Rare Gauguin fetches 9.5 mn euros at Paris auction

PARIS: A rare canvas by French artist Paul Gauguin from his time in Tahiti fetched 9.5 million euros ($10.5 million) in Paris on Tuesday, nearly twice its estimated value, the auction house said.The bidding had drawn keen interest amid growing controversy over Gauguin´s relationships with young girls on the Polynesian island and his depictions of them.The 1897 painting, "Te Bourao II" or "tree" in the local Tahitian language, had been expected to go for around five to seven million euros.The buyer is an "international collector", the Artcurial auction house said, adding the artwork depicting an evocative Tahiti landscape would remain in France.It is one of the few paintings from the post-impressionist´s Tahiti period still in private hands.According to Artcurial, the last sale in France of a Gauguin from this period was 22 years ago.Recent years have seen increasing attention on Gauguin´s attitudes to the young women who feature in the paintings of this period.An exhibition of the painter currently at the National Gallery in London said "that it aims to consider Gauguin´s relationships and the impact of colonialism through the prisms of contemporary debate."

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Reflections of Sindh

The art lovers worldwide are drawn to the rich culture of Pakistan especially Sindh because of its rich heritage. A group exhibition of vibrant works by the faculty of CEAD, 'Center of Excellence in Art and Design’, Jamshoro, Sindh at Koel Gallery, Karachi saw a celebration of artists from Sindh.In the recent show titled “Where the Indus flows” the artists presented the reflections of Sindh with a new vision, defining its centuries old history in the new era. River Indus or Sindhu is one of the longest rivers in Asia.Starting from the Tibetan plateau, it runs through Ladakh towards Gilgit - Baltistan and the Hindukush ranges, then flows South through the length of Pakistan to merge in the Arabian Sea in Sindh. Beginning in a mountain spring, enriched by the glaciers in the Himalayas, Indus supports ecosystems of temperate forests, plains and arid countryside.All the artists have painted for a love for Sindh. And they wanted to spread awareness about the history of Sindh and its significance for the subcontinent. One can enjoy personal memories of the artists as they grew up in a culturally rich atmosphere, interpreting the blur fragments of past in their images, attempting to make others realize that the parts of our history are vanishing.Abdul Malik Channa artworks in graphite and charcoal on canvas depicted famous personalities from the art world. He was born in Shikarpur. A graduate from NCA, Lahore he is currently a lecturer at CEAD (MUET) Jamshoro. He is a visiting faculty member at different art institutes including Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and Visual Studies Dept University of Karachi. Channa has worked as an artist for Pakistani movies “Zinda Bhaag” (nominated for Oscar) and “Jeevan Haathi”. He recently received an award from AAP in the 33rd National exhibition at Alhamra Arts Council Lahore.Amjad Ali Talpur’s Gouache on wasli works showed various turns’ life takes while creating certain path to achieve a particular goal. He graduated with a M.A (Hons) and a BFA in Miniature Painting from the National College of Arts, Lahore.Jam Deepar’s wood sculptures in different tones of colours attracted the viewers as they talk in a language everybody understands. He graduated from the National College of Arts, Lahore. He has worked as an artist at Lamcy Plaza, Dubai and is currently teaching at CEAD, Centre of Excellence in Arts and Design, Jamshoro.Landscapes in oil on canvas by Kashif Shahzad took viewers on a walk through the gardens and forests of Kirthar. Following his graduation from the Fine Arts Department Sindh University, Jamshoro Kashif went on to earn an MA degree in Fine Arts Institute of Art and Design Punjab University, Lahore. He is a practicing visual artist and a lecturer at Department of Fine Arts, CEAD. Nizam Dahri’s one million dollars note in pencil and acrylic on paper attracted the attention of visitors as it was talking about a subject people nowadays discussing a lot. He graduated with MA (Hons.) from National College of Art, Lahore. He is currently a lecturer at Centre of Excellence in Arts and Design, MUET, Jamshoro.Nusrat Raza Mangi’s terracotta and wood sculptures came from the land of the saints portraying the life and living of saints in the most attractive manner. He graduated with an MFA in Fine Arts from the University of Sindh, Jamshoro. He has been an assistant professor in the Department of Fine Arts at Centre of Excellence in Arts and Design, MUET, Jamshoro.Previously he was a lecturer at the University of Balochistan in Quetta. The most colourful and vibrant paintings in acrylic on canvas by Pir Najeebullah Shah perfectly portrayed the lives of local people of Sindh, full of colours and energy people seemed to be enjoying their life to the full.Living and working in a small village of Sindh, his life has been surrounded with flow of sacred traditions that have been practiced, by his family, centuries before he was born. These practices have become a part of his identity. And it’s hard to get away with these social norms. It makes his existence a bit distant and outsider within his own physical space.“These colourful pieces are the way which reflects how I feel and look at my surroundings, places, and experiences through the personal and artistic materials and mediums. Colour plays a central role to accentuate the emotional links with inevitable stories and facts of my surroundings,” he said.Raj Kumar was born in Tando Muhammad Khan, a small town near the deserted planes of Sindh. Since childhood he was exposed to the traditional textile crafts of Sindh within the home and outside. Therefore he used dice and fish wire to convey message of peace and love through his work.He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Textile from the prestigious  National College of Arts, Lahore and started teaching at Centre of Excellence in Arts and Design (CEAD), Jamshoro, Sindh. Soon realizing his true calling as a visual artist, he then completed a Master’s Degree in Visual Arts from the NCA. Shaukat Ali’s works in acrylic on canvas showed the waves of Indus River  flowing smoothly through Sindh. He belongs to Mithodero District Larkana Sindh. He completed his M.A. in Fine Arts from University of Sindh, Jamshoro, MA (Hons) Visual Arts from National College of Arts, Lahore.He is currently the Head of Department at the Center of Excellence in Arts and Design (MUET) Jamshoro, as well as an assistant professor department of Fine Arts.Saba Qayyum Leghari is an independent artist from Tandojam Hyderabad.Her inspiration lies in the very ordinary aspects of her surroundings. Her oil on canvas paintings depicted the bazaars, roads, lanes shopes and houses we came through everyday but do not notice what she noticed and painted in lively colours. She currently works as a lecturer at Centre of Excellence in Arts & Design, MUET, Jamshoro. Safdar Ali Qureshi’s mixed media on wasli took you to bygone era of Mughal Emperors. His work involved a revival of traditional skills with the experimentation of contemporary viewpoints and technology. He graduated from the National College of Arts. Born in Larkana, Sindh, he is currently a visiting faculty member teaching miniature painting at the Centre of Excellence in Arts Design, MUET, Jamshoro.A practicing fine artist, Sandleen Maqsood specializes in miniature painting. Her gouache on wasli black and white paintings created inspiring visions, which tells a whole story. While she has experimented with a variety of media and subjects, her recent body of work narrates the joyful feelings of children in the Persian miniature style painting. She graduated with distinction in Fine Art from Centre of Excellence in Art & Design, Jamshoro. She belongs to Hyderabad, Sindh. She is currently doing an internship at the Centre of Excellence in Art & Design.A Hyderabad based artist, Usra Shaikh painted in oil on canvas beautiful0 colourful paintings. She graduated with distinction in thesis from Center of Excellence Arts and Design, MUET, Jamshoro. Her work was selected as a permanent collection of museum in Tokyo International Mini Print Triennial, Japan. She’s currently teaching at Fine Arts Department of CEAD, MUET, Jamshoro. Zubair Ahmed Bhutto’s Qalam and ink on wasli works portrayed Mughal Emperors in black and white.

