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Day: 16 July 2022

Paul McCarthy’s Pirates Stew Pot in Monaco

by: Cassandra Tanti
16/07/2022

Hauser and Wirth’s new exhibition by Paul McCarthy is a timely reflection on the links between violence, depravity and masculinity, despite the 20 years that have passed since its inception.

‘Paul McCarthy. Pirates Stew Pot’ at Hauser and Wirth Monaco marks the 20th anniversary of McCarthy’s Pirate Project. One of his most important bodies of work, the show highlights the artist’s dedication to this theme across multiple strands since 2001. Originally stemming from Paul McCarthy and his son Damon’s fascination with the Disneyland amusement park attraction ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’, the selection of works includes sculpture, drawing, video and photography, and explores the complex universe of the pirate theme.

McCarthy’s pirate world offers an allegory of society, focusing on a range of unrestrained behaviours or forms of resistance, from untrammelled greed, rampant commercialisation and social ostentation to sadism, perversion, anarchism and corruption. Two decades after its inception, the work continues to be relevant in the context of current global conflicts for the way it addresses the links between violence, depravity and masculinity.

Piggies, Painted – Paul McCarthy 2008/2018. Photo by Monaco Life

“Paul thinks it is very relevant to show the exhibition at this time because of the context of the war on Ukraine,” Gregoire Schnerb tells Monaco Life. “The series started in 2001 when George W. Bush decided to invade Iraq, and throughout the work of Paul, there’s been a denunciation of the American society and all its kitsch; all the positive images it conveys and the parallel with war. On the other hand, there is the image of celebrity, beauty, and wealth, contrasted with imperialism and violence.”

The exhibition in Monaco starts where the project began, with a series of large-scale Pirate Drawings including‘Large Pirate Drawing (Poop Deck)’ and ‘Cut off the Lips’ (2001). These works, McCarthy says, lay bare the psychological sources of this wide-ranging project about the imaginary world of pirate yarns. Enormous sheets of paper serve to gather associations and mould thoughts into pictorial form. Combining charcoal, pencil and marker with collage, McCarthy examines the flow of images from the consumer world and the porn industry.

“It is the second exhibition that we have here in our Monaco space and it is important for us to show the work of Paul McCarthy, to show exactly what the gallery is about,” adds Schnerb. “McCarthy is a central artist and part of our DNA. The artists that we show are linked, and he is representative of the values that we have at the gallery.”

Pig, Paul McCarthy 2003, photo by Monaco Life

Utilising playfully oversized characters and objects, sculptures such as ‘Piggies, Painted’ (2008/2018) and ‘Paula Jones, Painted’ (2007/2018) merge the fantasy Pirate world with figures from the real worlds of politics, philosophy, science, art, literature, film and television. McCarthy locates the traumas lurking behind the American Dream, presented as a Hollywood or Disney-style stage set gone wrong, and identifies their counterparts in the art historical canon.

The exhibition also celebrates ‘Caribbean Pirates,’ an immense two-volume artist’s book by Paul and Damon McCarthy, released in 2019. It details the ongoing endeavour of the Pirate Project, an acclaimed example of McCarthy’s multidisciplinary practice, through photographic documentation and production stills of the performance alongside a text by the artist and an essay by John C. Welchman.

The exhibition will run until the end of summer.

Click on the images below to see more works from Paul McCarthy’s Pirates Stew Pot…

 

 

 

All photos by Cassandra Tanti, Monaco Life

 

 

 

 

A picture is worth a thousand words

by: Cassandra Tanti
16/07/2022

Photographers are once again being encouraged to submit their photos for the RAMOGE – Man of the Sea competition, highlighting the relationship between human activity and the Mediterranean sea, in all their positive and negative dimensions.

‘RAMOGE – Man of the Sea’ (L’Homme et la Mer) international photography competition is on now until 30th September 2022, under the auspices of the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP).

This year, it features an internationally renowned jury, composed of Riccardo Busi (President of FIAP), Greg Lecoeur (Nature Photographer of the Year – National Geographic, 2016), and Sergio Pitamitz (Environmental Photojournalist of the Year – NPPA, 2016).

