be packed and transported with the same level of dedication and expertise.Serving Prestigious Galleries and FairsDubai Fine Arts collaborates with several high-profile galleries and art fairs across the UAE. Their client list includes some of the most respected names in the art world, a testament to the trust they have earned in a short period. These partnerships underscore their ability to meet the exacting standards of the art community, providing tailored solutions for each unique requirement.A Vision for GrowthWith roots firmly planted in the UK and USA, Dubai Fine Arts is poised for significant growth in the UAE. Their commitment to excellence, combined with their innovative approach to art handling, positions them as a leader in the industry. As they continue to expand their footprint, they remain dedicated to bringing the highest level of service to every client, ensuring that each piece of art is handled with the care it deserves.Dubai Fine Arts is not just a service provider; they are a vital partner in the art ecosystem of the UAE. Their expertise, innovative solutions, and unwavering commitment to quality make them an invaluable asset to galleries, collectors, and artists alike. For anyone seeking a reliable and experienced art handling company in the UAE, Dubai Fine Arts stands out as a premier choice, ready to meet and exceed expectations.For more information, visit their website at www.dubaifinearts.com(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); More