JANUARY2007

***LSO / Gergiev

Stravinsky, Debussy, Prokofiev

23 January 2007 - 14 June 2007 / 00:00
Barbican Hall

Part of 25th landmark events
Tickets:
subject to availability


Valery Gergiev begins his new tenure with the LSO by presenting his first series focused on Stravinsky, Debussy, Prokofiev, three of the major composers of the first half of the 20^th century. Running from January through June, the series is a stimulating combination of familiar and lesser known repertoire, including several works which have never been performed before by the LSO - Prokofiev’s Seven They are Seven, Four Portraits from ‘The Gambler’, October Cantata and Stravinsky’s King of the Stars. The LSO has been the Barbican’s resident orchestra since its opening in 1982 and it has firmly established itself as one of the top five orchestras in the world.

Excerpt from English Independent Newspaper
He's been called the greatest conductor on earth, with a cult following like nobody else. He's been called demonic, a control freak, a creative dictator.

When Valery Gergiev, 53, takes over as the new principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra next week, it will mark the start of a musical partnership between the Russian maestro and the British capital that could be the most significant in years. For the LSO, he looks a great catch.

Gergiev, the long-standing director of the Mariinsky Theatre (formerly the Kirov) in St Petersburg, is a man of superhuman energy. His feverish, magnetic, high-octane character, which produces such thrills for his audiences, has its downside: he drives not only the music but himself, and those around him, with maximum intensity. .................On the platform, Gergiev is the maestro sans frontières. He's a performer of extreme intensity who visibly gives everything to his music: he appears to feel every note throughout his body and conveys this to the orchestra in a way that some players compare to a sculptor, shaping the work with a mingling of energetic, large-scale gestures and precise, artistic motions of the hands.

***Call for Submissions: Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet Issue 7

The Arts Office of Kilkenny County Council is delighted to announce the publication of the seventh issue of the very popular Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet. The aim of the publication is to give local writers a platform for their work. Each poem selected is included in the broadsheet which will be for sale throughout the County. 

Kevin Higgins will edit the seventh issue of Kilkenny Poetry Broadsheet.  Kevin is a poet based in Galway City. He facilitates poetry workshops at Galway Arts Centre and along with his wife Susan Millar DuMars they organises the Over The Edge readings in Galway City Library. His first collection of poems, The Boy With No Face, was published by Salmon in 2005 and was short-listed for the 2006 Strong Award for Best First Collection by an Irish Poet. His second collection is forthcoming.

We are now accepting submissions from poets born or based in Kilkenny City and County.

Closing date for receipt of submissions is no later than 4pm on Friday 9^th February 2007.

Application forms and submission rules are available from the Arts Office, No. 72 John Street, Kilkenny T: 056 7794138 E: niamh.finn@kilkennycoco.ie and are also attached in this e-mail.

JANUARY AT THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF IRELAND

MADE A NEW YEAR RESOLUTION? WHY NOT BRUSH UP ON YOUR ART HISTORY WITH OUR POPULAR THURSDAY EVENING ART STUDIES LECTURES. (Commencing 11 January, open to all, tickets available from gallery bookshop)
The gallery opens until 8:15pm EVERY Thursday evening.  Don't forget to visit the gallery Bookshop during your visit for many special offers on books and calendars.

WHAT'S NEW?
THE ANNUAL TURNER EXHIBITION: 'TURNER AND THE TRADITIONALISTS'
ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR EVENTS HERE AT THE GALLERY, AND A FAVOURITE WITH the art-loving public for generations, this year gives an opportunity to compare Turner with some of the fine artists who continued in more traditional method, while occasionally adopting some of his innovations. Treated thematically, the exhibition considers aspects such as the impact of Turner's training in the Royal Academy, his aspirations as an illustrator and landscapist and his influence on his contemporaries.  His response to light and architecture and his use of new materials will also be examined. A programme of accompanying talks takes place throughout January.  (Until 31 January, Print Gallery, admission free)

A final chance to see:



'A TIME AND A PLACE: TWO CENTURIES OF IRISH SOCIAL LIFE'
a fascinating journey through the centuries, with many works by Ireland's leading artists. Included are paintings by Harry Kernoff,  John Lavery , Paul Henry and Jack B Yeats. (Until 28 January 2007, Millennium Wing, admission charge). 
 '.a really happy exhibition. that would be great for children. We recommend it highly.it's a great day out! (The Eleventh Hour, RTÉ Radio 1)  'a superb exhibition, fascinating and informative.'


'Louis le Brocquy: Portrait Heads'
A rare chance to see some of the artist's most iconic works gathered together on the occasion of his 90th birthday. (Until 14 January 2007, Room 6, admission free)

Family and children's activities.
Our regular Saturday free afternoon art sessions recommence on 13th January at 3pm. These free guided art activities are open to children age 4 to 10. No booking required.
Tickets are now available for the Children's Hour Mid-Term event (19-23 February). Tickets from gallery shop.
 http://www.nationalgallery.ie/html/programevents.html

For further information on all forthcoming events check out our website  www.nationalgallery.ie
Kind Regards 
 
Visitor Services Officer
National Gallery of Ireland
Merrion Square West, Dublin 2.
Phone - 6615133 ext 3813
Fax - 6615372
sboylan@ngi.ie
 
How to Find Us:
National Gallery of Ireland
Merrion Square West & Clare Street, Dublin 2.
Admission is free to the permanent collection.
Telephone (01) 661 5133
Email info@ngi.ie
www.nationalgallery.ie
Gallery Opening Hours:
Monday-Saturday 9.30am-5.30pm
Thursday 9.30am-8.30pm
Sunday 12.00pm-5.30pm
 Closed 24-26 December & Good Friday.

Sotheby's makes a killing from Banksy's guerrilla artworks

By Geneviève Roberts (Excerpt)
© 2006 Independent News and Media Limited

Published: 19 January 2007

When a collection of the stencil artist Banksy's work was sold at auction last year, Sotheby's said it was unusual for the company to see works with "spray paints". But Banksy collectors who saw works from Britain's most prominent stencil artist sell for more than £50,000 apiece are now cashing in, and selling up.

Sotheby's will hold a second sale of seven artworks by the 32-year-old Bristol-born artist, including Bombing Middle England, which depicts bowls players as bombers, and is estimated to reach between £30,000 and £50,000.

Cheyenne Westphal, the chairman of contemporary art for Sotheby's Europe, said: "Banksy is an exciting artist and we are delighted to be offering further works by him. He has an unnerving ability to get to the heart of the matter and is able to express strong political statements with poetry, energy and humour."

Banksy came to the fore in 2003 with his exhibition Turf War, and by last year his mainstream recognition - and celebrity following - was confirmed when the Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie was reported to have spent more than £200,000 on a stencil, and the singer Christina Aguilera also became a collector.

In October last year, Banksy's set of pictures of the model Kate Moss, reminiscent of Andy Warhol's work, sold for £50,400, five times the guide price, and his stencil of a green Mona Lisa sold for £57,000.

The seven works for sale in February are expected to exceed £167,000 in total. Sotheby's described them as typical of his anti-war and anti-establishment style, and include the sculpture of Ballerina with Action Man Parts and Bomb Hugger, a stencil of a girl hugging a torpedo bomb.

Banksy, whose stencils appear across the south and east of London, closely guards his true identity: his parents still believe he is a painter and decorator. Operating in disguise, he has smuggled doctored oil paintings into leading museums. In September last year, he planted a life-size replica of a Guantanamo Bay detainee dressed in an orange-jumpsuit inside the Disneyland theme park in California.

© 2006 Independent News and Media Limited