As part of its awareness-raising activities, the RAMOGE Agreement invites all lovers of the sea and photography to highlight in their photos the relationship between human activities and the Mediterranean in its multiple aspects.

The ‘RAMOGE – L’Homme et la Mer’ competition is divided into three categories for adults: Free theme, L’Homme et la Mer, and RAMOGE Zone, as well as a category dedicated to young people aged under 21. The competition is free and open to all.

To participate, simply register and upload your photos on the RAMOGE website: https://ramoge.org/concours-photos/.

The RAMOGE Agreement is a scientific, technical and administrative cooperation tool between the French, Monegasque and Italian governments for the protection and conservation of the marine environment in the area of sea stretching from Marseille (France) to La Spezia (Italy). Since 1976, the RAMOGE Agreement has been organising awareness-raising initiatives targeting citizens and tourists on key environmental issues concerning the Mediterranean Sea, and is the promoter of this photo contest.

 

Photo of 2021 3rd place winner of the the ‘Man and the Sea’ category: “Pirate Slurp” by Giannicola Marello.

 

 

Monaco’s biggest auction week returns

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/07/2022

Artcurial auction house is taking over the Hotel Hermitage to host Monaco Auction Week, where exceptional, rare and unexpected pieces will go under the gavel and into the homes of collectors from all over the world.

In a fantastic display of incredible items, ranging from jewellery and watches to vintage Hermes bags, and comic strips to artwork, Artcurial is on the case this July when they host a follow up auction to their successful January 2022 event at the Hermitage Hotel.

For lovers of bright and shiny things, the auction house will hold an exhibition of jewellery and precious stones followed by three sales events bringing together a selection of contemporary and antique pieces for every taste and style.

“2022 will definitely be sparkling on Le Rocher this summer,” says Julie Valade, Director of the Jewellery department. “Only a few weeks before our jewellery catalogue was to close, our sale already had many treasures: Cartier, Van Cleef, Bulgari, Chaumet, Boucheron, Buccelatti, Boivin, diamonds including one of over 17cts, stunning sapphires and an exceptional case of emeralds and diamonds from a prestigious private collection. We are preparing for a sale that, once again, is full of promise.”

Artcurial is also selling beautiful timepieces as part of their Sparkling Collection, an exceptional assemblage of nearly 80 ladies’ watches from a private collection. One piece is being called a “hidden treasure from the Thousand and One Nights, which has remained in a chest for more than 40 years and is of remarkable quality.”

Piaget reigns with some 15 lots on offer, but there are also pieces from Vacheron Constantin, Chopard and Longines, featuring watches adorned with diamonds, tiger eye, opal and turquoise dials.

Artcurial has a magnificent selection of Hermes and Luxury handbags going on the block as well.  Beloved and coveted models such as Birkin, Constance, and Kelly bags in summer colours will make any lover of these iconic handbags swoon.

“The Hermès and Luxury Bags sale will offer a selection of handbags in summer colours, with classic leathers and exotic skins on iconic Birkin, Kelly and Constance bags. We will present a lovely array of the most beautiful pieces made by the craftsmen of Maison Hermès,” says Alice Leger, Hermes and Luxury bag specialist at Artcurial.

Comic strips by Enki Bilal

Monaco will hold a “first” in the sale of matchless comic strips by Enki Bilal. The sale will include 25 drawings, dealing with themes of time and memory.

“For the first time, Artcurial Monaco will dedicate a sale to Enki Bilal, the contemporary French artist who portrays a colourful and avant-garde world,” says Eric Leroy, Comic Strips expert at Artcurial.

Finally, Monaco Sculptures is back for the third edition with a selection of pieces by leading 20th century artists such as Wang Keping, Bernar Venet, Christian Lapie and Philippe Hiquily.

An open-air gallery will be set up in Monte-Carlo, from the gardens of Petite Afrique to the Saint-James, from Beaumarchais Square to the Hôtel de Paris, the Hermitage and the Monte-Carlo Beach. Artcurial will also present a lot of five pinwheel roses in varying sizes to benefit the Monegasque Red Cross’s effort in Ukraine.

Monaco Auction Week takes place from 15th to 21st July.

 

 

Image: Comic by Enki Bilal, Le Sommeil du monstre. This article was originally published on 28th June 2022