Damien Hirst To Open Bond Street Store

Renowned Brit artist Damien Hirst is to open a new store in New Bond Street, next to auction house Sotheby's. According to a report on Bloomberg, the new shop will open by the end of the year and will be Hirst's second store, with his first one due to open in Marylebone soon.

The shop will sell the same range of products which are available on his company website at OtherCriteria.com

Mandela's Legal Action Against Belgravia Gallery

The Guardian has reported that Nelson Mandela is to begin legal proceedings against the Belgravia Gallery in Albemarle Street in relation to lithographs and drawings they are displaying in a current exhibition to mark Mandela's 90th birthday.

A statement from his lawyers said: "Mr Mandela has given us instruction to take urgent, appropriate steps against Belgravia gallery to stop any marketing, distribution and selling of artwork associated with his name".

Anna Hunter, managing director of Belgravia gallery, told the Guardian that she had personally witnessed Mandela signing the works in 2002, and gave a speech alongside him when he launched them in South Africa.

Visit Belgravia Gallery website
Read the original story at Guardian.co.uk

Halcyon Gallery Exhibits Bob Dylan's Art

An exhibition of drawings and sketches by Bob Dylan will go on show at Mayfair's Halcyon Gallery in June. The show will have the title, "The Drawn Blank Series" and will feature works by Dylan that were done whilst on the road between 1989 and 1992.

The BBC quotes Halcyon president, Paul Green, as saying: "This is an incredible opportunity for viewing this powerful body of work which gives an insight into the artist's soul and which have already been the subject of widespread critical acclaim."

The cultural icon's pieces will be on display at the Halycon from June 14th. For more information, visit the website of the Halcyon Gallery.

Linda McCartney Exhibition Opens Today

The much publicised exhibition of Linda McCartney photography opens today at the James Hyman Gallery in Savile Row. The exhibition, featuring 28 photos handpicked by Sir Paul, goes on until July 19th.

The exhibition includes portraits of Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Simon and Garfunkel, Gilbert & George and Mick Jagger. It also presents landscapes, intimate interiors, self-portraits and family life.

More information
Linda McCartney Photography at James Hyman Gallery
BBC: Linda McCartney Exhibition

Agnew's Sells Old Bond Street Premises

Fine art dealers, Agnew's, have sold their gallery space at 43 Old Bond Street to Italian fashion house, Etro.

The family firm had been at the site since 1877 when Sir William Agnew had it built. Current chairman, Julian Agnew, has announced that the company is looking for a smaller space to move to, since a large proportion of their work is now conducted outside of the gallery anyway, at art fairs in the UK and overseas.

Speculation suggests that the sale might have been worth about £24million to Agnew's, and they are now looking for new premises in Mayfair or St James where they will focus more attention on contemporary British art.

Halcyon Sues Sarah-Jane Szikora

The Art Newspaper has reported on intriguing wranglings between the Halcyon Gallery and an artist who worked under contract for 11 years. Sarah-Jane Szikora was receiving only 25% of the achieved price for her artwork and following the end of her contract, she decided to exhibit and sell her work herself at the Arndean Gallery in Cork Street.

A high court injunction stopped the planned exhibition going ahead and Halcyon is now suing the artist for breach of contract. The dispute seems to rest on works undertaken whilst she was still under contract with Halcyon, which they claim they should have had first refusal on.

Find out more about the case from the ArtNewspaper.com.

Mulberry Bond Street Becomes Gallery Space

Mulberry, the luxury English fashion brand, is transforming its New Bond Street store every month this year, with the help of emerging artists, designers, florists, cake makers and even talented, under privelleged young people from Kids Company.

The series of exhibitions begun last night with the launch party for "Unfolded": a selection of dramatic, colourful paper sculptures from Gethin Moller. Moller's works will be on display throughout March and April.


Agyness Deyn and Gethin Moller at the launch party


Jaime Winstone at the "Mulberry Unfolded" Launch

Russian Art Exhibition Opens At Royal Academy

The controversial exhibition of Russian art has opened at the Royal Academy of Arts in Piccadilly. The show was threatened after Russian authorities said they wouldn't allow the art to come to the UK in case there were any legal challenges to its ownership, but new laws rushed through by the Government provided the assurances sought.

"From Russia: French and Russian Master Paintings 1870–1925 from Moscow and St Petersburg " will run from today until 18th April 2008 at the Royal Academy, and presents modern masterpieces drawn from Russia’s principal collections: the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Art and the State Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow and the State Hermitage Museum and the State Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.

Visit the website of the Royal Academy for more information.

Buy and sell tickets for the Royal Academy of Arts online at GetMeIn.com - the UK's largest secondary marketplace for tickets.

Silent At Heart opens at Air Gallery

Silent at Heart is a new art exhibition that has opened at the Air Gallery in Dover Street, Mayfair.

Put together with funding from the Wellcome Trust, this exhibition which combines work from commissioned artists with contributions from art students, aims to raise awareness of Sudden Cardiac Death Syndrome (SCDS) - a rare condition that claims the life of 8 young people a week.

The exhibition remains open until September 15th.

Find out more: Silent At Heart