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Pakistani artist Sara Shakeel highlights beauty & light through crystal

LONDON: Visual Pakistani artist Sara Shakeel has said that her latest crystal installation for London exhibition is inspired by the memories of childhood which were filled with family get-togethers which are becoming non-existent these days.Speaking to this correspondent at the exhibition of her work at the Now Gallery in Stratford, East London, Sara Shakeel said while creating the spectacular crystal exhibition featuring a dining table (with table, chairs, utensils, plates and napkin) she wanted to show the intimacy of family meals which once defined close-knit family structures and love. A large number of arts enthusiast turned out for the opening of exhibition which will continue till 23rd of June. Sara Shakeel was in London especially from Islamabad for the opening of exhibition. She said: “It’s a tribute towards food, family get-togethers and how once upon a time sitting together on a dining table was such a beautiful event in our lives. I personally used to look forward to them. Unfortunately with time all of this has faded, everyone has their own lives to live, priorities are given to other things which led me to create an art installation for the love of family dinner tables and conversations.”Sara Shakeel said she has felt wonderful to be in London for exhibition of her work. “The feedback has been wonderful. I got great reviews by major leading news agencies in London and all around the world and also the Transport of London advertised my exhibition details on their Instagram platform.” Sara Shakeel trained as a dentist but the fate had something else in store for her. No one in her family is an artist and in fact most of her relatives are engineers, doctors, pilots and teachers. She was told from a very young age that she had no chance of getting into an art school pursuing that line of work.She believes that she was deliberately failed in the last dentistry paper because she had issues with senior management figures in her dentistry college. “I was failed in my final year of the dental school in last paper in last exam repeatedly for almost two years. That’s when I left it and didn’t know what to do next and with no prior experience in arts and what I do today I started creating collages on my phone, and posted them on Instagram.”For her, it was a process and her passion grew to new heights when she started getting recognition. “With every artwork I felt relieved, happy and altogether it kept me in a happy place. I remember when I used to create digital work on my phone and post it online. I would get lots of criticism and trolling but then I educated myself with zeal. I devoted myself to learning arts.” In the last few years, Sara Shakeel has worked with many companies like Huda Beauty, Mima Manhattan View, Axwell & Ingrosso, Universal Music Poland & USA, Swarovski, Sony Music Germany, 20th century fox Barneys New York and many more. Sara said she is all about conveying emotions and there's no better way to communicate these via the use of shiny, bright and alluring crystals.

from The News International - Arts http://bit.ly/2YGhgwV

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Elements of diversity

A group exhibition at Art scene Gallery, Karachi titled “Organized Chaos” featured a collection of five artists. The paintings showed the creative art skills that depicted country’s different social and behavioural issues. The artworks hold an element of diversity and intensity which were highlighted by an effective play of light and dark hues.Each artist uses his/her ability of visualizing the entire concept and then transformed their imaginations in to compositions with humans, objects, shapes, colours, and abstract formations. The themes for the paintings were derived from the circumstances or events that have happened in the lives of the artists or are likely to occur in future. The thoughts of common person were translated on the canvases by these artists and thus involved each viewer in mysterious ways with the paintings.The thought process behind the artworks can easily be seen in paintings which they executed through intricate and detailed compositions. The artists emphasise on symbolism to communicate with the viewers. The attentions to details and powerful thinking that reflected the issues emanating from personal discourse and their living experiences including current socio-political upheavals were evident in the paintings.Aleena Mazhar’s paintings portrayed the current scenario of migration of people to safer grounds due to security reasons. She focused on the displacement process and the agony of people leaving behind their land and property in fear of lives. She depicted skilfully the human behaviour and the victims of the situation created by certain elements. The faces of people painted by her say it all while the ones in veils and chaddar also portrayed their struggle to survive and carve a future.“My work reflects the change, the sole constant that contours the ambiguity of life. I am using a familiar subject matter that is usually disregarded. By repeating the obvious, a significant dialogue is created with the viewer. Dividing events into frail yet profoundly real fragments, the existences of infinite possibilities are surfaced. This invites the viewer to move into a space of speculation while I rely on their desire for consistency. The intricate presence of the human pursuit towards the indefinite lies an “organized chaos,” she said in a statement.Wasif Afridi’s paintings depicted current political issues of our country. He reflected the political behaviour of our politicians who made promises and just talk about the problems and do not solve them. He painted a landscape consisting of water, land and foliage arranged in such a way depicting boundaries that separate one part from other yet they are together.“In this era of technology and advancement, warfare has become the easiest and common act to adopt both on individual to the International level. Since Science has progressed beyond the imagination, but according to my point of view it has increased the rate of destruction in a very pleasant and friendly way. Living in a gloomy environment with nothing productive or healthy all around one can only be obstructive. In short, power always wants to stay in power and innocent keeps on paying for his life,” Wasif said in a statement.Hira Siddiqui portrayed her personal relations with the people around her and discussed the issues in creating and handling certain relationships in life. She talked about the kings and queens in life who showed courage and fight against the odds of society.“In my recent work I am challenging myself to break conditioned narrative of famous images by visually amalgamating conditioned narratives. I enjoy the process of de-contextualizing images. I am using visuals as my pallet to construct painting. My practice is to extract the soul of worldwide famous paintings. I consciously and deliberately play with their color palate, compositional element, and placement of objects specifically their narratives and recreate them in entirely different mediums and techniques,” she said about her work.Her work was a comment on museum quality art, which we access in different derived forms like prints of prints of prints and soft-copies, sometimes in a brilliant resolution and sometimes worst, what left is so ambiguous and mysterious. She challenged the authenticity of inspiration of how work transforms as it moves from canvas of the Master to the canvas of an artist, where the process of artistry results in so many diverse dimensions. Not everyone can access the original masterpiece to experience its originality. The fact is that none of us is experiencing the museum quality art. Almost all of us are inspired by second hand version of original paintings. Rabbiya Ilyas portrayed her views in a some what concealed way. She painted shadowy women figures. The images emerging from the shimmy backdrop created an ambiance of mystery. The known and unknown facts of life and an individual person are revealed by shadowy figures. The background shows the unknown from where the figure emerges to reveal some parts of its personality thus no one is totally understandable. “My work portrays the odious character of the moralizing people in our society who are bamboozling around with their hypocritical miens, disguising their looks and doing immoral and disgraceful acts of shame. I have shown the different sides of such sacrilegious and fabricated people who are bluffing us with their deceptive identities,” she said in a statement.Maha Rehan paintings depicted abstract figurative art imaginary work. She captured rare moments in life and love with compositions having bold colours balanced by lighter tones. The work revolves around the emotional complexities of one’s life. It’s all about thoughts feelings and behaviours an individual was going through. The artist wants to present the positive or negative emotions one can feel through intricate lines. “When you face different stages of life each challenges you in a different way. So, it’s interconnected with each other. It’s a complete state of mind that influences our behaviours and it can be short live or long lived,” she said.She defined the multiple stages of emotions through these visual representations. Because it affects us in many ways negative or positive forces are always present there and being a woman emotions are always affecting and they left a strong impact and feelings behind.All the artworks are created with some what same theme and ideas by the artists but all of them express their ideas through symbolic language.

