It’s arguably the most prestigious, competitive, and exciting art competition for contemporary realism in the world. Now in it’s 12th year, the Art Renewal Center recently announced its newest Salon winners. Who took home the hardware?

The Art Renewal Center (ARC) – one of the most respected realist art institutions – was overjoyed to recently announce the latest winners of it’s incredibly popular and competitive Salon. The 12th Annual International ARC Salon features over 1,000 finalist works representing 640 artists from 63 countries. As part of the competition, the ARC has also acquired 14 works for their own collection.

Awards are categorized by various different sections – most often surrounding subject, including best nude, best social commentary, best trompe l’oeil, best figure, best portrait, best still life, best imaginative realism, best landscape, and many more. Of course, all artists covet earning best in show honors, museum purchase awards, and others sponsored by magazines such as Fine Art Connoisseur and PleinAir Magazine.

Tenaya Sims’ outstanding work “Semillas” (seeds) earned top distinction as Best in Show in 2016. Runner up honors, titled The Bouguereau Award, was taken home by Nick Alm for his painting “The Performance. The winner of The Da Vinci Initiative Award for the Young Aspiring Artist was awarded to 15-year-old Ray Wanda Totanes for her marvelous painting “Perception of Self”. The Oil Painters of America (OPA) also sponsors an award of $1000, which was given to Michele Del Camp for his painting “The Argument.”

Many other honors were given to well-deserving artists, and we encourage you to view the full list of recipients by visiting the ARC International Salon webpage.

As has been the custom since its inception, the ARC will be working with galleries such as Rehs Contemporary, Arcadia Contemporary, and The Salmagundi Club to mount several exhibitions of finalist works, which will be held early in 2017; exact dates to be announced. Currently on the slate is a showing of approximately 75 works for the live version of the ARC Salon that will travel from the Salmagundi Club to the MEAM Museum in Barcelona, Spain, where it will be on view from September 23 through November 27, 2017. The showing at the Salmagundi Club will open May 12 and continue through June 1, 2017.

The 13th Annual International Salon will feature a new category: plein air! Sponsored by the California Plein Air Painters and Masters of Plein Air Academy, organizers expect a robust number of entries in this category, especially given the meteoric rise of plein air’s popularity.

To learn more, visit The Art Renewal Center.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.

Part of the allure of art museums and galleries is their mission to give the public access to cultural heritage and the beautiful creative products that come from bygone eras and individuals. However, there remains an entire world of private collecting, which – together – could easily rival any public institution. A unique opportunity to see works from the private collections of many distinguished figures is almost here. Where?

Paintings and watercolors from the private collections of many of the art world’s most distinguished individuals will soon grace the walls of Watts Gallery in Guildford, United Kingdom. However, the exhibition will bring particular focus to Victorian and early 20th century artworks which have rarely – if at all – be exhibited to the public.

“Untold Stories: British Art from Private Collections” opens on November 22 and includes a number of stunning works by greats such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John Singer Sargent, Edward Burne-Jones, J.W. Waterhouse, and William Holman Hunt. Among representations by these seminal figures are works by lesser-known artists among the public, including Frederic Sandys and Thomas Cooper Gotch.

Via the gallery, “The stories that connect the artworks to their owners will be told in the exhibition. The collectors explain what attracted them to the works, and how their understanding and appreciation of their pictures has grown as they have lived with them.

“A magnificent Art Deco portrait by Alan Beeton, for example, was ‘bought on a whim’ because its owner simply admired the beauty of the model. He subsequently discovered that the sitter was Marguerite Kelsey, a celebrated artists’ model of the 1920s and 30s, and soon afterwards an opportunity arose for the collector to meet the subject of his cherished painting. A firm friendship followed.

“The ability of artworks to connect people emerges as a central reason to collect. Walter Crane’s exquisite landscape with the huntress Diana is a beautiful artwork in its own right. But its owner cherishes it all the more because it previously belonged to three well-known collectors and dealers who pioneered the rediscovery of Victorian art during the 20th century.”

“Untold Stories: British Art from Private Collections” remains on view through February 19. To learn more, visit Watts Galley.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.

