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William Shakespeare was a British poet and playwright and writer.
William's father, John Shakespeare, was a merchant and official in Stratford. There are reports that he was a sailor for a time before joining a theater company in London. Beginning in the 1590s, Shakespeare began writing plays, and in 1593 he published a poem, Venus and Adonis, which became popular. He dedicated it to the Duke of Southampton, who was a philanthropist and patron of talent, and soon his business was booming.
From 1592 to 1600 Shakespeare wrote his dramas and romantic comedies "Richard III", "The Taming of the Shrew", "Romeo and Juliet", "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "The Merchant of Venice", as well as the comedies "Much Ado About Nothing", "Twelfth Night" and the tragedy "Julius Caesar". The playwright's business was so successful that he even bought a large house in Stratford. In 1599, Shakespeare became one of the owners, playwright and actor of the new theater "Globe". In 1603 King James took Shakespeare's troupe under his direct patronage. In the mature period, the great playwright turned to tragedies, there were "Hamlet", "Othello", "King Lear", "Macbeth" and others.
Although in the 19th century researchers had some doubts about the authorship of many of these works, William Shakespeare is considered the greatest English playwright, one of the best playwrights in the world. His plays have been translated into all major languages and to this day form the basis of the world theatrical repertoire, most of them have been screened many times. According to the Guinness Book of Records, Shakespeare remains the world's best-selling playwright, and his plays and poems have sold more than 4 billion copies in the nearly 400 years since his death.
Aristide Maillol was a French artist. He was a painter, sculptor, and printmaker, and is best known for his sculptural works.
Maillol initially worked as a painter, but after seeing Auguste Rodin's sculptures in the early 1890s, he turned to sculpture himself. His early sculptures were influenced by the classical tradition, and often depicted female figures in a simplified, stylized form.
Maillol's sculptures are characterized by their smooth surfaces and simplified forms, which reflect his interest in the pure and timeless beauty of the human body. He often worked in bronze, and his sculptures were typically larger than life size.
In addition to his sculptures, Maillol also created prints, including lithographs and woodcuts. His prints were often based on his sculptural works, and reflected his interest in simplifying form and line.
Maillol continued to work and exhibit his art throughout his life, and his work was shown in galleries and museums around the world. Today, his sculptures are held in the collections of many prestigious institutions, including the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the Tate Gallery in London.
Sigmar Polke was a German painter and photographer.
Polke experimented with a wide range of styles, subject matters and materials. In the 1970s, he concentrated on photography, returning to paint in the 1980s, when he produced abstract works created by chance through chemical reactions between paint and other products. In the last 20 years of his life, he produced paintings focused on historical events and perceptions of them.
Damien Hirst is a seminal figure in contemporary art, well-known for his provocative and often controversial works that explore themes of death, rebirth, and the boundaries of art itself. As a leading member of the Young British Artists (YBAs) in the 1990s, Hirst catapulted to fame with his innovative approach to art that combines the techniques of installation, sculpture, and painting.
Damien Hirst's early career was marked by his organization of the pivotal "Freeze" exhibition in 1988, showcasing his and his peers' work, which caught the attention of influential art collectors. This period laid the groundwork for his signature works, including the 'Natural History' series, where animals such as sharks, sheep, and cows are preserved in formaldehyde, challenging viewers to confront the nature of existence and the inevitability of death.
Among Damien Hirst's most iconic pieces is "The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living," featuring a tiger shark suspended in formaldehyde, and "For the Love of God," a platinum cast of an 18th-century human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds. These works exemplify Hirst's exploration of mortality and the commodification of art.
Damien Hirst's 'Spot Paintings' and 'Spin Paintings' further demonstrate his challenge to traditional notions of authorship and the creative process, often involving teams of assistants in their production. These series play with concepts of randomness, control, and the aesthetic joys of color and form, pushing the boundaries of painting as a medium.
In 2017, Hirst embarked on "Treasures from the Wreck of the Unbelievable," an ambitious project that filled Venetian museums with artifacts from a fictional ancient shipwreck. This project, blending reality and fiction, invited audiences to question the authenticity and value of art, showcasing Hirst's ongoing interest in storytelling and myth-making within the context of contemporary culture.
For collectors and experts in art and antiques, Damien Hirst represents a pivotal figure whose works challenge, provoke, and inspire. His ability to blur the lines between art, science, and commerce has left an indelible mark on the art world, making his pieces highly sought after by collectors around the globe.
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Katharina Grosse is a German artist. As an artist, Grosse's work employs a use of architecture, sculpture and painting. She is known for her large-scale, site-related installations to create immersive visual experiences. She has been using an industrial paint-sprayer to apply prismatic swaths of color to a variety of surfaces since the late 1990s, and often uses bright, unmixed sprayed-on acrylic paints to create both large-scale sculptural elements and smaller wall works.
Sigmar Polke was a German painter and photographer.
Polke experimented with a wide range of styles, subject matters and materials. In the 1970s, he concentrated on photography, returning to paint in the 1980s, when he produced abstract works created by chance through chemical reactions between paint and other products. In the last 20 years of his life, he produced paintings focused on historical events and perceptions of them.