from The News International - Arts http://bit.ly/2YDO5dW

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Tracing Jamil Naqsh's spiritual link to Picasso

The challenge to grasp and comprehend the nature evoked a search and exploration that led renowned Pakistani artist Jamil Naqsh to this world of art. To him, form was a complete entity full of meaning. Born in 1939 in Kairana, Naqsh was brought up in the atmosphere of old-world refinement and culture cultivated by the economically independent landlords of U.P. (India). Old values were ingrained in him though he left his life of comfort to seek his fortune in Pakistan. He joined the Mayo School of Art in Lahore in 1953; here he chose miniature painting as his subject of study. Naqsh became the student of Haji Sharif - a dedicated teacher who passed on his inheritance of generations of this art to his promising pupil. In two years (1953-54) Naqsh felt he had gained initiation into the technique of the miniature and decided that it was now for him to use it in his own way. From there his journey continued without any pause till today (16 May, 2019) when he left this world to meet his divine Creator. Naqsh’s perception was, "Not talking about an issue does not deny its existence". He portrays perfection and beauty of what he considers to be the most beautiful of all creations - woman and pigeons.A perfectionist himself, he respects those who excel in their field. In one of his series, Naqsh devoted his work to one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century, an Italian born sculptor Marino Marini. In another series he paid homage to Pablo Picasso. The predominant theme of his work was pigeons and women but some of the drawings depicted horses and bulls, also a favourite theme of Marini who was a man of symbols."My work does not directly relate to Picasso, it is connected to his spirit: the independence to break forms and create a new order," said Jamil Naqsh.The collection of his artworks demonstrated a surge of creativity that has led him to a lot of experimentation, as experimentation is a constant probe with countless probable possibilities, which took Naqsh to an endless world. Naqsh seemed to move steadily towards his themes especially nudes and pigeons, but he has proved that there was an infinite variety in these basic themes. But, whatever his theme was, the perfection and mastery of the techniques, such as space, volume, form, texture and lines were outstanding. These faultless techniques made his creations unique and incomparable.As Picasso said, "knowing the line", it was this balance between space and line, between texture, and form and surface that he pursued with concentration and patience. The cunning in his figure drawing and colour application found in his work is unbeatable.Naqsh freed himself from the ties of the world to find more time to devote to his passion. He remained in his studios in peace and harmony with his painting and created master pieces in solitude. The famous series, famed in art circles, in which the artist adopted the pigeon as his motif, it was this series, in which Jamil Naqsh expressed harmonic emotions through the winged creatures.Jamil Naqsh began to paint pigeons in the early 1960s. There were many implications in his choice of subject. Maneuvering shapes and forms with the signature pigeons Naqsh created deep impression. The collection of ‘pigeon’ artworks created an awesome visual experience, the expression of a complex artist who surpasses feeble explanation.Deviating from his signature style, Jamil Naqsh also presented Islamic calligraphy in a predominantly abstract form in bold texture and vibrant colours.  The calligraphic work was actually a personal representation of the Arabic script by the artist. Imbued with harmony and tranquillity, Naqsh has painted the 99 Names of God, along with 50 verses in praise of God.Fluid and spontaneous yet disciplined, Naqsh's beautiful calligraphy is praised by all. Irregularity in the characters’ size, style and colours adds meaning to the calligraphy having different stroke order with each character.Although in different works, he used different techniques and styles with every painting having a strong aesthetic appeal. With many themes and variations of his calligraphy paintings, the content may be partially illegible, but is more meaningful to a viewer having love and respect for the work on view. His book 'The Painted Word' focuses on calligraphy, with reference to ancient and contemporary scripts, with a detailed explanation of the concept of the 99 Names of God including 416 colour illustrations by Jamil Naqsh. For a number of years his paintings and drawings graced the international auction houses such as Bonhams, Sothebys and Christies. He received numerous honours and awards in appreciation of his work.

from The News International - Arts http://bit.ly/2EcUYv5

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Monet painting draws $110.7 million at New York auction

NEW YORK: A Claude Monet painting from his "Meules" (Haystacks) series drew $110.7 million in New York on Tuesday in an auction record for the French artist.The sale at Sotheby´s fetched one of the 10 highest prices ever seen at auction.

from The News International - Arts http://bit.ly/2LLBxzE

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Into master artist Saeed Akhtar’s ethereal world