It’s that time of year when some of the nation’s top galleries mount stunning exhibitions in which the skill is large but the format is small. Check out these miniature masterpieces from Evergreen Fine Art in Colorado.

A world of small beauties making big impacts will soon be on view at Evergreen Fine Art in Evergreen, Colorado. Opening on November 19 is the gallery’s annual Miniature Masterpieces show, which features many of the nation’s top painters and sculptors working today. As the gallery correctly suggested, “Miniature Masterpices offers a rare opportunity to marvel at the patience, concentration and immense skill needed to render a universe of beauty in less than 120 square inches.”

Coming into it’s seventh showing, the exhibition is also a fantastic opportunity for beginning collectors. Gallery Director Doug Kacena agrees, saying “It’s perfect for entry-level collectors who are just beginning to build their collections, and it’s a good opportunity for more established collectors to fill in the gaps in their collections. There’ll be several pieces by each artist, and one of the fun things about the show is that the themes and subjects are all over the board.” Indeed, among the subjects explored are all traditional cogs, including portraiture, still life, wildlife, landscape, and narrative.

Among many other notable names, artists included in the show are Walt Gonske, Robert Spooner, Pem Dunn, Dave Santillanes, Susiehyer, Keith Bond, Kevin Weckbach, Mai Wyn Schantz, and Kelli Folson.

Miniature Masterpieces 2016 opens on November 19 and will run through December 7. To learn more, visit Evergreen Fine Art.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.

Milan’s Brera Museum of Painting is currently at the center of a vexing debate surrounding the authenticity of a 400-year-old painting discovered in a French attic in 2014. Although the museum has stated it does not wish to take part in the debate, its display of the work might suggest otherwise.

As we — and countless scholars — have discussed, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (1571-1610) is perhaps one of the most contested, researched, and fascinating artists to have ever lived. Although most of his fame may be attributable to his unforgettable pictures, his controversial biography — one that surrounds his violent murder of a man and subsequent flight from Rome — deserves a healthy dose of credit as well.

The name Caravaggio is making waves across the art world this fall and forcing many of the artist’s most accomplished scholars to choose sides — par for the course. In 2014, a couple living in a home near the southwestern city of Toulouse, France, were investigating a leaky ceiling when they stumbled across a lovely 400-year-old tableau that some specialists argue is an authentic work by the Baroque master. If true, the value of the painting could easily exceed $200 million.

The painting displays a familiar scene, namely because there survives an example of the same subject that has earned universal acceptance as an authentic Caravaggio, housed today in the Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Antica. The Biblical scene — which displays the dramatic moment when a Jewish girl, Judith, beheads the Assyrian general Holofernes — was popular among artists and patrons, and many examples survive.

A comparison of the canvas in question and the authenticated work by Caravaggio reveal striking similarities — they are nearly identical, in fact. Executed with strong tenebrist light, a black background, and blood-red sheets dramatically draped above, the piece is undeniably in the style of Caravaggio. Eric Turquin believes every element of the piece aligns with the Baroque master, including “the light, the energy typical of Caravaggio, without mistakes, done with a sure hand and a pictorial style that makes it authentic.”

It is well-documented that after Caravaggio’s life and career, his revolutionary works inspired generations of followers who delighted in the opportunity to copy and learn from them. It is the opinion of this author that the recently discovered work does not appear to be executed with the same level of naturalism or skill. In particular, the contorted body of Holofernes is awkwardly placed in the composition and the lack of foreshortening in his right arm seems oddly erroneous. Further, the number of Caravaggio followers would allow the possibility for period copies to survive.

Some scholars agree, and the name of Flemish painter Louis Finson (1580-1617) has surfaced as a potential candidate. Finson was born in Bruges but spent most of his life and career in Provence. Enjoying much renown during his life, he’s credited with having become the first Flemish Caravaggisti — or follower of Caravaggio. In particular, the figure of Holofernes in the debated picture displays a few anatomical consistencies with Finson, including the rather pale tone of the skin and slightly elongated form. Further, the painting having been found in France might also add some degree of support, albeit more weakly.

