Brava

March 2012

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play in your free time Art Throb A new boomtown in the art world by Pete Lundberg Happy March, dear readers! As we muddle our way through this rough economy, the disparity between rich and poor is in the limelight. The art world is no different. I am often astounded at auction prices, es- pecially for mid- and late-20th century works, which have soared above those of the late 19th-century masters. Well, my jaw dropped when it was re- cently revealed that one version of Cé- zanne's "Card Players" was sold privately for over $250 million, shattering the record for the most expensive canvas ever sold. The buyer? Not an individual, but a country! Qatar, the tiny sand-covered Arab state est GDP in the world, and with this kind of wealth, they have been able to instantly create a cultural mecca. It doesn't just stop at museums—futuristic medical facilities, sports complexes, and even Middle East- ern campuses of Georgetown, Texas A & M and Northwestern University have opened. Neighboring Abu Dhabi is in on the act as well, working to complete "branches" of the famed Louvre and Guggenheim museums! It will be interesting to see what else home to tremendous oil and natural gas reserves, has been on a buying spree. They have recently built several major muse- ums, and this famous painting will likely hang in the Qatar National Museum when it opens in 2014. Qatar boasts the high- they acquire in the near future, and if art- lovers and museum-goers will flock to see the collections. It certainly gives a new definition to "painting in oil." Pete Lundberg is not only an art lover but owner of Janus Galleries in Madison. Book Club When you find these in your child's backpack, read along and revisit the classic tales with enduring messages The Diary of Anne Frank By Anne Frank Revisit this international classic for a heartwarming and harrowing window into the life of a Jewish teen hiding from the Nazis. It's a testament to the human spirit, the damaging power of hate and one girl's faith in good over evil. Published by Knopf Doubleday, $13 To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee Through the eyes of an 8-year-old, this moving masterpiece illustrates the fin- est lessons in prejudice and morality in a way that few other pieces of literature have. Published by HarperCollins, $16 Left: Painted circa 1892, this painting was part of a series of five works with a cardplayer theme by postimpressionist Paul Cézanne. After being sold recently for more than $250 million, it shattered the record for the most expensive painting ever bought. The Giver By Lois Lowry In this award-winning novel, one boy's life in a utopian society where pain and suffering no longer exist is rocked when he learns what it really means to be human and then dares to experience it for himself. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $17 Little House on the Prairie By Laura Ingalls Wilder and Garth Williams The beloved tales of life on the prairie have been transformed for TV and the Broadway stage, but the books remain simple, sweet and captivating. Published by HarperCollins, $17 Artsy happenings this month: Donald Thompson on Art and Revolutionary Ideals: On March 22, UW-Madison Professor Donald Thompson looks behind the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art's ¡Tierra y Libertad! exhibition to find how the artists sought to build a new Mexican identity and more. Visit mmoca.org. Art Still has Truth, Take Refuge There: Celebrate the March 24 opening reception for artist Mary Kay Neumann's solo watercolor exhibition dedicated to healing and compassion. Visit mknart.com. 72 BRAVA Magazine March 2012

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