As a senior artist Saeed Akhtar has developed his expertise in the field of art on the basis of sheer hard work, dedication and perseverance. Painting and drawing are two sources for his expression. His sensibilities of form, texture and colour including black and white are par excellence. His artistic endeavours in true spirit can be viewed through his sketches in black and white along with colourful portraits presented at a solo exhibition at Clifton Art Gallery, Karachi.A fellow of the National College of Arts, Lahore and a recipient of Presidents’ Award for Pride of Performance and Sitara-e-Imtiaz, Saeed Akhtar is among our celebrated master artists.His work reflects a creative genius inside him. His ethereal thoughts can be visualised through his artworks. The lively, expressive works reveal the inner feelings, influences, interests and his emotional state. He is an aspiring artist of diversified skills. In my opinion the body language and facial expressions are the basic life of his works; he is a keen observer, who transforms the real images in his own way rendering them in a new manner in a specific style that is from real to surreal.During a conversation, Saeed Akhtar said that he loves to exaggerate the contours of the body and facial expression of his subject and embellish them with more interesting details.The specific elements of light, colours, and textures in a particular atmosphere create a vision which then takes a form of drawing or painting. His artworks offered three dimensional as well as two dimensional forms in a skillfully detailed manner.In his paintings, Saeed has portrayed the feminine form as part of nature while pure colours of black, grey and white are used to glamourize the simplicity of human body structure. Simple forms stand amidst the colourless background derived from nature crafted in order to provide a glamorous setting.Devoid of colours, he has reduced forms to their utmost simplicity and then embellished them with vibrant charcoal strokes and energizes them further with implied textures enjoying their subtle nuances.The alluring and flowing recent artworks subjects are engaging.The issues of self and society both have been raised in his works, sharing the beauty with the world in its pure natural way. The firmly embedded visions in his mind take shape on paper. The energy with which his hand flows can be felt easily by viewing his artworks. The ordinary faces of men and women in his artworks are full of expressions. Smiling, alluring portraits of young women with high-bridged noses, big bright eyes and heavy ornaments reveal a new world of beauty but mostly in deep thought, making it a serious affair. Among the artworks one sees some turban wearing men with the stories of life on their faces.The complex human emotions are communicated effectively through black and white drawings, devoid of colours yet very impressive and attractive. The simple grey, black colour of charcoal is enough for Saeed Akhtar to convey his message to the colourful world. His artworks are often exploratory with considerable emphasis on observation and composition. His line of work show energy, enthusiasm, and a sense of emotional appeal. He produces extremely subtle value that increases dynamic of his artworks resulting in high quality creations.Saeed has used a combination of dark and light shades of colours in each piece, which add texture and shapes and forms with shadows, and the shading bring depth in his work. His line work and shade help preserve the depth, texture and values that were seen in his drawings. The various shades used accurately depict the environment and more complex impressions. Other than colourful paintings the monochrome drawings have significant details that give extra dimensions to Saeed's work.

from The News International - Arts http://bit.ly/2EcUSDJ

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Masood A Khan's walk down memory lane presented in latest artwork

KARACHI: Masood A Khan’s solo exhibition titled ‘Boond boond barasti yadoon ki baarish’ at Koel Gallery, Karachi was a treat for art lovers. Masood has delved into human emotions and sentiments and memories in his awe-inspiring work while conveying these volatile and unpredictable concepts through his paintings with commendable ease and precision. He has incorporated transparency in his style of his work thus creating a multi-dimensional view of the same situation. The layering heightens the translucency and viewers can see surfaces overlapping. The great merging and overlapping fascinates both the art lovers and the artist, the most. Moreover, Masood's working pattern makes his art unique. Whether black and white or coloured his paintings emit soothing calmness that attract the viewers. Although his work has soft tones regarding colour but it portrays harsh realities of life in a different way.Various figures of men, women and children old and young along with animals – cats, dogs, goats and buffalos reflect the daily life of common people in rural and urban areas of the country. Masood has transformed delicate lines and textures in a meaningful dialogue. He has brought out the feelings, emotions, and perception that are involved in producing a particular painting. The situations depicted in the paintings talk a lot about his emotions, moods, and mood swings. The subjects of Masood's paintings are rooted in these emotions and then gradually these emotions took form of images. The visuals are actually active conversations through the images. His work is related to his life, to his memories. In most of his art, Masood has tried to resolve unresolved issues. If an image is chaotic and complex then it simply reflects a confused state of mind of the artist at that time. One feels a sense of unity, cohesion, and consistency in his work. His inspirations definitely come from his surroundings.Masood, while elaborating his work said, “Transparency is the quintessence of bare reality as it remains constant on my surfaces. I express the stark reality of life - blended with feelings. In the remote recesses of my subconscious lies an effort to create a spiritual climate that touches the heart. I feel a sense of new liberty when the beauty of every form is clear, visible and not overlapping each other, it creates a multidimensional view.”He adds: “I have expressed my outrage at the hypocrisy in life - religious, social, economics - that cloak and disguise our true intentions. My works, revealed a world emphasizing the simplicity and joy of spiritual contentment in contrast to the contemporary situation that face the bizarre perils of life. I have peeled off layer by layer the pretensions, exposing the fables that determine our lives. My search is to seek the new possibilities in realism.”

from The News International - Arts http://bit.ly/2VKsGSI

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Karachi designers present fusion of contemporary, modern home décor in exhibit

Photo: Asad FarooqKARACHI: Five furniture designers came together on Friday to bring forth a revolution in the home décor through the innovative fusion in modern and contemporary lifestyle at SOL House.In a collaborative effort with the house of SOL Foods, Sana Khan Niazi of Paimona brought on board four other designers to blend the traditional and contemporary craft of Pakistani furniture with the changing style of modernism and minimalism. Held at an unusual pop up restaurant that is changing the traditional space of eateries through rotating menus that comprise of unique and soulful foods, providing platforms open for artistic expression, the exhibit welcomed numerous art enthusiasts. Photo: Asad FarooqFounder and CEO of Paimona, Sana Khan Niazi regarding the exhibit, in conversation with The News revealed: “I have organized this exhibition where I have introduced this new furniture line that speaks about Pakistan’s crafts and heritage obviously with a twist with modern design.” Presenting a more abstract and unconventional side of the exhibit, Changez Basir, the brains behind Carpenter Designs explained: “There is a fine line when you’re designing products that is sell-able and art. In that spectrum you choose where you want to be and how you want to go forward in it. Sometimes it’s more towards the commercial side and sometimes it’s more towards an artistic side. He goes on to state: “I think for any designer, it is important for them to take a step back from the commercial realm. When you do that it is important you use that process to make your product that is when you sell your product fine but it should come from a place of meaning so these explorations are my own, they are my own ideas, inspired by a thousand furniture makers and a thousand designers.” Ashir Bhatti, architect and interior designer who showcased his paintings at the exhibit, in conversation with The News, revealed: “The paintings that I made are a hobby of mine. This is my first exhibition and the turnout has been great and I have received wonderful comments from the people. We should have more of these sort of events. It’s not really about spending money and making money it’s more about interacting with the creative people that do exist still because we rarely get a chance to meet each other otherwise. So this was a great opportunity to just mingle with the creatives and people who are interested in arts.” Photo: Asad FarooqSanfarina Design Studio's Bina Sohail also displayed her innovative crafts who after studying Product Design in London created the studio in 2018 and within a short span of time, her work is actively getting recognized as fun while maintaining elements of contemporary art through materials like wrought iron, concrete and stainless steel. The intriguing blend of ultramodern and conventional designs are sure to bring a unique look to mundane spaces.Moreover,  Rakhshaan Qazi is another designer who's work was widely appreciated at the exhibit with her futuristic, simple and elegant designs, playing with colours and materials that she originates from their purest forms through her studio called Naqsh.