The painting is currently being shown juxtaposed with authentic works by Caravaggio through February 5 at Milan’s Brera Museum of Painting. The display hedges on the identification of the picture, adding an asterisk and noting its attribution to Caravaggio. Whatever side of the fence you fall, we cannot forget the excitement and celebration of this discovery, irrespective of its creator. Even so, some in the art word who believe in the painting’s authenticity might be exhibiting some wishful thinking.

To learn more, visit the Brera Museum of Painting.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.

We here at Fine Art Connoisseur love seeing traditional ateliers achieve success and grow in popularity. Even better is the establishment of a new program, this time in the Bronx!

Willow Avenue in the Bronx, New York, will soon boast the latest traditional atelier program in the historic “Paper Clip” building. Located at 728 E 136th Street, the Willow Avenue Atelier will host an invite-only opening celebration on Thursday, December 8.

Stay tuned for more information!

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.

Artist Jesse Lane of RJD Gallery has been adding a number of feathers to his cap during 2016. For collectors interested in a quickly ascending star in the art world, Lane is one surely to watch.

Although the pictures by ascending artist Jesse Lane make a striking impression upon viewers at first glance, this perception is only intensified when realizing their medium: colored pencil. Indeed, some of the best artworks leave viewers perplexed at how a human hand could create them, and the effect is similar with Lane’s work. Often set against black backgrounds with intense tenebrist light, Lane’s figurative subjects are tightly cropped, forced close to the picture frame, and display dramatic expressions.

Currently, Lane has his work on view at RJD Gallery in Sag Harbor, New York, through December 15, but his current solo show is just one exciting occurrence for the artist in 2016. Most recently, Lane was awarded the Grand Prize from International Artist Magazine, and he will be recognized with a four-page spread in American Art Collector Magazine. Further, Lane won first prize in the juried exhibition by the National Society of Artists. Finally, he earned Best of Show in the Salmagundi Club non-member competition and was published on the cover of Colored Pencil Magazine.

To learn more, visit RJD Gallery.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.

Contemporary realist William Oberst will showcase several of his newest pictures this fall in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Take a glimpse of life and relationships through his unique artistic vision here.

Using soft contours and vivid color, and paying homage to art history are the works of William Oberst during his latest solo exhibition at From Russia With Art Gallery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Presenting his subjects in everyday settings, Oberst plays will deep contemporary symbolism is works that are visually breathtaking. “My oil paintings are glimpses of life and relationships,” Oberst writes. “They entered my consciousness the way they entered yours — isolated moments resonating with a meaning that’s just out of reach. I regard them as images of the twenty-first century that will speak to future generations. I build the images from layers of translucent and excavated paint, a technique borrowed from the old masters. That’s very different from the immediacy of watercolors, where my subject is natural landscapes, something I find endlessly fascinating. Each medium has its place. Life is both enigmatic and beautiful.”

A special event will also be hosted at the gallery on December 3. From 4:30 to 6 p.m., the gallery will present a provocative 20-minute film by Oberst titled “The Painter’s Vision.” Following the film, Oberst will lead a discussion with participants intended to explore the deep connection between how painters and audiences see art.

To learn more, visit From Russian With Art Gallery.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.

Inspired by the work of American traditional painters such as George Inness and Albert Bierstadt, Sergio Roffo is an accomplished painter internationally known for his stunning landscapes that evoke moods of calm and serenity.

The luminous works of renowned painter Sergio Roffo will soon grace the walls of the Guild of Boston Artists. In an exhibition opening December 5 and on view through December 24, Roffo will showcase a number of brilliant new pictures that collectors are sure to gobble up quickly. The artist is known for his stunning views of New England, and viewers will encounter more of the same beauty during this solo exhibition.

Speaking of his artistic goals, Roffo suggests, “My mission is trying to convey to the viewer the spirituality and sacredness of my work, indicating the harmony of nature through color and light. As artists, our creative goals will never be accomplished. We will always be students of nature, because nature does it so beautifully. We live each day passionately, others only dream of!”

For those who cannot make the exhibition opening, another tantalizing opportunity awaits. On December 17, the artist will be on hand at the gallery and will begin a demonstration at 2 p.m. To learn more, visit The Guild of Boston Artists.

This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.