Yves Klein was a French artist, renowned for his innovative use of pure color and his approach to the conceptual aspects of monochrome painting. Klein, born in 1928 in Nice, France, left an indelible mark on the art world despite his brief career, which ended with his untimely death in 1962.
Klein is best known for his invention of International Klein Blue (IKB), a deep blue hue which he registered as a trademark color and used extensively in his works. This vibrant blue, which he developed in collaboration with a chemist, represented more than just a color; it was a means of evoking the immateriality and boundlessness of space. His monochrome blue canvases, large-scale public performances, and pioneering works in performance art established him as a leading figure in the Nouveau Réalisme movement in post-war Europe.
Aside from his famous blue monochromes, Klein’s Anthropometries series, where he used nude women as 'living brushes' to transfer blue paint onto canvases, is another testament to his innovative artistic methods. These performances, often accompanied by a small orchestra playing his "Monotone Symphony" — a single, continuous note played for twenty minutes followed by twenty minutes of silence — challenged traditional perceptions of the artist's role and the creation process.
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Pablo Ruiz Picasso, a Spanish artist renowned for his revolutionary contributions to the 20th-century art scene, is a figure that resonates profoundly with collectors and art experts. His unique blend of talents in painting, sculpture, printmaking, and ceramic art, infused with his time in France, positioned him as a pivotal character in modern art history.
Picasso's artistic journey was marked by distinct periods, each showcasing his evolving style and genius. His early years were characterized by the Blue Period (1901-1904), followed by the Rose Period (1904-1906), and then the African-influenced Period (1907-1909). Picasso's name is synonymous with Cubism, a movement he co-founded, which significantly altered artistic perspectives and methods. Works like "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" (1907) and "Guernica" (1937) are emblematic of his cubist legacy, the latter being a poignant anti-war statement that remains influential.
His later years saw a return to more traditional styles, with neoclassical and surrealist influences becoming evident. Works from these phases reflect a deep engagement with mythological themes, as seen in "Faun with Stars" (1955), symbolizing his late-life romance with Jacqueline Roque, his second wife.
Picasso's prolific output and innovative spirit made him a legend in his own time, a status that only grew after his death. His works, housed in major museums and private collections worldwide, continue to captivate and inspire.
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August Robert Ludwig Macke was an eminent German expressionist painter, founder and member of the Blue Rider association. His very colorful and individual style is today referred to as the Macke style, characterized by a harmonious combination of colors and the play of light effects. His favorite subjects of his works were sketches from the life of the city, as well as nature and man. The paintings of August Macke give an impression of joy and lightness.
Günther Uecker is a German sculptor, op artist and installation artist.
Piero Dorazio was an Italian painter. His work was related to color field painting, lyrical abstraction and other forms of abstract art.
Rosemarie Trockel is a German conceptual artist. She has made drawings, paintings, sculptures, videos and installations, and has worked in mixed media. From 1985, she made pictures using knitting-machines.
Andy Warhol, born as Andrew Warhola Jr., was an American visual artist, film director, and producer, who played a pivotal role in the development of the Pop Art movement. His art delved into the interplay between artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture, especially prevalent in the 1960s. Warhol was renowned for his diverse range of media, which included painting, silkscreening, photography, film, and sculpture.
Warhol's journey began in Pittsburgh, where he was born and raised, initially making a name for himself as a commercial illustrator. His New York studio, "The Factory," became a famous hub for intellectuals, celebrities, and various artistic minds. He was known for creating the notion of "Warhol superstars" and popularized the phrase "15 minutes of fame."
His contribution to the art world is significant, with notable works like "Campbell's Soup Cans" (1962) and "Marilyn Diptych" (1962), as well as his experimental films like "Empire" (1964) and "Chelsea Girls" (1966). These works not only define his career but also underscore the essence of the Pop Art movement.
Warhol's influence extended beyond his artwork. He managed and produced the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground, founded Interview magazine, and wrote several books, including "The Philosophy of Andy Warhol" and "Popism: The Warhol Sixties." Living openly as a gay man before the gay liberation movement, Warhol's personal life was as influential as his professional endeavors.
Tragically, Warhol's life was nearly cut short in 1968 when he was shot by radical feminist Valerie Solanas. He eventually passed away in 1987 due to cardiac arrhythmia following gallbladder surgery. His legacy continues, with The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh standing as the largest U.S. museum dedicated to a single artist.
Warhol's art remains highly collectible and valuable. His works, like the "Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)" and "Shot Sage Blue Marilyn," have fetched staggering amounts at auctions, signifying his enduring impact on the art market.
For art collectors and experts, Andy Warhol's work represents a crucial intersection of pop culture and fine art, offering a unique perspective on consumerism and celebrity. His pieces are not just art; they are historical landmarks that capture a transformative era in both art and society.
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Imi Knoebel (born Klaus Wolf Knoebel) is a German artist. Knoebel is known for his minimalist, abstract painting and sculpture. The "Messerschnitt" or "knife cuts," are a recurring technique he employs, along with his regular use of the primary colors, red, yellow and blue. Knoebel lives and works in Düsseldorf.