from The News International - Arts http://bit.ly/2JbKgIB

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Newly identified Leonardo portrait on show in London

A 500-year-old sketch of a bearded man was on Thursday revealed to be one of only two surviving portraits of Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci made during his lifetime.The drawing, believed to have been made by an assistant, is part of the Royal Collection and will be displayed in an exhibition at Buckingham Palace marking 500 years since Leonardo´s death.It was a quick sketch on a double-sided sheet of studies, most of them made by the Florentine master himself of a horse´s leg, in anticipation of a monument that was never completed.Martin Clayton, Head of Prints and Drawings at the Royal Collection Trust, compared it with the only other contemporary image of Leonardo by his pupil, Francesco Melzi.Both were produced shortly before the artist´s death in 1519, and reveal his well-kept and "luxuriant" beard that was relatively rare at the time, Clayton said."The elegant straight nose, the line of the beard rising diagonally up the cheek to the ear, a ringlet falling from the moustache at the corner of the mouth and the long wavy hair are all exactly as Melzi showed them in his portrait," he said.He added: "Alongside Melzi´s portrait, this is the only other contemporary likeness of Leonardo. "In the sketch, he is aged about 65 and appears a little melancholy and world-weary."However, the presence of the portrait alongside studies for another grand equestrian monument shows that Leonardo´s ambitions remained undimmed in later life."Both portraits will be displayed alongside 200 drawings by the artist in "Leonardo da Vinci: A Life in Drawing", which opens on May 24.It will also see the first public outing for Leonardo´s "Studies of hands for the Adoration of the Magi", which only emerged from what seemed to be a blank piece of paper under ultraviolet light.The Royal Collection drawings have been kept as a group since the artist´s death and were probably acquired during the 17th century reign of England´s king Charles II.

from The News International - Arts http://bit.ly/2VC7jCZ

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An ode to Pakistan’s heritage through unique home décor

The word tasteful in Pakistan evidently clings on to Western ideas in not just a system of belief but also in minute and everyday things like the way we make our homes with every corner announcing its disassociation with its locality and culture.Challenging this exact belief, five furniture designers from Pakistan have joined forces on a mission to uplift their cultural heritage, starting from the furniture that give life to a home.The five young designers will be displaying their unique styles through home décor with their exhibit titled ‘Block’, at Karachi’s SOL House on May 3 and 4, 2019 from 3pm to 11pm. Before heading out to get a glimpse at their master pieces, here is a quick profile of the maestros themselves: Sana Khan Niazi –Paimona Sana Khan Niazi from Paimona, is one of the designers who finds mere tables and chairs that are often given little to no aesthetic attention, as a source of elevating the Pakistani culture and making it speak volumes about our identity on a global level. What started off as a desire to have the unique traditional craft of her country be represented around the world, her design firm, Paimona has now successfully brought forward the essence of Pakistani culture that had since long been fading away.Changez Basir – Carpenter Designs Having graduated with a degree in Industrial Product Design, Basir has focused his area of expertise around bringing to life home and work spaces through distinctively designed furniture that promise quality and a surge of aesthetics. Basir’s work is recognized and celebrated amongst his circles and has been given immense applause as well getting exhibited at the Artists Commune as well as at groups shows at Fomma and Art Chowk. Bina Sohail –Sanfarina Design Studio The brains behind Sanfarina Design Studio, Bina Sohail after studying Product Design in London created the studio in 2018 and within a short span of time, her work is actively getting recognized as fun while maintaining elements of contemporary art through materials like wrought iron, concrete and stainless steel. The intriguing blend of ultramodern and conventional designs are sure to bring a unique look to mundane spaces. Rakhshaan Qazi –Naqsh Rakhshaan Qazi is another designer who is making waves with her futuristic, simple and elegant designs, playing with colours and materials that she originates from their purest forms through her studio called Naqsh.  After graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, and getting her Masters degree in History and Critical Thinking from London, Rakhshaan teaches at Pakistan finest art school Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture aside from the magic that she is creating within her studio. Ahsan Essa –East West Communications Ahsan Essa, on the other hand, is bringing diversity to the market by bridging the gap between east and west, through modern and contemporary home accessories, in his attempt to recuperate the neglected art of weaving in Pakistan. His hand made carpets, tastefully bring forth the country’s culture with a vibrant play of colours and distinctive designs. Ahsan, the founder of East West Communications presents a wide range of accessories for your home that, as he puts it, “tell the story of who you are.”

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Scot Pakistani Imtiaz Dharker to be poet laureate

