The Louvre Abu Dhabi

The Louvre in France is selling the use of its name to Abu Dhabi for $520 million. The building will cost a mere $108 million to build, but to slap the Louvre name on it, Abu Dhabi will have to part with more than half a billion dollars!

Agence France-Museums, in partnership with Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development & Investment Company (TDIC), announced that the firm of Nathalie Crinière has been selected to create the exhibition design for the Louvre Abu Dhabi, one of the five major institutions being planned for Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Island Cultural District.



The exhibition design competition was organized by Agence France-Museums, which is implementing the agreement between the governments of France and Abu Dhabi that has established the Louvre Abu Dhabi, and TDIC, the developer of Saadiyat Island into a signature cultural, leisure and residential destination.



The Louvre Abu Dhabi is being developed through a 30-year accord between the governments of France and Abu Dhabi. Housed in an extraordinary building, the Louvre Abu Dhabi scheduled to open in 2012/2013, it will present important archeological artifacts and major works of fine arts and decorative arts from cultures around the world and from all historic periods.



Don’t worry though, neither Mona Lisa nor Venus di Milo will leave Paris. The Louvre has many inventory items to spare. Actually, franchise gains popularity even in art. For example, 10 years ago New York’s popular Guggenheim opened a so-called branch in a Spanish city Bilbao. Both profited from this decision.

Marge Simpson on the cover of Playboy Magazine

Marge Simpson on the cover of Playboy Magazine? Wow. Im amazed that the places that artists are able to reach with a little effort. We as society buy Magazines in most part to stay up on real, current content. FHM, Maxim, Playboy all have REAL women, real cars, real political issues...real content. The November 2009 issue of Playboy Magazine will have a 3-page spread of Marge in the nude. So the designers of the Simpsons have come up with a way to bring their old art to a new level and capitalize BIG on it. Sure she's not real, nor are her "bits `n pieces" but everyone is going crazy over this issue. Playboy Magazine is genius because this has got the World's curiosity. Who doesn't want to see Marge in the nude? It will be the first time that a cartoon character will be printed in the nude, BY the designers, and mass produced for the world to see. This proves that you should always push your creativity to the next level. Never give up, where there's a will there's a way. My only question for Playboy is...when do we get to see Lois?

Juxtapoz Magazine

I've been doing some deep-rooted research into the world of underground art and music and came across this article about a Detroit artist that I feel shares some similarities in how I thrust emotion/experience into my art.

"It’s been said that Patrick Martinez’s work sheds light on “the phenomenology of his surroundings.” As evidenced by his answers to my questions below, Patrick’s personal philosophy clearly embodies the very meaning of phenomenology—as his keen self-awareness and interest in the development of human consciousness reveals itself in his work. Beyond being a good guy, Patrick Martinez is a great artist pleased to share his talent in the name of rebuilding Detroit."

Source:http://www.juxtapoz.com/Features/juxtapoz-15th-anniversary-art-auction-patrick-martinez

The image above was painted by Martinez as a portrait of Nas. "The concept of the piece," Martinez tells, "was the success of rap music was suffocating the art form." He painted the portrait of the Queens poet breaking out of a noose made from a fat platinum rope chain, which is around his neck.

Juxtapoz Magazine is a great publication for those seeking raw underground talent. Check it out when you get the chance!