Cheryl's Art And Music Guide

  A late actor's possessions--including his own still life of a Japanese vase with fruit and a rose--will soon be auctioned off by  Bonhams . Gene Hackman  also collected art, so pieces by  Auguste Rodin ,  Wassily Kandisky, Richard Diebenkorn , and  Robert Motherwell  will be sold.  Other lots in  The Gene Hackman Collection: A Life in Art   will consist of  Golden Globe  awards, scripts. cinematic memorabilia, and a couple of watches. While the art is expected to fetch big bucks, a dartboard from the 95-year-old's game room isn't likely to go for more than $100-$150.  The auction will be held in three parts. The first, live from New York, will be on November 19. The second segment is online as well, and the last one will be in Los Angeles--and available online.   Anna Hicks, Bonhams,  Head of Private & Iconic Collections, says the sales offer ''an intimate portrait of Hackman's private world and rare o...

Jean-Michel Basquiat-The-Making-of-an-Icon  is the first biography of the artist in over 25 years. It was published last week. The author,  Doug Woodham , conducted over a hundred interviews, and these included members of the artist's inner circle.  The first half of the book follows Basquiat's life, from childhood (including his parents' troubled marriage) to his death in 1988 at just 27. The second portion explores how both the artist and his work ascended to mythical status.  In the nineties, prices had fallen as much as 80 percent, according to Woodham--that is, until celebrity collectors like  Metallica 's  Lars Ulrich  and  U2 's  Adam Clayton , helped revive Basquiat's market.   Incidentally, the painter will be honored this afternoon in New York City. At 1 p.m., members of his family and community representatives will gather for the unveiling of Jean-Michel Basquiat Way. This is a stretch of Great Jones Street between t...

A  Yoko Ono  retrospective has just opened at Chicago's  Contemporary Museum of Art . It was originally organized by museums in London, Berlin and Dusseldorf.  Music of the Mind , on view until the 22nd of February, has more than 200 items showcasing Ono's artistry and activism over seven decades. This includes photography, films, and music. One of the songs is  Walking on Thin Ice , her 1981  Grammy -nominated hit.  It was written after she and  John Lennon  visited Chicago, and she found herself thinking about Lake Michigan. Participation is a central theme in numerous Ono works. In some cases, people can shake hands through a canvas, hammer a nail into the surface of a painting, or write their thoughts on a wall.  Another installation-- My Mommy Is Beautiful --allows visitors to share photos of their mothers. An Ono-inspired billboard reading 'Peace is Power,' is outside the museum. The slogan also appears on some of their store's mer...

John Lennon 's ''Lost Weekend'' glasses--worn when he spent 18 months with  May Pang  while separated from  Yoko Ono --are about to go on the auction block.  The tinted spectacles are part of  Propstore 's  Music Memorabilia Live Auction , to be held on the 23rd and 24th of October.  Day One is a live (in London) and online event, while Day Two is online only.  Other items of interest include a letter  David Bowie  wrote to DJ  John   Peel ; a pair of  Elvis Presley 's sunglasses; guitars owned by the likes of  Peter Green, Ritchie Blackmore , and  Zakk Wylde ; and previously worn items such as  Mick Mars'  jackets and trousers;  Elton   John 's fur coat;  Zak Starkey 's striped suit and football shirt; and  Michael Jackson 's fedoras.  There are loads of limited edition prints. Among the subjects are Bowie, the  Beatles, Debbie Harry, Dave Grohl, George Michael,  and...

New York's  Museum of Modern Art  has joined forces with the toy and entertainment company,  Mattel , to launch a series of products inspired by its art collection.  The five-year partnership kicks off on the 11th of November with a capsule collection at  Mattel Creations ' website,  MoMA' s online shop, and at  MoMA Design Stores  in New York and Japan.  This is to include an abstract version of the  Magic Eight Ball  (with  Alma Woodsey Thomas  in mind) as well as  Claude Monet  and  Salvador Dali  figurines by  Little People Collector .  Incidentally, Monet's  Water Lilies  is part of another offering, the  UNO x MoMA  deck. So are pieces like  Henri Matisse 's  The Red Studio ,  Piet Mondrian 's  Broadway Boogie Woogie , and  Vincent van Gogh 's  Starry Night . The latter also appears on a gown, worn by  Barbie .  Those who p...

An exhibit about the  Edmund SS Edmund Fitzgerald  opened last week in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It has been nearly 50 years since the tragedy so the  Milwaukee School of Engineering 's  Grohmann   Museum   is displaying photographs, paintings, and models of the ship.  Works can be viewed through the first of December. Before this, on the 17th of October, a reception with local photographer and maritime expert  Christopher Winters  will be held. In 2015, Chris and Bruce Lynn , Executive Director of the  Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum ,  published a book about the  Edmund Fitzgerald  called  The Legend   Lives On .   In fact, Chris told the Art and  Music Guide  that during his  Grohmann   Museum   appearance, an updated and revised edition of the book will be unveiled. ''Included in the new edition [and museum show] are photos of the last trip of the  Arthur M. Anderson...