Imtiaz Dharker (L) with her daughter Ayesha DharkerLONDON: A Lahore-born Pakistani Scottish Muslim is expected to be named next month as the new poet laureate, replacing Carol Ann Duffy.Imtiaz Dharker, 65, would be the first Asian, Muslim or Pakistani person and second woman to become poet laureate in the position’s 350-year-long history. She has written about religion, identity, culture and feminism. She was born in Lahore to conservative parents but moved to live in Glasgow as a child and studied locally.Imtiaz Dharker’s daughter, Ayesha Dharker, 41, is a Shakespearean actress who also appeared in Coronation Street.On Desert Island Discs in 2015 Dharker said: “I am a Pakistani Scottish Calvinist Muslim, adopted by India and married into Wales . . . Don’t try to put me in a box . . . I’m a cultural mongrel.”The culture department said that an appointment has not yet been confirmed and the final decision will be taken by The Queen. It is understood that Dharker was chosen by the government to succeed Duffy when her ten-year term ends on April 30.According to The Sunday Times, London, a 15-strong search committee of “poetry experts” set up by Wright picked Imtiaz to succeed Duffy, whose term expires on April 30.Duffy, herself a member of the panel, had in the past praised Imtiaz for her “unique perspective in the diversity of English-language poetry”.“Whether Imtiaz Dharker writes of exile, childhood, politics or grief, her clear-eyed attention brings each subject dazzlingly into focus,” Duffy had said. “She makes it look easy, this clarity and economy, but it is her deft phrasing, wit and grace that create this immediacy.”Dharker was awarded the Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry in 2014, and is a former poet-inresidence at Cambridge University Library.Her first collection, Purdah, published in 1989, was titled after the Muslim and Hindu practice of keeping men and women separate.Dharker's work appears in GCSE and A-level syllabuses, and she speaks to more than 25,000 students a year in poetry recitals across the country. While giving one talk, she explained the origin of her poem Tissue. She noticed her father had written her date of birth on the tissue paper on the back of a book.While growing up in Scotland, Dharker has said that her Pakistani parents banned her from going out and dancing in the evenings, instead pushing her towards focusing on education. “I spent a lot of my time looking out over the city and the shining lights, and feeling as if all of life was happening somewhere else, somewhere out there, somewhere where I was not,” she said. She fell in love with an older man on the faculty of her university while studying, and the couple married and ran away to India shortly after Dharker's final exams, never to see her mother again. But following her divorce she would reconcile with her father and siblings, but Dharker said it is still 'too painful' to talk about it with them. She married journalist Anil Dharkar and shifted to what was then Bombay with her then husband Anil Dharker, who now runs literary festivals in Mumbai. Her second husband, Welshman Simon Powell, founded Poetry Live before his death in 2009 following a struggle with cancer. 

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Capturing distorted realities

KARACHI: A recipient of President’s Award for Pride of Performance and Sitara-e-Imtiaz, acclaimed artist Mian Ijaz-ul-Hassan's recent solo exhibition titled 'New News Newest' at Canvas Gallery, Karachi covered current political and social issues of the country intertwined with each other where social media has seemingly become more influential.The works portrayed different political personality’s distorted black and white and coloured images titled 'Truth in B&W', 'Wizkid', 'Ya Sab Kya Hay', 'Dark Thoughts', 'Fitna', 'Conspirators', 'Do-Raha', and a diptych titled 'Kidnapper' which showed images of people in black shadows pointing towards the fact that everyone follows the news without knowing about the source. Paintings in oil on canvas titled 'Lamentation', 'Reaching Out', 'Massacre of Innocents', talked about the ills of our society that affect people in a broader spectrum. LamentationOther paintings titled 'View through a Window', and 'Coconut Palm' presented a comparatively lighter nuance. Coconut Palm b View Through a Window The archival prints on flex titled 'The Moving Finger Writes', 'Taza Tareen', 'What You May', 'Not Know', 'Countdown', 'Battling', 'Headlines', 'Battle Lines', 'Lend Me Your Ear', 'Sicilians' and 'Phantom' were reflective of electronic media reports and programmes that spread news under the breaking news segment in a haste at times without authentication of the news source, ultimately creating chaos in the society.Mian Ijaz-ul-Hassan is a graduate of the reputed Aitchison College which he joined in 1948. Since early days at school it was art and sports through which he was able to express himself and establish his identity. Discussing his art career, Ijaz said, “At Aitchison, I won the Ranbir Shamshir Jung art prize, probably thrice. Sardar Muhammad was our art teacher and quite a well-known painter. He was succeeded by Khalid Iqbal and Moyeen Najmi. For me both proved to be great mentors." Reaching OutHe added, "Khalid and Moyeen are today both regarded as the pre-eminent painters of our country. At Aitichison I excelled in painting. To my surprise I obtained the highest marks, at Art at Punjab University B.A examinations. I was awarded a scholarship but I did my Masters in English. That was partly for my mother’s concern for my career. I did my M.A in English but then went back to art by joining an art school in London. I had a great father. Imagine a father letting his only child to go and join an art school back in the day."While shedding light on his work he shared, “My work primarily focuses on pictorial reference to social and political issues of our time. I attempt to employ images that have an immediate presence, which enable me to have my intentions succinctly known to the viewer. Most images are picked off the streets walls, newspapers, magazines, public hoardings and the television screen. In order to vividly enhance the substance of images and forms, they are often simplified, the colours spread out and flattened.”“I regard myself as an Avant-garde modern painter. I have always exerted to move on with the pace of the time and events. I would rather imitate others and imbibe something from them than ape myself. However, I shun the impersonal snooty aura of ‘modernism’. Instead I prefer to warmly embrace the viewer who is not the other but my other self. This impels me to proceed within our shared narrative and conventions focusing on the current, the immediate and that which I regard as the primary concerns of the time likely to advance and connect us to the future,” he added.

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Mingling of Iranian and Pakistani cultures through art

Literature has the power to refine or establish language, shape our understanding of history, and define culture and society, and so does art. Artists are therefore termed as ambassadors of the country they belong to. In a group show titled “Common Borders” at Sanat Gallery, Karachi consisting of Pakistani and Iranian artists, the artists shared cultural and social points of view of their respective countries through their creations. Curated by Majid Abbasi Farahani of Farahani Foundation Common Borders - Chapter 1 showcases works by 10 artists belonging to Pakistan while Chapter 2 of this project will showcase pieces by artists from Iran. Both parts of the project will first be exhibited in Pakistan and will be followed by a joint exhibition in Iran. Having a common border, Pakistan and Iran’s relationship is deeper than the lines demarcating their lands. Reading between the (cartographer’s) lines, the artists showcasing in “Common Borders” examined the relationship between Iran and Pakistan within the context of their shared histories, cultures, and literature. One of the cultural commonalities is an Iranian epic poet Hakim Abolghasem Ferdowsi and his significant work, Shahnameh. This project is planned according to Shahnameh and artists from Pakistan and Iran have been invited to participate creating an amalgam of a cross border exhibit. This exhibition brought cross-border communities together encouraging social and cultural interactions between the artists. They carried out an investigation of the relationship between Iran and Pakistan throughout our histories. From a cultural point of view the exhibition was very significant as the cultural and shared values between the two countries have withstood the test of time, despite historical ups and downs, bilateral relations have strengthened. Common heritage of two countries language, literature, commercial, historical and cultural relations has had a huge impact on expanding relationships between the two countries. The common heritage of two countries language, literature, commercial, historical and cultural relations has had a huge impact on expanding relationships between the two countries. The common border stands at 1000 kilometers with an effective and increasing role in commercial and cultural relations.

