Vancouver Vancouver, BC, full of cultural events this fall  Lions guard the steps at the Vancouver Art Gallery, which opens a display Oct. 29 of pieces from the prestigious Audain Collection.  Seattle Times, October 23, 2011

Cityscape on the move A horizontal mural that replicates the experience of driving through Metro Vancouver while catching glimpses of the passing urban landscape is being shown at Seymour Art Gallery in Deep Cove. Danny Singer’s Drive-by mural is just under 11 metres.  Vancouver Sun, October 22, 2011

Victoria Library loans out museum passes Visiting the many worlds of the Royal B.C. Museum is now free thanks to a system that allows families to borrow a pass from the public library. The Greater Victoria Public Library announced a partnership with the museum Friday.  Victoria Times-Colonist, October 22, 2011

 Calgary U of C ceremony showcases $205M high-tech digital library The city contributed $3.2 million to the project, which is going toward the relocation of the Nickle galleries to the library.  Calgary Herald, October 21, 2011   

 Edmonton French photos transport viewer to another time The Art Gallery of Alberta’s exhibition, 19th Century French Photographs, will assuredly transport you to another time, satisfying both the eye and the intellect while offering a poignant element.  Edmonton Journal, October 21, 2011

Winnipeg  WAG Announces Selection of Artists for Major Contemporary Show Celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2012, the Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is Canada’s oldest civic art gallery and one of the country’s largest. The WAG is planning a milestone year of celebrations of art, programs, and special events from September 2012 through August 2013. It all kicks off on September 29, 2012 with the contemporary exhibition Winnipeg Now, featuring thirteen of Winnipeg’s hottest and brightest artists currently shining on the national and international art scene.  Canada First Perspective, October 22, 2011

 Toronto David Hockney, Smoker (And Loud Defender Of It) "We're living in too morbid an age, growing grotesquely morbid. I'm fed up with it as a smoker, utterly fed up with what's been going on about it. What was I saying just a minute ago? 'Birth, copulation, death/When you get down to brass tacks, that's all the facts." The Globe & Mail, October 24, 2011

 Double visions and scary dolls  Review of Toronto exhibitions – Beth Stuart, Ken Nicol, Fausta Facciponte and others.  Globe and Mail, October 22, 2011  

 Canada EASEL SAID THAN DONE  Art as an investment is rarely certain, but it’s a heck of a lot easier on the eyes than a downgraded stock certificate. Such aesthetic returns are available this month as the RBC Canadian Painting Competition tours Ontario.  National Post, October 21, 2011

 The loss of Canada’s heritage buildings demands community action  Canada’s heritage buildings are disappearing. In the past 30 years, more than one in every five pre-1920 heritage buildings have had a date with the wrecker’s ball. Even as this nation embarks on a massive program to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, our history is being dismantled, brick by brick.  Globe and Mail, October 24, 2011

 Dallas Dallas Museum Lands New Director Maxwell L. Anderson, who has been director of the Indianapolis Museum of Art since 2006, has been appointed director of the Dallas Museum of Art.  New York Times, October 23, 2011  

 Boston ‘Degas and the Nude’ at Museum of Fine Arts, Boston - Review A new exhibition in Boston explores the unstinting, even cruel naturalism Degas brought to the female form. New York Times, October 21, 2011  

 New York For Some of the World’s Poor, Hope Comes Via Design  “Design With the Other 90 Percent: Cities,” a show organized by the Cooper-Hewitt Museum, shows how the problems of millions of the world’s poorest people are being addressed.  Curator Cynthia E. Smith: "What the best designers illustrate is how to give form to sometimes very simple ideas. Good design involves bringing not just a fresh eye to problems but, most of all, listening to the people who live in those communities. We're talking about a billion people living in informal settlements today." New York Times, October 21, 2011

 How'd He Get That Crazy Shot Of Dali And Warhol, Anyway? Photographer David McCabe: "Hanging out at the Factory was mind-blowing. I had no idea people lived this way; any time of the day or night, there would be something wild going on. I couldn't afford to get too whacked because I had to stay focused for my work, so I just observed. And a lot of what happened I couldn't photograph." The Guardian (UK) October 23, 2011

 Sleeping Around With Great Artists - And A Camera Or Two Museums now try to stake a claim for all hours of the day, including the ones where you're sleeping. Sleeping on the floor, that is, in the museums themselves.  New York Times, October 23, 2011

 ‘Van Gogh: The Life,’ by Steven Naifeh and Gregory White Smith  “Van Gogh: The Life” gives a tour through that painter’s personal world, illuminating the evolution of his art while articulating what is sure to be a controversial theory regarding his early death. (Book Review)  New York Times, October 21, 2011  

 Philadelphia Note To Museums: If You're Selling One Of Your Biggest Assets, You'd Best Retrench "A year is a long time for a museum to be closed. Two is an eternity. At three, they bring in the forensic unit to determine the identity of the body." In Philadelphia, the Atwater Kent not only plans to be closed at least three and a half years and has also just sold a valuable portrait to cover renovation costs. Philadelphia Inquirer, October 22, 2011

 Washington, D.C. ‘Warhol: Headlines’ at National Gallery of Art - Review Two aspects of Andy Warhol’s art are on display in unalike but complementary shows in Washington. New York Times, October 21, 2011   

 London London art show recalls pivotal moment A landmark British exhibition of Canadian art, which opened Wednesday at a London gallery that has spent years working to showcase the iconic landscapes of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven, is recalling a pivotal moment 87 years ago.  Calgary Herald, October 22, 2011

 Paris Macedonia's Riches Before Alexander An exhibition at the Louvre Museum examines how Iran left its mark on the conqueror's culture.  New York Times, October 22, 2011

 Modena, Italy Making of a Bauhaus Master  A major Italian exhibition of Josef Albers's works captures a craftsman's art.  New York Times, October 22, 2011

 Abu Dhabi Construction Of Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Put On Hold "Construction of the vast, 24,000 sq. m Guggenheim museum planned for Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi has been put on hold after the emirate decided not to award the contract to do the work. The museum, designed by the US architect Frank Gehry, is one of four new institutions planned for a cultural district on the island." The Art Newspaper, October 24, 2011