“Manga is virtual. Manga is [a] sentiment. Manga is resistance. Manga is bizarre. Manga is pathos. Manga is destruction. Manga is arrogance. Manga is love. Manga is kitsch. Manga is [a] sense of wonder. Manga is…there is no conclusion yet.” OSAMU TEZUKA, JAPANESE MANGA ARTIST

“Contrary to its image of being a soulless city of vast air-conditioned malls, Singapore has become a rambunctious and increasingly sophisticated place. It is building a magnificent arts centre on Marina Bay. Its rich multi-cultural mix is an asset too. … We are benchmarking Singapore against the best cities in the world. We will study the distinctive features of world-class cities and adapt them for Singapore.”

Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance’s latest is a set of three screens using the tin-glazed ceramic tilework tradition known as ‘Azulejo’. When French designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance moved to Lisbon, the first thing that struck him was the diversity of tiled panels that dominated the city. It wasn’t long before he was hooked, and he knew he had to learn more. He soon discovered that most were by modernist artists, rendered in collaboration with artisan tile maker Viúva Lamego. And that the art form was ac

“The object of art is not to reproduce reality, but to create a reality of the same intensity,” Alberto Giacometti once said. There is something about Japanese artist Izumi Kato's oeuvre that perfectly exemplifies Giacometti's quote, leading the observer into a neverland full of humanoid creatures with alien features, who, even, and especially, with their distorted guises, exude a fantastical spirit that is equal parts terrestrial and celestial. The artist’s largest-ever single canvas at auctio

Gleaming bronze finishes, gentle curves and a bygone quality that whispers of ancient traditions—Maison Intègre‘s maiden collection could easily belong in a museum. The Burkina Faso-based company’s limited-edition bronze work line—designed by founder Ambre Jarno in collaboration with French designer Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, and handcrafted by West African master artisans—revives the country’s lost wax bronze technique. And now, for the first time, design lovers have a chance to get up close and

Gregoire making the miniature porcelain pieces for his sculptures. Photo by Fabien Jallot. Glazed and ready to be added to the larger sculptural form. Photo by Charles De Borggraef. The Final Metamorphosis Of Thetis by Gregoire Scalabre, presented at Homo Faber 2022 in Venice. Photo by Charles De Borggraef. Made up of over 70,ooo of miniature porcelain pieces turned individually by hand, L’Ultime Métamorphose de Thétis (The Final Metamorphosis Of Thetis) by Gregoire Scalabre is a labour-in

In advance of Sotheby’s Modern Evening Auction (27 April, Hong Kong), we take a look at a selection of paintings by modern art masters that celebrate the muses who have been the source of their artistic inspiration. Through these works, we sense the resonance and emotional response from the artists’ relationships to their subjects, expressed in a powerful statement of enduring beauty. The women of Pablo Picasso’s life were the fulcrum of his genius, essential to his creative and intellectual pr

Noted for her kaleidoscopic abstractions of floating moons, knobbly trees and effulgent sunlight, Shara Hughes's brushstrokes freewheel across the canvas in a smorgasbord of colour. The New York-based artist, who earned a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2004 and attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture in 2011, has a bold signature that riffs on dramatic tones and dreamlike manifestations. Hughes's oeuvre nods in equal spirit to the deeply saturated palettes of the e

In the time capsule that is Montparnasse, art can be seen everywhere. On buildings. Inside them. On walls and ceilings and doors and windows. As frescoes and as freestanding displays. And in the case of The Hôtel des Académies et des Arts, in its past, present and future (you see, the building has served as a hotel for well over a century). The Parisian hotel’s cool new avatar is courtesy of architects Stéphanie Lizée of Lizée-Hugot, an architecture firm she co-founded with Raphael Hugot. Stéph

When Aanshiki Mittal stepped out for a stroll within her Gurgaon apartment complex last year, little did she know that she would 'stumble' upon her calling–in the unlikely way of a fallen tree branch. "Gurgaon had been hit hard by the monsoon and uprooted trees and branches lay everywhere," says Mittal. "One such tree had a very unique form that instantly started talking to me." The chance encounter turned out to be serendipitous for Mittal, who always knew she wanted to create art . "The questi

An ode to female artistry, with interdisciplinary conversations around the nature of self-building, will soon assume a novel avatar, in the way of an all-women group show christened (ME)(MORY). The exhibition, curated by Dipti Anand, is available for viewing at Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, and features an eclectic collection of artworks by nine leading artists with a subcontinental presence. These include Faiza Butt, Ruby Chishti, Anoli Perera, Bakula Nayak, Apnavi Makanji, Rakhi Peswani, Him

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic inspired the Coalition for the Homeless to eschew their annual traditional gala and auction in favour of new, innovative ways of fundraising. On 16th November, they launched a first-of-its-kind collaboration with 50 distinguished artists to create limited-edition plates; the proceeds from the sale will help homeless New Yorkers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative titled ‘The Artist Plate Project' mirrors the non-profit's time-honoured legacy of c

Most art lovers covet a Picasso original, but bona fide artworks by the grand master are few. Soon, art collectors can look forward to a spectacular selection of Pablo Picasso's works from the private collection of his granddaughter, Marina Picasso. The auction, titled ‘Sotheby's Impressionist & Modern Art Day Sale', was unveiled at Sotheby's Impressionist & Modern Art Department, London, on January 5, 2020. Pieces will be available for public viewing from January 29, 2020. Pablo Picasso is one

Witness a sacred language of form and sound unfold on canvas. An art extravaganza christened ‘Yantra and Mantra' will be unveiled by Jamaat today, in commemoration of their 21st anniversary. The show is slated to run until 28th February 2020. The exhibition is an introspection into geometric shapes and proportions and their architectural symbolism in sacred worship and spiritual practices across civilisations. “There exists a belief that God created the universe according to a geometric plan. T

If you're an art aficionado, the summer of 2020 promises to be a season to remember. Frida Kahlo 2020, a one-of-a-kind, multifaceted exhibition hosting one of the largest private collections of original artworks by Frida Kahlo, is opening in Chicago between March and August 2020. Go on and satiate your soul with an art-filled summer. Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist whose stylistic ethos seeded a powerful visual metamorphosis in 20th century art and culture. Kahlo was noted for her self-portrai