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Farhat Ali’s latest exhibit is creating stories within stories

Nowadays the artists are painting using today’s modern art with traditional and historical stories creating new ideas and styles. Farhat Ali’s current solo exhibition at Sanat Gallery, Karachi also follows this new approach. Using Indian ink on paper the exhibition titled “Through the Looking Glass and What Farhat Found There” allowed the viewers to enter the myriad imaginary realms, opening the door to a world of new and alternative realities, not confined by cumbersome details of established history, race or even time. He has fused the historical images appearing to dissolve into sensuous, contemporary forms and narratives. Exercising his liberty abounding with dramatic monochrome scheme he tried to create a romantic atmosphere in almost all the paintings. These dramatic and romantic expressions are traditionally present in different historic and traditional paintings in various buildings around the world. He wanted to explore the creativity between tradition and modernity. There was intense referring to an elemental passion that is both intuitive and instinctive, but the imagery in Farhat’s paintings was mainly representative of female forms and other supporting characters whereas in some pieces a male figure replaces the female figure. In some of the works he used religious icons of other cultures and some fairy tale characters. He balanced his compositions with monotone background in black and white colour, but devoid of other structures or foliage; while in some paintings he blended opulent figures with fairies and servants.The inspiring themes, which lead to the creation of these images, were observed, heard or read by the artist which when viewed by the viewers unfold many layers of grief, love, war, passion and fear. To unveil the hidden layers behind these narratives was his prime concern, through which he was trying to make viewers percieve the layers of meanings concealed behind the surfaces of the paintings.Using humor and wit and a careful selection of western and eastern iconography Farhat created this collection work to create written historical accounts in new style. In some pieces he fused the mastery of western art history and pop culture icons from the cinema, with their eastern counterparts. He used his work to create interesting and amusing narratives of real stories while in another piece, a young Judy Garland from The Wizard of Oz is portrayed next to Pran, her eastern acting contemporary. These figures exist wholly outside the realm of time and logic, allowing for the creation of a new reality.In a particularly striking piece, Farhat depicts Napoleon as he is seen in Jacques-Louis David’s famous work Napoleon Crossing the Alps, but instead of Napoleon shown heroic and mighty on an equally mighty horse that is in motion on its hind legs, that very Napoleon is shown seated on a camel. The absurdity of this pairing brings in to question the validity of Napoleon’s might and the authenticity of the narrative surrounding his power. The use of the camel, so familiar from Farhat’s local perspective, also serves as a symbol to question the deliberate omission of certain people and facts from recorded history. In the original Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, Lewis Caroll’s novel unfolds as a game of chess. Upon looking at Farhat’s work, one does recall the chess board, not only for the varying black and white of his chosen medium, but also because of the characters depicted. Using his mastery in skill, Farhat Ali creates stories within stories that form their own narrative, despite how disparate the characters of the story are. His medium and skill tie together these odd pairings in a world that seems to naturally befit them within the picture frame. The pawn in the game of chess is now the viewer, whom Farhat plants into the worlds that he has created through his brush.

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Karachi's women artists explore conscience through their art

Paintings seemed to be the best way to explain the perceptions, self-awareness by the four women artists in a group exhibition at Artscene Gallery in Karachi who also use their art to share their profound and philosophical understanding of life through their creations expressing their emotions, through figures and forms.Depicting abstract, figurative art and landscapes the artworks touched the basic theme of consciousness both social consciousness and self- consciousness.They took their inspirations from direct observations of the society and therefore invited a mood of pure contemplation in a viewer. Sharing happy and sad moments they expressed their emotions and thoughts through various colours and forms. Almost all the paintings were in bright hues exuding refreshing energy while every artwork was inventive with some depicting symbolic expressions.Hafsa Shaikh made viewers look out of a window blurred by rain drops giving her paintings a new style. In a way she pointed how reality becomes amorphous when seen through the other’s perspectives. Hafsa SheikhOne can see the streets buildings and people which were the same but by looking through a fuzzy window they become out of focus and shadowy. This is the same case when facts are not clear, people become confused and make up their own conclusions that differ from reality. Hafsa Sheikh Hafsa SheikhOn the other hand, Imrana’s paintings were the reflection of her own life as she painted different figures men and women that reflected her own character or the ones she came across in life. Imrana ImranaShe portrayed those that left her behind with her longing for their presence in her life, representing them in a way that reunited her with those absent characters in the form of art as she does not want those people to become shadows in her memory. ImranaMoreover, Maham Siddiqui’s artworks talked about the hidden meanings of words as she painted bundles of old newspapers both English and Urdu to show that words written are considered as document apart being right or wrong. Maham Siddiqui Maham SiddiquiWhen put together they are just a bundle of newspaper but they contain thousands of stories from around the world as well as local news that now becomes the past thus the newspapers have secret and invisible intentions which must be understood. Maham Siddiqui Maham SiddiquiZarmena Aslam is another talented artist whose paintings explored the journey of woman’s life based on the conditions and factors of the society. According to her work the life of a woman is divided into various stages as she passes through different emotions and feelings during her lifetime and wants to express her thoughts and ideas too. Zarmena Aslam Zarmena AslamZarmena is a feminist and through her figurative work she portrayed women in harmony with nature. Surrounded by plants and butterflies the women’s gestures were calm and peaceful, while the red colour that dominated her artworks symbolised happiness and mental, spiritual pleasure. Zarmena Aslam Zarmena Aslam

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Exploring a mystical world in Muneeb Ali’s calligraphic masterpieces

