Banksy in Mali

Banksy certainly likes taking busman's holidays. A visit to the West African country of Mali a few months ago produced a sprinkling of graffiti between Bamako and Timbuktu. Photos of these works turned up in the Banksy v Bristol Museum exhibition (CLICK). The title link takes you to a collection of Banksy's African graffiti posted by a Flickr® group.

Ship In A Bottle

I happened to be in Trafalgar Square last Tuesday, en route to the Mall Galleries, and I failed to notice whether some twit was standing on the Fourth Plinth or not. When Gormley's gormless nonsense runs out in October, a statue of the Battle of Britain hero Sir Keith Park will occupy the plinth for the following six months (CLICK). Next in line for the plinth is ... er ... a ship in a bottle. Contemporary art? I thought ships in bottles went out of fashion at least a century ago. Still, Yinka Shonibare's bottle will be made of acrylic, rather than glass, and the ship is a model of Admiral Nelson's flagship HMS Victory, a fitting reminder of the Battle of Trafalgar and of Nelson's death (title link).

Artists In Trouble

Don't laugh! This garden gnome by German artist Ottmar Hoerl is being investigated by Nuremberg prosecutors to ascertain whether it breaks a strict law banning Nazi symbols and gestures. The gnome - Heil ... er ... whoops! - was displayed in the window of a Nuremberg art gallery (title link). It looks like an ayatollah to me. Meanwhile, back in the UK, artist Maurice Agis of Dreamspace infamy has been granted leave to appeal against his £10,000 fine on the grounds he can't afford to pay it (CLICK).

Scottish Hippos

Why am I posting a photo of hippos on my art blog? Because they're sculptures! Three hippo sculptures by Scottish artist Tessa Campbell Fraser have been installed in the curling pond at Myres Castle, Auchtermuchty. The owners of the castle, Jonathan and Jenny White, are so proud of their new hippos that they've decided to open their grounds to the public on Monday 31 August, so that folks can ogle them. Click the title link to read about impersonator Rory Bremner imitating hippos for the artist, his wife.

William Dyce Found

This superb painting by Scottish artist William Dyce - The Meeting of Jacob and Rachel - was lost for more than a century. After its initial showing at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1850, it appeared at the Manchester Art Treasures exhibition in 1857 and then vanished without trace! Out of the blue, Sotheby's received an image of the painting and identified it as the missing Dyce, estimated value £100,000 to £150,000. It would be a bargain at twice the top estimate. It goes under the hammer tomorrow, 15 July, at Sotheby’s Victorian and Edwardian Art sale in London. Click the title link to read the poignant biblical tale which inspired the painting.

The Jameel Prize

Believe it or not, these intricately carved plastic sheets are worth £25,000. That's the value of the Jameel Prize. Afruz Amighi won it with her 1001 Pages (2008), the first winner of this new international award. The object of the Jameel Prize is to promote Islamic traditions of craft and design in contemporary art. What a waste of £25,000! All this work shows is the poverty of Islamic art, which takes refuge in patterns to avoid offending the imams. This neurotic necessity for repetition is akin to the fixed action patterns of animals caged in a zoo, that mindless padding back and forth which indicates a trapped and mentally disturbed beast. The exhibition continues at the V&A in London until 13 September, admission free. If you like lace curtains....

Foster in Phoenix

This delicate and subtle watercolour of the Grand Canyon - From Point Sublime Looking E.S.E. (2004) - is by English artist Tony Foster, who is big in the USA. So is the paper he works on: up to 6 feet wide! His latest exhibition opened this weekend at the Phoenix Art Museum in Arizona, Tony Foster: Searching for a Bigger Subject, and continues until 18 October (title link). The show features his paintings of the Grand Canyon and Mount Everest. His art is the subject of a new book: Painting at the Edge of The World: The Watercolours of Tony Foster (University of Washington Press, 2008).

Gundam over Tokyo

This illuminated Gundam robot newly dominating the Tokyo skyline above Odaiba makes Gormley's Flasher of the North seem pathetic. Look at the bottom of the picture and note the human heads, which give you an idea of the height of this monster: 59 feet! (That's 18 meters, according to the BBC, if you're into those damned Euro thingies.) It's been created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Japanese Mobile Suit Gundam TV series about kids inhabiting robots and saving the planet from aliens (title link). Sheer fantasy, of course. We need to save the planet from human greed and overpopulation, not aliens.

Leonardo's Lion

Leonardo da Vinci would turn his hand to almost anything to keep his patrons happy, even toys. A clockwork lion he designed to entertain French royalty has been reconstructed after nearly five centuries.

My apologies to readers outside the UK who can't view this news item. BBC videos don't travel well; copyright, I guess. Try the title link.

Armed Forces Art

The Armed Forces Art Society opens its 75th exhibition on Tuesday 14 July at the Mall Galleries in London. Members share a past or present Armed Forces background and include many well-known professional artists. Works include painting, drawing, original prints and sculpture. Admission is free. The exhibition continues until Saturday 18 July (title link). To visit the website of the Armed Forces Art Society CLICK.

Martian Chronicles

The UK's top fantasy artist Les Edwards, alias Edward Miller, has updated his websites with news and his latest paintings (title link). He was chosen to illustrate Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles: The Complete Edition, which will be published later this year by PS Publishing. The colour plates are incredibly atmospheric. I love this solitary homestead against the backdrop of a vast ruined city. Both Les and his nom de brush Edward have been shortlisted by The British Fantasy Society for this year's Best Artist Award (CLICK).