From sounds to drawings, then to signs and symbols, the advent of language and art was simultaneous. Language and communication allowed the abstractions of our mind to become tangible and understood by others. Language is therefore inherently transcendental, serving as a medium between the observed and imagined, the Divine and the profane.The art of calligraphy also evolved with time depending upon geometry, principal of harmony and particularly how everything has been balanced. And hence the art of writing beautifully, with immaculate perfection defines the art of calligraphy. There are hundreds of distinct styles of calligraphy. Every artist and calligrapher chose the particular ‘khat’ to use in calligraphy according to their interest of handling that particular style. Same was the case with artist Muneeb Ali who has chosen to create calligraphy that undeniably was governed by the principles of balance and proportion, rhythm and unity. In a solo calligraphy exhibition titled “Huroof” at Mainframe Gallery, Karachi different styles of calligraphy, apart from their aesthetic and artistic features, have a hidden symbolic meaning. The stylised Islamic calligraphy has magnificent symbolic functions while having aesthetic quality and an art of shapes and enhancement. Historically, the art of Islamic calligraphy contributed toward the beautification of Qur’anic verses and particularly the various names of Allah. Muneeb also followed this historic rule. The luminous, beautifully designed calligraphy showed the fusion of artist’s personality in his calligraphy artworks which satisfy his creative endeavour. With a strong aesthetic appeal, brilliant use of colours and superb balance between design and form, his art of calligraphy created an immediate visual impact. He combined illumination like using gold or silver colour and geometrical designs with the calligraphy words. The Islamic calligraphy is our religious as well as cultural heritage and the art of calligraphy also gives a message of peace, love and reverence. Keeping that in mind Muneeb tried to create unique works of calligraphy in his own aspect. The holy words in green, blue, red, yellow, orange, white, black, gold and silver colours shine and gave the impression of a glow when light disperses from them giving the effect of light was emitting from the words creating a unique look thus a mystical experience for the viewers. Recent works in calligraphy appears in square and oval shapes. The same arcs and loops, ovals and circles, vertical and horizontal lines are used as designs world over. The basic geometrical forms remain the same in all works of artists. Here Muneeb has chosen the most appropriate form he liked to use in his calligraphy works. He created designs by inserted and interwoven words of the Holy Qur’an. The beauty of the styles was brought out as each style was discernable and pleasing to look at.While transcribing the Holy Qura’n in his calligraphic artworks he used various scripts in his own manner with bright colours but in some what complex and difficult style. His detailed works created an aura of sanctity. Each calligraphy work of Muneeb Ali has a striking feature like a circular pattern or a focal point from where every word seemed to emerge. The idea behind “Huroof” was to capture the beauty created by the embrace of art with letters and to preserve it.

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Faces speak unspoken words

KARACHI: Pakistani artist Ali Azmat has shed light on the meditative nature of the process of creating his hyper-realistic large scale charcoal portraits in a solo exhibition titled “Larger than Life” at Canvas Gallery, Karachi.Through the women portraits he has discussed both mystic realities and socio-cultural norms the women face in their daily life.Currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Fine Arts at the University of Punjab, Azmat graduated with a gold medal in Masters in Fine Arts from the same university. He is the recipient of the ‘National Excellence Award’ by Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) in 2003. Moreover, in 2003 and 2012 he was given ‘Award of Excellence’ by the Artist’s Association of the Pakistan.His untitled artworks in charcoal on Fabriano academia paper portray women only. His masterpieces reflect medium charcoal that has helped in creating texture and balance in composition and the theme. The shades of black and grey have facilitated in bringing out the sufferings at the hands of other human beings. The use of line and form intelligently to produce his desired images, Azmat wants viewers to interpret forms, lines and expressions in to dialogue. The body of work shows his observation and concept that help him in developing and creating current series. Azmat has managed to express his feelings through this medium by producing images that reflect the expressions of the characters and serve as a means to narrate their stories of suffering, distress and mental torment.Other than women the images of girls show hope, happiness and pleasure. He has recorded his interpretation of feelings and emotions through lines, marks, tone, texture and spaces. A few portraits show calm expressions of women while most women seem to be in a thoughtful state. It looks like something is bothering them that they have been unable to express or share and as time passed by this emotional disturbance started to appear on their faces.Azmat has drawn inspiration from direct observations of the society and therefore invited a mood of pure contemplation in a viewer. The paintings explored the journey of woman's life based on the conditions and factors of the society. 

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´Hitler´ paintings fail to sell at Nuremberg auction

Five paintings attributed to Adolf Hitler failed to find buyers at an auction Saturday held amid anger at the sale of Nazi memorabilia.High starting prices of between 19,000 and 45,000 euros ($21,000 and $50,000) and lingering suspicions about the authenticity of the artworks were thought to have scared off potential buyers.The Weidler auction house did not comment on the reasons for the failure but said the paintings could yet be sold at a later date.Nuremberg´s mayor Ulrich Maly had earlier condemned the sale as being "in bad taste".Among the items that failed to sell were a mountain lake view and a painting of a wicker armchair with a swastika symbol presumed to have belonged to the late Nazi dictator.The Weidler auction house held the "special sale" in Nuremberg, the city in which Nazi war criminals were tried in 1945.Days before the sale a number of the artworks were withdrawn on suspicion they were fakes with prosecutors stepping in.Sales of alleged artworks by Hitler -- who for a time tried to make a living as an artist in his native Austria -- regularly spark outrage that collectors are willing to pay high prices for art linked to the country´s Nazi past."There´s a long tradition of this trade in devotional objects linked to Nazism," Stephan Klingen of the Central Institute for Art History in Munich told AFP."Every time there´s a media buzz about it... and the prices they´re bringing in have been rising constantly. Personally, that´s something that quite annoys me."- ´Ambitious amateur´ -In Germany, public displays of Nazi symbols are illegal but exceptions can be made, in educational or historic contexts for instance.To comply with the law, the auction house pixellated the swastikas on the wicker chair and a blue-and-white Meissen porcelain vase in catalogue photos, and covered them up on-site.But none of the paintings included any of the totalitarian party´s insignias.According to Klingen, Hitler had the style of "a moderately ambitious amateur" but his creations did not stand out from "hundreds of thousands" of comparable works from the period -- making their authenticity especially hard to verify.The watercolours, drawings and paintings bearing "Hitler" signatures featured views of Vienna or Nuremberg, female nudes and still life works, the auction house said. They were offered by 23 different owners. Prosecutors on Wednesday collected 63 artworks from the Weidler premises bearing the signature "A.H." or "A. Hitler", including some not slated to go under the hammer.Nuremberg-Fuerth prosecutor´s office said it had opened an investigation against persons unknown "on suspicion of falsifying documents and attempted fraud", chief prosecutor Antje Gabriels-Gorsolke told AFP."If they turn out to be fakes, we will then try to determine who knew what in the chain of ownership," she said.Weidler said in a statement that the paintings´ withdrawal from sale did "not automatically mean they are fakes".

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French cartoonist, llustrator Tomi Ungerer is dead

The French cartoonist, author and illustrator Tomi Ungerer, died at the age of 87 on the night of Friday to Saturday in Ireland, at the home of his daughter, we learned from his former adviser, Robert Walter."He died in the night and his wife called me this (Saturday) morning on the phone," Robert Walter, a friend "for 35 years" and his former adviser told AFP.

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